Regarding Hu Xueyan almost getting himself to be sent to Kashgar, Xinjiang, Chen Xiang thought about it, and he gritted his teeth and hated it deeply. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

"Father-in-law, don't get angry, you hurt your body." Lin Yizhe hurriedly persuaded him, "Such villains will have a day full of evil and a day of retribution!" ”

"yes, don't mention this vicious villain!"

Chen Xiang saw that Lin Yizhe's concern for him was beyond words, and his heart was moved, remembering that today was the day when Weng and his son-in-law met, and he didn't want Hu Xueyan to ruin his good mood, so he said: "Come!" Let's have a good drink! ”

Because Lin Yizhe was simple in Beijing, and did not bring a special chef like many celebrities and officials nowadays, he couldn't buy a banquet in his apartment, so he immediately took Chen Xiang to the "Guangheju" restaurant and asked for a table of banquets, and the two of them talked and drank freely.

is different from what he originally imagined, Chen Xiang's speech and demeanor are completely like a scribe, and he is not the same as a military general like Tang Dingkui and Zhou Shengchuan, maybe it is a relationship that has been transferred to a civilian position for too long (according to the probationary envoy is a civil official), but Lin Yizhe can still feel that this father-in-law is not only straightforward, but also very affinity.

Now Lin Yizhe finally understands why when Chen Xiang's house was attacked by thugs, the old department that had been laid off in the past spontaneously came to guard.

Perhaps knowing in advance that he might be appointed governor of Taiwan, Chen Xiang seemed very excited, and all the questions asked during the banquet were about Taiwan, and Lin Yizhe answered them in detail one by one, which made Chen Xiang admire.

And Lin Yizhe thought that his father-in-law would be in charge of the overall situation of Taiwan, and he could take advantage of the power to set up another shipyard in Taiwan, and he was also excited in his heart.

At about the same time, at the Directorate General of Revenue, Hurd had received news of the Prime Minister's decision to order four British-built Randolph gunboats, and was excitedly writing a letter to his loyal subordinate Kim Tenggan, who was far away in London:

"Dear Kingengan,

I have received your letters up to A/50 and Z/37.

Thank you for putting so much effort into gathering such complete information in response to my telegram. I have nothing to say about any of it, and I will use your memorandum in the future if needed. Prime Minister Yamen has already taken my suggestion and will soon tell me the specific requirements for the purchase of ships.

The succession to the throne was carefully planned, so it proceeded smoothly. Between us, Prince Gong is more powerful than ever, and, based on his past experience, I think that he will show good results in the next ten years of his rule.

Wittoma had a sixth child, a daughter, born on the first day of the new year, the first year of Guangxu, and her name was Xinxi (Happy New Year)! I heard that he is going to return to China this spring.

Please don't send me the Guardian anymore, I really don't have time to read it. The Navy newspaper will continue to be sent, and it is likely to be useful.

Not only did the Chinese borrow money through HSBC, but last week they borrowed more money from Liru Bank and Jardine Matheson in Shanghai (the exact amount is not clear, I believe it is a short-term loan, three years). As your telegram says, the matter was handled by Hu Guangyong and Naurdin. HSBC's loan is a real government loan, but I don't know if the bank is lending its own money or collecting other people's money. I think as far as China is concerned, it is extremely safe as an investment. It was an imperial loan and was duly authorized. But life at the bank is not easy right now, and I wouldn't be surprised to hear that both borrowers and borrowers are having trouble one day.

Regarding the source of funds for the construction of ships in the Fuzhou Shipping Bureau, I got the shocking news that the Chinese probably got a loan from the Rothchild Bank! It is said that the young prime minister, Yamen Minister Hayashi Yizhe, had a good personal relationship with His Excellency Viscount Rothschild. I doubt the authenticity of this thing, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was. I had a strange thought in my mind, perhaps the Minister of Lam had taken out his deposit in the Rothchild Bank and gave it to the Harbour Master's Office. Because he was the inventor of the famous 'Lin's underwear', his clothing company brought him huge profits. I believe he is one of the richest Chinese.

On the issue of gunboats, I don't think there is anything to add, but there are still a few points that you should pay special attention to:

1. Immediately report to me the contract price of each gunboat when it is fully equipped.

2. The cannon must pass the government inspection. What is that test? To describe it in detail, because I still have to explain it to the Chinese.

3. Since Armstrong is engaged in the construction of a special ship, i.e., suitable for ocean voyages, and has a giant cannon for combat, I think that the company should be fully responsible, and we need not have to have anyone to supervise the work or to check their specifications. But when the construction is completed, it is better to have a professional technician to confirm that the ship that is about to be delivered meets the specifications, and so on.

4. The living cabin should be unpretentious, not those warthy things, but Gothic, not Elizabethan. You have to remember that these ships are only for the Chinese. Let Armstrong consider how many British crew members (i.e., those who operate the cannons and other work on the ship) needed for such a warship, and then assume that three Chinese were needed on the ship to do the work of two British, and that four Britons could accommodate five Chinese in their rooms, and so on.

5. These ships only need to be designed with a double-layer canopy.

6. I have been authorized to buy a ship with an 80-ton cannon, but I ask them to wait for a while, because I am afraid that in case the last moment will prove that this cannon will not work. If the tests of the 80-ton cannon, which are currently underway, turn out to be satisfactory, we will order two.

7. If the ships ordered this time prove to be satisfied, we may order another 10 or 12 ships.

8. It is necessary to ensure that these ships have good long-distance sailing performance, the speed should reach 9 nautical miles as promised, and the fuel consumption should be small.

9. Three-masted ships are the most dexterous on the coast of China.

10. How many rounds of various shells can a ship of each class be loaded?

11. Armstrong was especially reminded to pay attention to the fact that the ammunition depot should be built safely and located in a convenient location. Set up a water pump to connect it so that it can be filled with water at once.

Faithful to your Hurd."

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"Li Wenzhong's Public Collection: Fulin Kunyu Fujun":

"The opportunity to open up the platform is said to be a county, and it is necessary to judge the village community, analyze the people, and the wild fan of the people, and the law is bound, and the people of the land are not enough to operate, and Xun can see its greatness. If you talk extravagantly and far-sightedly, the troops stationed in Xinjiang will not be able to last unless they have a salary of one million per year, and if there is no difference in Xinjiang, it will add a leak to the country, and its momentum will not last. …… The young marshal has returned to the province, debating face-to-face, hoping to have a home. The land obtained, if there is no benefit, it seems that there is no need to open the emperor's eyes, resulting in difficulties. Most of the speakers believe that Taiwan can become rich and powerful, but now the salary is extremely limited, and the Japanese may not be able to develop it until the compensation is paid. If you can get the Fang Immortal to sit in the town, dredge the circulation, and it should be the best. ”

"The shipmaster is replaced, the young marshal and the servant merchant are undecided, the servant is originally in the jurisdiction of the South Seas, no matter who undertakes, it is still appropriate for the young marshal to be remotely controlled. Please stay in Fujian Pass 40%, has been divided into coastal defense salary, and then still have to have the money, which can be expanded. The southern and northern oceans are divided into coastal defenses, which are also in name only, and the annual allocation of 4 million yuan cannot be fully resolved, and even if they are fully resolved, it will not be enough to start for a while. Since the provincial and Xiamen wires were purchased with 150,000 yuan, why are they still authorized to the Dan people? If you want to be built by the Chinese, you can't afford it, so you can hire a foreign teacher. If the exquisite craftsmen are allowed to learn together, they can be sent away without any disadvantages. Hearing that the new mine bureau was set up in Fujian, it seems to be made with electric wires, and how is the skill of teaching water mines? I still want to call Jinmen to give it a try. Mines are a sharp weapon for guarding mouths and breaking ships, and there are many names, and they urgently need to be studied and refined. The Taixi countries are getting stronger and stronger, and Middle-earth has nothing to rely on, that is, building iron ships, repairing forts, and adding defenses, which is by no means a cloud to defend. Zun wants to win, and the court's plan seems to be even more confused like chasing the wind. Jun entered the Maritime Department this time, and Shilin had a discussion of the town, and when it came to Beiyang, it was also this theory, which was terrifying. The number of days is poor, and there is no way! We have done everything we can to do what we can't. ”

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Xianliang Temple, Beijing.

After reading Li Hongzhang's letter, Lin Yizhe felt the strong anxiety in his letter, and couldn't help but sigh secretly.

Although the Chinese government and the opposition have been calling for change because of the strong stimulus of Japan's invasion of Taiwan, the voice of "disharmony" has never stopped.

After the imperial court promulgated the edict of establishing the "Prime Minister's Naval Affairs Yamen" and the appointment of Prince Alcohol as the head of the Navy Yamen, Wenxiang, Shen Baozhen, Lin Yizhe, and Li Hongzhang as the ministers of the Navy Yamen, and the establishment of a province in Taiwan and the appointment of Chen Xiang as the governor of Taiwan, the officials of the Qing Gossip raised their voices of opposition at the first moment.

The main focus of opposition was on the personnel of the navy's yamen.

Li Deshui, the superintendent of the imperial history, took the lead in playing, saying that Shen Baozhen, Lin Yizhe and Li Hongzhang should not be allowed to enter the naval yamen, his reason was that Shen Baozhen was Lin Yizhe's uncle, Li Hongzhang was the same year as Shen Baozhen, and had a good relationship with Lin Yizhe, "when there was something in Taiwan, the two of them would privately transfer troops", and they had close cooperation, if the three of them controlled the navy yamen, Prince Alcohol, who did not understand the navy, would inevitably be set aside, "the Maritime Affairs Department was useless", "Beiyang and Nanyang were all feudal towns", so that once Beiyang and Nanyang joined forces to make trouble, Jiangshan Sheji is bound to be unprotected!

What's even more hateful is that Li Deshui fiercely opposed Prince Alcohol being in charge of the Navy Yamen in the excerpts, because Prince Alcohol is the emperor's biological father and "must avoid suspicion"!

As soon as Li Deshui's recital was released, more gossip officials followed up, and for a while, there was a great tendency that Shen, Lin, and Li would not be finished if they were not kicked out of the navy yamen!