"Governor Zuo, I really want to retire with you." Director Li Hongzhang and Director Li finally got mixed into the central government, and he said to Zuo Zongtang with an unwilling expression a little exaggerated.

The two were the only two Manchu generals in the new government. If you talk about the personnel of the cultural and historical museum, many people who have worked in the Manchu Qing Dynasty have devoted themselves to it. Just like the director of the National University Library, Wei Ze's father-in-law Qi Yuchang has quite a lot of this kind of goods. These guys, as professionals, are hired according to the length of the letter of appointment, not according to age. The normal retirement age is 55 years old, and there are many old scholars in their 60s or even 70s who are employed by the National Library.

These people did not have the slightest influence on politics, and only Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang were in high positions on the Manchu side before they were civil servants in the Republic of China. According to the latest plan, the provincial and ministerial level retirement is 65 years old, the national level is seven up and eight down, 67 years old still have the opportunity to rise, 68 years old can only retire. The department level is 60, and the department level is also seven up and eight down, 57 can still be promoted, and 58 will say goodbye. At the department level, like ordinary workers, they must retire at the age of 55.

Director Li Hongzhang Li is 52 years old this year, and if he can't be promoted within five years, he will have to retire with honor. The unwillingness in Director Li's tone could not be concealed at all.

Zuo Zongtang personally doesn't like Li Hongzhang too much, he thinks that Li Hongzhang is too utilitarian, he is a talent who can do his best to achieve his goals, but he is not the kind of talent who will never compromise when he sees the right direction. And retirement is also a category that Zuo Zongtang doesn't want to talk about, so Zuo Zongtang took out a sentence that is often used in government meetings, "Talk about the point!" ”

"The point is that I was recently transferred to work in the complex local business of Goryeo. I'd love to move up two levels after I made the results. I came here this time to ask Brother Ji Gao to dial it. Director Li said the point fluently. The main hall is promoted by two levels, and the retirement of the deputy hall is in line with seven up and eight down, and if you go up, you can continue to do it for a term. The main hall can make a last effort to see if there is a chance to be promoted to the provincial and ministerial level.

Director Li is so addicted, if it was Zuo Zongtang in the past, he was afraid that he would immediately laugh at it. However, in recent days, Zuo Zongtang has also understood that he is not so easy to let go of power, he no longer laughed at Li Hongzhang, but asked: "You must have an idea, come and listen." ”

"Your Majesty told me that after all, I was born as an official eunuch, and I should know more about the feudal mentality of the Goryeo Kingdom." Li Hongzhang's tone was complicated when he said this, and he didn't know whether he was happy or unhappy.

In the Manchu Dynasty, there were only a handful of fathers and sons in the family. Li Hongzhang's teacher Zeng Guofan was a third-class "Tongjinshi", and Li Hongzhang's father Li Wen'an and Zeng Guofan were the third-class Tongjinshi in the same year. Li Hongzhangqing is better than the blue out of the blue, better than his father and teacher, and was admitted to the 13th place in the second class and became a genuine jinshi. In terms of origin, it is very unusual.

This background in the new government is not helpful at all, and it is even harmful. And Li Hongzhang was personally received by Wei Ze, and was also called "very familiar with the feudal system". Li Hongzhang couldn't help but come to Zuo Zongtang, a popular Wei Ze who had no friendship, to seek answers here.

"I see!" Zuo Zongtang suddenly realized. Wei Ze's straightforwardness is simply shocking, and Zuo Zongtang has to admire it. After thinking about it carefully, Zuo Zongtang was also relieved. The level of these people in the Guangfu Party who are traditional officials can be evaluated as "a mess", and this group of mud-legged people did not expect to be officials at all in the Manchu era, and after becoming officials, they would only be pitted to death and did not know how to die. They were much better than the Manchu officials in industry, and when they dealt with feudal monarchs, none of these people were qualified.

"Your Majesty will never let your comrades guess their minds, since he has seen you in person, he will definitely give you specific instructions." Zuo Zongtang replied.

"Your Majesty did give clear instructions. It's just that the work of these instructions will definitely not be completed in two or three years, and if I am given four or five years, I will do more than one Goryeo. But can I continue to do it after four or five years? I'm completely out of my mind right now. Li Hongzhang told the truth.

"If you want to be promoted, I can't teach you anything. If you wanted people to know your talents, Your Majesty would have taught you the way long ago. Zuo Zongtang replied.

"Oh?" Li Hongzhang replied in surprise.

Zuo Zongtang said with a straight face: "Your Majesty thinks that you are more good at dealing with feudal monarchs. You summarize these while working, as long as you can come up with a set of working methods for dealing with feudal monarchs, why not be recognized. ”

"It's good to know all these things, how can you talk about them in a grand way?" Li Hongzhang was frightened.

Zuo Zongtang's tone was a little mocking, "What can be done about these things, why can't you say it?" When we oppose feudalism, we always have to know what feudalism is, what kind of manifestations it has, and what kind of logic it has inside. If you can get your comrades to figure this out, it will definitely be a great achievement. Not to mention departmental and bureau-level cadres, provincial and ministerial-level cadres are afraid that they are also probing for things. ”

Li Hongzhang was silent, with his cleverness, of course he knew that Zuo Zongtang was not joking.

Zuo Zongtang continued: "You have to be quick about this matter, although those young comrades do not understand the concept of the feudal system, they know how to learn very well. Wait a few more years, and they will be able to come up with their ideas themselves. ”

After saying this, Zuo Zongtang sent off the guests. After Li Hongzhang left, Zuo Zongtang sighed slightly. He thought that the matter of retirement would cause an uproar, but he didn't expect it to pass so plainly. Many cadres not only do not feel that retirement is bad, but on the contrary, they have a lot of expectations for retirement. Now that the work of the government is becoming more and more heavy, these old heroes will have a pension for them once they retire. If you don't work, you can get money, which is a good thing to be free.

Zuo Zongtang is quite speechless for these unenterprising guys. It seems that Wei Ze's judgment is still correct, and the retirement system can indeed play a role in sweeping the sand. Of course, there are people like Li Hongzhang who hold on to their official positions and refuse to let go, and their way to deal with them is to work hard and make meritorious contributions. Those who don't want to put so much effort into their work might as well get what they want. It's the best of both worlds.

The majority of the comrades did not object to the retirement system, and the rather competent departments did not comment on it. For example, a group of young diplomats led by Li Xin of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not talk about this issue at all, but were just carrying out their work in full swing.

"The Republic of Ezo requests that China be reaffirmed on a series of previous agreements, including commercial investments, to repay the arrears owed to China in accordance with the contract for the breeding of military horses and the provision of supplies." As soon as the three sessions ended in January '76, this topic was put on the main point of discussion.

"I think they might as well just ask the Chinese troops to withdraw from Hokkaido." The head of the Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a rather dissatisfied tone. At present, there are only two types of countries left around China, the first category is the subject countries, and the second category is the great powers. The Asia Division has become quite busy, and after abandoning the tributary system, China is now resorting to mergers and military alliances.

Li Xin took a sip of water, "Japan is different, we don't think Japan is a subject country of China, and Japan doesn't think that it belongs to China. We can only take a diplomatic stance toward Japan. ”

In the past three months, the negotiations between Japan's Meiji government and the Ezo Republic have also yielded some results. The new civil society that emerged during the war embraced democracy, the only system that could guarantee that these lowly people would have a say in politics. The old upper echelons had tried hard to push for a plan to accept members of the Tokugawa clan to govern in the Ezo Republic. The fact that the common people were hostile to the Meiji government did not mean that they welcomed the Tokugawa family. The Meiji government made their lives unsustainable, and during the reign of the Tokugawa shogunate, the lives of the lower classes were no better than they were under the Meiji government.

Thanks to the efforts of China's troops and propaganda, the plan was rejected in Congress. The Republic of Ezo established its own republican system with great difficulty but determination. The imperial politics of the Meiji government were not accepted.

However, the blood ties could not be severed by changes in the political system, and the Republic of Ezo agreed to change its name to the Hokkaido Autonomous Region, which remained in Japan as an integral part of Japan. The Meiji government signed a series of agreements with the Hokkaido Autonomous Region to guarantee peace, a gesture that the citizens of the Republic of Ezo, whose loved ones are still on the southern islands, could not refuse. If you want to sign a contract with the Meiji government, you will have to temporarily distance yourself from China, and the Hokkaido Autonomous Region dialect means that you want Chinese troops to withdraw from Hokkaido.

"What if Japan is used by other countries as a base against China?" The Deputy Director of the Europe Division asked a question. Europe is the only region in a position to do so. The United States has some opportunities in the Americas, but instead of worrying about the tens of thousands of regular troops in the United States, it is better to worry about the more powerful private soldiers of the American Chamber of Commerce.

The director of the Asia Division replied, "There must be countries that value Japan's geographical location and want to do something with Japan." Japan is not a fool, other countries want to use Japan, and Japan wants to use those countries in turn! Let's see if it's a move. ”

This is the only way things can be handled, and China has no time to spend its precious experience on Japan. Either they will simply send troops to Japan and completely conquer the country, or they will have to let Japan start to go at the pace they think they will go for a while. Moreover, the Sixth Fleet has already sent ships to start patrolling the coastal waters of Japan, which is already a very stern warning.

Having seen with their own eyes the defeat of the British fleet by the Chinese Navy, Japan really took the initiative and the probability of shelling the Chinese Navy was very low. However, the world is unpredictable, and just when everyone thought that Japan would have a more rational response, a piece of news reached Nanjing. The Japanese Navy took the initiative to engage in a fierce exchange of fire on the Wuzhou, the flagship of the Chinese Sixth Fleet. The seemingly clear situation is once again a little out of control.