Li Hongzhang said with infinite emotion: "This torpedo boat is a sharp weapon to break the enemy!" The sea is vast, if you want to protect the north and south corners, you have to use hundreds of squares, but now the funds are tight and you can't afford it! Please also ask the manager to say a few more kind words to the Queen Mother after going back. Pen Fun Pavilion www.biquge.info"

Yes, why don't I take this opportunity to tell him what my master meant? Thinking of this, Li Lianying glanced left and right a few times. Seeing this, Li Hongzhang knew that he had something to say, so he hurriedly retreated left and right, and asked, "Chief, I don't know what the Queen Mother has to do this time?" ”

"Actually, it's nothing." Li Lianying said lightly, "The emperor is also older now, and the master is ready to withdraw the curtain and return to the government, according to the rules of the ancestors, he should build a garden and serve the old Buddha." Nakado, do you say yes? ”

"Yes, it should be fixed." Li Hongzhang was full of suspicion.

"The master's meaning is that he wants to repair Qingyi Garden. It's just that now the lack of money makes ......"

Hearing this, Li Hongzhang suddenly became wary, could it be that he hit me again? So he hurriedly said: "This matter should be the responsibility of the household department." ”

"This matter is in charge of the household department," Li Lianying said with a smile: "It's just that the household department is also tight now, and the master means to see if you can squeeze some and make up for it after a while." ”

Give me such a little money a year, and you have to embezzle it! Is this navy still being built or not? When Li Hongzhang heard that he was going to ask for money from himself again, he couldn't help but be anxious:

"Sir, you must have heard of how much money I have allocated here every year, and how much it is. I'm really nervous, can you give a few nice words to the Queen Mother? ”

"Zhongtang is really the most important minister in the world, and I will definitely report the grand occasion of the sailor to the master truthfully."

Li Lianying said lukewarmly: "But I heard that the Beiyang Yamen still has a sum of money in HSBC Foreign Bank, Zhongtang, do you also tell the master about this matter?" ”

"This ......" Li Hongzhang didn't expect that this bit of detail also made Li Lianying touch, and he didn't know how to answer correctly for a while, "Boss, Beiyang Yamen does have a sum of money in HSBC." But it's going to be used to buy a boat, and the boat will arrive in three months, and if you can't get the money by then, then it's ......."

Before he finished speaking, Li Lianying had already spoken: "Zhongtang just rest assured."

Building the navy is the first priority at present, can the master not know? Now you can solve the problem first, and then the master will definitely give you another appropriation. ”

Li Hongzhang was afraid that Empress Dowager Cixi would borrow Jingzhou from Liu Bei - only borrowing and not repaying, thinking hard for a long time, and reluctantly found another reason: "To build Qingyi Garden for the Queen Mother, Hongzhang should work now, but what can I do if people say that they are terrible?" ”

"Zhongtang can rest assured." Li Lianying was relieved when she heard Li Hongzhang, and said confidently:

"Think about it, this Qingyi Garden is the place where Qianlong Ye practiced the water master, by the mountains and rivers, the terrain is majestic, we build a Beijing water drill school here, one to train the navy, and the other to honor the master.

Who can say 'no' to this logical thing? I'm afraid that by then, you will have to be added to the rank of knight. After speaking, Li Lian laughed with a smile.

Li Hongzhang knew that this move was a cramp in the skin, and it was not a plan to build an army, but this was the idea of the Empress Dowager Cixi, how dare he disobey? I had to push the boat down the river and acquiesced.

The next morning, the group boarded a huge cruiser, cut through the waves, and returned to Tianjin. After resting for a few days, he returned to Beijing.

Before returning, Li Hongzhang saw Li Lianying again with Prince Alcohol on his back, and entrusted the two compasses embedded in the crystal ball to the Empress Dowager Cixi to take back. He also gave 50,000 taels of silver to Li Lianying, begging him to speak more kind words in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi.

Doing both official and private affairs together, Li Lianying is naturally overjoyed, but how can she take it back to Beijing? At that time, he entrusted people to prepare bricks and tiles and timber in Tianjin, and transported them back to his hometown to build a manor.

Since Li Lianying left, the Empress Dowager Cixi is really eager to see through. On this day, Prince Wende and his entourage returned to Beijing and hurriedly summoned them.

"Lord Alcohol, is the Beiyang Navy as Li Hongzhang played?" Empress Dowager Cixi asked with a smile.

"Back to the Empress Dowager's words, what Li Zhongtang said is true, my Beiyang Navy has indeed begun to take shape, according to the minister's point of view, the combat effectiveness is not weak, the officers and soldiers of the army are brave and good at fighting, and they have changed the state of laziness and sluggishness in the past; The officers and men of the Navy Division have indeed done a good job, and the actual combat exercises have not missed any bullets.

However, ......" Speaking of this, Prince Alcohol hesitated, "The sea is vast, and the current ships are far from being able to cope with it, so it is the best policy to accelerate the purchase of new ships." ”

The Empress Dowager Cixi didn't care how many ships there were, and her face was full of money, so she listened to Prince Alcohol's words, so she asked: "According to the situation you went to see this time, you will have to spend a lot of silver in the future." How about fundraising, have you talked to Li Hongzhang? ”

"It's been discussed. There are several ways to do this, but it is not appropriate to make it clear for a while",

Prince Alcohol replied: "The deadline for the new donation in Haiphong is approaching, and the minister thinks that it should be extended for a few days." Now the donors of Zhili are very enthusiastic, and they have a lot to do with Beiyang's payment. ”

"Yes, you can just do it. In addition to the method of household planning, what other feasible ways do you think there is to make money? The Empress Dowager Cixi then asked.

"The safety of Beiyang is not only directly related to the safety of Beijing, but also has a great relationship with our Daqing Jiangshan Sheji. The navy is the navy of the country, so the navy should be raised by the main forces and used by the navy yamen. ”

"Well, when the army is officially established in the future, the provinces will be instructed to do so.

Does Beiyang Yamen still have money? ”

"I don't know." Prince Alcohol replied cautiously.

"Why is it that such important things are not clear?" The Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't see why, so she changed the subject, "How about Lianying going out with you this time?" Are there any unruly features? Thou shalt not deceive! ”

"The minister did not dare to deceive the Queen Mother. Lian Ying went out with the minister this time, and her behavior was really unexpected by the minister. ”

Without waiting for the Empress Dowager Cixi to ask, Prince Alcohol praised Li Lianying for how to keep herself safe and know how to be measured; Especially the refusal of outsiders, the bud is inaccessible, that kind of ethics is really reliable.

Therefore, the officials of the Yamen, big and small, not only admired him, but also respected him, saying that this was the queen mother's good knowledge and strict law, so the eunuchs sent out would be so law-abiding and courteous.

The Empress Dowager Cixi likes others to wear high hats for him, but what she cares about is whether Li Hongzhang can squeeze some silver for her, so after listening to Prince Alcohol's very energetic words, she only said indifferently:

"He can know the rules so well, even if it is his creation. Okay, you go down and rest. ”

As soon as Prince Deol withdrew, the Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't wait to ask Li Lianying:

"Little Lizi, say it quickly! How was it going this time? ”

"Master, what the prince said is true." Then, Li Lianying vividly described the situation of the exercise, he was already eloquent and good at telling stories, and after some oil and vinegar, he described the scene of the exercise vividly and vividly. (To be continued.) )