Zhan listened to Renshou clamoring for a war with Yuan Qi, what is it better to fight late than early, Ci'an was speechless to the extreme, the more she has been in charge of the country for more than a year, the more she knows about Yuan Qi, the more she feels that Yuan Qi is unfathomable, if you really want to go to war, the court will inevitably be defeated, counting on Britain and France to help, that is tantamount to luring a wolf into the room.

Seeing that Yifang didn't say anything, she asked slowly, "What does the Seventh Emperor Uncle think?" ”

"The ministers think that they should try to avoid fighting against Yuan Qi." Yi Qi said in a deep voice: "Yuan Qi's attitude towards implementing the constitution is not resolute, if the imperial court reacts violently, Yuan Qi is very likely to back down." ”

"What if Yuan Qi is pressing step by step?" Ci'an asked.

After a slight sigh, Yi Wei said: "The imperial court can send people to Shanghai to negotiate with Yi Zhixiang, and the minister thinks that Yuan Qi himself does not want a large-scale war to break out, which is not in the interests of Yuan Qi." ”

Hearing this, Renshou was a little anxious, and hurriedly said in a deep voice: "Yuan Qi is the heart of the Qing Dynasty, it can be said that women and children know it, and the imperial court will tolerate it in every way, which will only make Yuan Qi further sit on the ........." ”

"Yuanqi has become a big trend." Yi Yan interrupted him and said: "The imperial court is now unable to start a war with Yuan Qi, once the war starts, the Nanyang Fleet will inevitably blockade the Bohai Sea, and the support of Britain and France cannot be counted on at all!" Although there are more than 100,000 people in the Eight Banners New Army, the weapons and ammunition are all supplied by Yuanqi, and the combat power is far from that of the Yuanqi New Army. ”

Renshou argued: "If you plan early and buy a large number of weapons and ammunition from Britain and France, the imperial court is fully capable of fighting with Yuan Qi, and if you blindly retreat, you won't even have a chance to fight in the future!" ”

"Buying weapons and ammunition in large quantities from Britain and France? What about the silver? Yifang said without concessions: "The war is about money and food, once the war starts, it will be a war for the country, how can the imperial court raise this huge amount of military spending?" And Yuan Qi can easily take out hundreds of millions or even hundreds of millions of taels of silver! ”

Renshou said: "Loans, Britain and France can provide huge low-interest loans. ”

Seeing the two of you, you and I argued one by one, Ci'an couldn't help coughing lightly, listening to this light cough, Yifang and Renshou realized that there was some disrespect, and they stopped talking.

After a slight sigh, Ci'an said: "The imperial court is preparing for a military industry in Tianjin with the help of Britain and France, and what is needed at present is stability and time, and it is not appropriate to start a war lightly." After a pause, he said slowly: "In the constitutional dispute, King Gong made a note and suggested that the imperial court implement a preparatory constitution to appease Yuanqi, calm the dispute, win the hearts of the people, and delay the ...... time." As she spoke, she elaborated on Yixun's thoughts on preparing for the constitution.

After only thinking about it for a while, Renshou said: "The preparation of the constitution is really ill-intentioned, once the imperial court implements it, the constitution will be a foregone conclusion, and once the deadline comes, the imperial court will have no reason to delay, and will be forced to implement constitutional government under the pressure of the government and the opposition!" ”

Yi Wei pondered and said: "The nine-year period is not short, and the imperial court is enough to establish a military industrial system and produce weapons and ammunition on its own." However, once the imperial court implements the preparatory constitution, the idea of constitutionalism will inevitably be deeply rooted in the hearts of the ......... ”

Listening to this sentence, Ci Anden understood that the reason why he had always felt uneasy was this, once the imperial court implemented the preparatory constitution, the government and the opposition, the gentlemen and the people will inevitably understand and study the Western constitutionalism, and during the nine-year preparatory period, the constitutional thinking will inevitably be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and at that time, if the imperial court does not implement the constitutional, the government and the opposition will inevitably be in an uproar.

But what about the insight into this? Is it possible that it is not allowed to prepare for the constitution? How can you appease Yuan Qi and calm down the argument? Ci'an didn't feel a little headache, it was Gong Wang Yixun who proposed to prepare for the constitution, what did he think? Is it not enough to break this? Or is it intentional? If Yixun was interested in promoting the constitution, then things would have become more complicated.

This matter can be put aside for a while, and the top priority at the moment is to settle the constitutional dispute first, otherwise with the mixing of newspapers, the controversy will inevitably expand indefinitely, and after a long silence, she spoke: "Since we cannot prepare for the constitution, how should we properly handle this matter?" ”

"The Queen Mother." Renshou said loudly: "If the imperial court retreats, Yuan Qi will inevitably have to make inches, and the ministers think that it is better to make the world clear, the origin of the Chinese and Western countries is different, and the Qing Dynasty is based on the traditional outline of etiquette and religion, and the constitution does not conform to the etiquette and law of the Qing Dynasty, so it is not suitable to be imitated." ”

Is it not chaotic enough to be so blatantly provocative? She knew in her heart that these people needed to be encircled, and if they really wanted to oppose the constitution, they must rely on these people, and after calming down, she said softly: "The emperor has not been on the throne for a long time, and he is young, so it is not appropriate to make extraneous branches. ”

As soon as her words fell, Yi Yan continued: "The Empress Dowager, the minister still suggested sending someone to Shanghai to negotiate with Yi Zhishu to show the attitude of the imperial court. ”

This is not a lost method, at least to test the attitude of contentment, and furthermore, for the sake of balancing the pattern of the DPRK and China, as the emperor and queen, he should also contact Yuan Qi, and after thinking for a while, Ci'an said: "That is the case, there is Uncle Lao Qihuang to go to Shanghai." ”

Shanghai, Zhennan Wangfu, Changle Book House.

Zhao Liewen put down the newspaper and said with a smile: "An article can actually trigger a large-scale constitutional dispute, it seems that there are many people in the government and the opposition who support the constitution, so I don't know if the imperial court will announce its intention to establish a constitution?" ”

"Preparing for the constitution can greatly promote the process of implementing constitutionalism, and if the imperial court does not agree, we will continue to exert pressure." Yi Zhi's disappreciative way, in fact, in his opinion, there is no suspense in the imperial court's announcement of the preparation of the constitution, Yuan Qi is in the opposition, Yixun and Su Shun are in the court, which is equivalent to the tripartite cooperation, if the emperor and queen cannot be forced to agree to announce the preparation of the constitution, then there is really a problem!

Zhao Liewen smiled when he heard this, "The big shopkeeper doesn't seem to be optimistic about the constitution, why is he so active in promoting the constitution?" ”

"I also crossed the river by feeling the stones." Yi Zhizhi said with a smile: "Whether our China adopts a constitution or a republic, I don't have a very mature idea at present, the constitution is not bad, the root lies in the national complex, the emperor is an ethnic minority, this is a hard injury."

With the deepening of the ideas of democracy, equality, and freedom, and with the improvement of people's wisdom, it is very likely that national contradictions will arise in the future, and the Manchu emperor will be easily attacked. ”

He said this because he knew that in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, there was a surge of national movements around the world, which would inevitably affect China, and that the Han people, who made up the absolute majority of the population, would most likely be dissatisfied with the Manchu status of the emperor as the spiritual leader of the country, and that he might not have imagined a situation.

After a pause, he continued: "The conditions and foundations of the republic are more stringent than the constitution, and the Qing Dynasty cannot even meet the conditions and foundations of the constitution, let alone the republic, and besides, there is a big problem with the republic, and the defect of the American Civil War has been exposed, and the southern states have declared their secession from the Union, and if the South finally wins, the United States will inevitably be divided into two."

Our situation is more complicated than that of the United States, first, the territory is too vast, second, there are too many ethnic groups in the territory, and third, the frontiers are all newly annexed lands, and if we adopt a republican system, it is easy to leave a hidden danger of division for future generations, which does not echo our original intention of expansion. ”

Listening to these words, Zhao Liewen said with a smile: "Since there are pros and cons to a constitutional republic, it is better to implement the constitution, as for the emperor, the big treasurer will replace it, won't it be easy to solve?" ”

"Even if it's a hypocrisy, this emperor is not easy to be." Yi Zhizhi said: "The situation in our China is very special, if it is like the Wa King of the Wa Kingdom, even if this emperor is a minority, I will not hesitate to choose the constitution, but our Chinese emperors take turns."

The era of China's autocratic imperial power is too long, and the ideas of democracy and freedom in later generations are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, so it is possible to oppose the imperial system, and furthermore, if we want to replace the Qing court, a large-scale civil war will inevitably break out. ”

Speaking of this, he smiled to himself, "Don't think about it so long-term, take one step at a time, King Gong has the intention to implement constitutionalism, let's first see if constitutionalism is suitable, if not, and then overthrow the Qing court and overthrow constitutionalism." ”

Hearing him say this, Zhao Liewen couldn't help but be a little worried, France is the imperial system, constitutional, and republican repeatedly, so that it hurts the vitality a lot, if the Qing Dynasty also tosses so repeatedly, I am afraid that it will be more harmful, after all, the situation in the Qing Dynasty is much more complicated.

Seeing that his face was worried, Yi Zhixin knew what he was worried about, and said with a smile: "Huifu doesn't need to worry, with me one day, we won't repeat the mistakes of France." ”

While the two were talking, Lin Meilian came in and reported: "The big shopkeeper, Wang Yitong of Alcohol County asks to see." ”

Alcohol County Wang Yifang? Uncle Seven Emperors? Zhao Liewen glanced at him and said, "The king of the alcohol county should be a member of the emperor's family, right?" ”

The little emperor Qixiang ascended the throne, and the king of Yixian was quite important, and obviously had nothing to do with Yixun, and should indeed belong to the emperor's family, Yi Zhizu nodded slightly: "Please let him in." Saying that, he stood up and said, "It seems that the Queen Mother is very resistant to preparing for the constitution. ”

If the Empress Dowager Ci'an has a tough attitude but is prepared for the constitution, things will be really tricky, Zhao Liewen secretly thought in his heart, and then got up and went out with Yi Zhicontent.

Yifang did not come alone, accompanied by Nanyang Minister Wu Ren and Yushi Zhang Shengzao, most of the Han members in the court and China supported the constitution, but there were also Han members who opposed the constitution, this Yushi Zhang Shengzao was one of the Han members who tried their best to oppose the constitution, and therefore entered the eyes of the Empress Dowager Ci'an, this time he was sent to Shanghai with Yifang.

Greeted the three of them at the gate of the courtyard, and after greeting them, they heard about the introduction, and Yi Zhizhi couldn't help but look at Zhang Shengzao more, this person is about forty, a little thin, with a long beard, and he looks very elegant, without thinking about it, he knows that this guy must be against the constitution, otherwise it is impossible to follow Yifang to Shanghai.

A few people greeted each other and entered the house, and sat down, and Yi Zhishu asked directly: "How did the king of alcohol have time to come to Shanghai?" ”

Yifang didn't go around in circles, and said straight to the point: "This time Weifu came to Shanghai, specifically for the constitution. ”

As soon as the words fell, Zhang Shengzao continued: "The constitution is a Western system, and the culture, history, tradition, and etiquette of the East and the West are very different. ”

Seeing that he couldn't wait to jump out, Yi Zhishu glanced at him, "Lord Zhang, is this questioning this king?" ”

"The lower officials don't dare. The lower official just told the facts. Zhang Shengzao said calmly: "The constitution can neither enrich the country nor facilitate the people, but there is a suspicion of cutting the power of the monarch, and the implementation of the responsible cabinet is even more disadvantageous to the state, the Japanese state is an example, the king of the Japanese kingdom is in power, the shogunate is in power, the country is corrupt, the people are not living, can the Qing Dynasty follow suit?" ”

This guy is so eloquent, Yi Zhizhi didn't bother to argue with him, but looked at Yi Fang, "Does the Queen Mother have a will?" ”

Yifang shook his head slowly and said, "I came here in Weifu, and I didn't bring the Queen Mother's decree." After a pause, he continued: "The new monarch is young, the queen mother is in charge of the country, and there are difficulties, if the constitution is implemented, the queen mother will not be able to see the ancestors and ancestors even after a hundred years, can the king of Zhennan delay for some time, and then mention the constitution after the emperor is in power." ”

Yi Zhixiang secretly laughed, now the conditions for the constitution are not ripe, and it is not that he is in a hurry to implement the constitution, however, Ci'an does not agree to prepare for the constitution, wants to delay time, and waits for Qixiang's pro-government, then it will be nine years, he will wait, but he is afraid that Yixun will not be able to wait.

After a slight sigh, he said: "I heard that King Gong has made a statement and is preparing to establish a constitution, but is there such a thing?" ”

The high-level officials of Beijing have heard about the preparation of the constitution, and Yifang knows that he can't hide it, so he immediately said truthfully: "There is indeed such a thing, King Gong proposed to prepare the constitution for a period of nine years, and then decide whether to establish a constitution or not after the emperor is in power." ”

"Nine years, I waited, Yuan Qi waited, but Daqing can't afford to wait!" Yi Zhizhi said in a deep voice: "The international situation, especially the situation in Europe, is changing every year, the United States ends the civil war, and it will inevitably be reborn as a world power, dominating the Americas, and several major European powers will also rise one after another, and a war for world hegemony is not far away."

Even if the Qing Dynasty does not have the heart to fight for hegemony, it also needs to have the power of self-preservation, and must take advantage of the favorable situation in front of it to develop rapidly, otherwise it is possible to face the joint invasion of several major European powers, and if it wants to develop rapidly, it must have a good system and environment, and the constitutional monarchy system is undoubtedly the most conducive to promoting the rapid development of the Qing Dynasty.

In terms of industrial development, the Qing Dynasty was already too far behind the major European powers, and the imperial court should be prepared for danger in times of peace, how could it delay for another nine years? ”

Wu Ren, who had been silent, spoke: "Whether the imperial court is constitutional or not, it will not have the slightest impact on Yuan Qi. ”

Yi Zhishu glanced at him and said: "The influence of the imperial court on Yuanqi is indeed extremely limited, but although Yuanqi is large, it is difficult to support it alone, and the development of industry requires the establishment of a perfect and huge industrial system, not a simple matter of opening a few factories, which requires a reasonable layout of the provinces, coordination and cooperation with each other, if not, why let the imperial court implement constitutional government?" ”

As he spoke, he looked at Yi Fang, "Please also reply to the Queen Mother, if the imperial court opposes the constitution, I will implement it in the southeastern provinces, which can be regarded as accumulating experience for the imperial court to implement the constitution in the future." ”