Chapter 69 People who always sing against Li Hongzhang

When Yuan Shikai was extremely busy, Emperor Guangxu was not idle. In 1875, 4-year-old Guangxu succeeded to the throne.Fourteen years later, in 1889, the 18-year-old Guangxu finally got married. At that age, it was an absolute late marriage. You must know that most emperors in the Qing Dynasty got married at the age of 14. The reason for Guangxu's late marriage is very simple.There is a rule in the Qing Dynasty: after the emperor gets married, the person who trains the government (such as listening to the government behind a curtain) must return the power to the emperor.But Cixi was unwilling to retreat to the second line so early, so she dragged it until Guangxu was 18 years old.

It wasn't until the year of the wedding that Cixi, who had nothing to delay, finally agreed to return the power to Guangxu (return to politics).But in fact, after Cixi returned to power, she did not fully surrender power.According to the rules, Cixi could not meet the ministers anytime and anywhere as before, and accept the ministers' direct presentations, but she opened two back doors for herself. One is that Prince Li Shiduo, the leader of the Military Aircraft Department, and Prince Qing Yikuang, the Prime Minister of the Prime Minister's Office, who she single-handedly selected, can have an audience at any time. These two people can also lead ordinary ministers to have an audience, and they can also pass on the memorials of ordinary ministers.

The second is that Guangxu must ask her for instructions when dealing with military affairs, and she can only implement them after she agrees. In short, Cixi is still not far from the supreme power of the empire. Guangxu is different from Tongzhi. He doesn't like rich clothes and good food, and spends his whole life doing nothing. He is a motivated young man with blood, ideals and aspirations. He is eager to make something of himself, and he is eager to get rid of manipulation.Therefore, he showed his favor to Cixi and became a minister to Cixi, so that one day he could get rid of the control of his "pro-father" (Cixi) and become an emperor who kept his word.

Of course, Guangxu is not fighting alone.There is a person who has been by his side to advise him, teach him to show kindness and patience, and is his absolute backbone.His name is Weng Tonghe. Weng Tonghe, from Changshu, Jiangsu, is an Everest-level examination expert!Today, he is a "student master". If you don't believe me, please take a look: at the age of 15, he was a scholar. Weng Tonghe was a teacher of Tongzhi at the age of 35, and taught Guangxu at the age of 45.The emperor of the two dynasties, the first person in the Qing Dynasty, is really amazing! Of course, besides being a teacher, Weng Tonghe also has a serious official position.He served as Minister of Criminal Affairs (Deputy Minister of Justice), Minister of Household Affairs (Minister of Finance), and Minister of Military Affairs.In his political career, there are two things that are famous, one is to participate in the redress of "Yang Naiwu and Xiaobaicai" unjust, false and wrong case; the other is the kindness and resentment with Li Hongzhang.

Here we focus on the second thing. Weng Tonghe had an elder brother named Weng Tongshu. This brother not only abandoned the city and fled during the war against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, but also shielded Miao Peilin, who had never been firm in his stance. As a result, he was sued by Li Hongzhang to the emperor (Li Hongzhang's "Shan Weng Tongshu Pieces") .As a result, I was exiled to Xinjiang, not to mention, and my father was angry to death. Weng Tonghe and Li Hongzhang formed a relationship because of this. From then on, he opposed what Li Hongzhang supported, and supported what Li Hongzhang opposed.In the years when he sang against Li Hongzhang, two things were most famous.

First, during his years as Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, he withheld funds for the Beiyang Navy.He once said: In the past ten years, we have bought enough guns and warships, so we should temporarily stop appropriating funds and use the money to dredge the river.The original words are as follows: For more than ten years, the provinces have purchased a large amount of ordnance. Iron-clad fast boats and new-style forts have been built successively... All purchases of foreign guns and ships... Please stop temporarily, and handle it after the completion of the river fortification (Weng Tonghe's "Six Measures for the Funds Needed for the Preparation of River Work Relief").

Second, before the First Sino-Japanese War, Li Hongzhang said: Let’s build an anti-Japanese international united front and bring Russia in as foreign aid.Weng Tonghe replied in the name of the Minister of Military Aircraft: The Russians are unreliable, and they don’t need their help. It’s no problem to pick a big list!One sentence pushed Li Hongzhang back.After the battle was defeated, Weng Tonghe said again: This Li Hongzhang, who always engages in passive defense in wars, delays the opportunity to fight, is a typical rightist, and should be criticized! As a result, Li Hongzhang resigned from office and temporarily became a commoner.

Later, Weng Tonghe also felt ashamed of himself for abolishing the government in private in the face of national justice. He wrote in his diary: "It is difficult to recover if the water is covered, and the iron is cast wrongly. The poor world is not filled with this hatred." It's just that this regret came too late.