In the city of Handan, the sound of gunfire is getting closer and closer. Tie Liang looked at the general who was now anxious, and he couldn't say what he was crying in his heart.

His stupid nephew brought disaster to the army, and now the Liaodong army will inevitably kill itself and even the Qing army in the city in order to avenge the people. Will not give any chance of surrender.

Even if he fled, he knew in his heart that even if anyone in the Liaodong Army chased him to the sky, he would kill himself.

Fleeing is death, not fleeing is death, now that you are dying on the battlefield, you can still get the court's pension, if you flee, the consequences will be greater,

Taking a deep breath, Tie Liang stomped his feet, he decided, he could die here today, and he would definitely not retreat.

Boom, with an earth-shattering bang, a cannonball hit the courtyard, and a small bowl-thick tree in the courtyard was suddenly cut into two pieces by a single ticket, and even took the lives of several soldiers outside.

"My lord, let's go, if you don't go, it's too late." Looking at the wounded soldiers in the courtyard who were now screaming, the general ran forward and pulled Tie Liang hard.

"The old man won't go," Tie Liang broke free from the general's hand, pulled out his waist knife violently, and ran out of the place where the shouting was loudest despite the general's obstruction.

Lushun Headquarters, Zheng Yiqian, who was in a major general's uniform, walked out of the living room, and saw that the food on the table was still not moving, and looked at the confined study on the opposite side again, Zheng Yiqian pointed to the study and asked Xiang'er, who had been staying aside.

Xiang'er shook her head slightly, and stepped forward with some concern: "Madam, go and persuade the big handsome, he hasn't eaten for two days and has been locking himself in the study." ”

Two days? Hearing Xiang'er say this, Zheng Yiqian frowned, nodded slightly, and motioned for Xiang'er to remove the food from the table and come to the door of the study by herself.

With a slight push, the door was unlocked. Pushing open the door, Zheng Yiqian found that it was very dark inside, and she knew that it was because Liu Jun closed the window.

Walking over and opening the curtains, Zheng Yiqian glanced at Liu Jun, who was sitting on the table in the study with his eyes closed, and took a deep breath and walked over.

"Why are you still blaming yourself for what happened in Handan?"

Zheng Yiqian knows very well. It has been like this since Liu Jun knew that the Qing army was slaughtering villages outside Handan City and ordered the total annihilation of the Qing army in Handan. She estimated that Liu Jun was still blaming herself for the innocent killing of people.

En, Liu Junen said a few times.

"Don't blame yourself, the people will forgive you even on earth." Zheng Yiqian stepped forward and hugged Liu Jun and Liu Jun.

"What, what do you say. What forgiveness, what self-blame" Liu Jun reacted. looked at Zheng Yiqian blankly, he didn't understand what Zheng Yiqian said.

"You...... Aren't you sad about the massacre of the people of Handan?" Zheng Yiqian's eyes widened in horror, and when she heard Liu Jun say this, she guessed wrong. ”

"Oh." Liu Jun understood, smiled slightly, and held Zheng Yiqian's white hand: "Yes, I was indeed sad that day, but I have recovered." Now I'm thinking about something else. ”

Another thing, Zheng Yiqian's eyes were full of doubts, and she didn't understand.

Zheng Yiqian didn't understand, Liu Jun stood up and looked at the wilderness that was already falling in the distance: "I've been thinking these days, where is the bottom line of Britain and France?" ”

Britain and France, Zheng Yiqian seems to understand something.

Before the war with the imperial court, Liu Jun once mentioned it to himself. That is, although Britain and France supported their own war with the imperial court, it was because they could give Britain and France benefits, and once they really lost their interests by going to war with the imperial court, then Britain and France would definitely interfere.

"Husband, our current armies are attacking smoothly, how can it affect their perseverance, is this too anxious."

It is precisely because it is so smooth that it is possible for Britain and France to intervene to stop it, you know, Britain and France have always wanted a strong force in the Far East, they need a balance, a balance that can always check each other.

"Now you get the idea." After Liu Jun explained everything, he looked at Zheng Yiqian beside him: "In the past two days, I have been thinking about how to make Britain and France not stop us from attacking the imperial court, otherwise, it will be nonsense for us to take the imperial court."

"So what do you think of now?" Zheng Yiqian thinks that Liu Jun has locked himself up for two days, and he should find out what method he says.

"Hey, no." Liu Jun stretched out his hand and smiled helplessly.

It's not nonsense, Zheng Yiqian pouted.

"Head, where are you?" Zheng Yiqian was about to ask what to do in the future, when Zhong Lin's voice outside interrupted Zheng Yiqian.

"Let's go, Zhong Lin is here, it is estimated that Wang Shizhen has already taken Handan." After Liu Jun finished speaking, he turned around and walked out.

Liu Jun's guess was not wrong, Zhong Lin was indeed here to report on the situation of the Battle of Handan.

From the beginning of receiving Liu Jun's order from Wang Shizhen to attack Handan, to the end of this afternoon, the battle of Handan was fought for two days, and in two days, the Liaodong Army suffered more than 3,400 casualties, while the Qing army guarding Handan was annihilated by a total of 21,200 people and captured more than 17,000 Qing troops, and now less than 5,000 Qing troops broke through from Handan and entered Shanxi westward.

"Head, Wang Shizhen telegraphed, Handan City has been taken, this is the result of the battle." After Zhong Lin finished speaking, he handed over the telegram in his hand.

"I don't look at it, tell me directly, has Wang Shizhen's task been completed?" Liu Jun waved his hand.

Wang Shizhen's task, Zhong Lin lowered his head and thought for a while, and suddenly understood what it was, that is, to slaughter the Handan defenders: "Head, the task has almost been completed, and less than 5,000 people have entered Shanxi." ”

This means that it is not finished, Liu Jun frowned.

"Head, how do you say it, this Qing army will also be our people in the future, if we kill too much, it will not be conducive to our attack in the future." Seeing Liu Jun's pale face, Zhong Lin was very worried that Liu Jun would order again to chase after and kill all the Qing troops.

You must know that if the killing is too heavy now, then it will send a message to the Qing army everywhere, that is, the Liaodong Army will not accept prisoners, and once this is the case, then some Qing troops who originally wanted to surrender will stubbornly resist to the end.

"Don't worry, I'm not that idiot yet." Seeing Zhong Lin's dissuasion, Liu Jun said lightly, when he ordered the Qing army to be annihilated, it was just a moment of anger, and then he wanted to change the order, but as soon as he remembered that the order was issued, he could not change it, and he could only pray that the Qing army could break through.

"Send electricity to Wang Shizhen, Feng Guozhang, and Luo Dacheng. After resting and recuperating, the armies immediately entered Shanxi and joined the Seventh Corps to flank Taiyuan from the north and south. ”

"Okay," Zhong Lin nodded, took out the file in his hand, and began to record the telegram.

Xi'an, the former Shaanxi and Gansu Governor's Palace, now the two palaces, Cixi's resting room, the candlelight is still burning, Li Lianying, who is standing outside the door, wants to go in and persuade Cixi, who is watching the recital, to rest, but he knows that Cixi's light absorption, when watching the recital, once he disturbs himself, he can only die.

In the distance, he saw one or two lanterns coming towards him, and when he looked closely, he saw that there were clearly words written on them. Zhang Zi, and he came here with a swagger in the middle of the night, and there was only one person, Zhang Zhidong.

"Zhang Zhongtang, you came to Lafayette so late because there was an urgent matter, right?" Li Lianying shook off the dust in her hands and happily stepped forward to greet Zhang Zhidong.

Nonsense, is this Li Lianying blind, didn't see Lao Tzu's face now, looking at Li Lianying is still smiling. Zhang Zhidong wanted to give Li Lianying a slap, but when he remembered that he was a person next to Cixi, he could only endure it.

"I'm also bothering Mr. Li to report it." Zhang Zhidong showed a hint of a smile.

"I don't believe it, now Lafayette is watching the recital, Zhongtang, you also know, Lafayette's rules." Li Lianying whispered close to Zhang Zhidong's ear.

"Xiao Lizi, it's Zhang Zhidong, let him in," Cixi's somewhat hoarse voice came from inside the room.

Zhang Zhidong heard Cixi's words, and walked in after sorting out his clothes slightly.

As soon as he entered the room, Zhang Zhidong saw Cixi sitting on a chair, and on the desk on one side, there were a bunch of pieces from all over the world.

"What do you say?" Cixi did not look up. Instead, continue to watch the folds in your hands.

"Lafayette, the Liaodong Army has entered Shanxi."

What the? Cixi stood up suddenly and looked at Zhang Zhidong in a daze with a frightened expression.