Episode 68 It's not bad to play politics

As expected, Zhu Yourong's speech in the evening caused a strong response from all walks of life in the Ming Dynasty and the world, and the cabinet was surprisingly calm.

After the speech that night, the cabinet officials became the targets of media reporters. When the ministers went in and out of the official residence and various government departments, they were "wooed" by a large group of reporters, who asked them "how do you feel about Her Majesty's decision as a member of the current cabinet?" Although these cabinet ministers were all very sudden and had never met together beforehand, they all behaved surprisingly consistently, and they were all very low-key and simple, basically saying that this is the trend of the world and the general trend, and that it is of great benefit to the long-term prosperity and strength of the Ming Dynasty and the happiness of the people, and that they respect the decision of Her Majesty the Empress.

Then, the ministers were still busy with their own work, working overtime, going home and going home, and they didn't get together for a meeting or anything. None of the ministers are fools. They know that no matter whether they are happy or not, they must not openly oppose such a popular decision. This is especially true of Her Majesty's decision.

A few hours later, the newspapers and magazines went out. Although it was already late, Zhu Yourong still asked people to buy a few copies from outside.

Lying on the bed, she looked at the issues of the major newspapers, the comments on them, and the reactions of the ministers, and suddenly felt a little guilty. She suddenly felt a little sorry for these cabinet ministers. They usually work so hard, support themselves so much, and share how much work for themselves to govern the country, but for such a big matter, I didn't even discuss it with them in advance. As a minister, I only found out about it by listening to the radio......

Zhu Yourong put down the newspaper and turned off the light with mixed feelings.

Something I've wanted to do for a long time, I finally did it today. She felt a lot more relaxed. But...... What does the future hold? Will it be as you expected?

……

At the same time, at 12 o'clock midnight on July 4, a fleet of troops was quietly dispatched from the Sasebo Military Port on the northwest tip of Japan's Kyushu Island. The flagship of this fleet was the battleship Fuso; The fleet consisted of two heavy cruisers, Myoko and Mogami; and a light cruiser, the Nagara; There are also twelve destroyers.

After leaving the port, the fleet turned northeast, passed through the Tsushima Strait, and silently entered the Sea of Japan.

The pilot ship turned around and returned to the sea, and finally signaled to the flagship Fuso with lights: I wish the flag a victory!

The Fuso also signaled with a light in the dark: Thank you!

The sixteen warships all turned off their lights and sailed in darkness, silently sailing north between the pitch-black sea and sky. Except for the white waves that constantly rushed onto the deck, everything else was black. The fleet maintained strict radio silence, but on the warships, various passwords were heard one after another on the loudspeakers, and the Japanese sailors were full of energy and high morale, repeating various orders loudly, and were busy with enthusiasm in their respective posts.

Everyone in the fleet knew that the long-awaited day had come. They were also very confident that the Japanese fleet would be able to win the battle. They usually train so hard, and they also know that their training intensity is far higher than that of the Ming sailors, and they will definitely be able to win even if they are one-on-one. What's more, now the Japanese fleet has an advantage in numbers and tonnage?

……

The next morning, on the other side of the world, Washington, D.C., was on the evening of July 4. U.S. President Roosevelt really got a lot of "ammunition", and in a radio speech to the whole United States, he loudly called for doing everything possible to support Daming. Of course, he did not openly call for a change in the Neutrality Act. Because this is a speech to the people of the United States, not to Congress. Although there is no direct reference to the Neutrality Act, the rhetoric is very strong. Whether it is Zhu Yourong, Xiang Xiaoqiang or the top military officials, as long as they are listening to the radio at this time, they are all starting to be more optimistic.

In the morning, Zhu Yourong took the initiative to convene a cabinet meeting. She knew that at this time, the cabinet was in an awkward situation, and it was not easy to take the initiative to come to the monarch to say something. And such a decision of great importance to the state cannot be made without convening a cabinet meeting.

"Ladies and gentlemen...... Zhu Yourong said with a smile and a somewhat apologetic smile, "Everyone knows my decision...... Some people must feel that the timing is not very appropriate to propose it at this time, after all, we are still at war...... But if you think about it, the reform of universal suffrage has also been put on the agenda many times over the years, but it has been taken off the agenda many times...... Why? Because there are always things happening, and when something happens, the cabinet at the time, whether it is the cabinet or all sides, thinks that the time is not right......

"So for so many years, it has been delayed again and again, and it has been circulating in the circle of 'preparing for implementation - something happening - canceling preparations - preparing for implementation - something happening - canceling preparations...... Until one day I finally understood that such a big country will always encounter things constantly. Moreover, the current international situation is becoming more and more tense, and the external environment is generally deteriorating in Europe and Asia. Expecting a completely calm environment is, at least in the short term, impossible. If you don't want to reform, you can find 10,000 reasons to delay. If you want to reform, one reason is enough.

"The reason why I decided to prepare for universal suffrage during the war was to boost the morale of the people, to give them a promise, and to make the people more cohesive during the war. Second, it is also to win a more favorable international environment for Daming. As for the actual implementation...... Well, as I said, it will have to wait until the war is over. In this way, we can have the support of the people and the international community, but still have a stable government, and there will be no instability during the transition period. It can be said that during the war, we reaped the benefits of reform and avoided the disadvantages of reform. Well...... This is my idea, what do you think? ”

The ministers looked at each other, but no one spoke. Many people thought in their hearts: Yes, the benefits are all for you, take our cabinet to cut the knife, and ask us what we think? What can we think? I didn't even say hello in advance, and announced it directly...... The morale of the people has been raised, have you ever thought about the morale of our cabinet?

Zhu Yourong looked at the ministers below and found that there was really some "low morale", she smiled, and was about to throw out the "meat bun" that Xiaoqiang discussed with her.

She laughed:

"Huh...... Ladies and gentlemen, I think so. At present, some of the cabinet countries in the world that have adopted the system of universal suffrage have implemented a system of limited term of office for the cabinet, that is, the constitution stipulates that after each cabinet has served one, two, or three terms, it must be replaced...... Some countries have a non-limited term system, which means that as long as your party can maintain a majority in parliament, you can stay in power...... I think that the reform of the Ming Dynasty has not been long in time, and it is now in an eventful season, so we should not move too fast...... Moreover, in the case of European countries, there is no clear advantage of limiting the term of office......

"Therefore, I think it is better for Daming not to engage in term limits. In this way, as long as the party represented by the Aiqing can have a majority in the National Assembly, then the Aiqing can remain in power indefinitely. …… Hehe, the only thing that has changed is that now you need to follow my wishes, and I will not remove you. In the future, you will only have to do as the people wish. ”

As soon as Zhu Yourong said this, sure enough, the ministers present turned their bodies in their chairs and looked at each other, their faces obviously relieved. Many people have also started to drink tea and smoke more naturally.

Before, these ministers were already very cold-hearted, thinking that even if they did a good job, they would definitely step down in a few years. Now, as long as we can maintain a majority in the Diet, we can continue to govern indefinitely, as we did before.

And if it is to "fight for seats" in the parliament, then the current "Donglin Party" can soon be transformed into a formal political party. Moreover, "Donglin" is a towering tree that has been around for hundreds of years, with the largest number of people and the largest number of supporters in all walks of life, and it covers almost all the elites and most of the intellectuals. At present, the non-governmental political organizations and opposition parties in the Ming Dynasty are numerous and scattered, and none of them can compete with the Donglin Party in terms of quality or quantity.

The point is that the only people who are likely to run for parliament and elect seats are the elites. Either intellectuals or entrepreneurs. Those who only have a primary school education and are still running for three meals a day will not be able to come out and run for parliament. And those who may come out to run for parliament all have a deep identification with the "Donglin" brand.

Shen Rongxuan, looking at everyone, smiled, and said:

"Your Majesty, the ministers also understand that Your Majesty, as the king of a country, is willing to make such a sacrifice for the long-term sake of the Ming Dynasty. And what about the ministers? The ministers are willing to follow His Majesty and dedicate everything for the long-term prosperity of the Ming Dynasty and the well-being of the Ming people. ”

……

The Cabinet meeting ended in the morning. It went smoothly and was very kind. - There is nothing to decide, just a "ventilation meeting", and Her Majesty the Empress and Shen Rongxuan have both spoken, so there is no dispute.

After Xiang Xiaoqiang and Zhu Yourong talked on the phone, they were also in a good mood. He was glad that there were no major differences between the royal family and the cabinet and that an agreement had been reached so quickly. Then he has to focus on three things:

The first is to continue to monitor the Japanese side, and at the same time continue to maintain close contact with the navy, and "call on them" to prevent the recurrence of the Pearl Harbor tragedy in the Ming Dynasty. No, it should be to prevent early staging.

The second is to urge the Lanzhou investigation team to step up its investigation, and at the same time, it is best not to hinder the use of troops in the northwest. At present, Zhao Cunnian has been secretly monitored. It stands to reason that the investigation team was very secretive, and he would not have found out. But even if he found out, he wouldn't be able to run.

The third is to look for an opposition political party and quietly support it. At present, Daming is indeed the dominant party in Donglin, and it belongs to the "elite party". Now Daming needs a "grassroots party" that can effectively balance the Donglin Party. Now that I am a public official and a soldier, I must not openly engage in politics. But one of the parties can be supported or led by proxy. can let his mother-in-law Shang Xiaojun or his father-in-law Qiu Laohu do this thing. This is not as strict as economic issues, unlike being in charge of the Ming Army's costume change and your own family members can't touch the stocks of related companies. Although he is now an army general, as long as his family is not in public office, he can openly and legally devote himself to politics. — and funding is not an issue at all.

Once you marry the empress and hand over the military power, in addition to controlling a huge consortium, you can also indirectly control a political party - leading troops is too boring, and it is good to try to play politics.