Oh my God, it's enough to repair Qingyi Garden, and you have to repair the "Three Seas", how can you have so much money! Isn't it the idea of fighting the Navy again? Li Hongzhang couldn't help but feel sad when he heard it. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

"Okay, Zhongtang, it's not too early, hurry up and see the master, save yourself and blame it."

As usual, the Empress Dowager Cixi had questions and answers about her itinerary, the abundance and arrears of crops, the hardships of the people's livelihood, and whether her life was comfortable, and then turned to the main topic.

"Hongzhang, what you asked you to do last time, why didn't you see the news for a long time, what's going on?"

Li Hongzhang couldn't help but break out a few drops of cold sweat on his forehead, and his voice trembled slightly: "The Queen Mother is angry, and the non-ministers don't do their best, but they ...... It's just that I bought a few ships, so I ......"

"How could it be so coincidental? As soon as the mourning family said to borrow money, you bought a boat, can't you slow down for a while? Empress Dowager Cixi said coldly.

"This ......", Li Hongzhang didn't know how to answer for a while, and hurriedly gave Li Lianying a look.

"Master, Li Zhongtang does have something unspeakable. The last time the slave went to Tianjin, he did have a pen. But...... At that time, they had already signed contracts with Britain and Germany to buy their ships, so how could they break the contract halfway? The minion was so excited that he forgot to return to Lafayette and ask Lafayette to punish him. ”

"If that's the case, then don't say it. Hongzhang, you have to hurry up on this! ”

Looking at Li Hongzhang, the Empress Dowager Cixi finally spit out what was in her heart:

"I summoned you from Tianjin this time because I want to do something with you. In the past, I had planned to repair the three seas, but for various reasons, it was delayed again and again. The mourning family wants to take this opportunity to repair the three seas as well.

It's just the Catholic church in Silkworm Pond Mouth, so high! The movements of the two palaces are in the eyes of foreigners, which is really inappropriate. This time, we have to let the foreigners move out anyway. ”

Wechen knew that the French should have moved a long time ago, and they should have chosen a new location. It's just that the matter of relocating the North Hall belongs to the Prime Minister's Yamen, and if the minister goes to do it, I'm afraid it's not very appropriate. Li Hongzhang was afraid that this cost would fall on the navy again, so he hurriedly found an excuse and wanted to push it off.

"You don't know about those people in the Prime Minister's Yamen, and they can't get along with foreigners. It's either a strong inward look, or a nest, and you have to be the one with the most talent for foreign affairs. ”

"Empress Dowager Xie loves her, but she is just a micro-minister......"

"Just what? Is it that there is no money to make it? Running a navy is a big deal, don't you know about it? Isn't it just borrowing for a while! The Empress Dowager Cixi saw through Li Hongzhang's mind at once.

Li Hongzhang said boldly again: "Queen Mother, non-ministers don't know what to do." Just to run a navy, just building a ship costs tens of millions of taels of silver; How much should be the food and salary for the construction of forts, the construction of guns, the establishment of schools, and the service of naval officers and men? The minister's hand is really tight. ”

"When China and France went to war, the provincial military supplies were reimbursed more than 30 million; He owes a lot of foreign debts and still has to repay the principal and interest. If you can't, what can you do? The Empress Dowager Cixi said displeased.

Knowing that there is no money, but still want to build a garden, isn't it ridiculous?

After listening to the words of the Empress Dowager Cixi, Li Hongzhang wanted to fight again, but he didn't know how to open his mouth for a while. At this moment, I heard Li Lianying say with a smile:

"Zhongtang, I heard that the navy's shell costs a few taels of silver, right?"

"Hmm...... That's right. ”

"In this way, a knock is a few taels, how much silver do you have to knock out that day? According to our family, Qianbeitang doesn't need much silver, don't you put it hard every day, won't you save it? ”

"This ......", Li Hongzhang didn't think that he would come up with such a bad idea, and said for a long time: "Chief, gunpowder and artillery shells are expensive, but if we train and train troops, if we don't practice and fight, won't we be blind when we face the enemy?" ”

If it were someone else, the Empress Dowager Cixi would have been impatient for a long time, but Li Hongzhang was a meritorious minister of the Qing Dynasty and the first official of Xinjiang, so he had to say:

"Okay, Hongzhang, you have a problem, and the mourning family knows it. Mourning family look at it like this, you discuss it with the Prime Minister's Yamen. What do you say? ”

The Empress Dowager Cixi has given herself enough face, how can Li Hongzhang not know this? If you continue to fight, I am afraid that there will be no good fruit to eat.

At that moment, Li Hongzhang nodded and said: "The minister has thanked the queen mother, and the minister will do this matter wholeheartedly." ”

"Well, you're going to have to worry about that. A while ago, an Englishman made a note and said that there was a way for them to move out, and you could ask. By the way, it's not appropriate to publicize the matter of repairing the garden now, you know? ”

"The minister knows that the minister will definitely not show the slightest rumor."

Xianliang Temple is located in the Bingzhan Hutong outside Dong'an Gate, which was rebuilt from the Yixian Wang's Residence. The building is magnificent, the oil gallery is painted, the hook is intriguing, and the flying pavilion is flowing. In the spring, a hundred flowers are vibrant, and the green shade is turning, and the winding path is even quieter.

When Li Hongzhang returned to the Xianliang Temple, the Prime Minister Yamen had already sent the Chen. Shangjo Chen is an Englishman named John Guo, who was introduced by the British minister Wei Tuma decades ago and had a relationship with Li Hongzhang. At that moment, Li Hongzhang asked him to come.

"You are the one on the North Hall, I have already seen it, and today Ritter asked you for advice."

"Zhongtang is too polite, how can we talk about the word "ask for advice"? In my opinion, there is only one way or feasible way to do this, which is to find another suitable place in the capital, and build another church according to the original rules of the North Hall, in exchange. ”

Hearing such a method, Li Hongzhang couldn't help but worry: "We have mentioned this method before, but it has no effect!" ”

"It's up to who's going to negotiate."

"Is it okay to ask the French minister to come forward?"

"No, no!" John Guo shook his hand again and again: "If this is the case, France will definitely make an obstacle from it." The only way to succeed in this matter is to send someone to Paris and consult with the president of the church to which the North Church belongs, and if he agrees, it will be enough. ”

Who shall send a man? Li Hongzhang pondered for a long time and said, "If I invite you to go, I don't know if it's okay?" ”

"Although I am British, I believe in Catholicism, and as a member of the Catholic ranks, I will represent China in negotiations, so I don't think there will be much of a problem."

"Good, great! I'll leave you on a trip to this. Li Hongzhang suddenly thought of something again, and hurriedly said: "If the president can't make the decision and has to report this matter to the French government, won't it be troublesome?" ”

"Zhongtang can rest assured, if this is the case, it will be enough to ask De Xuanlin to come forward. I'll talk to him directly from Paris. John Guo is confident.

De Xuanlin is a Frenchman, and now holds the position of the Tianjin Customs and Excise Department, Li Hongzhang also has dealings with him, knowing that this person is extraordinary, and he is relieved at the moment. Then he solemnly admonished:

"I have entrusted you with this task, and you must always be careful and act with your camera, so as not to live up to your appointment. If it gets done, I'll be rewarded. (To be continued.) )