As expected, this memorial caused an uproar in the court, and the six departments were confused. Why was there suddenly a new military branch when there was no trace before?
The dignitaries of the Eight Banners gathered at the homes of several princes to discuss countermeasures. They didn't have any objections. They just analyzed the pros and cons and then saw if there was any profit.
After the empress dowagers of the two palaces saw the memorial, they said nothing. They just chose two sunny days. Cixi was in the Imperial Garden and Ci'an was in Beiyuan. They held banquets for Marshal Zuo and Li Hongzhang.
In the middle, Emperor Tongzhi came out and offered a toast to save his face!
Li Hongzhang saw that there was a way. As long as he was not strictly rejected, there was always room for maneuver in the court, not to mention that the emperor and the queen mother also drank and ate, which was really a good sign.
Emperor Tongzhi and the empress dowagers of the two palaces just listened more and did not speak much. Faced with such a big matter, they all agreed to shut up, knowing that this thing could not be passed in a short time.
However, there is one detail that makes people think about it. Emperor Tongzhi went to Tongzhou Pier twice in a row, boarded the small steamboat sent to him by the head of state, and ran back and forth on the Grand Canal several times.
Even the new Yulin Army cooperated with the steamship's cannon to conduct a live-fire exercise!
This is a very obvious signal. The little emperor did not say he agreed but showed his great interest with practical actions.
This was a serious situation. The Qingliu people represented by Weng Tonghe and Li Hongzao suddenly became upset. The previous plans to expand the railway and the Capital Exchange were severely suppressed by this group of Qingliu because they were threatened.
Now they are trying to restore their prestige in the court through some actions, but this naval plan was sent to them!
This group of Qingliu thought for a while, and it seemed that the Navy was not hurting anyone's wallet, so if they jumped out to oppose it, it would not cause opposition from both the government and the opposition, right?
To offend, that is to offend Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang. Anyway, these two are Hanchen warlords, and the court would rather see them beaten appropriately.
At the end of November, the officials in the imperial court were the first to take the lead and could not bear it any longer. Before the emperor could ask any questions, these censors began to impeach Li Hongzhang for his nonsense, militarism and waste of people's money!
After all, Zuo Zongtang had just come back, and it was a time when his reputation for winning a battle was high. The censors did not dare to scold him too deeply. They just said that he had not returned to the court for a long time, was ignorant of state affairs, and spoke nonsense!
As soon as there was one impeachment memorial, there was a second one. Gradually, the impeachment memorials flew towards the Yangxin Hall like snow flakes. Even though Emperor Tongzhi was prepared, they were still confused at this moment.
"Send this...this...and these...all to Marshal Zuo, then make a copy and send it to Li Hongzhang in Shandong!"
"It's almost the Chinese New Year, these two are really going to cause trouble for me!"
There was a complaining tone in his mouth, but the eunuchs around him could see that the corners of the little emperor's mouth were curled up. It seemed that the so-called anger was all fake.
Xiaosi was very observant and said in a deliberately silly tone, "Your Majesty likes the navy, so let's build it! Don't all countries in the world that are close to the sea have a navy?"
"I'm a slave and don't dare to discuss politics. It's just a stupid idea anyway. When I came back from Europe, I heard that even North Korea and Fuso have navies, but we, the Qing Dynasty, don't have one. How embarrassing!"
"Hmph! You kid, don't talk nonsense. Fortunately, there are no high-ranking officials here, otherwise you would have to kneel down at the Jiaotai Palace! The harem and eunuchs are not allowed to interfere in politics. Have you forgotten the ancestral teachings?"
"The slave deserves to die, the slave deserves to die..." Xiao Sixi quickly gave herself a break, and then went to move the memorials on the desk in person, preparing to send them to Marshal Zuo.
At this moment, Master Fuqing of the Yangxin Sect handed over a sign asking to see the emperor. Zai Chun quickly summoned him as soon as he heard that his confidant had arrived!
As soon as the Third Master entered the door, he saw Xiao Sixi directing the young eunuchs to carry the memorial. He winked at Xiao Sixi, who leaned over and whispered, "Your Majesty asked the impeachment memorial to be sent to Marshal Zuo. I also need to make a copy for Mr. Li!”
"Your Majesty is in a good mood. It seems that Jian Haijun is getting more and more interested. Third Master, please be careful!"
"Thank you so much..." With just two or three words, a large yellow croaker cast by the Chinese Central Bank slipped into Xiao Sixi's sleeve.
The third master is generous in giving gifts. The eunuchs who enter the palace are all gold. The supervisors are all big yellow croakers. The eunuchs who are on errands give small yellow croakers. Even if the servant comes to visit, he can give a commemorative gold coin. It is very beautiful.
Gold opens the way, no one in the Forbidden City can speak ill of the Third Master!
After buying the first-hand information, the third master was confident when he saw the emperor. After bowing to the emperor, Zai Chun gave the emperor and his ministers a seat to talk to each other.
"Your Majesty! I came here just to discuss the affairs of the Navy. They have been noisy for a month, and the court has been in a state of unrest. The threshold of Weichen's family has been stepped down in the past month. They are all here to inquire about information. !”
"It will be the twelfth lunar month in a few days. The rule between the DPRK and China is that the work of the year ends in the twelfth lunar month. There will be no new troubles... There still needs to be an explanation for this controversial memorial!"
Zai Chun smiled and said, "What can I say? These censors almost scolded Li Hongzhang to death, and Marshal Zuo also followed suit! Master Weng came yesterday and insisted that Li Hongzhang only watched others get promoted and get rich, and he became more powerful." Yes, jealous!"
"They also said that even if the Great Qing Navy was to be established, it would not be given to Li Hongzhang, and it would turn into some kind of private army, etc.! My dear, you and I have no different intentions. Can you tell me whether Li Hongzhang's plans for the Navy are public or selfish? "
The third master had already thought of his words, "Your Majesty! As the old saying goes, it is unlucky to see the fish in the abyss, and it is bad luck to hide the wisdom!"
"As a king, if you look too deeply and understand everything, this is not an auspicious thing, and it is very likely that bad deviations will occur!"
"Why did Li Hongzhang establish the Navy? A benevolent person sees benevolence and a wise person sees wisdom. Of course there is selfishness, but there must also be a public spirit!"
"Selfishness, of course, is more about power. Who doesn't like power? Master Weng and the rest of the elite are making so much noise. Don't they have the idea of using fame and public opinion to increase their power?"
"Including Weichen, they also have selfish motives... The General Post Office of the Qing Dynasty has taken over many projects of digging mountains and cutting rocks, and it also requires a lot of postmen to build roads and maintain roads along the way!"
"Chen...Chen also secretly took care of his family. Many engineering teams relied on building telegraph lines. I set up my own company in order to find some livelihood for the family!"
"I have selfish motives and am guilty. Your Majesty, please punish me severely!"
"Hey...that's great. Why are you talking about your errands? They are just some engineering teams. As the person in charge of the Qing Dynasty General Post Office, of course you have the right to make your own decisions!"
"I still trust you... Before you said you wanted to recruit new postmen, didn't I just approve it? I can still tolerate small things!"
"Thank you so much! I'm so scared and ashamed..."
The Third Master is smart enough, so he should remind himself to plead guilty first. He has placed many family members in the Qing Post System, and the wealth will not go to outsiders!
I took the initiative to plead guilty today and seek His Majesty's forgiveness. It will be difficult for anyone who wants to use this to make trouble again in the future!
"Your Majesty can tolerate your minister's selfishness, so why should you care about Li Hongzhang's selfishness? Your Majesty gave you the power, and you will be able to take it away in the future!"
"Your Majesty just wants to see if this navy is useful to our Qing Dynasty!"
