Chapter 9 Section IX

Sheng Yu spoke eloquently, as if he had witnessed it, and after finishing the story, he asked, "Yufu, why did you suddenly ask about this story? There must be something to it!" "Naturally." Li Shan replied: "The project to repair the Three Seas has started. The Empress Dowager is in a good mood. She visits the Beitang twice in three days. Every time she sees the Beitang, she frowns. The Beitang is too high, overlooking the Forbidden Garden. Not very suitable. The queen mother wants to take Beitang down." "You have to be cautious!" Sheng Yu said solemnly, "The Sino-French negotiations have finally come to an end. It is too unprofitable for one wave to settle down and another wave to rise again!"

"Yes. Of course, you need to ask the officials of the General Administration to negotiate." Li Shan said with a frown, "The history of the Beitang is like this. If you refuse to dismantle it, there is really nothing you can do about it.” "Foreigners are not unreasonable." Wen Tingshi interjected, "If you are good at speaking and emotional intelligence, and find another suitable open space for them to demolish, it is reasonable to say that there is no reason not to insist on not demolishing it." "It's a good lesson!" Li Shan cupped his hands again and again, and said happily: "Today's trip is really worthwhile."

"Yufu!" Sheng Yu asked, "How much is Xiu Sanhai's salary?" This is where the question is about confidentiality, and it also touches on taboos. Li Shan thought for a while and replied: "The number has not yet been determined, and it depends on the money." Li Shan has always refused to say clearly the amount of the project cost for repairing Sanhai.Sheng Yu knew what was interesting, so he didn't ask further questions. Of course, it was more inconvenient for Wen Tingshi to intervene, so there was no result for this topic. In order to deal with Sheng Yu, even though Li Shan was a busy man, he took the time to chat with his master all the time.Sheng Yu was not in a good mood, so Li Shan talked about calligraphy, painting and antiques, which was exactly what he liked, and he talked very vigorously.Then the conversation suddenly changed, and he talked about the matter of building a navy that has recently attracted the attention of people who are worried about the times and the country.

"This big event," Li Shan said casually, "in my opinion, it's just because people make things happen." "Because people make things happen, these four words are very interesting." Sheng Yu looked at Wen Tingshi, "What do you think?" Wen Tingshi smiled and did not answer.He wanted to draw out Li Shan's words, and he refused to second them indiscriminately. If he agreed, everything would be kept silent, and there would be no good news to hear. "I heard that Zhang Zhijun is going to do it with great fanfare." Li Shan said, "I'm not familiar with Zhang Zhijun, so I don't dare to criticize blindly. I just think he is an enthusiastic person."

Zhang Zhijun was referring to Zhang Zhidong.Hearing that there was a reason in Li Shan's words, Sheng Yu immediately asked, "Are you saying that he is unrealistic, or is he talking on paper?" "I dare not say that..." "But it doesn't matter." "Then I'll just talk nonsense." Li Shan said slowly, "Not only is it impractical, but it's also just talking on paper. It's actually a combination of both." "When you say that people make things happen, you naturally mean that to run a large navy, you must rely on Prime Minister Li from the North Sea.

However, why can't Zhang Zhijun make a claim? " This seemed to defend Zhang Zhidong, and Li Shan smiled warily: "I was talking nonsense." Sheng Yu was quite regretful, his tone was aggressive, and Li Shan was so frightened that he didn't dare to say any more, so he slowed down his tone and explained: "Yufu, don't misunderstand that I am on Zhang Zhijun's side and intend to protect him , let’s talk about the matter as it stands. What you said just now must be based on evidence. What is the meaning above? You always know much better than us, try it together! "

"Yes!" Li Shan said in a calm and calm tone: "Let me ask first, Zhang Zhijun was ordered to 'widely raise strategies', what is his idea, does Uncle Xi know?" "It seems that he hasn't played again. I don't know." Sheng Yu said: "But as a person, as you said, of course he advocates 'do it with great fanfare'." "Yes. I heard that Zhang Zhijun has already received a letter. He thinks that China has a vast territory. If the navy does not do it, it will be fine. If it is established, it will have four branches: Beiyang, Nanyang, Fujian, and Yueyang. Each branch has a commander. One member, or admiral, is in charge of the four branches of the Prime Minister’s Office. Just at this level, Zhang Zhijun has not figured out how to do it. Even if these four navies are established, they cannot be under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister’s Office.”

"You mean to set up another yamen?" Li Shan smiled again, "I don't dare to make wild guesses." He said, "Again, in terms of expenses, an iron armored ship is two to three million silver. Uncle Xi, think about it, how much should the four navies cost?" It is an exaggeration to say that each iron-clad ship costs two to three million taels of silver. The two ships "Dingyuan" and "Zhenyuan" that were custom-made in Germany, which are about to sail to China, cost only 1.6 million taels of silver each.In addition, the third steel surface speedboat "Jiyuan" has a lower cost.But having said that, it takes tens of millions of dollars to raise this huge sum of money for the simultaneous development of the four oceans.

"But what is the meaning of the above?" Sheng Yu asked: "Since it is said to be a large-scale navy, it can't just deal with the existing situation!" "I also heard the news. I don't know if it's true or not. The meaning of the above is just a perfunctory situation." "In this case, why set up a special yamen?" Li Shan smiled and said, "Uncle Xi doesn't even understand this level? If there is no special yamen, how will Qi Ye do things?" "Ah!" Sheng Yu suddenly realized, "Besides the Military Aircraft and the General Administration, there is another powerful yamen." He frowned and said: "The General Administration used to deal with trade affairs, but later it became the power of foreign affairs and military aircraft. Daily cuts. Now set up another yamen to cut down the power of the military aircraft and the General Administration, so that there are many government departments, don't you want to make a mess?"

"Uncle Xi," Li Shan said in a low voice, "The newly established yamen will not only reduce the power of the military aircraft and the General Administration, but also the power of the Ministry of Internal Affairs." This remark sounds incomprehensible at first, but it is meaningful when you think about it carefully.The project of repairing Sanhai is now presided over by King Chun. With the establishment of a new yamen, this matter must be managed by the new yamen. Doesn't it deprive the power of the Ministry of Internal Affairs? The so-called large-scale establishment of the navy, so it turned out to be the case!Sheng Yu and Wen Tingshi looked at each other speechlessly.Looking at the faces of the two of them, Li Shan felt deeply disturbed, and told them with a very solemn expression: "I haven't said these words to others, so it's not enough for outsiders to understand!"

"Don't worry," Sheng Yu replied, "We will never disclose the source of the news." "Excuse me," Wen Tingshi continued to ask a very practical question: "When will these plans be finalized?" "It's coming soon! All the provinces' orders to discuss the navy have almost all been handed over. Just wait for His Majesty in Hefei to see it, and it will be a foregone conclusion."