Tuqing: My first love was Cixi

Chapter 297: Great changes in the country! Turbulence in imperial power!
In the past four years, the entire country has developed at an unprecedented speed.

Although 1869 was not over yet, many of the data were pretty much the same.

According to the plan made more than four years ago, nearly 500 million taels of silver would be invested in the next eight years. At that time, everyone felt that this was an astronomical figure and that the step was too big.

And the result?

Only about four and a half years have passed, and 85% of the investment in the comprehensive Westernization Movement has been completed.

Moreover, the planning for the third phase has also been put on the agenda.

Nine years ago, the entire country's fiscal revenue was about 40 million taels of silver.

Four and a half years ago, fiscal revenue reached about 90 million taels.

This year's fiscal revenue may reach a staggering 180 million taels, doubling its previous level.

This speed of development simply shocked everyone.

In the past 100 years or so of the Qing Dynasty, there was almost no significant growth in fiscal revenue.

From the Kangxi period to the Xianfeng period for nearly two hundred years, it has remained at around 40 million taels.

After Su Yi entered the center, his sales increased four to five times in less than nine years.

How terrifying?
Fiscal revenue has increased astonishingly, but many fiscal burdens have been greatly reduced.

For example, the 200,000-strong Eight Banners Army and the hundreds of thousands of Green Battalions were all disbanded.

The four to five million bannermen, who sucked the blood on finances, were also completely reformed.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has also been almost completely eliminated, directly saving two-thirds of expenses.

Of course, Su Yi was great at making money, but he was also ruthless about spending money.

The empire's new army has expanded to twenty-five divisions, with nearly 400,000 elite troops.

There are also two hundred thousand garrison troops.

In addition, there is the navy, a super gold-eating beast.

Previously, they had promised Britain that they would purchase warships worth 40 million taels of silver within a few years.

The results were also exceeded.

In the past four years, hundreds of naval officers have been trained and sent to study in the UK.

In Shanghai and Fujian, two giant shipyards were opened.

More than a dozen main battleships were directly customized for the British Empire and three battleships were customized for the Kingdom of Prussia.

Moreover, Su Yi was directly involved in the design of the battleship.

In less than five years, 49 million taels of silver were spent, which was more than the Beiyang Navy spent in ten years.

Moreover, historically, the relationship between Britain and the Qing Dynasty was so mediocre that they did not try their best in shipbuilding.
But this era is different. The British Empire has extremely huge interests in China. Moreover, Su Yi has an extremely close friendship with the British royal family.

Therefore, shipbuilding is much faster and even more cost-effective.

So there is a result. It took the Beiyang Navy seven or eight years to build a large-scale fleet, but it only took Su Yi less than five years.

Today, the Chinese Navy has 35 main warships of various types, more than 80 auxiliary ships, and more than 70 troop transport ships.

The combined number of naval officers and soldiers exceeded nine thousand.

This naval power is absolutely number one in Asia and sixth in the world.

Su Yi really used money to create a powerful navy.

And unlike the Beiyang Navy, he first directly hired a pirate fleet and let thousands of naval officers and soldiers follow this group of pirates to practice fighting, and then sent them to study in the UK a year later.

Therefore, this navy not only has rich theoretical knowledge, but also relatively rich practical experience.

And so far, there are nearly two thousand foreigners in this fleet.

Originally, the Tsarist Empire tried to use its navy to join the second Qing-Russian War, but it was always worried about being attacked by the British Empire's navy.

Now...there is no need to worry about this matter.

Because the Chinese fleet has become very powerful. If Tsarist Russia sends a squadron to the Far East, it will only be seeking death.

The Naval Staff conducted the exercise over and over again.

The result is the same every time.

If a war against Japan were launched tomorrow, it would definitely result in a complete victory.

At least the Navy will achieve an absolute, crushing victory.

However, Japan has the interests of Britain and the United States, so it does not have enough excuses to launch a war.

As for France and the United States, relations are rather tense.

Four years ago, the envoy from the Kingdom of Korea returned to China and brought Su Yi's will with him.

The leader of North Korea, Lord Daewon, was ecstatic. Did he not expect that the overlord country had exactly the same thoughts as me?
As a result, he is more vicious than in history.

Killed thousands of domestic Christians and dozens of foreign missionaries.

There were French people in it, and a handful of Americans.

France and the United States were furious.

France directly sent troops to attack North Korea.

The United States did not send troops, but supported France diplomatically and politically.

Historically, France has not taken advantage.

In this world, Su Yi accepted the invitation and directly dispatched a naval fleet and two army divisions to North Korea.

Therefore, the French suffered a more tragic defeat than in history.

of course……

Once these two divisions entered, they simply refused to leave.

Until now, he has not left.

Moreover, Su Yi also added two official positions, the Minister of China in Goryeo and the Commander of the Army in Goryeo.

………………

As for Vietnam.

The French army is still pressing forward step by step.

The Kingdom of Vietnam is still falling, with French troops outside and rebels inside.

Nguyen Phuoc was mentally and physically exhausted and could hardly support himself.

As the minister stationed in Vietnam, Baojun's weight is becoming more and more important.

Because in order to keep the country and the throne, Nguyen Phuc Thi needs more and more support.

Arms support, military support, sea lane support.

And China has become his greatest reliance, or even his only support.

But precisely because the hostile relationship with China has become increasingly intense, the French have many more troops on the Indochina Peninsula than in history, and their attacks on Vietnam have become more fierce.

In addition, with the full support of the Intelligence Department and Su Yi, Huang Yisheng and Bao Chao established a firm foothold in the Vietnamese uprising army, and their power became stronger and stronger.

………………

Northwest!

The war is over, it ended last year.

It took Zuo Zongtang five years to completely eliminate the rebellion in the entire northwest.

In Shaanxi and Gansu, all the local religious clans and warlords were uprooted.

Kill them cleanly and completely.

Historically, 20 million Han people in Shaanxi and Gansu were massacred.

Su Yi took action in advance, and with the force of thunder, he saved more than 10 million innocent people.

On the contrary, these rebels and their affiliated forces probably, maybe, maybe... millions of them were killed.

In short, the Ma family, which had occupied this land for nearly a hundred years, has completely disappeared.

It just...is gone.

It took Zuo Zongtang two years to quell the Shaanxi-Gansu Rebellion.

Then he rested for a year, and then led the army into the territory.

A more thorough crackdown began.

Whether it's Aguba, Bai Yanhu who fled here, or this Khan, that Khan.

Or they were mercenaries from Tsarist Russia.

All were killed.

Su Yi increased his troops twice. In the end, the Western Expeditionary Army under Zuo Zongtang reached 80,000 people, including 26,000 cavalry alone.

Military expenditures were directly allocated 40 million taels.

Tell Zuo Zongtang directly, don't be anxious.

The key is to be thorough!
Don't eat uncooked rice, and don't swallow dates whole.

Zuo Zongtang implemented this intention extremely thoroughly.

Hardly surrendered.

All rebels and mercenaries must be eradicated.

Keep killing, keep killing, keep killing.

It took three years to kill.

The rebellion was completely quelled.

This land has returned to the territory of China, once and for all.

Zuo Zongtang led his army back to the army.

Li Xiucheng led an army of 30,000 to guard the territory.

The imperial court decreed that Li Xiucheng be conferred the title of Commander of the Northwest War Zone, Lieutenant General of the Army, and the title of Minister of War.

This Taiping Heavenly Kingdom general who made great achievements in the Northwest Rebellion was the first to reach a truly high position.

After Zuo Zongtang returned to his teacher.

Su Yi went out of the city to greet him personally.

then!

Zuo Zongtang resigned from the post of Northwest General and the post of Minister of War.

The imperial court named him the second-class Marquis of Ke Jing, the Minister of Household Affairs, the Minister of Military Aircraft, and the Minister of Political Affairs, replacing Zhou Zupei's position.

At this point, another general under Su Yi entered the political hall.

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

The Westernization Movement was also in full swing.

After all, the terrain of Jiujiang is not broad enough. Before the cross-river bridge, the development bottleneck was relatively large.

Therefore, many industries of the second batch of Westernization Movement were distributed in five cities including Hangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Xiamen.

Of course, there is another important arsenal located in Anqing.

Anqing Arsenal.

This arsenal has no investment from foreigners and is entirely controlled by the imperial court.

The total investment in this arsenal exceeds 10 million taels.

In addition, Dexing Mining Bureau was established.

Kaiping Coal Mine was established and put into operation.

Anshan Iron Mine was put into operation and Anshan Iron Works was established.

The Post Office was established, and telegraph lines from Wuchang to Jiujiang to Anqing, to Nanjing, to Suzhou, to Shanghai, to Nanjing, to Tianjin, and to the capital were all laid.

In these most critical urban nodes, there is finally no need to use the 600-mile express or the 800-mile express.

The railway from Tianjin to Beijing has also been laid and opened to traffic a few months ago.

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

Jiujiang is still the most modern city in the country.

It's even... the most modern city in the world.

The record of Jiujiang Tower, the tallest building in the world, has not been broken.

And now, it is finally completed.

It was completed many years ago, but many problems have not been solved.

For example, water problems in high-rise buildings, elevator problems, etc.

After about six years, these problems were finally solved.

The board of directors of the Jiujiang Economic Experimental Zone finally got their wish, working at a height of 300 meters.

In recent years, there have been many more high-rise buildings in Jiujiang.

There are dozens of tall buildings with more than 20 floors.

There are countless tall buildings with more than ten floors.

So at first glance, it seems like the world has changed. When many foreign dignitaries come to visit, Jiujiang is also a must-visit place.

And every time, this city will receive countless shocks and surprises.

Its figure has appeared countless times in newspapers and photos around the world.

Even on video.

A city that was not well-known in history has become one of the world's famous cities after more than ten years of development.

became a business card.

but……

It is also destined to be surpassed.

At least it will be far surpassed by Shanghai in the future. After all, the geographical advantage is much greater.

As the Chinese navy continues to grow stronger, its development focus will increasingly shift to Shanghai.

Even cities such as Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Suzhou will surpass Jiujiang in the future.

But for now, at least, it's a proud city.

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

Beijing.

In terms of pure appearance, there is still not much change.

But it's much, much neater.

The roads are also much cleaner.

The bannermen walking birds in ladder cages on the streets have almost disappeared.

The flag affairs were reformed very, very thoroughly.

Millions of bannermen either went to farm or work. In short, after a three-year buffer period, the court no longer supported this group of people.

All left to fend for themselves.

Of course, some motivated banner people will go to school and find various jobs.

There are also some unmotivated bannermen who are just sitting on their hands and unable to make a living, so they have no choice but to sell off their ancestral homes.

The imperial court issued a decree.

From then on, there was no longer a full city.

All Han people can live in Mancheng.

This is true across the country.

As a result, housing prices in the inner city of the capital began to soar, because countless Han officials and wealthy Han people came to buy houses in the inner city.

And these bannermen also took the opportunity to cash out, and then continued to live a life of drunkenness and dreams.

………………

Inside a gorgeous mansion.

Five dolls, chirping, chirping, running around.

Behind them were a bunch of nuns and a bunch of maids.

"My little ancestor, run slowly, run slowly, don't knock your teeth..."

Of these four dolls, the eldest is the daughter of Yehenala, the remaining two are a boy and a girl born to Ci'an, the son of Princess Shouan, and the son of Zhenzhen.

In the Nuan Pavilion, four women were playing mahjong.

Empress Dowager Ci'an, Princess Shouxi, Princess Shou'an, Zhenzhen.

Shouan said: "My husband said that he wanted to cut off his braids, why did he remain silent again?"

Su Yi started having sex two years ago, and all men in the country cut off their braids.

Moreover, reforms in clothing were carried out earlier.

All kinds of new clothing have been fully promoted, whether it is men's clothing or women's clothing.

After wearing the new clothes, the braids look a bit weird.

After the hair drying is completely completed, it’s time to give the order directly.

Ci'an said: "Because it was overshadowed by more important things."

Zhenzhen said: "The banner people have been completely reformed, and now it is the Han people's turn to obey the rules and violate the rules."

After the Westernization Movement was fully launched and the flag affairs reform was thoroughly implemented.

Su Yi officially took action against the Han people.

And it directly affects the lifeblood.

Taking back local financial power means taking the local finance bureaus under central control.

This moment caused an uproar and caused an extremely violent backlash.

Because this is the lifeblood of local officials.

After more than ten years of development, the revenue of the local Lijin Bureau has exceeded more than 30 million taels, which is almost equivalent to the total fiscal revenue of the imperial court ten years ago.

How could local bureaucrats be willing to give up such a large sum of money?
The Han bureaucrats are much more insidious than the bannermen, and their methods are much more sophisticated.

In recent years, Su Yi had completely controlled the power of the entire imperial court, and even local governors were appointed by him.

But at the lower level, it is difficult for him to control directly.

When countless local officials across the country begin to slack off in their work, it means huge trouble.

Moreover, Su Yi wanted to take away not only local financial power, but also a series of other powers.

Therefore, it is certainly difficult to imagine the magnitude of the obstruction.

Of course, there are also very successful local policies, such as banning opium.

Really, it’s completely forbidden.

All the opium fields were destroyed.

After five years, the amount of opium dumped by foreigners into China dropped off a cliff.

Although this would result in a loss of more than 20 million taels of income, Su Yi had no regrets at all.

Ci'an continued: "The imperial court is about to establish a new yamen, headed by Zuo Zongtang, with Ma Xinyi as deputy."

Princess Shou'an sneered: "The rich families in these places are going to be in bad luck."

Princess Shouxi said: "It's shameless. Since they are obstructing my husband's new policy, then they will no longer want their official positions, reputations, and fields. My husband originally felt that the fields in the world were not enough for cultivation and were concentrated in the hands of a few people." , but there is no reason to promote land reform. Now, this group of people is blocking the New Deal. "

This is Su Yi's plan.

Just let you jump out, and then I'll cut you off.

Vomit out everything in your stomach and make the reform more thorough.

Princess Shou'an said: "Wan'er, there are two rumors, did you hear them?"

Ci'an said: "One is for the two of us to withdraw the curtain, and the other is for the emperor to take charge, right?"

Princess Shou'an said: "Yes."

Zhenzhen said: "The whole world is buzzing with news, how could you not hear it?"

Princess Shouxi said: "You have ulterior motives."

Princess Ci'an said: "It's just with ulterior motives."

It is now being spread all over the world that the emperor will be an adult in a year or two, and it will be time for him to rule personally.

Su Yi has always been an example of virtuous kings in the world, so he should first ask the emperor to take charge of his affairs.

Even if you are hypocritical, you still have to make such a statement.

Zhenzhen said: "Now many local wealthy families and many Han people are resisting the New Deal, because the next imperial examination reform, land reform, and Lijin Bureau reform will all take their lives. So they definitely want to cause trouble, so they are likely to To advance by retreating, please first ask the queen mothers of the two palaces to withdraw the curtains."

"If the empress dowagers of the two palaces withdraw the curtain, that would be a sign of integrity. Then will the regent return to power? Will he take the initiative to ask the emperor to take charge?"

Princess Shou'an said: "The emperor is my nephew, but I want to say clearly that the emperor cannot govern personally. Not only not now, but also not in five years, and not in ten years..."

Ci'an said: "Yes, the emperor cannot rule personally."

Now is a time of great change that has not happened in a century, and all power must be concentrated in the hands of Su Yi.

Once the emperor takes charge, power will definitely be divided and dispersed.

At that time, we will fall into internal friction and internal fighting again.

When Su Yi came to power, he implemented one reform after another. It was unknown how many people's interests were touched and how many people hated him.

Once the emperor is allowed to take charge, I don't know how many people will support him under his banner.

Then all the new policies will fall by the wayside.

The wealth saved by the Westernization Movement will be divided up again within a few years.

Ci'an played Dongfeng and said slowly: "Although I am the Queen Mother of the Qing Dynasty, but... I don't have to be. I can be my husband's wife."

Princess Shouxi said: "Although I am the princess of Aixinjueluo, but... I can also just be my husband's wife."

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

In the palace of Prince Yijun.

Su Yi's direct relatives are having a secret meeting.

"This trend must be completely nipped in the cradle." Zuo Zongtang said: "First of all, the Queen Mother of the two palaces has withdrawn the curtain, which cannot be mentioned now. The emperor's personal administration cannot be started."

"Time is running out."

Chongen said: "Once the emperor takes charge, the center of the imperial court will fall into internal strife, and the entire development will stagnate."

Tian Yugong said: "But... what if many Han people, especially many students, petition and let the emperor personally govern?"

Yes!

It is justifiable for the emperor to govern personally.

As the regent, Su Yi could not openly oppose and stop him.

Even if he wanted to show his integrity, he would take the initiative to return power to the emperor.

In the minds of many people in the world, Su Yi should be like Yi Yin or Huo Guang.

Assist the young emperor.

Many people even think that even if you return power to the emperor, you can still be the regent and still supervise the government.

Chongqi asked: "Is it possible to pretend to return power to the emperor, let him create some trouble, and let the world see clearly that the emperor cannot rule personally, and then take back his power?"

This is what Cixi used to do to Guangxu.

Lin Shaozhang said: "No, I can't even raise this head. The emperor can't control power from the beginning to the end."

"Yes, the emperor has been unable to control power from the beginning to the end." Shen Baozhen said: "Or I may be more explicit, and I have to prepare for another major event."

"The next thing we need to discuss is how to completely kill the trend of letting the emperor rule personally."

"At least when the emperor is sixteen, no one can mention it."

Then, several people fell into silence.

"Start a war!" Zuo Zongtang suddenly said.

"Yes, launch a war." Lin Shaozhang said: "Launch a war against Tsarist Russia."

"Haven't the Russians already assembled nearly 200,000 troops in the Far East? They are constantly building defense lines and want to fight a war that will overwhelm the country."

"Their patience is more than we imagined."

"So, it may be beneficial to us to start a war now."

Tian Yugong said: "Perhaps, just a war with Russia is not enough, because we have already defeated Tsarist Russia, which will make people feel that this war is not so critical and will not delay the emperor's personal administration, because the regent will not continue to supervise the government. ”

Zuo Zongtang said: "Then add one more, a battle with the French."

Lin Shaozhang said: "In Europe, Prussia and France have not started a war yet. Once we start a war, I am afraid that the main French force will be attracted over, and Prussia will reap the benefits and will not be in a hurry to start a war."

Zuo Zongtang said: "According to the Prince Regent's description of the Prussian Prime Minister, he is a very trustworthy person, and trust is greater than gold."

Xu Youren suddenly said from the side: "There is still another war, and that is the war against Japan."

Chongen said: "Three wars? That...that's really unbearable."

"Two games at most."

"Once two wars occur, we will face two great powers, one Russia and the other France, which will create a sufficient sense of crisis. In the face of this general trend, everything must give way, including the so-called emperor's personal rule."

"And these are two wars that are destined to happen."

"The most important thing is that once we win these two wars, our country will defeat the two great powers at the same time and officially become a world power."

"By that time, this unparalleled achievement will be able to crush all opponents."

"Enough to make the regent's power permanent."

.........

And inside the palace at this time!

Prince Yipei of Dun knelt in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi and said: "The Empress Dowager, I am asking you to prepare to withdraw the curtain and return the power to the Emperor."

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

Note: This chapter is a bit difficult to write. It is more than 6,000 words. It will definitely exceed 8,000 words tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)