The Prime Minister's National Affairs Yamen moved north to Beijing and merged with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs! Since Yuan Qi took control of the military and political affairs of the southeastern provinces, the Prime Minister's Yamen has also become more and more powerful, and it has become the largest yamen in the southeastern provinces to control the foreign affairs, commerce, coastal defense, and the establishment of industrial and mining industries, transportation, etc., in fact, it has become the largest yamen in the southeastern provinces that Yuan Qi has controlled in the face of the southeastern provinces.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Beijing Division is only a department responsible for foreign affairs in the north, and most of the officials are actually drawn from the Prime Minister's Yamen, which is not the same as the Prime Minister's Yamen.

Where is this merger, in fact, it will be abolished! Abolish the Prime Minister's National Affairs Yamen!

Groaning slightly, Yan Yang said euphemistically: "The principal plans to urge the imperial court to implement constitutionalism after the beginning of the year?" ”

"It can't be delayed any longer." Yi Zhishu nodded slowly, "Although the foundation for the implementation of the constitution is not yet fully in place, the period for preparing for the constitution has expired, and the foreign war has ended. Speaking of this, he glanced at the other party and said very clearly: "The merger of the Prime Minister's Yamen to the north is just the beginning, and the implementation of constitutional government, Yuan Qi should also show full sincerity, and the government and the opposition can look at us." ”

Hearing this, Yan Yangtian was a little anxious, and blurted out: "Principal, is this going to disband the team that was formed with great difficulty?" ”

"It's not about disbanding, it's about giving them a bigger stage." Yi Zhishu smiled and said: "Spread the news of the merger of the Prime Minister's Yamen to the north of the Beijing Division and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and it is approaching the end of the New Year, and it will also give them peace of mind to celebrate the New Year." ”

The news of the relocation of the Prime Minister's National Affairs Yamen to the north and the merger of the Beijing Division with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was quickly made public, and it quickly aroused heated discussions among the government and the opposition, and the officials, parliamentarians, and gentry with a keen sense of political smell were all rejoicing, which was undoubtedly a very obvious signal - a signal that the imperial court was about to implement constitutional government! A signal for the convergence of Yuan Qi and the imperial court!

"Woo——。" In the long whistle, a train emitting white smoke slowly drove into the Shanghai Railway Station, as soon as it stopped, the door of the VIP carriage was opened, and Prince Gong, who was wearing a long tweed coat and a top hat, stepped on the platform without hurrying, followed by Wen Xiang in a robe and horse coat, and then Shen Guifen.

Yan Shikuan, who came to greet him, stepped forward with a smile on his face and arched his hand: "In the lower Yan Shikuan, I have seen the prince and the two adults. ”

Seeing Yan Shikuan came to greet him, Yi Yi was somewhat surprised, he has traveled to Shanghai a lot over the years, but Yi Zhizhi is very rarely sent people to greet him, it seems that the constitution is imminent, and his value as the prime minister of the cabinet is also rising, he is very clear about Yan Shikuan's identity, and immediately smiled: "Heavy snow in Shandong, it is half a day late, and there is a long wait for the shopkeeper of Lao Yan." ”

"If the prince says so, he will be killed." Yan Shikuan said that he greeted Wen Xiang and Shen Guifen one by one, and then said with a smile: "You are tired of traveling and driving, Shanghai is cold and humid in winter, and ...... has prepared a banquet below. ”

Yi Yi smiled and said, "I'll go to the Zhennan Mansion first, and the shopkeeper Yan will accompany the two Zhongtang to have a few cups to warm up." ”

Seeing that he was so impatient, Yan Shikuan smiled, "There is a heater in the car, please ——。 ”

The winter in Shanghai is damp and cold, it is the kind of cold that seems to be able to soak into the bone marrow, and suddenly came out of the warm carriage, Yi Yi was young and didn't feel it, but the elderly Wen Xiang and Shen Guifen felt that the cold was pressing, and they immediately got into the carriage without being polite.

Getting into the warm carriage, Yi Yi commanded softly: "Go to the Zhennan Palace." Originally, he planned to come to Shanghai after the closure of the Yamen, but as soon as the news of the relocation of the Prime Minister's National Affairs Yamen to the north saw the news, he could no longer sit still, and hurried over without waiting for the Feng Ya, this fact was proposed by him, the purpose was to test the attitude of contentment, since the other party agreed, it was natural to strike while the iron was hot.

This time he hurried to Shanghai in order to discuss some details of the constitution with Yi Zhicontent, the most important thing is the military power, he did not dare to expect Yuan Qi to hand over the military power to him, the prime minister of the cabinet, but the Eight Banners New Army and the Beiyang Navy Division were handed over to the cabinet to control, if this matter could not be properly resolved, the cabinet would be purely in vain, and he had to discuss this matter privately with Yi Zhicontent.

The carriage did not go to the main gate, but directly entered the Zhennan Wangfu from the side door, which is a newly built asphalt road, which can lead directly to the courtyard of the Changle Book House. ”

This refers to the expansion of the northwest, Yi Zhizhi smiled and saluted: "The smooth expansion of the northwest to the Persian Gulf is not only the blessing of Yuanqi, but also the blessing of the country, as long as the northwest can be consolidated, it can ensure the prosperity of our country for at least two hundred years." ”

It can ensure the prosperity of the country for at least 200 years! Yi Yi was stunned, the Persian Gulf is so important? He knew that he would never say anything as the other party, and he also knew that Yuan Qi had been planning the northwest for more than ten years, and the cost was unimaginable, but if he wanted to say that he could protect the national fortune of the Qing Dynasty for 200 years, he still didn't believe it.

Yi Zhizhi felt cold standing outside, and immediately stretched out his hand and politely said, "Sixth Master, please——。 ”

There is a dragon in the study room, full of heating, and when they enter the house and take off their coats, the two of them sit down, and as soon as they sit down, Yi Yi continued what Fang Cai said, saying: "I remember that Brother Guocheng mentioned that the Persian Gulf is rich in black gold...... Is this black gold worth so much? ”

"The sixth master is questioning the theory of two hundred years of national fortune, right?" Yi Zhishu said with a smile: "Black gold is not a precious metal such as gold and silver, but an indispensable strategic energy resource, this is only one of them, and second, according to the geopolitics of the West, Central Asia, which is now China's Anxi Province, is the center of the geopolitics of the whole world, and has unparalleled strategic value.

Not to mention its strategic value, only the strategic energy resources contained in the northwest are indispensable for China's national defense and industrialization, but the huge value of the northwest will not be reflected until 30 or 50 years later, and it is only necessary to consolidate it at present. ”

As soon as he heard that it would take thirty or fifty years to reflect its value, Yi Yi was not interested, and he groaned slightly, he didn't go around in circles, and said straightforwardly: "The constitution is about to be established, but the Queen Mother has no intention of handing over the New Army of the Eight Banners...... If it is strong, and I am afraid of twists and turns, can Brother Guocheng have a good plan? ”

"Hold it out for now." Easy to be content with a very simple way.

"Drag ——?" Yi Yi deliberately lengthened his voice, he was very dissatisfied, the Queen Mother held the Eight Banners New Army, Yuan Qi held the Yuan Qi New Army, and the Beiyang Navy Division was in an impartial posture, and he, the dignified Prime Minister, couldn't control the military power at all, what else did it mean?

The other party's thoughts, Yi Zhizhi naturally understood, when he said: "If you want to do everything quickly, you can't reach it, and if you completely deprive yourself of imperial power, it will be difficult to accept it for a while, and it will be counterproductive to deprive the emperor of the control of the Eight Banners New Army at this time."

After the constitution was established, the royal family spent three or five million dollars a year, which dragged on for three or five years, and by the means of the six masters, it was either divided, annexed, or abolished, and the new army of the 100,000 and eight banners could be easily dismantled, so why rush for a while. ”

Yi Yi glanced at him and said, "More than 100,000 uncontrolled Eight Banners New Army stationed in Beijing, who knows if it will pop out of the Youth Army Club again?" ”

Hearing this, Yi Zhizhi couldn't help but smile, "There is no war at the moment, and the financial resources are also abundant, carry out military system innovation, break up the Eight Banners New Army, and keep 50,000 Eight Banners New Army in Beijing, and the rest will be stationed in Northeast China, Xinjiang, Huguang, Sichuan and other places, and then expand 30,000 troops for the monk and enter the Beijing Division, so, the sixth master should rest assured?" ”

Yi Yi hesitated for a moment before saying, "In this way, will the Queen Mother agree?" ”

"If you don't agree, go to war." Yi Zhishu said without hesitation: "If the sixth master is unwilling to be this wicked person, I will do it, and I will ask for the reform of the military system." ”

Yi Yi was not excited, with his current identity and situation, he was really not suitable to be this wicked person, he immediately gave up his hand and said: "Then there is Brother Lao Guocheng." After a pause, he continued: "The plan for the reform of the military system, Brother Guocheng has already formulated it, right?" ”

"I was not satisfied with the formulation of several copies." Yi Zhizhi said: "After a while, I will ask Yan Yangtian to send a few plans to the Sixth Master's Courtyard, and the Sixth Master, as the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, will also help to consider it." With that, he got up and went to call Yan Yangtian.

When he turned back, Yi Yi smiled and said: "This phone is far more convenient than the telegraph, and I don't know when the phone from Shanghai to Beijing will be opened?" ”

"It's coming." Yi Zhizhi said: "After the beginning of the year, we will be able to open a special line from Shanghai to Beijing. ”

When the sky is dark, Shanghai begins to light up, gas and electric lights illuminate several major streets, and the row of Chinese and Western buildings on the Bund are full of neon lights.

"Sure enough, it deserves to be called 'Night Shanghai'!" Shen Guifen watched all the way and praised all the way, he was in his early fifties and easy to wake up at night, he didn't sleep well on the train for a few days, he drank two glasses of wine at the reception banquet, he deliberately made up for a night's sleep, and then went to Zhennan Wangfu after getting up, because the place where he stayed was not far from Zhennan Wangfu, he walked all the way to the car.

Sun Qiuyu, the accompanying staff member, was visiting Shanghai for the first time, and he couldn't help but sigh with emotion when he saw this scene, "It is said that this light is only extinguished in the middle of the night, how much silver does it cost this night?" ”

"The power plant is built by Yuanqi itself, how much money does it cost?" Shen Guifen said disappreliantly: "Yuanqi's wealth is already beyond imagination, with an annual income of tens of millions, how can you care about such a little silver." ”

Hearing this, Sun Qiuyu said puzzledly: "Financial innovation, didn't Yuan Qi hand over all the taxes of the southeastern provinces to the imperial court?" And such a high income? ”

Hearing this, Shen Guifen couldn't help but smile, "The taxes of the southeastern provinces have been being paid, and people don't take that idea of paying taxes in their eyes at all....... As he spoke, he pointed to the endless flow of bicycles shuttling on the road, "It is reported that several bicycle factories in Yuanqi make profits as high as two or three million yuan a year. ”

How can the factory be so profitable? Sun Qiuyu was stunned for a long time, but he knew that the annual tax of a medium-sized province was only one or two million yuan, which was not as good as a bicycle factory in Yuanqi.

Shen Guifen smiled and didn't say anything more, Yuanqi made money not only by bicycle factories, but also by the emerging money-making industries in the Qing Dynasty, such as banks, railways, ships, steel, cement, cigarettes, spinning, silk reeling, weaving, rubber, etc., and small ones such as clocks, glass, papermaking, printing, pharmaceuticals, bicycles, soap, etc., etc., are almost all monopolized by Yuanqi, and no one can calculate how much profit there is in a year.

Yi Zhifen seemed to have expected that someone would come to visit, and after dinner, he turned back to the study house and set up a chessboard with Zhao Liewen to kill, and when he heard that Shen Guifen was coming to visit, he ordered without thinking about it: "Please let him in." ”

Zhao Liewen said while cleaning up the chessboard: "Feng Zhongtang is the backbone of the post-party, and the constitution is about to be established, so he should have come to put forward conditions, and it is better for students to avoid it." ”

"The power of the king? Military power? Yi Zhicontent said and stood up and walked out slowly, hearing that Shen Guifen came to Shanghai with him, he expected that he must be unwilling to make a final effort before the constitution was established, to fight for more imperial power or to retain military power.

The entire courtyard of Changle Book House was brightly lit, and Yi Zhifen went out to greet him, Shen Guifen hurriedly took a few steps, and when he went up the steps, he was about to kneel and bow as soon as he lifted his robe, Yi Zhifen hurriedly supported him, and said with a smile: "Lord Shen doesn't need to be polite, I don't have so much red tape here." ”

It is easy to be content and unruly, and the government and the opposition know it, and Shen Guifen naturally came to Shanghai to inquire in many ways, and he was not reluctant to do so, bowed down to salute, and said: "The lower official Shen Guifen has seen the king of Zhennan. ”

"It's cold outside, let's go inside." Yi Zhishu said and stretched out his hand, "Lord Shen, please ——。 ”

"Lord Wang, please ——。" Shen Guifen hurriedly bowed politely, entered the room, sat down, and after serving tea, Yi Zhizhi said straightforwardly: "The constitution is about to be established, Lord Shen will come to Shanghai, won't there be another change?" ”

Seeing that he asked directly, Shen Guifen simply didn't go around in circles, and said with a smiling face: "The prince said that he was joking, the constitution is already the trend of the times, how can it be changed again." After a pause, he said euphemistically: "The lower official came to Shanghai this time to discuss the provisions of the "Qing Constitution" with the prince at the behest of the Empress Dowager. ”

Sure enough, he came for the great power of the king, and Yi Zhizhi said quietly: "The queen mother has objections to the draft of the "Qing Constitution"? ”

Shen Guifen pondered for a while before she said simply: "The Empress Dowager wants to add two terms, first, the Qing Emperor rules the Qing Empire, and he will be respected forever." Second, the sacred dignity of the emperor is inviolable. ”

One lineage? Do you really want to clear the country for thousands of years? Yi Zhizu shook his head slightly, and said with a smile: "How can our emperor ever have a lineage for all generations, and the English Constitution does not have this article, right?" ”