At the beginning of September, a clear message finally came from the capital.

At the insistence of Zuo Zongtang, Shen Baozhen, He Jing, Wan Qingqui and others, the Qing court made an adjustment to its coastal defense policy, and the Nanyang Naval Division was transferred to Guangzhou to replace the existing Guangdong Naval Division, which was supervised by Zhang Shusheng, the governor of Liangguang.

The imperial court increased the annual military expenditure for coastal defense to 4.5 million taels, 1.5 million taels to the Fujian and Yangtze River naval divisions, and 3 million taels to the Beiyang naval divisions and Nanyang naval divisions.

As for how these military funds are to be used and how to divide them, it is up to the Governor of Zhili and the Governor of Liangjiang to decide at their discretion.

Although the reason is unknown, the Qing court's plan to directly control a major naval division failed, and it continued to use the old tactics of balancing the Hunan and Huai lines.

For Shen Baozhen, He Jing and Hu Chuyuan, there was another piece of good news, the Qing court approved Shen Baozhen's move, agreed to transfer the Fujian Navy Division to the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, and the Fuzhou Shipping Yamen was responsible for co-organizing, and also agreed to the political and economic reform plan of the Fuzhou Shipping Administration Yamen - there was only one restriction, that is, the Fuzhou Shipping Administration Yamen was not allowed to manufacture ships and was not allowed to operate for personal gain.

Soon after the official document was issued, He Jing finished his post and returned to Fuzhou.

It is estimated that He Jing has a lot of urgent matters to deal with when he returns, and Hu Chuyuan deliberately waited for two days before asking Hu Rong to bring gifts to the Yamen of the Governor of Fujian and Zhejiang.

The Yamen of the Governor of Fujian and Zhejiang is in Cangshan Wan'anjing, and the main shop of CITIC Qianzhuang in Fuzhou is in Nanhou Street, and by the way, Hu Chuyuan first went to the main shop in Fuzhou, and took out 666 gold bars prepared in advance, each weighing ten taels, which is converted into 66,600 taels of silver.

The money is not much, the etiquette is not heavy, but it is a real benefit, and it is dazzling wherever it is placed.

With this real gift, Hu Chuyuan officially went to the Yamen of the Governor of Fujian and Zhejiang.

The time happened to be noon, and when he arrived outside the yamen, He Qigong was greeting him at the door.

Like Shen Baozhen's handling of the shipmaster's yamen in Fuzhou back then, because it was the period of Ding Wei, Hu Chuyuan could only take a white sedan chair, which was still easy to identify, and officials of the fifth rank and below had to avoid his sedan chair first.

When the sedan chair stopped in the yamen sedan hall, Hu Chuyuan opened the curtain and walked out, and when he saw He Qigong, he hugged his fists and smiled: "Cousin, how are you doing?" ”

He Qigong also bowed his hand and said with a smile: "Thanks to you, it's very good." Uncle and aunt are waiting for you, so come in quickly. ”

Hu Chuyuan snorted and asked Hu Rong and his entourage to continue to carry all kinds of boxes of gifts into the mansion.

A government official had already gone in to report, and before Hu Chuyuan entered the main hall, He Jing stepped forward in the official uniform of a second-grade officer, and said with a smile to Hu Chuyuan: "Virtuous nephew, you have made my uncle wait for a long time, I thought you would come yesterday!" ”

Hu Chuyuan smiled and replied, "I thought that the Governor must have a lot of official affairs to deal with urgently, so I only waited for two days. When I visited my uncle and aunt for the first time, I didn't dare to slack off in the slightest. ”

"Hmm!"

He Jing nodded slightly, feeling that Hu Chuyuan was still very thoughtful.

Because it will be a family in the future, He Jing introduced his wife to the situation, and after being polite, they went back to the flower hall to eat together.

Hu Chuyuan's aunt is also a gorgeous lady who is one in a hundred, tall, charming, and full of jewels. He looks like he is only about 30 years old, with a melon seed face and green eyebrows.

Looking at her appearance, Hu Chuyuan believed that the eldest daughter married by the third child would not be far behind.

Of course, the daughters couldn't come out to meet people, and even He Jing's wife had to avoid the table, and only He Jing, Hu Chuyuan and He Yougong were at the table.

As soon as they had two drinks, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a girl of thirteen or fourteen years old hurriedly ran in, innocent, but also full of a bright and witty charm, with a crescent moon face, fair and soft skin, big eyes, and a quiet spring, both clever and beautiful.

When she entered the flower hall of the yamen, she chuckled and said, "Dad, I want to see my brother-in-law, brother-in-law, you have to give me gift money." ”

As soon as he heard this, He Jing's face sank halfway, but he was reluctant to blame.

He put down the chopsticks and said, "Xiaomei, don't admit your mistake in the future, this is your eldest sister's eldest brother-in-law, you have to call him brother, not brother-in-law!" ”

He really wanted Hu Chuyuan to be his son-in-law, but unfortunately, Hu Chuyuan couldn't obey it, so he chose the third child of the Hu family in desperation, and he still doesn't know the specific character and talent, but even if he is outstanding, it must be far inferior to Hu Chuyuan!

When he said this, his old tears flowed into his stomach and he regretted it.

"Oh!" The girl couldn't help but hum in disappointment, and asked again, "Is there any gift money?" ”

"You kid ......!" He Jing was anxious to stomp his feet, thinking, tutoring failed, failure, how can he only recognize money?

Hu Chuyuan smiled and said: "Sister Xiaomei, my brother really doesn't have any money on him, here is a jade jade pendant, do you want it?" ”

Saying this, he took off a piece of dark green, red, yellow, jade, and jade pendant pinned to his belt and gave it to this sister named He Xiaomei, he vaguely remembered that it was this candidate that Zuo Zongtang wanted to recommend.

Damn, he shuddered when he thought about this, how old it is, a group of old beasts really can't bear it.

This is clearly the Lori of Lori.

He Xiaomei was not polite at all, she happily took the jade pendant in her hand, and pulled it tightly, and said with a smile: "My mother said that the foam spit out of your body is gold, and this jade pendant must be a good thing!" ”

I'm faint!

Hu Chuyuan was speechless for a while, thinking, what kind of tutor is this?

Fail...... He Jing also sighed in his heart, thinking, this sect is too a failure!

He Xiaomei didn't care what the adults were planning, they ran away when they got the good things, and disappeared as soon as they slipped away.

He Jing hurriedly got up and said to Hu Chuyuan: "Don't mind, nephew, my uncle has been busy with official business all year round and has not been able to strictly discipline his little daughter. ”

Hu Chuyuan smiled and said, "It's good, it's cute!" ”

He Jing smiled and didn't say anything more.

When the luncheon was over, He Jing asked Hu Chuyuan to go to the study to talk about business.

After entering the study and closing the door, He Jing asked Hu Chuyuan with a smile: "Virtuous nephew, you are a smart person, guess why the imperial court gave up direct control of the water division again?" ”

Hu Chuyuan said with a smile: "I have been thinking about this matter for several days, but I really didn't guess it!" ”

He Jing snorted and said, "That's not simple, Shen Baozhen and I jointly recommended Rong Lu to be the commander of the Beiyang Naval Division...... Haha, Li Hefei's tail was exposed! ”

That's ......!

Hu Chuyuan sighed in his heart, he understood.

He Jing and Shen Baozhen deliberately retreated to advance, so they gave the Manchurians the opportunity to control the Beiyang Naval Division, but how could Li Hongzhang agree?

Who is Li Hongzhang...... What you say is better than what you sing, and what you sing is better than what you do.

On the surface, he has always been in favor of Prince Gong and Wang Yi, and wants to work hard with the Qing court to establish a Beiyang naval division under the direct control of the imperial court, but in terms of actual personnel arrangements, he still has to use his own Huai Department of the old department.

He Jing and Shen Baozhen strongly recommended Rong Lu, and Rong Lu was not familiar with military affairs and coastal defense, so Li Hongzhang naturally had a thousand reasons to refute, but each of them was extremely hypocritical in the eyes of the Manchurian magnates.

Well, then it's just the old way.

Hu Chuyuan understood it at one point, and He Jing smiled: "This is really a good way!" ”

"As long as it's a fox, there will always be times when its tail is exposed, anyway, the matter has been decided, and we can rest assured." He Jing smiled, but reprimanded with some dissatisfaction: "I heard that you have a lot of actions in the Fuzhou Ship Administration Yamen...... There is something wrong with this matter, after all, most of them are Lord Shen's old department, but fortunately, he doesn't mind. If he takes the opportunity to sue you, I think you'll be choked enough. ”

Hu Chuyuan nodded slightly, and said: "I have thought about this matter many times in advance, if it is someone else's old department, I really dare not move." Lord Shen is different, he is a person who really understands things, understands the righteousness, and will definitely understand the necessity of my surname. ”

He Jing had to nod and said, "Indeed, when Shen Baozhen heard that you had dismissed so many officials, not only did he not blame him, but instead told me that you are indeed courageous, and said that Lord Zhongtang did not look at the wrong person. However, this is a very risky thing after all, and it should not be done in the future. Besides, if the imperial court wants to transfer you to other yamen in the future, how can others agree? ”

Even the wise can make mistakes.

Hu Chuyuan didn't think about this, the officialdom of the late Qing Dynasty was complicated, there were many party henchmen, and officials from all over the country formed their own factions, and the slightest negligence would offend a lot of people.

Not to mention anything else, with Zuo Zongtang's power, he had to be extra cautious in the face of Wu Yuanbing, the governor of Jiangsu, for fear of offending the few bigwigs of the Henan faction.

Seeing that Hu Chuyuan was silent, He Jing thought that he had reprimanded him too much, and he was afraid that it would make him unhappy, so he relaxed his tone and said: "Of course, you are still very beautiful in this matter, Lord Zhongtang is very happy, and Wan Qingqu Lao Shangshu is also full of praise, saying that you are a wise fight." But after all, they are outsiders, they only care about it for a while, you and I are a family, I can count on you to be prosperous and high-class! ”

He Jing knows...... Hu Chuyuan is too important to him, since he failed to marry his daughter to him, he has to be kind and generous, try to win over him everywhere, and it is even more taboo to reprimand loudly.

Hu Chuyuan smiled and said, "Uncle, I really haven't thought about such a thing as an official residence, right now, I just want to help you handle the affairs of the Fuzhou Ship Administration Yamen properly." You may feel a little hasty and hasty, but I have no choice, if I want to get results as soon as possible, if I want to make big results during your tenure, I have to be ruthless and fast! ”

Hearing this, He Jing couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief again, and he was also happy in his heart, and said with a smile: "Actually...... I understand it too. Don't worry, I have already dealt with this matter for you with Lord Zhongtang, and several officials who are tougher in the background have filled the vacancies, and the rest of the people, I also sent someone to say hello, whoever dares to play tricks, then don't blame the governor for turning his face and being ruthless. ”

Hu Chuyuan smiled: "Thank you, uncle." ”

He Jing also smiled and said, "The effect of your matter is real, and this move alone will restrain the yamen." It's just that...... I'm afraid it won't last that long, right? ”

Hu Chuyuan knew what he was worried about, the officials were all going to be fat and shortage, and they were all going to get gray income, so they were all shocked at once, and they were all at peace for the time being, and they didn't know what else would happen in the future.

Hu Chuyuan also told He Jing about his other tricks, and after analyzing the pros and cons, he directly contributed only 50,000 or 60,000 taels of silver per year, and the savings for the yamen were far more than 300,000 taels.

Most importantly, these officials can also be firmly controlled by him.

Hearing this, He Jing was secretly surprised, although he knew that Hu Chuyuan was very rich, this kind of usage was still very bold and thoughtful.

"Okay, uncle knows that your ability is by no means comparable to Ding Yuechang and Wu Zancheng. We must be cautious about this matter and do not let outsiders know about it, so as not to gossip about others...... Of course, Uncle will also help you pay attention. ”

He Jing nodded slightly, praised it, admonished him, and said: "Now that everything has been decided, I want you to leave for the Western Kingdom immediately and buy two ironclad ships for our Fujian Navy, I can't tell you how much it costs, I'll leave these things to you!" ”

Hu Chuyuan nodded and said, "Uncle, don't worry, I know it all in my heart." Ye Wenlan and I raised 1.84 million taels of silver in Fujian and Zhejiang, and in addition, I temporarily borrowed 2 million taels of silver from CITIC Bank, which is enough to buy a ship! ”

He Jing was taken aback and asked, "Why do you want so much money?" ”

Hu Chuyuan said: "I expect to buy six ships, purchase them separately in various countries, and not let one franchise, and also re-purchase the machinery and equipment of the shipyard yamen." I have planned that within three years, we will make the Harbour Yamen look new, and at least build a 1,000-ton steel ship and a 2,000-ton wooden ship. Within ten years, the yamen will be able to build ironclad ships with a displacement of 5,000 tons. At that time, everything from armor, iron plates, wheels, boilers to artillery will have to be produced in-house. ”

He Jing smiled and said: "I also know the proposal you told Lord Shen, Lord Shen is full of praise, and Prince Gong recommended you, saying that you will be the first person to handle coastal defense and shipping yamen." Now, the Fujian Navy Division is under the jurisdiction of the Governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, and the level of the Ship Master Yamen will inevitably be downgraded. However, this Harbour Master may not be on a par with the previous Harbour Master. ”

Hu Chuyuan said: "This is not an important matter! ”

He Jing said: "You don't mind, so when will you be able to leave?" ”

Hu Chuyuan thought for a while and said, "It's just a few days, but I have to go back to Shanghai to arrange some things first, and choose a few suitable people to go together." ”

He Jing said: "Of course. ”

Taking this opportunity, Hu Chuyuan also talked about the matter of the Ship Master School, wanting to increase the manufacturing classes of German and English majors, and in addition, he also wanted to take some people to Europe for internship and study, and the specific matters were arranged by him.

He Jing didn't intend to ask these people, and he was convinced of Hu Chuyuan's ability, so he just agreed one by one and let Hu Chuyuan handle it.

Of course, it is very good to have such support, and Hu Chuyuan is also very happy.

After saying this, He Jing said again: "Before I went back to Fuzhou, Lord Shen told me about one thing, he once entrusted Li Hongzhang to purchase five mosquito boats, the funds were funded by the Liangjiang Yamen, and now he is about to return to China. Recently, I heard what Li Hongzhang meant, and it was clear that he wanted to use the sword of Shangfang in Beiyang, which was hosted by the imperial court, to intercept five mosquito boats for his own use, and then exchange several old ships of the Beiyang Naval Division for the Fujian Naval Division. ”

Hu Chuyuan knows this matter very well, the five mosquito boats with the number of towns are not important, the important thing is the pipe belts on the ship, Lin Taizeng, Liu Buchan, Ye Zuqi, Lin Yongsheng and others are all on it.

He nodded and said, "If I can meet them on the way, I will make arrangements." ”

The two also discussed this matter secretly, and waited until the evening before Hu Chuyuan left the governor's yamen.