Tuqing: My first love was Cixi

Chapter 176 The conflict intensifies! The combined fleet opens fire!

After Su Yi left, the emperor suddenly felt an inexplicable regret.

But he couldn't explain it, it was just a king's intuition.

Maybe we shouldn’t let Su Yi go back to Jiangxi?

But if you don't put it back, you can't afford the consequences.

So, he summoned Du Han and Kuang Yuan.

Yes, it's Du Han, not Su Shun.

Because he found that something was wrong with Sushun recently. In terms of attitude towards Su Yi, he and the emperor were not on the same page.

After Du Han arrived, the emperor asked about his doubts.

In the final analysis, there was only one question, whether to let Su Yi develop these factories.

It is difficult for Duhan to answer this question.

Su Yi cannot be allowed to develop the factory. This is a bit crazy to say.

After hesitating for a moment, Du Han said: "Then it depends on whether these factories belong to the imperial court or Su Yi."

"Your Majesty, Su Yi's new army is powerful, but as of now it is only more than 3,000 people, because he has no money to train." Du Han said: "If these factories are completed, he will have a steady stream of money, and then he can If the army is expanded and it controls both financial and military power, it will make the central government uneasy."

However, even though Zeng Guofan controlled both financial and military power, he was still a Han.

Su Yizai is also a bannerman, and he is also a member of the distant clan.

Du Han was silent for a while and said: "To put it bluntly, Zeng Guofan's rebellion is to change the dynasty. According to the current situation, he cannot succeed, and he will not rebel."

"But if Su Yi is a member of the clan and has financial power and military power, he has to be careful."

The emperor said: "Su Yi said that these factories will be able to make tens of millions of profits in three years. At that time, he will hand them all over to the court and me."

Du Han was silent for a while and said, "Your Majesty, I don't believe it."

Kuang Yuan said: "However, he did hand over the new army. Now the new army has escaped Su Yi's control and has been transferred to Yangzhou."

Du Han said: "I have an idea."

The emperor said: "You say."

Du Han said: "It's just to attack in the temptation and expose Su Yi's true thoughts."

The emperor said nothing and motioned to Du Han to continue.

Du Han said: "Su Yi ostensibly handed over the military power of the New Army, but Yangzhou is still too close to Jiujiang. We don't know if the New Army has really escaped Su Yi's control."

I have to say that the person who knows you best in this world must be your enemy.

When the emperor heard this, he couldn't help but shrink his eyes.

Kuang Yuan said: "Mr. Du's words are a bit sensational. I saw the whole process with my own eyes. I personally brought these new troops to Yangzhou. They were very cooperative and made no noise."

Du Han said, "How cooperative are you? No one complains? Wang Tianyang, Zhaobu and others are all Su Yi's absolute confidants, and Lin Li directly planned the mutiny and ousted Prince Boyan from power. Now the emperor After taking away Su Yi's military power, they had no resistance at all, so it would be too smooth."

Kuang Yuan said: "Lin Li and others did not leave with the New Army, but stayed in Jiujiang. Waitabu and Tingren also left the New Army and still followed Su Yi."

Du Han said: "Did these new troops never complain from the beginning to the end?"

Kuang Yuan said: "No."

Du Han said: "Then Su Yi failed too much in leading the troops. Do you think he will fail like this?"

Kuang Yuan said: "At least Wang Shiqing is trustworthy."

Duhan also deeply agrees with this.

In everyone's eyes, Wang Shiqing was the emperor's absolute direct descendant, and he was not the same person as Su Yi.

The two had a fight when they were taking the martial arts exam. After Boyan left the New Army, Wang Shiqing only entered halfway, so no matter how you look at it, Wang Shiqing is the emperor's private person and is decentralized.

Du Han said: "Your Majesty, that's why I proposed a tentative attack."

"In the first step, Su Yi's factory only heard him talking about what was going on. No one in the court knew, because they were all his people from inside to outside. So I wanted to see what was going on. It is still necessary to send one of our own to Jiujiang as the prefect."

"Therefore, I recommend Weng Tongshu."

Kuang Yuan said: "I'm afraid the mistakes of the New Army will happen again. Boyan returned in embarrassment and Zhaolin died tragically."

Du Han said: "If such a thing really happened, then Su Yi had different intentions. Besides, when Weng Tongshu became the prefect of Jiujiang, he did not take over these factories, but just supervised and monitored them. Couldn't Su Yi not even accept this? Is there something shameful going on in these factories of yours? You can’t even let people see it?"

To be honest, it really can't be seen.

It doesn't matter if you send a spy here, because you can't understand it either.

But if it was really a high-level official like the prefect of Jiujiang, he would definitely see it.

The British actually hold shares in the Jiujiang factory?

And it holds 49% of the shares?

Is this okay?

You, Su Yi, are betraying your country.

When we signed these treaties, we only opened some treaty port cities and ceded half of the island.

Did you, Su Yi, directly hand over half of your property?

Du Han said: "The second step is to select Su Yi's direct descendants from the new army and replace them with our people. Hasn't Ronglu already trained another batch of new army? Transfer some of the officers to Yangzhou. New Army. Then ordered Wang Shiqing to bring the New Army from Yangzhou to Tianjin."

"Didn't you, Su Yi, keep saying that the new army will defend the capital? Then the time has come for you to fulfill your promise."

"This is a two-pronged approach, let's see Su Yi's reaction."

"If Weng Tongshu successfully takes over as the prefect of Jiujiang and takes power successfully. If Wang Shiqing really brings the new army to Tianjin and completely escapes Su Yi's control, it will prove that Su Yi really has no evil intentions."

"In that case, the emperor will continue to send people to Jiujiang to fulfill Su Yi's promise. Gradually take over these factories and eventually take full control."

"If one of these two things cannot be achieved, it proves that Su Yi has different intentions, and this person should be taken down. No matter how much the price is, he must be taken down, and he cannot be allowed to continue to develop. "

Then, Sanxi Hall fell into silence.

Kuang Yuan, the Minister of Civil Affairs, suddenly thought of a problem. The emperor's tolerance for Han officials such as Zeng Guofan seemed to be much higher than that of Su Yi.

Zeng Guofan made trouble again and again, and even withheld the court's pay and money, but the emperor tolerated it.

Su Yi was from the clan, and before he really showed any dissent, the court was planning to take action directly.

But this is normal.

Many people are harsh on their own talents.

Be more tolerant towards outsiders.

The emperor had long been mentally prepared for Zeng Guofan's rebellion.

But in the eyes of the court, Su Yi was trained by the emperor, so there was no room for flaws.

And in the eyes of the court and the emperor, you must have all your claws and teeth pulled out, and you must be completely tamed into a dog, then you will be truly at ease.

Historically, the Qing court's methods against Zeng Guofan and others were no exception.

It is to attack in temptation and boil the frog in warm water.

You are forced little by little, so that you cannot directly resist, but as long as you give in, you will continue to give in. When you finally turn around, you have already compromised a lot.

Therefore, this group of people are still very powerful in their power skills in this area.

Of course, after Cixi died, this set of methods was completely ruined.

The emperor fell silent.

I can't make this decision yet.

Because he didn't know how Su Yi would react.

Du Han said: "Your Majesty, Su Yi has told the truth that no matter how talented he is, he is still a minister of the Emperor and was promoted by the Emperor. Neither of the two steps we took is natural and justified."

"The post of Jiujiang magistrate is originally assigned by the central court. It is not left to the governor to pick and choose."

"This new army belongs to the emperor alone. Su Yi himself made it clear. Isn't it half wrong to transfer the new army from Yangzhou to Tianjin to defend the capital?"

"This time Su Yi came to Beijing and used his power to suppress others. He shouted that he would earn back money for the Qing Dynasty, maintain the silver standard, and maintain the balance of import and export trade, which is related to the lifeblood of the country. Therefore, the imperial court cannot really punish him. How can it be the imperial court's turn to use it? Isn’t it because of the general trend?”

"Does the dignified central figure of the imperial court still have to compromise with him, a governor of Jiangxi? Is he so special?"

This sentence directly hit the emperor's heart.

Yes, I am just exercising my legitimate power.

I am a majestic emperor, should I still be afraid of you?

Then, the emperor said calmly: "That's it."

......................................................

Inside Sushun Mansion.

Duhan once again revealed his plan, a two-step tentative attack.

Duanhua and Zaiyuan still support him in his heart.

But he was also slightly worried that the political conflict with Su Yi would be further intensified.

And Sushun asked: "In other words, once Weng Tongshu successfully takes office as the prefect of Jiujiang and takes power, it will be regarded as Su Yi's compromise. You will take the second step and transfer Su Yi's new army to Tianjin." ?”

Du Han said: "Yes, and then we will send people one after another to gradually take over these factories in Jiujiang."

Sushun was silent for a while and said: "If these factories were run by Zeng Guofan, would you still find a way to do this?"

Du Han couldn't help but fell into silence.

After a long while, Du Han said: "Su Yi personally promised that after three years, these factories will be handed over to the court and the emperor."

Sushun said: "This reminds me of a person with sophistication. If an outsider becomes prosperous, everyone will feel calmer and even come to congratulate him. But if a relative becomes prosperous, then the whole person will be scratching his head and feeling uncomfortable. .”

Du Han said: "Su Zhongtang, this is ultimately a problem. Su Yi did what the emperor didn't want to do. It's that simple."

"If a person who has been carefully cultivated and has high hopes suddenly becomes disobedient and turns completely against you, even a saint will be angry."

Sushun smiled and said, "I just have a few complaints and have no intention of stopping you."

Then, Sushun said: "But I would like to ask, if something like Boyan or Zhaolin happens after Weng Tongshu goes to Jiujiang, and Su Yi drives him out, what are you going to do? That's the first step. If it fails, will you take the second step?"

Du Han said: "Then it proves that Su Yi has different intentions, and it proves that there are shady things in these factories in Jiujiang."

Sushun said: "Okay, then even if you prove that Su Yi has different intentions, what will you do?"

Du Han said: "Of course we must capture him!"

Sushun said: "What should I do with these factories? What should I do with the more than ten million taels of silver invested? What should I do if the debt explodes?"

Du Han said: "Su Zhongtang, this is not a big deal. Besides, the emperor doesn't like these factories, does he? Are there not many such things in history?"

This is true, there shouldn’t be too many such things throughout the ages.

What does it matter if you lose some money because of one person's downfall?

Then, Du Han said: "As a minister, can't Su Yi not have any different intentions? If he had no different intentions, wouldn't he be able to get through it safely? His position as governor of Jiangxi will be fulfilled, and his factory will be handled accordingly. Isn't there nothing going on? "

"Who among us here has not suffered this kind of grievance? Why can't Su Yi endure the grievance we have suffered?"

Everyone present was silent.

Su Yi really didn't care about being wronged.

As long as you can get things done, being wronged is nothing.

The key is that nothing can be done if this continues.

Time is so tight, there are only two years left before the gambling agreement. If you lose the bet, you will lose 2% of your equity, or the patents on light bulbs and penicillin. It won't matter. It doesn't matter.

The most important thing is that losing the gambling agreement proves that this route is not successful enough.

There are not enough interests to influence the decision-making level of the British Empire.

Then, the British Empire's war and suppression strategies against China will still dominate.

China will miss the last train of its rise.

Then, Japan next door will get on this train and become an ally of the British Empire in East Asia, officially rising.

Therefore, this is also the reason why Su Yi came to Beijing this time to express toughness and intimidation.

Because as long as you compromise a little bit, the other party will immediately take advantage of it and continue to encroach upon it. By then, Jiujiang will become a pot of porridge, and what else will it do?

No time was wasted.

So, politics is indeed the art of compromise.

But when it comes to critical matters, there can be no compromise at all.

As long as the opponent reaches out his hand, it will be cut off directly.

Zeng Guofan was a man with average military command and average political skills.

But at that time, there were so many people organizing group training, why was he the only one who became successful? It is because he is unyielding and would rather offend everyone and all the interest chains than stick to his own opinion.

That's why the Hunan Army became successful, so even if his military ability is not very good, he has become the soul of the Hunan Army.

In order to accomplish great things and achieve great feats, Zuo Zongtang did not compromise and would rather bend than bend.

Li Hongzhang knew how to compromise and was a master of the compromise faction.

The results of it? A framer? Use barbarians to control barbarians and make a lot of money for yourself.

......................................................

Court the next day!

The emperor said: "Wencai, how is the investigation conducted by your procuratorate?"

It’s only been a few days?

A dignified household minister would have to investigate for at least a month or two.

Wencai, the imperial censor of Zuodu, said: "If I go back to the emperor, no one can make mistakes without being a sage. Weng Xin is still in office, and there are indeed some oversights. However, the impeachment of Su Quan, the doctor of the Ministry of Finance, is mostly false."

Sure enough, this is the result.

Because Weng Xinchun did not close the case here, Weng Tongshu could not be appointed as the prefect of Jiujiang.

Then, another censor from the Metropolitan Procuratorate said: "Your Majesty, I am impeaching Su Quan, a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue. Because of personal grudges, I blocked the Ministry of Revenue from allocating funds, which led to the collapse of the imperial mausoleum. Hundreds of innocent people lost their lives and countless losses occurred."

"I impeach Su Quan!"

Several officials from the Ministry of Industry also came out to impeach.

This case was discovered at that time, and a big fight was prepared.

But with the news of Su Yi's victory in Nanchang, he completely disappeared.

Now it has been revealed again.

Su Quan, a doctor in the household department, came out, took off his hat and said: "Your Majesty, please resign!" The emperor said: "Don't just resign. Next time, be more careful and tolerant. That's it."

Su Quan took a step forward and said, "Your Majesty, please resign."

The emperor frowned.

Do you not know how to advance or retreat?

Su Yi can't bear to be wronged, can't you also bear to be wronged?

And even if you have to resign, you have to follow the procedures.

Come three times to make the emperor and his ministers look good.

But Su Quan can't tolerate any sand in his eyes. How could he be willing to share it with you three times?

So, he took a step forward: "My lord, please resign!"

The emperor was completely annoyed. Good thing you are Su Quan. I originally wanted to give you dignity. Since you don't want dignity, then it's up to you.

Then, the emperor said coldly: "I'm sure!"

"Your Majesty, please accept the order and thank me!" Su Quan put his official hat on the ground, turned around and left.

The reason why the official uniform is not taken off is because the official uniform is made with his own money, and only the supplements are given by the court.

The court officials were silent.

Brother Su Yi is too strong.

The emperor asked: "Weng Xincun?"

"I'm here!" Weng Xiancun came out.

The emperor said: "You will be fined for two years, stop co-organizing the bachelor's degree, retain the minister of household affairs, and be careful in handling affairs in the future."

Weng Xiancun knelt down and kowtowed: "I accept the decree and thank you for your kindness. Long live, long live!"

Then, the emperor said: "In addition, regarding the post of Jiujiang magistrate, all ministers and ministers will discuss it!"

Everyone was silent.

People in the court have always liked to push down walls.

But at this moment, many people feel a sense of sadness in their hearts.

Kuang Yuan, the minister of the Ministry of Personnel, came out and said: "I recommend Weng Tongshu."

The emperor said: "Oh? What has Weng Tongshu been doing during this time? Summon Weng Tongshu to see him."

After a while, Weng Tongshu went to court.

According to history, this person will soon take office as governor of Anhui.

But in this world, during the Battle of Yangzhou, he was beaten to death for slandering Su Yi for falsely claiming military exploits.

"Your Majesty, I am compiling a book, looking for fragments of old books, copying them, repairing them, and compiling them into a book, which I am about to present to the Emperor," Weng Tong wrote.

Then, he presented a box full of lost and unique copies.

The emperor picked up these books and said with great joy: "Very good, very good, you are interested."

Du Han came out and said: "Your Majesty, I recommend Weng Tongshu to be the prefect of Jiujiang."

The emperor said: "Weng Tongshu, the post of prefect of Jiujiang is very important. Are you willing to go?"

Weng Tongshu knelt down and said, "I am willing to go!"

Then the emperor said: "Draw up a decree and ennoble Weng Tongshu as the prefect of Jiujiang, with the title of inspector and envoy, and concurrently with the post of Zhan Shifu."

Weng Tongshu burst into tears and kowtowed: "I thank the Lord for your kindness!"

The appointment of the emperor is relatively important. Weng Tongshu, the prefect of Jiujiang, is highly qualified. He is a third-rank official and is on the same level as Shuntian Prefecture Yin.

The prefect of Jiujiang has never been so high.

In this way, Weng Tongshu and Su Yi were only one level apart.

Then, the emperor said: "Relevant staff must be well prepared. After going to Jiujiang, they must get started as soon as possible to help Su Yi share the burden."

......................................................

After the end of the dynasty!

The emperor summoned Weng Tongshu in Sanxi Hall.

"Do you know what you should do to become the prefect of Jiujiang?"

Weng Tong wrote: "You know, help the emperor keep an eye on Su Yi, supervise Su Yi, and report it immediately if there is any wrongdoing?"

The emperor frowned slightly because the other person said it too bluntly.

"After you go, you should watch more and listen more first, and don't take any action first." The emperor said: "Jiujiang's government affairs are all your authority, and you must take over them all. Then carefully observe Su Yi's factory, important matters Report everything in detail. After observation, we will tentatively delve into the factory business."

Weng Tong wrote: "I understand that I am the emperor's eyes, the emperor's ears, and one of the emperor's hands. Hold Jiujiang firmly and never let him fall into the hands of people with evil intentions."

It's still too straightforward.

The emperor didn't like to speak so bluntly, it was disrespectful.

However, it is still much better than Shen Baozhen.

Moreover, at this time, there were not many people who could fight against Su Yi, and Weng Tongshu was almost the only choice.

The emperor said: "You have made thorough preparations in the capital, especially the relevant staff. Find some of them yourself, and I will also prepare some. Make sure that after arriving in Jiujiang, you can get all the governance rights of Jiujiang Prefecture."

Weng Tong wrote: "If you obey the decree, I will definitely be able to find a group of people who are not afraid of death."

The emperor nodded.

At this moment, the sound of running feet came from outside again.

The emperor frowned, feeling angry.

He hated the sound of such unruly footsteps in the palace.

And every time there are footsteps like this, there's nothing good going on.

"Your Majesty..." Zenglu whispered.

The emperor said: "What's wrong?"

Weng Tong wrote: "I resign."

The emperor said: "Well, when you leave Beijing, I will write an inscription for you."

Weng Tongshu withdrew respectfully.

After a while, Zenglu came in and said: "Your Majesty, the foreign fleet is here, densely packed, just outside the mouth of Dagu. The Governor of Zhili is asking for help."

The emperor's face suddenly turned pale.

This...is coming?

During this period of time, the overt and covert fighting with Su Yi, coupled with the anger in his heart, made him temporarily forget about the biggest threat, the foreigners.

As a result, suddenly, the foreign fleet came directly to kill them.

I haven't sent anyone to Guangzhou to negotiate with you yet. Why are you so anxious?

"Call the Military Aircraft Department and the serving officials of the second rank and above in Beijing to come to discuss the matter!"

The meeting had just ended and everyone had not gone home yet, so they were immediately called back.

Even officials of second grade and above cannot stand in Sanxi Hall and can only stay in Yangxin Hall.

At this time, the emperor couldn't help but remember Su Yi's words.

Anyone can talk.

According to the court's bottom line, anyone can succeed in negotiating.

The emperor said: "Now the foreign fleet appears outside the mouth of Dagu again, what should we do? What should we do?"

Tian Yugong couldn't help but said: "Your Majesty, is it necessary to postpone Weng Tongshu's appointment in Jiujiang?"

Du Han said coldly: "Master Tian, ​​what does the attack of the foreign fleet have to do with Weng Tongshu's appointment as the prefect of Jiujiang?"

Damn, what does this have to do with anything? you do not know?

It's just that there are some words that can't be said.

Wo Ren came out and said: "Your Majesty, I don't agree with Su Yi in my heart to set up factories and engage in foreign affairs. But... now that the foreign barbarians are attacking, and Weng Tongshu is appointed as the prefect of Jiujiang, is it postponed?"

At this moment, we need to be consistent with the outside world.

There are too few people in the imperial court who are proficient in diplomacy, and Su Yi is the most proficient.

If you anger him at this time and don't show him dignity, it will be difficult for him to do diplomatic errands in the future.

Du Han sneered and said, "Master Wa, you are too sentimental. Su Yi couldn't wait to leave Beijing because he wanted to avoid the foreign fleet. He knew that he would not be able to do this, so he hid in advance."

The emperor looked at Sushun and said, "What do you think? Do you want to postpone it?"

The emperor's gaze was full of different meanings.

Because he discovered that Su Shun's stance was a bit skewed recently and he was actually biased towards Su Yi.

Sushun's scalp suddenly became numb and he stepped forward and said, "I think there is no need to delay. Weng Tongshu will still take office as the prefect of Jiujiang."

This is Sushun.

He is extremely smart and can see through everything.

But he is not willing to disobey the Holy Will at all, and only wants to be loved by the Holy Family.

He clearly knew that letting Weng Tongshu serve as the prefect of Jiujiang was a tentative attack on Su Yi and might have consequences.

But...still didn't stop it.

The emperor said: "Well, then it will be as usual. Weng Tongshu will go to Jiujiang to take office as soon as possible."

"When the foreign fleet arrives in the waters of Tianjin, will it open fire?" Sushun asked.

The messenger said: "There was no firing, just a siege. No ships were allowed to enter or exit."

Sushun said: "Then we have to talk and wait for the imperial court to send people to negotiate."

The emperor said: "My ministers and ministers, what should we do?"

Seng Gelinqin said: "Your Majesty, fight! We have built the Dagukou fort, which is extremely powerful. It can be used for a battle to enhance the prestige of our Qing Dynasty."

Shengbao came out and said: "Your Majesty, I also feel like beating you!"

Wo Ren stepped out and said, "I suggest you fight!"

Less than half of the officials in the court suggested beating him!

Of course, this does not mean that there are really so many militants here and they are so brave.

Rather, this political stance is needed.

It is impossible for the entire court to be all peace talkers and surrenderers.

Where is the majesty of the Qing Dynasty?

Only the main war faction dares to speak loudly.

It is not an easy task for the compromising faction at this time, because it is embarrassing to speak out.

The emperor looked at Sushun.

Sushun came out and said: "Your Majesty, if you can talk, let's talk. We, the Celestial Empire, come to the country and convince people with reason. The foreign barbarians have not been educated, so they are barbaric and rude. We should be polite before fighting. We should work hard to educate the foreign barbarians, maybe we can make them feel the power of the Celestial Empire. Literally, withdraw the troops and stop the war."

After Sushun came out, everyone also came out one after another, saying that they should be polite before fighting.

Foreigners are rude, but we, the Qing Dynasty, are a country of etiquette and education, and we cannot be as knowledgeable as foreigners.

So, let’s talk.

At this time, the emperor could not agree immediately, otherwise he would appear too weak.

The name Zhao Gou is not very pleasant.

He needs to let the court debate for two or three days, and finally the peace talks faction suppresses the war faction.

Then, the emperor followed suit and reluctantly agreed.

In this way, the emperor would not lose his majesty and dignity.

Therefore, the emperor said: "This matter will be discussed later!"

but……

Foreigners don't care whether you want to complete this process or not.

After the commander of the combined fleet surrounded Dagokou, he quietly waited for the Qing court's reaction.

result……

No response.

Neither fight nor fight.

Don't even talk about it.

That is, absolutely nothing happened.

This, what's going on?

The commanders of the combined fleet were confused.

It's not okay if you don't respond!

Therefore, the commander of the combined fleet issued a direct order.

"Fire!"

Suddenly, the combined fleet opened fire fiercely.

"Boom boom boom boom..."

Some of the warships that entered Baihe and approached the suburbs of Tianjin also opened fire violently, and the shells went directly to the head of Tianjin City.

At this time, the Dagukou Fortress.

Part of the Tianjin city wall.

Explodes violently.

..........................................

Note: This is the second update. I racked my brains and couldn’t think of anything to ask for monthly votes. I can only look at all my benefactors, please give it to me.

(End of this chapter)