In the Yin'an Palace, there is a discussion, and on the west side of the Zhengyang Gate where the inner and outer cities intersect, Zhang Taiyan is discussing the transformation of the entire capital with Yin Shen Luomin of the Shuntian Mansion, officials of the Urban Construction Bureau of the Ministry of Industry, and a group of architects.

Beijing, the capital of China, although there is no major change in the regulations everywhere, can be in accordance with the standards of the new city, water, electricity, gas, pollution, roads, greening, these are to be reorganized, and the capital has been built for hundreds of years, coupled with the financial constraints of the late Qing Dynasty, after several wars, the whole city is already old, not from the underground three zhang to the ground three zhang is really sorry for the two words of the capital.

Although, Yang Rui opposes the construction of a subway in the inner city - he even wants to make the entire inner city a pedestrian street, prohibiting motor vehicles from entering, but the outer city still has to be repaired, but the transformation of things can not be done with money, the biggest problem is that there are many foreigners here, and there are privileges, and China is changing too fast, these people have not yet turned their minds from the previous show of power and power, and the city government has to beg these people to repair something, they are either unwilling, or they are asking for a price, which is really disgusting.

Similarly, the American soldiers stationed with guns on the west side of the Zhengyangmen Tower on the west side of the city wall were also very annoying - after the Americans occupied the Zhengyangmen Tower in the year of Gengzi, even if they signed the Xinchou Treaty, because this place was the commanding height of the entire embassy area, they never returned the tower to China; When the Revival Army captured the Forbidden City in the Xinhai year, it chose Chongwenmen instead of Zhengyangmen, and a big consideration was the American soldiers stationed here.

"Among the nine gates of the inner city and the four gates of the outer city of the capital, the Zhengyang Gate at the foot is the most important. From the beginning of the day. This gate has suffered four catastrophes, and each time it was robbed, there was a great disaster in China. It is rumored that it was the time of Gengzi's great disaster. The arrow tower and the city tower were burned, and the Tartars lost the country - it is said that there are seventy-two cannon holes on the four sides of the arrow tower, which are coercive on all sides, and they are seventy-two righteous earthly evils; And the eaves beam of the city tower, there are thirty-six, the number of thirty-six days, the arrow tower of the city tower Gengzi is destroyed. This hundred orders and eight evils were born. ”

Shen Luomin, the mayor of Beijing, who made a cameo appearance as Mr. Feng Shui, was talking nonsense, and he said this, and said with a smile: "In fact, Zhengyang Gate is the main gate of the inner and outer cities. If it is wrecked here, it can only be said that the dynasty has declined. ”

Shen Luomin said nonsense casually, but when Zhang Taiyan heard it, his complexion changed abruptly, his breath was unsettled, and the good city tower was occupied by foreigners and was not returned. He felt that it was a great loss of national prestige. However, even Yang Rui admitted that he needed to endure it in the past few years, so he had to swallow his anger.

"One day we will drive out all the foreigners!" Zhang Taiyan took a few breaths, and his slightly flushed face finally calmed down, the four words of enduring humiliation and bearing weight are simple to say, but they weigh more than 10,000 pounds to do, if it weren't for the sake of looking at billions of silver......

"My lord," Zhang Qixu, an official of the Ministry of Works, who was discussing with everyone just now against the drawings, stepped forward and said, "Many places in the outer city are wasteland. It was very feasible to move all the businesses from the inner city to the outer city, but after a few decades. I'm afraid that the outer city will not be able to bear it, so I can only move outside the capital. The planning of the imperial capital should be planned to be more than 50 kilometers outside the city to meet the needs of the future. ”

"How many houses are going to be demolished in the outer city?" Zhang Taiyan asked, the planning of the capital was not under his control, but Yang Rui said that architecture is the art of solidification, and the matter belongs to the Ministry of Rites. Originally, the capital was a national symbol, so how could people build it indiscriminately. Zhang Taiyan came up to demolish the building - all illegal houses with more than two floors in the inner and outer cities had to be demolished, and the government could not control the four-story Liuguo Hotel in the eastern suburbs, but the Chinese buildings could still manage it. For a while, the more than 100 shops built in the first ten years of Gengzi and Xinhai have all been cut by one layer, and the inner city is fine, but the shops in the outer city are not happy.

"My lord, what the outer city wants to demolish is only the houses on both sides of the road to make way for tens of meters of avenue." Zhang Qixu said.

"Isn't that going to be a big complaint again?" Zhang Taiyan didn't understand why the road was so wide, but this was Yang Rui's clear request, so he had to compromise.

"This ......," Zhang Qixu was still thinking about how to phrase it, and his colleague Shen Qi said: "My lord, the people are changing their old homes for new houses, and it's too late to be happy." Although the shop has also been relocated, it is still facing the street after the reconstruction, and there is no loss. Besides, most of the land in the capital belongs to the households, and since the landlord agrees, what do the tenants have to say? ”

Compared with his colleagues, Shen Qi is ten years older, and he speaks naturally and tactfully, but Zhang Taiyan obviously didn't like it, and he said: "It's normal to demolish people's yards and scold a few times." Those who are willing to ask for money, do not be short of compensation; If you want a house, build it well, so that the people can live comfortably. ”

"Yes! Obey your instructions. Shen Qi and Zhang Qixu immediately bowed down and agreed.

"What are those yellow-skinned monkeys doing?" As soon as Captain James went up to the tower, he saw Zhang Taiyan and his men on the west side of the tower, and he asked Lieutenant Fayol, who had come to take over.

"I guess they're just looking at something, who knows." American officials do not have uniforms, and American soldiers cannot distinguish the uniforms and grades of Chinese officials, and although Fayol knows that these people are officials, he does not know what kind of officials they are, and besides, these officials have nothing to do with him.

"Observe ......?" Captain James, like him, only knew about those people and officials, but he never cared about the Chinese officials, the monkeys were monkeys in whatever clothes they wore and listened to the priests in the embassy that now there are more and more people who have dropped out of religion, and China is being barbarized.

"John, looking at their clothes, they should be government officials, and we shouldn't interfere with them." Fayol felt that James wanted to go over and drive the Chinese away, so he couldn't help but say something, but he was already off work, and he left after saying this.

"Hey! Get out of there! Captain James saw that several of the group were getting closer and closer to the tower, and they were surveying the streets below the tower, and he finally shouted at him, who was already anti-infidels. However, the people on the city wall either learned from the old school, or studied in Japan and France, did not hear his cry at first, and then they did not understand what he was talking about.

"Get out of here! Right away!! Captain James, who felt neglected, impulsively led two people to jump out of the barrier where the city tower and the west wall met, and rushed to the former official who was surveying and mapping. Not only did he knock down the tripod of the survey, but he also reached out and pointed to the west and yelled, signaling them to get out of here.

The government officials who know how to surveying and mapping are all new students. Seeing a few bear-like foreigners yelling at themselves, they were suddenly taken aback, they came to map the chessboard street and the royal road behind the Daming Gate, although this place is still too remote, but it is better than seeing nothing under the city wall. Before, they also knew that the city tower was occupied by the United States, and they didn't want to even let them get close to the city tower.

"Why do you want us to go!" Although the language barrier is incomprehensible, Sun Zhixia, who is the leader, still understands what foreign soldiers mean. He raised the surveying frame again and again and asked, in fact, he was also a little panicked, forgetting that foreigners don't understand Chinese at all.

Language barrier. But the expression was clear, several American soldiers belonging to the Marine Corps were very dissatisfied with the reaction of the Chinese, Captain James shouted again for the Chinese to get out, and the two soldiers next to him pulled the bolt. to intimidate.

"What's going on?" Zhang Taiyan, who was attracted by the Americans shouting "dog, dog", walked over. He was asking, but the person was inserted between Sun Zhixia and the American soldiers, and Sun Zhixia and the others, who were panicked just now, suddenly straightened their waists a lot, and the heat on their faces was also felt at this time.

"Stupid Zhu ......" Zhang Taiyan and Shen Lumin do not understand English; Zhang Qixu was born in Japan, graduated from Tokyo Imperial University, and taught architecture courses at the Higher School of the Ministry of Agriculture and Industry before Xinhai, and did not understand English; Only Shen Qi is a student studying in France, but he only speaks French: "We are government officials. Just mapping ...... here"

“GO！” James saw that the yellow-skinned monkey didn't leave or say anything, and there was actually one that met him without fear. When he shouted 'GO' again in a rage, it seemed to be too hard, and his saliva suddenly sprayed Zhang Taiyan's face.

"Shameless!" Zhang Taiyan was furious, scolded and took out a handkerchief to dry his saliva, and then threw the handkerchief on the foreigner's face in anger......

In the Yin'an Palace, Yang Rui was discussing the details of Central Asia with Xie Jintai and Zhang Shi, Li Zilong suddenly knocked on the door and walked in quickly, he saw that Xie Jintai was also there, and immediately said: "Prime Minister, Mr. Taiyan and the Americans are fighting on Zhengyangmen!" ”

"Ahh The three people in the study were all shocked, the most anxious was Xie Jintai, he knew the name of the madman, and he had always been extremely xenophobic, this time he had a conflict with the Americans, and he was worried that he was crazy again.

"What's going on? How's it going? Yang Rui was very displeased, he hated to report things so well.

"Prime Minister, it's on the city wall west of Zhengyang Gate. It was said that the Americans did not let the people from the Ministry of Engineering survey and map on the city wall, and Mr. Taiyan and Lord Yin Shen stepped forward to reason with them, but the Americans spat on their faces, and Mr. Taiyan threw the handkerchief on the ...... in anger" Speaking of this, Li Zilong's voice was a little quieter, if it weren't for Zhang Taiyan, he really couldn't believe that this was something that Lord Shangshu could do," ...... Throw it in the face of the Americans, and... The two sides fought......"

"And now?" Xie Jintai couldn't sit still like an ant in a hot pot when he heard this, he was not only worried that Zhang Taiyan's accident would have to be tough, but also worried that the negotiations on the abolition of the Old Testament would not be easy to negotiate after the accident of the Americans.

"Now," Li Zilong said, "...... the Praetorian Guards on the arrow tower have passed, and the American soldiers have suffered less, but when they rushed to the Zhengyangmen Tower, all the American soldiers in the barracks came up, and now the two sides are facing each other on the Zhengyangmen Tower, and the military camps of various countries in the eastern suburbs have also moved, and there are ...... It is estimated that there are also actions in Tianjin......"

"Did you shoot?" Yang Rui's heart was shocked and calmed down, Zhang Taiyan had told him about the Zhengyangmen Tower a long time ago, but he persuaded him to go back, now at this time, it is true that you should not fall out with the Americans, but if you shoot, it will be different.

"This, I didn't say it......, I think it was shot, otherwise how would the Praetorian Guards come forward." Li Zilong has always been articulate, but he doesn't want to be upside down and stammering this time.

"It's different when you shoot." Yang Rui said lightly, he turned his head to look at Xie Zhangtai and said, "As soon as you shoot, there will be dead and wounded, and this matter can't be good after all." Chong'an, can Zhengyangmen Tower take the opportunity to get it back? ”

"It's done! Ah!! Xie Jintai was really anxious, he really couldn't imagine that Yang Rui would make this request when he was burning his buttocks, he patted his thigh and said, "Actually, if you really shoot someone and kill someone, then the matter will really make a big fuss." Uncle Mei is crazy, are you crazy with him? Think of merchant ships in the Atlantic, think of shipping business. Why can't you bear to mention this matter for two or three years, when the time comes, not to mention the Zhengyangmen Tower, it is the American Concession. I'll get them all back for you, too. ”

"The Americans have shot and injured people, so there is still a reason to retreat!" Yang Rui suddenly said loudly. "When we were going to take back the Zhengyangmen Tower, what did the Americans say? They said that it was their trophy, and although it was not part of the eastern suburbs, it should still be occupied by American troops, and I still remember that! Let them fight, it's just a border dispute......"

"It did. You! You can't be so confused!! Xie Jintai was about to go crazy, he didn't know what medicine Yang Rui had taken wrong, and why he spoke like this.

didn't care about Xie Zhangtai's anxious jumping. Yang Rui said to Li Zilong casually: "Call and sue Wang Menghui, protect Uncle Mei, and on the side of Zhengyangmen, you must just fight with bayonets in hand-to-hand combat." Let the Janissaries fight down. snatch the Zhengyangmen Tower back for me; If the Americans shoot and set off artillery ......," Yang Rui thought for a while, "If you really can't defend it, then you will burn the Zhengyangmen Tower to me, and Lao Tzu's strong wall will not be left to them!" ”

"Actually become a ......" When the days passed, Yang Rui became more and more mature, and he became more and more disliked, and during the European War, he said that the first task was to make money, who knew that such a thing would come. Xie Jintai really wanted to smash his head open to see what was going on inside.

"Don't worry, Chong'an. As long as we don't shoot, the fighting bayonets Americans can't kill a few people. Yang Rui said. After he finished speaking, he smiled again, "I can't sit in the yamen today, and the legation and Rui Enshi will come later." You deal with them, what to say, you should know. ”

"I don't know anything!!" Yang Rui wanted to run away after adding firewood, and Xie Jintai, who was anxious, suddenly got angry, he had never seen such a long country.

"Then you just say you don't know!" Yang Rui was unimpressed by Xie Jietai's anger, and he smiled: "Chong'an, we are not going to attack the eastern suburbs, nor are we going to kill foreigners, the current situation is because the American soldiers are rude and insult the important ministers of this dynasty, this is just a border conflict." In addition, don't forget jì, Zhengyangmen is in full view, when this kind of thing happens, how will public opinion view the government? It's better to let the people below fight, even if we want to back down, we can only quietly back down afterwards, and it is absolutely impossible now. ”

"What about shipping?" Xie Zhangtai said. He saw that Yang Rui had not lost his mind, so he stopped stomping his feet.

"There are Japanese people in shipping, and don't forget that this is a partnership, and the merchant ships are all under the Japanese flag, which is why we can't offend the British. We fell out and tore apart with the United States, and the Japanese are the happiest in the world, and the Americans want to move the merchant fleet, not to mention the Japanese, I am afraid that the British will not agree. After Yang Rui finished speaking, he left the Yin'an Palace. Soon after his departure, the leader of the legation, Minister Francis the Portuguese, entered the Silver Palace, along with the British Minister Mamuller, and the American Minister Reinsch.

"Mr. Xie, on behalf of the legation, I would like to express my strong protest against your country's blatant violation of public international law, and if your country's troops do not withdraw from Zhengyangmen, then all countries will interfere in this!" Fu Lide was in good spirits and flew straight with his beard, originally he was going to say these words to Yang Rui in person, and he didn't want to just find Xie Yitai.

"Zhengyangmen City Tower has never belonged to the scope of the eastern suburbs, and naturally it does not belong to the scope of public international law!" Xie Zhangtai said loudly. "And this incident is really caused by the rudeness of American soldiers, if countries want to interfere, then please intervene."

Xie Zhangtai was already angry in his heart when he saw Zhang Taiyan and Yang Rui making this incident, but now when he heard Fu Lide's words and the interference that he hadn't heard for a long time, he suddenly became angry. After he said this, the faces of Vreid, Ma Muller, and Rui Ensch all changed greatly, Fu Lide was surprised that Xie Jintai was tough, Ma Mueller suddenly thought about whether China was being co-opted by Germany, and Rui Ensch was surprised that Xie Jintai, who had always been mild-mannered, said such a thing.

After the three of them were stunned, the person concerned, Rui Enshi, said: "Mr. Xie, your country should not provoke this kind of incident in order to recover the Zhengyangmen Tower, this is immoral and violent, and neither the President of the United States nor the American people will agree to such a deliberate provocation and crime by you." ”

"Mr. Rui Enshi, first of all, your judgment on the cause of this incident is wrong, my country has always intended to take back the Zhengyangmen Tower through negotiation, rather than to solve it by force, if it is deliberate, why wait until today?" Xie Jintai said, "Secondly, the incident happened outside the diplomatic embassy area and not inside, and your soldiers openly insulted our important minister Zhang Taiyan on our territory and shot our personnel, who committed a crime against whom?"

Ladies and gentlemen, my country has always hoped to resolve the issue of abrogating the old covenant and concluding diplomatic relations with other countries through negotiation rather than by force. However, if the countries wish to assemble another coalition and wage war against our country under some lame pretext, then you must remember that our country is by no means the Qing Dynasty! ”

"Mr. Xie, I think the most important thing to do now is to order your country's troops on Zhengyangmen to withdraw, and then discuss how to investigate the responsibility for the incident after the situation has calmed down." After listening to what Xie Jintai said, Ma Muyler felt that China was not being co-opted by the Germans, and he was immediately relieved. As far as the current situation in the European battlefield is concerned, Britain needs the United States and China, and he really does not want the two countries to fight.

"Mr. Reinsch, on behalf of the Government of the People's Republic of China, I have the honour to send you hereby a formal note to Your Excellency: At 2:35 p.m. today, your soldiers insulted and beat His Excellency Zhang Taiyan, a member of the Cabinet of our Government, and opened fire on our personnel, injuring two people. This act is a flagrant violation of public international law and the greatest insult to our Government, and I now request that Your Excellency hold accountable those responsible for the incident and that they make a formal apology and compensation to our Government and to Master Zhang Taiyan; Moreover, this incident was caused by the Zhengyangmen Tower, which has never been in any treaty or agreement, and was illegally occupied by your army, and I ask your government to return the Zhengyangmen Tower with immediate effect. ”

Before the foreigner envoy opened, Xie Jintai finally asked what had happened, and he wrote an extremely deliberate official note before Rui Enshi and the others arrived, and he was not thinking about Zhengyangmen, but asking the Americans to make concessions in the case of reason—the people who apologized to China were just ordinary soldiers, not the American government. However, he obviously thought wrong, the always elegant Rui Enshi was angry at this time, he always thought that the Zhengyangmen incident was a conspiracy directed and acted by the Chinese, what insults and beatings, it was just that they were acting.

"Your Excellency Foreign Minister, Zhengyangmen was occupied by our Marines during the Fist Rebellion, and it is impossible for your country to deny past crimes and treaties just because of a change of government. Like the embassy area, Chinese are forbidden to approach within 50 meters of the city tower, and the officials of your country knowingly do not retreat after being warned by our soldiers, and there will naturally be conflicts; And now your country's occupation of Zhengyangmen is a complete violation of the Beijing Protocol and a violation of public international law. I sincerely hope that your military will withdraw from Zhengyangmen and make a formal apology to our country. Rui Enshi looked at Xie Jintai, and when he couldn't find Yang Rui, he thought it was a conspiracy of the Chinese.

"In that case, please go back." After hearing what Rui Enshi said, Xie Jintai had to smile bitterly, "I hope Your Excellency can treat this matter calmly and not deliberately add conspiracy theories to it, so as to cause a crack in the friendship between the two countries!" ”

Xie Jintai actually served tea to the guests and didn't want to talk about it anymore, the British suddenly became anxious, and he said: "Lord Xie, since the incident is just an accident, then we should properly resolve this matter, instead of losing our minds and letting it expand, which is very unfavorable to both of you." ”

"I very much want to solve this problem, but the premise of solving the problem is that everyone wants to settle the matter, but the ministers and gentlemen came to protest and accuse our country of deliberately causing this matter, which is not the attitude to solve the problem at all." Xie Zhangtai said, "China is not the Qing Dynasty, and it is not afraid of any foreign interference.

In the last negotiation on the return of Zhengyangmen, the gentlemen of the United States considered the castle tower to be a trophy of the United States Marine Corps. Or does the U.S. government simply not recognize the Beijing Protocol? My thinking is that if the U.S. government recognizes the Beijing Protocol, it should recognize that Zhengyangmen has never been covered by the Protocol; If not, then what reason do they have to accuse our country of violating the Protocol? Here I still insist on my minimum demand, the soldier who caused the accident must apologize to Lord Zhang Taiyan. ”

"Nope! That's impossible! "Reinsch didn't want to make a big deal out of it, which is why the U.S. Marines didn't shoot after that, but now the minimum demand for Xie Jintai is to apologize, and if he agrees, then the Marines and even President Wilson will oppose this demand - official, white people apologize to yellow people, this kind of thing has never happened, although it is only a Marine captain who apologizes, but in the eyes of outsiders, he will represent the entire United States government. (To be continued......)