PNB Chapter 118 Reward
Chapter 118 Reward
"Teacher, Shen Lian's recapture of Tianjin and annihilation of the Allied forces is truly inspiring! This is our country's first major victory against the great powers since 1840! It's really, really uplifting!" Yang Du said excitedly, waving the newspaper in his hand.
"Yes! This young man is truly unexpected. I never imagined his new army would be so powerful. Now, he and his son-in-law are leading a large force to besiege the capital. The foreigners have been cut off from their retreat. This battle is going to be very successful!" Wang Kaiyun said happily, stroking his beard.
"Teacher, I can't wait any longer! I want to go to the capital, join Lord Shen's ranks, and be at his beck and call!" Yang Du stood up excitedly, his face flushed.
"Xi Zi, I'd like to meet you! Such a brilliant and talented person has emerged from Hunan, and I'd like to meet him. He's still too young, and I, an old man, can do my part to help him, in case he's harmed by those old foxes!"
"Teacher, you're willing to come out of seclusion?" Yang Du was overjoyed.
He knew his teacher's abilities all too well; his dragon-slaying skills were unmatched in the world. If Shen Gong could have his teacher's assistance, his future would be limitless.
"Hehe! I've been staying at home for decades, and if I don't get some exercise, my bones will rust!"
"Okay, okay! Teacher, I'll go arrange the itinerary right away!" Yang Du happily cupped his hands in greeting, turned around and ran out.
A wealthy man's mansion in Xuanfu.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! This is fantastic news!" Li Lianying shouted as she rushed into the courtyard, holding a piece of paper.
"Chief Steward Li, keep your voice down. The Empress Dowager has been working very hard these past few days and just fell asleep," one of Cixi's personal maids quickly whispered to stop her.
"Little Li, come in!" Empress Dowager Cixi had been living in fear the whole way, and the slightest sound would wake her up. She was already awakened by Li Lianying's voice.
"Your Majesty, it's fantastic news! Shen Lian has recaptured Tianjin!" Li Lianying rushed in, shouting before she could even bow.
"Ah! Little Li, what, what did you say?" Empress Dowager Cixi scrambled to her feet, her mind reeling. The news was far too shocking. She had never even dared to dream of it.
"Your Majesty, Shen Lian recaptured Tianjin four days ago, annihilating the foreign troops. Now he's joined forces with General Nie to prepare to recapture Beijing!" Li Lianying steadied herself and repeated the statement.
"Little Li, is the news true?" Empress Dowager Cixi looked at Li Lianying expectantly.
"Your Majesty, this is a telegram from the Prefect of Datong. It is undoubtedly true!"
"Bring it here quickly so I can see it!" Empress Dowager Cixi reached out and grabbed the telegram to read it.
"You dog of a servant, light the lamps now!" Empress Dowager Cixi was old, and although it was daytime, the light in her bedroom was poor, making it difficult for her to read the telegrams. She began to furiously berate them!
Soon the palace maid brought over a lit candle!
"Good, good!" Empress Dowager Cixi read the telegram three times and couldn't help but shed tears.
She, a woman who had been pampered since childhood, had been chased and forced to flee these past few days, experiencing indescribable suffering. Today, she finally received some incredibly good news and was so moved that she sobbed.
"Your Majesty has suffered so much! We servants deserve to die!" Li Lianying and several palace maids knelt on the ground, tears streaming down their faces.
"Get up, all of you, get up!" Empress Dowager Cixi wiped away her tears and waved her hand.
"Shen Qing has lived up to my expectations! I will reward him handsomely!" Empress Dowager Cixi said happily.
"Little Li, quickly go and summon Prince Qing and the ministers!"
"Yes, ma'am!" Li Lianying replied and hurriedly withdrew.
Before the time it takes to drink a cup of tea is up, Prince Qing Yikuang and Grand Councilor Gangyi, who were accompanying him, hurriedly arrived, their faces beaming with joy.
"Your humble servants pay homage to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. May the Empress Dowager be blessed! Long live the Emperor!"
"Rise, all of you!" Empress Dowager Cixi, having composed herself, sat smiling in the grand chair at the head of the table. Emperor Guangxu sat beside her, his face beaming with excitement.
"Your Majesty, Shen Lian has recaptured Tianjin and annihilated the foreign troops. We, your subjects, congratulate Your Majesty, congratulate His Majesty, and congratulate the entire nation!" Yi Kuang stood up and bowed, and the other ministers also offered their congratulations.
"Good, good! Let's all celebrate!" Empress Dowager Cixi waved her hand happily.
"I summoned you here to discuss our next steps and how to reward Shen Lian! What do you mean by this?"
"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager! Although Shen Lian's new army is elite, it must have suffered many casualties in the bloody battle of Tianjin. Although it has joined forces with Nie Gongting's troops, it is not superior to the main force of the allied forces of the foreign powers in Beijing!" Yikuang secretly glanced at Cixi and saw that her expression had become solemn before continuing.
"There must be a protracted and bloody battle in the capital. It is inconvenient for us to keep abreast of the battlefield situation while we are in Xuanfu. I think it would be better for Your Majesty to move to Datong. There is a telegraph office there, which will make it easier for the court to receive information at any time."
Yikuang certainly wouldn't say that he was afraid Shen Lian and Nie Gongting couldn't defeat the allied forces of the foreign powers, and that he would use the excuse of not being able to receive information in time to flee to Datong. That reason would be very appropriate.
"Do you have any other opinions?" Empress Dowager Cixi also came to her senses from her surprise.
There are twenty to thirty thousand allied troops from the Western powers in Beijing. Shen Lian only annihilated a small group of foreigners; the worst battle is still being fought in Beijing!
It's better to stay away. If Shen Lian loses, we'll have time to run away.
"We second that!" The officials, wanting only to flee as far away and as safe as possible, naturally had no objections.
"Alright! That's settled then. Shen Lian has made such a great contribution, so how should he be rewarded? He's risking his life on the front lines, and the court can't let the soldiers' spirits be dampened." Empress Dowager Cixi's tone became more serious; she genuinely wanted to reward Shen Lian handsomely.
"Your Majesty, Shen Lian is currently a fourth-rank official, serving as the acting prefect of Taiwu. For his great merit this time, he should be promoted three ranks to the third-rank official, Tongyi Dafu. He should also be awarded the title of Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate!" Gang Yi stepped forward as soon as he saw that the Empress Dowager was clearly going to reward Shen Lian handsomely.
"And what about you?" Empress Dowager Cixi asked, glancing at the others noncommittally.
"We second that! Shen Lian's merits are outstanding, he deserves this reward!" The other ministers, though somewhat envious, remained silent. After all, Shen Lian was still fighting in the capital!
"You lot are too petty. Haven't you considered that Shen Lian's next move is to unite various regions to retake the capital? With his rank of only a third-grade vice censor-in-chief, how many officials in the capital can he command?" Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't help but sneer.
"We have failed to consider this matter thoroughly, and we beg Your Majesty's judgment!" The officials hurriedly knelt down to plead guilty.
"Imperial judgment, imperial judgment! What use are you if I have to make all these decisions?" Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't help but rage.
She had observed the performance of these officials throughout the journey, and they were all utterly incompetent. They weren't even as capable as one of Shen Lian's guard captains. Sigh! What could she do when she was surrounded by such people!
"I think it would be better to give Shen Lian the title of Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and temporarily appoint him as the Governor of Zhili! This would make it easier for him to concentrate his manpower to recapture the capital!" Empress Dowager Cixi said calmly.