Ermao's house is located in Suzhou Hutong inside Chongwenmen. This alley has its origins!
When Zhu Di built the city of Beijing, the person who presided over the construction work was Yao Guangxiao, the most famous monk in the Ming Dynasty, also known as Monk Daoyan!
Yao Guangxiao made great contributions in helping King Yan seize the throne. Zhu Di had absolute trust in him!
Yao Guangxiao was originally from Suzhou, so when he was building the Forbidden City, he thought of the skilled craftsmen in his hometown. Through his influence, a large number of Suzhou craftsmen began to gather in Beijing, and settled near the Suzhou Hutong in Chongwenmen.
Hence the place name!
It is worth mentioning that it was Yao Guangxiao's matchmaking, so the large bricks, a specialty of Lu Tomb in his hometown of Suzhou, became the floor tiles used by the Forbidden City. These became the Forbidden City Bricks that were well known in later generations!
The origin of Bricks is in Yao Guangxiao’s hometown!
Nowadays, there are not many Suzhou people left in Suzhou Street, and the inner city has long become the sphere of influence of the Eight Banners. As a powerful supervisor in the Forbidden City, Ermao can of course buy a house in this inner city!
As Er Mao, there were many places to choose from in the inner city. At that time, the Queen Mother and the young emperor wanted to find a house for Er Mao near the root of the imperial city, and offered it directly to him for free, but Er Mao refused.
Finally, after searching carefully, I bought a small courtyard house in Suzhou Hutong in the southeast corner of the inner city. After a lot of money, it was renovated and became Ermao's home.
The Queen Mother once asked Ermao why he had to go so far away to find a house. Ermao just replied that it was quiet and that after Chongwen Gate, you would be in Nancheng, so it would be convenient for shopping!
But these are all ***. The main reason Ermao chose this place is because it is very close to Dongjiaomin Lane!
Now that Germany has been established, Prussia has been upgraded to the German Empire. Taking advantage of the victory in the Franco-Prussian War, the German envoys have reached a mutually recognized diplomatic agreement with the Yamen, and the credentials have been exchanged!
According to the provisions of the Public Law of All Nations, the Manchu Qing Dynasty had to give Germany a piece of land in the capital to build an embassy!
The vacant land not far west of Chongwenmen has been bought by the Germans, and it is expected that the embassy will be built in three years!
Er Mao chose this place as his base. Once any special situation occurred, the German embassy would immediately provide diplomatic protection. He hid in the embassy, and the Manchus could not do anything to him!
Don't believe all the good intentions of the Manchus. These people will fall out faster than turning over a book!
Er Mao hosted a banquet for Cai Bixia in the guest room. A ceramic floor dragon was installed in the basement of the living room. Outside, servants were burning large pieces of wood. Warm wind blew from under the floor. The whole living room was so hot that everyone was sweating!
The house is warm, and the pots of narcissus are blooming beautifully. They are very energetic when placed on the windowsill. When it gets dark, the wind suddenly picks up and the weather becomes gloomy. It looks like it is going to snow tonight!
"Er Mao... aren't you afraid of the Tatars' eyes when you're entertaining guests at home?" Cai Bixia asked.
"Afraid? Haha... There is nothing to be afraid of. My identity has been revealed now. Everyone in the court knows my true identity..."
"It's strange to say that once my identity was exposed, I was safe... In the past, I was called a spy, and if I caught it, I would be beheaded, but now my identity has become an emissary, which is interesting!"
"If the two countries are in a war, they will not kill the envoy, even if it is a secret envoy... On the contrary, I am safe, and they still need me to deliver some words!"
"Things that cannot be spoken openly must be conveyed by me in secret... Now don't say I'm inviting you to dinner. Even if my godfather comes to the capital and I go to show my filial piety, the people in the court won't be able to say anything! "
"I know there are spies outside, so let them see. I had already had a showdown with the Queen Mother before I came here. If I say anything, it will be beneficial to the negotiations!"
Cai Bixia put down her chopsticks when it came to negotiations, "My task is heavy! When the head of state sent me here, he already said that the Manchu and Qing dynasties must cede six special zones this year. Our fortress plan can't wait!"
"But according to my observation, the power of the conservative faction within the Manchu Qing Dynasty is still very strong. Even if Zaichun nods, it will be difficult to establish this special zone without the cooperation of the entire bureaucracy!"
"What we want is peaceful development. We can't just attack them all, right?"
Er Mao nodded, "When it comes to fighting, we can now sweep across the entire coastline of the Qing Dynasty, but we really can't attack along the Yangtze River!"
"With our military strength, I'm afraid we won't even be able to reach Jiangning... We can only negotiate and force the Manchus to give up the land in the special zone!"
"How to force them? Here's the trick... You have to use conspiracy. If the conspiracy doesn't work, it will be counterproductive... Take a look at the secret letter my godfather gave me some time ago. Burn it after reading it!"
Er Mao handed Cai Bixia a telegram and opened it to see Xiao Letian's instructions for the next plan!
The meaning is very simple. The Manchus are not fools. They will not give up any land. Even if it is a concession, they will naturally resist!
Although we have influenced Emperor Tongzhi so far, an empire is not only composed of the emperor alone, but also a huge bureaucratic group, and countless other forces that work with the imperial power!
How can I make them all accept my plan? By bribery? By negotiation? None of them work, we must take advantage of the enemy's fear!
To make them afraid, only when they have fear will they willingly open the door to us!
At present, the biggest contradiction within the Manchu Qing Dynasty is the threat of civil war. The reformers and conservatives are already at war with each other. Your negotiations must focus on the key point of war!
Amplify the fear in the enemy's heart, force them to purchase our weapons and ammunition, and if they don't have money, let them use land as payment!
After reading it, Cai Bixia quickly put the telegraph newspaper on the candle and lit it. "I see, no wonder you asked me to prepare those arms contracts before. It turns out that these are dry firewood for the Manchu Qing court! Use the arms sales contract Scare these short-sighted people and let them know how much the outside world has changed!"
Er Mao nodded, "It's not just about scaring them. This is just one of the purposes. Let them understand how foreigners fight and develop technology outside!"
"Knowing the gap and knowing that they will be beaten in the future, these people will reflect and be motivated to change!"
"And another point, if this arms contract can be completed, it might not be a good thing! The profits of arms trading are frightening. Let's make at least 60% of the five million airship business!"
"Although our Chinese family has a big business now, we still have to make money and spend money frugally... You are a navy, don't you understand this?"
Cai Bixia stared at the candlelight and said faintly, "Of course I understand... Before I left, the head of state had had several meetings with us. In the future, the navy will definitely enter a very terrible arms race!"
"With our little family background, we Chinese people may not be able to compete with the British and American people..."
"So we want to make money, make a lot of money... Just watch, as soon as you show up today, within three days this post will be all over the place!"
"You will stay at my place during this period, and you can wait for others to treat you as guests!"
Is there a ghost in this Ermao's mouth? As soon as he finished speaking, the guards outside hurriedly knocked on the door, "Master Manager...General Cai...Prince Qing Yikuang has directly posted a message to the two adults!"
"Said that in three days, there will be a banquet in the house for the chief steward and General Cai..."
"Haha... Did you see that Yi Kuang from the Sixth Japs faction is throwing stones to ask for directions?"
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