Chapter 69 Section 69 Emperor Tongzhi dies, Empress Dowager Cixi takes power

This debate lasted for half a year before the court gradually leaned towards Zuo Zongtang's conclusion: "The east is for coastal defense, and the west is fortress defense. Both are equally important." The imperial court issued an edict to Zuo Zongtang with a clear attitude: "Zuo Zongtang reported the real situation of coastal defense and fortress defense, and followed the decree to report all the fragments, and read the replays. He said that Urumqi should be restored first outside the customs, and the Baba in the south should be restored." The two cities of Kazakhstan and Kazakhstan, as well as the Tacheng city in the north, should be equipped with heavy troops to expand their horns. If it is planned to suspend troops at this time and save wages, it may not be beneficial to coastal defense, and it will greatly hinder frontier fortresses. What you see is very true. To the coastal defense It is said that there is no need to pay for the initial needs and the regular needs. In general, the defense of each province is at the beginning, and the need is huge. If only the expenses for buying and hiring ships are reserved, there will be a lot of shortages. This is I am anxious to think about it at night, but I am still waiting for those who have learned and painted with the ministers of the provinces and borders."

On the same day, the Military Aircraft Department sent another letter to Li Hongzhangting, asking him to plan to strengthen coastal defense together with Li Zongyi, Governor of Liangjiang, Minister of Nanyang Commerce, Ding Richang, Governor of Fujian, and Shen Baozhen, Minister of Fujian Shipping Administration. When Li Hongzhang received the court letter from the Military Aircraft Department, he did not say a word, and sighed for a long time: "The east is for coastal defense, and the west is fortress defense. Both are equally important. In this way, I am afraid that nothing can be done well, so I can only borrow heavily. Foreign debt!" When Li Hongzhang said this, the season was in November, the weather was getting colder day by day, and charcoal fires had been set up in the offices of the governor's office.

Borrowing foreign debts to pay heavy interest is the most troublesome thing since Li Hongzhang initiated Westernization.Although many princes and ministers were jealous of the benefits he gained in the process of borrowing foreign debts to establish Westernization, he still wanted to keep the amount of foreign debts to a minimum.His proposal to transfer the salaries of fortress defense to Haiphong is mainly for the purpose of saving salaries, and the others are secondary. Now, since the imperial court has set the policy of taking both defenses into consideration, he naturally has nothing to say. He can only hand over some local affairs in Zhili to Bu, the second division, and the patrolling roads, while he devotes himself wholeheartedly. When they arrived in Tianjin, together with Sheng Xuanhuai and others, they discussed loans with various countries. As for whether the imperial court would agree to the large amount of commercial loans, although Li Hongzhang had already asked for it, he was still not very sure, so he could only take one step at a time; Letter merchants purchase the Danish national iron-clad ship.

Regarding the iron-clad ship that Shen Baozhen mentioned that Denmark was about to sell, it was Riyige’s connection between Denmark and Shen Baozhen.The price that Riyige quoted to Shen Baozhen was 1.2 million taels of silver, and it would be impossible to make a deal without a penny. Shen Baozhen didn't dare to make a decision himself, so he wrote to Li Hongzhang and asked Li Hongzhang to make up his mind.Li Hongzhang sent a letter to tell Shen Baozhen that Riyige was not very reliable, so Shen Baozhen might as well delay it for a while. It just so happened that the Danish envoy Laslev was about to go to Yantai for business, and happened to pass by Tianjin. After Li Hongzhang got the news, he hurriedly brought Chen Qin and Sheng Xuanhuai to meet him.

During the chat, Li Hongzhang protruded from the mouth of the minister that the iron-clad ship that the country wanted to sell was a small ship, which was originally purchased from the United States and cost about 800,000 taels of Qing silver at that time.The ship has been in service for four years. After depreciation, it is worth about 500,000 taels to 600,000 taels of Qing silver. Laslev also said that France has the intention to purchase the ship and is entrusting Japan and Italy to negotiate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country.Li Hongzhang was shocked when he heard this.After bidding farewell to Laslev, he immediately sent someone to send an urgent letter to Shen Baozhen, resolutely stopping the matter, and told Shen Baozhen: "Japan and Italy are really unreliable. In the future, you can't entrust him with things like buying ships and shopping." manage."

Finally, Li Hongzhang secretly asked Shen Baozhen to find an opportunity to dismiss Riyige. Shen Baozhen is also a talent created by Zeng Guofan's shogunate.Shen Baozhen, courtesy name Youdan, was a native of Fujian Houguan and a Daoguang Jinshi.He was awarded editing and moved to the censor.In the fifth year of Xianfeng (AD 1855), he served as the magistrate of Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province, and followed Zeng Guofan to manage the business affairs. Later, Zeng Guofan recommended a tired official Guangrao Jiunan Road to be the governor of Jiangxi Province.Zuo Zongtang was transferred from the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang to the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu. He was afraid that the Fujian Shipping Bureau would be closed midway.According to the evasion system of the Qing Dynasty, officials were not allowed to hold posts in Jili Province, but considering Shen Baozhen's reputation and willingness to serve, the court made an exception and allowed it.

Shen Baozhen has a good official voice and is respected by others.This one is that he has striven for himself and is relatively honest as an official, and the other is that he has somewhat borrowed from his father-in-law Lin Zexu. On the second day after seeing Raslev, Li Hongzhang received another express letter from Yung Wing, the supervisor of studying in the United States. In the letter, Yung Wing first reported to Li Hongzhang about the enrollment and study of the students studying in the United States, and then informed Chen Lanbin, who was also going to the United States, to go to Peru as the plenipotentiary minister of the Qing Dynasty to negotiate the abuse of Chinese workers in Peru.

Yung Wing finally told Li Hongzhang about the situation of the American shipyard: "The shipyard built an unfinished large iron-clad ship, and the pre-sale price was about 1.7 million taels of Qing silver. When Rong Wing rushed to the shipyard However, the shipyard stated that if the Qing Dynasty wants to buy this ship, it needs to send another person to sign the contract with it or an ambassador to sign the contract, but the overseas study supervision officials cannot do this for them. " Li Hongzhang had read Rong Hong's letter, and he couldn't help expressing emotion to Chen Qin and Sheng Xuanhuai: "I have appealed to the imperial court twice, requesting to send a resident envoy to a country with which I am in business and peace, but the imperial court has never discussed this matter. Tongzhi Ten years ago, the island country Japan and I negotiated a treaty at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty. The old man and his mentor Zeng Jue jointly wrote a letter to the Prime Minister’s Office, saying that China should send personnel to Japan to control our merchants. , to eliminate future troubles.

"Now that I think about it, the prime minister's office attached great importance to this discussion and really set up a legation in the island country. If Japan invaded Taiwan with troops, our minister should be able to defend it in advance. Wouldn't it be better to have a court dispute with the relevant ministers than discuss it in my capital? Why would it cost half a million taels of silver!" Sheng Xuanhuai said at this time: "Master Guo has already served as the Minister of the Prime Minister's Office. If you ask for this matter again at this time, the Prime Minister's Office may approve it!"

Chen Qin interjected, "What Xingsun said is true. My lord might as well add another discount, and bring up the matter of buying a ship again." Li Hongzhang pondered and said: "Although the prime minister's yamen is the foreman of Prince Gong, the Empress Dowager Cixi actually trusts Li Hongzao. Li Hongzao is the leader of the Qing school. He does some things well, but he doesn't do some things well. As far as I know He was the first one who was unable to hold on to the matter of the emperor's personal administration to discuss the construction of the Old Summer Palace. Prince Gong talked to the old man about the papers he submitted, and there was such a sentence in it that was quite convincing: "You should not spend money in vain." , so there is no urgent matter.' Without his words, Empress Dowager Cixi's thoughts would not have changed so quickly. But Li Hongzao didn't know much about the situation outside. There are objections, and they think it is a waste of money and food. Li Hongzao has been an emperor's teacher and has a great reputation. The two palaces still listen to his words. Sometimes Prince Gong can't do anything about him. I want to accomplish something, say It’s easy, it’s easy, it’s hard.”

Speaking of this, Li Hongzhang sighed heavily, and then said: "No matter what, I will fight with him. I will start with the purchase of the ship. Xingsun, you will run for the old man tomorrow." Go to Shanghai to meet Hurd and find out his tone. First, look at the price of the ship in the UK. By the way, contact those foreign foreign firms and talk about the loan. How much Zuo Jigao wants to borrow? Don't worry about the foreign money, but the purchase of the ship can't be delayed any longer. Chen Dao, you are also starting to do these things in Tianjin tomorrow. The old man has to think about the discount in the next few days. Xue Yong Yu Dingyou has returned to his hometown, and Li Chunzhai also took a leave of absence to return to his hometown to recuperate. There are some manuscripts, and I have to write them myself." Sheng Xuanhuai said: "My lord, haven't there been three more copywriting documents in the yamen?" Li Hongzhang waved his hands and said: "They are novices, and they can't understand the old man's intention for a while. Employing people is the same as doing things. It is a treasure if you are familiar with it!" Li Hongzhang lived in Tianjin for more than a month, and he didn't return to Baoding until Sheng Xuanhuai rushed back from Shanghai.After a few days of recuperation in Baoding, he gave the Zongli Yamen an order to borrow foreign money to purchase military ships.On the day when the excerpts were sent out, an earth-shattering news spread from the capital to Baoding: Emperor Tongzhi had arrived in Bintian! Li Hongzhang held the Tingji in his hands, but his mind was blank. He couldn't tell whether he was worried or happy: this little emperor who was the most bastard since the founding of the Qing Dynasty passed away after less than a year in power. After him, he ascended the throne of the emperor Yes, what kind of person would it be?Little Tongzhi is young and has no descendants, who will Cixi push up from the royal family?Will the two palaces be rolling curtains or vertical curtains in the future?If the curtain is rolled up, can Prince Gong be regent?During the national mourning period, can this ship be bought or not? When Li Hongzhang thought of this, he wished he could kick himself on the ground a few times.Isn't he an asshole?Either hand in this brochure a few days earlier, or hand in this brochure a few days later, but it is not too early or too late to catch up with such a timely delivery of the brochure. At this time, when you hand over the paperwork, who do you ask to read it?National mourning is already a major event, and the emperor has no heirs, so he must find a way to find a new emperor for the Qing Dynasty.After the new emperor is settled, it is not finished yet, and next is the enthronement and the discussion of the reign name. After this set of procedures is completed, it will not be able to go through every three or five months. Li Hongzhang cheered up and ordered people to pass on the text, so that all the yamen would set up mourning sacrifices according to the regulations, while he went up for several days, calling for people to go to Beijing to pay homage to the Zigong (the emperor's coffin) according to the regulations. Li Hongzhang imagined in private that Emperor Tongzhi was the only son of Empress Dowager Cixi, and now he died young. As the mother, Empress Dowager Cixi, it is no wonder that she died in pain.Three major misfortunes for women: loss of husband in youth, loss of children in middle age, and loss of support in old age.The Empress Dowager Cixi is not very old, and she has already set up two.Li Hongzhang felt sorry for the Empress Dowager Cixi for a while, and worried for the Qing Dynasty for a while. For several days in a row, Li Hongzhang couldn't cheer up for his business and meals, and he was in a terrible mood. But the Empress Dowager Cixi was not as sad as Li Hongzhang imagined. When she heard the news of her son Bintian, although she cried so much, she quickly cheered up.On the one hand, she urgently told the princes in charge and officials above the third rank in Beijing to enter the palace to guard the emperor's spirit, but on the other hand, she asked someone to call Prince Chun Yizhen into her room to discuss about letting Zaiyan enter the palace. Yizhen's offspring are not very prosperous either. Zaiyun is the only son of him and Fujin, and the other sons are all from the concubine.Xiao Zaitian is only four years old and is the lifeblood of him and Fujin. After the Empress Dowager Cixi finished speaking quietly, Yizhen knelt down on the ground at that time, first kowtowed desperately for a while, and then burst out a sentence: "I thank the Empress Dowager for your kindness. The Empress Dowager told me that Zaiyun was only four years old. I don't know much about the rules in the palace. The servant is afraid that Zaitan will make the queen mother angry after entering the palace!" Yizhen burst into tears after speaking.With Yizhen's last sentence, he was clearly reluctant to part with his son. But the Empress Dowager Cixi did not give him a chance to think. She said with a cold face: "This matter, it is settled like this. The country cannot live without a king. After you go back, talk to Fujin and choose a day. Let him bring it in." Yi Zhen was so frightened that he didn't dare to say a word, and just nodded in agreement. Empress Dowager Cixi finally said: "You, you are a prince, not an ordinary minister. Don't cry like a tearful person as soon as you speak, as if you have suffered a lot of grievances, you have to be careful. Go." Crawled out from inside with tears on his face. The Empress Dowager Cixi then brought Prince Gong in, and first informed about Xia Tian's upcoming entry into the palace, and then ordered: "Let's follow the old rules. Let the Military Aircraft Department draw up an order and inform the governors of all places that no one is allowed to leave his post and enter Beijing. " Prince Gong asked in a low voice: "Queen Mother, during the national mourning period, are the booklets still delivered to the palace?" Empress Dowager Cixi said expressionlessly: "The emperor is dying, aren't we still alive and well? Let's go!" Prince Gong stepped back while cursing in his heart: "This bitch, she is so hard-hearted! Son! They are all dead, but she can still read the scriptures! The foundation created by the ancestors will be defeated by her sooner or later!" Emperor Tongzhi was buried in the mausoleum soon, and Xiao Zaitian was carried into the palace after him.The Empress Dowager Cixi first called the princes and ministers into the palace to hold an adoption ceremony, announcing that starting from this day, Xiao Zaitian would officially adopt Emperor Wen Xianfeng as his son, and then asked the Military Aircraft Department to draft an edict to issue an edict to the world, and the four-year-old Xiao Zaitian inherited the Datong, changed the name of the country to Guangxu, and set the next year as the first year of Guangxu. In fact, these were discussed by the princes and ministers long ago, and the officials of the Ministry of Rites just followed the scriptures.The four-year-old Zai Tian naturally doesn't know anything about state affairs, he can only read and write, and the queen mothers of the two palaces naturally follow the curtain.