late Qing Dynasty arrest

The next day, early in the morning, Li Guolou was called to Li Hongzhang's residence, signed up to enter, saluted meticulously, and then skillfully picked up the water pipe gun and lit a cigarette for Li Hongzhang.

"Battabata." Li Hongzhang closed his eyes, enjoyed the first bag of hookah in the morning, exhaled foul air, opened his slender eyes, and said slowly, "Xiaolou, did you sleep well last night?"

Li Guolou took out two articles from his sleeve and put them on the table. One was a review, and the other was the errand given to him by Li Hongzhang, "Etiquette and Negotiation Points for Western Missions Abroad in the Qing Dynasty". A thick article, pouring his painstaking efforts overnight.

"My lord Fu Xiang, I didn't go to bed last night to write an article." Li Guolou replied respectfully, afraid that Li Hongzhang would settle accounts with him.

Li Hongzhang took a sip of the fragrant tea, cleared his throat, and said, "Oh... that means you are not drunk! Last night, you were putting on airs and saying that Liu Gong is the king of Yue. What do you mean by that?"

Li Guolou licked his face, smiled, and said: "Master Fu Xiang, you don't know that your grandson just likes to do little tricks. For the sake of Mr. Fu Xiang's career, grandson dare not indulge himself. Now I have a new After learning from the pain, I no longer dare to be self-righteous, and I only focus on running errands for Master Fu."

"Well...it's right to have such an idea." Li Hongzhang picked up the paperwork on the case table, flipped through it, and read it carefully, slowly and silently, not knowing what he was thinking.

Li Guolou stood still and didn't dare to sit down. He made a big show yesterday and won glory for the Li family, but he also made a few mistakes and violated taboos. He might be stripped of his skin by Li Hongzhang.

Li Hongzhang put down the booklet, and said loudly: "Sit in the small building, don't be restrained, I don't mean to blame you, I see your hard work, don't think that I have prejudice against you, this is my love for you, other people care about you At this age, you are still reciting the wind and reciting the moon. I am very pleased that you can spend your money and money on the right path. You can build a new martial arts hall in such a short period of time, and you can also compile detailed regulations, tactics, and ideas The course is quite solid, how did you do it."

Li Guolou bowed and said: "My lord Fu Xiang, to tell the truth, because I am proficient in English, I have dabbled in some professional English books, and I like to use my brain, and I have the habit of writing my experience, so I can write articles quickly. Soon, I usually don’t go out to play, and put all my mind on errands.”

"Really?" Li Hongzhang glanced at him. He would not believe Li Guolou's nonsense. Someone copied the articles for Li Guolou and studied the detailed rules. Only then could it be explained. It's just that I don't know who the expert is hiding behind Li Guolou.

"Yes, Mr. Fu Xiang, I dare not lie. Look at such a long article. I wrote it in one night. Even Master Fan never entered my room. I sorted it out by myself. "Li Guolou dared to say that Wu Peipei collected information for him, and Xie Xiuzhu helped him copy the articles. It was a secret in his family, and even if others found out, he would never admit it.

"Oh, it's true, my family's Qianliju is also, no, my family's steam train is also, hahahaha." Now Li Hongzhang believed it, and looked at Li Guolou lovingly. He will not lose face abroad, and even major national events such as the national flag and national anthem of the Qing Dynasty are handled for him.

"Thank you uncle for your praise. My grandson will definitely use this sentence as a motto and live up to my uncle's expectations." Li Guolou was relieved, with a bright smile on his face. It seemed that there were only good things and no bad things today, and he held his teacup with peace of mind. , blowing the emerald green tea leaves floating on the water, and drinking the slightly scalding hot tea.

Li Hongzhang was very happy, nodded and said: "Xiaolou, I will write down this sentence later and give it to you as encouragement."

Hearing the praise and affirmation of his achievements from the supreme officer Li Hongzhang, Li Guolou was very excited and couldn't help expressing his inner thoughts. Rigorous, honest and honest, seeking truth from facts is the standard, as long as I am given time, I can carry forward the spirit of Xinwutang, but the system of Xinwutang alone still cannot change the weakness of the Qing army, and fundamentally eliminate the Qing army The long-term solution is the long-term solution, the official has a huge plan, which will benefit the country and the people, as long as it is implemented, the country will prosper, and the army will also be strong, I wonder if Mr. Fu is interested in listening to it."

The master Xu Qian stepped into the living room and said with a smile: "Li Xuezheng, what do you think, let me hear it, so that I, an old-fashioned person, can evolve into a foreign devil."

Li Hongzhang waved his hand and said, "Eat breakfast first, let's talk while eating."

Before the dinner table, Li Guolou said: "Last time Mr. Fu Xiang said that to manage the canals in the Zhili area, many civilian men are needed. Many of these people are good soldiers who are young and strong, and many of them are young and strong. Refugees, as long as they have a meager income, they are willing to serve as soldiers. What I propose is not to train soldiers, but to learn from the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, build a large farming army, and build an industrial and agricultural base in the Northeast. Unlike the Ming Dynasty, when the land was distributed to military households, the final result was that the land was embezzled by the military officers, but on the basis that the land belonged to the country, the land reclamation soldiers only owned houses and a small amount of private land, and those who originally owned the land All of them become shareholders of industrial enterprises, and let the big landlords become the pioneers of the industrial revolution. The advantage of this is that the income of the country will increase, and the interests of the big landlords and big bureaucrats will not be harmed when the land is enclosed, and there will be less resistance. The birthplace of guarding the royal family has a steady stream of soldiers, and there will be no phenomenon that one generation is inferior to another generation. Raising an army that is half-agricultural and half-soldier with a very low salary means that the country does not need to spend money to raise soldiers. Used in weapons and equipment, it will not corrupt the officers of the land reclamation soldiers. The plan to develop the birthplace of the royal family should be boldly implemented. With the central idea of ​​defending the birthplace of the royal family, change the military household system of the Ming Dynasty to adapt to the needs of the times, so that The Weihaiwei Naval Base has a solid rear, preventing Western powers from coveting it, and allowing two neighbors with ulterior motives, Russia and Japan, to retreat in spite of difficulties."

Li Hongzhang stopped to drink the porridge, looked at Li Guolou dumbly, he had long forgotten to eat breakfast, and asked, "Xiaolou, did you also come up with this plan?"

Li Guolou ate sweetly, with hot porridge in his mouth, nodded frequently, and said vaguely: "Master Fu Xiang, I just have an idea, I haven't written it down yet, but I have written down many notes."

Li Hongzhang said anxiously: "Then when can you write it down specifically?"

Li Guolou grunted and drank a big bowl of hot porridge, put down his chopsticks, reached out and grabbed a meat bun, took a bite, and said, "Master Fu, it's next year, and there's no money to implement it now!"

Li Hongzhang was dissatisfied and said: "How can a small building do this? You don't have money, I have it! You should write out all the plans for farming and industrial construction in the Northeast as soon as possible. Don't draw a castle in the air. You need to conduct on-site inspections. The three provinces in the Northeast, August, In September and October, you can still inspect it, and take a look at the construction of the Weihaiwei Naval Base by the way, and when I return from my visit to the West, I will see the preliminary implementation plan and the theoretical report of the feasible plan.”

Li Guolou said with a bitter face: "Master Fu, I can hand over the feasibility report and the theoretical ideas for developing the three northeastern provinces to you at that time. The preliminary implementation plan is a cumbersome project, and there is no such thing as a year or two." I don’t dare to write about field investigations, the disaster will be endless, and I will become a historical sinner.”

With a sense of urgency, Li Hongzhang asked: "Master Xu, do you understand? Based on what Li Guolou said, first organize a team and make plans. When digging canals and recruiting workers, you can first vigorously publicize them so that those river workers have One or two years is very short, in the blink of an eye, the immigration policy of the Qing Empire will change, and the defense of the three eastern provinces can become the central idea, and if this idea continues to develop, the Qing Empire will be as solid as gold."

"Yes, this subordinate understands, and will arrange it." Xu Qian looked at the two ambitious men in front of him, the plan was too huge, what did Li Hongzhang think, would he become emperor?It was Li Guolou who took advantage of the situation to rise to power, and had the ambition to seal the frontiers.

Xu Qian already felt a murderous aura emanating from Li Hongzhang and Li Guolou. One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. Whether these two people will meet each other in battle in the future, he was also thinking about Li Guolou's plan in his mind. A Beiyang navy is much better. Civilian industrial construction is the cornerstone of the industrial revolution. Li Guolou's views are several times stronger than Li Hongzhang's. Whether Li Hongzhang will take the credit this time, it seems that Li Guolou should be reused as his successor.

After chatting for a while, Xu Qian was sent away by Li Hongzhang. During the conversation, Li Hongzhang suddenly slapped his forehead and said with a smile: "Xiaolou, I was almost interrupted by you. I called you here to tell you something. Teach your lectures based on your modernized war thinking, based on facts, false military achievements harm others and yourself, [-] soldiers and horses, [-] soldiers and horses died, only one tenth of them, too scared to fight, admit it The whole army was wiped out, the army deceived the imperial court from top to bottom, the anecdote of the ages, the shame of the Qing Empire! Those ancient surprise attacks from thousands of miles should have been thrown into the garbage dump long ago, who dares to make irresponsible remarks and let him change posts, as for ideological Educational courses should be taught according to the original teaching courses, and new ideas should not be added.”

Li Guolou wept with joy, turned over and prostrated himself on the ground, and said in a loud voice: "Thank you, Mr. Fu Xiang, for your cultivation. I will fulfill my mission and build the new martial arts hall. It will become the cradle for training the new generation of officers in the Qing Dynasty. Mr. Fu Xiang is his own responsibility, and the untimely dross will one day be thrown into the garbage dump." During the speech, Li Guolou kowtowed three times and worshiped Li Hongzhang as an emperor. This is the way of Han people's confession, and the hint is clear One day Li Hongzhang rebelled, and Li Guolou rushed to the front as a vanguard officer.

"Go, Xinwutang is not perfect yet, watch more, listen more, study more, and see what needs to be solved as soon as possible." Li Hongzhang picked up the teacup, crossed his legs, and started shaking. He was not in a hurry, he was still young, 50 years old Those who can't reach him are full of energy, and under his control, the new blueprint of the Qing Dynasty has begun to take shape.

Li Hongzhang was still able to firmly control Li Guolou, so he dared to reuse Li Guolou. The Han people did not pose a threat to him. His biggest opponents were those princes and nobles.

Li Guolou has already seen Li Hongzhang's hidden ambitions. The rich, powerful, and powerful Mr. Fu Xiang continues to develop, and one day he will wear a yellow robe. The son Li Jingshu grows up slowly and will inherit Li Hongzhang's foundation. , and will he have a day to be crowned king?It's still the end of the birds, the good bow, the death of the cunning rabbit, and the cooking of the dog. Thinking of this, Li Guolou couldn't help but shudder. This is not the result he wants. He doesn't want to see the world in chaos. The future is full of variables. Li Guolou dare not Think about it in this way, put aside unrealistic ideas, and let the Qing Dynasty become stronger first. As for what kind of country the Qing Empire will become in the future, and how the people around it will change, these unknowns will be left alone. to the future to solve,