Hidden Dragon in Qing Dynasty

With Fu Qing's current identity, maneuvering a small steam boat from Shanghai to Jiangning City only required two days' worth of time to send him to the dock.

The current Fu Qing was no longer the previous head of the Mausoleum Guard. He was now the deputy general of the Head Office, the trusted aide of the Empress Dowager Ci An, the chief of the reformist's forces, the founder of the Qing Empire's telegraph network, and an associate minister for the construction of the Qing Province … Layers of light enveloped his body, giving this second rank official a first-rank prestige.

When Fu Qing arrived at Jiangning, it was worth it for Ceng Guoquan to personally welcome him. The whizzing sound of the cannons on the dock was as deafening as the torrential rain.

"What is this? Isn't Jiu Shuai just giving up on the younger generation … I can't accept it, I really can't accept it. I'm not a messenger coming to Jiangnan, how can I fire cannons … "Hurry up and put it away!"

Ceng Guoquan patted Fu Qing's shoulder and laughed, "What messenger? In my eyes, brother, you're even worse than a waiter! Forget about other things. With just two years of time, you managed to create telegraph line s from the north and south. Your achievements are not any less than your military merits … "

"What I am convinced of is that I am a person with true ability. Using cannon fire to welcome him is just a small matter … "The marshal is waiting for you in the residence. The banquet has been arranged; you should at least have a few more drinks today!"

A group of people escorted Qing San Ye and rushed over to the Grand Commander's Estate Residence. Just as they arrived at the door, Fu Qing was surprised to find that there were many servants and servants packing boxes at the corner of the entrance.

"This is?" Fu Qing asked in confusion.

"Hey …" My big brother is preparing ahead of time, next month he will head north to become the Viceroy, if he doesn't pack up his belongings in advance, then everything will be in chaos! "Master Fu, please come in. Back garden please …"

Fu Qing knew that the marshal was purposely putting on an act for him, to use his own words to tell the court that the marshal was already prepared to leave. Who said that it was easy to be an official of the daoyin. They had to be careful of the taboo of the imperial government every day, as the title of the King of Jiangnan was too big and too heavy.

The weather today was not bad. In the back garden, there was a table of wine in the open, and the dishes were very simple: Jiangning special dishes, such as salted duck, zigzag bean, bean fish, Ru Yi dry, Qin Huai He's cakes and pastries, as well as the exquisite steamed dumplings, the pot sticked dumplings, and finally the famous duck blood and silk soup.

When Fu Qing saw the dishes on the table, he understood that the Commander did not treat him as an outsider nor did he prepare any pretty and tasty warm Fire Cuisine. Instead, he would use local snacks to entertain him.

"Marshal's heart..." A junior! The younger generation is truly flattered! " Qing San Ye cupped his hands and bowed.

Before Fu Qing came, the old farmer had just helped the great marshal smoke a pot of opium. Now, Ceng Guofan knew that his days were numbered, if he could endure for two or three years, it would already be considered to be a blessing from the heavens.

Jiang Nan had looked through all the genius doctors and none of them were able to do anything about it. The marshal's cough was a result of accumulated exhaustion, a condition that had run out of oil. Even an immortal would find it difficult to cure.

For such a patient, the poison of opium was of no concern. At the very least, it could help the marshal deal with some government affairs.

Ceng Guofan supported Fu Qing with his hands, showing no signs of politeness, "This time, San Ye must be here for the Minjiang Estuary's Sea War, right? The imperial government wants to hear this old man's opinion, but you're too embarrassed to speak directly? Haha … I, Ceng Guofan, am a subject of the Great Qing Dynasty, and even if I die, I am still a subject of the Great Qing Empire, so there is nothing to be embarrassed about … "

The three of them sat around a stone table, and after two or three cups of wine, the topic changed to the main topic. It was not because Ceng Guofan was anxious, but because he knew that he would not be able to sustain his energy for long with the help of the drugs.

"This old one wants to know why Russian has gone soft? This question shouldn't be difficult for him! "It seems like this old man has been bewitched by this …"

"What is war? It wasn't like ordinary people who wanted to beat their opponents or vent their anger, it wasn't because they wanted to enjoy the feeling of trampling on their enemies' faces … "Any outbreak of war is just a process of destruction and rebalancing of benefits …"

"What is the land? What are mineral resources? What were forest trees, plants, and food? And population... Everything on this piece of land is actually just wealth! "

"The heaven and earth nurtures all living things. Wealth originally has no master, but now that humans have greed, after separating their hearts, right will appear …"

"People keep insisting that this thing is mine, not yours. Actually, all the wealth from ancient times is heaven and earth. We mortals just want to borrow it …"

"Everyone is greedy, so families, tribes, cities, countries, nationalities … "For the sake of the outside world, for the sake of the inside world …"

"Now, Far East Region thinks that this gold mine of wealth belongs to them, but Xiao Letian thinks differently. Even the officials of the imperial court think that the Far East belongs to the imperial government … Everyone has their own little plans, but because Russia is the strongest, no one can afford to offend her, so that land can only belong to them … "

"But now, the balance has been broken. Xiao Letian wants to redistribute the wealth and ownership of that land. He wants to reshuffle the ownership but the Russian does not agree.

Ceng Guofan scoffed, "Russian, you look so crude? Actually, the fact that Ulangeli was able to become Qing Guo's Ambassador showed that he was capable, scolding Xiao Letian and not scolding us Great Qing meant that he was able to grasp onto the importance of the situation … He knows that it is simply impossible for the Russia to start a war with Xiao Letian at the same time as Great Qing … "

"Foolish! The imperial government was too stupid! How could he take the initiative to negotiate with the Russian? "We should have treated them coldly. We should have made those grandsons worry and made them take the initiative to look for us …"

"Cough, cough, cough …" Just you watch, Russian will definitely demand conditions, they have clearly seen through the imperial court's guts, they will definitely try to pull you out and beat you up, and even frighten you and persuade you to raise harsh conditions! "

Qing San Ye did not expect the marshal to be so frank, opening the lid without any hesitation. "marshal, what do you think the Russian's conditions will be?"

"Ai …" Was there even a need to guess? "They must be trying to borrow the imperial government's path. Hopefully, their army will be able to make a detour from Jilin and Heilongjiang to attack the rear path of the brave and loyal armies …"

"Or... They would ask for an alliance with the imperial government, and both sides would work together to fight against the volunteers! In short, Xiao Letian wants to shuffle the cards, and these people will do everything to not let Xiao Letian onto the table, that's all! "

Fu Qing turned pale white when he heard it, "How can this be? How can this be? The imperial government would not be so irrational. The Russia had finally eaten the Far East with great difficulty. Could it be that he would have to spit another portion of it out to the imperial government … This doesn't make sense! "

Jiu Shuai laughed: "If Xiao Letian does not exist in this world, then it is indeed illogical, but with Xiao Letian, the number one threat now, the imperial government and Sha Ao can't care that much!"

"It's just doing business. The resources in the Far East will be reallocated and negotiations will begin …" Anyway, I can't split it with Xiao Letian! "

Jiu Shuai still had half a sentence he wanted to say but he did not say it out loud. The benefits of the Far East must never be shared among the Chinese, not among the Chinese … This is the common interest of the Manchu people and the Russian people, and is the final bottom line! "