At that time, it was the end of 1874, although the Qing Empire successfully repelled Japan's invasion of Taiwan, but Japan, a small country in the East China Sea that had always been lighthearted, dared to spy on the **** territory with only a few ironclad warships and thousands of troops using Western weapons, which was a great stimulus to the Chinese government and the opposition. It was under this strong stimulus that the Qing Empire soon began its first major plan for coastal defense, and a series www.biquge.info of undertakings vital to the development of the ********, such as railways, telegraphs, shipbuilding, and mining, which had been obstructed by conservative and stubborn forces in China, were also able to take the opportunity to set up.

In terms of time, the establishment of these undertakings was precisely after the celebration of the longevity of the Empress Dowager Cixi, so how could they be "withdrawn" and "moved" from the "border defense funds" and "railway funds"?

The actual situation is that because the battle of Taiwan has just ended, the military expenditure is huge, in order to save money, the Empress Dowager Cixi ordered the celebration to be as simple as possible, because in the 1874 longevity celebration, such as "point the scene", "repair the street" and other items, all canceled, except for the repair of "heaven and earth, one spring" cost more than 1 million taels of silver, the cost of the entire celebration, according to some scholars to consult the archives of the Qing Palace Internal Affairs Office for detailed research, should be about three million taels of silver.

The source of these three million taels of silver mainly comes from the "co-ordination outside Beijing", that is, the "retribution" of officials and businessmen in various places.

According to the records of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the amount of "reciprocation" by each province is as follows:

Zhili: 200,000 taels.

Jiangsu: 200,000 taels.

Jiangxi: 100,000 taels.

Anhui: 200,000 taels.

Guangdong: 200,000 taels.

Guangxi: 200,000 taels.

Fujian: 100,000 taels.

Zhejiang: 200,000 taels.

Sichuan: 400,000 taels.

Hubei: 200,000 taels.

Hunan: 200,000 taels.

Yunnan: 50,000 taels.

Guizhou: 50,000 taels.

Henan: 50,000 taels.

Shandong: 50,000 taels.

Shanxi: 100,000 taels.

Shaanxi: 50,000 taels.

Gansu: 50,000 taels.

Generals of the northeastern provinces: 200,000 taels.

In addition:

Taiwanese businessmen are grateful for the silver: 40,000 taels.

Ryukyu King Shotai presented silver: 60,000 taels.

Snowy Weizang **** Panchen Lama donated silver: 100,000 taels.

The total amount of silver offered by the leaders of the Kang and Tibetan Tusi was 200,000 taels.

Shanxi Yin Shang Qiaojia (Qiao Shiyong) repaid silver: 100,000 taels.

Huzhou Yin Shang Xi Jia (Xi Zhengfu) reported silver: 100,000 taels.

Yunnan Yin Shang Wang Jia (Wang Chi) service silver: 100,000 taels.

Overseas businessman Chen Jia (Chen Tingxuan) service silver: 100,000 taels.

Overseas businessman Pan Jia (Pan Shicheng) reported silver: 100,000 taels.

Overseas businessman Lu Jia (Lu Zhongheng) reported silver: 100,000 taels.

The above total: 3.8 million taels.

These "co-ordination" and "retribution" are the real source of the Empress Dowager Cixi's 1874 longevity celebration.

It is worth noting that Hu Xueyan, the "red-top businessman" who relied on Zuo Zongtang and recommended and commended the imperial court at that time, did not give a penny to the Queen Mother's birthday celebration this time.

Seeing this long bill, one might ask: Is it necessary to spend so much money on such an extravagant celebration? Wouldn't it be better to save that money for the relief of the people or to set up a business? And from this, it was concluded that if Japan had just invaded Taiwan and failed to succeed, then the fall of the Qing Dynasty was a fateful thing, and it was also a reincarnation that the dictatorship could not escape.

For such a question, it can be said that it is an out-and-out false proposition.

Many historians believe that the main purpose of Cixi's longevity celebration is to show the aura of the Qing Dynasty's "Tongzhi Zhongxing", which has spent nearly 200 years in the ups and downs, and by the second half of the 19th century, the national strength has been greatly inferior to before.

Cixi's birthday celebration just after the end of the Sino-Japanese Jiaxu War was not only to meet the cultural and entertainment needs of the emperors and queens.

In Chinese society, the 10th birthday is often more solemn than usual. Even for ordinary Chinese, it is something to celebrate. Therefore, in terms of the scale and form of birthday celebrations, it is reasonable to surpass the past. As far as Cixi is concerned, as the empress dowager, it is natural for Cixi to organize a grand and grand birthday celebration, which is completely in line with Chinese cultural traditions.

Such a celebration can not only show the wealth of the country to the people, but also show the strength of the Qing Dynasty to foreign countries.

Accusing the historical Empress Dowager Cixi of being extravagant and wasteful, and not spending money on the people for the sake of face and image, then what did the people get for the Olympic Games and many "meetings" and "festivals" in later generations, but it made countless "patriotic youths" extremely fanatical, excited, excited and proud?

After the Opium War and the Taiping War, many people in this decaying and declining dynasty in the eyes of the world have realized the crisis of society and the country, but when the Empress Dowager Cixi celebrated her birthday, they did not object, but understood that in fact, it was not only the high-level people who benefited, but the people at the bottom were also beneficiaries.

Since the festival was financed by the "Kyoto Outside Planning", it did not add an additional burden to the national treasury, and after the preparations related to the festival began, the craftsmen involved in each region had additional work and income. The construction of garden workers such as "Heaven and Earth One Spring" not only contributed to the new thing of railways taking root in China, but also found jobs for a large number of poor banner people in the suburbs of Beijing, "relying on more than 100,000 people for food", and in this sense, for a large agricultural country, the people at the bottom have gained a lot of benefits from it.

Later generations commented that just contributing to the development of railways can be said to be the greatest significance of this celebration!

October 11 of the thirteenth year of Tongzhi (lunar calendar), the second day of the Queen Mother's longevity.

Zhang Peilun sat in the small steamer car with bright lights, looking around, Rao is his usual calm and self-controlled, easy to pretend to color, at this moment, his face is also the same as many officials who ride together, full of consternation.

Today is the day for these officials to celebrate the birthday of the Queen Mother.

But what the officials never expected was that when they went to the "Heaven and Earth Family Spring" to celebrate their birthday and accept the feast, they actually saw something they never dreamed of!

Train!

They never imagined that the train, which they regarded as a beast of the flood and hated so much, would appear in the capital unconsciously!

And today asked them to take the train to the Old Summer Palace to celebrate their birthday, Zhang Peilun felt that it seemed that the Queen Mother intended to give them a reminder!

Or a warning.

It can even be said to be humiliating.

Now, not only Zhang Peilun has such a feeling, but most of the gossip officials who got into the car have a trace of anger on their faces.

But they didn't dare not sit down.

You can't disobey it! Of course, these people who have read the books of the sages are very clear about this truth.

At this time, Bao Ting and Huang Tifang were sitting there angrily, talking quietly.

"I'll go back and go to him! I'm going to join him this time! Huang Tifang's voice came from afar, although it was not very loud, but Zhang Peilun could still hear it clearly.

Of course he knew who Huang Tifang was going to join.

"I heard that the Queen Mother allowed foreign ministers to participate in the celebration." Bao Ting said, "In front of the Queen Mother, there must also be ministers who do not kneel." ”

"Then I'll do it today! We must not let the Yi people insult my Chinese ceremony! Huang Tifang said.

Zhang Peilun listened to Huang Tifang's indignant words, and was quite disapproving, he wanted to persuade him, but because of his friendship, after thinking about it again and again, he decided to forget it.

Entering October, the weather in Beijing is already very cold, and Zhang Peilun now just wants to go home as soon as possible and stay away from this place that makes him feel unhappy.

Thick clothes, indifferently bloated in the signals of winter. Zhang Peilun sat in the carriage and took out a book to kill time, and several eunuchs saw his movements and snickered.

A faint mist rose in the distance, and the black, hazy mountains stood silently on both sides of the railroad tracks, looking down on the little long worm hurrying through with a kind of pride. The sky outside Beijing is still gray, the open glass windows, quietly enjoying the desolation of the cold wind, only the dancing blue curtains, but at this moment they are alive, shouting and singing.

The first time I was on the train, it always felt weird, depressing and dull. Everyone didn't talk much, they all sat there and looked at the scene outside, and even Bao Ting and Huang Tifang didn't move. No one wants to point out the country in this small space, and no one likes to start from the beginning to the end in the seat where the buttocks hurt a little, and there was a strange clicking sound from the rolling tracks, Zhang Peilun stared at the scenery passing by the window with slightly misty eyes.

Gradually, from strange to familiar, his somewhat suppressed heart became calm, and then began to surge.

Zhang Peilun likes to climb mountains and look into the distance, but he hates the continuous peaks and wanders non-stop. He prefers the plains behind the mountains, the endless heaven and earth, which seem to contain the creation of the universe. Some people say that the plains are too bleak, but he thinks that this rugged beauty is pregnant with the miracle of tenacious life. The seeds of growth germinate here, and the boundless world opens up the broad-minded wilderness. He liked the tenacity of the poplar tree, with its tall and strong branches, and the bird's nest at the branch, where a large black mass was placed, facing the wind and rain, wanton and arrogant.

In winter, the sky in the north feels a little chilly. Zhang Peilun seems to feel extremely new about everything around him.

A little eunuch put a cup of tea on the table in front of him, and Zhang Peilun looked at the delicate tea bowl with the pattern of "Five Blessings and Longevity", the lid of the bowl made a slight vibration, but the tea inside did not spill out.

Zhang Peilun put down the book in his hand, picked up the tea bowl, opened the lid of the bowl, stirred the tea leaves on the water, and took a sip gently.

Zhang Peilun drank tea while looking at the furnishings in the train, and felt that everything here could not be combined with the speeding train.

At this time, a little eunuch brought a small plate of exquisite snacks and put it on the table, and Zhang Peilun talked to him.

"This little brother, can you come over and talk?" Zhang Peilun said to the little eunuch.

The little eunuch looked like he was about twelve or thirteen years old, and after he finished his snack, he turned around and wanted to leave, but when he heard Zhang Peilun's question, he stopped.

"I wonder what your lordship commands?" The little eunuch stood by his side honestly, looked around, and looked very wary of everything, like a little rabbit.

Zhang Peilun couldn't help but be a little amused when he saw his alert appearance.

It is no wonder that the little eunuchs are like this, since the reopening of the "garden workers", they have often become the object of verbal criticism and writing by the officials, and the eunuchs in the palace have become angry with the officials, and it is not a day.

"It's okay, I'll just ask." Zhang Peilun said with a pleasant face, "Little brother, do you know when this railway was built?" Why is there no news in Beijing? ”

"Hehe, this was originally a railway for transporting wood and stone, and it was used in the garden repair project, but now that the garden has been built, it has been changed to this passage into the garden." The little eunuch replied with a smile.

"This railroad was originally used to transport timber and stone?" Zhang Peilun was secretly shocked by the strictness of the Internal Affairs Office, and asked again.

"Yes! If it weren't for this railway, how would so many big logs and boulders be transported in? The little eunuch said, "In winter, you can sprinkle water into ice and haul it from the ice, but how can you transport it in summer?" Moreover, it takes tens of thousands of people to transport it by manpower, and with this railway and steamer car, it is much easier and saves a lot of money. ”

"How can this railroad do this?" Zhang Peilun said.

"Yes, without this railway, how could this garden be built so quickly?" The little eunuch laughed.

"But if you build this railway, split the ground and dig mountains, and the locomotive rumbles, won't it disturb the ghosts and gods, shake the tombs, and destroy the feng shui of the earth's leylines?" Zhang Peilun asked.

"That's all nonsense, when building this railway, Mr. Li Er was afraid of this matter, and invited a feng shui master to show it, guess what the master said? Feng Shui emphasizes the word 'dragon', this railway winds and stretches, it is like a dragon, building a railway on the ground, that is, 'iron dragon', not only will not destroy the earth's vein feng shui, but also strengthen the dragon's momentum, everything goes smoothly, it is to Taixi countries, all to build the railway first. After listening to it, Mr. Li reported to the Queen Mother that the Queen Mother had specially ordered to build a total of two railways, one through the wood factory and the other through the stone factory, which was the meaning of 'two dragons playing with pearls'. Since the completion of the railway, as the master said, the construction of the garden has been very smooth, and Lafayette only then knew that those who were not allowed to build the railway before had ulterior motives. ”

Hearing the words of the little eunuch, Zhang Peilun was secretly surprised in his heart, he couldn't imagine that in this "feng shui" together, the Internal Affairs Office actually dealt with it in advance, and whoever made a fuss about this piece again would definitely not be pleased!

How would Zhang Peilun know that the "feng shui master" that the little eunuch said did not exist at all, this set of statements was collected by Lin Yizhe from those feng shui books left by Liu Zhang, specifically to block their mouths of these clear streams!

And from the words of the little eunuch, Zhang Peilun seemed to hear something else!

In other words, it is likely that the center will use this as a starting point to build railways all over the country!

"This little brother, how many times have you taken this train?" Zhang Peilun asked again.

"I'll tell you the truth, it's the tenth time." The little eunuch replied with a smile.

It may be rare for a speaker to be so willing to talk to him, and he is not busy at this time, but the little eunuch and Zhang Peilun continued to chat, Zhang Peilun felt that the other people also began to laugh and watch the two of them chat, and the originally dull and depressing atmosphere in the carriage eased suddenly.

Next, the two of them chatted more, and the little eunuch's chatterbox was completely opened. He told Zhang Peilun in high spirits that he had taken the farthest train through seven mountains and walked for "half an hour", Zhang Peilun asked him how it was possible to walk through seven mountains in half an hour? Do you have wings? The little eunuch laughed and added that the hill was actually very low, and he walked from one end of the car to the other, as if it were the hill of his village, the hill of his house. He talked about the first time he took this train, and he was startled by the sound of the locomotive's front chimney, at first they were not only afraid when they saw the locomotive head chimney smoking, but also worried that it would smoke the soot, but in fact, after the train started, the soot quickly dispersed, and it was not choking. However, for the sake of safety, when the Queen Mother and the Emperor sat in the carriage, the curtains generally had to be closed, and the glass windows were mostly closed.

The two chatted for a while, the little eunuch said goodbye, and before leaving, Zhang Peilun asked him to leave his name: Ran Xingcong.

With this casual conversation with the little eunuch, Zhang Peilun's original bad feelings for the train seemed to disappear all of a sudden, and he no longer read, but got up and stood by the window of the aisle, looking at the scenery.

For the first time, he experienced how wonderful the scenery outside the car window was.

As far as the eye can see, the rolling hills and delicate mountains and rivers in the distance make him feel refreshed. Between the mountains and the water, the small village with the smoke of cooking, the golden sunlight cautiously seems to be unwilling to disturb this peaceful scene, which really makes people suspect that they have arrived at the paradise of the world.

Zhang Peilun likes the scene of the northern countryside, especially the peaceful small villages in the suburbs of Beijing, hidden among the trees on the hillside, Khotan is lonely, calm, peaceful, and lonely. Such a scene inevitably made him feel emotional, such as "I wish to speak in the breeze and hold high to find my contract". As the train ran through the vast fields, the silent villages and the paths, and the people who toiled, the tunes of the grasslands came to his mind—long, gentle, and melancholy. Sometimes, Zhang Peilun seems to feel that he is walking against the wind, letting the scenery on both sides speed behind him, and the scenery that moves him is often just a glimpse of Feihong, but for him, it is enough.

The mountains in the north stretch for a long time, and if you look at the ridges, they are deep red in the distance, dark red in the distance, brown in the distance, light blue in the distance, a faint touch of gray in the farther away, and the farther away into the gray-blue sky. And these infinite colors are not monotonous and separate, they are harmoniously intertwined with the undulations of the mountains, and the peaceful villages lie quietly in the arms of the mountains.