I can't die

If it is said that those pedantic Confucian officials have already screamed at the steamship, then when they came to Shanghai to take the train, some officials with poor psychological endurance almost cried out.

Do you know why?

Just because these officials looked at the train with the siren roaring and puffs of black smoke, they only called it a monster. If it weren't for the emperor, the empress, and the queen who had already boarded the train as an example, they would run away if they saw this up.Even if they suppressed their fear and stepped into the car, they were supported by the guards with weak legs, which was indescribably funny.

"What is the name of this thing?"

Cixi Ci'an calmed down a lot after experiencing the battle of steam ships. In order to further understand the benefits of developing Western technology, she specially recruited Li Hongzhang to accompany her.

According to the theory, when the empress summons foreign ministers, the foreign ministers have to stand up and answer. Even if they are given a seat, they can't stand too close to show the difference of dignity.But the train is different from the past, the seats are very close to each other, and many people who want to come to the honest green leather car know that they are seated face to face with a table between them. In this way, Li Hongzhang also gained It is an honor to have such a close conversation with the empress.

"Go back to the emperor, go back to the empress dowagers, and go back to the queen empress. This thing is a train. With this thing, you can travel from Shanghai to Jinling within half a day."

Li Hongzhang replied respectfully, Zai Chun is a person of later generations, so nothing will happen. Hearing this, Cixi and Ci'an were all shocked.It should be noted that Cixi and Ci'an are not ordinary women who are illiterate. They know that in the past, it would take a horse-drawn carriage to travel fast, and it would take a day and a night to travel from Jinling to Shanghai. Not to mention, this train is so huge that it can hold The people and things in the world are far from comparable to horse-drawn carriages.

"With such a thing, isn't it possible for a large army to cross the border with just one cart?"

Cixi Ci'an was also frightened by the civil strife in the Qing Dynasty in the early years. The first thought was that once there was a civil strife in the country, with this railway, it would be able to quickly suppress the civil strife.

"If the road is not obstructed, it is indeed possible." Li Hongzhang said truthfully.The train relies on the railway. If the railway is broken, the train will naturally be impassable.Hearing this, Cixi Ci'an couldn't help being a little disappointed, but she heard Li Hongzhang continue to say: "But in addition to the need for war, if the railway runs through the north and the south, the coal and iron from Kaiping can be delivered to Anqing within two days, which saves labor and speeds up production. , If things go on like this, our Qing army is strong, so we won’t be afraid of foreigners.”

The war between the Qing Dynasty and Britain four years ago, although it had a lot of benefits, it also hurt a lot, not to mention borrowing 1000 million taels of silver and grain from the United States to prepare for the war, and it has not been paid back yet. Fortunately, after this war, the Qing Dynasty took back the power of the customs, which made the economy a lot more comfortable. I think it will be able to pay off the debt in a few years.

When Cixi Ci'an heard the words, they also felt that there was some truth. They could still believe the words of such a capable minister as Li Hongzhang. Thinking of this, they couldn't help feeling that the vision of the rotten Confucians who had made too much trouble in the court before was really narrowed.

"The envoy of Qin Tianjian, Xu Shi, is getting old, and his speech is not as measured as usual."

Hearing Cixi's words, Zaichun smiled: "Indeed, when we go back, let's make an order to let him be raised. There are many people who come to study and return to China who are proficient in astronomy and calendar. It is also necessary to send some to the Qin Tianjian to practice. "

Combining western astronomy with ancient Chinese traditional astronomical theories, I think it can also give birth to a unique charm.Zai Chun thought this way, and felt that the Qing Dynasty was a 5000-year-old country. Even though there were many pedantic features, the treasures accumulated over the years were far from comparable to other countries.

Cixi Ci'an originally didn't like these students who returned from studying abroad and were influenced by Western culture very much, after all, they have different worldviews.But after they have experienced these wonderful Western skills, they also feel that they should change their views on overseas students. Moreover, most of the earliest people sent to study abroad were born in the Eight Banners, their roots are straight and young, and they should be loyal.

"This kind of trivial matter, the emperor himself decides."

Although Cixi and Ci'an would still intervene in government affairs, there was still a stance they should put on. At least on the surface, they still respected Zai Chun's decision.

"By the way, Er Niang, I intend to reform the imperial examination."

As soon as Zai Chun's words came out, Cixi Ci'an's heart trembled.The imperial examination can be said to be the most important talent selection since the Sui and Tang Dynasties.The selection of talents has always been closely related to the distribution of the ruling class in the court.Before the Sui and Tang Dynasties, imperial power and aristocratic families were in charge of the government together. In order to suppress the aristocratic family, the imperial power gave birth to the imperial examination, which gave countless students from poor families a way to be promoted, which led to the decline of the aristocratic family and the rise of the poor family. Finally, the Qing Dynasty was formed step by step. official system.

However, with every reform of the imperial examinations, it must be accompanied by a huge bloody storm. Don't you see, Wu Zetian relied on the power of the poor family to abolish the king and queen in one fell swoop, and finally even changed the dynasty and became a generation of queens.

"How does the emperor plan to change?"

"Take arithmetic and physics as the subjects of investigation, alongside stereotyped essays and the Four Books and Five Classics."

As soon as these words came out, even Li Hongzhang couldn't help breaking out in cold sweat.With such a change, doesn't it mean that those Western skills and the words of the sages can go hand in hand?In this way, I am afraid that not only the court, but also the whole country will cause an uproar.

But I heard Zaichun continue to say: "I still want to set up private schools to teach Western skills in various places, first in the capital city of Shanghai as a pilot, and then gradually spread to the whole country."

In this way, teaching and testing will gradually improve and form an integrated education system.

Cixi and Ci'an have been silent for a long time, and they don't know what to say about this. In fact, they are inclined to oppose it, because the reform will inevitably cause an impact on the distribution of power in the original court, and they already feel that the current court is very good, and the country is peaceful. The subjects live and work in peace and contentment, so why bother to fight against Confucian scholars all over the world?

"Your majesty, you have to think clearly, you are fighting against the scholars all over the world."

Ci'an couldn't help but said earnestly, and even sat aside, Empress Fucha, who had always been afraid to speak about the affairs of the court, panicked for a moment: "Your Majesty, you should think twice about this matter."

"What does Master Li think?"

Zai Chun knew that Cixi Ci'an still had Fucha's concerns, so he asked Li Hongzhang instead.Li Hongzhang pondered for a moment, and then said earnestly: "The merits of this move belong to the country, but the court has no merit. The emperor should think twice."