In June, the capital was full of flowers, and the military aircraft department located on Qipai Street outside the Forbidden City was still heavily guarded as usual. At this time, Hu Xueyan was standing outside the Qing Gate in official uniform. Although it was morning, the temperature gradually increased. It was cloudy at dawn, and Hu Xueyan did not reduce his underwear, which felt hot as the temperature rose. At this time, hot sweat was running down his cheeks, but he didn't dare to take off his hat, just wiped his sweat with a handkerchief.

Hu Xueyan waited anxiously outside, but the master, Zuo Zongtang, was summoned by Cixi in the Forbidden City. After the early dynasty, Cixi left Zuo Zongtang to negotiate, Zuo Zongtang had already sent someone to summon Hu Xueyan, but he didn't expect Cixi to let him stay, so he had no way to inform Hu Xueyan, so he had to let Hu Xueyan wait stupidly outside the Qing Gate. After a few years of fighting, Zuo Zongtang seems to have lost weight and aged a lot, but his eyes are still bright, revealing a shrewd and capable demeanor. His body was still strong, and he sat in the parlor without squinting.

"Xiaoyingzi, go and bring the white high heels!" "Wow!" The eunuch Li Lianying hurriedly agreed. Cixi sat on a chair, and the two palace maids were taking off a pair of black high heels. The Empress Dowager Cixi, who is almost not confused, is well maintained. Since the curtain has been in power, her power has become more and more secure, and her mood is surprisingly good. At present, several Han ministers are loyal, and the Qing Dynasty has a thriving momentum, and the Empress Dowager Cixi believes that it is completely her left and right that has emerged from the Zhongxing situation. Sometimes she even compares herself to Wu Zetian, of course, this kind of idea is impossible to reveal to outsiders.

The palace maid changed her into white high heels, and Cixi walked around the ground a few times, and then admired it in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror. "Well, I'm wearing these shoes!" "The master looks good in any shoes he wears!" Li Lianying said with a sneer. "This foreigner's thing is good, and it makes people happy when they look at it." Then Cixi changed the cheongsam again, tried a few pieces, and chose a purple cheongsam before she was satisfied. Seeing that Cixi was full of interest, Li Lianying said carefully: "Master, Lord Zuo is waiting outside, do you see if it's ・・・・・・!" ”

Only then did Cixi remember that Zuo Zongtang was waiting outside, but Cixi would not apologize. At this time, Cixi sat down and took a sip of tea, and said slowly: "Please come in!" "Queen Mother Sheng'an, see you Zuo Zongtang!" "Lord Zuo, please get up!" Zuo Zongtang stood up and said, "What does the Queen Mother command?" "Lord Zuo sits down and talks!" Seeing Zuo Zongtang sit down Cixi and said: "Lord Zuo, in the past few years, you have fought in the west and established great merits!" "This is the duty of a courtier!" Cixi's voice softened and continued: "In the past few years of your campaign in the west, Li Hongzhang and Shen Baozhen have promoted the Westernization Movement very effectively and won the praise of the Manchu Dynasty. The two Neng Chen, Haiphong and the railway, are doing very well, and the Daqing Steel Mill prepared by Zhang Zhidong is also smooth sailing. At present, the courtiers are very vocal about the preparation of the railway, does Lord Zuo also have this intention! ”

"Queen Mother Shengming, the courtiers have this intention!" Zuo Zongtang was ecstatic when he heard this. "Since Lord Zuo has this intention, he will draw up a report and give it permission!" "Empress Dowager Xie! The courtiers will live up to their expectations! "The Empress Dowager Cixi asked Zuo Zongtang to participate in the preparation of the railway, firstly, to give Zuo Zongtang benefits for the purpose of enveloping, and secondly, because she did not want Li Hongzhang's family to dominate. This is Cixi's imperial technique, the purpose of which is to not only let the courtiers cooperate, but also let them check and balance each other. How to distribute benefits is what she is best at. At present, the Westernization movement is already the mainstream, and Cixi knows very well in her heart that these strong Hanchen are all Westernists, and they must add fuel to the fire.

In fact, Zuo Zongtang saw that Li Hongzhang was strongly advocating the construction of the railway, and as the minister of military aircraft, he immediately realized the military value of the railway, and although the coastal defense strategy was important, the mainland strategy was equally important. Therefore, Zuo Zongtang summoned Hu Xueyan to Beijing to discuss the preparation for the construction of the railway. Unexpectedly, Cixi took the initiative to ask him to run the railway, which really surprised him. To say that Zuo Zongtang doesn't understand Cixi's intentions is a lie, in fact, the Empress Dowager Cixi is not concerned about what the railway, but a metaphor for Li Hongzhang's shili is too big at the moment.

After Zuo Zongtang returned from Xinjiang, he quickly learned the details of Li Hongzhang's preparations for the construction of the railway. Seeing that Li Hongzhang's Westernization Movement was booming, he was secretly anxious. Zuo Zongtang was overjoyed to learn that Shen Baozhen had built a steam airport factory in Mawei Shipyard, so he quickly summoned Hu Xueyan to Beijing to discuss. Zuo Zongtang didn't expect that he was just a unilateral idea, but the Empress Dowager Cixi sent a big gift in time. Zuo Zongtang walked out of the palace gate and remembered that Hu Xueyan was still waiting outside the Daqing Gate.

Hu Xueyan entered the room without caring about etiquette, took off his official uniform with three handfuls, and ran to the basin to wash his face. Then he took a sip of herbal tea and drank it dry, then picked up the pu fan and closed his eyes and fanned hard. Zuo Zongtang looked apologetic when he saw him and said, "Brother Xueyan, I'm really sorry. After the morning dynasty, the queen mother left me behind, so I came back late, and let you suffer under the sun! ”

This kung fu Hu Xueyan seems to be still yang, and he is busy kneeling down to salute. "Okay, the courtesy will be waived. I heard that the Mawei Shipyard will be able to build a steam locomotive by the end of the year, you and Shen Baozhen have done a good job! "Yes, my lord, I invested in the steam locomotive factory." "The Empress Dowager summoned me to discuss the matter of preparing for the construction of the railway, and I wanted to make a proposal to the Empress Dowager, but I didn't expect the Empress Dowager to take the initiative. The opportunity must not be lost, and we cannot fall behind Li Hongzhang. Tell me where we should build a railway?"

Hu Xueyan observed Zuo Zongtang's expression and said, "My lord, I am a businessman, if you think about it from the perspective of a businessman, it is best to build a railway from the sea to the west. In this way, the coal and salt from the west will be quickly transported to the coast, and the goods from the coastal areas can also be transported to the west in large quantities, and I dare to guarantee that the profits will be astronomical. "I heard you found a salt lake in Qinghai?" Zuo Zongtang asked with a smile.

Hu Xueyan said: "My lord, I can't hide it, that salt lake is simply a cornucopia, and at present, foreigners are buying it in large quantities, but the quantity of transportation is limited over long distances, and the silver taels needed to lay the railway are needed, and I hope that the matter of the salt lake will not be reported to the imperial court." "I know it in my heart, don't worry!" "Could it be that your lord has eyebrows?"

Zuo Zongtang pondered and said: "From a military point of view, it is more necessary to prepare for the construction of a railway line from the coast to the west. During this time when I came back, I have been thinking about this matter, from Nanjing to Xuzhou to Zhengzhou Zuihou to Xi'an, do you think it is feasible? Zuo Zongtang asked. Hu Xueyan suddenly remembered that Deng Zixuan had mentioned this route, and Deng Zixuan explained this route in great detail.

Hu Xueyan said: "My lord, you are using inland river transportation to connect the western railway line, this idea is too good, your lord is really discerning." "Don't brag yet, tell me what you think!" Hu Xueyan recalled what Deng Zixuan said: "My lord, it is not easy to prepare for the construction of this railway line, there is no problem in raising funds in the early stage, but it is a problem to meet the silver taels in the later stage. I suggest that the railway line from Nanjing to Xuzhou should be built first, and then put into operation after completion, so that the profits can meet the construction of the subsequent railway line. ”

Zuo Zongtang said with satisfaction: "You are worthy of being a businessman, I think it can be divided into four sections, Nanjing to Xuzhou, Xuzhou to Zhengzhou, Zhengzhou to Luoyang, Zuihou and then how about building a railway line from Luoyang to Xi'an?" "My lord, just do as you say!" Zuo Zongtang seemed to have made up his mind and said: "You immediately set off to Nanjing, set up a Northwest Railway Road Construction Company and raise silver taels, and I will prepare a report to the imperial court." ”

The flowers bloomed two and each showed a branch, and Deng Zixuan's ghost hand once again played a role. Sheng Huaxuan rushed to Tianjin and went straight to the Governor's Mansion of Zhili, and as soon as he saw Li Hongzhang, he was dissatisfied and said: "Brother Huaixuan, is your hand stretched too long, I want to hear your explanation?" Seeing Li Hongzhang's tiger face, Sheng Huaixuan knew that Ding Richang had reported the matter of the Hangzhou prefect.

"My lord, I'm in a bit of a hurry in this matter. However, if you don't do a thunderous move, I'm afraid that a civil uprising is about to happen. I know that there are complaints about the preparation for the construction of the railway, and if there is a civil uprising, those conservatives will attack you on the grounds of harming the interests of the people, and I am worried about your situation and whether this railway will be successfully completed! Then Sheng Huaixuan carefully divided the Hangzhou prefect's greed for ink land and the evil consequences it produced, which can be said to be basically a copy of Deng Zixuan's statement.

To say that Li Hongzhang can't think of this, it is to doubt his IQ. Li Hongzhang said: "I have already told Ding Richang that this matter is completely his doing. This is the end of this matter, but you should learn from it and not meddle in similar matters in the future, especially in the matter of removing officials. "Yes, my lord, I will definitely pay attention in the future." Sheng Huaixuan continued: "My lord, Hu Xueyan was summoned to Beijing by Zuo Zongtang, and I guess that his entry into Beijing may be related to road construction." ”

Li Hongzhang was stunned for a moment and suddenly said: "It is rumored that Zuo Zongtang has praised the benefits of preparing for the construction of the railway, and it seems that he has itchy hands." However, it will not be easy to open up new railway lines, and we will wait and see what happens. "My lord! At the end of the year, the railway line from Fuzhou to Shanghai will be opened to traffic, and I suggest that you report to the imperial court and immediately prepare for the construction of a railway line from Shanghai to Nanjing. Once the railway line from Fuzhou to Shanghai is opened, there will be no problem with the profits to support the new line, and I am worried that this line will be robbed by them! ”

Without waiting for Li Hongzhang to answer, a subordinate hurriedly came in and said: "Hurry up and send a letter to the capital, let the adults go to the capital quickly!" Li Hongzhang took the letterhead and looked at it: "Sure enough, it seems that Zuo Zongtang has started to act." You stay in Tianjin for the time being, and I will prepare a letter to report to the imperial court, suggesting that a railway line from Shanghai to Nanjing be built. In addition, a blast furnace will be put into operation early next year for the steel plant to be built in Jang Zhidong, so there is no problem in meeting the steel needs of the railway line. ”

Above the court, there was a lot of discussion. The ministers were basically divided into three factions, one each for the left and one for Lee, and a few conservative ministers for one faction, but their voices were very weak. When Zuo Zongtang stated the construction of the Nanjing-Xi'an railway, the conservatives raised their voices, and Li Hongzhang's faction naturally wanted to look at him, so it was inconvenient to remain silent and express his opinions.

Several ministers on the left impassionedly preached the pros and cons of building a railway. The little emperor Guangxu sat on the dragon chair with an expressionless face, to be precise, he couldn't understand what the ministers were talking about. The Empress Dowager Cixi sat in the beaded curtain at the back, and she couldn't see her expression clearly. After some debate, Cixi said: "Lord Li, for Lord Zuo's preparation for the construction of the railway from Nanjing to Xi'an, the slave family thinks that it is not only to benefit the people, prosper commerce and trade, but also to consolidate the frontier, I wonder if Lord Li agrees?" ”

"What the Queen Mother said is very true, and the courtiers have no objections!" Li Hongzhang has his own abacus, so naturally he will not object. "Since Lord Li has no objections, I think Lord Zuo's article will be gracious." Cixi was just about to announce her retirement from the court, Li Hongzhang stepped forward and said: "Empress Dowager, the railway line from Fuzhou to Shanghai will be opened to traffic by the end of the year, and I suggest that the railway line from Shanghai to Nanjing be built immediately." First, it can be connected with the western railway line, and second, it is of great significance for coastal defense and the stabilization of the western frontier!"

Cixi was stunned and said, "Lord Li's suggestion is good, but it is too hasty, and this matter needs to be discussed slowly." Li Hongzhang immediately wanted to distinguish, but everyone didn't expect Zuo Zongtang to take a step forward and say: "Queen Mother, Lord Li's suggestion is good, the railway connecting Shanghai to the west in the future is a long-term and stable move for coastal defense and consolidating the western frontier, please check the Queen Mother!" ”

Cixi was a little annoyed when she heard this, and immediately realized that she had made a fatal mistake. Originally, it was planned to let the two capable ministers restrain each other, but they didn't expect to let them move in the same step. As for the contradiction between Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang, although there are historical origins, the biggest factor is artificially caused by the imperial court.

As figures such as Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang, they see the role of the railway in the military very clearly, and it is reasonable for them to coincide. Although Cixi felt that she had lifted a stone and shot herself in the foot, but now Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang were the pillars of the Qing Dynasty, and it was the first time that the two powerful ministers had such a unified opinion, which meant that this matter could not be changed.

Walking out of the court, Li Hongzhang left an unprecedented footpath and said: "Lord Zuo, thank you!" Zuo Zongtang also hugged his fists and said: "Each other! Each other! Both sides stared at each other, smiling faces, and history changed again at this moment.