Chapter 283: Build momentum

The next day, I got up with a refreshed bed, painted my teeth with fresh teeth, and put them on, and started my new life this day.

The additional imperial physician was sent to Zhang Zhidong. According to the prior arrangement, today's itinerary should be to go to the Book Office to see the major events in the morning, and then at around 10 o'clock in the morning, he would meet with the German envoy, the deputy of the German envoy General Markens, who had just returned north of the border between Mongolia and northern Russia, and Colonel Ludendorf, the director of the Second Division of the General Staff. He had dinner with him at noon and in the afternoon, he would go to see the Qiqifeng. Judging from Zai Ting's report, this person seemed to have lost his past hostility. Years of house arrest have made him lose his past arrogance and ambition. Now he looks worse than the grace of an ordinary family member of the Immortal clan.

Of course, seeing small things like him will not take up a fixed itinerary. Generally speaking, if there are military and national affairs, he will immediately stand aside. To see him, it was just to let him go to Shanghai to attend the ban on smoking and do a new task - to let the new prime minister go with him and go back together, and to make a transition leave a psychological transition space and time in the public's mind for a while.

This is not necessary to mention it in detail. It is more important to go to Fengtai Railway Station tomorrow morning to watch the opening ceremony of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway after completion and opening. This railway is entirely constructed by China's private capital and uses China's own technology and engineering construction personnel. It is worth my personal trip. This line is connected with the Beijing-Feng Railway in Fengtai and has become an important part of the Northeast Railway system in North China and has made an important contribution to the promotion of transportation capacity necessary to improve the degree of industrialization. In military terms, the increasingly complete railway system also ensures the rapidization of military mobilization and the support for logistics in the special period in the future.

After arriving at the Literary Office and Telegraph Room, I didn't expect that there was nothing particularly worthy of attention to deal with today. I just transferred a message about "the legal person did not come to Olympiad to fly across the English Channel", and only reviewed the "transfer to various departments of the Army and Navy, and read the Royal Academy" and sent them out.

Now, when I arrived at the study of Yangxin Palace, I was looking at the whereabouts and background analysis report of the nominal envoy of the German Emperor, Markenson, and thought about this matter. The aircraft is still very poor at the moment, and it is a bit like a pastime for the children of rich families. Even in Europe and the United States, its military value has not been completely discovered. In the wars that have appeared after the appearance of the aircraft, only Italy and Turkey used one or two aircraft that took off from Sicily as reconnaissance aircraft.

In China, it was almost my insistence that the Royal Air Force in Nanyuan, Beijing, was the older biplane with a small load capacity and low endurance. In addition to being faster, it is difficult to find any better characteristics than airships in it. This is one of the reasons why most senior military generals and various combat units still like airships.

Although I know that airships will inevitably be replaced by aircraft, in my position, of course, it is impossible for me to make great efforts to convince military generals and change the combat habits of grassroots combat units for this matter. This work is too huge. I cannot put aside all military and national affairs and ignore strategic decisions, and deal with such tactical matters that can be considered trivial.

Therefore, in addition to the Tianjin Ordnance Bureau, we have asked people to test the production of anti-aircraft artillery and shells that have changed the explosion habits to prepare the army to install on a small scale to cope with the increasingly popular airships in the world military environment, the only thing I can do is to maintain the 24 Royal Air Forces, Nanyuan, which uses machine guns and a small number of bombs as attack weapons.

In fact, compared with other expenses, Royal Air Force actually can't spend a lot of money. In addition to the large investment in the first year, the basic investment will be relatively large in the first year. Then, it will only take more than three million silver dollars a year to maintain it. This amount of money is basically not much money for the treasury.

The two professional tank towns that spent the most money were the experimental equipment of Shanxi Army and Guangxi Army. They used the Guandi-type tanks suitable for northern terrain and Zilong Tanks suitable for southern terrain, respectively produced by Taiyuan United Heavy Industry and Jiangning Hongguang Machinery Company, which were developed under the official supervision and commercial office model. As the experimental troops of the army, they were established for only more than two years, and the money spent exceeded 140 million silver dollars. If all this money was used to equip rifles, it could be enough to equip all the troops in China six or seven times.

Of course I know that the two military factories that made this business made a fortune, but considering that military orders can in turn stimulate enterprises to invest more funds in the development of new products, this sucker at the beginning is worth it.

General Makenson's itinerary also includes his visit to the 407th Tank Town in Shanxi. Makenson, who was born in a cavalry, showed a certain interest in the emergence of the Tank Town. The tank's excellent protection ability, the unscrupulous forced strafing of attack weapons during charge and the good shooting position are incomparable to the cavalry. Of course, the disadvantages are also obvious. The momentum is not as good as the large-scale cavalry cluster, and the speed is not as good as that. Of course, there is a more important point. The horses either fall down or rush forward. It does not need a special horse maintenance gurus to follow behind, and the horses can eat grass. These steel monsters drink special fuels provided by logistics. Of course, he is still in the 407th Town of the Royal Army under the jurisdiction of Ningwufu, Shanxi, and he may have any new views.

The scale of the oil industry is far from being developed to meet the level of large-scale equipment of tanks. This is also an important reason why the domestic automobile industry has appeared quite early, but it can only be popularized in a few large cities at present.

This is also one of the reasons why I met with Colonel Rudendolf, who was in charge of contact with the German delegation in Beijing when Markens was still in Shanxi.

The Germans hope that we can play some roles between the Arab and Ottoman Turkish Empire in the Middle East and the Jews who are not yet climate-due to cause some trouble to the British Middle East policy, which of course I am happy to do. Even for oil, I have every reason to do so.

Of course, according to the prior agreement of the ministers, I still need to consider whether to expose the British at a private level.

The Germans are like asking for help. This time, they are also an integral part of their long-term plan. On this issue, both others and themselves must add some additional conditions to the Germans.

Therefore, the meeting and lunch with Colonel Rudendolf on that day had two themes. First, let the Germans feel at ease that China will intervene in the Middle East affairs in the near future. The Siam Canal affairs will be decided later, but no matter what, China will definitely impose its voice on the Middle East.

Second, I hope that Germany will buy tank products from China and jointly develop a new generation of tank products in the future. This is not something that Rudendolf, a mere colonel, can decide. All he can do is report to General Markensen. All I want is this. His report and Markensen's own feelings will make the Germans make correct judgments.

Another is that China may maintain a low-level channel for ventilation with the United Kingdom on the Middle East issue. I hope that Germany will reach an understanding of this. Another issue worth mentioning is that the Victorian princess of Germany seems to have come to China some time in advance to receive the influence of Chinese culture and necessary etiquette training. Regarding this, Rudendolf's private reply was to convey to William II, and Germany had made corresponding preparations. His princess had received more than two years of primary Chinese education in Berlin. He also politely conveyed greetings to the second son of the emperor Puying, and said that the German delegation hoped to visit the battleships that His prince had served at the right time.

Of course I have no reason to refuse. I also hope that after Pu Ying gets married, I will use this political marriage to achieve greater political demands. Of course, I will not show any displeasure in such a courteous occasion. In fact, as a father, I have no reason to be unhappy.

Regarding Arab affairs, Germany had a related background information beforehand to China, and I had already handed it to the relevant departments of the General Staff for a look. At the luncheon, Rudendolf mentioned it again. Only then did I realize that the Germans had established a considerable intelligence system and relationship network there. Rudendolf specifically reminded me that if I wanted to open up the situation in the Arab world, don’t ignore the good relationship with one person—Sharif and Hussein, in the holy land of Mecca.

Ibn.

Ali.

In the German description, this person is almost a mythical figure. He is the descendant of Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam and the prophet Muhammad. He enjoys a lofty position in the traditional Arab society and religious circles. Sharif, who was appointed as such an important city in Mecca by Turkey, also gave him huge secular power. Such a person may be a bit similar to the role of the Tibetan Dalai Lama in China in the Turkish Empire, and of course he cannot be neglected at all.

I secretly wrote down this name and thought in my mind whether it was necessary to hold a meeting with the General Staff at the right time to discuss it to see if they would have any systematic plans. The emperor's envoys who are responsible for this task must also be selected well, not only not to damage the prestige of the country, but also to have certain religious literacy in order to establish a relationship with the Arabs. This person must also be chosen well.

After Ludendorff said goodbye, he was going to Changping to see Yiqian in the afternoon. After thinking about it, he stopped in the palace and sent a message to Dai Hongci, the Prime Minister and Deputy Minister of the Cabinet.

I have hardly noticed this person before. Although I know every step of his promotion, I have never been promoted by me. His rise is almost inseparable from Zhang Zhidong's support. He is from Foshan, Fujian. His ancestral home is in Datong, Nanhai, Guangdong. It seems that there is no intersection with Zhang Zhidong's career path. My previous judgment was that he was the best deputy who understands Zhang Zhidong's domestic policies the most. I guess many things were discussed with him. It should be considered a like-minded ally of the officialdom. When Zhang Zhidong was critically ill, he was the first candidate to recommend to the prime minister, which also proved my judgment.

This person was appointed as the Right Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce from the beginning of the founding of the Chinese Empire. He was soon promoted to the Left Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. He was also the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and was the Deputy Minister of the Prime Minister of the Jin Cabinet. It took only less than nine years to go step by step from a third-rank official to a first-rank deputy prime minister. This is probably a miracle. Of course, this is inseparable from the consistency with Zhang Zhidong's work coordination and political goals. When any leader is dying, he will pay attention to whether his established policies can be implemented by later generations. This is probably why Zhang Zhidong first recommended him instead of being closer to his personal relationship and his talent may not be much inferior.

But Dai Hongci's personal charm is almost zero. In the past nine years, he has seen me for less than 100 times or 80 times in various occasions, but he has never left a deep impression on me. When he heard Zhang Zhidong's first recommendation that day, he was stunned for a moment before turning around. It turned out that Dai Hongci was him, but when he thought about his appearance, he did not have a clear outline. He only had a faint impression of being a thin tall man.

Such a person definitely has no majesty, and it is worth my careful consideration of how to convince the public in the future. No matter what, I should still see him first. I can feel at ease with this person's character and behavior.

After reading his resume for a while, he had to figure out what to say, then closed his eyes and took a nap in the afternoon.

When Dai Hongci came, I could see clearly the face of this person. In the past, he had nothing to see. Today, I found that although this person was thin and had a clear face, his eyes were very firm, and his eyebrows were raised. I am afraid that it was the first time I summoned him to make him nervous. At the age of fifty-eight, he had a slight slight breath, but the beard on his lips was indeed motionless, not like an ordinary old man, his beard had long been soft. I think this person must be a very strong and independent person.

This was more suitable for my first glance. I nodded in my heart. When he greeted him, he asked him to get up and give him a seat. He said, "I am safe, Mr. Dai, please sit down." He started with the business and said, "The Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway will be opened tomorrow. Zhangjiakou can drive to Fengtian. Why don't I know much about this? Now that the old Prime Minister Zhang is sick, Mr. Dai, you are the deputy minister, and you have to carry more burdens on your shoulders."

"Reply to the emperor's words-" the voice was not too powerful, which was consistent with my judgment of his lack of majesty. He continued: "The Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway was established by the former Far East Co., Ltd., which was newly renamed East Asia Co., Ltd. The matter was not conducted by the official, but by the commercial and official railways. The court only approved the provisions. Inviting the emperor to attend is also a demonstration of the original intention of His Majesty's encouragement of the people's financial resources to build infrastructure. When the railway was started, the emperor did not know it in time. I think the cabinet did not deceive His Majesty in this matter." After saying that, he knelt down and buried his head low.

I laughed twice and said, "Mr. Dai is so polite. I don't mean to blame you. I just asked. By the way, your name is Guangru, and you still sound like a scholar. I also know that you are a great Confucian scholar. How can you do industry? You are also an expert? Get up and sit and talk. I am not a monarch who likes to watch his ministers kneel down."

Dai Hongci thanked her, stood up and sat down, and replied, "The emperor is a wise and wise man. I am a scholar. I was a Jinshi in the second year of Guangxu. Before Your Majesty took power, he was mostly in the Hanlin and supervised position. As the emperor said, I was still a scholar at the root of my son. But I have long thought about the country and China. What Your Majesty said is not an industry, and I cannot strengthen the country and resist foreign aggression. I am convinced. Therefore, at the beginning of the new policy, I asked myself to go to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce."

"Well—" I nodded and said, "Old Prime Minister Zhang was a waiter at that time, and he praised you endlessly. I am also asking for this, and I have to see you today."

"The emperor is wise. Speaking of which, I first entered Zhang Xiang's eyes because I was not the person from Li Lao Zhongtang. However, from then on, it was because of his similar ambitions and his responsibility to inspire the country of China. In my selfishness, I also highly recommend Zhang Xiang as a teacher and friend." He spoke to Dai Hongci very relaxedly. He seemed to be afraid that I would not know the details. He said more than I asked, and was much better than the kind of person who could not beat a single fart with three sticks. After all, he was still a scholar.

Such a scholar's true nature seemed to have been reflected in the ministers of the Confucian diehards in the past, and this new school of characters still has a very good temperament of blending the old and the new.

I nodded and said, "Okay, there is Zhang Zhidong in front and you Dai Hongci behind, so I don't need to worry." At this point, he should have a clear idea in his heart. Looking at his face, I made up my mind and continued, "I want to chat with someone today. Let's do it. You can accompany me out of the palace and talk about it on the way."

Even though I said that, on the way to Changping with me after a little preparation, the next topic was always focused on literary matters, without any specific business issues. It would be enough to click on it. Too much talk will change his psychology, and some unexpected situations may occur.

When I arrived at the forbidden area of ​​Zaifeng in Changping, I realized that although this place was claimed to be the abandoned old residence of Prince Li, these architectural communities were deserted, and I could not imagine that the mottled lacquer marks on the low walls and occasionally some repaired remains, which looked like the result of the recent renovation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It really caused him to suffer a lot of punishment, such as Zaifeng, the formerly glorious prince, who lived in such a place.

Looking at Dai Hongci on the back, he looked straight ahead without blinking his eyes. It seemed that all this did not fall into his eyes. I sighed and said, "Guangru, don't always be frank. Since you are coming out, let's put the government affairs aside. Let's go with me."

The other end of the Interior Ministry’s Zongren Mansion had already been prepared. Eunuchs and guards stood in the sides and lined up to the main room in the center of the courtyard. The officials of the Sect Mansion who were in charge had already arranged with the guards, and opened the door. A ray of sunlight in the afternoon was slanted in. The dust rose in the light column, accompanied by the occasional fallen leaves, which felt quite solemn.

After entering the room, Zaifeng, who had traces of tidying on his face and body, was sitting on the ground facing the door, looking up at the beam of the eunuchs. The voices of Xuanjia from the eunuchs seemed to have not awakened him. He just moved his body and disappeared without any reaction.

My steps were there, looking at his back, and said coldly: "Zaifeng, you dare not get up and see you?"

Zaifeng's body moved again. After a moment of silence, he seemed to be unable to withstand the suffocating silence. His body spread out, and his whole body seemed to be stuck to the ground. He just lie down and turned to face me. Only then did I see his face clearly, expressionless, like a dead person.

After losing power, power lovers were as if their bone marrow was removed. I sighed in my heart, and a sentence flashed through my mind. I still looked at him coldly.

"Zaifeng, the sinner, please respectfully ask Your Majesty for the Holy One. Long live my emperor." His head was hitting heavily underground like anger, his tone was like his expression, without any anger.

I was still standing there, looking around the empty room coldly, with all living facilities, and the clan mansion did not abuse him too much. Seeing his appearance, I felt disgusted and snorted coldly: "Prince Chun and Mr. Dai have advised me to take care of the royal decent and kindness and forgiveness these days, and persuaded me to come to see you. I also feel that although Zaifeng is a serious crime, he is also my brother after all, so I came to see you. You are like this, I am afraid that I will come in vain. Your virtue is not as good as a dragon son and Fengsun, and it is so despised by no one!"

Dai Hongci, who was behind him, obviously tightened his body. He seemed to have understood my intention to let him accompany him to Changping. This kind of favor he gave him out of thin air was a smart person, and of course he would not be unable to guess my profound meaning.

Zaifeng was still lying on the ground after hearing this, but his body was twitching, and he could tell that he was crying.

"Useless thing!" I spat, turned around and made a gesture to leave.

Dai Hongci spoke in time and tried to keep him: "Your Majesty!" As he said, he knelt down before pulling the back of my court uniform, and cried: "I beg you to stay here. Thank you for your hard work all the way. Isn't this departure in vain for the deposed god for the fifth master for the past few days?"

I stopped and turned my back to them and said, "What's the use? Such useless things are not worthy of my destruction!"
Chapter completed!