Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Drunken gaffe

The Office of the General Tax Department is the administrative office of the Qing Dynasty that governs customs and taxation throughout the country. In the third year of Xianfeng (1853 A.D.), Britain, the United States, and France took advantage of the Knife Society uprising to seize the administrative power of Shanghai Customs.In the following year, the consuls of the three countries signed an agreement with then Su Songtao and Wu Jianzhang, and the consuls of the three countries each sent one person from the tax department to form the customs tax management committee. In the ninth year of Xianfeng (AD 1859), the British forced the Nanyang Minister of Commerce to appoint the British Li Taitai as the chief taxation department.In the eleventh year of Xianfeng (AD 1861), the Prime Minister’s Yamen officially appointed Li Taitai as the General Taxation Department of China, which legalized the fact that the British served as the General Taxation Department of the Qing Dynasty.

Li Taitai once worked in the British Consulate in Shanghai, and served as the tax department of Shanghai Jiang Customs in the fifth year of Xianfeng (1855 AD).In the eighth year of Xianfeng (AD 1858), the British and French allied forces invaded Tianjin and Dagu in the north. He served as the translator and counselor of Ergin, the plenipotentiary representative of the British invasion of China. During the negotiation process of the Sino-British "Tianjin Treaty", Li Taitai was even more rebellious in his words and behaved extremely arrogantly, which was deeply hated by the Chinese.After he was officially appointed as the General Taxation Department by the Zongli Yamen, he gradually extended the semi-colonial customs system in Shanghai to Guangzhou, Shantou and other treaty ports.Since then, the customs management power of the Qing Dynasty has been seized by foreigners.

During his tenure, Li Taitai actively purchased arms and warships for the Qing Dynasty, and formed a fleet to suppress the Taiping Army. He himself also reaped countless benefits.Li Taitai was awarded the third-class Order of Bath by the United Kingdom for his meritorious service, and became a gentleman. In the third year of Tongzhi (AD 1864), Li Taitai was entrusted by the Prime Minister's Office and Jiangsu Governor's Office to return to China to purchase warships to form a fleet.After the formation of the fleet, Li Taitai actually pretended to be the "only Minister of the Navy" of the Qing Dynasty behind his back, behind the back of the governor's office of Jiangsu and the prime minister's office of the Qing Dynasty. Control the navy of the Qing Dynasty.In September of that year, Aspen led the fleet to China, but was rejected by the Zongli Yamen and the fleet was disbanded.The prime minister's Yamen Xuan protested to Ali Guo, the British Minister to China, and demanded that Li Taitai be removed from the post of Chief Taxation Officer.When Li Taitai was dismissed, the British immediately proposed to be replaced by Hurd.The Prime Minister's Yamen was afraid that after taking office, Hurd would repeat the mistakes of Li Taitai, so Li Hongzhang was ordered to make strict inspections.

In fact, Li Hongzhang had long criticized the fact that China's customs and taxation management power was controlled by foreigners, but he could not change the status quo. He could only do what the Prime Minister's Office said, without any changes. Hurd has already taken office, but he has not yet been approved by the Prime Minister's Yamen of the Qing Dynasty. When Li Hongzhang rushed to the office of the General Tax Department with Tong Shi and Ding Richang's entourage, Hurd was sitting in his office cursing. When Hurd was in Beijing, he once got a snuff bottle with erotic paintings inside, showing a man and a woman walking in the clouds.After Hurd got it, he loved it like a treasure, and he carried it in his arms wherever he went, and played with it in his palm from time to time, feeling extremely excited.

On the morning of Li Hongzhang's arrival, Hurd left the snuff bottle in the office because he was in a hurry to do something. When he came back to pick it up, he had disappeared.He first suspected that the handyman who cleaned the house for him had taken it, but after being flatly denied, he began to suspect all the Chinese officials, saying that the Chinese are inferior races and all Chinese are thieves. Because of this snuff bottle, all the bad words came out of Hurd's mouth all morning.Just as he was scolding vigorously, a British officer might as well rush in and say, "My lord, Li Hongzhang, the governor of Jiangsu, is here to see you."

After looking at it, Hurd said: "This Li Hongzhang is a big thief, but he can't be neglected! Please invite him into the hall and let him drink coffee." After the officer went down, Hurd was busy changing his dress and tie, and then called an officer to follow him to meet Li Hongzhang in the hall. After exchanging pleasantries according to the etiquette, Li Hongzhang said slowly: "The Ministry came here to learn about the situation of the Taxation Department. Besides, I want to chat with Master He." Tongshi translated the words, and Hurd listened carefully, and then said: "Master Li, I have already reported the matter of the General Taxation Department to the Prime Minister's Office."

When Li Hongzhang heard this, he remembered that the governor's office and the commercial office had no right to inquire about the situation of the General Tax Department, so he changed his words: "Of course, of course, this department just wants to ask about the former Li Taitai." "Li Taitai has been dismissed. He has done something that hurt the Qing Dynasty. He has been recalled to the country. Maybe he will be sent to a military court." Li Hongzhang didn't know what the court-martial Heard was talking about, so he could only hum a couple of times casually to show that he knew or understood.

Hurd said again: "My lord Futai Li, since I took over as the Chief Taxation Department, everything has been done according to the agreement, and I dare not be sloppy or careless. I promise that as the General Taxation Department, I will serve as the Prime Minister of your country. The Yamen and Master Li of Futai do many things, and there will never be any mistakes." Li Hongzhang replied: "What you said is believed by the Ministry, and the Prime Minister's Yamen also believes it." Hurd continued: "Master Li Futai, when I was in Ningbo, I already knew that you are a very gentlemanly personage, so I decided to invite you and your entourage to have lunch."

Li Hongzhang declined Heard's invitation with a smile, and decided to go to the British Consulate to learn more about Heard's personal situation. Hurd didn't allow Tongtong to finish the translation. He got up and went straight to Li Hongzhang, grabbed Li Hongzhang's hand and said loudly: "If you, Mr. Li, don't give me face, I won't let you go. I have arranged people to prepare High-quality Irish wine, and I ordered some of your favorite dishes from the restaurant outside." Li Hongzhang was surprised by what Heard did, and he whispered to Ding Richang who was standing behind him: "Unexpectedly, Heard is still a Cool man! It looks like we really have to disturb him."

After listening to Li Hongzhang's words, Ding Richang hurriedly took a step forward and said to Heder with a happy face, "Master He, please let go. My Master Futai has decided to stay and eat this big meal." Hurd happily led Li Hongzhang and his party to the dining room at the back. At the beginning of the seat, Hurd's performance was quite satisfactory.He not only toasted Li Hongzhang, but also toasted Ding Richang and others, and called Mr. Li and Mr. Ding one by one.After a few glasses of wine, Hurd has completely changed into another face.He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his long black-haired arms, just like a homeless little bum on the streets of Shanghai, who had long since lost his gentlemanly demeanor.Putting aside his general knowledge, he talked about the customs and natural scenery of Britain in blunt Chinese by himself, and the whole audience was shocked.He said that the British Empire was the most civilized country in the world, and many outstanding people had been cultivated there, and he even mentioned a few names that were very awkward.

Li Hongzhang whispered to Ding Richang: "This foreign devil, he is homesick." Ding Richang hurriedly said: "My lord said that if a person goes out alone, anyone would be homesick." After dinner, on the way to the British Consulate, Li Hongzhang expressed emotion to a group of entourages: "These foreigners, before drinking, pretend to be human. Once they get drunk, they become pigs and dogs! They are even worse than pigs and dogs!" Ding Richang said: "Master Futai, a person like Hurd, who talks nonsense while drinking and dares to roll up his sleeves in front of your old man, is such a person suitable to be the chief tax officer?" Li Hongzhang said with a smile: "I said Yusheng, do you think this department can really be the head of the prime minister's office? In fact, before this department came to see Hurd, it was like a mirror in its heart. It doesn't matter how Hurd is, as long as he is The British are fine! The Prime Minister’s Yamen’s Special Committee’s Headquarters visited Hart, one for showing foreigners, and the other is to silence some ministers. The Prime Minister’s Yamen handed over customs rights to foreigners, which in itself is a weak move. This department is acting on orders, but in fact it’s just a show. Foreigners don’t take it seriously, and this department doesn’t take it seriously.” Li Hongzhang and his party soon sat down and talked with the Consul of the British Consulate in Shanghai, Pacharley. Talking about Hurd, Bacharley praised him again and again, and patted his chest and said: "Hard has always been loyal to his duties, and it is really appropriate to entrust the Chief Taxation Department to him! Please Mr. Li to play the Prime Minister's Office as soon as possible, and as soon as possible. Dejia committee." After Bacharley finished speaking, he picked up Hurd's resume from the table, handed it to Li Hongzhang, and said, "Hard's situation is written on it one by one, and the Prime Minister's Office of your country has already filed it." Li Hongzhang sighed, and became more aware of the deceitful and self-deceiving practices of the Prime Minister's Yamen.On the day he returned to the Commercial Office, he reported to the Prime Minister's Office what he had learned about Hurd.Not long after Zongli Yamen received the memorial, Hurd was officially appointed as the Chief Taxation Department. What is the origin of Hurd, an Englishman? Heard was thirty years old at the time. According to Bacharley's introduction, he was born in a military family in Portadown, County Armagh, Ireland. He was excellent when he was studying in the local public school. He was favored by many beauties, but he rejected them all. .Because Hurd was only nine years old.Later, he was admitted to the military academy and was sought after by girls, which made him have nothing to hide, so he had to drop out of school.It was only later that I found out that he was the one who got angry and chased the girl everywhere, which annoyed the girl's parents. They beat him up together and kicked him out of school. Fortunately, his father was good friends with the headmistress of the military academy, so he managed to get him to graduate.Unexpectedly, less than ten days after he got his graduation certificate, he was imprisoned by the local police station. He was charged with robbery of other people's property and assaulting a woman's buttocks on the street, a total of more than a dozen counts.His mother was furious when she heard the news, and his father also went crazy, threatening to kill him. At this time, it happened that the British government was recruiting a large number of soldiers, and it did not distinguish between good and bad, especially favoring people serving sentences in prisons, claiming that such people could only use their skills in other countries.Hurd immediately signed up and was appointed a lieutenant by the army before he was released from prison. It's just such a scum, who actually started to make a fortune after being released from prison, and his hair was smoking.Hurd was sent to Hong Kong in the fourth year of Xianfeng (AD 1854) to work in the British Commercial Supervision Office, and was transferred to the assistant to the British Vice Consul in Ningbo the following year. In the eighth year of Xianfeng (AD 1858), Hurd left Ningbo to go to Guangzhou to serve as an assistant to the British Consulate in Guangzhou, and served as the secretary of the "Foreigners Committee" occupied by the British and French allied forces in Guangzhou. family. Hurd has been in China for many years. For the convenience of diplomacy, he has chosen the name Lubin for himself, and practiced Chinese all the year round in order to gain greater benefits in China.