The glazed tiles shine brilliantly in the sun, and the palace is tall and majestic, shocking people's souls. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

In the Renshou Hall of the Summer Palace, the old champion Zhang Jian was being summoned by Cixi, and in the face of Cixi's inquiry, he bluntly said that the chaos of the official system and the low efficiency of the administration, as well as the financing for the implementation of the new policy, the national finances fell into a dilemma, the tax revenue increased, the officials were exploited, and the people were full of complaints.

Cixi is 70 years old, her waist is straight, but her ears are a little back, who knows that she has entered the fifth year of her life.

Hearing what Zhang Jian said, she was speechless for a while, and then sighed, "I haven't heard your words for a long time, and I don't want political affairs to be corrupted like this." You can ask the emperor, now that I have summoned my ministers, no matter how big or small, even the county officials have been summoned from time to time, when have I not used words to arouse conscience and ask them to do things seriously? Unexpectedly, I was not moved at all! ”

"The weakening of the country, the dissatisfaction of overseas students with the corruption of officials and the constitutional process, and their support for the revolution, are shocking." Zhang Jian continued: "If you want to clean up people's hearts, what Weichen earns, you must be constitutional. ”

"Duanfang, the governor of Liangjiang, and Cheng Dequan, the governor of Heilongjiang, also sent a warning to the imperial court, saying that now that the anti-Qing revolution is rising day by day, it is necessary to quickly bow to the hearts of the majority of those who want to establish a constitution, and use a small number of people to encourage the rebellious party that is full of people." Cixi paused for a long time, and said cautiously: "The imperial court also has the intention of sending ministers abroad to investigate politics, and now it seems that it is necessary to hurry. By the way, you're from Tianjin? ”

"Back to the Queen Mother, Weichen came to Beijing from Tianjin." Zhang Jian replied truthfully.

"You've seen Yuan Shikai before?"

Zhang Jian, who had a lot of experience, immediately understood Cixi's intentions, and replied calmly: "Weichen is summoned to respectfully invite Sheng'an. I didn't see the face of the sky, and I didn't dare to see other places. ”

At that time, the power of the local officials was increasing, especially when the Eight-Nation Coalition invaded Beijing, and the officials of the southeastern provinces acted to protect themselves. Cixi, who fled to Xi'an, was quite annoyed, so she relied on and secretly guarded Yuan Shikai, who was the governor of Zhili and the minister of Beiyang at the time. Her attack-style questioning was to find out whether the local officials had formed a party under her nose to expand their private power.

Cixi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and asked instead: "Chen Wenqiang, who emerged from Shanghai, is in the limelight, do you have any dealings with him?" What kind of person is he? ”

"Back to the Queen Mother. Weichen has a relationship with Chen Wenqiang, and according to Weichen's view, he traveled to the West to study. In some respects, the science that has been learned may have surpassed that of foreigners. Zhang Jian Qi said: "And its talent and intelligence, whimsical ideas are endless, if you talk about the proficiency of foreign affairs, Weichen has not seen the domestic can match." The construction of Lujiawan is changing with each passing day. The factory was electrified. The scenario is not inferior to that of the concession. ”

"And which side of his politics is leaning towards?" Cixi asked uneasily.

"Most of the people who have a huge industry want a stable social and political environment, and they are afraid ......of turmoil and strive for stability," Zhang Jian said his own judgment.

The reason why most of the business operators in the industrial and commercial circles are constitutionalists is actually the reason Zhang Jian said. Because social stability is whether their career can develop or not. The first condition for whether or not it will be breached. So, they want reform. However, it is more desirable that such a reform will make the transition as smooth as possible.

"Not only is he skilled in foreign affairs, but he has also done a few great things that are admired by foreigners, and the imperial court wants to establish the Ministry of Agriculture and Industry and Commerce, can he be appointed as an official?"

"Weichen thought that the court could reward him first, and then see if he was willing to enter the court as an official." Zhang Jian groaned and said: "The new drug he invented can save the lives of tens of millions of people, and it is highly praised internationally. I heard that Sweden has a prize called the Nobel Prize, which is very noble and noble, and I want to award it to him. For such talents who have boosted the reputation of our country and raised the morale of our people, the imperial court should not hesitate to praise them, so as to show the sincerity of the new reform. ”

"You have a point." Cixi nodded, "This Chen Wenqiang is angry, so that foreigners don't dare to laugh at me, there is no one in the Qing Dynasty." Well, you go back and tell him that he should be loyal and diligent, and contribute more to the court to share his worries. This high-ranking official is generous, and the court is indispensable to him. ”

"Yes, Wechen wrote it down." Zhang Jian replied respectfully.

After the Westernization Movement, the Qing court realized that industry and commerce were the foundation of a strong country; After the Gengzi Incident, the Empress Dowager Cixi also realized that to boost the country's strength and save people's hearts, it was necessary to choose the path of changing the law, so she announced the implementation of a new policy, including running a new school and training a new army.

However, the implementation of the new policy cost money, and the Manchu court, which was suffering from a lack of funds due to the financial payment of Gengzi indemnity, was of course very embarrassed. As a result, donating officials has become a source of funds, and not only to domestic businessmen, but also to overseas Chinese and overseas Chinese businessmen has also undergone a 180-degree change in their attitudes, and they have begun to encourage them to return to China to invest in public welfare undertakings and develop industries. Even Cixi put down her shelves and summoned Zhang Rongxuan, an overseas Chinese businessman who came from Sumatra Island in the South Seas, to take up an official position, hoping to drive Chinese businessmen to return to China to invest, and donate blood transfusions to support the new policies of the imperial court.

And the merchants were also willing to increase their political status by donating huge sums of money. For example, Zhang Rongxuan, who used money to open the way, and his official position was also promoted again and again, and he was first awarded the same knowledge of Fujian, and then promoted to the third rank of Hualing, and the prefect of Jiangxi supplemented until the second grade of Hualing, and Guangxi made up for the road first.

It is undeniable that the change of course of the Manchu Qing during this period was beneficial to business people, as well as overseas Chinese. For example, the Qing court set up a consulate in Nanyang and began to pay attention to protecting the interests of local Chinese; Policies for businessmen have also been relaxed, and the Shanghai-Nanjing, Shanghai-Hangzhou, and Chaoshan railways, which are contracted by domestic businessmen and overseas Chinese businessmen, have all been completed and opened to traffic.

However, the New Deal has been repeated due to official corruption, obstruction by conservative forces, and most importantly, lack of funds. The cost of implementing the new policy was undoubtedly apportioned to the tax, which increased the burden on the people, forming a vicious circle in which the more reforms were carried out, the greater the people's resentment. On the contrary, the "New Deal" prepared the revolutionaries with the basic forces that could be mobilized -- the new army and the new style of intellectuals, and the public propaganda of the idea of civil rights during the preparation period of the constitution and the practice of the previous congressional petition movements provided the conditions for the founding of the Republic of China.

Coupled with the fact that there are too many historical debts, the privileges of the banner people and the oppression of the Han people for hundreds of years, it is basically impossible to succeed in the constitution. Unless the Manchu aristocracy delegates power with the greatest sincerity, the most courage, and courage to form a political system with Han people as the main body, there will be even the slightest hope. But - this is impossible.

After the audience, Zhang Jian walked out of the Summer Palace and got into a carriage to go to his residence. Along the way, he was thoughtful, and his expression was constantly changing.

This time I entered Beijing to see him, firstly, I was called; second, for the joint venture bank to be established soon, to apply for the right to issue banknotes from the Qing government branch; The third purpose is somewhat difficult to appeal. After Cixi asked, Zhang Jian was even more hesitant to continue to act according to his original ideas.

Yuan Shikai, the Beiyang minister of Tianjin, had an unusual entanglement with Zhang Jian, the last champion, and in name, Zhang Jian could also be called Yuan Shikai's teacher. It was not until 1884 that Yuan Shikai turned to the political predator Li Hongzhang that he "showed his talent and promoted himself" and did not shy away from it. embarrassed the old master Wu Changqing, and his mentor Zhang Jian was angry! For this reason, Zhang Jian wrote a letter of renunciation and cut off the table from then on. The master and apprentice have not communicated for 20 years.

Before coming to Beijing, Zhang Jian had sent a letter to Yuan Shikai and took the initiative to ask for the resumption of diplomatic relations, which required a lot of courage at that time, and this courage came from the needs of political struggle. Because Yuan Shikai is no longer what it used to be, he is no longer a little-known battalion manager and deputy battalion, but a political dignitary who is the governor of Zhili and the minister of Beiyang. At that time, Zhang Jian was campaigning for the constitution of the movement, eager to win Yuan Shikai's support.

Thus, the light of political ideals melts the ice of personal vendettas. Zhang Jian wrote a letter to Yuan Shikai, hoping that he would follow the example of Japan's Ito Hirobumi and "preside over the constitution." Yuan Shikai also replied in time, although it still takes time, but "I am willing to be the forerunner".

I don't want the court to be so suspicious of Yuan Shikai. Zhang Jian thought about it and thought that it was not appropriate to have direct contact with Yuan Shikai for the time being, so as not to be suspicious of the imperial court and Cixi. The two only exchanged letters and did not reveal the matters they had already contacted, one in the court and the other in the opposition, and called for the constitution with one voice, which should have a better effect.

After thinking about it, Zhang Jian let out a long breath, feeling much happier. With Cixi's support, there was basically no problem with the right to issue banknotes. And taking advantage of the situation to ask Chen Wenqiang for a reward is an unexpected gain. In his mind, since Chen Wenqiang had already established a foundation in Shanghai, it was only a matter of time before he was won over to the constitutionalists. Such a young and promising talent, with a growing reputation, can be his help, or a successor to take over his constitutional banner.

…………….

In The Ancien Régime and the Revolution, Alexis de Tocqueville laid out the law that the most dangerous moment for a bad government is usually the moment when it begins to reform...... Revolutions do not always happen because people's situation is getting worse and worse, but most often it is the case that people who have endured the most intolerable laws without complaint and as if nothing had happened, as soon as the pressure of the law is relieved, they violently abandon it.

In layman's terms, Tocqueville's Law is actually a kind of "loose collapse theory", which rejects the "brutal collapse theory" of conventional wisdom. That is, when the monarch is brutal, it usually does not collapse, but when it is loose, it does. The truth lies in the fact that when autocracy is brutal, people often do not have the ability to resist, nor do they see the dawn of revolutionary victory; Once the absolute monarchy is loosened, on the one hand, free movement brings people the opportunity for revolution; On the other hand, when the handcuffs are broken, the presence of shackles becomes more intolerable.

As far as Chen Wenqiang knows, there are two cases, namely the reforms of the late Soviet Union and the last years of the Qing Dynasty, that can confirm Tocqueville's law. Both regimes were the result of total collapse as a result of political loosening and attempts at reform. Therefore, he did not think that the constitutionalism and reform of the Manchu Qing Dynasty were a weakening of the revolution, but that it was an opportunity for the revolution. (To be continued.) )