Chapter 59 The eunuchs of the Qing Dynasty parade

After the two Opium Wars, the ruling class of the Qing government divided into the Westernization School and the Conservative School on how to solve a series of internal and external troubles. , in order to maintain the feudal rule of the Qing government. In December 1860, Zeng Guofan submitted a memorial saying that at present, borrowing foreign forces to help suppress and transport food can reduce temporary worries; in the future, learning foreign skills and building guns and ships can also receive permanent benefits.In the second year, he developed the above-mentioned views, and advocated the purchase of foreign ship guns, the visit of skilled craftsmen, the practice first, and the trial production later. However, in a year or two, the steamer ship will become a common thing between the government and the people, and it can be suppressed at that time (referring to Taiping Army), Nian (Nian Army), diligent and long-distance strategy, this is the first priority of saving time.

After the Westernization Movement entered the second stage, foreign aggressive forces intensified their attacks on China.Japan, Britain, Russia, and France invaded and occupied China's border areas one after another.In order to cope with the complex domestic situation, coupled with the constant urging of the Westernization Movement, in September of the eleventh year of Guangxu (1885), the Qing Dynasty appointed Prince Chun Yizhen as the Prime Minister of Naval Affairs, and Prince Qing Yikui, Beiyang Minister Li Hongzhang was the Minister of the Association, Shanqing and Zeng Jize were the Deputy Ministers, and at the same time set up the Navy Yamen in the capital.

For the Qing government at this time, it was not easy to create a navy, and it cost at least tens of millions of taels.Helplessly, the treasury is becoming increasingly poor, and there are also a lot of foreign compensation, and the imperial court is really unable to do what it wants.At the same time, the Empress Dowager Cixi didn't want her own Summer Palace construction plan to stop, so she continued to raise money from the fiscal revenue to build the Summer Palace for her enjoyment.Therefore, it always caused trouble for Li Hongzhang's naval construction plan.Although Li Hongzhang was dissatisfied in his heart, he was helpless in the face of the status quo, and there was unspeakable suffering.

After all, Li Hongzhang was the backbone of the Westernization Movement. He borrowed money from here and there, and raised money everywhere. Finally, in the spring of the twelfth year of Guangxu (1886), he managed to get a sum of money from England, Germany, and the United States. China, France and other countries have purchased more than a dozen ships of various sizes.Immediately afterwards, soldiers were recruited and a Beiyang naval fleet was built.In the summer of the same year, the Empress Dowager Cixi suddenly remembered this matter, and ordered Prince Chun Yixuan to go to Tianjin to inspect the naval drills, and specially ordered Li Lianying, the deputy chief of the Imperial Palace, to accompany her.

After Li Hongzhang learned about it, he was very puzzled.Prince Chun came to Tianjin for a military parade and asked Li Lianying to accompany him. Although it was not in accordance with the law, since the Empress Dowager Cixi arranged this way, there must be deep meaning.Li Hongzhang also had a long experience of Li Lianying's methods, so he had to be more careful.So he appointed a cadre to prepare two sets of rooms for Prince Chun's military parade in Tianjin.One set was for Prince Chun to stay in, and the other set was for Li Lianying's living room, and the relevant service personnel were specially instructed to be careful in serving them.

On the day Prince Chun and Li Lianying arrived in Tianjin, Li Hongzhang held a grand welcome ceremony.Li Lianying wore a yellow mandarin jacket bestowed by the Queen Mother, and wore a plume on top, acting very flamboyantly.Li Hongzhang was secretly surprised, and became more and more confused about what Li Lianying was here for. The next day, Prince Chun and Li Lianying were accompanied by Li Hongzhang to review the navy.Li Hongzhang ordered the parade, and all the fleets and ships of all sizes performed seriously. Neither Prince Chun nor Li Lianying knew anything about the navy, and they just went through a cutscene.On the fourth day, since Prince Chun was unable to go out to sea to watch the warship, Li Lianying was asked to inspect it alone.Seeing that she finally had a chance, Li Lianying said to Li Hongzhang: The funds for the construction of the Summer Palace are not enough for the navy funds.The Empress Dowager wants Master Zhongtang to think about it, and then pay more attention to raising funds.

Li Hongzhang finally understood the real intention of the Empress Dowager Cixi in arranging Li Lianying to come to Tianjin, but he did not dare to object, so he sighed and nodded in agreement. Li Hongzhang knew that he had to show extreme respect for Prince Jin and Li Lianying's coming, so he took part of the silver taels from the navy's military expenditure and gave each of them 100,000 taels of silver to report the truth to the Empress Dowager Cixi.Li Lianying didn't dare to transport the silver back to the capital, so she left the money behind the prince's back in Tianjin, and entrusted someone to prepare bricks, tiles and wood materials, transport them back to her hometown, and build her own Li family manor.

Li Lianying, who got the money, returned to Beijing and talked about Li Hongzhang's training in the navy in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and reported to Cixi that Li Hongzhang had agreed to raise money from the navy's military expenses to the Summer Palace.Cixi was very satisfied and praised Li Lianying's talent. Although some people in the DPRK were very dissatisfied with Li Lianying's illegal actions in Tianjin and even filed a memorial, but due to Li Lianying's dense network in the DPRK and China, he quickly settled the matter and continued to corrupt the law and accept bribes .