Yixun, Su Shun and others were extremely active in lobbying a group of clan princes, Manmeng members, intensively brewing the abolition of the Eight Banners system, there were many responders, and there were also many opponents, but they remained neutral and perfunctory more, after all, the Eight Banners system was the foundation of the Qing Dynasty, even if it could not be relied on by the banner people to maintain the rule of the Qing Dynasty, but the abolition of the Eight Banners was too big after all, and no one knew what Xianfeng's attitude was.

At this juncture, Xianfeng, who was in the Old Summer Palace in Haidian, was sick, bedridden, did not summon ministers, did not deal with government affairs, and should not be easily disturbed unless there was an urgent military situation, and ordered to strengthen the defense of the Old Summer Palace and the Beijing Division.

There was a discussion inside and outside the Beijing Division, no one could guess Xianfeng's thoughts, Yixun, Su Shun and others thought that this was Xianfeng's intentional indulgence and was more active, and the princes of the clan who opposed the abolition of the Eight Banners, the Manchu and Mongolian members thought that Xianfeng was hesitating, and they also went around lobbying, preparing to jointly play against it, and those with a neutral attitude were even more determined to pay attention and wait and see.

The Han members of the Jingshi and above knew that this matter was not something they should be involved in, and they were wise to protect themselves one by one, waiting and seeing, while the Han members with low rank contacted one after another, ready to vigorously support the abolition of the Eight Banners by the imperial court, and the Guozijian and the Hanlin Academy were also divided into two factions with distinct camps, arguing with each other.

The people who stayed in Beijing from all provinces or came to Beijing in advance to prepare for next year's examination were also very interested in this, and some young people were even more impatient and appealed widely, after all, the abolition of the Eight Banners was tantamount to a great thing for them.

Shanghai, Zhenhai Mansion, Changle Book House.

Zhao Liewen glanced at Yi Zhi, who was looking down at the newspaper, and said, "The undercurrent of the Jingshi is surging, but today it is said that he is not sick, it can't be that the dragon body is not safe, right?" ”

Is Xianfeng a real disease or a fake disease? Yi Zhizhi couldn't figure it out, what he knew was that Xianfeng was weak, he had to drink deer blood all the year round, and he died in the eleventh year of Xianfeng, and now it is the eighth year of Xianfeng, and the possibility of illness is indeed very great, put down the newspaper, he said: "It doesn't matter if Xianfeng is really sick or false, what is important, what is his attitude towards abolishing the Eight Banners?" Let's talk about it. ”

"Abolishing the Eight Banners is not a trivial matter." Zhao Liewen said slowly: "If it weren't for the big treasurer's proposal and the fact that the importance of abolishing the Eight Banners is especially above the law change, and now is a good time to abolish the Eight Banners, Prince Gong and others would not have proposed to abolish the Eight Banners."

That is to say, the imperial court subjectively did not have the will to abolish the Eight Banners, for today, this matter is very sudden, but since Prince Gong and others will be tempted, they should also be tempted today, but it is difficult to make up their minds, after all, the Eight Banners system is the foundation of the Qing Dynasty.

In the humble opinion of the students, today they should pretend to be sick and not come out, conniving at Prince Gong and others, thinking that they will wait and see, if the opponents are violent, they will oppose it, and if there are many supporters, they will push the boat with the current. ”

After striking a match and lighting a cigarette, Yi Zhizhi said slowly: "Abolish the Eight Banners, today's attitude is the key ...... ”

After a slight hesitation, Zhao Liewen said: "That being the case, can you transfer some troops from Goryeo to Tianjin and exert some pressure?" ”

"There's no need, it's too revealing and it may backfire." Yi Zhizu shook his head slightly, "The abolition of the Eight Banners is beneficial to both the imperial court and the banner people, as long as Xianfeng is not too stubborn, he should know how to choose, let's wait and see what happens." ”

As he spoke, he turned his head, "Feng Yunshan and Shi Dakai have been in Shanghai for some time, inform Yan Shikuan, I will have a banquet for the two of them in the evening." ”

Zhao Liewen glanced at him and said tentatively: "Does the big shopkeeper have the intention to take Shi Dakai under his command?" ”

Yi Zhizhi smiled contentedly, "Shi Dakai is also a rare talent, especially rare is that he is young, less than thirty years old, but he is already experienced in a hundred battles, and the use .......of soldiers is also remarkable, but it is not easy to recruit him." ”

Zhao Liewen nodded, "This person has a high status and prestige in the Taiping Army, and there is a group of loyal subordinates, so it is indeed not easy to recruit. As he spoke, he stood up and arched his hand, "The student sent someone to inform the shopkeeper Yan." ”

Feng Yunshan and Shi Dakai have turned around Shanghai and Baoshan these days, although Feng Yunshan has been to Shanghai twice, but they all came in a hurry and left in a hurry, this time there is plenty of time, and Yan Shikuan's arrangement is extremely thoughtful and enthusiastic, they also simply push the boat down the river, go out early and return late every day, and take the opportunity to conduct a detailed investigation of Shanghai.

On the train from Shanghai to Baoshan, the other carriages were overcrowded, but the last carriage was a little empty, and there were only more than 30 people sitting in the carriage with a quota of one hundred and eight seats, which was a carriage that Yan Shikuan deliberately chartered for the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and his party.

Feng Yunshan didn't say a word, looking sullenly at the houses, factories, and farmland that were constantly regressing outside the car window, Shi Dakai noticed that he was a little abnormal, and waved his hand to retreat the surrounding husks, and then he said: "Thoughtful? ”

"I'm thinking about the old Tianjing." Feng Yunshan smiled reluctantly: "Compared with Shanghai, it is simply a world of difference, why is the gap so big?" ”

Shi Dakai glanced at him and said, "We don't have time to run ...... at all, Yuanqi has been running Shanghai for almost twenty years." ”

"Give us twenty years, and Tianjing will not be able to catch up with Shanghai." Feng Yunshan affirmed: "The wealth of Shanghai should exceed all the places in the Qing Dynasty, our Heavenly Kingdom does not have talents like Yi Guocheng, nor does it have such a good geographical advantage as Shanghai, and what is even more lacking is that Yuanqi has such a strong financial strength." After a pause, he continued: "Have you noticed the price of rice in Shanghai?" ”

The price of rice? Shi Da opened the flute, he really didn't notice it, and immediately said: "If it's peaceful today, it should be around three, two, five?" ”

Feng Yunshan stretched out four fingers and said: "Four yuan and one stone, two or two or eight dollars and one stone, this is the market price, and there is also a price, called the ticket price, Yuan Qi will issue food stamps to all the yamen, consulates, schools, and factories in Shanghai according to the capitation, and the ticket will be two yuan and one stone." ”

Shi Dakai couldn't help but be stunned, "That's just this, how much silver does Yuan Qi have to spend every year?" ”

"In recent years, Yuanqi has imported a large amount of grain from Nanyang and the United States every year, and I heard that almost all the merchant ships from the United States are loaded with rice and wheat, which has caused a lot of impact on the grain prices in Shanghai." Feng Yunshan said slowly: "Although it costs a lot of silver every year, this silver is worth spending and winning people's hearts!" ”

Shi Dakai let out a long sigh, "It's good to be rich." ”

"Even if you have money, you have to see if you can spend it." Feng Yunshan sighed lightly: "When we set the capital of Tianjing, it was not that we had no money........ ”

Hearing this, Shi Dakai was speechless for a moment, the capital was Tianjing, the king of heaven took the lead in building a large number of buildings, and the kings competed for extravagance, now that I think about it, it is really unbearable to look back.

Shanghai to Baoshan is not far away, after the train speed is accelerated, more than half an hour can arrive, the first time to take the train Shi Dakai has not yet arrived in Baoshan, a group of people get off the train, someone quickly greeted up, after the salute said: "I just received the news, the big shopkeeper set up a banquet tonight to invite two ........" ”

Feng Yunshan originally planned to stay in Baoshan for a few days, Yi Zhizhi feasted, naturally he couldn't refuse, it seems that he can only go shopping by the way today, and come back tomorrow, fortunately, it is very convenient to take the train, but there is no inconvenience, he groaned slightly, and then he said: "Do you have enough time to visit the military factory today?" ”

"Yes." Lin Musen, who accompanied him, nodded.

Baoshan Gunsmith is located in the western suburbs of Baoshan County, originally attached to Baoshan Machinery Factory, and then became independent, the scale of the new factory expanded rapidly, expanded again and again, has already exceeded the scale of the machinery factory, and the factory is surrounded by military control areas.

When Feng Yunshan and Shi Dakai passed by the checkpoint, they were shocked and speechless when they saw the factories that stretched for several miles, were large in scale and lined with chimneys, although they had long expected that the scale of Yuanqi's military factory was not small, but it was so large that it was far beyond the imagination of the two.

Seeing the expressions of the two people, Lin Musen explained to the two: "The military factory is not a factory, but a concept, which generally refers to the factory that produces weapons and equipment, and the Baoshan Firearms Factory mainly produces firearms, including many workshops and ....... ”

In other words, such a large factory is only a part of the Yuanqi Military Factory? It's unreasonable! Feng Yunshan and Shi Dakai were speechless in a daze.

Lin Musen continued: "Two, the military factory is generally not allowed to be visited by outsiders, the two are specially ordered by the big treasurer, and the entourage of the two is ....... ”

Shi Dakai nodded in understanding, and immediately turned around and explained a few words, letting everyone wait outside.

Entering the factory, was led to visit more than a dozen workshops, large and small, Feng Yunshan and the two can be said to be eye-opening, only then did they know that it is not easy to produce a musket, Shi Dakai is very familiar with the Mini gun, and soon found that the production here should be the latest musket from the parts, he pretended to be careless and said: "Such a large scale, how many muskets can be produced in a month?" ”

Lin Musen gave a brief explanation to the two of them all the way, and when he heard this question, he couldn't help but smile, "I don't know this problem." ”

Seeing that he couldn't speak, Shi Dakai turned around and asked, "Yuan Qi doesn't produce Mini guns now, right?" ”

Lin Musen smiled: "I'm sorry, I don't know much about the situation of the factory. ”

Feng Yunshan said, "Can we go to the artillery factory to have a look?" ”

"The artillery factory and the ammunition factory are more remote, and they have to apply separately, and then talk about ........" Lin Musen raised his wrist and pointed to his watch, "It's too late." ”

It wasn't until the train back to Shanghai that Shi Dakai couldn't help asking: "What is the purpose of Yi Guocheng for us to visit the Baoshan Gunsmith?" ”

"Naturally, it's a shock!" Feng Yunshan said: "Such a large factory, at least thousands of workers, can produce two or three thousand muskets a month, and Guangzhou should also have them, this is a warning to us not to have different intentions." ”

Zhenhai Mansion, Changle Book House.

Lin Meilian walked into the room quickly and reported: "The big treasurer, the minister of Nanyang, Wu Ren, came to visit. ”

Yi Zhicontent, who was writing at the desk, stopped writing and hesitated before saying, "Please let him in." Immediately put down the pen and got up, for this Wu Ren, he really can't talk about any good feelings, this person and Zeng Guofan, He Guizhen and several people have worshiped under Tang Jianmen to learn Zhu Cheng science, but they don't know how to change, as the minister of Nanyang but extremely resistant to Western learning, this visit, should not be the official business of the Prime Minister's Yamen, after all, the Prime Minister's Yamen has Wu Changqing, if there is any major event, Wu Changqing will report in advance, he estimates, the other party is likely to abolish the Eight Banners system.

Dressed in civilian clothes, Uzigri Wuren slowly walked into the Zhenhai Mansion, although he was an official in Shanghai, but he rarely came to this place, this time he came, in order to test Yi Zhi's tone, Jingshi sent a telegram, saying that the abolition of the Eight Banners system was easy to be content to put pressure on the imperial court.

Although he is a member of the Mongolian Zhenghongqi, he does not have a prominent family background. The ancestors were stationed in Kaifeng, the middle and lower level officers of the Eight Banners, belonging to the middle and lower class banner people society, Daoguang nine years, admitted to the Jinshi, and entered the Hanlin with the Jinshi background, selected the Jishi, all the way to the top, which is naturally thanks to his identity as a banner man.

Yi Zhishu just greeted him at the door of the study, and the two of them exchanged a few words of greeting, then went into the house and sat down, and chatted for a while about the affairs of the Prime Minister's Yamen. ”

Yi Zhishu glanced at him and said, "Lord Wa is also a banner person, right?" Can you agree with the abolition of the Eight Banners by the imperial court? ”

Wu Ren pondered and said: "The Eight Banners system is the foundation of our dynasty, and it is related to the honor and disgrace and livelihood of millions of banner people, and it is a great matter, so how can it be abolished lightly. ”

Yi Zhishu didn't have the heart to talk to him more, so he immediately bowed his head and said, "What Lord Wa said is extremely true. ”

Hearing this, Wu Ren was secretly depressed, and continued: "Jingshi all said that it was Zhenhai Gong who proposed the abolition of the Eight Banners....... Could it be that the rumors are wrong? ”

"Correct." Yi Zhizu said expressionlessly: "The abolition of the Eight Banners is indeed the proposal of this public, but whether to abolish the Eight Banners lies in the court and the emperor." ”

Wu Ren asked: "Zhenhai Gong proposed to abolish the Eight Banners, but it was to promote constitutional reform?" ”

"Constitutional reform is proposed by Prince Gong and has nothing to do with this father." Yi Zhishu said in a cold tone: "If Lord Wu opposes the abolition of the Eight Banners, he can do it. ”

Seeing the other party's cold attitude, Wu Ren sighed lightly, and said in a sincere tone: "Zhenhai Gong admires Western learning and advocates that the imperial court vigorously promote new learning, have you ever thought about where to put Confucianism?" In order to set up a factory, it is enough to promote new learning, and advocate constitutional reform, so don't you worry about turning summer into a disaster? Don't worry about the extinction of the country and the species? ”

Hearing this, Yi Zhishu was speechless for a while, and only after a while did he speak: "If we don't implement new learning and don't develop industry, we will really be in danger of destroying the country and extinction.

Its characteristic is that it is open and inclusive, and it is inclusive of all rivers, how can it turn summer into a disaster because of the introduction of Western learning? Are you underestimating our civilization too much? As for Confucianism, it should also be extended and developed to adapt to this new era. ”

The characteristic of Chinese civilization is openness and inclusiveness! Wu Ren's heart shook, and he looked at him in a daze, unable to speak for a long time.