When Li Zhen came to the hall, Qiao Zhiyong had been waiting for a long time.

Qiao Zhiyong got up and said, "President! ”

"Sit!"

Li Zhen asked Qiao Zhiyong to sit down, and then asked, "Minister Qiao, I remember that you should have been in office for about half a year. In this short half a year, you should have a personal feeling for the country, and tell me what you think. ”

Qiao Zhiyong smiled and said unhurriedly: "The exact time should be six months and three days, during the period of serving as the Ministry of Finance, my biggest feeling is that everyone is working hard for the country and making unremitting efforts." With such a team, it is difficult to think of anything. ”

Li Zhen nodded with satisfaction, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

Qiao Zhiyong continued: "I will report to the president on the affairs of the railway, as well as the affairs of the national finances. ”

"Say!" Li Zhenxing said vigorously.

Qiao Zhiyong said: "The railway from Nanjing to Beijing has been taken over by Hu Xueyan, Wang Chi and others, but I have revised certain contents to restrict the rights owned by businessmen. The railroad was built to be operated by merchants, but the final control had to be controlled by the state, and merchants could not interfere. Businessmen who want to use the railroad to do big projects must obtain the approval of the government before they can start construction, and they must not be allowed to do whatever they want. ”

Li Zhen said: "It's not easy to make businessmen obedient!" ”

Qiao Zhiyong smiled and said, "When dealing with businessmen, you must be patient and be able to withstand soft grinding and hard bubbles. The businessmen saw the benefits of the railway, and saw the benefits related to themselves, so they naturally would not give up, and they all agreed in the end. ”

Li Zhen sighed with emotion: "Fortunately, there is Minister Qiao! ”

Qiao Zhiyong said neither humbly nor arrogantly: "This is also thanks to the support of the president, as well as the strong support of Premier Zeng, Vice Premier Shi and others, I can do my best to do a good job in the railway." ”

After a pause, Qiao Zhiyong continued: "In the more than half a year that the president has led his troops south, the country's finances have changed from making ends meet to being on paramount with each other. As of last month, a very small part of the statistics from various places have been slightly surplus. At the same time, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Shanghai, Nanjing, Tianjin, Beijing and other coastal areas have become prosperous and wealthy places, attracting countless businessmen, which is the focus of my development. In the next step, I will make more efforts to develop more places. It is believed that with the development of various localities, the country's finances will get better and better, and the country's national strength will become stronger and stronger. ”

Li Zhen said: "Development is a good thing, but the interests of the people must be taken into account. Development cannot be based on the exploitation of the common people, otherwise development will be deformed and perverted development, which is undesirable. ”

Qiao Zhiyong said: "The president is reasonable! ”

He affirmed: "While cities are developing vigorously, the situation of the people is gradually changing. Much of the land was returned to the state, and the state gave the land to the people for free, and in a short period of time, the people's enthusiasm soared, and after more than half a year, their families already had food in stock. Coupled with the development of commerce in various places, the development of the people has been driven, and now the life of the people has become better and better. ”

Li Zhen said: "It's right that the days are getting better and better, throughout the dynasties, once the people's lives are difficult, I'm afraid the world will be chaotic." In the last years of the Qin Dynasty, the people could not survive, so a peasant uprising broke out, and finally the Qin Dynasty was overthrown; The last years of the Han Dynasty were also the people's livelihood, and the same was true of the last years of the Sui Dynasty. Therefore, it is the last word to let the people live a good life. Even if there are careerists and conspirators who want to incite rebellion, they will not be popular and will not succeed. ”

Qiao Zhiyong nodded, agreeing with Li Zhen's statement.

The two had a series of discussions on financial issues, and Qiao Zhiyong resigned and left.

"Report!!"

A soldier walked in and reported: "President, U.S. Envoy Ma Hui is here. ”

"Please!"

Li Zhen asked the soldiers to invite people, but his heart was full of doubts.

When he was in Vietnam, Ma Hui and the Eight-Nation Coalition left, so what is the matter with coming to Beijing to find him?

Li Zhen's heart was full of doubts, but he had to suppress the doubts in his heart and wait for Ma Hui to arrive.

After a short time, Ma Hui walked in in a black dress. After he entered the hall, he bowed to Li Zhen, and Li Zhen took the initiative to greet him, stretched out his hand and said, "Your Excellency Ma Hui, welcome!" Welcome! ”

Ma Hui thanked him again and again, and the two guests sat down.

Ma Hui smiled and said, "President, as soon as I arrived in Beijing, I heard countless people talking about you!" ”

"Oh, what are you talking about about me?"

"The people said that the president was selfless, and for the sake of the deceased who was unjustly killed, he would rather offend his old father-in-law Gui Liang, and let Zhao Liewen, the president of the Supreme Court, shoot Gui Liang's grandson, or shoot the Shuntian Mansion official who shielded Gui Liang's grandson. Such a mind is admirable. If the president walks around the street, he will definitely praise the president. Moreover, in the eyes of the people, the new government you formed is a good government for the people and the country. ”

"Your Excellency Ma Hui has won the prize! It's just a very ordinary thing, not worth mentioning. ”

"This is the truth, no one dares to bully in China today."

Ma Hui saw the changes in Beijing, and his heart was also full of emotion. It has only been less than ten years, the fall of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the establishment of New China, and China's national strength is becoming stronger and stronger, and it is no longer something that other countries can bully at will.

Li Zhen said with a smile: "Your Excellency Ma Hui came to visit me, not just to praise me. ”

Ma Hui smiled and said, "There is indeed a big event to find the president. ”

Li Zhen waved his hand and said, "Say!" ”

Ma Hui took out a letter from his clothes, handed it to Li Zhen's hand, and said, "President, this is a letter sent from the United States, written by Mr. Lincoln himself, specifically for the President. ”

Li Zhen opened it and read it carefully, and after reading it, he asked, "Do you know the contents of the letter?" ”

Ma Hui said: "I generally know. ”

Li Zhen said: "Let me think about this matter for a few days before answering you." ”

Lincoln's letter was not to ask Li Zhen for help, but to invite Li Zhen to visit the United States. Lincoln also said in the letter that he had already run for the presidency and that the situation was optimistic, and judging from the situation reflected in various places, Lincoln was likely to become the new president of the United States. Of course, Lincoln invited him to go, probably partly because he wanted to use Li Zhen's momentum to increase the confidence of the incoming Lincoln, after all, Li Zhen is already famous all over the world.

Ma Hui knew that the matter was serious, nodded and said: "I will go back to the embassy to wait for the president's reply, and I sincerely hope that the president can go to the United States and see the United States today." ”

After speaking, Ma Hui got up and said goodbye.

Li Zhen sent Ma Hui away, and immediately sent people to invite Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Shi Dakai, Zhao Liewen, and Huang Shihai to the presidential palace to discuss Lincoln's invitation to the United States.

ps: first update; When I went out, I was alone outside.