作者：百里奚
编辑：李堃 责任编辑：胡丽莉 翻译：吕峰
1894年盛夏，甲午海战前夕，李连英陪同恭亲王去青岛，检阅当时号称亚洲最强大的北洋水师。几天前，李鸿章去弹药库突击检查时，发现炮弹里面都是沙子，能用来撑场面的就只有两发炮弹。士兵平时操练松散，军官经常克扣军饷，官兵之间矛盾不断，临近演习，官方还邀请了各路媒体、各国政要，若是搞砸，失了老佛爷的颜面，她老人家怪罪下来，是万万不可的。没办法，只好派个士兵到靶船上点燃炸药，佯做炮击命中目标，以应付上级。
观礼台上，李连英与随从们看着巨大的铁甲舰“定远号”和“致远号”缓缓驶过，舰上的洋枪洋炮着实让李连英大开眼界，兴奋地呼喊：“厉害了，我大清！此生不悔入华夏，来世还做大清人！”情到深处，不禁泪流满面。
李鸿章在旁边看着激动的太监们，暗自冷笑：它们竟还以为真能射呢。
The Eunuch Watching the Naval Drill
Author: Baili XiEditor: Li Kun Responsible Editor: Hu Lili Translator：Lyu Feng
In the summer of 1894, on the eve of the First Sino-Japanese War, eunuch Li Lianying accompanied Prince Gong to Qingdao to inspect the Beiyang Fleet, which at the time was touted as the most powerful naval force in Asia. Just a few days earlier, Li Hongzhang had made a surprise inspection of the ammunition depot, only to discover that the shells were filled with sand. There were only two usable rounds for show. Soldiers’ training was lax, officers routinely skimmed off the troops’ pay, and conflicts among the ranks were constant. With the naval exercise approaching—and foreign dignitaries and the press invited—failure would mean disgrace to the Empress Dowager herself, something unthinkable. With no other option, they ordered a soldier to sneak aboard the target ship and ignite explosives, pretending it had been struck by gunfire, just to save face.
From the viewing platform, Li Lianying and his entourage watched as the massive ironclads Dingyuan and Zhiyuan glided past. The foreign guns and cannons onboard dazzled him, and in excitement he shouted: “Magnificent! My Great Qing! I regret nothing in being born Chinese—may I be reborn as a subject of the Qing in the next life!” Overcome with emotion, he wept openly.
Standing nearby, Li Hongzhang watched the eunuchs’ excitement with a silent sneer: They still think those cannons can actually fire.
