Chapter 186 Li Hongzhang is appointed as Supervisor to Zhili
Li Hongzhang transferred the direct governor and took over the teaching project. When he entered Tianjin, he summoned Ding Richang, the governor of Jiangsu, Mao Changxi, the minister of commerce and trade of the three ports, and others to spend the whole night working on it. Afterwards, he repeatedly negotiated with the consuls of France, Britain, Russia and the United States, and finally reached an agreement to punish the prisoners, compensate them with silver coins, and repair the church. , went to France to apologize and made four agreements.
After the dust of the teaching case was settled, Hongzhang was very proud and said happily: "My mentor, Di Gong, tried the case according to the facts and handled it impartially, but the whole country wanted to kill him. Is this justified?"
Ding Richang said: "I have worked so hard to help Di Gong handle the Tianjin religious case, but the Chinese people say that I am a Ding ghost slave, which is extremely hateful!" However, Li Shuai skillfully used various techniques to defeat them, first reducing the number of twenty-one criminals in Zhengfa to eight; and then using Li Daitao's strategy, he rescued all those who were about to die. Li Shuai's strategy was beyond that of his time!
Mao Changxi said: The reason for this case is that the unruly people are just seeking profit. However, the barbarian officials have a great cause and shot my Qing officials first. Mr. Li is proficient in barbarian affairs, which is beyond our reach.
Li Hongzhang said: The two masters have said that trivial skills are not worth mentioning. China does not urgently strive to strengthen its army and practice martial arts. Instead, it is disheartening to think that people will act arrogantly when things happen and just whitewash it afterwards. They will eventually lose their country and then lose their country. However, the military is a major event for the country, and there is insufficient preparation. How can it be launched hastily? In the case of the church, my mentor Di Gong had already made a final decision, and Li continued to do so.
Mao Changxi said: Since Tianjin was opened to trade, China and foreign countries have become mixed, and barbarian affairs have become complicated. Important matters must be resolved by Mr. Li! If you have extraordinary achievements, you must treat extraordinary people. I have already informed the two palaces that there is no need to appoint special officials for trade at Tianjin, Niuzhuang, and Dengzhou. All Westernization and coastal defense should be managed carefully by Mr. Li.
Li Hongzhang said: Baoding and Tianjin are three hundred miles apart, and it is beyond my reach. In the past, the provincial capital was established in Baoding, which was of great importance. Therefore, successive governors were required to garrison the provincial capital to handle affairs and have an overview of the overall situation. Brother Xu Chu and I each perform our duties, each settles into his position, and both use our abilities, so there is nothing wrong with us.
Mao Changxi said: If you have dedicated power, you can achieve great success; if the wood is ready, the boat can be made. I hope Mr. Li will take care of it.
After Mao Changxi said goodbye, Li Hongzhang said: Western affairs are cumbersome, laborious and unpleasing, so Mao Xu accepted them as soon as he saw good things.
Ding Richang said: The direct governor is the head of the Xinjiang region. If he can also serve as the Minister of Commerce of the Three Countries, just like the Jiang Governor who also serves as the Minister of Commerce of Nanyang, then both trade and administration will be really convenient. When Li Shuai takes office, he should look at the world. Commander Li Mingjian, with the forts as the longitude and the division ships as the latitude, can only capture bandits and steal; if you want to guard against the steam-powered fleet of the foreigners, you must take a long-term approach.
Li Hongzhang said: We are experiencing changes that have not happened in three thousand years. How lucky are we? How sad?
Ding Richang said: At this time in our lives, we should try our best. Wei Yuangong said that learning from the barbarians would lead them to the barbarians; Richang thought that he would use all his national power to purchase or make his own steam-armored battleships, and set up three armored naval divisions: Beiyang, Dongyang, and Nanyang. Relying on the three important towns of Jingu, Wusong, and Xiamen, each group There are thousands of soldiers in the camp, half of them are on the shore and half of them are on the sea. They have been training for half a year and will conduct sentry drills. At that time, the three oceans will be connected and unite as one. The whistle will blow and the vast sea will rise to show the prestige of our country!
Li Hongzhang said: I originally thought that Tianjin was in a corner, and it seemed that it was not a place where governors could stay for a long time. But after hearing my brother's words, I suddenly had an idea. Mao Xuchu's memorial helped me greatly. The general trend of the world is Jifu. If there is trouble in the Central Plains, the trouble will be in the river defense. If there is no trouble in the Central Plains, all troubles in the future will be in the coastal defense. Preparing for the establishment of the Beiyang Navy is very expensive and cannot be accomplished in a day. The first priority in military training is to make weapons. I will immediately ask the two palaces to expand the Tianjin Ordnance and Machinery Bureau first. , and for the remaining vacancies, I immediately wrote to my mentor and immediately dispatched them from Jiangnan Machinery Manufacturing General Administration and Jinling Machinery Bureau.
Ding Richang said: Although the making of utensils is important, the Central Plains has just been settled, and the evils of hair and twist are still there. Li Shuai must not take it lightly.
Li Hongzhang said: Take into account both the inside and outside, and cultivate both the outside and the inside. I will immediately request that the Huai generals who were previously vacant and the Huai Yong who were abolished must be transferred to the military divisions and be transferred to various places in Zhili at the appropriate time. I have sent word of mouth that Pan Dingxin, Zhou Shengbo, etc., will suspend the visit to the relatives as soon as possible. Reorganize the old department and go ahead as soon as you receive the order.
The empress dowagers of the two palaces received the memorials from Mao Changxi and Li Hongzhang and urgently summoned the military ministers for discussion.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: Tanggu, Dengzhou and Niuzhuang trade areas do not need to have special officials. All Westernization and coastal defense should be carefully managed by the Governor of Zhili. Is Mao Changxi’s memorial acceptable? Is Li Hongzhang's plan to expand the machine bureau, recruit troops to protect the country, build grain platforms, dredge rivers, and build additional customs offices accurate?
Prince Gong Yi Xin said: "The emperor, the empress dowager, and the empress dowager have different political orders. The people are at a loss as to what to do. It is better to unite with the governors to share the same authority." Build machinery, purchase foreign guns, purchase foreign cannons, build ships, anything that is beneficial to the country will be done if requested.
Wen Xiang, the Minister of Military Aircraft and the Minister of Civil Affairs, said: To the Emperor, the Queen Mother, and the Queen Mother, Mao Changxi once said that those who are happy about success are the sympathy of ordinary people; those who are fearful about success are the foresight of the saints. He successfully released his troops and retreated without a trace of hesitation. He is mature enough to plan for the country. I saw him here.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: "The music played by Li Hongzhang, Mao Changxi and others needs no further discussion." The imperial edict was quickly conveyed that Tianjin's Western Coastal Defense was more closely related to Baoding's provincial defense and must be managed exclusively by the Governor, so as not to shirk responsibility and accomplish the task exclusively. For the sake of expediency, the direct governor should move to Tianjin after the spring thaw in Haikou and then return to the provincial capital after closing the river in winter. If there is an emergency in Tianjin, there is no need to stick to the system of closing the river and returning to the province.
Wenxiang said: "The Emperor, the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager Mother, and the Japanese envoys Yanagihara Zenmitsu, Hanafang Yoshimo and others have come to the capital to visit. They have repeatedly wanted to sign a contract, but I dare not make a decision. I sincerely ask the Emperor and the Empress to issue an edict as soon as possible."
Empress Dowager Cixi said: "What do you mean by Mr. Liu?"
Yi Xin said: The people of the Japanese country are cold-natured, so you must be cautious when interacting with them.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: "Instruct the governors and generals of all provinces to immediately coordinate the signing of contracts with the Japanese country to finalize matters."
The Japanese envoy Liuyuan Qianguang arrived in Beijing for more than a month and repeatedly encountered obstacles. Then he went to Tianjin and lobbied Li Hongzhang, the governor of Zhili. After several polite remarks, Liuyuan said: Britain, France, the United States, and Russia are trying to do business with our country. The heart is unwilling, but the strength is difficult to resist alone. Since our country is the closest to China, we should first communicate with each other in order to work together as one.
Li Hongzhang felt sad after hearing this, and privately told a staff member: Five years ago, I wrote to my mentor that China has opened the door to accept guests. Guests regardless of whether they are strong or weak, near or far, must be received, and no one can refuse them without exception; with the Japanese state, Good neighborliness and friendship will not create more enemies in the West.
The staff said: The people of the Japanese country specialize in tricks and cannot be trusted easily.
Li Hongzhang said: In the past, rebellion was rampant, Jiangsu and Zhejiang were corrupted, and the Westerners were coercive. The Japanese did not take advantage of the opportunity to invade, nor did they take advantage of the danger to ask for a treaty. This shows that their peace of mind has changed.
Yinghan, the governor of Anhui, hated the Japanese very much. He said to Shangshu: Although the Japanese are a small country, they bully the weak and fear the strong, and they are duplicitous. Our country's sudden contact with them may cause trouble in the future.
Li Hongzhang, the governor of Zhili, had a long correspondence with Zeng Guofan, the governor of Liangjiang. He wrote in Shangshu: Hearing that the country had made an agreement with the Westerners, it had purchased a large number of mechanical warships, imitated guns and railways, and sent people to the Western countries to learn various technologies. Strengthen yourself to resist insult. After all, it is close to China but far away from the West. If you win over someone, it may be for my use, but if you reject someone, you will definitely become my enemy. After an agreement is reached in the future, it may be appropriate for the Nanyang Trade Minister to select appropriate personnel nearby and bring people from Jiangsu and Zhejiang who are familiar with the situation in the East to station in the capital of that country or on Nagasaki Island to control our merchants and people, so as to spy on the movements of other people. By trying to contact and contain them, we can hope to eliminate future troubles and live in peace forever.
