nycdaug Chapter 238 Emergencies
Chapter 238 Emergencies
"Is there anything else I need to prepare?" Nie Xiaoqian's heart skipped a beat, and she composed herself.
"Your Highness, there's no need to worry. We're just taking precautions! Continue as usual, just try to avoid going out. If you absolutely must go out, we'll arrange for soldiers to accompany and protect you!"
"Alright! I understand! I will instruct the people in the Prince's mansion to try not to go out." Nie Xiaoqian nodded slightly.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Shen Xuewen saluted and turned to leave. He was bound by military orders and couldn't say anything more.
Shen Xuewen then personally directed the deployment of defenses, ensuring the Prince's residence was well protected. At the same time, the Seventh Division and the city defense forces secretly strengthened the protection of various departments within the city.
All reserve divisions in Shandong have also issued Level 1 combat readiness orders!
Meanwhile, the 1st Cavalry Division, which had secretly entered the pass, was quietly deployed to the outskirts of Changping and Shunyi, north of Beijing, ready to take over the two cities by force at any time.
The next day, Shen Lian met with a group of officials at the post station. He hadn't attended the welcoming banquet yesterday, and it wouldn't be right to not even see them.
The officials prepared generous gifts for Shen Lian upon their first meeting, which he accepted without hesitation.
Everyone knew that Prince Qi had made outstanding contributions, and that his return to the capital would undoubtedly lead to further advancement. Every official wore a fawning smile, showering him with flattery. They all wanted to leave a good impression on Shen Lian, hoping to open up more opportunities in the future.
They were practically saying they wanted to become Shen Lian's disciples and his lackeys!
Shen Lian knew perfectly well what these people were thinking. He dismissed them with a smile.
On October 17th, Shen Lian, accompanied by his guard regiment and hundreds of Japanese prisoners, along with Yi Kuang and his entourage, boarded a train bound for Beijing amidst the farewells of Tianjin officials and gentry.
The train was filled with laughter and chatter, as the officials reveled in the spectacle. They imagined the grandeur of the capital and the subsequent treatment of the Japanese Emperor and high-ranking officials after the surrender of the captives to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
Just as everyone was getting into the swing of things, and the train was about to cross the iron bridge over the canal, a loud bang suddenly came from ahead.
The train driver slammed on the brakes, and the passengers inside were thrown about, landing in a chaotic mess, screams erupting everywhere.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
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The Qing Dynasty had a vast territory. After unifying the Central Plains in 1761, it divided the two capitals and thirteen provincial administrations of the Ming Dynasty into eighteen provinces, each further subdivided into circuits, prefectures (or sub-prefectures), and counties. By 1820, it had reached its territorial peak, with a land area of over 1316 million square kilometers. Five general-administered regions were established in Northeast China, Outer Mongolia, and Xinjiang, where governance was tailored to local customs. The Qing also established the Resident Minister in Tibet and the Minister in Xining to govern the vast Tibetan region. In the Yunnan-Guizhou region, the Tusi system was implemented, and the abolition of the Tusi system and its replacement with direct imperial administration was completed during the Yongzheng era.
After the Opium War, the Qing Dynasty suffered repeated defeats in wars against foreign powers such as Britain and Russia, resulting in the continuous loss of territory.
In 1842, the Treaty of Nanjing ceded Hong Kong Island to Britain; in 1858, the Treaty of Aigun ceded over 600,000 square kilometers of land south of the Outer Khingan Mountains to Russia; in 1860, the Treaty of Beijing ceded approximately 400,000 square kilometers of land east of the Ussuri River, including Sakhalin Island, to Russia; in 1864, the Treaty of Demarcation of the Northwest Border was signed, ceding 450,000 square kilometers of the Pamir Plateau in western Xinjiang to Russia; and in 1895, the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed, ceding Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to Japan. By 1908, the total area had shrunk to approximately 1135 million square kilometers.