Usurping the Qing Dynasty: My first love was Cixi

Chapter 297 National changes! Imperial power turmoil!

In the past four years, the speed of development of the entire country has been unprecedented.

Although 1869 has not ended yet, many data are almost the same.

According to the plan four years ago, nearly 500 million taels of silver will be invested in the next eight years. At that time, everyone thought it was an astronomical figure and a big step.

And the result?

Only four and a half years later, 85% of the investment in the comprehensive Westernization Movement has been completed.

In addition, the third phase of the plan has been put on the agenda.

Nine years ago, the fiscal revenue of the entire country was about 40 million taels of silver.

Four and a half years ago, the fiscal revenue reached about 90 million taels.

And this year's fiscal revenue may reach an astonishing 180 million taels, which has doubled.

This development speed simply shocked everyone.

In the past 100 years of the Qing Dynasty, there has been almost no significant increase in fiscal revenue.

From the reign of Kangxi to the reign of Xianfeng for nearly 200 years, it has been maintained at around 40 million taels.

After Su Ye entered the center, it increased four or five times in just less than nine years.

How terrifying?

The fiscal revenue increased amazingly, but many fiscal burdens were greatly reduced.

For example, more than 200,000 Eight Banners Army and hundreds of thousands of Green Camp were all dismissed.

The four or five million bannermen who sucked blood from the finances were also completely reformed.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs was almost completely dismissed, directly saving two-thirds of the expenses.

Of course, Su Ye made a lot of money, but he also spent money ruthlessly.

The Empire's new army was expanded to 25 divisions, with nearly 400,000 main elites.

There are also 200,000 garrison troops.

In addition, there is the navy, a super gold-eating beast.

It was promised to Britain before that it would purchase warships worth 40 million taels of silver within a few years.

The result was also exceeded.

In the past four years, hundreds of naval officers were trained to study in Britain.

Two giant shipyards were opened in Shanghai and Fujian.

More than a dozen main battleships were directly customized from the British Empire, and three battleships were customized from the Kingdom of Prussia.

Moreover, Su Ye was directly involved in the design of the warships.

In just less than five years, 49 million taels of silver were spent, which was more than the money spent by the Beiyang Navy in ten years.

In addition, in history, the relationship between Britain and the Qing Dynasty was so ordinary that they did not do their best in shipbuilding.

But it is different in this era. The British Empire has extremely huge interests in China. And Su Ye and the British royal family have an extremely close friendship.

So the shipbuilding speed is much faster, and even the cost-effectiveness is much higher.

So there is a result. It took the Beiyang Navy seven or eight years to build a large-scale fleet, while Su Ye only took less than five years.

Today, the Chinese Navy has 35 main battleships of various types, more than 80 auxiliary ships, and more than 70 troop transport ships.

The total number of naval officers and soldiers exceeds 9,000.

This naval force is absolutely the first in Asia and the sixth in the world.

Su Ye really spent money to build a powerful navy.

And unlike the Beiyang Fleet, he first directly hired a pirate fleet, letting thousands of naval officers and soldiers follow these pirates to train and fight, and then sent them to study in Britain a year later.

Therefore, this navy not only has rich theoretical knowledge, but also relatively rich practical experience.

And so far, there are nearly two thousand foreigners in this fleet.

Originally, the Russian Empire tried to use the navy to join the second Qing-Russia War, but it was always worried about being attacked by the British Empire Navy.

Now... there is no need to worry about this.

Because the Chinese fleet has become very powerful. If the Russian Empire sends a squadron to the Far East, it can only be courting death.

The Navy Staff has done deductions over and over again.

Every time the result is the same.

If a war is launched against Japan tomorrow, it will definitely win a great victory.

At least the navy will win an absolute, crushing victory.

However, Japan has the interests of Britain and the United States, so there is no sufficient excuse to start a war.

As for France and the United States, the relationship is relatively stiff.

Four years ago, the envoy of the Kingdom of Korea returned home and brought Su Ye's will.

The ruler of Korea, Daewongun, was ecstatic. He didn't expect that the suzerain country had exactly the same idea as me?

So, he was more brutal than in history.

He killed thousands of Christians in his own country and dozens of foreign missionaries.

Among them were French people and a small number of Americans.

France and the United States were furious.

France directly sent troops to attack Korea.

The United States did not send troops, but supported France diplomatically and politically.

Historically, France did not take advantage.

In this world, Su Ye was invited to directly send a naval fleet and two divisions of the army to Korea.

Therefore, the French suffered a more tragic defeat than in history.

Of course...

Once these two divisions entered, they did not leave directly.

Until now, they have not left.

Moreover, Su Ye also added two official positions, the Chinese Minister to Goryeo and the Commander of the Goryeo Army.

………………

And on the Vietnamese side.

The French army is still pressing forward step by step.

The Kingdom of Vietnam continued to fall, with the French army outside and the rebels inside.

Nguyen Phuc was exhausted and almost unable to hold on.

As the minister to Vietnam, Baojun's weight became more and more important.

Because Nguyen Phuc To save his country and his throne, he needed more and more support.

Arms support, military support, and sea route support.

And China became his biggest support, even his only support.

But it was precisely because of the increasingly intense hostility with China that the French had more troops on the Indochina Peninsula than in history, and their attack on Vietnam was more fierce.

In addition, with the full support of the Intelligence Department and Su Ye, Huang Yisheng and Bao Chao gained a foothold in the Vietnamese uprising army and their power grew stronger and stronger.

………………

Northwest direction!

The war is over, it ended last year.

Zuo Zongtang spent five years to completely wipe out the rebellion in the entire northwest.

In Shaanxi and Gansu, all the local religious clans and all the warlords were uprooted.

Killed cleanly and thoroughly.

Historically, 20 million Han people in Shaanxi and Gansu were massacred.

Su Ye took action in advance, with a thunderous force, saving more than 10 million innocent people.

On the contrary, these rebels and their affiliated forces were probably, possibly, perhaps... killed by a million.

In short, the Ma family, which had occupied this land for nearly a hundred years in history, has completely disappeared.

That is... gone.

Zuo Zongtang spent two years to quell the rebellion in Shaanxi and Gansu.

After a year of rest, he led the army into the border.

A more thorough cleanup began.

Whether it was Yakub Beg, Bai Yanhu who fled here, or this Khan, that Khan.

Or the mercenaries of Tsarist Russia.

All were killed.

Su Ye increased the troops twice, and finally the Western Expedition Army under Zuo Zongtang reached 80,000, with 26,000 cavalry alone.

Military expenses were directly allocated 40 million taels.

Tell Zuo Zongtang directly, don't be impatient.

The key is to be thorough!

Don't eat half-cooked rice, and don't swallow it whole.

Zuo Zongtang implemented this intention very thoroughly.

He almost refused to accept surrender.

All the rebels and mercenaries were wiped out.

He kept killing, killing, and killing.

He killed for three years.

The rebellion was completely quelled.

This land returned to the Chinese territory, completely.

Zuo Zongtang led his army back.

Li Xiucheng led an army of 30,000 to guard the border.

The court issued an edict to confer Li Xiucheng the title of commander of the Northwest War Zone, lieutenant general of the army, and the title of assistant minister of the Ministry of War.

This Taiping Heavenly Kingdom general who made great achievements in the Northwest Rebellion was the first to take a real high position.

After Zuo Zongtang returned.

Su Ye personally went out of the city to greet him.

Then!

Zuo Zongtang resigned from the post of Northwest General and the post of Minister of the Army.

The court conferred him the title of second-class Kejing Marquis, Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Minister of Military Affairs, and Minister of Political Affairs, replacing Zhou Zupei.

At this point, another general under Su Ye entered the political hall.

……………………

And the Westernization Movement was in full swing.

Jiujiang's terrain was not wide enough after all. Before the cross-river bridge was built, the development bottleneck was relatively large.

Therefore, many industries in the second batch of Westernization Movement were distributed in five cities, including Hangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Xiamen.

Of course, there was also an important arsenal, which was located in Anqing.

Anqing Arsenal.

This arsenal had no investment from foreigners and was entirely controlled by the central government of the court.

The total investment in this arsenal also exceeded 10 million taels.

In addition, Dexing Mining Bureau was established.

Kaiping Coal Mine was established and put into production.

Anshan Iron Mine was put into production and Anshan Iron Factory was established.

The Postal Bureau was established, and all telegraph lines from Wuchang to Jiujiang to Anqing, to Nanjing, to Suzhou, to Shanghai, to Nanjing, to Tianjin, and to the capital were laid.

At these most critical city nodes, there is finally no need to use the 600-mile or 800-mile express.

The railway from Tianjin to Beijing has also been laid and opened to traffic a few months ago.

…………………

Jiujiang is still the most modern city in this country.

Even... it is also the most modern city in the world.

The record of Jiujiang Building as the world's tallest building has not been broken.

And now, it has finally been completely completed.

It was completed many years ago, but many problems could not be solved.

For example, the water problem of high-rise buildings, such as the elevator problem, etc.

After about six years, these problems were finally solved.

And the board of directors of Jiujiang Economic Experimental Zone finally got what it wanted and worked at a height of 300 meters.

In recent years, Jiujiang has many more high-rise buildings.

There are dozens of high-rise buildings above 20 floors.

There are countless high-rise buildings above 10 floors.

So at a glance, it is like a change of heaven and earth.

When many foreign dignitaries come to visit, Jiujiang is also a must-visit place.

And every time, this city will receive countless shocks and surprises.

Its figure has appeared countless times in various newspapers and photos around the world.

Even in movies.

This city, which was not famous in history, has become one of the world's famous cities after more than ten years of development.

It has become a business card.

However...

It is also destined to be surpassed.

At least it will be far surpassed by Shanghai in the future, after all, the geographical advantage is much greater.

As the Chinese navy continues to grow stronger, its development focus will increasingly shift to Shanghai.

Even cities such as Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Suzhou will surpass Jiujiang in the future.

But for now, at least, it's a proud city.

……………………

Beijing.

In terms of pure appearance, there is still not much change.

But it's much, much neater.

The roads are also much cleaner.

The bannermen walking birds in ladder cages on the streets have almost disappeared.

The flag affairs were reformed very, very thoroughly.

Millions of bannermen either went to farm or work. In short, after a three-year buffer period, the court no longer supported this group of people.

All left to fend for themselves.

Of course, some motivated banner people will go to school and find various jobs.

There are also some unmotivated bannermen who are just sitting on their hands and unable to make a living, so they have no choice but to sell their ancestral homes.

The imperial court issued a decree.

From then on, there was no longer a full city.

All Han people can live in Mancheng.

This is true across the country.

As a result, housing prices in the inner city of the capital began to soar, because countless Han officials and wealthy Han people came to buy houses in the inner city.

And these bannermen also took the opportunity to cash out, and then continued to live a life of drunkenness and dreams.

………………

Inside a gorgeous mansion.

Five dolls, chirping, chirping, running around.

Followed by a bunch of nannies and a bunch of maids.

"My little ancestor, run slowly, run slowly, don't knock your teeth..."

Of these four dolls, the eldest is the daughter of Yehenala, the remaining two are a boy and a girl born to Ci'an, the son of Princess Shouan, and the son of Zhenzhen.

In the Nuan Pavilion, four women were playing mahjong.

Empress Dowager Ci'an, Princess Shouxi, Princess Shou'an, Zhenzhen.

Shou'an said: "My husband said that he wanted to cut off his braids, why did he remain silent again?"

Su Yi started having hair style two years ago, and all men in the country cut off their braids.

Moreover, reforms in clothing were carried out earlier.

All kinds of new clothing have been fully promoted, whether it is men's clothing or women's clothing.

After wearing the new clothes, the braids look a bit weird.

After the hair drying is completely completed, it’s time to give the order directly.

Ci'an said: "Because it was overshadowed by more important things."

Zhenzhen said: "The banner people have been completely reformed, and now it is the Han people's turn to obey the rules and violate the rules."

After the Westernization Movement was fully launched and the flag affairs reform was thoroughly implemented.

Su Yi officially took action against the Han people.

And it directly affects the lifeblood.

Taking back local financial power means taking the local finance bureaus under central control.

This moment caused an uproar and caused an extremely violent backlash.

Because this is the lifeblood of local officials.

After more than ten years of development, the revenue of the local Lijin Bureau has exceeded more than 30 million taels, which is almost equivalent to the total fiscal revenue of the imperial court ten years ago.

How could local bureaucrats be willing to give up such a large sum of money?

The Han bureaucrats are much more insidious than the bannermen, and their methods are much more sophisticated.

In recent years, Su Yi had completely controlled the power of the entire imperial court, and even local governors were appointed by him.

But at the lower level, it is difficult for him to control directly.

When countless local officials across the country begin to slack off in their work, it means huge trouble.

Moreover, Su Yi wanted to take away not only local financial power, but also a series of other powers.

Therefore, it is certainly difficult to imagine the magnitude of the obstruction.

Of course, there are also very successful local policies, such as banning opium.

Really, it’s completely forbidden.

All the opium fields were destroyed.

After five years, the amount of opium dumped by foreigners into China dropped off a cliff.

Although this would result in a loss of more than 20 million taels of income, Su Yi had no regrets at all.

Ci'an continued: "The imperial court is about to establish a new yamen, headed by Zuo Zongtang, with Ma Xinyi as deputy."

Princess Shou'an sneered: "The rich families in these places are going to be in bad luck."

Princess Shouxi said: "It's shameless. Since they are obstructing my husband's new policy, then they will no longer want their official positions, reputations, and fields. My husband originally felt that the fields in the world were not enough for cultivation, and were concentrated in the hands of a few people." , but there is no reason to promote land reform. Now, this group of people is blocking the New Deal. "

This is Su Yi's plan.

Just let you jump out and then I'll cut you off.

Vomit out everything in your stomach and make the reform more thorough.

Princess Shou'an said: "Wan'er, there are two rumors, did you hear them?"

Ci'an said: "One is for the two of us to withdraw the curtain, and the other is for the emperor to take charge, right?"

Princess Shou'an said: "Yes."

Zhenzhen said: "The whole world is buzzing with news, how could you not hear it?"

Princess Shouxi said: "You have ulterior motives."

Princess Ci'an said: "It's just with ulterior motives."

Now there are rumors all over the world that the emperor will be an adult in a year or two, and it will be time for him to rule personally.

Su Yi has always been an example of virtuous kings in the world, so he should first ask the emperor to take charge of his affairs.

Even if you are hypocritical, you still have to make such a statement.

Zhenzhen said: "Now many local clans and many Han people are resisting the new policy, because the next reform of the imperial examination, land reform, and lijin bureau reform will all affect their lives. So they must want to make trouble, so they are likely to retreat and ask the two empress dowagers to withdraw first."

"If the two empress dowagers withdraw, that would be a noble act. Then should the regent return the power? Should he take the initiative to ask the emperor to rule the country?"

Princess Shou'an said: "The emperor is my nephew, but I want to make it clear that the emperor cannot rule the country. Not only can't do it now, but also can't do it in five years, ten years..."

Ci'an said: "Yes, the emperor can't rule the country."

Now is a major change that has not happened in a hundred years. All power must be concentrated in the hands of Su Ye.

Once the emperor rules the country, the power will definitely be divided and dispersed.

At that time, it will fall into internal consumption and infighting.

Su Ye was in power and implemented one reform after another. I don't know how many people's interests were affected and how many people hated him.

Once the emperor is allowed to rule the country, I wonder how many people will support him.

Then all the new policies will be abandoned halfway.

And the wealth accumulated by the Westernization Movement will be divided up in a few years.

Ci'an played a card of Dongfeng and said slowly: "Although I am the empress dowager of the Qing Dynasty, I can not be, I can be a wife of my husband."

Princess Shouxi said: "Although I am a princess of Aixinjueluo, I can also be just my husband's wife."

……………………

Inside Prince Yi's Mansion.

Su Ye's direct lineage is meeting in secret.

"This trend must be completely strangled in the cradle." Zuo Zongtang said: "First of all, the two Empress Dowagers have withdrawn the curtain, and it cannot be mentioned now. The matter of the emperor ruling himself cannot be started."

"Time is running out."

Chongen said: "Once the emperor rules himself, the central government will be caught in internal strife, and the entire development will stagnate."

Tian Yugong said: "But...what if many Han people, especially many students, petition to let the emperor rule himself?"

Yes!

It is legitimate to let the emperor rule himself.

As the regent, Su Ye is not good at openly opposing and stopping it.

Even if he wants to show his integrity, he should take the initiative to return the power to the emperor.

In the minds of many people in the world, Su Ye should be like Yi Yin or Huo Guang.

Assist the young emperor.

Many people even think that even if you return the power to the emperor, you can still be the regent and supervise the government.

Chongqi said: "Is it possible to pretend to return power to the emperor, let him create some trouble, let the world see clearly that the emperor cannot rule the country by himself, and then take back his power?"

This is the routine that Cixi used to deal with Guangxu.

Lin Shaozhang said: "No, this can't even start. The emperor can't control power from beginning to end."

"Yes, the emperor can't control power from beginning to end." Shen Baozhen said: "Or I'll put it more bluntly, and prepare for another big thing."

"What we have to discuss next is how to completely kill the trend of letting the emperor rule the country by himself."

"At least no one can mention it when the emperor is sixteen years old."

Then, several people fell silent.

"Start a war!" Zuo Zongtang suddenly said.

"Yes, start a war." Lin Shaozhang said: "Start a war against Tsarist Russia."

"Haven't the Russians already assembled nearly 200,000 troops in the Far East? They are constantly building defense lines and want to fight a war that will destroy the country."

"Their patience is greater than we thought."

"So, starting a war now may be beneficial to us."

Tian Yugong said: "Perhaps, just one war against Russia is not enough, because we have already defeated Tsarist Russia, which will make people feel that this war is not so critical and will not delay the emperor's personal rule, because the regent will continue to supervise the government, right?"

Zuo Zongtang said: "Then add another one, a big war with the French."

Lin Shaozhang said: "In Europe, Prussia and France have not started a war yet. Once we start a war here, I am afraid that we will attract the main force of France, and Prussia will reap the benefits instead and will not rush to start a war."

Zuo Zongtang "According to the description of the Prussian Prime Minister by the Regent, he is a very trustworthy person, and trust is more important than gold."

Xu Youren suddenly said on the side: "There is another war, that is the war against Japan."

Chongen said: "Three wars? That... that is really unbearable."

"At most two."

"Once two wars break out, we will face two powers, one Russia and one France, which is enough to create a sense of crisis. In the face of this trend, everything must give way, including the so-called emperor's personal rule."

"Moreover, these are two wars that are destined to happen."

"The most important thing is that once we win these two wars, our country will defeat the two powers at the same time and officially become a world power."

"By that time, this unprecedented achievement can crush all opponents."

"Enough to make the Regent's power permanent."

………

And at this time in the palace!

Prince Dun Yixin knelt before Empress Dowager Cixi and said, "Empress Dowager, I ask you to prepare to withdraw the curtain and return power to the emperor."

………………………

Note: This chapter is a bit difficult to write. It is more than 6,000 words. It will definitely exceed 8,000 words tomorrow.