"This is a great thing for the benefit of the country and the people. The pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info "Gu Hongming gently stroked his palm and praised: "The people take food as the sky, if there is no worry about lack of food, will it not be the peace of the country and the people." ”

"Qiongzhou, why don't you build a factory in Hunan?" Zhang Zhidong was slightly dissatisfied, "Huguang is a major grain exporting province, and it is the place where it is applicable!" ”

"In Qiongzhou, it is only an experimental production, and after the process is proficient, it will naturally build factories all over the country for production, and Hunan is the preferred province." Chen Wenqiang paused and diverted the topic, "Actually, if you want to say that it is more important, I think it is the Kaiser's attitude towards our country ......."

This time, Zhang Zhidong listened carefully and asked a few words from time to time, and when Chen Wenqiang finished speaking, he couldn't help but ponder for a long time before he slowly spoke: "Wenqiang, the German-American alliance is quite in line with my wishes, do you think there is a great hope of success?" ”

"I don't think there seems to be a problem with the German side, but the key is still in the United States." Chen Wenqiang pondered his words and said seriously: "If only China and Germany form an alliance, I am afraid that it will not be profitable, but will make Britain, France, Japan and other powers hostile. If the United States is involved, it can be regarded as a balance of power. ”

"Well, you are right, just one Germany, I am afraid that the power is not as strong as that of Britain and France." Zhang Zhidong sighed lightly, and said a little helplessly: "You still have to think long-term and plan slowly!" It's a pity that there are very few princes in the court who have this vision and ability. If it is left to them, I am afraid that it will be exposed, and if it does not work, it will be self-harming. ”

"My lord." Chen Wenqiang nodded yes.

"You have set up a constitutional council in Shanghai, apparently to unite to promote the constitution, and the imperial court has also sent telegrams to the provincial governors to discuss the constitution." Zhang Zhidong paused, seeming a little embarrassed, "After the provincial governors received the telegram, they replied one after another to express their approval. Only the Ministry believes that copying the constitution is not an easy task. ”

"There's nothing wrong with what adults see." Chen Wenqiang was not surprised, and said with a smile: "Not to mention the national conditions, people's wisdom and other issues, let's look at the constitutionalism of European and American countries, which one has not been gradually improved after hundreds of years?" But having said that, if you are afraid of difficulties and do not move forward, it is not the way to progress. ”

"Wen Qiang's words make sense." Gu Hongming agreed: "What do you mean?" It is not to oppose the constitution, but to believe that the constitution is of great importance and must be carefully considered and not hastily decided. ”

"What the adult means, Wen Qiang understands. When the Shanghai Constitutional Council was founded, the adults called to congratulate and sponsor it, and all colleagues in the Constitutional Council were grateful to them. Chen Wenqiang arched his hand to show his gratitude. After a moment of conversation, he continued: "However, it is disappointing that the imperial court has made empty words about the constitution, but the reform of the official system has strengthened the imperial power and weakened the localities. ”

Zhang Zhidong was silent, but his expression was a little lonely.

"This move by the imperial court is indeed disappointing." Gu Hongming frowned and said: "I'm afraid this is not the final result, but the beginning of the centralization of power." ”

"Does the imperial court still dare to stretch out its hand to Huguang?" Chen Wenqiang was a little surprised, looked at Zhang Zhidong and asked, "Your Excellency's every move is very important. It involves a wide range of things, so you can't be careless! ”

"Motobu knows what you're worried about." The fan in Zhang Zhidong's hand nodded to Chen Wenqiang. seemed to signal him not to worry, "The iron factory, the gun factory, and the railroad are well run by you, how can there be any reason to give up halfway?" Invested so much money and borrowed so much debt. The main department will never harm you. Don't worry, how to do it, even if there is a transfer, everything will be arranged. ”

It seems that there is a rumor in the court. Chen Wenqiang nodded. But his mind was spinning quickly, judging the pros and cons of this.

Zhang Zhidong has been in Huguang for more than ten years, and his prestige is unparalleled, although Chen Wenqiang has a plan to launch an uprising in the three towns of Wuhan and complete the revolution in his heart, but as long as Zhang Zhidong is there, he still does not dare to let go. From this point of view, if Zhang Zhidong is transferred out of Huguang, it will be a good thing.

But Chen Wenqiang also has some concerns, and his industry and operation in Hunan and Hubei are largely due to Zhang Zhidong's support. If you change people and lose your political and officialdom supporters, the difficulties will be obvious. Of course, it depends on how Zhang Zhidong arranges.

"The southwest is in turmoil, and the country is unstable!" Zhang Zhidong had a worried look, and his voice became low, "The chaotic party can repeatedly defeat the official army, because the old army is no longer able to fight, and there are too few new troops that have been trained. Then there is the financial constraints of the imperial court, which repeatedly extorted from the local government, so that the people were resentful and bewitched by the chaotic party. ”

"Your Excellency is very right." Chen Wenqiang said with emotion: "The civil unrest in Wanning, Qiongzhou, is the government's rebellion, which makes the party take advantage of it, and the people flock to respond. ”

"Fumin, didn't the Wanning civil rebellion finally subside with appeasement?" Zhang Zhidong sighed heavily, "More than half of the new army in Hubei has been transferred, but the southwest is full of miasma, the soldiers are not adapted, there are many injuries, and the generals have written many times to complain about all kinds of difficulties. The court still has to urge, it's—"

"The Hubei New Army was trained with all the dedication of the adults, and it is also the foundation of the formation and training of the Southern New Army, so how can it be repeatedly transferred and fought in other places?" Gu Hongming said with some indignation: "Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Guizhou, plus Sichuan, Jiangxi, the army of the six provinces, tens of thousands of people, food and salary, but they are all unbearable, who is to blame?" ”

"It has long been clear that the old army is unbearable, so we must vigorously train the new army!" Zhang Zhidong smiled bitterly, shook his head and said, "However, if the imperial court has no money, how much money can the local government come up with?" The new army is too draining. ”

"Since the old army is unbearable, it should be completely dismantled, so as to save money and train the new army." Chen Wenqiang paused and continued: "My lord, can the turmoil in the southwest be quelled by pacifying it? If it can be temporarily stabilized, it can be regarded as a delaying tactic to free up time for the formation and training of the new army. ”

"This chaos is not another chaos, I'm afraid it's difficult!" Zhang Zhidong groaned and said: "The Revival Society is a revolutionary party, and it wants to overthrow the imperial court and replace it. How can we appease each other? ”

"What about the armistice and peace?" Chen Wenqiang said tentatively: "Give the Revival Society a piece of land, which can be called 'autonomy' or 'special zone'. As long as we gain time, how can we be invincible with the manpower and material resources of the whole country? ”

Gu Hongming blinked his eyes and looked at Chen Wenqiang, thoughtful.

"It's hard, it's hard." Zhang Zhidong shook his head and diverted the topic, "The progress of the Guangdong-Hanzhou Railway is very fast, I heard that it will be half a month." Can the Wuchang line be through? ”

"There should be no problem." Chen Wenqiang smiled confidently: "In the future, I am afraid that I will not see the scene of thousands of people repairing roadbeds in Hunan Province." ”

"Not necessarily." Zhang Zhidong showed a pleased smile and said: "After the completion of the construction of the Guangdong-Hanzhou Railway, there is still the Sichuan-Han Railway!" It seems that if the Sichuan-Han Railway is not built by a shrewd and capable person like Wen Qiang, there will be no day when it will be built! ”

"The water of the Sichuan-Han Railway Company is too deep and too mixed. I didn't dare to take over. Chen Wenqiang smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Let's concentrate on finishing the Guangdong-Hanzhou Railway first!" ”

"It's fine." Zhang Zhidong was not reluctant, he pondered for a while, and said: "Wen Qiang, the headquarters promised before that the railway patrol police would be organized into a new army to reduce the financial pressure on the railway company. Now, I'm afraid I need you to make more efforts to train a new army. In order to ensure the stability of Hunan and Hubei provinces. ”

"Where's the money?" Chen Wenqiang spread his hands and complained: "My lord has trained soldiers, and he must know the cost of this new army, even if it is maintained in peacetime, it needs a huge amount of money to support. The new army promised to me by the adults has not yet been eyebrow-raised, and I really can't help it. ”

"If you are willing to help, wait for the new army to be trained. It's also a kind of protection for you! Zhang Zhidong gently shook the fan. looked at Chen Wenqiang.

"Your Excellency is joking." Chen Wenqiang smiled slyly and said: "It is the new army that is being trained, not a private army, and it is not up to the court and the government to have the final say." For me, where is the guarantee? ”

"This - can be a little flexible!" Zhang Zhidong's old face turned red. Shaking the fan sharply, "Then what do you want?" Hubei's troops are insufficient, and if there is chaos in Hunan and Hubei, you will also suffer losses! Besides, this is also the head office for your future sake. What an arrangement! ”

"I'll have to think about it, I can't answer it now." Chen Wenqiang touched his chin and refused to express his position easily.

"It can be seen that you are still able to help, but-" Zhang Zhidong pouted slightly, "It's a character who doesn't suffer." ”

"My lord, I'm in debt right now." Chen Wenqiang complained bitterly: "Almost all the profits of the iron factory are invested in the railway; As for the gun factory, it is only a small profit sales; It is also necessary to expand production, purchase equipment, and build new factories, and there are too many places to spend money. If it weren't for the bank, I would have gone bankrupt. ”

"What about your pharmaceutical factories in Shanghai, textile and garment factories, and industries in Qiongzhou." Zhang Zhidong taught earnestly: "If the world is in chaos, won't all your industrial operations be ruined? One must build on a firm foundation? You have to understand this truth, don't be careful, don't be petty! ”

Chen Wenqiang smiled bitterly and did not answer, but he didn't think so in his heart. One must build on a firm foundation? The truth is good, but his industry is dependent on the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and it needs to maintain the Manchu rule in order to exist and prosper? Obviously, Zhang Zhidong was so wrong that he didn't know that Chen Wenqiang had been attached to the "skin" of the revolution.

"This, if you fund the training, this new army can use another name, and you will recommend officers." Zhang Zhidong said slowly while thinking: "Aren't you good friends with Germans, it's very convenient to hire German instructors; As for the gun factory, which just provides equipment for the army, it can also save a lot. ”

"Not only do you have to pay for it, but you also have to put on guns and ammunition." Chen Wenqiang smiled even more bitterly, "My lord, don't you give some policy?" This place doesn't share the point? ”

"Of course it won't be all inclusive." Zhang Zhizhi saw that there was a turnaround, and smiled heartily, "There will be a part of the place, and there will be policies, we can discuss!" ”

"Then let me go back and summon someone to study it." Chen Wenqiang seemed a little helpless, "After all, this is not a small expense." And, and it's not a profitable business. ”

"For the country and the people, don't take money too seriously." Zhang Zhidong educated Chen Wenqiang with great righteousness, "What's more, this is a long-term benefit." Social stability is a long-term benefit to business operations. I believe in your vision, your character, your ......"

Chen Wenqiang grinned when he heard this, and kept nodding his head in agreement. After Zhang Zhidong finished preaching, he asked, "My lord, the imperial court wants to transfer you back to the capital, is this news true?" ”

Zhang Zhidong groaned suddenly, and Gu Hongming replied uncertainly: "It's just that there are some rumors, and there may be personnel changes in the center of the imperial court." But this is not true, and Wen Qiang does not need to worry too much. ”

Chen Wenqiang shook his head and said in a low voice: "Although the imperial court advertises that it does not distinguish between Manchu and Han, among the chiefs of the thirteen ministries after the reform of the official system, most of them are occupied by Manchu people. If the governor is transferred to the center again, the move of the Manchu relatives and nobles to take power will be revealed. In this way, the trend of the Manchu pro-nobles becoming autocratic has not been reversed, but has become more and more intense. ”

"You can't look at it that way yet." Zhang Zhidong hurriedly played a round, "Wen Qiang, don't you want to incite the Constitutional Council to mess around." In the eventful autumn of the country, it is better to be cautious and steady. ”

Chen Wenqiang thought for a while and said, "If the lord doesn't leave, there must be nothing the court can do, right?" ”

"This-" Zhang Zhidong hesitated for a moment, and said ambiguously: "When the time comes, I won't let you fall short." ”

……………

No matter how much the reforms and the New Deal will bring to China, it will be difficult to impose a heavy price on the Manchu pro-nobles, a major vested interest group. Not only do they lose their privileges, but they also risk losing the regime they have held for 300 years.

The end result is a dilemma. After the launch of the New Deal, the Qing court was powerless to prevent the operation and deepening of the reform, and was unable to effectively deal with the various problems and contradictions that arose in the reform. As a result, the Qing court did not have the courage to continue to implement the constitutionalism, nor was it able to return to the old path, and the result of the new policy and the constitution was a double torment that burned the fire.

Therefore, on the one hand, the Qing court practiced constitutional government amid the cries of the government and the opposition and internal and external troubles, and on the other hand, the Manchu people wanted to weaken the power of local governors and strengthen the autocracy of centralized power. As the most influential and powerful local governors, it is none other than Yuan Shikai, the governor of Zhili, and Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang. Moreover, both of them were Han Chinese, which made the Manchu relatives feel even more frightened and uneasy.

It seems that the rumors are likely to come true, who made the Manchurian relatives so selfish, short-sighted, and stupid! If it weren't for the series of actions they made the constitutionalists discouraged and angry, how could the constitutionalists turn to the revolution, or the success of the revolution?

Chen Wenqiang thought all the way and slowly figured out the clue.

…………… (To be continued.) )