Chapter 69 Section sixty-ninth

Ronglu lived in Dongchang Hutong, not far from Dong'anmen, so the sound of the cannons was shocking, which was particularly shocking.He didn't expect Zhang Huaizhi to act so quickly, he was shocked by surprise, and even more impatient, he got up from the rattan couch in a hurry, shouting: "Hurry up and get the binoculars, hurry up and get the binoculars!" While speaking, he ran towards the back garden and climbed up the rockery out of breath.There are no buildings in Beijing Central University, so you have to go up the rockery to see far away. When you get the binoculars and look south, Fang Shi breathes a long sigh of relief.

"Master Chen, please come! See where the shells hit?" "Lord Chen" is Chen Kuilong, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture.Because Rong Lu wanted to ask where the shell landed, he had to check first, so it took a long time for him to arrive. "The shells landed on Caochang Shitiao." Chen Kuilong replied, "The Shanxi ticket office 'Baichuantong' is gone." "Did anyone get hurt?" "How can it not hurt people? There are probably a lot of injuries, and they are being investigated." "Poor!" Rong Lu shook his head, "For no reason to prevent disasters for foreigners!"

"Zhongtang!" Chen Kuilong was surprised: "Could it be...?" "Let's be honest, let's be honest! Zhang Huaizhi finally has brains, so we should recommend him if he has the chance." Then, Rong Lu briefly explained how Zhang Huaizhi came to ask for the handwriting. "Zhongtang is really 'smart in use, with one heart in mind'. But thanks to Zhang Tongda, he actually understood the deep meaning of Zhongtang. Although this cannon hurt the people, it saved the country." "That's right! Please give special compensation to the casualties. However, there is no need to tell the truth."

"Yes, yes! Kuilong can't even understand this. However, in front of the empress dowager, can this sound be avoided?" "Of course I have a solution." Rong Lu suddenly concentrated his thoughts, and after a while he said, "Everything is forewarned. Xiaoshi, there is something, you should go and prepare quietly. Prepare two hundred carts there." Hearing this sound, Chen Kuilong immediately took a deep breath.The family members of Beijing officials fled one after another, and the Gan army was rampant again, intercepting vehicles to load ordnance and "captured" supplies everywhere, and they could get 200 carts there.

"Xiao Shi," Rong Lu saw that he was troubled, and before he could speak, he said, "Half of your future is on this errand. Let me tell you again, nothing is as important as this." Chen Kuilong suddenly realized.Luckily for Cuihua, Ronglu is planning to escape for Empress Dowager Cixi. So he asked, "When should I use it?" "I hope not! Use it, but use it if you say so!" Chen Kuilong thought to himself that Tianjin is the gateway to the capital, and if the two palaces still avoided Jehol as they did in the past, and the expectation of starting the drive depended on the survival of Tianjin, and started looking for a car now, it would not be a major event, so he said with confidence: "I hope I don't need it, if I really want to use it, I will definitely have it."

The most important thing to do when resigning from Rongfu is of course to deal with the aftermath of the disaster-stricken areas.The people are very poor, but they are also very honest. In this kind of times, they just blame themselves for not being born at the right time. Now that he was hit by shells, Shuntian Mansion cares for the wounded and died, he has money, rice and a coffin, but he feels that he is very kind and grateful. However, there was one thing that made Chen Kuilong a little worried.It turns out that to the west of Chongwenmen Street, there was a river named Sanli River in the Yuan Dynasty. The riverside was originally a place for collecting reed grass, named Caochang.Sanlihe was destroyed and gradually turned into a market place. From the east to the west, there are ten alleys, which are called Caochang 1, Ertiao to Shitiao.This place is an area where tourists from all provinces gather, so there are many guild halls in one place and ticket numbers in two.The ticket numbers were all Shanxi gangs. Before foreigners came to China in large numbers, no matter whether it was north or south, when it came to "Western merchants", they all knew that they were powerful Shanxi merchants.Ever since Zhang Huaizhi got shot, Baichuantong had warded off the disaster for the British Legation, and a dozen or so nearby Shanxi bank offices discussed overnight and decided to relocate to the Li family in Guanshi.

Guanshi is a small town on Budang Road in the north of Beijing, but it has a poor location and outstanding people. When it comes to the Li family in Guanshi, there are quite a few people who are well-known.The Li family ran a bodyguard company with a good reputation, the master had a reputation of being chivalrous, and there were many "bossmen" and "travelers" who were proficient in boxing and kicking, so they were feared by the boxers, and they managed to maintain a small piece of paradise amidst the turmoil and dust.The Beijing Central Bank has always entrusted the transportation of cash to the Li family in the city. They know each other well, so they might as well help each other in emergencies.After the discussion, it was decided to move out immediately, and at noon the next day, all the ticket numbers of the grass factory posted a plum red note on the front door: "There is a happy event at home, and the business is closed."

Although the impact of the bank's bank on the market is not as immediate as that of the "Four Great Constants", when people are panicking, it is rumored that the bank's bank has closed down, which makes people feel that the capital is in jeopardy and disaster is imminent, and the order is even worse. Bad, it gave Chen Kuilong a headache. One more headache.Suddenly there was a message of counseling, saying that Cen Chunxuan, the chief of the Gansu feudal clan, led the army and King Qin, was going to the capital, and asked Shuntian Mansion to supply chariots and horsemen as soon as possible to help the military.After further inquiry, Cen Chunxuan himself has arrived in Beijing on Qingqi, and has been summoned by the two palaces, and has been praised by the empress dowager Cixi.From this point of view, it seems that he has to buy his account, but the two hundred carts used by Chengyu still don't know where they are?How can there be any extra horses and chariots to supply Cen Chunxuan.

Therefore, Chen Kuilong had to ask Rong Lu for instructions.Hearing what he came for, Rong Lu sneered and said, "Huh, this kid! You always know how he got mixed up, right?" "I have heard of it, but I don't know the details." "He's the best kid. He's..." He is the son of the late Governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, Cen Yuying.Leng Ya idles Cao, and he has a lot of money, so he only hangs out in Bada Hutong every day, and met a prostitute friend, a Shandong native named Zhang Mingqi, who is also a Juren.The two have the same smell and talk about everything.

At that time, just before the Reform Movement of 1898, since the edict "Ding Guoshi" was issued in late April, there were daily edicts to implement the new policy, and there were also daily memorials to the edict.As long as you are willing to use your brain, you can come up with tricks, get promoted and get rich, it's very easy.Cen Chunxuan is a very unwilling person, so he discussed with Zhang Mingqi privately, how can he find a good topic, write a good article on it, impress the sacred heart, and get to know the master? Zhang Mingqi thought for a while and said: "There is only one topic. If you have a good topic, you don't have to worry about not having a good article. It's just that there is a difficulty. Your Excellency has to throw away the hat first."

"If you lose your gauze hat, you lose your gauze hat! What's the big deal with a mere young man?" "I was just joking with you." Zhang Mingqi said with a smile, "If you can throw away that gauze hat, you won't have to worry about not having a jade belt. I'm afraid that if you still wear that old gauze hat, it must be a waste of effort." It turned out that Zhang Mingqi found a good topic, which was to abolish the gap between the nameless yamen and the parallel branches.It is suggested that six yamen be abolished in Beijing. The first one is Zhan Shifu. This is the so-called "Eastern Palace official" whose job is to tutor the prince.Since Kangxi abolished the crown prince twice in the Qing Dynasty, there was no establishment of a reserve. The second yamen is the general administration department.This yamen was the first-class center in the Ming Dynasty. The chief executive was the cashier, and Yan Songzhi was able to become a power traitor because his godson Zhao Wenhua was the chief envoy.But in the Qing Dynasty, there were military planes outside and internal affairs offices inside. The Secretary of General Administration was like the cabinet, with power left behind and his name in vain. The third Yamen is Guanglu Temple.The responsibility of this yamen is to manage sacrifices and the diet of the imperial palace. The power has long been seized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Therefore, "tea soup from Guanglu Temple", "swords and guns from the military library, and prescriptions from the Imperial Hospital" have become one of the important places in Beijing. laughing stock. The fourth yamen is the Honghe Temple where Cen Chunxuan is the hall official. His duties are praised, and his affairs are extremely simple. Apart from ceremonies and ceremonies, he has nothing to do.And it is a yamen that shouldn't exist at all, because Taichang Temple can also handle the duties of Honglu Temple. The fifth yamen is Taipu Temple, which is in charge of horse herding in Chahar and Zhangjiakou.I don't know much about the driving department in charge of the Ministry of War and the Shangsi Academy. The sixth yamen is Dali Temple.This is the most important yamen in the "Great Nine Qings", and it is called the "Three Legal Departments" together with the Ministry of Punishment and the Metropolitan Procuratorate.If the case is to be tried jointly by the three courts ordered by the imperial court, the death penalty cannot be imposed unless "the whole hall draws promises".The code of the note stipulates: "Whenever the record is reviewed, the Ministry of Punishment will determine the suspicion; the Metropolitan Procuratorate will correct it. If the prison is completed, it will be returned to the temple for a final decision. If there is no agreement, the two parties will discuss it, and the decision will be made." When there is a discrepancy in the opinions of the procuratorate, it will be judged by Dali Temple.However, the Ministry of Punishment is often the main body for litigation matters, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate is responsible for correcting impeachment, and the Ministry of Punishment often decides the trial and record.Disputes can't be afforded, and Dali Temple rarely plays a role. There are four vacancies for foreign officials that should be abolished.That is, Hubei, Guangdong, and Yunnan, where the governors are in the same city, govern only one province, and the governor and the governor rule in the same city. Either the west wind overwhelms the east wind, or the east wind overwhelms the west wind, which has been criticized for a long time.But I never dared to make a suggestion to abolish it, because no matter if you ax the governor or the governor, you will knock off three red caps at once, and no one dares to take such a big shame. Therefore, when Cen Chunxuan advocated the abolition of the governors of Hubei, Guangdong and Yunnan provinces, many people felt that they had won their hearts first, and the three governors of Hubei, Guangdong, and Yunnan were like removing a stumbling block, and they couldn't stop cheering. In addition, there is a river governor, which is also dispensable.In the Qing Dynasty, the river work was the most important, and two governors were set up to take charge of the work. The river south of Xuzhou was under the management of the Jiangnan River Governor, referred to as "South River".The rivers in Shandong and Henan are under the management of the Governor of the River East, referred to as "Donghe".During the Hongyang Rebellion, the southeast fell to barbarians, and the governor of Nanhe was dismissed, but he did not recover.The remaining governor of Donghe, because of his uniqueness, is referred to as "Hedu" for short. He was originally stationed in Jining, Shandong, but changed to Yanzhou. However, although the river governor is stationed in Shandong, the river engineering in Shandong has long been transferred to the governor's management. A majestic governor only manages a section of the Yellow River in Henan, and he still needs the cooperation of the local officials in Henan to get things done.Therefore, Cen Chunxuan thought that it could be omitted, and Henan Hegong would follow Shandong's example and be concurrently run by the governor. This memorial, talked with eloquence and without hesitation, first met the appetite of the aggressive emperor.And the most cheap thing among them is that Cen Chunxuan's own shortcomings, that is, being included in the list of judges, are more than enough to prove that what he said is dedicated to the country and selfless. On the thirteenth day of the seventh month, there was an edict on the 14th, as played by Cen Chunxuan, abolishing the cumbersomeness, cutting off the affairs of the various yamen, and merging them into the relevant yamen. The next day, Cen Chunxuan was summoned, and the order was given, and he was released in Guangdong the next day. vassal. This is what Zhang Mingqi said, "If you lose the gauze cap, you will have the jade belt".However, from the fifth-rank Jingtang, he became a second-rank supervisor in one fell swoop, and he was placed in the affluent province of Guangdong, which can not but be said to be unprecedented.Of course Cen Chunxuan is full of ambitions, but knocking out so many people's jobs at once will naturally become a source of grievances. Many people want to take a knife to fight him desperately, so scared that Cen Chunxuan dare not even live in the guild hall, so he got his diploma as soon as possible, and Haidao Transferred to Guangzhou via Shanghai to take over. Soon, the coup of 1898 broke out, and Cen Chunxuan finally got lucky. Although he was involved, it was not serious.However, the Guangdong Feudal Secretary could not be successful, so he was transferred to Gansu.When the war was declared this year, the provinces were ordered to train troops and raise salaries to help each other in difficult times. Cen Chunxuan thought it was another opportunity to become a master, so he volunteered to Tao Mo, Governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, willing to lead troops to serve the king. Tao Mo knew that he was impetuous and arrogant, and liked to be troublesome, but King Qin's hat was too big, so he had to be perfunctory, so he allocated three infantry battalions, each with more than 400 people, and three cavalry battalions, each with more than 200 people.In addition, he was given 50,000 taels of payment and sent him to the road. So Cen Chunxuan lightly rode Jian Cong, starting from Lanzhou first, crossing the so-called grassland of Yikezhao League, and entering the customs through Zhangjiakou. When he arrived in Beijing, he took a full body of travel and dust. This is the first soldier of the king Qin of each province.The Empress Dowager Cixi was greatly moved, and when she was summoned, she saw Cen Chunxuan's suit, neither gray nor yellow, and his face was mixed with dirt and sweat, as if he hadn't washed his face for ten days. Working so hard and being truly loyal, he couldn't help but put aside the disgust he once had for the New Deal. "How many soldiers did you bring?" "Four battalions and three banners, a total of 2,000 people." When she heard that there were only two thousand people, the Empress Dowager Cixi felt that it was almost child's play, and she was a little discouraged. "Where is the team stationed?" "The team is still on the way." Cen Chunxuan explained: "The minister received the news that the foreigners wanted to attack our capital unreasonably. I wished I could fly here with wings and travel day and night without taking off my clothes. The team was slow because the cavalry had to wait for the infantry and they had heavy luggage! " "Finally, you are commendable for your loyalty and bravery." Empress Dowager Cixi said, "You have worked hard too, go down and rest first!" When he came to pay his respects, Rong Lu didn't see him.Talking about it with Chen Kuilong at this moment, it is still a tone of contempt for him.Seeing this situation, Chen Kuilong also decided to ignore Cen Chunxuan and wait for his team to arrive. "How about the two hundred cars?" Rong Lu didn't talk about Cen Chunxuan any more, but only asked about his own concerns. "I've figured out a way, and I'm connecting." Chen Kuilong replied, "I want to find a flower farmer in Shiqicang." This reminded Ronglu, "Yes!" He said happily: "You want to get it! You must have a car to find the flower shop. If there is any trouble, I will find the warehouse assistant to talk to you." With this support, Chen Kuilong let it go.The capital and Tongzhou have a total of 17 large warehouses, which are dedicated to storing grain. In the warehouses, there are special servants who handle the formalities of grain delivery. Family is hereditary business.This generation is denounced as a "cang beetle" in the mouth of a gentleman, but all of them have a wealthy family and a luxurious life, which can be compared to the bannermen of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The grain stored in the Seventeen Warehouses in Jingtong is called "Tiangeng Zhenggong". In addition to being used in the palace, the Lumi for civil and military officials and the "Jiami" for the soldiers in the Beijing camp are also distributed by the Seventeen Warehouses. The "craftsman's rice" specially raised by the artisans of various ministries, and the "enmi" of the eight direct descendants of the "Iron Hat King" since entering the customs, etc., are all delivered by flower households.Therefore, every family has dozens or hundreds of carts, and the government expropriates them and pays the price of the carts. Tianfu Yamen is around. Chen Kuilong went back to his life proudly, and saw that Ronglu's face was bleak, his already yellow and thin face became more and more haggard, and he couldn't help but asked in surprise, "Zhongtang's complexion is very bad, where is it uncomfortable?" "Nie Gongting, alas!" Rong Lu answered irrelevantly: "Killed!" Chen Kuilong also felt his heart sink.In the overall situation, when it comes to defense with troops, only Nie Shicheng is more reliable. This way, Tianjin's defense seems even more uncertain. "It's not worth dying!" Rong Lu wept sadly, "It's too unfair to die!" "What's the matter?" Chen Kuilong half-asked, half-comfortingly: "Mr. Zhongtang will please take care of Luo for him?" "I'm afraid it won't work right now!" Rong Lu's voice was very weak: "The Boxers have a deep enmity with him. Everyone knows that he fought very well, but no one dared to repay him. If you don't forgive me from the court, but see you as being forced by boxers, I already have a heart that I don't want to live." Chen Kuilong sighed endlessly, but he was more concerned about the safety of Tianjin. "Zhongtang," he asked, "I wonder how long Tianjin can last?" "It's at stake." "So, just watch it fall?" Rong Lu didn't answer.Standing up and rubbing his hands, he circled around twice, then suddenly stopped and asked, "Look, is it better to change Yushoushan or not?" Chen Kuilong was at a loss as to what to answer.First of all, he had to understand, why did Rong Lu ask this question?So I asked a question: "So what if you change it? So what if you don't change it?" "If you don't change it, Tianjin will definitely not be able to keep it. If you change it, there will be advantages and disadvantages." Rong Lu said hesitantly, "I'm afraid Yushoushan can't find a way to get out of it. This change is exactly what he wants, and the more he can ignore it. Tianjin loses faster." "Of course we have to worry about this. However, in my opinion, that's not the point." Chen Kuilong replied: "The governor of Zhili, the Beiyang minister, the governor and leader, has a high position and power. Who would not want this lack? But at this time, I don't know that there is a Who is willing to take orders in danger?" "You needn't worry about that. There are people." "Which one?" Chen Kuilong asked. "Hefei." Rong Lu replied, "The imperial court has summoned Hefei three times, but they still can't make excuses. His group of people, like Sheng Xingsun, have already offered conditions. If Hefei doesn't return to Beiyang, it won't go north. Zhang Xiangtao, Liu Xianzhuang also repeatedly urged Hefei to go north. Since everyone expects it, I don't think the Empress Dowager thinks he is threatening." "Threat!" Chen Kuilong asked, "The Empress Dowager thinks that Li Zhongtang is only willing to go to Beijing if he has to return to Beiyang. Is it a threat?" "The empress dowager's words are even worse than this, saying that he is simply taking the opportunity to blackmail." "In my opinion," Chen Kuilong said, "that's just the thinking of Sheng Xingsun and his group, Li Zhongtang himself may not have such intentions." "Whether he has it or not, if he is transferred to the direct governor and Guangdong and Guangxi send people to take care of him, he will have to leave. Otherwise, won't it be occupying other people's shortcomings and blocking their future?" "This," Chen Kuilong said with a smile, "it's a good way to force Li Zhongtang to go to Beijing." He paused for a moment, then straightened his face and said, "Bring Li Zhongtang back, at least, it will have the effect of calming people's hearts. " "Ah, ah!" Rong Lu slapped his palm suddenly: "This is the way to go! I am determined. " Then shouted: "Take the car." "