Cixi finally found an opportunity to fight back. The serious food shortage in the capital was the responsibility of the chief minister, and the core of power in the Qing Dynasty was in the hands of the Military Aircraft Department and the Prime Minister's Yamen.
The little emperor has not yet taken charge of the government, and if there is such a big mess in the capital, who will be responsible? Look at what kind of virtue you have brought to this world. Will you still have the nerve to attack the emperor for his young age? Weak ability?
You are capable. If you are capable, you can manage the best place in the capital like this?
Cixi was scolding, sarcastic, slapping the table and staring. All the ministers below were mute. Zeng Guofan, as the governor of Zhili, should be held responsible for this incident. However, today Zeng Guofan looked calm. So light, I even started to close my eyes and meditate while sitting on the chair.
Marshal Zeng was in poor health and old, so he was qualified to sit on a chair in any court meeting, but other ministers did not receive such good treatment. Princes Guiziliu and Yixuan stood at the front, listening respectfully. The Queen Mother of the two palaces tutored the government.
Yi Xin's mouth was full of bitterness, and he overturned the five-flavor bottle in his heart. His hatred for Xiao Letian could be said to be even though all the water from the Three Rivers could not be washed away!
What a tyrannical and arrogant method, and you actually resorted to extermination at the very beginning. Do you want to kidnap the lives of all the people in the capital?
You definitely didn’t do it for a few shabby books, you just came back to show off your power to me!
Isn't it just a fight to popularize the law? Your kid's tail is raised to the sky? Just wait, this is not over yet!
Although he was furious, the panic in his heart was also real. He never expected that the price of food in the capital would be so dependent on the supply of the Chinese.
Of course, as the prime minister, he knew about the import of Chinese rice, but he never guessed that Chinese rice would have such a great impact on food prices.
After much deliberation, Yi Xin was unable to do anything. It was the twelfth lunar month of winter, and the autumn grains of the Qing Dynasty had long been stored in the warehouse. There was only so much and no new ones could be produced.
If there is not enough food, there is not enough food. The Chinese have lost their share of imported food, so price increases are inevitable and no one can control it!
So cruel, Yi Xin really misses the time before the opening of the country. At that time, the Qing Dynasty could eat as much food as the country produced, no matter if it was enough!
It is only natural that people starve to death. In good years, they will eat a few more bites, but in bad years, a lot of people will starve to death. In foreign words, this is the survival of the fittest!
But the country's gates were opened, and food from outside poured in, which suddenly gave the people a sweet taste. Once people's hearts taste the sweetness, they will never be able to go back!
Before the opening of the country, even if hundreds of people in the capital starved to death every day, there would be no trouble. But now that no one is starving to death, just raising prices has caused the whole city to be in chaos!
Forget it, don’t think about that anymore, just apologize first. “I have neglected my duties, please punish me severely!”
"Punishment? Haha... The Ai family doesn't dare to punish you, those frivolous ministers. If I offend you, don't cut off the food supply of the Forbidden City and starve the Ai family to death inside!"
Cixi's mouth was really harsh and mean, and even before Ci'an could open her mouth, she scolded Yixin like a machine gun, either on her nose or on her face.
Those among the courtiers who couldn't deal with Guiziliu all laughed secretly in their hearts. Why don't you understand today's meeting? In name, he was going to attack all the ministers over the food issue.
But in fact, this is Cixi grabbing power for her son in advance!
Let me tell you clearly, Yi Xin and Yixuan, don't think that your merits are so great that you don't take the emperor seriously. First, I will put a few buckets of dirty water on you two and make you stink!
Yi Xuan's face turned red with shame, "I am guilty... Queen Mother, please be at ease. I must restore the price of food in the capital..."
"Recover? How do you recover? Where do you get the food? Are you helping the Aijia during the cold winter? Can you stop the typhoon in Nanyang with just a few words?"
"Haha, I don't think you need to do this anymore... Send a telegram to Lord Long Live and let Lord Long Live solve it!"
Zeng Guofan's eyes lit up and he said in his heart that this Cixi is really cunning. Letting Zai Chun solve it will increase the emperor's popularity. He will tell the people in the capital that your food shortage was finally put down by the emperor!
And how does Zai Chun solve it? After all, it’s not just about begging Xiao Letian. Xiao Letian has endless food in his hands!
Yi Xin knew that he had lost everything. He was completely defenseless against Xiao Letian's evil moves, and now he had no choice but to give in.
"I am guilty... As the chief minister, I have an unshirkable responsibility. I will definitely quell the food shortage crisis within three days! After Banzai returns to the capital, I will plead guilty to Lord Banzai again!"
Guiziliu finally gave up. Cixi was so happy that her heart blossomed, but at this time Zeng Guofan, who had been watching the excitement, opened his mouth.
"The Queen Mother...Princes, I have another memorial here, which I wrote on behalf of someone else. Since everyone is here today, let's discuss it..."
Pulling out a memorial and touching it, Li Lianying hurriedly took it and handed it to the two empress dowagers. Ci'an waved his hand, "Just read the commander's memorial directly..."
"Hey..." Li Lianying took a half step back, opened the memorial and started to read.
"Your Majesty Li Hongzhang sent me a memorial requesting the detailed rules for the establishment of various squadrons of the Qing Navy..." Yang Yang's thousand-word memorial had one meaning: to prepare a navy for the Qing Dynasty.
Li Hongzhang first started with European sea power and maritime interests, deeply analyzed the importance of the navy to the Qing Dynasty, and also discussed the importance of maritime trade.
Why was the Qing Dynasty weak in his writing? In the final analysis, it is because there is no navy. Coastal defense forts alone are absolutely not enough. There must be a navy to protect the coastal waters.
Protecting the offshore sea would at least provide a lifeline for north-south transportation. Food from the south and goods from the north, including the Qing Dynasty's soldier mobilization, would not be so dependent on the Grand Canal.
Moreover, the booklet also clearly stated that the Qing Dynasty relied too much on the dumping of Chinese food, which was very dangerous. The Qing Dynasty must form its own fleet and go overseas to purchase food.
One stone stirred up a thousand waves. This sea power has always been a taboo topic that no one dared to discuss in the Qing Dynasty, but today it was provoked because of the food shortage.
Yi Xin regretted this, he wished he could give himself two slaps in the face, thinking to himself, why do you want to offend Xiao Letian with that shabby book?
Just for a few Dunhuang documents, I got into so much trouble in the end... It's not that it's not good to open a navy. Even at this age, the entire Qing Dynasty also knew the importance of the navy.
But the crux of the matter is, where does the money come from? Zuo Zongtang raised his own military expenses when he invaded the northwest. How could he still have the money to build a navy?
The second important concern is that once the navy is established, it will have to use Han people, because the Manchus have greatly degraded even the combat strength of the army, let alone the navy, which is not good at it.
Return military power to the Han people? Your grandma...
