Chapter 111 Ministry of Industry Bureau
Chen Dingtian didn't know that the wings of his little butterfly were getting stronger and stronger, and they had changed the fate of many people. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info even made a woman who had not been able to appear on the stage of history many years ahead of schedule. But Chen Dingtian is still thinking about how he should make this heaven and earth meeting. At present, the situation of this Heaven and Earth Society has begun to be reorganized, especially with the help of Prussian staff officers, and the reorganization is very rapid.
Even the various resettlement work is very fast, and preparations have begun to enter into various arrangement affairs, which have to face more disposition. However, there is also a big problem now, especially the sudden influx of more than 80,000 people into this concession, which has completely confused the management system of the concession.
Originally, the concession actually welcomed some Chinese to come in, because the concession was too deserted, and the huge concession was a few thousand foreigners. And foreigners often hire some locals to do things, which is not easy. So in fact, if the Chinese came in to settle down, this is a concession or maintain a welcoming attitude. But now there is a sudden influx of so many people, which makes them face all kinds of pressure as well. In particular, the management system in the past is no longer suitable, and the management system that used to manage thousands of people was very rough, and now there are so many people who have suddenly increased, so that they can't stand it. So soon the British consul Ali also proposed the formation of a new governing body.
"Mr. Chen, we, the United Kingdom, the United States, and France intend to form a municipal committee together to jointly administer this concession area of various countries. And you are a prestigious person among the Chinese, so we are going to come and ask for your opinion, what do you think? Ali Guo asked.
Chen Dingtian was surprised: "Isn't this the Ministry of Industry?" ”
"Ministry of Industry? Well, in the future, the Chinese translation of our municipal committee will go to the Ministry of Industry! Ali Guo replied.
"......" Chen Dingtian was speechless, and the co-author of the "Ministry of Industry Bureau" was still named by himself.
"As for the establishment of this municipal council, that is, the Bureau of the Ministry of Industry, we have discussed with the French and Americans to form a joint municipal council. Our countries will send some directors to manage it, and you Chinese can also consider sending some people to participate in the management. Ali Guo said.
"And the Chinese?" Chen Dingtian was a little surprised.
However, Chen Dingtian quickly understood that this era had a butterfly effect because of his arrival, and Western countries in this era would not support the Manchus too much, but because of themselves, they were already inclined to support the Heaven and Earth Society. At present, a large number of people in the concession are people who have "disarmed and returned to the fields" from the rebel army of the Heaven and Earth Society, and the Heaven and Earth Society has a huge influence here.
Moreover, the Heaven and Earth Society is not as "cowardly" as the Manchu Qing Dynasty, so the status of the Chinese is much higher than in the original history, so that these foreigners will still respect the opinions of the Chinese when they set up the so-called municipal committees and bureaus. The status of the Chinese in this time and space is still relatively high, and it is also possible for those foreigners to dare to ignore the will of the Chinese in the concession and invite some Chinese to join the qualified management. After all, in the 20th century, there were already Chinese directors in the Shanghai Concession Bureau, and later almost half of them were there.
There are many other examples where the status of a country has a direct impact on rights and interests. In the beginning, all the managers of Hong Kong and Macau were foreigners, but with the decline of Western countries and the development of China in close proximity, they also had to compromise with the local Chinese, let some Chinese participate in the management, and even entered the so-called parliament. This is a symbol of national strength and national strength, the Chinese in the Shanghai Concession in this era are far more powerful than in the original history, and the Westerners dare not ignore the Chinese, so they naturally take the initiative to invite some Chinese to participate in the management.
But Chen Dingtian hurriedly asked: "Is this concession our Chinese territory?" ”
"This ...... Yes, but at the moment we are already rented by us! Ali Guo replied.
However, Chen Dingtian said: "Mr. Aliguo, I think this was signed by the Manchu Dynasty, and we will not approve this agreement!" ”
Zhou Xiuying also sang and said: "Will our heaven and earth recognize the agreement signed by the Manchus!" ”
"Mr. Chen, what you're saying is boring, aren't you?" Ali Guo was also a little angry and said.
Chen Dingtian hurriedly said: "Mr. Aliguo, I just want to emphasize the ownership of this land, the ownership of this land belongs to China and will always belong to China. ”
"Of course, I don't mean to deny it! We're just on lease, and of course we're in turmoil right now, and we're going to be autonomous. We have an autonomous concession here, so we have to manage ourselves, can't we? Ali Guo asked.
However, Chen Dingtian hurriedly said: "First, we do not recognize this concession treaty of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, so we do not think that you have the right to directly participate in the management of this concession. Second, since this is the place of our Chinese, and the vast majority of this land is made up of us Chinese, I think why should you directly send people to manage it, directly appoint you foreigners to be managers, and serve as board members of this Ministry of Industry Bureau? Even if you take 10,000 steps back and really want autonomy, then it should be up to us people to elect the officials themselves, how can it be directly appointed by you foreigners? ”
Ali Guo replied unhappily; "Mr. Chen, you really make me unhappy like this. If there is an election, then you Chinese will occupy the vast majority, and I am afraid that the election will be all you Chinese, and how can the interests of our foreigners be guaranteed? ”
"Consul Ali, in fact, I have no intention of infringing on the legitimate interests of your foreign businessmen. I just want to illustrate the fact that the sovereignty of the concession will always belong to us, China. Of course, when it comes to protecting the legitimate interests of all kinds of crooked people, I think it is also appropriate. ”
"But sovereignty belongs to us China after all, and you can't act so exceedingly!"
Ali Guo snorted, "What should I do then? Don't let you Chinese manage it, so we don't worry! ”
Chen Dingtian replied: "Actually, this problem is very easy to solve, it is nothing more than seeking common ground while reserving differences." We Chinese have sovereignty here, and our sovereignty cannot be infringed upon casually. For example, the consular jurisdiction is unacceptable to us, and it is a serious violation of our judicial sovereignty, and we cannot admit it casually. ”
"Then how can the interests of our foreign businessmen be guaranteed? If nothing else, I really can't trust you Chinese judges. Ali Guo replied.
"Mr. Aliko, I think we can still seek common ground while reserving differences. We in China want to fight for sovereignty, and you Westerners want to protect the legitimate interests of businessmen, but in fact, there is no conflict between our demands. Of course, there is one fact that we cannot ignore. Our Chinese and Western cultures and customs are different, so there will definitely be a lot of conflicts. We are looking for our common goal together, and it is not contradictory that you Westerners want to do business in peace and we want to survive in peace. ”
"As for China, we don't have the same experience in municipal construction as the West, but that doesn't mean that our sovereignty will be violated casually. Although China still has some shortcomings, we also have a heart to safeguard sovereignty. ”
Ali Guo simply asked, "What are you going to do?" Could it be that all the directors are filled by you Chinese? I am afraid that we will not be able to accept this, and we will not be able to safeguard our interests. Especially the harsh punishments in your China, which are too bloody. ”
"We can discuss the abolition of these punishments! Those cruel death sentences, corporal punishments, we can all abolish them. In terms of the death penalty, we can keep hanging and beheading, and other cruel methods will be abolished. As for corporal punishment, we have also completely abolished it, and adopted punishment for labor and arrow rain as the main punishment. Other additional penalties are supplemented by fines and deprivation of political rights. ”
Hearing that Chen Dingtian took the initiative to depose the brutal death penalty and corporal punishment and other barbaric punishments, Ali Guo also breathed a sigh of relief.
"But if there is a case involving us Westerners, will it also be heard by you Chinese judges?" Ali Guo asked.
Chen Dingtian replied: "Of course, China's judicial sovereignty cannot be infringed upon. ”
"Can you handle such a complex civil case? I've even heard that your Chinese judges are all part-time, and I can't believe in such qualities. It's hard for me to say whether you will be partial or not. Ali Guo said.
"On this point, I think you foreign consuls can send representatives to observe, and even if you have any opinions, you can directly appeal to the municipal committee, that is, the Ministry of Industry Bureau, and finally the Ministry of Industry Bureau will make the final decision." Chen Dingtian said.
It has always been a common practice in foreign-related cases to allow foreign consuls to observe, and all diplomatic personnel of the country where the defendant's nationality is located have the right to come and participate in the hearing, so it is the practice of various countries to ensure the fairness of the trial. Of course, these foreigners do not have direct power to intervene in the trial, this is for sure.
"Also, with regard to the development of the law for this joint management, I think we can invite Western legal experts to participate in the formulation of the law and give some advice. We can respect the corresponding opinions, so as to ensure that Westerners, especially in the civil aspect, can be dealt with fairly. How about we reformulate a law, combining the characteristics of a law that is acceptable to both the East and the West, and reformulating a law that is acceptable to both sides? Of course, you foreigners only have the right to make suggestions, not the final decision. Chen Dingtian said.
Hearing about the reformulation of some laws that are acceptable to both the East and the West, Ali Guo didn't say anything. Because according to the British system of foreign concessions, the two-track system was adopted. Foreigners use foreign laws, while China has always adopted China's so-called "Qing Dynasty Laws". And when there is a conflict between Chinese and foreigners, foreign laws are uniformly adopted. Therefore, because of this, it was not until the seventies of the twentieth century that Hong Kong financially abolished the concubinage system.
Hearing that it is necessary to reformulate a law that is acceptable to both the East and the West, in fact, it is an important help to abolish this new joint management of the concession, in fact, this is a good thing for the management of the concession, because the unified law is much better and easier than the law of the dual-track system, so that the Lord can avoid the contradictions between the Chinese and the foreigners.
Politics is actually the product of mutual compromise, and if we can compromise with each other to make a law that is acceptable to all, it is not necessarily a bad thing. For this, Ali Guo also chose to accept it. As for saying that foreigners only have the right to make suggestions, although this makes Aliguo unhappy, but now the situation is like this, the Chinese have amazing influence in the concession, and it is dominated by an anti-Qing organization, Tiandihui, so the foreigners have to compromise appropriately.
"However, we are still not at ease, according to what you said, if necessary, you can appeal, but how can you ensure that the appeal is fair. You must know that after the appeal, if all of your directors are Chinese, then the interests of our Westerners will not be completely guaranteed. Ali Guo said.
However, Chen Dingtian still said: "I can't just arrange the so-called directors directly appointed by you Westerners, because I think the ownership of this so-called concession still belongs to us Chinese, just like you Western companies, will you allow a person without shares to enter the board of directors?" People who don't have shares, even if they are capable, can't make it to the board of directors, don't you deny that? ”
"This, cough we are a concession after all, we have taken over control and management, why can't we ......"
Chen Dingtian hurriedly intercepted and said: "Ali Guo, I think you are mistaken, we have not really recognized that this so-called concession is legitimate. However, in view of the special form of the present situation, I think we can continue some specific consultations on the premise of ensuring that sovereignty belongs to China, and strive for mutual acceptance by both of us. ”
"The sovereignty of the concession belongs to China, and there are no conditions for negotiation. Even you foreigners are not eligible to directly join the board of directors of this so-called Ministry of Industry Bureau, because you don't have 'shares', understand? ”
However, Ali Guo shook his head and said, "I can't agree, if we foreigners can't directly join the supreme authority, then we are not at ease." We must have Westerners in the highest authority, and the number of seats must not be too small, so we will not be reassured. So if that's the case, then our city council might as well not be formed, and you can play by yourself! ”
Chen Dingtian said with a smile: "Because of this, I consider setting up an independent director position, so as to balance the interests of both parties." (To be continued.) )