The moon sets and the crows cry and the frost is everywhere, and it is another sleepless snowy night.

When Li Hongzhang's convoy entered Beijing, even if he was low-key, it would alarm the nerves of some people. All kinds of people were thinking too much.

The three major ideology factions in the late Qing Dynasty, the diehard, the Westernization faction and the Qing sect, were famous in succession, and they were the most powerful in the diehard.

This diehard is referring to the Houdang group led by Cixi. They only seek peace and refuse to change the surrounding living environment. Whoever changes will be anxious.

The Westernization Clan is mainly composed of Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong, Liu Kunyi and other groups who support reform, hoping to learn advanced Western technologies to enrich the country and strengthen the people. Since the Westernization Clan is mostly the governors of the local Han people, he mastered the economic and military lifeline of the Qing Empire. It is said that they should be the largest group, but unfortunately they dare not rebel and compete for power and profit with each other. Therefore, they were played with by Cixi and could only become the second largest faction.

The Qingliu School is a special group, which is a special product of the literati class in the feudal era in China. As early as the Han Dynasty, the so-called Qingliu scholars and officials appeared. However, different eras have different connotations. Generally speaking, Qingliu officials refer to those who have sometimes expected and enjoy a high reputation in academic morality within a certain stage. They are unwilling to join the dirty political phenomena, criticize bad social atmosphere, attack corruption and the ills of the bureaucratic system. These figures often represent the righteousness and positive faction in society, and become the progressive force for social improvement.

It is worthy of Qingliu officials. They usually have outstanding talents and knowledge, have a recognized reputation for good moral character, and have fewer outdated, incompetent and fraudulent officialdom. Qingliu is not a party in the strict sense. Whoever is the Qingliu Party and who is not the Qingliu Party has no clear and unified standards. They are loose bureaucratic groups maintained by an indefinite semi-private relationship.

There are many sayings about "Qingliu Party" and "gentlemen Party" in history. In fact, in feudal dynasties, it was strictly forbidden to form party members. The so-called "party" is just a loose faction among bureaucrats. However, it is common for a group of like-minded scholars to form a political force through various social relations. The Qingliu Party is famous for criticizing current affairs and promoting the moral atmosphere.

Since the establishment of the Qing Empire, relatively speaking, the Kang, Yong and Qianlong dynasties were prosperous, and the situation has been deteriorating since then. Financial difficulties, corruption and bribery have become popular, institutions are bloated, and riots are frequent. What is more prominent is that conflicts between China and foreign countries have intensified, a series of humiliating treaties, cede land, and indemnification have aroused general indignation among the literati class, and the Qingliu Group in the late Qing Dynasty has risen rapidly.

If the diehards stand on the side of Cixi's back party, then the Qingliu school stands on the side of the imperial party of Guangxu, and the two sides gradually faced each other due to the struggle between the emperor and the empress.

The main reason for this result is that the two largest leaders of the Imperial Party were on the side of Guangxu, one was Guangxu's teacher Weng Tonghe, and the other was Li Hongzao, a veteran of the three dynasties.

The reason why Weng Tonghe and Li Hongzao became the leader of Qingliu was because they were both talented and were both senior officials. Especially Weng Tonghe, who had two generations of imperial teachers, had a respectable status. In addition, he was in charge of the 13th imperial examination, and the status of the first division in the late Qing Dynasty was reliable, and his disciples and former officials were spread all over the court and the country, so it was not surprising that he became the leader of Qingliu. Similarly, Li Hongzao also had eight experiences as the chief officer of the scientific examination, and there were many disciples.

Weng's Mansion, the honest and dedicated mansion looks very simple. Even in the first month of the New Year, except for the red couple and the elegant Weng's calligraphy on it, there is no change in other places all year round.

In the study, Weng Tonghe and Li Hongzao were playing Go while talking about major events in the country.

There was a crackling sound in the stove next to it. After a pot of water on it boiled, Weng Tonghe flushed the teapot again.

After talking for an afternoon, the tea leaves were soaked without any smell.

"Shuping, can't you change the pot of tea?" Li Hongzao took a sip and put it down, looking at Weng Tonghe with great dissatisfaction.

Weng Tonghe was calm and stared at the chessboard. He said calmly: "Yanzhai, this tea is a top-quality item of 100 taels of silver. How much salary can we be a clean official get in a month? I just saved money by tightening my belt, so I have to save some drinks!"

Li Hongzao rolled his eyes and smiled bitterly: "You shouldn't be so stingy!"

Weng Tonghe raised his eyelids and said, "You know that Li Hefei and I are not dealing with each other, but you still ask him in front of me. I get angry when I think about it!"

No one knew about Weng Tonghe and Li Hongzhang's old and broken things. Li Hongzao knew it even more, so he couldn't help but smile and said, "The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 made Wang Chenhao, a young foreigner, have made a name for himself. As for the emperor and the empress dowager, the people are very grateful and praised him. It is said that it is comparable to Zhang Peilun back then, but now he has become Li Hongzhang's cheap son-in-law. I believe Shuping is resentful because of this!"

Weng Tonghe glared at him angrily, and it was undeniable that among his colleagues, Li Hongzao knew him best, so he sighed: "Wang Chenhao first made outstanding military achievements in the battles between Huanghai and Incheon to prove that he was able to be martial. Then he assisted Li Hongzhang to use the conflicts between the great powers to promote the intervention of the Three Kingdoms to return Liao to the success. This kind of diplomatic game ability is not as good as you and I, which proves that he is also literary. Wang Chenhao is both civil and military. What's rare is that he is only in his thirties. Such a talented person made Li Hongzhang get a bargain. How can I not be angry?"

Li Hongzao nodded in agreement, and it is undeniable that they would not be able to compete with Li Hongzhang in terms of talent grabbing. He sighed: "Zhang Peilun was originally from our clear stream back then, but unfortunately, the battle between China and France forced him to Li Hongzhang under the tent. Since then, he has assisted Li Hongzhang in Beiyang. He is a great hero. Now we have just killed Zhang Peilun and forced him away from Li Hongzhang's team of staff, but Wang Chenhao was released, which made Li Hongzhang resurrect and became Li Hongzhang's cheap son-in-law again. It's really a fate to make people!"

Li Hongzao and Weng Tonghe impeached Li Hongzhang a lot, but they made Li Hongzhang safe every time. Finally, he realized that this was caused by Zhang Peilun and other staff secretly giving Li Hongzhang advice. So their Qing school changed its tactics and started by cutting off Li Hongzhang's wings. As a result, Zhang Peilun was named by the Qing school and interfered with the government affairs and was expelled from Zhili and demoted back to Nanjing. He thought that this would give Li Hongzhang a heavy blow, but he was eventually turned the tide by Wang Chenhao.

At this time, Weng Tonghe said again: "I heard recently that Li Hefei took Wang Chenhao to visit the doorman everywhere. I'm afraid there is a lot of stuff in it!"

Li Hongzao grabbed a few white pieces and held them in his hand for thought, then he immediately said, "When the Eight Banners Green Camp was in ruins, Li Hongzhang trained the Huai Army to rise; the current situation is so similar now. The Huai Army was old in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 as vulnerable as the green camp in the past. Li Hongzhang must have smelled it if he was not a fool!"

Weng Tonghe also captured a few black spells, and then left one son and said: "Before Mr. Zeng left, he chose Li Hefei as his successor, and the Hunan Army became the Huai Army. Now Li Hefei is over 70s and has not had much time, and the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 is enough to prove that the Huai Army has no talent to support Daliang. Once he falls, the Huai Army system will collapse, and his wealth and honor will definitely be threatened."

Li Hongzao then put down a white boy and analyzed: "At this time, the appearance of Wang Chenhao gave Li Hongzhang hope. After the battle between Huang Hai and Incheon, Wang Chenhao had already established prestige in the Beiyang Navy; and the Tianjin negotiations turned the tide and fiddled with the powers and Japan in their hands, which won unanimous admiration from the Beiyang staff group. He was also half of the Li family's son-in-law, so it was natural for Li Hongzhang to choose Wang Chenhao as his successor!"

"Not bad!" Weng Tonghe frowned and said seriously: "I guess Li Hefei and Wang Chenhao will definitely find an errand for him after paying homage to the door. We must not let him succeed!"

Li Hongzao asked, "Did Shuping have a clever plan?"

Weng Tonghe sneered: "Can you still not control a boy if you can't fiddle with Li Hefei?"
Chapter completed!