"Japanese... seize this Japanese." A group of idle Chinese rushed over like a storm. Three Japanese envoys, whose faces were pale with fright, defended loudly in strange Chinese.
"We are the envoys of Japan...the two countries are at war with each other. What's more, our two countries are peaceful...peaceful."
Shintaro hid in a corner under the protection of two attendants. He really didn't understand that he had clearly booked a house and came to the Lihanyuan to register his address. It would not be easy for the Lihanyuan to find them in the future.
How could he be attacked by the Qing people for just such a small thing? But when he saw a large number of people without thumbs mixed in the crowd, a chill ran down his spine.
Damn, why did you meet this group of trash people who are bad to the bone? Who in the entire Sijiu City doesn't know that these Eight Banners idlers who are missing their thumbs are already the top of the evil people who can stop crying.
They do all sorts of bad things, including swindling, porcelain, gambling, cheating, cheating, etc. Everyone knows that this group of half-witnesses are broken.
There was a muffled sound, and the head of one of the attendants was cut open while the brick was being pulled. Blood flowed down between the fingers. The crowd burst into laughter, "Haha, well done, these little bastards who dare to assassinate His Majesty." , we have to deal with them like this..."
The Tai students in the crowd had no idea that things would develop to this extent. Why didn't they let us say a few words of justice before they started fighting? What we wanted was to write a letter, not to kill someone to vent our anger.
However, it was simply impossible for the powerless scholar to stop such atrocities. A rain of rubbish crackled down and the three Japanese envoys were stunned.
If it was just rubbish, Shintaro and the others would have endured it, but they didn't expect that there were black bricks inside. The three people were smashed and their heads were bleeding, which looked very scary.
"We are envoys from Japan... You can't attack me like this..." Shintaro kept shouting for help, but there were only a dozen veterans guarding the gate in the Lifanyuan, and he couldn't control them at all.
"That's all, we can't die in vain... fight with them." After saying that, Shintaro pulled out a small sword from his arms and killed the enemy.
The remaining two bloody attendants also rushed forward with their swords drawn, but no matter how fierce they were, there were only three of them. This counterattack gave these thugs an excuse to kill.
"Look, they have knives in their arms. They are not good people at first glance. They may want to assassinate the minister and kill him..." The crowd swarmed up, like a wave swallowing three small boats.
By the time Prince Chun Yixuan and college student Weng Tonghe arrived at the Lifan Courtyard on horseback, the few Eight Banners idlers who caused the most trouble had long since fled without a trace. Only a group of pale-faced imperial students looked at the three flesh and blood bodies on the ground. The blurry corpse was so frightened that it shook like chaff.
Students have been fanatical since ancient times, especially the sour literati who have read too much and become stupid in reading. They always think that they are all-rounders in civil and military affairs, even though they are powerless, they can calm the army and the people.
You wouldn't dare to ask such a person to kill a chicken, let alone kill someone. If you go to the battlefield and really see the scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, it is estimated that the first people to go crazy will be these literati who are stupid in reading.
Weng Tong's friendly hands trembled, and he pointed at each of the imperial students, "You... you... are you going to rebel? The national affairs have become so difficult, and you are still causing trouble."
"Master..." All the students shouted in grievance, "We are doing it for the good of the imperial court. The Qing Dynasty can't go on like this. It can't defeat the British and French powers. Now even the Japanese are bullying us."
Prince Chun Yixuan's nose was almost crooked with anger, "What are you talking about? Wei Chao is very good. If you don't help, we will burn incense... Now the imperial court is discussing how to deal with Japan. You might as well just kill the three Japanese envoys. , this is very detrimental to us at the negotiating table..."
What Yixuan said was not wrong at all. Japan originally accounted for 10% of the responsibility, but when the lives of these three envoys were lost, the Qing Dynasty took away 30 to 40% of the responsibility for him. Now both sides have problems. .
If we were able to compensate one million taels before, but now if this group of students makes such a fuss, it would be good to be compensated 600,000 yuan. Even if you ask Western countries to adjust, people will still have to say, 'You have killed other people's envoys. What else do you want to do, after all, Emperor Tongzhi had a near miss,'.
These Confucian scholars who have been brainwashed by the Celestial Kingdom will not understand this kind of truth. Young people who are too idealistic naturally reject this kind of compromise.
However, running a country is like cooking fresh food. There is no such thing as seeking death between countries or even among various factions within the country. There must be struggles but also compromises. This is the right principle of development.
But the fanatical students wouldn't understand. Faced with Prince Chun's identity, they didn't dare to openly talk back, but everyone's eyes were filled with disdain.
"Everyone should go home and think about their mistakes behind closed doors. Before the court's decision comes out, if anyone dares to cause trouble, I will expel him from school, strip him of his academic title...all of them will leave."
Weng Tonghe was angry. These students did not dare to talk back to the literati leader, so they handed over their hands and went home one by one. The officials of Shuntian Mansion hurried forward to collect the bodies.
At the same time, in Jingshan Qiwang Tower, the meeting could no longer proceed, and the core issue was still the word money.
Prince Gong said in a deep voice, "Of course I agree with sending troops to punish Japan, and I agree with it with both hands raised, but how to solve the problem of money? Now the summer grain tax is still in the hands of the local government, and it has not been sent to the capital at all. Even if it is sent, it will only be more than three hundred." Wan’s appearance…”
"It is said that the country's annual tax is tens of millions, but who has calculated the expenses, wars, river work, foreigners' compensation, officials' salaries... Of course, the Eight Banners' salaries are also a large sum. It is not easy to run such a family."
Ci'an suddenly said at this time, "You all say that the Englishman Hurd is in charge of the customs and has done a good job these years. Why can't he squeeze out some of it?"
The Minister of Household Affairs shook his head and sighed, "The Queen Mother does not know that there are three types of taxes in the country, taxes on summer grain and autumn grain, as well as commercial taxes on domestic merchants' trade, and finally the customs external tariffs, which are roughly divided into three. …”
"Food taxes are only that much, and the three million taels will be the end. After all, land is not created out of thin air, and grain output will not change significantly... As for domestic commercial taxes, they have only been reduced in recent years due to the growing troubles in the south. I have just recovered, but my ability to sustain three or four million a year is over..."
"As for tariffs, although they are being collected more and more, Hurd must follow the rules of the treaty and pay back treaty indemnities to Britain and France every year... It is difficult to get him to pay more." The book was originally published by No. 1 Time to watch genuine content!
