Chapter 193 Yingtai Sunset (4-1)

Back at the Beiyang Office, there are already visitors from Yingmen.In the past, when Li Hongzhang was in charge of Zhizhi, every time he went to Beijing to live in Xianliang Temple, there was also such a grand occasion, the difference was the identity of the visitor.Since Li Hongzhang passed away in the thirteenth year of Tongzhi's Wenhua Palace, he took over his palace as the chief assistant of the cabinet. At this level, Yuan Shikai couldn't match it anyway.His visitors are not from the capital, but Taoist priests. The servants of the ministers are mostly seniors. When they hear that he is coming, at best, they send famous servants to greet him with famous assassins. There are only a few people in Hanyuan.Compared with Li Hongzhang back then, he is inferior in comparison, needless to say.However, this is also beneficial. Those visiting Beijing halls and Taoist priests are generally either looking for errands or asking for errands.

But there was one visitor who couldn't see him, and he couldn't finish talking about it when he saw him, and that was Na Tong, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Internal Affairs. "I heard that you will call out as soon as you arrive." Natong smiled and complimented: "Fourth Brother's curtain is really getting longer and longer." "Yes, yes! Qinxuan!" Yuan Shikai said with his Beijing accent aside, "Don't read me happy songs! It's not a good thing to call out as soon as you arrive." "What was the talk?" "Talk about a letter Zhang Jizhi wrote to me..."

After hearing a few words, the smile on Na Tong's face was completely suppressed. Yuan Shikai suspected that there was an article in it. Tell him what happened. "Qu Zijiu must have drugged you!" Natong said in a low voice, "Fourth brother, you have to pay attention, there are two things that are being discussed by many people." "These two?" "One piece of paper, one piece of martial arts! The piece of paper is that you and Zhang Xiangtao advocated the abolition of the imperial examination. Zhang Xiangtao has done enough, and others dare not do anything to him. You don't want to offend Wang Kui, Qu Zijiu and the others."

"It turns out that Qu Zijiu also advocated maintaining the imperial examination?" "Of course! Otherwise, where are there so many disciples and junior disciples?" "Ah, ah! That's how it is!" Yuan Shikai suddenly realized, and then asked: "What about Yiwu? You said I trained too much?" "That's right! You have to pay for military training. Naturally, some people are not happy about it. There is a terrible saying that the inside is more important than the outside, and the tail is too big to lose!" Yuan Shikai was surprised, "Is this what Qu Zijiu said?" he asked.

"You don't have to ask who said it! Anyway, the superiors can hear it." Natong said again: "Although Qu Zijiu hit a big nail last time, the curtain has not faded, so he has no timidity, and he is still very close to Cen San. There are letters exchanged almost every half a month." Yuan Shikai just nodded and said: "Qin Xuan, you know me. I am in Beiyang, and I have a heavy responsibility. Now I don't need to say anything else, just talk about the war between Japan and Russia!" Yuan Shikai paused for a moment, and continued: "The two gangs fought in a mess in other people's homes, and the master said 'strictly observe neutrality'. Isn't that a joke? I don't know how much it takes for the so-called 'maintaining neutrality'." So many things are done in the hope that Japan will win, and the three provinces in the Northeast will still have the hope of returning to their original owners. If Russia wins, we will retreat to Shanhaiguan, and we don’t know if we can hold it. At that time, there were more than one town for military training , Two towns!"

"I know your painstaking efforts, but others don't. You need to pay for training, fourth brother," Natong advised, "Don't ask for trouble too much." "Why am I willing to ask for trouble? Times are forcing me to do my best. I have to practice as a soldier." "What about the salary?" Natong said, "You are no better than Li Wenzhong at that time." "There is a reason why there is money in Tusi." Yuan Shikai said: "If Liangjiang and Guangdong are in our own hands, what am I afraid of?" "Liangguang?" Na Tong stuck out his tongue, "Aren't you afraid that Cen San will fight you hard?"

"Others are afraid of Cen San, but I am not afraid of him." "Ah!" Natong said suddenly: "I remembered, how about I be a matchmaker for you?" "As a matchmaker for me?" Yuan Shikai was stunned. "Look at me," Na Tong laughed. "It's hard to talk. I will be a matchmaker for the family. One is a young gentleman who has taken a fancy to you, and the other is I heard people say that it seems that the door is right and the household is right!" "The two high schools?" "First of all, the one who likes Brother Fifth is not an outsider, but Tao Zhai." Na Tong asked:

"Did he not mention it to you?" "It turned out to be Tao Zhai." Yuan Shikai smiled triumphantly, "His eyesight is really not bad!" It turned out that Yuan Shikai had five wives and six sons at this time.The eldest son Keding, named Yuntai, was born to his wife Yu.The second son, Kewen, and the third son, Keliang, are of the same mother. They are the second Jin family among Yuan Shikai's three "Mrs. Koryo", and the third among the concubines.The other two "Mrs. Gaoli", one surnamed Bai, gave birth to a son to control power, ranked fifth; the other surnamed Li, gave birth to a son Kerui, ranking fourth.The eldest aunt, Shen, has no family, and the fifth aunt, Yang, has a son, Kehuan, who is sixth.

Among the six brothers ranked by "ke" in the Yuan family, the second brother Ke Wen and the fifth child Ke Quan are the most qualified.Ke Wenbao Cen, who is only fifteen years old this year, is extremely intelligent, but contrary to his elder brother, he does not like economics and practical studies, but pays attention to diction, gold and stone, and rhythm. Already quite a celebrity style. Kequan, with the word Gian, was only ten years old, and he was able to compose poetry.Reading is not only intelligent, but also well-regulated, which is quite beloved by Yuan Shikai.The guests of the Yuan family, those who have seen Kequan all praised him as the son of Kuazao, especially Duanfang, so it was no accident that Natong was asked to be a matchmaker.

"How about it?" Natong asked, "Can you reward me for being a matchmaker?" What can I say? I just don’t know if it’s the young lady from Tao Zhai?” "Of course it's the youngest one." Natong replied, "He's very handsome, and his tutor is also good." "That's nothing to say." Yuan Shikai asked again: "Is there another family?" "It's Zhang Anpu." Na Tong said: "Anpu has many sons, the youngest is twelve, and the one named Yuan Liang has a handsome head, and is about the same age as your eldest lady. What do you think?"

The Zhang Anpu mentioned by Natong is Zhang Renjun, the current governor of Guangdong.Zhang Renjun's uncle, Zhang Peilun, looked down on Yuan Shikai very much, but Zhang Renjun had a different relationship with him. When Yuan Shikai was governor of Shandong, Zhang Renjun was his vassal.He also met Zhang Yuanliang, but he was too young to remember it. "Qinxuan," Yuan Shikai felt that this marriage needed to be considered, so he made an excuse, "I can decide on my son's marriage, but marrying a daughter is different. Please let me discuss it with my wife and concubine!" "Of course, of course!" Natong nodded again and again, "I'll listen to the letter another day." Yuan's family members are all in Tianjin, and Na Tong always thought that Yuan Shikai would have to wait until he went back to discuss with Mrs. Yu and his eldest daughter Bozhen's biological mother, the second concubine, before he heard back.Who knows, there will be news the next day. It turned out that Yuan Shikai had thought about it thoroughly that night, and suddenly realized that the elders who came from the right way have the wings of college students and junior students. , not easy to break.In the past, Zuo Zongtang was no match for Li Hongzhang, and Li Hongzhang was no match for Weng Tonghe. This is the reason.Since the official career, the most important thing is the kindness of the teacher and the friendship of the same family. It is said that respecting the teacher is nothing more than the words of the disciples. In reality, it is nothing more than the sharing of wealth and honor. When it comes to this level of relationship, I must not be compared with Qu Hongji, but others have disciples, and I have children, and the intimacy of children and relatives is by no means inferior to that of teachers and students.He was thinking that the eldest son Keding was married to the daughter of Wu Dacheng; the second son Kewen was also engaged to the granddaughter of Liu Ruifen, the governor of Guangdong, who was originally from Guichi, Anhui, and was a minister to the UK.Both of these two families are high-ranking, but their in-laws and elders have all passed away, so there is nothing they can do to help them.Now he is married with Duanfang and Zhang Renjun, and they echo each other, and they can rely on each other's urgency.Especially when Zhang Renjun was in Guangdong, although he was not powerful enough to restrain Cen Chunxuan, he could at least make him a little bit more cautious. If there was a chance to overthrow Cen San and Zhang Renjun would be promoted to Governor-General, then Qu Hongji would not be able to insult his own power. Now that the decision has been made, there is no need to go through any further troubles. Yuan Shikai told Natong straightforwardly that he would marry the Zhang family with his eldest daughter.In order to take care of what he said, he added that he had already obtained the consent of Mrs. Yu and his second concubine by telegram. For Natong, who is a matchmaker, he is full of face, and of course he is also very happy. He arranged a special feast for Yuan Shikai, but the banquet was not held in his residence in Jinyu Hutong, which is quite beautiful, but in the flower hall of Prince Qing's mansion. Accommodate Yikuang, the special companion.Because according to regulations, princes and county kings do not go to the banquet at the minister's house. ※ ※ ※ After dinner and tea, it happened that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent an urgent telegram, saying that the Russian army guarding Lushun had finally surrendered.From the end of the Liaoyang War, Japan launched three general attacks on Lushun, all of which were futile. On October 20, it continued to deploy reinforcements and launched the fourth general attack. After nine days of bloody battles, 17,000 people They went on and on, dying or being injured. After all, they broke through the predicament and captured the Laohugou called "203 Highland" on the military map.After reorganization and deployment, the important places on the east and north sides of Lushun were gradually occupied, East Jiguan Mountain, Erlong Mountain, and Songshu Mountain. The Russian commander of Lushun, Stussel, knew that he could no longer defend, so he set up a white flag to surrender, and more than 870 generals , 23,500 soldiers, all became prisoners. The victory of the Japanese army was equivalent to Yuan Shikai's betting on a treasure. While rejoicing with each other, it happened to be a topic to talk about the future of the three eastern provinces.Yuan Shikai believed that the victory of the Japanese army was a foregone conclusion. Although Russia decided to use the ships in the Baltic Sea as the third fleet and join the war from the east, it was difficult to reverse the situation.The Russian alliance has had many twists and turns, and if Lushun is lost, Germany will inevitably take advantage of the opportunity, making it even more difficult to form an alliance.It seems that as long as there are major powers such as Britain and the United States to mediate, Japan and Russia will soon negotiate peace. "The Empress Dowager will be very happy to take back the three eastern provinces." Yikuang said excitedly, "Let us take care of the catastrophe caused by Li Shaoquan, which is very worthy of our ancestors. " "Yes!" Yuan Shikai said, "My lord is at the Japanese envoy's place, so I need to work harder." "Of course, of course!" Yi Kuang nodded again and again, "I won't relax." "As for the proposal of the province, it's better to plan it as soon as possible." Na Tong asked, "I wonder if the higher-ups have mentioned it to the prince?" "I mentioned it once." Yi Kuang said, "The superiors seem to have taken a fancy to Zhao Cishan." Na Tong and Yuan Shikai glanced at each other, but remained silent.Yuan Shikai had vaguely discussed with Natong that if the three eastern provinces set up provinces, with one governor and three governors, it would be best if they could all send their "own people" there.Now what Yikuang said, it seems that he can't be caught off guard for a while, so he has to look at the situation in the future to make sense. "It's still early, but there is something to do. The two of you may wish to counsel." After speaking, Yikuang took out a copy from the drawer and handed it to Yuan Shikai. This copy is a two-pass memorial.The first is to act on behalf of the governor of Liangjiang, Duan Fang, to compose Zhang Jian's statement and propose to set up a province in Xuzhou.The other was played by Zhou Shumo, the supervisory censor, who suggested abolishing the vacancy of the Governor of Water Transport. The Governor of Water Transport manages all the affairs of transporting grain from the Canal to the North.There is a gang of water boats, called "Cao Bang", which evolved from the "Guardian" in the Ming Dynasty.There are still guards along the canal in Zhili, Shandong, Jiangnan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Huguang. Under each guard, there are as many guards, how many guards, and how many gangs.The leader in charge is called "Palm Seal Guard" in the guard, and "Ling Yun Qian Zong" in the office and gang. The Weisuo in the Ming Dynasty was originally a system of combining soldiers and farmers. The dictation of fields was subordinate to the Weisuo, and they worked as farmers in normal times and served as soldiers when they needed something. They were called "tunhu".In the Qing Dynasty, the guards used the guards to transport grain, and the households only focused on building boats, not fighting wars. Since Hongyang, on the one hand, the canals were silted up and all the grains were blocked. On the other hand, sea transportation was booming, and the transfer was convenient. With the payment of silver, half of them went north by sea, and the grand occasion of the tank boats connecting thousands of miles on the canal was no longer visible.Therefore, the guards in all provinces were all abolished, and the village households were no different from ordinary people. As a result, the grain roads in various provinces have also been reduced successively. The governor of the water transport has no officials to govern and no ships to manage. It's just Zhou Shumo's various memorials. As for Zhang Jian's statement, the focus is not on the elimination of Caodu, but on the establishment of provinces.He wrote an article called "Xuzhou Yingjian Provincial Conference", thinking that when Liu Bang rose up and competed with Xiang Yu for the world, this vast and vast plain, on the one hand, "controlled the throat of the Huaihai Sea, and at the same time it was convenient to defend the battle." , the property of colonizing the original land, and the materials of Fuji horses", can form a situation of its own; Most of them are headed by Xu." It has long been a hidden danger for the imperial court, and "if you want to adapt to the current situation and change the place as the key point, it is better to build Xuzhou as a province." The jurisdiction of this "province" was clearly defined by Zhang Jian. Taking Xuzhou as the moon of stars, it extends to Haizhou in the east, Shangqiu in the west, Sizhou in the south, and Yishui in the north, including Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, and Henan. The forty-five states and counties in the area where the provinces meet.When this province was newly built, Zhang Jian thought that there were "two conveniences and four essentials".The so-called "two conveniences" are actually only one convenience, that is, the Caodu can be dismissed, and the "Governor of Xuzhou" will also handle the "unfinished matters" left after the dismissal of the Caodu. In addition, "one convenience" is easy to train troops.Because of the folk customs in this area, "simple and vigorous", according to Zhang Jian's estimation, recruit 10,000 people, train 6,000 foot teams, and 4,000 cavalry teams. defense force.This is impossible in Jiangnan, the land of fish and rice. The so-called "four essentials" are "training farmers, working diligently, and conducting business". When a place is prosperous, it is natural to waste all kinds of waste, but "farmers, businessmen, and soldiers all invest in learning", so "developing schools" is especially important. "This statement looks very moving, but it's a pity that it's not easy to do it on paper." Yuan Shikai handed the two copies to Na Tong, and said lightly: "I have been with Ji Zhi for a long time, and I know him very well. If he Entering the Nanpi Shogunate, the host and guest will definitely get along well." This is a faint ridicule of Zhang Jian's unavoidable scholar's opinion.Yikuang nodded and said, "I think so too. However, Zhang Jizhi lived in the village as the No. It is really difficult to use. The Military Aircraft Department transferred the original to the Government Affairs Department, so as to gather ideas for the benefit of others. Consolation, you are ordered to join the Government Affairs Department, so you might as well express an opinion honestly, so that I can discuss it with everyone.” Yuan Shikai was really not interested in Zhang Jian's statement, mainly because he felt that the establishment of a province in Xuzhou was simply empty talk.Don't talk about the difficulties of the "four essentials", but only talk about the demarcation of the jurisdiction, which involves the four provinces, and I don't know how many different opinions there are. However, the imperial court has great affairs, and every time he consults Beiyang, he has restored the status and power that Li Hongzhang had back then. On the other hand, it is also true that Jianghuai is vast, and Jiangning feudal officials cannot take care of it. I think it is advisable to consider a compromise between these two points, and wait until it is allowed. As for the division of four provinces and more than forty counties into one province, the change of the boundary is the most important. Disputes are prone to occur, and we should be cautious in peacetime, let alone in today's world." "Yes! It's better to be still than to move!" Yikuang said vigorously, "My goal is set." Yuan Shikai was quite pleased.But it wasn't his proposition that was realized, but Yikuang's only words were to listen.However, you have to be humble. "I also say what I think, and what I say may not be right." He said: "My lord, please listen to other people's opinions more." "You don't need to listen too much. If you listen too much, you won't be able to agree. Comforting the court," Yikuang suddenly changed the subject: "Let me discuss one more thing with you. The projects of Xiyuan and the Summer Palace are being added one after another, and there is never enough money. Can you please?" How many hundreds of thousands of silver were diverted from the Beiyang funds?" Yuan Shikai was not surprised by this request. He often thought that there might be demands in the palace, so he often paid attention to where there was surplus money that could be used. At this moment, I thought for a while and asked calmly, "How much will it cost?" "At least 300,000 silver is needed." "I'll dial half a million!" Yikuang was overjoyed, "Comfort," he asked, "Where did you dial from?" "The surplus of the railway." Yuan Shikai said: "The construction of the railway outside the customs and inside the customs was borrowed from the British..." This British loan was handled by Hu Yifen and HSBC Bank undertook it, totaling 3.3 million pounds.The contract stipulates that "all the industries in the customs, and all the funds received at the foot of the road, should be used as the guarantee of the loan first", "the funds collected from all channels should be deposited in Tianjin HSBC Bank. The bureaus will pay for the expenses. If there is any surplus, it will be used for repayment.” Therefore, any income of the Railway Bureau must be deposited in Wujin HSBC Bank without interest. More than 1.8 million taels of silver.Yuan Shikai sent people several times to negotiate for withdrawal, but HSBC refused to accommodate him on the pretext of contract restrictions. "Since you are not willing to accommodate and comfort the court, why do you say that you can raise half a million?" "If you want to find a way, you must let HSBC submit." Yuan Shikai said: "As long as I am allowed to mention it, I will definitely be able to mention it." "Is there any reason why the edict should not be allowed?" Yikuang felt annoyed when he mentioned HSBC, and said fiercely, "It should be all mentioned!" "That's something that can't be done." Na Tong said with a smile, "HSBC is unreasonable, and it's not like the prince doesn't know." Pili Yangqiu, there is something beyond the words, just because the relationship between them is too deep, so Yikuang naturally doesn't care about Tong's almost joking words, and just smiles wryly. "My lord," Yuan Shikai asked, "do you have any orders?" "I can't remember it at the moment, let's talk about it tomorrow or the day after tomorrow!" "I wanted to stay for a few more days," Yuan Shikai said. "The Japanese captured Lushun. I'm afraid the situation in the three eastern provinces will take a turn for the worse. I want to hand over the sign tomorrow morning, invite training, and rush back to Tianjin immediately." "Ah!" Yikuang was reminded, "It's not important. You can go back tomorrow! That sum of money, please do it immediately. " "Yes! The Shangyu also asks the prince to send it quickly." ※ ※ ※ In a blink of an eye, it's the next year.Xuzhou’s establishment of a province must be completed within the year, because dividing the territory and changing the organizational system, just at the beginning of the new year, the old ones will be removed, the new ones will be established, and all procedures for the transfer of subordinates will be handled. Standard, clear boundaries, can save a lot of trouble. Just to save trouble, not only Wang Wenshao, Lu Chuanlin and the newly appointed Minister of Military Aircraft, Rong Qing, listened to Yikuang's opinion, but Qu Hongji also felt that changing Caodu to governor was a logical and logical thing to do.So citing historical facts, he personally drew up a play to refute Zhang Jian's argument. Zhang Jian attaches great importance to Xuzhou, so if you want to refute him, you have to tell the truth that Xuzhou is not important. "Xuzhou is located in the northernmost part of Jiangsu. If you build a military mansion on flat land, it will be expensive and expensive. The division of more than 40 counties in Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, and Henan will also involve changes. The situation in the past and present is changing. From the end of the Tang Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, Huaixu was an important town; during the Song Dynasty and the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, Xu had been reduced to Sanzhou. Since the Ming Dynasty, it has focused on Huai'an. As well as the abolition of the governor of the Jiangnan River, the relocation of the Caodu to Qinghe County to the west of Huaicheng, it is actually a rush of water and land, connecting Xuhai to the north and controlling Huaiyang to the south. The land is moderate and the situation is particularly concise." Next is the discussion of the original responsibility of the governor of the water transport: "Before the investigation, the governor of the water transport was set up in the early Ming Dynasty, that is, the governor of the local area. As a governor, it was originally for proper control, but now that the water affairs have been changed, the local affairs are really important, so it is better to set up a governor, which is beneficial and practical, rather than retaining the governor of the water and spreading the name. The reason is explained, and the Chen method: "The ministers and others jointly discussed and planned to abolish the governor of the water transportation once there is no vacancy, and change it to a governor. He will still be stationed in Qingjiang. According to the example of the governor of Jianghuai, he will be called the governor of Jianghuai, and he will be separated from the governor of Jiangsu. It is under the jurisdiction of the governor of Liangjiang. All the low salaries and salaries, the standard of the government office, are still the same, but the deputy of Caobiao will be the deputy of Fubiao, so as to meet the regulations." The official system under the Jianghuai governor was determined, and then the jurisdiction of the Jianghuai governor was determined.This is easier than the fixed-official system, just change hands as it is. Due to the convenience of the situation, Jiangsu's organizational system is different from other provinces.All other provinces have one province and one vassal, but Jiangsu has two, one Jiangsu vassal, who is stationed in Suzhou with the governor of Jiangsu, and one Jiangning vassal, who is stationed in Jiangning with the governor of Liangjiang.The Jiangsu Fansi was in charge of Suzhou, Songjiang, Changzhou, and Zhenjiang, as well as the Zhili Prefecture of Taicang and the Zhili Office of Haimen.The Jiangning Feudal Division also manages four prefectures, Jiangning, Huai'an, Xuzhou, and Yangzhou, and another two Zhili prefectures, Nantong and Haizhou.There is a clear distinction between Wei and Wei, and it has been governed for a long time like bordering.Now there is a governor in the north of the Yangtze River, which has a shallow relationship with Su Songchang Town and a deep relationship with Jianghuai Xuyang. Therefore, "Jiangning's envoy and the four prefectures and two prefectures under his jurisdiction should all be under the management. The governor is stationed, It is the provincial capital. The governor of Jiangning should remain in Jiangning with the governor. The governor is in Jiangnan and the governor is in Jiangbei. disturbance." Writing here, Qu Hongji felt that this change solved a thorny problem, and when he was proud, he wrote straight: "There is no need to add or remove an official, and raise a salary, but the province has been established, the position is updated, and the establishment is appropriate. , The name matches the truth." He boasted like this, and his colleagues also expressed their approval, so on December 22, after the seal was sealed, he issued a decree, which was implemented as a memorial, and stipulated that the new province should be under the jurisdiction of the governor of Liangjiang. As soon as the news spread, the capital officials in Jiangsu rushed to tell each other, and there was an uproar. They all made it a topic of New Year's group worship, and they were generally indignant, and decided to go to Shushu to fight.At that time, there were two champions with the highest titles in the capital of Jiangsu Province. One was the champion in the first year of Tongzhi in Renxu, a scholar of the Ministry of Rites and co-organized the scholar Xu Wei, from Jiading; Lu Runxiang, who walks in the South Study Room, is from Suzhou.Xu Yun was getting old and didn't want to be troublesome, so Lu Runxiang led the performance. Jiangsu people, especially those in Jiangnan, are most dissatisfied with the unreasonable separation of Jiangsu into two provinces.For example, in a house with a hall in the front and a porch in the back, the middle door is suddenly closed by someone, and half of it is cut off.However, this level of reason is listed as "Three related persons".The first relationship is "Jianghuai and Jiangsu, if they are combined into one province, the name and reality will not match. In the past, there were those who controlled the two provinces as important towns, such as the case of Yuanyuan in the early days of the country. When it came to one province and two governors, there was nothing. .Now the original governors of Hubei and Yunnan have just been negotiated, and the Jiangnan province is suddenly filled with vacancies, which inevitably leads to differences in government orders." Secondly, "If Suhuai is divided into two provinces, the political head must be in the demarcation line. Since ancient times, the borders have been drawn, and the mountains and rivers have been blocked to control the country and protect the country with danger. When there is nothing to do, it goes back to Jiangsu and Anhui. The division of provinces is not the same as in the old days. However, when Jiangsu Province crosses the river, Xuhuai still has the strength to take advantage of the upper reaches. Now that the river is being ruled, only four prefectures and one prefecture remain in Jiangsu, and the terrain is completely lost. It is almost impossible to survive as a province , Compared with Jiangnan Road in Tang Dynasty, Tongzhou 42, Song Jiangnan Road, Tongzhou 14, there is a big difference." "However, in the Southern Song Dynasty, there were only three prefectures and four prefectures along the Zhejiang West Road. This is a peaceful plan, which is not an appropriate method for the prosperous dynasty. To the governor and feudal secretary, he is in charge of local affairs. For example, he is stationed in the provincial capital. Today, Qingjiang is set up in the province, and Linjiang is abandoned. A brief and famous city, even a small town by the riverside, seems to have not gained much power." The next "Three Related Persons" is actually the most relevant reason, that is, the size of the province. The size of the province is not in the size, but in the household registration. The household registration is dense, the tax is strong, and the land is small. If the land is vast and the population sparse, what is the benefit of having a large territory?However, due to the dense number of household registrations, there must always be land to raise, which is too cramped to be used, and it cannot be a big province that can be viewed from all directions.Jiangsu is inappropriate and should not be divided. From this point of view, it is naturally plausible. This article starts with regulations, and discusses the size of provinces: "The economic system of the country is divided into three provinces. Because of the number of household registrations, it also depends on the size of the territory. Among the provinces, only Shanxi and Guizhou are small. The province is the narrowest in terms of territory. Today’s Jiangsu and Huaihe provinces are subdivided into Jianghuai provinces, and the Jianghuai provinces are relatively wide, covering only the central province. Jiangsu is less than 500 miles wide, and it is almost even smaller than Shanxi and Guizhou, so it cannot be called a large province.” If Jiangsu does not become a big province, what will be the consequences?To put it simply and clearly: "If it is changed to a small province, all economic systems will need to be changed, and payment and assessment will be particularly difficult." Jiangsu can't accommodate so many people!And the most powerful thing is: "The raising of salaries and apportionments is especially suffocating", because if the imperial court collects money, whether it is for raising funds such as military training funds, or temporarily needs to raise funds, such as Empress Dowager Cixi Longevity, the celebration is held, and the provinces are obliged to pay the "assessment" according to the limit. Jiangsu always ranks first, that is, Jiangsu is a rich area and a large province.If Jiangsu is changed to a small province, as I said before, "the size of the territory depends on the number of household registrations." The "four related parties" are also very determined: "The water personnel appointed by the Governor of Water Transport are all local officials, and there are also military and local governments attached to each other. The regulations are also in charge of the governor's affairs, so it is important to Its power is not to be governed by officials at the beginning." This is an implicit refutation of the statement that the Governor of Water Transport also has the duties of a governor, and the following will directly talk about the Jiangning Feudal Commander, who is powerful enough to take care of Jiangbei. "Huaixuzhi went to Jiangning, the distance is only a few hundred miles, and it is not beyond the reach of the whip. In the land of three prefectures and two states, two special towns and one town have been set up, which have already controlled the key areas and are well-arranged. The Secretary inherits the governorship, and thinks that governance has been carried on for a long time, and there is no rumor of neglect. The current redesign seems to be out of nowhere." "Anonymous" is still second, the difficulty lies in the control of authority, and there are conflicts. "If Jiangning handles affairs and knows that they are still consistent, then the governor of the Jianghuai River and Huaihe River will leave him in vain, and he will use too many papers to transfer the trouble of reporting, which will not help the officials to govern the military and government." At this point in the text, the following conclusion is naturally resounding: "Jiangsu established a province across the river, and it has been custom-made for a long time. The border is safe and secure, and there are no officials. The imperial court has no intention of dividing provinces, and Jiang Du has no danger of abolishing things. Gu To cut the governor of Cao and add governors, and to set up governors to discuss adding provinces; the method is beyond inversion, and the rules must be accommodated." The following quotes Chen Tingjing, the censor of Tongzhi in the third year of Tongzhi, who stated that he "modified the borders." If you are a virtuous person, even though the river is divided, it will not help the abolition of military and official affairs." At that time, Jiangnan was initially established, and there were a lot of changes in all common policies. Generally, the local governors thought it was feasible, and they often put it into practice first, and then reported it to the court. However, Chen Tingjing's performance is one of the few major policies that are carefully handled, and he was ordered to hand over to Liangjiang Governor Zeng Guofan and others first, "considering the situation and making proper preparations for the performance." The replay of Zeng Guofan's main manuscript is also a very thoughtful work, citing ancient and modern times, and after careful consideration, he came to the conclusion that "such a big policy does not need to be lightly changed into a constitution." This excerpt led by Lu Runxiang specifically quotes this past event and compliments the monarchs and ministers at that time: "Looking up at the humility of the Langmiao Temple, the deep knowledge of the old ministers", he believes that the past is not far away, and it can be prepared for future reference. The conclusion is that reconsideration is required.There are seven rules for the meeting issued by the Government Affairs Office. The second article stipulates: "To investigate the relationship between internal affairs, such as official sanctions and reforms, new provinces, etc., each government office shall request a meeting or a special decree to hold it." This is exactly the same, so the memorial said very euphemistically: "The legislative period must be implemented, and the system must be perfected. Can you refer to the new chapter? I respectfully ask for a meeting of court ministers, and order the governors along the river to discuss together and repeat it. Please follow the decree, so that you can see that the imperial court has the beauty of collecting words from others, and there is no doubt that it will be changed into a constitution. The ministers and others belong to the province, and I have a little knowledge of the situation, so I dare not say what I have seen. Terrified." As soon as the memorial is handed over, of course it will be handed over to the military plane.Although Yikuang had heard about it beforehand, he only thought that the Jiangsu capital officials were dissatisfied because they lost their territory for no reason, so he could use a big hat to suppress them. The rest of the ministers of military affairs, after reading this booklet, were all expressionless. Only Qu Hongji, who was inconvenient to pretend to be deaf and dumb, thought about it, and said loudly: "Jianghuai province was originally cut for the sake of Caodu, and the place is indispensable." The high officials presided over the matter, it was a last resort, and Jiangsu capital officials should understand the difficulties of the court. Now that the Ming Dynasty has been issued and the whole country knows it, not to mention that the Caodu has been changed to Huai Fu, can the court take back the order?" "We can only deal with it temporarily after suppressing it. However," Yikuang asked, "the higher-ups should have something to say when they ask." "When asked by the superiors, I have something to answer. As long as the Jiangsu capital officials don't make trouble, I can slowly find a way." "Zijiu," Yikuang asked, "Please tell me, what do you think about this method?" "It's nothing more than taking into account the prestige of the court, and slowly trying to remedy it." "Okay!" Yikuang thought of a way, "You and I will take care of the responsibility, the superior asked, please take charge, Jiangsu Jingguan, I will try to appease them, please stop making trouble." "Yes, I obey the prince's orders." So she brought Yuan Zhe to the meeting, and the first thing Empress Dowager Cixi did was to ask about the case. "Their words can't be said to be unreasonable." She said: "It was a little too hasty at the beginning." "Yes!" Yi Kuang looked back. "Of course, what Yuan Zhe said makes sense, but some things are avoided. The Jianghuai area is the hub of the north and the south, and the folk customs are strong. In the past, it was the place where the Nian Zi was born. The two pacesetters of Caodu and Hedu, plus the commander of Huaiyang Town The battalions may not be able to cope with it. Now that the governor of Cao has been sacked and the water mark has been removed, there will be a lot of aggression between the Jianghuai River and the Huaihe River. It will become a serious disaster, so we have to set up a governor to guard it. As for Jiangsu being divided into two provinces, the governor of the two rivers As far as the whole is concerned, all money and food collection should not be affected. The land is the same, and the people are still the same. If you use the size of the province as an excuse to deliberately evade the collection, your heart will not be questioned!" The Empress Dowager Cixi felt that these plausible words were very good, so she immediately asked: "Let's not say who is right and who is wrong, since Jiangsu Jingguan has such a memorial, it must be dealt with!" "Yes!" Qu Hongji replied: "The original fold is just to invite the meeting to discuss it, and to discuss it with the governors along the river. It was originally a long-term plan, and it can't be rushed!" "Okay, let's discuss it first." A big event, just let Qu Hongji put it off for the time being so lightly. Next, it was Yikuang who went to appease the Jiangsu Jingguan. He adopted the method of catching thieves and catching kings, sending a post to invite Lu Runxiang to dinner, without mentioning any serious business.After the meal, he looked at Yikuang's collection again. When it was time, Lu Runxiang got up to say goodbye, and Yikuang began to ask, "Feng Shi, I remembered something. What did you plan to do when you handed over the brochure?" "My lord has learned from you, this is a big matter, and I will always consider it for the best, and I have no regrets." "It's true, it's true! But, Feng Shi, I want to ask you, what should I do if you and I change places?" This question stopped Lu Runxiang, and after thinking about it, he replied: "It seems that we have to call a meeting." "What did the edict that convened the meeting say? Ask the emperor to admit his mistake and take it back?" This question is not difficult to answer! "Just call a meeting. You don't have to see the decree." "That's right! I would like to abide by the Taiwanese teaching." Yikuang cupped his hands and said, "Fengshi, let's make an agreement here. I will certainly call the meeting, but the imperial edict will not be issued!" "yes!" "I'm afraid there are people in your province who can't wait, and handed over the brochures to remind them, what can I do?" "My lord, please rest assured. My lord is willing to give me all of Jiangsu's territory. Everyone will naturally wait patiently. I will tell my fellow countrymen when I go back!" "Okay! Please be sure to inform everyone, especially those masters in your province. I really can't afford to offend them." Lu Runxiang laughed, and couldn't help but say: "My lord probably has suffered from Master Du!" "Don't talk, don't talk!" Say hello to each other, and bid farewell.