Chapter 190 Emperor Tongzhi went his own way (2)
As soon as Emperor Tongzhi's order was issued, the minister Guiqing and the censor Shen Huai immediately went to Shu to dissuade him.
Li Hongzao, the emperor's advisor and minister of military aircraft, made a direct comment: Guangdong is flat at first, but the flames of fennel are blazing; it is not appropriate for the emperor to use useful wealth to put it into useless land. I look at the world, although it is also brilliant, but on the day when my emperor perfects it, great chaos may arise.
Emperor Tongzhi said angrily: You all have parents. Do you dare to disobey your parents? I am doing my best to show my filial piety. What do you mean, Uncle Six Emperors?
Prince Gong Yixin said: "To report to the emperor, I think that if the money from the ministry's reserves is not used, some repairs can be made." The servant immediately donated 20,000 taels of silver to make up for his poverty.
Minister of Military and Aircraft Wen Xiang said: "To report to the Emperor, Japanese Minister Yanagi Yuan Qianguang recently arrived in Beijing and stated that our country has not yet implemented governance in the Tufan land in eastern Taiwan, and the Fan people there still maintain an independent state." The Ryukyu people drifted to Taitung in the winter of the year before last and were plundered and killed by the Japanese. The Japanese said that the Japanese were harming people and that our country would not govern them. The Japanese would certainly blame the islanders. The slave thought that there must be fighting on the southeastern islands. In Xinjiang in the northwest, the war is raging. Please ask our emperor to judge whether the Old Summer Palace should be repaired or not.
Emperor Tongzhi said: The two islands of Ryukyu and Taiwan may be my vassal or my territory. If the people belonging to the territory kill each other, the decision will be mine, and the Japanese have no right to interfere. If they come to invade, I will send troops. It would be disrespectful to come and not go back! I have already decreed that the only place to repair the Old Summer Palace would be the two palaces where the Empress Dowager lives, and the place where I would stay to listen to government affairs, which would only cost a small amount of money.
On the tenth day of the first lunar month in 1874, Emperor Tongzhi made another edict: In view of the difficulties in material resources and keeping everything simple, I only chose to rebuild the two palaces and twenty-six palaces, totaling 3,566 houses and pavilions, to show that save. The two provinces of Hunan, Guangxi, Sichuan, and Sichuan, which are rich in natural resources, must focus on purchasing 3,000 pieces each of large pieces of nan, cypress, and yellow pine wood, and deliver them to Beijing within a time limit.
The Fujian Taoist censor traveled to Baichuan and heard about it. He immediately warned him that his work was untimely and he was afraid of damaging his holy virtue.
Emperor Tongzhi dismissed him angrily.
Li Hongzao, Minister of Military Affairs and Emperor's Master, said again: "Rebuilding the garden is a useless sightseeing tour; since the times are difficult, my emperor should save the nameless work."
Prince Chun Yixuan, Prince Qingjun Yikuang, Imperial Minister Jingshou and others also jointly issued a letter to express their disapproval.
The governors and governors of Zhejiang and Sichuan have also been reduced to scorched earth after the military resurgence. All the giant trees have been felled by the Taiping Army. Water transportation is extremely difficult. The difficulty of purchasing materials can also be seen. We sincerely request an extension of the deadline.
Li Zongxi, the governor of Liangjiang, was even more indignant and wrote: "Changes of the stars are common, and foreign invasion is the only way to ignite the situation." Last year, the imperial censor Shen Huai asked to stop the garden work, but the minister Yichang Gong Yuchen did not say anything good, so the work continued. I would like to remind you that the gills are too much, and there are those who cannot speak anymore. The current situation is difficult and the branches are short, which is especially the case. Nowadays, the foreigners are as close as your elbows and armpits, and the Old Summer Palace is dozens of miles away from the capital. There is no strong city to control the city, and there are few large guards.
Over the past few years, whenever there was a dispute between civilians and religions, the foreigners had failed to fulfill their demands and had resorted to hijacking warships. The warships pointed to Tianjin first, and the police in Tianjin would be shocked in the evening. This is inevitable. Yanju is unprepared for danger, while Xishan is a refuge for those who want to escape. The people on the island are ready to counterattack. The Emperor is here with the Empress Dowager, and this minister is extremely uneasy.
If the emperor makes a decisive decision and immediately orders a halt to work, all the people in the world will feel the same hatred if they know that the emperor has the desire to eat his courage. If you sharpen it and accumulate it over the years, you will not have to worry about cutting off Yuezhi's head and tying Loulan's neck. In the future, the people will be in Fukang, the barbarians will be in uniform, and the Lingtai Sutra will begin. It will not be completed in a day, so you must be eager to see how difficult it is!
If the leader occupies a lofty position, holding the handle of power and blessing, and does not take reverence as his heart, his heroic and wise king will be arrogant; if there is no righteous person to follow the rules and regulations, then the villain will flatter evil people. , to steal the position. Recently, the academician Wen Xiang has caused illness, and the minister Guiqing has been transferred to other places, and the road is quite prudent. The minister said that those who are old and worried about the country should be kept around to help them develop holy virtues; those who are loyal and upright and dare to admonish should be guided to give words to restore Zhang Sheng's listening.
Emperor Tongzhi heard all this and didn't comment.
Minister of Military and Aircraft Wen Xiang was very anxious and rushed to the Prime Minister's Yamen to pay homage to Prince Gong Yixin. Wen Xiang said: My emperor is in trouble, why don't you go to Shu to dissuade him?
Yi Xin said: "How could Lord Wen not know about our emperor's intention to build a garden?" The curtains between the two palaces have been closed for more than ten years, and my emperor is very annoyed. This is because the trees are blooming to take advantage of the situation!
While the two were talking to each other, the British Minister Wade came to guard them.
Wen Xiang said: "What is the business of Mr. Minister?"
Witoma Road: On the 4th of this month, the Japanese Emperor Meiji ordered the Satsuma clan warrior Saigo to lead 3,600 troops from the road, borrow land to conduct troops, and invade Taiwan. The war in the Taiwan Strait in the southeastern part of our country has begun, and the city of Beijing is peaceful. I am very puzzled, so I came here to ask.
Yi Xin was frightened and said: Seriously?
Waitoma said: The British Empire's envoy to Japan sent people to summon people, how can there be any lies!
Yi Xin and Wen Xiang were so panicked that they rushed to the Qianqing Palace to report. Emperor Tongzhi was also shocked and issued an edict: When the Japanese envoys exchanged contracts in Beijing last year, they did not discuss sending troops to Taiwan to establish a new place. Now they suddenly send troops to Fujian. , claiming to use the land to conduct military operations, with ulterior motives. Li Henian, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, is surprised that there has been no report on such important events so far.
This place is under the jurisdiction of China, how can we allow the Japanese country to spy on us! It is necessary to check the situation in detail and arrange it properly so as to be prepared for any trouble. Li Henian's official affairs were very complicated and he could not leave the provincial capital. He sent the Fujian Shipping Minister Shen Baozhen to handle the coastal defense of Taiwan and other places as well as the minister of foreign affairs. Shen Baozhen led the steamship soldiers to inspect the Shengfan area in the name of patrol, and kept calm. , camera preparation. If there is a crisis, we will discuss with Fujian Governor Li Henian and Admiral Luo Dachun how to deploy troops.
On April 6th, Emperor Tongzhi issued another order: Pan Wei, Chief Secretary of Fujian Province, immediately rushed to Taiwan to help his colleague Shen Baozhen plan all matters properly, and consulted with Li Henian and Admiral Luo Dachun to consider the situation and handle it accordingly. Where is Pan Wei going now? He also asked Zhang Shusheng to find out and ordered him to go to Fujian quickly and make the journey simultaneously without any delay.
Pan Wei received the order and rushed from Suzhou to Shanghai to meet with Yanagihara Maemitsu, the Japanese minister to the Qing Dynasty.
Pan Wei said: "What happened to our warships when they invaded Fujian?"
Yanagi Yuanmaeguang said: A year ago, our people accidentally entered Taitung and were beheaded by Taiwanese soldiers, 56 of them, which was extremely hateful. Now we are raising troops, clearly for training, but in fact it is revenge! Once our troops are out, those who resist must be killed.
Pan Wei said: Taiwan is our land of the Qing Dynasty, how can we allow it to be ravaged by your country? Long live my emperor, I have issued an edict and ordered all armies to go to the Taiwan Strait. If your country's soldiers are not careful, they will be completely destroyed.
Yanagihara Maemitsu said: Our country and your country have a deep hatred for the bloodless sea. If the people in Taiwan are hunted and killed and harm the lives of our people, I will withdraw my troops immediately. However, the evil customs in your country are difficult to control, so we must make a strict agreement and make a policy of never killing refugees.
Pan Fei said: "Because of this incident of manslaughter, there is no need for our two countries to go to war." The so-called murderers refer specifically to the students of Taiwan Mudan Society and Beinan Society, and have nothing to do with the students of other societies who did not cause trouble. After that, if there are any troublemakers again, our country should send troops to investigate and deal with them. Our country should do its best to maintain the so-called strict restrictions. We plan to set up camps, send military ships, or set up watchtowers and lighthouses when sea-going ships pass through key passes to prevent merchant ships from straying in and being harassed again. This is the private intention of our company. After our company arrives in Fujian, we will report it to Minister Shen and consult the Prime Minister's Yamen of our country for approval, and we will respond immediately.
Yanagihara Maemitsu said: "The Chief Secretary's thoughts are very much in my opinion. I will immediately write to Xixiang Congdao. Please pass them on."
