Chapter 75 SECTION 75: Ominous Sense

On October 20th in the second year of Guangxu (AD 1876), two 26-ton warships ordered by Li Hongzhang from the United Kingdom slowly arrived in Tianjin, and the manager Hurd also arrived on the same boat.The entourage sent by Li Hongzhang, together with officials sent by the Zongli Yamen and two technicians sent by the Fujian Shipping Bureau, inspected the two ships one by one, and they all met the requirements of the order.Li Hongzhang named the two ships mighty names, one is Longxiang and the other is Huwei. On the same day, the Qing Legation in the United States was established, with Chen Lanbin as Minister and Rong Hong as Deputy.Later, Chen Lanbin was ordered to set up legations in Japan and Peru, and the post of minister was also assumed by Chen Lanbin.On the same day, the train-running case of the Songhu Railway also came into focus. After consultations between Wade and the Chancellor’s Office, the Qing Dynasty decided to invest 500,000 taels of silver to buy this section of the railway built in Britain together with the trains.After the agreement was reached, the railway was demolished and the train was sunk in the sea.

When the news reached Tianjin, Li Hongzhang was so angry that he beat his chest and stamped his feet, but he didn't dare to say a word.The final result of the Songhu Railway case became the laughing stock of foreigners and the disgrace of the Chinese people, and was left behind in that era. At the end of the year, Li Hongzhang and Ding Richang jointly requested that "please send Fujian factory students to study" was approved.Soon, dozens of outstanding students selected from the Fuzhou Shipbuilding School, led by Daoist Li Fengbao, boarded the ship and went to Britain, France and other countries to learn how to build and drive Western warships.This is the first batch of overseas students sent out since the founding of the Qing Dynasty to study modern naval warfare.

This year, the Qing Dynasty's fortification and defense also achieved obvious results.This is mainly reflected in Zuo Zongtang's recovery of Xinjiang.In just a few months, Zuo Zongtang commanded the old Hunan Army commander Liu Jintang and other former enemy generals to defeat the Agubai invading army that occupied all of southern Xinjiang and most of northern Xinjiang.Agubo committed suicide, and his son Bakhouri led the remnants to retreat into Russia.All of southern Xinjiang was recovered, and only the nine cities of Ili remained in the hands of the Russians in northern Xinjiang.

The imperial court ordered Chonghou to go to St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia, to set up a legation in Russia in order to negotiate the matter. At the same time, he ordered Zhang Jing, Shao Youlian, the prime minister's yamen, to be the counselor of the legation to accompany him to Russia. This year, Liu Mingchuan, the general of the Huai Army who supervised Taiwan's defense, prepared to build the Keelung Coal Mine in Taiwan according to Li Hongzhang's intention. In July of the third year of Guangxu (AD 1877), Li Hongzhang asked to mine the Horqin lead mine. In the first month of the fifth year of Guangxu (1879 A.D.), the 56-year-old Li Hongzhang was awarded the title of Prince Taifu by the imperial court for his "outstanding achievements in supervising coastal defense, establishing foreign affairs, and handling diplomacy." Li Zhongtang", "Li Juexiang", "Li Xiangguo", rose to "Li Fuxiang".

At this time, Guo Songtao, the ministers stationed in Britain and France, who was far away in Paris, France, participated in the concert with the deputy minister Liu Xihong, which made the embassy unable to handle normal business.Although Liu Xihong was also recalled together, shortly after returning to the country, he was rewarded with the second rank Dingshi and awarded Guanglu Doctor, and became a Jingtang. On the same day, the imperial court ordered Zeng Jize, Shaoqing of Taichang Temple, to be the minister of Britain and France, and Chen Yuanji and Li Shuchang were respectively appointed as the counselors of the legations in Britain and France.Guo Songtao has been abroad for less than two years, but because the Deputy Minister was Liu Xihong instead of Xu Qian, Li Hongzhang unfortunately got what he said, and finally he was dismissed and ordered to return to his hometown!Fortunately, the successor was also a man of deep knowledge of Western learning, and Li Hongzhang felt a little comforted.

Who do you think Zeng Jize is? Zeng Jize, courtesy name Jiegang, was born in Xiangxiang, Hunan. He was the eldest son of the late Zeng Guofan, a university scholar.In the ninth year of Tongzhi (1870 A.D.), Wailang, a member of the household supplement department, was born by Erpin Yin.Zeng Jize first entered a private school, mainly studying traditional Chinese culture, and also studied poetry. Later, he submerged in Western studies, worshiped foreigners as teachers, and studied English. At the age of 25, he cooperated with British missionary Alexander William and Chinese mathematician Li Shanlan , translated Euclid's "Elements of Geometry" into Chinese, and became famous for a while.By reading the original works of western studies, he learned about the conditions of many western countries, and became the only son of an official who had a deep understanding of Europe at that time.He can directly communicate with foreigners in English, and he can also write in English, which was really rare in the late Qing Dynasty and can be called rare.

Before Zeng Guofan was alive, Li Hongzhang and Zeng Jize had been in a relationship alone; after Zeng Guofan's death, the relationship between the two became closer.Especially during the period of Zeng Jize and Dingyou, Li Hongzhang urgently wrote to ask for advice on almost every difficult matter in Westernization. Zeng Jize was able to take over as the minister in Britain and France, which was the result of Li Hongzhang's secret recommendation to the imperial court.He wanted to use Zeng Jize to somewhat reverse the passive situation of the Qing Dynasty in diplomacy. On August 1st of the sixth year of Guangxu (1880 AD), in the signing room of the Zhili governor's residence in Tianjin, Li Hongzhang, Sheng Xuanhuai, Xue Fucheng, and Xu Qianshen were sitting together, drinking tea and discussing a Big things.

Li Hongzhang stroked his beard with a dignified face, and said unhurriedly: "I have been thinking about the establishment of a telegraph office for several years. After the thirteenth year of Tongzhi, after the Japanese invaded Taiwan, the old man and Shen Youdan jointly played the invitation , but because of the strong opposition from the princes and ministers, and Xu Tong's remonstrance with death, the court had no choice but to call it quits. Nowadays, not only Western European countries transmit texts by telegram, but even Japan is following suit. Zeng Jiegang made it to the west and repeatedly stated The benefits and effects of telegrams can reach thousands of miles in a day, and Lu Bu's thousand-mile steed can't compare with it.

"Last year, I tried to set up a section of the route between Haikou Fort of Beitang in Dagu and Tianjin. I gave an order and arrived in no time. It was so fast. Right now, the ten warships ordered by our Beiyang Navy have been ordered by Germany, The Beiyang Fleet can be formed as soon as France sets sail. The old man thought that the matter of the telegraph bureau could not be delayed any longer. This matter, the old man is going to let the three of you split up, and Xingsun will take charge of the overall situation. First, we must talk to the British Dadong The telegraph company is negotiating with the Great Northern Telegraph Company. The method, I have already thought about it, and I still use the old method of the Steamship Merchants Bureau. All together. The three of you split up and discuss first. When you have an idea, the old man will ask for an order. The old man is sixty years old, and the official has achieved the best. It should be satisfied. The old man has made up his mind. When this matter is successful, the old man So I told my old age and returned to my hometown. The ancients said: 'When the water is full, it overflows, and when the moon is full, it loses'. In life, one should not be greedy."

Sheng Xuanhuai said with a smile: "Fu Xiangzhen can tell jokes. You are just like the red sun rising at this time. When the court needs you to do something, you always want to be quiet, and the court can't agree to it!" Li Hongzhang said with a wry smile: "I have done enough things for the Qing Dynasty. It's time to take a break." Yinhou, a letter to the old man. There are some things about my Qing Dynasty, and it is chilling to think about. You may not know that when Guo Yunxian arrived in Changsha, the pier was deserted. Let alone the governor, Lianshou County He refused to come out to meet him. He said that he gave Hunan all the shame, and that he read the sage's book and went to collude with foreigners! May I ask, what did Guo Yunxian do that was not for the good of my Qing Dynasty? After Yunxian's envoy's diary was published by the Prime Minister's Office, Xu Tong bought the book and burned it, and that bastard editor He Jintao went so far as to report to the imperial court against his conscience, saying that Yunxian had two hearts in China and wanted to As for the British ministers, Li Hongzao followed suit, slandering Yunxian whenever he met, repeatedly pleading with his superiors to remove Yunxian and punish him. Otherwise, can Yunxian's diary be banned?"

Xue Fucheng said at this time: "Emissary Guo Xing was dismissed and was not called into the capital to question his crimes. This finally preserved his old dignity." Li Hongzhang caressed his beard and said: "If you want to question Yunxian, you must first ask the old man. Yunxian just talked about the things in the West, and did nothing, but the old man has been doing what the West has done. The crime is more important than the other. I don’t care what the old man has done, whether it will be infamous for thousands of years or become famous through the ages. If the Qing Dynasty did not have the old man, would it be able to have the current situation? The old man doesn’t believe it! I’m afraid the three of you won’t believe it either! What to do. Sometimes I just want to speak out what I’m holding back in my heart. If I don’t say it, I’m too flustered. When I say it, I can’t tell it to outsiders. I can't hold it anymore." After Sheng Xuanhuai and others went down, they went to Shanghai, Guangzhou and other places by boat that day to discuss the establishment of the Tianjin Telegraph Bureau.On the 12th of the same month, because of the purchase of horses by the Tingziying cavalry team of the Hunan Army, Li Hongzhang listed "Tingjun Please call the official horse" for a discount, and a piece of "Please Set up the Beiyang Telegram" was attached to the back of the discount. "Please Set up the Beiyang Telegraph" talked about three advantages of telegrams: 1. No matter how far apart the two places are, they can ask and answer each other in an instant; It can quickly dispatch troops and generals without delay; 4. Telegrams are cheaper than post stations. When the film was sent to the palace, it naturally aroused discussions among princes, ministers and officials in the capital, and the discussions remained undecided for a long time.Li Hongzhang couldn't wait for the order, so he had no choice but to go to Beijing by car to meet Prince Gong. At this time, Prince Gong had lost the demeanor he had in the past few years, he didn't dare to make decisions, and he didn't dare to speak out boldly when he saw the Empress Dowager Cixi, he almost did whatever the Empress Dowager Cixi said, and he didn't dare to go out of line at all.It's the same this time.As soon as Li Hongzhang arrived, he didn't say a word, took Li Hongzhang and went straight to the palace gate. Li Hongzhang knew in his heart that since Prince Gong was dismissed from the title of Prince of Discussion in the fourth year of Tongzhi, he has changed from a devil six to a fool six. All military and state affairs, he will only push things to the Empress Dowager Cixi, and never say more In a word. Li Hongzhang felt ominous in his heart, and an old saying from Anhui Province people flashed in his mind: "The rooster in the morning is not a good omen."After meeting the Empress Dowager Cixi, Li Hongzhang had no choice but to tell the various benefits of setting up the telegraph again. After hearing this, the Empress Dowager Cixi pondered for a long time, and suddenly asked about the purchase of ships from the West.Li Hongzhang had no choice but to answer them one by one, but he never got a single word of truth from the Empress Dowager Cixi. Li Hongzhang had no intention of living in Beijing, so he went out of the city overnight to Baoding.Sitting in the car, he only felt a chill hit him.He couldn't figure it out anyway, the imperial court was willing to pay 500,000 taels of silver to buy a section of railway and a locomotive made by Westerners, and then dismantle them and throw them into the river, but they refused to pay 180,000 taels of silver to set up a telegraph office!What made him even more puzzled was that although Prince Gong was not a political king, he was still the minister of military affairs and the head of the prime minister's office.Prince Gong, who has always dared to speak and act, has become like this!How about Bao Jun, Jing Lian, Wang Wenshao, and Li Hongzao, ministers of military aircraft?I'm afraid it's not much better. Li Hongzhang fell asleep in the car after thinking about it. He didn't open his eyes reluctantly until the car entered Baoding. At this time, his whole body was getting colder and worse, and his upper and lower teeth were chattering involuntarily.