Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has had a strange obsession with eating. From the Zhou onwards, agriculture became the most important thing in this land. Persuading farmers to be food and clothing is always the first government affairs in all dynasties. Abundant food and clothing has become the deepest expectation in the hearts of all Chinese people. Therefore, whenever you welcome relatives and friends, and celebrate holidays, it is all manifested in a big meal. The emperor is not exempt from vulgarity.

In the city of Tianjin, the governor of Zhili held a banquet with the appropriateness of the landlord. Flying in the sky, running on the ground, swimming in the water, you name it. The wine is also red and white, high and low, and there is no shortage of it. The whole banquet was also full of singing and dancing, the atmosphere of the banquet was very high, and the Nanyang Chinese felt the warmest welcome from their homeland.

"Your Excellency, in the opinion of the grass people. The emperor is rich all over the world, and his weekday meals are also mixed. Why does the emperor eat so ...... today" Li Guanshan held a wine glass, looked at the emperor who was eating with a plate in surprise, and asked Li Hongzhang in a low voice.

Plebeian is also the emperor is not.

Li Hongzhang laughed. Before he could speak, Guangxu came over with a hiccup when he heard laughter: "What's so happy, say it and let us have fun together!" But when Li Hongzhang said Li Guanshan's doubts, Guangxu's face darkened. Li Guanshan looked at the emperor with a long face and Li Hongzhang who was smiling on the side, not to mention how entangled he was. The emperor was furious...... Why isn't this Lord Li afraid?

"How can you let go of such a rich meal, this is still thanks to the blessing of Nanyang's fathers. In fact, I have one dish and one soup every day in the palace. I have to feed thousands of eunuchs and palace maids, and I have no money. There's no way, the employment is unknown. Who made me use such a bold prime minister who dared to withhold the emperor's private money. Guangxu glared at Li Hongzhang angrily: "You are embarrassed to laugh after deducting my money." Even if it is borrowed, it is not even an IOU. It's too much. After speaking, Guangxu turned his head and left. Because the fish bone soup was served.

Li Hongzhang turned around and left, and after Guangxu bent down to salute, he sighed and slowly explained to the stunned Li Guanshan.

As of the end of November this year, the state treasury's revenue has reached 170 million taels of silver, which is more than double the 80 million yuan four years ago, but there are more places to spend money. Railways, highways, ports...... Huge investments in various infrastructures. A large number of officials in the country have to be fed, and everyone knows that eight army divisions are far from being able to meet the needs of domestic defense, let alone fight out. The reason why the Fourth Division is still only an establishment is that there is no money. Not to mention the two mountain regiments in the south. But in order to deal with the threat of the Japanese Navy, the Navy, which was originally a gold-swallowing beast, swallowed all the last funds in order to build new warships.

170 million taels of silver was not enough, but fortunately, the emperor opened a lot of industries. If it is said that Shunfeng Logistics and Pacific Freight are just small money. The two industrial companies of Zhonghua Pharmaceutical and Global Power are definitely windfall profits among windfall profits. The income of these two companies alone has exceeded the treasury income of the entire Qing Dynasty. Not to mention, there are also Asian mining led by the North Heavy Industries Group and so on. A single Dasheng garment factory can feed the entire palace.

Of course, these things can't be said, and no one can talk about the fact that the court is not short of money. The task of the Qing Dynasty now is to pretend to be pitiful and aggrieved, and exchange the market for foreigners' capital and technology. Nowadays, even Li Hongzhang and other old ministers deeply agree with the emperor's borrowing of money from foreign countries everywhere, so why not use other people's money to distribute it to his own people. As for repaying the money, more than 100 tons of gold will be shipped back from Alaska every year after the first day, and the amount will increase every year. The gold was secretly transported back to the newly built basement in the imperial palace in the capital, and not many people in the imperial court knew about it. If it weren't for the fear of being discovered by foreigners, the Qing Dynasty had such a source of gold, and the gold used alone would be enough.

So Li Hongzhang said to Li Guanshan and others: "This time the imperial court used troops against Nanyang. Just to help as much as possible for the sake of you and me of the same clan and clan, this is the first and possibly the last time in the imperial court. As you know, the Japanese fleet will return to China next year, and once the Japanese fleet completes its training, it will inevitably start a war against us. And once our Qing fleet is defeated, even the mainland is afraid that it will not be safe, let alone protect you overseas Chinese. And Britain not only does not sell us warships, but even the warships we order are resold to Japan. Therefore, in order to deal with the Japanese threat, the imperial court decided to build its own warships in Huludao. However, the country is so big that there are so many places to spend money, if you don't embezzle the emperor's private funds, how can you have the money to build warships. In order to support the construction of the country, the emperor has reduced the number of eunuchs and maids in the palace to 1,000, and if it were not for the fact that some people have nowhere to go, the number may be even smaller. The emperor also cut his own consumption, stipulating that there should be one dish and one soup for each meal. The emperor also persuaded the queen mother to reduce her use. For the sake of the country, the emperor has good intentions, my emperor is sage! ”

It is not a secret that China is building warships in Huludao, after all, the Japanese threat is imminent, and it is impossible to hide from everyone in such a big move as the closure of the shipyard. And the secret is what kind of warship is being built, this Li Hongzhang naturally can't say.

"There is such a bright monarch in the country, and my China will be strong and prosperous just around the corner." Li Guanshan sighed: "The Nanyang Chinese have lived overseas for a long time, all thanks to the protection of the imperial court. If the imperial court is defeated by Japan, presumably the fate of our Nanyang Chinese will also sink. Although the Nanyang Chinese could not buy new ships for the imperial court, they still had some goods. My Li family is willing to repay two million taels of silver to the imperial court to base on Japan. ”

Li Guanshan started, and other Chinese also donated one million taels and eight hundred thousand taels from him. Li Hongzhang smiled from ear to ear, and expressed the court's deepest gratitude to the Nanyang Chinese for being so loyal to the country. I didn't expect it, I thought it would cost money to entertain the Nanyang Chinese, but I didn't expect that I had already received nearly 10 million taels of donations from the Nanyang Chinese in just one meal. Li Hongzhang wanted to tell the emperor the good news, and when he found the emperor, the emperor was in the quiet room and had a long talk with an old man.

"Are the Nanyang Chinese, who have been oppressed by the Dutch for many years, so rich? I'm afraid this is all the assets of the Nanyang Chinese. It is a good thing that the Nanyang Chinese are loyal to the country, and it would be good for the imperial court to accept a little to show their hearts. If you want to make your family ruined for the country, you will be ashamed of it. After speaking, Guangxu motioned for Li Hongzhang to sit down.

"The Nanyang Chinese have a small fortune. With the strength of the Chinese in Nanyang, tens of millions of taels of silver are still taken out, please don't worry about it. The old generation of Nanyang Chinese thanked the emperor for his grace. After the emperor finished speaking, the elder sitting opposite the emperor stood up and bowed to the ground.

The elder bowed and stood up, thinking that the emperor would smile and ask him to sit down, but he didn't expect that the emperor's face was like a dark cloud.

"You should call yourself a minister, Chief of Staff Li." Guangxu said gloomily.

Just when Li Hongzhang didn't understand why, the old man was overjoyed. He raised his hand and knelt on the ground to bow down in front of the emperor's feet: "Minister Li Yuchang knocks to see my emperor, long live, long live, long live." ”

Li Yuchang is a wealthy businessman from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It turned out that he was the chief of staff of the Republic of Lan Fang, and after Lan Fang destroyed the country, he fled to Kuala Lumpur. Get rich in business. The declaration of war by Qinghe made him see the hope of Lan Fang's recovery. So as soon as the war began, he traveled from Kuala Lumpur to Pontianak, and finally got on a warship returning home. Li Yuchang has a reason to be happy. It was the emperor who made him a minister. Or in the capacity of chief of staff. He can't be a minister as the chief of staff of the Qing Dynasty, so he can only be a minister as the chief of staff of the Lanfang Republic. And this as a vassal means that the Qing Dynasty will officially accept the Lanfang domain, not the unilateral domain of Lanfang a hundred years ago. As for Lan Fang's restoration, he knew from the moment the imperial court started the war against the Netherlands that as long as there was the support of the imperial court, Lan Fang's restoration would not be a problem.

"Li Qing, please get up." Guangxu was very satisfied with Li Yuchang's attitude, nodded and smiled: "I have heard that Li Qing always speaks to people. Lan Fang is gone, and she vows not to return to the Central Plains. Now Lan Fang has not recovered. Li Qing has already arrived in the Central Plains, I don't know what the reason is? ”

"In the thirty-ninth year of Qianxing (1884), Jiashen year, autumn and August, the chief Liu Asheng died in Pontianak Xinbutou, and the Dutch people took the occasion of the funeral to send troops to Pontianak. The righteous Liang Luyi led his division to fight, and beheaded the lotus general A Chengjian, who held on for several years. was defeated by the traitors, Lu Yi died, and Lan Fangguo ended, so far it has been more than 13 years. But in the past 13 years, has the emperor heard that the Dutch have annexed Lanfang? ”。 Li Yuchang asked rhetorically.

Guangxu was stunned, but he hadn't heard of it. In the past few years, all eyes have been fixed on the north, and he and Ben have not paid attention to the affairs of the south, whether it is Nanyang or Luzon, the CIA is handling it, and he has not asked. But after thinking about it, instead of taking advantage of the battle between Qinghe and the glorious restoration of Lanfang, he asked for autonomy. Guangxu sighed: "One autonomy is to acquiesce in Lan Fang's death, this time we will mess things up." Guangxu turned his head to look at Li Hongzhang, hoping that he could put forward effective suggestions for making amends.

Li Hongzhang naturally hadn't heard of it, as long as the Dutch didn't announce that Lanfang Kingdom was destroyed by them, there would still be a chance: "This time the ministers are not thoughtful, please punish the emperor......"

"Shut up." Guangxu was a little angry: "The autonomy of the Chinese is my idea, and I don't need the minister to carry my mistakes." Talk about the point. ”

"Yes, since the matter has come to this, I am afraid that Lan Fang's return to the country at this time will cause disgust among foreigners. In view of the fact that the Japanese fleet is about to return home, unless we can completely defeat Japan, Lan Fang's return to China at this time will inevitably suffer even more murderous retaliation. The minister thinks that it is better to let the Nanyang Chinese show their mouths first, so as to explore the truth of the foreigners? ”

Guangxu paced in the room a little restlessly, and only after a long time did he say: "It's not proper, the British resold warships to Japan, just to rely on Japan to contain China." At this time, Lan Fangzhen was worried that it would cause Britain to misunderstand that China was expanding outward, and if Britain strengthened Japan because of this, it would be worth the loss. It's better to keep a low profile than to keep it low, and I think it's good to maintain the status quo. Of course, we have to take advantage of the righteousness first. Isn't it a detriment for the Nanyang Chinese? Don't be in a hurry to give, pay tribute in the name of tribute during the New Year. Don't use the name of Lan Fang, don't say anything, it's a tribute anyway. If we win the war against Japan and win the right to speak in Nanyang in the future, then what we will say at that time is not our business. ”

"I think it's feasible, anyway, Lan Fang was originally a member of my Qing Dynasty. Even if the Netherlands says that it has destroyed its country, we can re-establish the state in the name of restoring the vassals. Not to mention that nothing was said. Li Hongzhang turned to Li Yuchang and said: "You should negotiate the list of Chief Lanfang and officials at all levels as soon as possible, as long as you defeat Japan." If the imperial court is sealed again at this time, it will be a certainty. ”

"That's fine." Guangxu nodded: "Li Qing will bring the meaning of the imperial court to you, but you must not publicize it." Li Hongzhang told Zhang Zhidong that the itinerary of the Nanyang Chinese remained unchanged. However, he was accompanied by him instead. You and I went back to Beijing overnight to discuss the matter. ”

Li Yuchang listened to the emperor and the prime minister like this, and he was already kneeling on the ground and crying in a low voice. He knew that there was hope for the Nanyang Chinese.

Guangxu was a little annoyed. From the time I saw these people, as long as I expressed my support for Lan Fang's restoration of the country, every statement attracted the crying of Nanyang Chinese. Guangxu frowned and began to reprimand Li Yuchang: "They are all big men, but they always cry what kind of system." Do you think I really have no selfish intentions to support Lan Fang's restoration of the country? Do you think I'm really that great? You're all wrong, I'm conditional......"

As soon as Guangxu's words came out, Li Hongzhang was in a hurry to give the emperor a look. It's good to know about the money of the Nanyang Chinese and make it a springboard for progress, and there is no need to talk openly about it with the Nanyang Chinese.

Li Yuchang can't manage so much. As long as there is the support of the imperial court. The Nanyang Chinese no longer endure the slaughter of the natives, so there is nothing that cannot be paid. Therefore, Li Yuchang said categorically: "As long as the imperial court can support Lan Fang's restoration and allow the vassals, the emperor will do it if he has the conditions." ”

"Foreigners bully me Chinese. All from the sea. Therefore, my condition is: I want Lanfang to become a barrier for China in the South Seas, and even if Lanfang is broken, I cannot let the flames of war spread to the mainland. This is to put the whole Lanfang at the forefront, can Lanfang do it? ”。

"Yes. Because we are also Chinese. Li Yuchang did not hesitate.

"Good. Your itinerary remains the same. Play how you want, and discuss it after entering Beijing. Just don't leave the wind. ”

Guangxu wanted to leave after speaking, but the guards reported that Li Enfu, the general director of the Hawaiian Kingdom, asked to see him. Guangxu doesn't know why, shouldn't this guy be arranging Cuban affairs in Nicaragua now, why did he come back? Guangxu also did not shy away from the Nanyang Chinese and announced that he would see Li Enfu. What Guangxu didn't expect was that this Li Enfu, who still regarded himself as an American four years ago, came in as soon as he came in to give a great gift to the monarch and ministers. Guangxu asked in surprise: "Four years ago, you didn't kneel when you saw me." Why is this today? ”

"Four years ago, the emperor said that he would defend all Chinese. At that time, the minister thought that the emperor was just a young man who spoke wildly. Four years later, the minister realized that the emperor was not just talking but doing it sincerely. Therefore, the minister is willing to serve the emperor and become the emperor's lackey. The minister in Hawaii is also full of words, and the minister is willing to lead the whole Hawaii to be driven by the emperor. After speaking, Li Enfu said goodbye.

Originally, Li Enfu didn't understand why the emperor had to support Cuba halfway around the world. At first, I thought that I was just trying to make money from Cuba, but after all, the funds needed for the country's development were huge. After a long time, I realized that the emperor's ambitions did not stop there. By managing such a small kingdom as Hawaii, especially with a fleet, Li Enfu discovered that a country's strong strength actually comes from its industrial capacity. The United States is now the country with the most powerful industrial capacity in the world, and it is not good to look at its current military capabilities, but once all the industrial capacity of the United States is converted into military equipment, it will be a terrible force. If Cuba can be used to block the way for the United States to go south and imprison the United States at home, then the industrial capacity of the United States can only become a drag, so Li Enfu will personally go to Nicaragua to negotiate with the Cuban leader. Everything went well, and although the Cuban offensive was weak, it was able to hold its ground. So when Qinghe declared war, Li Enfu returned to China by boat, and he wanted to see with his own eyes whether the emperor could fulfill the promise made four years ago. Now, he saw that the emperor was really doing it. So he sincerely bowed to the emperor's knees.

Guangxu only finished speaking, and motioned for Li Enfu to sit down. Li Yuchang grabbed Li Enfu's hand and asked anxiously: "Do you know about the Japanese fleet?" I heard that you also have a fleet in your hand, can you sell it to the emperor? As long as the Japanese fleet can be defeated, money is not an issue. ”

Seeing Li Yuchang's anxious appearance, Guangxu introduced it to Li Enfu. Li Enfu replied with a smile: "There was an agreement when we first purchased the warships, and no ships in the fleet were allowed to be sold. To be a man of his word, he must be trustworthy. ”

Li Yuchang scolded Li Enfu in a hurry, as a Chinese, he didn't care about the safety of the motherland, but he sat aside and looked at the fire from the other mountain: "If there is no support from the imperial court, how can your small fleet be a foreigner's opponent, and if the imperial court is defeated, you think you can have a good life." You are more ungrateful than you. ”

If Britain had not resold the warships of the Qing Dynasty, the naval strength of the Qing Dynasty would not have been feared by the Japanese navy, which had only the same displacement. It's just that Britain's resale has allowed Japan to have four more new battleships than China, which has to be worried. As a matter of fact, when drawing up the plan for dealing with Japan, the General Staff Headquarters made arrangements for the Hawaiian fleet as a detachment of the Great Qing Fleet. If Li Enfu really didn't let the Hawaiian fleet participate in the war, then the strength of the Qing navy would immediately be reduced by more than one-third. Therefore, hearing Li Enfu's words, Guangxu also frowned.

Li Enfu didn't care, because he had already arranged it: "Just because you can't sell it doesn't mean you can't return to China to participate in the war." The Hawaiian fleet is still the Chinese fleet, and the entire fleet has reached an agreement that as long as the emperor gives an order, they will immediately 'mutiny' Hawaii. Saying that, Li Enfu knelt down and said in a low voice: "Please believe in the loyalty of every overseas Chinese to the motherland." (To be continued......)