After Ma Bowen and Ii Naobi signed the "Edo Treaty" or "Sino-Chinese Friendship Agreement", Ye Zhao's visit to Yue Ben came to an end.

In the Edo Treaty, the Chinese promised to send economic advisers to the Shogunate to accept the children to study in China, and at the same time the Chinese were granted a series of privileges in Hizen Province, such as road construction, mining, and settlement.

Ye Zhao did not return to Nanjing according to the original route, but traveled south from Edo to make an official visit to the Ryukyu Kingdom, which brought boiling can be imagined.

Demographically, although the Ryukyu Kingdom was small and insignificant, the Southern Dynasties sent a permanent consul to the Ryukyus, and when the regent visited, the Ryukyu King Shotai greeted him with a courtesy, but in fact, according to the etiquette, he was the same lord as Ye Zhao.

The Ryukyus followed the etiquette of the Southern Dynasties, and like the Korean, Annam, Siam, and Nansho countries, in the Tongzhi era, its king Shotai was a die-hard element close to the Central Plains, and he was deeply ashamed when he was forced to submit to the Lord.

The visit of the Chinese regent to the small Ryukyus had an unprecedented shock to his people, and Shang Tai was even more grateful, and several times affirmed his allegiance to the Central Plains during his meetings with Ye Zhao.

Out of the Ryukyu Islands, Ye Zhao continued to go southwest, passing through Taiwan and Hong Kong to Guangzhou.

Ye Zhao believes that in the short term, it is feasible to build a naval sphere of influence from Busan, Nagasaki, and the Ryukyu Islands in North Korea to Taiwan and the Dongsha Islands.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is also ready to begin negotiations with the British, urges its armed fleet to reduce its activities in the Yellow and East Seas.

In fact, on this first layer of the coastal defense chain, Luzon, that is, the northernmost island of the Philippines, inevitably entered Ye Zhao's eyes, and it is of great significance to have a military port on Luzon to build this defense chain, but the problem is that the dispute with the Dutch has not yet subsided, and it is impossible to provoke Spain again.

In fact, small Luzon is the traditional meaning of Luzon Island, the Chinese population was not weaker than the local aborigines, but with the arrival of the Spaniards, the Chinese were slaughtered several times, and most of the Chinese on Luzon Island today have drifted across the ocean in recent decades, as for the Chinese aborigines who lived on Luzon Island hundreds of years ago, they were basically slaughtered cleanly, the two generations of the Central Plains Dynasty of the Ming and Qing dynasties, all regarded overseas people as outcasts, if overseas Chinese founded the country, they would think that it was a threat to the Central Plains Dynasty, for overseas Chinese were killed, unless they were trade merchants, If you are a resident of the area, you have always been indifferent.

Thinking of these, Ye Zhao couldn't help but feel a little heavy, colonial history is a bloody history of massacres, and it was only in the nineteenth century that Europeans gradually became "civilized".

The gunboat stayed on the island of Taiwan for a few days and then sailed for Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong, Ye Chiu did not disembark from the ship, and the outgoing governor of Hong Kong, Bao Ling, came aboard the ship to visit Ye Chiu, who is now actively trying to secure the post of Governor General of India.

The Viceroy of India, who should actually be called the Vice-King of India, rules India on behalf of the Queen of England, that is, the Queen of India, and compared with the Viceroy of Hong Kong, its important surname is one heaven and one earth, and it can even be said that without India, the shining jewel in the queen's crown, it is difficult for the British to maintain their hegemony throughout the nineteenth century.

As the Chinese became more and more active in the Far East, it was obviously a good choice to appoint an Indian governor who was skilled in dealing with the Chinese, which was necessary to curb the ambitions of the Chinese and maintain the British voice and dominance in the Far East.

met with Bao Ling, but chatted a few words of homely things, and invited him to taste the flower tea brewed by Wei Yue Yizhi, and Bao Ling was naturally full of praise.

Although the British had just protested to the south against the drowning of several Chinese tea farmers in Xinjiapo, it was suspected that the Chinese secret police had sabotaged British plans to introduce tea cultivation in India. But Bao Ling did not mention this matter, and he was about to step down, at least on the surface, to maintain a good relationship with the Chinese regent. Moreover, the drowning of several tea farmers can hardly be said to be the work of the Chinese, and the British consul general in Jinling protested to the South Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was nothing but a trick to shirk responsibility.

It is also difficult for Bao Ling to believe that the Chinese are so sensitive to touch and attach so much importance to the introduction of tea plants in India, after all, Bao Ling himself did not take the businessman's fantasy of transplanting tea plants too seriously.

After a simple supply of the gunboats, they left Hong Kong and sailed for Canton, where Ye Zhao had an important meeting, and the outgoing Prussian consul Bismarck was about to leave Guangzhou, also waiting for the summons of the Chinese regent.

The Guangzhou Regent's Mansion has actually become the residence of Prince Zheng, but the area around the Lotus Tower remains closed in its original appearance, and no one is allowed to enter except for the little maid who cleans it on time.

At the Guangzhou wharf, the governor of Guangdong, Gao Qin, led the civil and military officials to greet the regent, and after Bai Gui was transferred to the minister of agriculture, Gao Qin took over the post of governor of Guangzhou.

Gao Qin is in his early fifties, in good health, when he is in the prime of life, he is also open-minded, he is one of Ye Zhao's favorite generals, and has a close relationship with Li Xiaocun.

First went to Guanyin Mountain to ask for peace to the two palaces, told me about going to the book, and told a few jokes, which made Niu Colu laugh coquettishly, and kept saying "This child, this child ......" It seems that he really returned to the time when Ye Zhaojing was martyred a few years ago.

The Empress Dowager Xigong didn't say much, asked a few words, and was very polite.

Who called Ye Zhao in Guanyin Mountain, he didn't drink much tea, the eunuch and palace maid who were waiting next to him didn't notice it, how could Lan Guiren not notice it?

Even entering the palace this time, Ye Zhao brought more than a dozen guards for the first time, and outside Guanyin Mountain, there were hundreds of guards waiting, and unconsciously, Guanyin Mountain became a tiger's den in Longtan for the regent's retainers, perhaps the most dangerous place.

Back at the regent's mansion, Ye Zhao asked Ama and Eniang to say goodbye, and then went to freshen up, and asked someone to invite Bismarck to come over the mansion.

After taking a hot bath and exhausting himself, in the flower hall on the west side of the Lotus Building, Ye Zhao met Bismarck, this cold German, in fact, because of his radical thinking, was not treated well in the circle of diplomatic envoys of various Western countries in Guangzhou, because he was too out of place, like an aggressive rooster, every time he argued with others, he had to win, which made the consuls of various countries have a big headache when they saw him.

Perhaps, his talent should not have been wasted in such a hypocritical prom communication, right?

"Unexpectedly, Mr. Bismarck is about to return to China, and I haven't had time to ask Mr. for advice on many things."

"Your Highness, you are too polite." Bismarck did not know why the most powerful ruler of the East was so amiable to him, not with the hypocritical affection of diplomatic rhetoric, but with a genuine friendliness.

For Ye Zhao, no matter which front he stands on, the rise of Germany is a golden opportunity for China, and when the Germans break the old power pattern in Europe, China will inevitably be able to gain benefits in it.

This key figure in the rise of Germany was undoubtedly the object of Ye Zhao's great admiration.

"Regarding the cooperation agreement between the Jinling Arsenal and the Krupp company of your country, thank you Mr. Bismarck for your help." Ye Zhao smiled and picked up the tea cup and said: "We Chinese are used to using rice wine to express gratitude, and in private, there is a saying that tea is used instead of wine, Mr. Bismarck, we use tea to make a toast, you can feel the wonder of our Oriental customs." ”

Bismarck smiled, picked up the teacup, touched a cup lightly with Ye Zhao, and said, "Your Highness, you are too polite, I want to thank Your Highness for your help." ”

In the past year, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed a series of cooperation agreements with the Germans, among which the more secret clauses included the cooperation between the two armies, such as the introduction of Krupp's production technology by the Jinling Machinery Bureau, and China's provision of technical improvements in gunpowder and other aspects, the metallurgical laboratory of Guangzhou University cooperated with German scientists to conduct steel material tests to further improve the research on the production of artillery, ship armor and other steel materials, and Prussia sent an army officer corps to South China for exchanges, and so on.

The Prussian infantry has always been very strong, although for the South, because of the training of the Civil War, the progress of firearms, the new military theory has gradually taken shape, in some respects, the Prussian Army guidance theory has been outdated, but the high-quality army officer corps, with systematic combat theory and the exchange of South Korean officers, will play a great role in promoting the regularization of the South Korean army, and likewise, Prussian officers will also benefit a lot.

Of course, because of the long sea routes, most of these treaties were completed in the near future, and it is expected that they will be implemented within a year or two, and Bismarck has played an important role in it, and the greatest pleasure of this Germanic man in the south is to promote military exchanges between the two sides.

"In China, I have learned a lot, and today, I have learned your wonderful customs, and I hope that one day, when I can meet His Highness in Europe, I will treat His Highness with oriental tea." Bismarck's grim face rarely showed a soft smile.

Ye Zhao smiled slightly and said, "I'm also looking forward to this day." ”

…… In the afternoon, he summoned the representative of Enping Wei of Guangdong, and now the Enping Wei is no longer the world of the famous gentry, and the number of places in various provinces is also increasing, taking Guangdong as an example, according to the household registration of the population, the prefectures and counties have their own quotas, and the number of Enping Wei in the whole of Guangdong Province has exceeded 100.

Twice a year, the governors of the yamen, headed by the governor's yamen, convene the Enping Lieutenant General Assembly to listen to the voices of the people.

Ye Zhao summoned Enping Wei, and also hoped that the governors of the provinces would not think that this institution was an ornament, but should face up to its existence.

In fact, Ye Zhao hoped that the development of the Enpingwei system would become a public opinion body, similar to the Western parliament but not the same, but in terms of restricting and supervising the power of the ruling government, the principle is the same. It's just that Ye Zhao hopes that this institution will become an institution that truly reflects the will of the general public, rather than a representative of the will of the big chaebols.

However, there is no such thing as absolute fairness, and we can only try to create a relatively fair environment.

Now that Enping Lieutenant is naturally appointed by the provincial government, he will rotate for five years, and Ye Zhao hopes that the electoral system can be realized in the future, of course, it will be a long process.

Moreover, why does Ye Zhao yearn for the position of the Ninth Five-Year Plan, because he feels more and more that if he does not ascend to the position of the Ninth Five-Year Plan, many changes will not be able to be carried out justifiably, and the resistance is too great, if he can ascend to the position of the Ninth Five-Year Plan, no matter how strong the opposition is, many things he has done can be understood and supported by the enlightened faction.

Nowadays, some changes, whether old or new, may be more of a power contest between the royal family and the royal family, and they are trying to limit the power of the royal family.

And when your own royal family justifies itself as a royal family, things will be much easier.

It's just that with the political stability of the Southern Dynasties, there is no doubt that the tentacles of the royal family have gradually extended to all levels.

The idea of abolishing Little Brother has become stronger and stronger, but it is just that we have to wait for a suitable time.

In the future, how will they judge themselves?

Annihilation? Traitor? The Founding Monarch?

Ye Zhao doesn't care what future generations think of him, he does things but has a clear conscience, if he wants to say that the only thing he feels guilty about may be to Rong'er, to the two palaces, he started at the beginning, without the support of the two palaces, he is afraid that he will not be where he is today, but to ensure the glory of the queen mother of their first life.

Ruisi was also in Guangzhou, and when Ye Zhao accompanied Prince Fujin to dinner at night, he was waiting beside him, as if he was still the clothed servant in Yanjing City.

"Master, Xiao Anzi is disobedient, it's not a thing!"

After dinner, Ye Zhao summoned Rui Si into the study to discuss the matter, and Rui Si gritted his teeth a little when he mentioned An Dehai.

Ye Zhao smiled: "What's wrong? ”

Rui Si said: "This little rabbit cub reports to me every month, either that the little brother is smart, or that his virtue is good, and there is no truth." I can't, so the little hairy boy won't do anything wrong? ”

Ye Zhao smiled and tasted tea.

Rui Si's eyes rolled and said, "Master, or I want to find a way?" He was getting more and more impatient now, and he really wanted to put a white knife in and out of the red knife, and put an end to that little scourge.

Ye Zhao waved his hand and said, "What's the matter if you lose your virtue?" You, don't care about these trivial things, and don't mess with ideas, I know it in my heart. ”

"Yes." Rui Si respectfully agreed, but his eyes rolled, obviously guessing how true and false his master's words were.

"If you dare to mess around, I'll keep your dog's head for you!" Ye Zhao said half-jokingly.

Rui Si knew in his heart that he really couldn't interfere in this matter, but the master was certain to be close to him.

"Go ahead." Ye Zhao waved his hand.

Rui Si hurriedly kowtowed and retired.

(To be continued)