Speaking of which, he comes to mind a great example:

In the first year of Tongzhi, the minister was sponsored by Zeng Guofan, and was awarded the governor of Jiangsu by the grace of the Empress Dowager. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 Info Chen remembers that he got off the ship from Anqing in early March and arrived in Shanghai on the fourth day.

If there is no steamer, I don't know if I will arrive that day? Another example is the war with foreign countries last year, Fujian, Yunnan, Guizhou and Beijing are thousands of miles apart, the military report is coming, and the generals of the border provinces can inherit the will and go to the opportunity quickly.

If there is no telegram and no news for a month, the minister really can't imagine what kind of situation it will be today. ”

The Empress Dowager Cixi was shocked and moved by these words, "Most of the Beijing officials don't understand foreign affairs. Railways are the best they can do! She gave a general instruction: "You have carefully discussed everything with Prince Alcohol, as long as it is beneficial to the country and harmless to the people, you must do it no matter what!" ”

That's the end of the day, and that's the end of the story. So Li Hongzhang knelt down and retreated.

Li Hongzhang no longer sat in the room. He also did not go to the military aircraft, and left the palace in an autobiography. When he left the palace, he didn't go back to Xianliang Temple, and went to visit the guest first.

Greetings to Prince Gong. Li Hongzhang remembered the past in the sedan chair, and was full of emotion, feeling sorry for Prince Gong.

For more than a year, he has been rebellious, last year in order to follow the class to congratulate, hit such a big nail, has been embarrassed, this year there is the pain of losing a child, and the death of Zai Tang, there are many rumors, saying that he was born with bayberry sores, ulcerated all over the body, incorrigible.

It is also said that Prince Gong has abandoned this eldest son for a long time, and when Zai is critically ill, some people persuade Prince Gong to visit him once, with the affection of father and son.

Prince Gong listened to the persuasion and went, as soon as he entered the room, he saw the sickbed, and his eyes were a black silk robe embroidered with flowers, and he turned around and left, squeezing out two words from between his teeth: "Damn!" ”

He died in early June.

The Zongren Mansion was reported to the palace, and the Empress Dowager Cixi shed some tears, and among all her nephews, she loved Zai Cheng the most, not only because he was smart and handsome, but also because of Mu Zong.

Ten years have diluted the grief of her son's death, and she only remembers that twenty years ago, their "little brothers" were as loving as brothers born of one mother.

Because of this melancholy and flavorful memory, she faintly regarded Zai as her own, and decorated the final canon, which was extremely Youlong, adding the title of county king and "Guomin".

And because Prince Gong hated his eldest son and was afraid that he would be hasty behind him, he sent the Minister of the Interior to broker the funeral for Zai-seng, and treat the funeral according to the etiquette of the prince of the county, and all expenses were paid by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In Li Hongzhang's view, this is an intriguing thing, is it that the Empress Dowager Cixi apologizes to Prince Gong with guilt, so as to make amends? And did Prince Gong receive this "hospitality"? It's hard to say.

Li Hongzhang came here to get his support and build the railway!

Prince Gong said: "However, the construction of a two-hundred-mile-long railway along the North Canal will necessitate the demolition of many houses and the digging of many graves. At this level, if there is no proper way to deal with it, I am afraid that there will be obstruction everywhere and even provoke civil uprisings. ”

"That's right!" Li Hongzhang's smile retracted, "It's just that this layer is difficult to do." The section of the railway from Tangshan to Xugezhuang was only eighteen miles long, and it took a lot of effort at that time. ”

The railway mentioned by Li Hongzhang is the third in China.

The first one appeared in the fourth year of Tongzhi, a British businessman in order to do business, specially built a small railway more than a mile long outside the Yinwu Gate, and tried the train, "woo tuo, boom", breathing fire.

Under the hub, out of this monster, the crowd was shocked, and the road would be severely impeached, and the infantry army commanded the yamen, and quickly ordered it to be demolished.

The second was launched by the British businessman Jardine Matheson, which created a Songhu railway from Wusongkou to Shanghai in the second year of Guangxu, carrying passengers and goods, and the business was quite good, but some people still think that it is a "demon".

Soon after, a tragic incident occurred in which a train hit and killed a pedestrian, and public opinion was in an uproar. Premier Yamen had no choice but to negotiate with the British businessmen to buy back the railway for 285,000 silver, dismantle all the railroad trains, transport them by steamship to the outside of Kaohsiung Port, and sink them into the ocean.

The third is this Tangxu railway, Guangxu three years by the Kaiping Mining Bureau petition to build, after several twists and turns, until Guangxu six years, Fang Zhun Xinggong, from Tangshan coal well to Xu Gezhuang, the total length of eighteen miles.

However, this railway is not allowed to use locomotives, only allowed to be pulled by donkeys and horses, so foreigners call it "horse-drawn carriage railway", which is regarded as a world traffic wonder and a big joke in China.

Li Hongzhang said: "I have been scolded a lot in the past few years, but no one has scolded me for being a coward. If you know that it is a trap of a hanged ghost, stretching your neck to drill into it, isn't it too bad? ”

"Yes! If Zhongtang is scolded by others, isn't it a lifetime of fame and water? ”

"Then the plan will be settled?"

Prince Gong nodded, closed his lips and thought for a while, and Fang Shi replied: "Borrow other people's chickens and hatch your own eggs." ”

Li Hongzhang's eyes widened, his eyes stared motionlessly, and he figured it out in an instant.

At the instigation of Li Lianying and others, the Empress Dowager Cixi instructed Prince Alcohol to come forward and wanted to use the name of running a navy to accumulate huge sums of money for other purposes.

The Minister of Beiyang will do his best to reimburse others in the future, and this black pot seems to be too cowardly. But according to Prince Gong's method, it is better to plan and expand his own power, and if the Empress Dowager Cixi has other plans, she will not be wronged.

"Listening to your words is better than reading a book for ten years. I know how I can handle myself! "This one is too high!

It was three o'clock in the afternoon to get to the palace of the alcohol. Although the twilight autumn days are short, and there are still two hours before dark, Prince Alcohol personally led the way.

The alcohol king set up a banquet in his study "Tao Lu". The study is set up to sit down, just for convenience. There is only one accompanying guest, who is the youngest son of Prince Hui Yimian, Bei Ziyimo.

Most of the plaques in the garden are from his handwriting, he is one of the closest cousins of King Alcohol, and specially invited him to accompany him, so he does not take Li Hongzhang as an outsider.

"To come and go, to fight for money!" Yimo, who drank a lot of wine, Tao Ran drew a cup, "It's better to ask for life from this." ”

"What do you mean by that?

"It's not for pay! This can't be concealed from the prince, in the first year of Guangxu, the household department decided that the coastal defense funds in the north and south oceans were two million each year. In fact, it receives less than 400,000 yuan a year. The tariffs and cents that were clearly assigned by order were to be withheld by the provinces. Cough! Li Hongzhang shook his head and didn't want to say any more.

When it comes to this layer, Prince Alcohol has infinite concerns, such as running a navy, raising flags, paying off foreign debts, and building a royal garden for the queen mother, and spending a lot of money everywhere.

In two years' time, the emperor will get married, and he will have to raise millions of silver for a happy event, where will he come? (To be continued.) )