Of course, Zai Chun knew Wan Minzhe's plan, and he was not surprised. But when the long scroll with names written on it was placed in front of him, the shock to his heart was truly extraordinary!
Stepping down from the throne, Emperor Tongzhi stepped across the threshold to the courtyard, followed by the first-rank officials of the empire. The long scroll in front of him was shocking!
"Four hundred thousand...this...there are four hundred thousand signatures here? Are there really that many?" Zai Chun asked.
"Your Majesty, you can only have more but not less... Many illiterate people have put their finger prints on it, so the total number is much more than the signatures... This is what the people want!" Chengzhi hurriedly got on his horse. Shoot the fart.
At this moment, Weng Tonghe said in despair, "Haha... what is the people's direction? How many people here were forced by Prince Zheng's minions? How many people were forced to have their fingerprints pressed? Do you dare to say it clearly in front of the emperor?"
Prince Zheng frowned and said, "I don't know what you are talking about. These are all done voluntarily by the people! They are all real and effective... Sir Weng, don't spit on others with blood!"
"I spit on people with blood! Feng Fu went to Zhushikou to stop you, and you just put your fingerprints on your kidnappers. How many people saw it at that time, how dare you deny it?"
"No! You just wronged me! There is no evidence or evidence, and all your disciples are of the same mind as you! You just don't want the good of the Qing Dynasty, so you stopped the establishment of the Qing Navy!"
"You..." Weng Tong's head was buzzing angrily, "You can open up my heart and show it to all the people! The Qing Dynasty is in dire straits, and there are so many things that cost money!"
"Just in autumn, floods and droughts were reported in six counties in Shanxi, eight counties in Henan, and many places in Shandong and Jiangsu... Millions of people are crying for food! Don't these people need money for relief?"
"There are too many places where the imperial court has to spend money. I can't make money for you, just get another navy! I am opposed to it, and I will oppose it even to my death..."
Chengzhi doesn't care about floods and droughts. "Haha... The imperial court established a navy to protect the Qing Dynasty and earn money. Only when the imperial court has money can it provide disaster relief! Isn't this the same thing?"
"Okay, Master Weng is not very old, why do you keep memorizing things? Can you do it? If you can't do it, please retire and return home..."
"You..." Weng Tonghe's blood pressure suddenly shot up. He was feeling dizzy and his body was swaying. Li Hongzao beside him quickly helped him.
When Zai Chun saw that this was not going to work, he quickly scolded, "Chengzhi! What nonsense! Master Weng is my imperial master, how dare you look down on him? Is that what you can say about resigning and returning home? Go down..."
"Yes...yes..." Chengzhi stuck out his tongue and returned to the court room. The mission was successfully completed.
Zai Chun looked at the ministers, "Everyone knows what's going on, let's talk about it... Don't pretend to be dumb, I will force you to make your position clear today!"
The crowd suddenly became buzzing and chaotic. Under the emperor's pressure, many people who did not want to express their opinions were forced to express their answers clearly.
Fu Qing, Prince Zheng, Prince Rui...these actual beneficiaries of the Qing Dynasty naturally raised their hands in approval!
There are much fewer people on Qingliu’s side, and they are firmly opposed!
A group of older and more prudent people, including Prince Dun and Bao Jun, expressed their agreement to prepare for the establishment of the Great Clear Water Division, but they were relatively conservative in terms of time, hoping that it would take another two years.
The radical naval faction, the conservative naval faction, and the anti-naval faction, all three groups argued for their own reasons and the whole front yard of Yangxin Hall suddenly became chaotic.
From the perspective of maritime strategy and interests, some people strongly demand the rapid establishment of a navy. European countries do not rely on their navy to become strong. Maritime interests are really boundless gold mines. The Qing Dynasty has lost them in the past two hundred years and cannot continue to lose them. .
Some people said that there is still too little money in the account department, and it is best to let Daqing Yuanyang make two more years of money before placing an order with Europe, and prepare slowly!
Weng Tong and the others disagreed. In their eyes, the Qing Dynasty had to have rivers and seas clear, the world was at peace, and there was no county to report famine. Only then could they engage in such a useless thing!
The Qing Dynasty was based on agriculture. If agriculture was not done well at all, it would not be able to do anything else!
The people in the imperial court industry had already objected, but without success, they finally accepted it with their noses pinched! This is nothing more than industry. After all, the factories were built on the land of the Qing Dynasty.
You can't run away or fly. Even if the meat rots in the pot, it's also the broth of the Qing Dynasty! What is this sea? Running all over the world, wealth will always fly here and there unless it is settled, and the final result will definitely be that outsiders are advantaged!
Look, the pirates are coming in the end, and you can’t keep it no matter how much money you make!
Building a navy will ensure safety. It is impossible for your navy to defend such a large ocean. In order not to choke to death, it is better not to eat!
It was so noisy, everyone was quarreling and blushing, and Zai Chun watched them talking with interest, nodding in response from time to time, he really looked like a mature emperor!
Time passed by minute by minute, and it would soon be noon. The people quarreling were all thirsty and licking their lips to swallow their saliva!
At this time, Zai Chun was tired of the endless arguments. He winked at Fu Qing, and Fu Qing understood and nodded slightly in the direction of the door!
Within a few minutes, there was a sudden rush of running sounds from outside the Yangxin Gate. "Urgent call... urgent call from overseas... urgent call from Chinese Star Singapore..."
The emergency telegram from Three Feathers was posted by the Qing Post and Telecommunications Bureau. Zai Chun frowned and said, "Fu Qing... take it!"
Fu Qing took the telegram and did not dare to open it with both hands and send it to the little emperor. After Emperor Tongzhi opened it and read it ten lines at a time, his face suddenly turned pale!
"Asshole... Fu Qing... read it to everyone!"
After Fu Qing received the telegram, his face changed greatly and his voice trembled as he said, "Yesterday... the Chinese naval escort fleet in the Malacca Strait... discovered that Nanyang pirates were looting our merchant fleet of the Qing Dynasty!"
"Pirates fired with artillery rifles... Our sailors in the Qing Dynasty suffered heavy casualties... The Kang Shou, which Prince Li was stationed at, was sunk in the Strait of Malacca..."
"The Yangtze River No. 3, which was anchored by Ninth Commander Zeng Guoquan, was seriously injured and was unable to move. It had to be towed to the Singapore dock for repairs..."
"The remaining six cargo ships have suffered varying degrees of damage, and 156 sailors have been killed...and there are countless injured!"
"Ah!" All the ministers suddenly exclaimed, "Are the pirates crazy? Here we go again..."
Prince Laoli was getting older. When he heard that his Kangshou was sunk in the sea, his blood stopped flowing, his vision went dark, and he fainted in the arms of Prince Zheng.
"Call the imperial doctor quickly...The old prince has fainted...Call the imperial doctor quickly!"
