Yi Zhisuff smoked a cigarette and didn't rush to speak, the imperial court changed the law and innovated, and he was most interested in the economy, it can be seen that the imperial court has realized the importance of industry and commerce, and attaches great importance to the development of industry, but it is difficult to say whether it can be implemented and thoroughly implemented.

After a slight hesitation, he spoke: "Agriculture, industry and commerce are the foundation of the country's prosperity and strength, if you want to enrich the country and strengthen the army, agriculture and industry must pay equal attention.

After inventing the steam engine, England took the lead in promoting and completing the Industrial Revolution, and then actively pursued a free trade policy by using its superior industrial and manufacturing advantages, and gradually established a liberal economic system.

Then, backed by force, it forced one country after another to open its doors and rapidly expanded into a huge 'empire on which the sun never sets', and at the same time built a huge commercial trade circle with England as the core, turning the world into a supplier of raw materials to England, and in turn, overseas trade greatly and rapidly promoted the industrialization process of England, forming a virtuous circle.

The Qing Dynasty cannot continue to stay in the stage of agriculture for thousands of years, especially in the ideological change, continue to be agriculture-oriented, we will only become a supplier of raw materials to England and the subsequent powers of the West, and look up to the West.

We must actively promote and promote the development of industry, make use of our huge agricultural advantages, population advantages, market advantages, and geographical advantages, rapidly develop industry, and transform into an industrial country; at the same time, we must also attach great importance to and vigorously support the development of commerce. ”

He talked eloquently like an idle talker, speaking without hurry or slowness, everyone listened very seriously, seeing the gap in the words, Yifang hurriedly said: "Brother Guocheng, we understand the advantages of agriculture, population, and market, what is the geographical advantage?" ”

"Geographical advantage is one of our four advantages." Yi Zhishu said slowly: "At present, the Qing Dynasty is already the out-and-out overlord of the East, and it is also the only overlord, and no one can hinder the development of industry, and if Western countries want to rise strongly, they need to face the obstruction and suppression of England and France."

In addition, although the rapid development of navigation technology and the increasing prosperity of the maritime trade fair, the east and west are tens of thousands of miles apart, and the cost of commodity transportation is high, which undoubtedly greatly improves the competitiveness of our local commodities and is conducive to the protection of our local enterprises, while Western countries do not have this advantage! ”

Mianyu waved her hand at Yi Yu and said softly: "If you have any questions, it's not too late to ask, don't disturb the thinking of the country." ”

"It doesn't matter." Yi Zhixiang smiled, "It's just a casual remark." ”

These casual words were all great insights for them, and Yixun hurriedly pulled the conversation back, "What do you think about the specific innovation measures of agriculture, industry and commerce?" ”

Yi Zhizhi was not humble either, and said slowly: "Opening up wasteland, building water conservancy, improving technology, introducing new species, and new agricultural tools are all due meanings in the revitalization of agriculture." The establishment of agricultural experimental fields is somewhat new, and the imperial court should be guided from a high vantage point, guiding and guiding local peasants to give full play to the advantages of regional agriculture in accordance with local conditions, realize the specialization of regional agricultural production, and form an agricultural belt with distinctive characteristics.

In fact, for thousands of years, China has spontaneously formed some agricultural belts with significant characteristics, soybeans in eastern Liaodong, wheat in Henan and Shandong, rice in Huguang, Sichuan, mulberry cotton in Jiangnan, etc., agricultural production specialization has a huge advantage, but at present it is limited by transportation, can not be highlighted.

However, with the acceleration of the process of railway construction, ten years later, the Qing Dynasty will be able to form a preliminary railway network, maritime transportation will also be greatly improved, and the transportation of the entire Qing Dynasty will be rapidly developed, so at this time, the imperial court should start to take precautions. ”

After a pause, he glanced at everyone, and then said: "In terms of industry and commerce, there are many things involved in revitalizing industry and commerce, but the most important point is to protect private property!" Excessive taxes and miscellaneous taxes are abundant, local officials are cunning and plundering, arbitrarily apportioning and extorting, factories and enterprises have no room and soil for growth, and it is tantamount to a fool's dream to revitalize industry and commerce. ”

Speaking of this, he laughed and said: "How Yuan Qi has come step by step in the past 20 years, I know better than anyone that there is no huge loan to the imperial court, no huge national debt to the imperial court, no huge donation to the local government, no smoking ban in Guangzhou, no war provoked by England, and no brilliant record of Yuan Qi's group training....... Yuan Qi has long been eaten.

Why has Shanghai been able to flourish in just over a decade? In addition to Yuanqi's own strength, and spare no effort to support the establishment of industry, but also because Yuanqi recognizes that private property is sacrosanct, and Yuanqi has the strength to protect their private property from infringement, and the rich businessmen from all provinces dare to come to invest in the factory! ”

The faces of the people who said these words were a little sneering, Mianyu, Zaiyuan, Su Shun, Wenxiang and others were a little older, they all watched Yuan Qi rise step by step, and their faces were even hotter, these words really slapped their faces, but it was a fact, the imperial court didn't know how much silver had been scraped on Yuan Qi over the years, if it weren't for Yi Zhi's contentment with this freak, ten Yuan Qi would also go out of business!

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Yi Xun smiled bitterly and said: "The Laws of the Great Qing Dynasty are not inferior to Western countries in terms of protecting private property....... It's just that the officials are corrupt, so that there are many evils. ”

This is the truth, the protection of private property in the "Great Qing Statutes" is not far from even if it is not called the Holy Spirit, Yi Zhizhi knocked on the ashes, and said: "The corruption of officials is indeed a major reason for judicial corruption, but it is not the root cause, the root lies in the supremacy of imperial power, and the power of local officials is too concentrated, like the emperor of the soil." ”

Yi Yan said in a deep voice: "Brother Guocheng refers to the separation of powers? ”

"The separation of powers is the trend of the times." Yi Zhishu said and asked rhetorically: "What are the political measures for this reform and innovation?" ”

"The main thing is to reform the bureaucratic system, reduce redundant personnel, rectify the administration of officials, and reform some administrative systems." Yi Xun said slowly: "The imperial court has decided to stop donating real officials first, and then further abolish it, and set up a supervising administrative office to supervise the reform of the law by the general consul.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Patrol Police, and the Ministry of Education were added, and the Taichang Temple, Guanglu Temple, and Honglu Temple were merged into the Ministry of Rites, and the Taifu Temple was merged into the Ministry of War. Each ministry has one Shangshu and two waiters, regardless of the Manchurian Han. ”

The officials of the various ministries are not divided into Manchurians? Yi Zhishu glanced at him, this thing is clearly a trick, and when he saw it, he stopped talking, and then he asked slowly: "Didn't I hear that some people are inclined to constitutionalism?" ”

It is not someone else who tends to implement constitutionalism, it is the two brothers Yixun and Yifang, who asked each other knowingly, and Yixun said with a bitter face: "Constitutionalism is a matter of great importance, it is not a matter of overnight, and the court is quite controversial, the emperor intends to send an envoy to the ocean for the sake of prudence, and then make an agreement." ”

After all, it's still unbreakable! Yi Zhishu felt slightly disappointed in his heart, and groaned slightly, before he said slowly: "The matter of constitutionalism should indeed be investigated in many ways, but the separation of powers is conducive to the balance and supervision of power, you don't know, right?"

The imperial court should reform the bureaucratic system, imitate the separation of powers, try to have a responsible cabinet, and at least pay attention to judicial independence. ”

These words were already very polite, and with a tone of reprimand, everyone couldn't help but look at each other, Prince Yi Zaiyuan snorted dissatisfiedly, "Governing a big country is like cooking a small fresh, changing the law and innovating, you must be especially cautious, how can you be bold?" ”

Yi Zhixiang glanced at him indifferently, "Now I don't want to make drastic innovations, but I'm afraid that I won't even have the opportunity to make drastic changes in the future." ”

Yi Yan couldn't help but say: "What do you mean by Brother Guocheng's words?" ”

"Do you know how long it takes to prepare for the constitution?" Yi Zhishu then lit a cigarette, "The preparation period for the constitutions of England and the United States is more than ten years, what is the situation in the Qing Dynasty?" It is much more complicated than that of Britain and the United States, and if constitutional government is to be implemented, it will only take longer to prepare for constitutionalism! Is it really too late to wait until the constitution is necessary to consider constitutionalism? ”

Everyone listened to the flurry, and no one, including Yixun, thought that the preparatory period for the constitution would take such a long time, and Yifang hesitated and said: "What does Brother Guocheng mean, the imperial court should start studying constitutionalism as soon as possible?" ”

Yi Zhizhi said: "Even if you don't practice constitutionalism, you must study constitutionalism!" It's also good to have something to learn from. ”

Yi Xun said: "Brother Guocheng thinks that the Qing Dynasty must implement constitutional government? ”

Hearing this, Yi Zhizhi smiled, "Why do you need to ask me this question?" With so many clan princes and Manchu Han dynasty members traveling around Western countries for two years, don't they have an answer in their hearts? ”

It wasn't until nearly dusk that Yi Zhizhi sent the group away, because the conversation was so tiring that he even avoided the banquet, got up and sent everyone out of the courtyard, he went straight to Changle Bookstore, Zhao Wenlie followed behind and said: "Big treasurer, is it possible for the imperial court to make up its mind to implement constitutional government?" ”

"It is naturally possible that, perceiving that the imperial autocracy cannot be maintained, they will retreat to the next best thing." Yi Zhizu said slowly: "Someone once said a sentence, very incisive!" Rulers in a crisis of authority tend to quickly become sincere reformers, and their sincerity to reform comes from their sincerity in retaining power. ”

After smacking it carefully for a while, Zhao Liewen said: "It's really incisive, but if you really have to wait until then, isn't it too late?" ”

"It depends on the situation, the court doesn't take the initiative, let's take the initiative!" Yi Zhizhi said in a deep voice, although it is not urgent to promote the reform of the imperial court, but it should not be delayed, and he cannot tolerate the thunder and rain of the imperial court, he wants to use the reform of the imperial court to promote new ideas and new concepts, so that the ideas of freedom, democracy, and equality can be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people as soon as possible.

Tang Xiang Garden.

As soon as he got out of the car and entered the gate, Yifang complained: "Yi Guocheng is also stingy, and he didn't even say a polite word about the banquet." ”

Mianyu smiled: "You have been asking for this half a day, and you still expect him to stay as a guest?" ”

Hearing this, Yi Yan swallowed a smile, "I regret it now, it is a waste of time to travel around the West in the past two years, and it may be more rewarding to stay in Shanghai. ”

Yi Xun deliberately took a few steps behind, walked side by side with Su Shun, and asked softly: "Do you know the scholar that Yi Guocheng brought with him like a gourd?" ”

"That's Zhao Liewen, a native of Yanghu, Jiangsu, whose name is Huifu, is a talent." Su Shun said casually: "Yi Guocheng is very important to him, this time Yuan Qi Xugong gave him a third grade, but he still stayed by his side. ”

In this way, does this person aspire to become an official? Yi Xun responded, dispelled the thought that had just popped up, and ordered loudly: "Prepare a good table and send it to the main hall, Bohan, and sort out the conversation record as soon as possible." ”

"The subordinate obeys." Zeng Guofan hurriedly stopped and bowed in response, and only got up when everyone left, and went straight back to his courtyard.

Yixun and his entourage entered the main hall, and as soon as they sat down, Zaiyuan couldn't help but say: "The imperial court has changed the law and innovated, why does Yi Guocheng strongly support it, what evil intentions are hidden?" ”

These words were too straightforward, and no one answered for a while, Yi Wei pondered and said: "Regarding the reform of the imperial court, Yi Guocheng is obviously thoughtful, and it seems to be true, but if you think about it carefully, it is all incisive ....... ”

Su Shun glanced at everyone and said: "Don't speculate on this matter for the time being, judging from the situation of Yuanqi's fight against Xiyi, Yi Guocheng is not ignoring the overall situation, on the contrary, but focusing on the overall situation everywhere, and the imperial court changes the law and innovates in order to enrich the country and strengthen the army, this is the real overall situation, Yi Zhishu strongly supports it, and it has long been reasonable." ”

Mianyu also echoed: "Yi Guocheng has always taken the overall situation into account, there is no doubt about this, not only to fight against the Xiyi, overseas expansion, its pacification of the chaos, the expulsion of bandits, the consolidation of the northwest and other achievements, are not to be erased, to say Yuan Qi, to say that Yi Guocheng does not care about the overall situation, I am afraid that no one in the government and the opposition will believe it." ”

"Humph!" Zaiyuan snorted coldly and said, "The traitor seems to be loyal and the hypocritical is like the truth, and there are fewer people in the past dynasties?" ”

Yi Xun glanced at him and said coldly: "What's the matter, Prince Yi has to force Yuan Qi to rebel?" ”

This hat is a bit big, Zaiyuan immediately stopped talking, picked up the teacup and sipped tea silently, Yi Xun said slowly: "Whether it is under the pressure of Yuan Qi or the pressure of the West, the court has reached a situation where it is not changing the law and trying to be strong, no matter what kind of purpose Yuan Qi has, it is a good thing to be able to actively support the court to change the law, it is better than hindering the court to change the law." ”

From this aspect, this is indeed the case, with Yuan Qi's strength and power, if he obstructs the reform of the imperial court, the new policy of the imperial court may not be implemented, Su Shun immediately echoed: "What Prince Gong said is very true, at present, the imperial court should try its best to encircle Yuan Qi to implement the new policy, instead of questioning Yuan Qi's harboring evil intentions." ”