The camp in the lobby is clear, the Han officials advocate going south, the Manchu and Mongolian officials advocate the westward expedition, and the Liberal Party and Civic Party officials do not express their position, Li Fugui frowned, and asked Xue Zongzhou to call Han Mingde - the controversy is not settled, this is an old habit, Han Mingde is the financial master of the Presidential Palace and the Metropolitan Governor's Office, and he only recognizes the abacus and does not recognize the person, and the calculated figure is the most convincing.

Han Mingde quickly held a pile of account books, and said after pulling the abacus for a while: "The federal government collected 12 million taxes last year, and this year it is expected to be no less than 15 million, and 2.7 million yuan can be allocated for military spending this year and next year, and we have also issued 20 million 'victory bonds', but I didn't expect that the war would be over in less than a year, and only 6 million were spent, and the money was enough, whether it was to go south or west, but if we can't pull it out if we are trapped in it, we should ask for food." ”

"The public debt must be repaid with principal and interest, only by finding new sources of wealth can make up for the shortfall, the south has always been rich, tea, raw silk and so on are inexhaustible, and our tools, glass, etc. are also needed for it, Datong is established by industry and commerce, the unification of the north and the south is promising, and the bitter cold land of the Rakshasa country is also, why bother to do it!" Wu Zhu lured the crowd to take advantage.

Batur seemed to be against Wu Zhu, and immediately responded: "The war in the south is not endless, the people's livelihood is withering, how can it be profitable, I'm afraid we have to spend money to resettle the people first, the population of the south is twice that of my Datong, can we afford it, it is better to go west, the bitter cold land is also a family business, and it is left to future generations who may not be able to dig out gold one day." ”

Zilharang nodded and said: "At the beginning, the southern Hanchen also said that the Qing Dynasty could only be stable in order to pacify the south, but as a result, Dolgon fell into it and couldn't extricate himself, I remind you that the Han people have always been self-righteous and stubborn, and even the trivial matter of shaving their hair has to rebel, and the new policy of Datong will not work, we will go to the south and not be driven back!" ”

"That's it, the southerners regard us as Hulu Hanyi, why spend money and effort to manage them? The saved military expenditure is not as good as building a navy, it doesn't matter if the money is not enough, the General Colonial Administration is willing to subsidize it, I tell you, there is still money to be made at sea......" Shen Shoulian interjected.

"Shen Yongnian, you were crying to me a few days ago that you were poor, why are you rich now?" Wu Xian interrupted and shouted angrily.

"The money earned by the Colonial General Administration is owned by the shareholders of the Federal Bond Bank, of course it can't be given to you, but building a navy can make the shareholders earn more, and everyone is willing to pay for it, do you care?" Shen Shoulian said unceremoniously.

Shen Shoulian was too rampant, and he couldn't get angry in the south, and he quarreled with the Western Expedition faction - Xixiang Youjiang was dumbfounded, this is like discussing military affairs, but people are so noisy and noisy to embark on the road to a strong country, there must be a mystery in it.

"Urgent letter from the president!" Li Fugui waved his hand, everyone immediately quieted down, Li Yu's letter was not long, he quickly finished reading and walked to the map hanging on the wall to preach - the choice of strategic direction can not only look at the present but also focus on the future, it is not difficult to defeat the remnant Ming army, but the old conservative forces in the south are huge, and the implementation of the new policy will inevitably be blocked, unless the Qing State inherits the Ming system, it is likely to be in turmoil, and its territory is vast, the population is large, and the customs are completely different from the north, Datong itself still has many problems that have not been solved, why bother to take care of tens of millions of southerners, Excessive greed will sooner or later be planted and fought! The victory of this battle can kill three birds with one stone, one is to completely eliminate the western border troubles, the second is to open up trade routes with the Taixi countries, and the third is to promote the recognition of the Northwest ethnic groups to the Federation.

Li Fugui finally said: "The president is right, in the long run, the biggest threat to our Datong is the border trouble in the north, Manchuria can be guaranteed by annexing to the northeast, the north direction is inaccessible, and a few savage tribes are also easy to appease, the Rakshasa country in the northwest is the only big enemy, and the opportunity is in hand to fight resolutely, although the south of the Yangtze River is good, but since it is tricky, it is better to give up, and it is the best policy to consolidate the north of the Yangtze River." ”

"The majority of the Governor's Office agreed to the President's proposal, and arranged for the Metropolitan Governor's Office to draw up a statute for the Western Expedition." Ortai nodded.

Ai Shan, the governor of the left capital who was in charge of military affairs in the west, walked to the map and said: "The Metropolitan Governor's Office began to formulate the regulations of the Western Expedition three years ago, and it has been continuously revised since then, because the specific battle strategy still needs to be kept secret, I can only briefly explain that this expedition sent 50,000 troops, mainly cavalry and horse artillery, and the combat goal is to weaken the Rakshasa Kingdom to the maximum extent and penetrate the trade route to Taixi. You don't need to worry, except for a small number of guards in the Rakshasa country, the rest are just temporary farmers, herdsmen, absolutely unable to stop the iron cavalry, guns, no accident, our army can be killed in the hinterland of the Rakshasa in about a year, then the Turks and several remnants of the Kipchak Khanate will also raise troops to respond, it is not surprising to destroy its old nest Moscow, I firmly believe that the western expedition will be won. ”

"The cost of the 10,000-mile expedition is huge, even if you are sure of winning, can the national strength withstand it?" Saigo Yue couldn't help but ask.

Ai Shan replied confidently: "Our army comes from outside the border, unlike the Han people who rely too much on rear supplies, this war follows the example of the Mongolian Western Expedition, to fight to support the war, to the business to support the war, along the way to set up military stations to ensure supplies, for this will also mobilize 300,000 people to migrate westward, with the perseverance of the military and civilians of our Federation, where there are people who have grasslands, they can survive and develop, and the consumption of the Western Expedition can be absolutely controlled to the minimum." ”

Saigo Youjiang gasped, Datong was angry, and the Rakshasa people were going to suffer! Azig shouted excitedly: "It's done, if the Rakshasa ghost dares to kick his nose in the face, he will have to be taught a hard lesson." ”

"The president is going to stay in Liaodong for a few years, this time it's time for me to lead the army, Tulu Baihu, don't you want to be the vice president, let it be given to you!" The vice presidency and Humba Tulu Shixun came too easily, and even his son Sangha questioned it, Batur wanted to make a big military achievement to justify his name, and glanced at Tulu Baihu and said.

"I won't take your shift, let it be someone else." The deputy speaker of the Senate Turoubaiggan is addicted and has no interest in the vice president.

"The Liberal Party resolutely supports the Western Expedition, and the military stations along the way will be handed over to us to ensure that the army's food and ammunition supply is sufficient." Bao Zhen shouted loudly, in fact, the Liberal Party dreamed of crossing the Yangtze River, but Du Wenhuan's letter asking for the incorporation of the Green Battalion Army woke them up, that group of rotten soldiers is not a citizen soldier, in case they are bewitched by others to rebel, it will be bad, tea and raw silk can be bought if there is money, why bother to run the south, or open up the Taixi trade road to make a fortune quickly.

"The Civic Party was originally against going south, and the Rakshasa ghost should be beaten hard if he is a big trouble, and the southerners didn't provoke us, so why beat people?" Gao He also nodded in agreement, the Civic Party represents the middle and lower class citizens, and they are most afraid that the army will fall into the south and not be able to return home.

Xue Xianguang, the governor of the Zuo Metropolitan and the same knowledge, breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Since it has been decided to negotiate peace between the north and the south, the Dadu Governor's Mansion plans to transfer the second cavalry town of Hadari, the fourth cavalry town of Chaolu, the seventh cavalry town of Ashu, the eighth cavalry town of Hechilie, the second artillery town of Jin Guoding, and six artillery brigades to the west, and launch a westward expedition in the spring of next year. ”

"And us, this battle of the Eight Banners elite has to be." Azig shouted.

"If the Datong Federation goes west, we Japanese will also be counted as a part, but the establishment of a navy is more important, and I ask you to decide." Saigo Yue said with a sigh.

Wu Sacrifice was so angry that he turned his head and left, and shouted in his mouth: "Giving up the unification of the world but working the people and losing money to go west, crazy, crazy, I can't mess around with you!" ”

"Shameless, since you want to split China, why am I staying here? I quit my job and went back to my hometown! Liu Zongzhou, the minister of education, stood up angrily and went angrily with Cai Maode, the minister of propaganda and education, who was also from Zhejiang, and several other officials from the south.

"The north and the south divide the river and rule, peaceful competition, from now on turn the war into a jade silk, we hold the northern frontier, the southern Han people also have the opportunity to reflect on innovation, what's wrong with this, do you have to kill a river of blood? Erzeng, Dawei, they don't do it, you do it! Ortai looked coldly at the backs of Liu Zongzhou and others and said that the Liberal Party had long looked forward to this day, and Li Jianji and Bao Zhen were happy in their hearts.

"Luyou and Mr. Qishan are bent on using the power of Datong to reform China, we have broken their hearts, I will go to comfort them," Li Fugui sighed and chased out, walked a few steps and turned back and shouted, "The two matters of declaring war on the Rakshasa Kingdom and establishing a navy should be submitted to the House of Representatives for public discussion, and preparations for war should also be hurried, and the Metropolitan Governor's Office can lower the military order." ”

Since the beginning of the war, the Senate and the House of Representatives have been full of patriotism, and a large number of members of the House of Representatives have volunteered to go to the front to serve the country, and the members of the House of Representatives who remain in the provinces have been replaced. However, the wartime office was abolished with the end of the war, the Senate and the House of Representatives became lively again, and the bosses of the Liberal Party were expecting to make a big profit by purchasing machinery and stockpiling raw materials for the production of ordnance and munitions, but unexpectedly, the overall situation was decided after less than a year of fighting, and most of the orders in their hands were in vain, and they were clamoring for the federal government to compensate for the losses, and the Civic Party was also dissatisfied. The parliamentarians of the two parties were very angry, and Song Yihe, the minister of military affairs, hid if he couldn't be provoked, and ran to Zhili as the commander in a hurry, and Xue Xianguang of the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion once made a mistake in predicting the two things of thieves entering Beijing and the Qing army going south, and before the war, he said that he would fight for at least three years, and he suddenly became the target of public criticism, and he was scolded so much that he did not dare to show his face.

The bill of the office was sent to the House of Representatives, and the parliamentarians were angry, and when they heard that the president was going to be stationed in Liaodong for a long time, they immediately forced Wang Jimo, the speaker of the House of Representatives, to read out the secret letter left by Li Yu before the expedition in public, but this letter made people even more annoying - Li Yu said in the letter that if he died, Zhang Zhiyao, Li Yao, and Li Jin were recommended as presidential candidates.

The president is not particular about food and clothing, dozes off from reading, often has to take vacations, and is going to leave it alone, but you are happy, what will the Federation do - the parliamentarians stood up for the national interest, did not hesitate to reject the bills of the office, and firmly stated that they would not accept any bills unless the presidential office was reorganized.

The Office and the Senate and the House of Representatives had a bit of a stalemate, and Wu took the opportunity to agitate to go south, but the congressmen acted as good people and expressed their reluctance to make a move against the southern compatriots. Liu Zongzhou made a final effort in the House of Representatives, pleading bitterly that the south had fallen into war and that if Datong did not send troops to save the people in time, perhaps there would be a tragic situation of rivers of blood and starvation.

Huang Daozhou, Yuan Jixian, and Wang Yingxiong led a group of southerners to march and demonstrate, resolutely demanding that the army go south to unify China, and the two elegant elders also made a speech in public: Datong shows the rise of a great power, and President Li has the blood of the Tang Emperor, and he should dominate the world and cultivate all the people, and achieve the imperial industry through the ages......

The citizens of Datong also held a march against going south, but fortunately, there were patrols and strict precautions, so they did not fight with the southerners, but the citizens moved their mouths without moving their hands:

"They want to trick us into going to the south to shed blood and fight, don't be fooled."

"Qian Qianyi, Gong Dingyu, you two rebels want to restore in your bones, go back to your hometown!" Ruan Dacheng suddenly recognized the two old acquaintances.

……

Qian Qianyi and Gong Dingyu came to Datong after several rounds, Qian Qianyi was originally called into Beijing, but was not treated by Dolgon, and never got an official position, Gong Dingyu was angry with the Eight Banners and nobles, and was sent to see the vegetable garden, the two saw that the Qing Dynasty was dying after the Battle of Jinlianchuan, so they made an appointment to flee back to their hometown, but they were captured by the Datong army on the way, and their fame was good, they were not only not punished, but also sent to Datong to enter the Ministry of Education to do praise and painting - the Datong Federation did not depose the imperial examination, and the special Ministry of Education presided over the county examination and the township examination, It is also casual to try to select Jinshi, giving scholars the opportunity to gain fame, but to be an official, you have to go through a public election, Liu Zongzhou intends to innovate Confucianism and recruit two great talents to his command. Qian Qianyi and Gong Dingyu can be regarded as having found an organization, and in addition to Liu Zongzhou, there are also Huang Daozhou, Yuan Jixian, Wang Yingxiong and others in the Ministry of Education, all of whom are famous people who have something to do with the Donglin-Fushe, and they got together to start the idea of agitating Datong to go south.

Ruan Dacheng actually came to join in the fun, this old rebel party is not easy to mess with - Qian Qianyi and Gong Dingyu were recognized as soon as they appeared, and they retracted into the crowd with a red face. Qian Qianyi's concubine Liu Ruis and Gong Dingyu's concubine Gu Hengmei stepped forward and angrily reprimanded Ruan Dacheng, and the backbone of the Women's Party Yang Wan and Wang Xiaoliu immediately went out to fight, and the others stopped arguing and concentrated on watching women quarrel.

As soon as Liu Ruis and Gu Hengmei arrived in Datong, Yang Wan came to show off, the style was big, sitting in a luxury carriage, wearing a Western-style long skirt, full of jewels, even the bags were inlaid with emeralds, and the tone was terrifying, claiming that Datong had nothing to do with her unevenness, isn't this deliberately annoying, they threw Wang Xiaoliu, who was born in Datong prostitution, aside, and stared at the eldest sister Yang Wan of their predecessors in humiliation. The three women are all from Qinhuaihe, not only proficient in poetry and articles, but also have a pair of sharp teeth, scolding people without spitting dirty words but being scathing, the more noisy they are, the more powerful they are.

"Sister, you have money at a glance, and the merchant girl doesn't know that the hatred of the country is probably written by you, right?" Liu Ru said sarcastically.

"My sister is indeed very rich, but she earned it by her ability, my father-in-law is still a hero of the Qing army, how about you marry the father-in-law? voted for Beijing first and then Datong, but I'm afraid that Er Cao's body and name will be destroyed. Yang Wan replied with a smile.

"Sister, I heard that the vassal is ignorant and profitable, and our husband is only able to learn the world, and the ambition in his chest is known to mortals!" Gu Hengmei said sarcastically.

"A clumsy woman, without breasts and brains, deserves to be reduced to a lost dog!" Wang Xiaoliu interjected and scolded viciously.

The vassal woman still dared to scold, the four women tore up, Ruan Dacheng allowed the goddess Yang Wan in his heart when he was young to suffer, stopped Liu Rus, Gu Hengmei angrily reprimanded: "Qian Qianyi, dedicated to Nanjing and surrendered, went to Beijing and sought officials, Gong Dingyu, broke into the city, and threw it full, the two of them were familiar with the scriptures but lost their humanity, they were really well-dressed scum and shameless, and the women were unreasonable, and they were willing to serve the rebellion, and they were embarrassed to use strong words, and quickly retreated, so that Qian, Gong and the old man could argue with ......"

Ruan Dacheng is eloquent and eloquent, he can't stop when he speaks, he grabbed Qian Qianyi and Gong Dingyu and scolded him, allusions and poems emerge in endlessly, Liu Ruis and Gu Hengmei were scolded so red that their faces were flushed, but they didn't have a chance to fight back, Qian Qianyi and Gong Dingxiao hurriedly pulled them and ran away - Ruan Dacheng laughed, and then suddenly fell to the ground, and the people around him hurriedly sent him to the hospital, but he lost his breath on the way, according to Tang Ruowang, who was familiar with medical skills, said afterwards, this guy may have ruptured the blood vessels in his brain and died.

At the beginning of the year, King Fu was elected as a member of the House of Representatives, and at this time he was in session in the House of Representatives, and when he heard the bad news, he cried, and other officials and parliamentarians also immediately stood up in silence - Ruan Dacheng was talented, teaching drama, gardening, and poetry at the same time at Datong University, and was deeply loved by students.

After the death of someone, everyone had no intention of arguing again, publicly elected Li Jin as vice president and acted in charge of presidential affairs, recalled Batu in the Western Regions and Zhou Yi in Hubei as consul general of the presidential office, Ortai, Li Fugui and Chen Qiyu were old and reappointed as the governor of the presidential office, and the former vice president Batur was reappointed as the commander of the Western Regions.

Li Jianji then proposed that the Western Expedition Army should choose volunteer soldiers, and at the same time set up the Western Rakshasa Franchise Company to raise military expenses to reduce the burden on the people to the greatest extent, and Shen Shoulian also patted his chest to ensure that the Colonial General Administration had money, and it would be even richer in the future, and could afford more than half of the naval military expenses - the bill to declare war on the Rakshasa and establish a navy passed in the House of Representatives.

Wu Xian, Liu Zongzhou, Cai Maode and others resigned in anger, and the parliamentarians immediately decided to merge the Ministry of Education tailored for Liu Zongzhou into the Ministry of Propaganda, and recalled Nuo Min from the Tibetan area to replace Cai Maode as minister.

Li Jianji finally reached the pinnacle of power after years of hard work, and delivered a policy speech in Liberty Square that night.

“…… The inviolability of private property is the foundation of freedom, some people scold us for not following the program and always seeking mercenary, let them scold, the mission of the Liberal Party is to maintain freedom, and increase the private wealth of citizens by any means, and finally completely eradicate poverty! Lee's words continued to win cheers, and the Liberal Party began