Chapter 44

If Xia Letian were present, he would certainly applaud and cheer for Weng Tonghe. Although the ancient Chinese placed little emphasis on technology, they highly valued strategy. This seemed to be a common ailment among scholars, who enjoyed pontificating about the nation from their armchairs.

However, such pontification was not a derogatory term. In ancient times, true great scholars were all well-versed in military strategy. For example, in modern times, Chiang Kai-shek and even further back, Sun Yat-sen, had never attended military academies, yet their grasp of strategic situations far surpassed that of ordinary people.

There was no way to argue against Weng Tonghe's logic; the scholars in the Eastern Warm Pavilion were silent, and no one could come up with a rebuttal.

Later, Fu Qing recounted this meeting in the Eastern Warm Pavilion to Xia Letian, who shook his head and said, "You can't argue against Weng Tonghe's logic. No one in the Qing Dynasty can refute his words except me."

Xia Letian knew that in the minds of the debaters, a crucial and most important factor had been completely overlooked: the power brought about by technological progress. Strategic depth was very useful, even up to World War II, but its usefulness was gradually diminishing.

During the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan's national army, after advancing north, could not push further beyond Jinzhou. Apart from grain, which could be gathered locally, all other supplies could not be delivered. In the south, they did not even leave Shandong, only moving around the Jiaodong Peninsula, where the supply capabilities of the southern army had already been exhausted.

During the First Sino-Japanese War, it was more accurate to say that Beijing was frightened into surrender rather than being defeated. With Japan's national strength at the time, it was impossible to support an army converging on Beijing.

This was the benefit of a large strategic depth. Without fighting, the enemy could be dragged to death by logistics. However, with the deepening of the Second Industrial Revolution and the emergence of various new technologies, electrification and internal combustion engines finally changed the world. By the time of the eight-year resistance, Japan could already establish a continental bridge deep in China's interior.

This was the change brought about by technological leaps. Weng Tonghe's logic was still correct for three to four years, but what about ten or twenty years later? This erroneous idea would inevitably lead the Chinese nation to an irredeemable abyss.

Unfortunately, the Qing Dynasty had only one Xia Letian, and unfortunately, the current Xia Letian was powerless and was just a "second-rate foreigner."

The meeting in the Eastern Warm Pavilion ended without any resolution from Weng Tonghe's debate, but no one felt regret. The Qing court was like this; nothing could be resolved without a year or half of debate. Prince Gong had not expected an immediate response when he presented the memorial today; he merely wanted to test the attitudes of various parties.

At 9:30 AM, the small meeting ended. Weng Tonghe, with a solemn face, bid farewell to the Emperor and Empress and left the Forbidden City. When he met his waiting steward at the Meridian Gate, he immediately received the latest news from Xia Letian.

"Master, Xiang Shaolong ultimately failed. Xia Letian's subordinates fought a fierce battle in the Daqing Mountains and rescued him..." the steward said angrily.

Weng Tonghe, the ultimate mastermind behind the assassination of Xia Letian, showed no change in his expression and remained silent in the sedan chair. When the four bearers started moving, the steward, holding the pole, whispered through the curtain, "Master, should we have the Hanlin scholars submit a memorial, accusing this 'second-rate foreigner' of privately harboring bandits and plotting against the state..."

"No. The case of the bandits in Yixian has already been concluded by the Imperial Household Department. If you use this to reopen the case, it will completely alienate the Imperial Household Department, which is not in our best interest..." Weng Tonghe immediately rejected the steward's suggestion.

"Let's put the matter of Xia Letian aside for now. This was a great opportunity, but it's a pity it was ruined... As for Xiang Shaolong, his incompetence means he doesn't deserve our attention. You go and arrange it..."

Through today's meeting, Weng Tonghe had clearly sensed the royal family's emphasis on Xia Letian. Assassination could only be done once; doing it too often would be foolish. Originally, he had planned to have the famous Northern Dragon from the Green Forest act swiftly and directly eliminate Xia Letian. After all, Xia Letian was just a minor figure who had just begun to show his potential, and his death would not cause much controversy.

As for the Americans? To hell with them. They would protest, but would they really go to war with the Qing Dynasty over a single missionary? Where in the world are there no criminal cases?

Although assassination was a crude and somewhat disreputable method, it was the most effective way to deal with outsiders. Weng Tonghe knew Xia Letian's strategy all too well. He did not hold office but wrote books and cultivated his reputation outside the political arena. With his connections to foreigners and even the Shanxi merchants, this man's foreign trade company would surely make a lot of money. With fame and wealth, he could even write books and establish his own doctrines. Such a person was a great threat to the dominant schools of thought and must be eliminated in the bud. Unfortunately, it was all ruined by the incompetent Xiang Shaolong.

While Weng Tonghe was at home gathering his disciples and former officials for a secret meeting, in the Nourishing Heart Hall, the two Empresses were discussing today's meeting with their younger brother.

"I didn't expect Shuping to react so strongly. The Qing scholars are so wary of this plan?" Empress Cixi had been silent all morning and only spoke now.

"It's not the plan; the Qing scholars are afraid of Xia Letian. It seems they now see him as a leader of Western learning who can challenge the dominant schools of thought. Otherwise, Shuping wouldn't have acted personally!" Empress Dowager Cixi gently moved the teacup and said softly.

Prince Gong thought for a moment and suddenly said, "Could it be... Could it be that the mastermind behind the Xia Letian kidnapping is...?" Before he could finish, both Empresses shook their heads.

Empress Cixi said coldly, "There's no need to investigate. Just find the person who hates Xia Letian the most..." As she spoke, a figure suddenly walked in from outside the hall. It was an old eunuch. What was strange was that this white-haired eunuch walked in without announcing himself, and no one in the hall was angry.

"The old servant has just gathered the news. Xia Letian is now safe and sound, and has been rescued by his subordinates. Last night, it was the old eagle under the command of the Ninth Marshal who took action. Xia Letian did not return to the capital but headed south, and his whereabouts are unknown..." The old eunuch finished speaking and stood to one side, lowering his head in silence.

"Zeng Guoquan? He actually took action..." Prince Gong was a bit incredulous.

"Hmph! Isn't it because he saw the potential profits in this special zone and wanted to seize them? These brothers are truly disrespectful to their ruler and their father..." Empress Dowager Cixi was so angry that she almost ground her teeth.

The secret meeting in the Eastern Warm Pavilion lasted until lunchtime, ending only when the young Emperor Tongzhi, who was still naive, complained of hunger. Although the leaders of the Qing royal family did not come up with any brilliant strategies, they knew that a person who could be hated by the Qing scholars and valued by the leaders of the Xiang Army was a rare talent.

At that moment, the balance of the Qing royal family tilted towards Xia Letian, which might have been an unexpected benefit of the assassination attempt.

The overseas guest Xia Letian's kidnapping case, from start to finish, lasted only ten hours, less than twenty hours. However, the impact of this incident on Xia Letian and the Qing Dynasty was profound.

First, this kidnapping raised Xia Letian's reputation to a new level. Various bizarre versions of the story appeared in Beijing, the most exaggerated of which revived the unsolved case of the third prince of the Ming Dynasty, claiming that Xia Letian was a descendant of the third prince, bringing Western learning to overthrow the Qing Dynasty.

This rumor was so absurd that even the court found it amusing. After several hundred years, the third prince had become a legend, and only a fool would take such a matter seriously. However, one thing was certain: Xia Letian's fame had greatly increased.

Second, this kidnapping made Xia Letian fully understand the nature of the society he was in. In the turbulent whirlpool of late Qing society, individuals were very weak, and everyone had to form factions because only by banding together could they have the power to protect themselves.

After Xianfeng, there was the Xiang Army, and during the Guangxu period, there was the Beiyang Army. Qing officials, especially Han officials, had always used their actions to express their distrust of the central government.

Third, this less-than-a-day kidnapping further deepened the rifts between the various factions in the Qing Dynasty. If historically the rift between the Xiang Army and the court began with the assassination of Ma in 1869, then Xia Letian had advanced this rift by four years. He even forced the Qing scholars to come out, making the contradictions between the three major forces in late Qing more apparent.

No wonder the Manchu elders of later generations referred to Xia Letian as a "stirrer." Indeed, the seemingly harmonious and peaceful situation of the Qing Dynasty was disrupted by Xia Letian, who brought the hidden filth to the surface.

However, Xia Letian had no time to analyze these matters. He was now rushing to Taibai Peak in Yixian, accompanied by a group of fierce bandits, a cavalry of over a hundred men, none of whom dared to stop them on the road.

"Who dares to ride horses on the road? Get down and let me check..." Before the mouthy customs officers could continue, they were met with two whips.

"The entourage of the overseas guest Xia Letian. Who dares to stop us? What are you staring at? Not convinced? Want to sue? I'll go with you to the Shun天府 or the Zongli Yamen. Want to fight? I have over a hundred retainers, pick any you like... Damn, you have eyes but can't see the situation..."

Xia Letian cursed and then rode off. A hundred so-called retainers, riding high horses, raised a cloud of dust on the road, and no local officials dared to stop them.

This was the benefit of fame. Even if the matter reached the Golden Hall, the court would not stand up for a few minor officials. On the contrary, the court would be pleased to see a Western learning master with flaws, because as long as you have flaws, you are easier to control. Empress Dowager Cixi and Prince Gong were probably hoping that Xia Letian would be greedy, lustful, and even tyrannical.

Xia Letian, looking at the officials who cowered at the mention of his name, said to himself, "This is the Qing Dynasty, where everyone is sycophantic to their superiors and arrogant to their inferiors. If I don't show my strength, you really think I'm a weak cat..."

"Taibai Peak, I'm back. Let me see how big my treasury is..."