Usurping the Qing Dynasty: My first love was Cixi

Chapter 148: Adored by all! Rewarded by the Emperor! Moment of national destiny!

This time, Su Ye brought Wang Tianyang, Lin Li and others to participate in the triumphal ceremony.

Wang Shiqing, Zhao Bu and others stayed in Nanchang and Jiujiang.

Wang Shiqing was now experienced and had the posture of a commander.

But Zhao Bu was still not important enough, whether in terms of official position or ability, and he was even worse than Ronglu.

As the deputy assistant minister of the new army, Ronglu stayed in the new army barracks in Tianjin.

A new batch of new troops was already in training.

But Su Ye knew that this batch of new troops probably had little to do with him.

But for Su Ye, all this was not important.

The next most important thing for him was only one, the Jiujiang Economic Experimental Zone.

Set up a factory and save the country through industry.

The importance of this matter was greater than anything else.

And the army could be trained in Jiangxi.

With money, you can train soldiers.

He always remembered his mission, to change the fate of the country.

The core of changing the fate of the country is to move towards industrialization.

Now his army can at least protect this economic zone.

As long as this economic experimental zone matures, it will soon be able to feed back to his army.

When the industry matures and the army matures, why worry about not accomplishing great things?

……………………………………

This triumphal ceremony was much more grand and luxurious than the last one.

There were a full hundred senior officials alone.

The whole process took half an hour.

Prince Dun symbolically pulled the reins for Su Ye, and Prince Chun symbolically helped Su Ye off the horse.

This is a great honor.

"Congratulations to Marshal Su Ye on his triumphant return!"

"Marshal Su Ye has worked hard."

This scene alone made everyone present envious and jealous.

Ordinary people will never enjoy such an honor in their lifetime.

Especially those who came to watch the ceremony, their eyes looking at Su Ye were even more eager.

Wang Tianyang had never experienced all this before. He felt dizzy during the whole process, as if he was floating in the sky.

Now he is already a fifth-rank official.

Even in his dreams, he never thought that he would have this day.

The days when he ran the escort agency and lost money repeatedly seemed like yesterday.

Every day was torture at that time, because as soon as he opened his eyes, there were countless people waiting for food.

He even had nightmares now, dreaming that his aunt came in and said that there was no rice at home, and the food was going to be cut off, and the people in the escort agency were going to starve.

And now, he is already a fifth-rank official.

The new army's salary is extremely high, and he has not embezzled any money, and he earns more than two thousand taels of silver a year.

It can't be spent, it can't be spent at all.

In the past, this money had to be used to help poor brothers frequently. But now there is no need at all, half of his brothers have become officers.

It's really one person's success, and chickens and dogs rise to heaven.

Whenever Wang Tianyang thought of it, he felt that it was a great fate, no, a great blessing, to meet the Marshal.

When Lin Li saw the triumphal ceremony, his face was solemn and serious, but he kept laughing in his heart.

He even looked down on it.

He didn't like anything.

What triumphal song? It didn't sound good.

And these two princes, I didn't like them.

And these hundreds of officials, I didn't like them even more.

As for why I didn't like them, it was because I thought they were corrupt and old.

Hum, hum, hum!

Throughout the triumphal ceremony, he kept snorting in his heart, and he was a rebel.

Prince Dun said: "Su Ye, it's not easy for you, it's really not easy."

"The last time we won such a big victory, it was Senggelinqin who defeated Lin Fengxiang. The rest were all defeats. Even if there were victories, they were all fought by the Han people."

"It's only been two months, and you have recovered Jiangxi. It's amazing, amazing!"

"You are a double star of civil and military affairs, absolutely genuine. We bannermen, our royal family have such talents, and I am proud of it."

This Prince Dun Yihuan is a man of all kinds.

The Prince Chun Yihuan next to him is quite introverted. As the seventh son of Emperor Daoguang, this person will have a great weight in the court in the future. He is one of Cixi's closest partners.

This person has a slight stutter, so he doesn't talk much.

Su Ye saluted the two princes.

Then, he saluted several military ministers respectively.

Coming to Du Han, Su Ye said, "Hello, Lord Du."

Du Han said, "Hello, Brother Su Ye. The last time you returned victorious was last year, and I came to pick you up. This year, I am still the one to pick you up. It is a great fate. I hope that Brother Su Ye will make new achievements. The next time may be to recover Nanjing and completely wipe out the rebellion."

Su Ye said, "Thank you for your good words, Lord Du."

Next, Su Ye led hundreds of new troops, lined up neatly, and entered the capital!

Received a warm welcome from the people of the capital!

"Hello, Brother Su Ye!"

"Hello, Marshal Su Ye!"

"Marshal Su Ye, your army is really mighty."

"Marshal Su Ye, do you still remember me? Do you remember me? More than three years ago, when you returned to the capital for the first time, I greeted you at the city gate? It was... that Su Xiangrui, can you touch my vitals..."

Fuck!

You are really not afraid of embarrassment.

What's the matter with your proud posture?

At this time, Su Ye's reputation in the capital had become polarized.

Quite a few senior Eight Banners officials hated him because his existence had shaken the foundation of the Eight Banners Army.

The imperial military expenditure was originally limited, and if it was given to the New Army, part of it would be lost to the Eight Banners Army.

Moreover, in the last battle in Yangzhou, Su Yi's new army supported the Eight Banners Army so incompetently.

But many people at the lower levels of the Eight Banners, as well as ordinary people in the capital, had a huge affection for Su Yi, and even worshiped her.

For them, there is even a feeling.

They watched Su Yi grow up.

In just three years, Su Yi went from having nothing to what he is today, creating one miracle after another.

And, never lost.

Especially the last negotiation with the British caused a qualitative change in the perception of him by the people in the capital.

This is a hero.

And this is our own hero.

Therefore, when Su Yi crossed half of the capital to go home, it was difficult to do so. There were too many people greeting her on the road.

At least hundreds of thousands of people enjoy the attention of thousands of people.

But Su Yi was different. He was considered a superstar in the eyes of the people in the capital.

……………………………………………………

After returning home!

The whole family is waiting for him.

Qingqing held a baby in her arms and looked at him with great happiness.

The baby’s full moon party has already been organized.

A son was born.

Su Yi quickly hugged him over. The little guy was still sleeping. He could vaguely see that he looked like Qingqing and was very handsome.

The look he looked at Qingqing was full of apology.

When she gave birth, he was not around.

But Qingqing was very happy because she spent the month after giving birth during confinement.

She must abide by the customs of confinement.

Therefore, she felt that she was not very beautiful during this period, and she did not want Su Yi to see her.

When Su Yi came back, she saw her beautiful self again.

…………………………………………

In the evening, after the family finished eating.

Su Yi could see that although his eldest brother Su Quan wanted to appear happy, he was still in a very low mood.

So Su Yi invited him to talk privately.

Just eating peanuts and drinking some wine.

"Brother, you and I, brothers, if you have anything to say, just say it." Su Yi said.

Su Quan hesitated for a while and said: "Xiaoyi, you are a person who does big things and has a high vision. But I can't. I can only focus on my own one-third of an acre. This time I am so disappointed."

"Isn't this obvious enough? It's clear that someone at the Ministry of Industry was greedy, which caused the imperial mausoleum to overrun the budget and cut corners. Originally, nothing would have happened. It was me who blocked the money, causing them to be greedy and even cut corners. The matter may not be hidden anymore, which is why the imperial mausoleum collapsed, resulting in the death of hundreds of people. "

"What happened to the imperial court? Instead of checking those moths, they suspended me from my duties and asked me to go home and reflect."

"If you hadn't won the battle in Jiangxi this time, my future would have been lost long ago. Is there still right and wrong in this court?"

Su Yi didn't say anything, just drank with him.

At this time, Bai Feifei came in and said: "Xiaoyi, there is a foreigner coming to see you. He came two days ago and also came yesterday. He seems very anxious."

Foreigners?

Su Yi couldn't help but be shocked?

Which foreigner would come to the capital to find him?

Su Yi said: "Did he say who he was? Did he say where he lived?"

Bai Feifei said: "No, I just said he would come again, and he came very secretly, obviously he didn't want anyone to know."

……………………………………………………

More than half an hour later!

This foreigner came to the door, and it turned out to be Basia Li.

Sir Basharrey, Consul at Canton.

And when he got off the carriage, his whole body was still covered in a cloak, and he came in through the back door very secretly.

Su Yi couldn't help but be shocked, what happened to make him find the capital.

And his whereabouts are so hidden.

Su Yi said: "Sir Basiali, are you in the capital on official business?"

Ba Xiali said: "No, I came here specifically to find you. I went to Jiujiang first, but you had already left, so I immediately came to the capital to wait for you. My ship is faster, so I arrived in the capital earlier than you. ”

Su Yi asked: "What happened?"

Something big must have happened, which made Basharli, a big shot, come to the capital to wait for him.

And there is still about a month left before the secret date of June 30th.

Ba Xiali said: "Sir Su Yi, find an absolutely private place to ensure that our conversation is absolutely safe."

Su Yi brought Ba Xiali to his study.

"Wine, do you need it?" Su Yi asked.

Basia saluted: "Coffee, thank you."

It's night. If you want to drink coffee, don't you need to sleep?

However, Su Yi still ground the beans, then made a cup for Basiali, and even made a cup for herself.

Ba Xiali greedily sniffed the aroma of coffee and said: "Oh my God, I finally smelled this smell again. I haven't had any for several days. Because the matter was so urgent, I even forgot to bring coffee beans. Come here." After arriving in your capital, I have to hide myself every day, so it is a huge torture. "

"That confirmed one thing for me, I'm addicted to coffee."

After taking a deep sip of coffee, Basiali's face became serious.

"Sir Su Yi, I have some bad news for you." Basia said politely: "The secret agreement between us may not be fulfilled, but we have already signed it. The party who breaks the agreement needs to compensate two million taels of silver. We will If you fulfill the agreement, you will be given a 30% discount on the arms you purchase from now on until two million taels of silver are paid to you."

As soon as Basiali opened his mouth, it was like a bolt from the blue.

What do I need from you for two million taels of silver?

This is changing the destiny of the country. This is the cradle of industry. The interests involved are more than 200 million taels? It’s about the destiny of the country.

However, there was no doubt that Basiali was not here to inform him of this matter.

Su Yi said: "Sir Basiali, we need to be honest with each other. If you just come to tell me that you can't fulfill this secret agreement, you don't need to travel thousands of miles to the capital to wait for me."

Ba Xiali said: "Sir Baoling failed in lobbying Congress, a complete failure."

"And he was ridiculed for believing in a stupid orientalist with pigtails."

"The entire British political establishment is laughing at us, saying that we have been deceived by ignorant Orientals."

"To say that we invest in and set up factories in your country is a huge joke. There is no future at all."

"The most important thing is that because we signed a secret agreement with you, we withdrew troops from Guangzhou and the waters of Tianjin without authorization, which angered the men in Congress. Although we sent troops privately, since we sent troops, we must achieve political goals. There is no such thing as It is completely foolish to retreat without authorization after achieving the goal, which will make the ignorant Qing people underestimate our will. "

Su Yi said: "What then?"

Basharli said: "Sir Pauling's political career, my political career, and the rear admiral's political career have all suffered a setback. Do you know what Waterloo means?"

Su Yi said: "Of course I know."

"We underestimated the stubbornness and conservatism of Congress, and we failed," Basharli said.

Su Yi said: "Please tell me the result directly."

"No, my friend, it's a choice." Basia said, "We are all facing a difficult choice."

"On the left, Minister Bao Ling found a reason to continue sending troops to your country to force your country to revise the treaty, open more port cities, open the Yangtze River waterway, and cede more places. This can be regarded as redemption of previous political mistakes."

"On the right, we continue the previous route to the end. Sir Bao Ling used up all his political resources, bypassed Congress, directly lobbied Her Majesty the Queen, implemented the British Empire's Plan B, continued to invest and set up factories in your country, and provided additional services to the two countries. A diplomatic line to keep hope alive."

Suddenly, Su Yi understood.

On the left is the traditional British route, which used force to force the Qing government to further open up, cede land, open markets, open waterways, open ports, etc.

On the right, is the new route.

Invest in the Qing Dynasty, cultivate the market, and cultivate common interests.

Obviously, the left side now has the absolute upper hand.

So much so that Sir Pauling had to bypass Parliament to get a crack from the Queen.

Basia said politely: "Sir Su Yi, do you know what it means if you choose the right side?"

Su Yi said: "Please tell me."

Basharli said: "The three of us must put all our political resources on this matter and on this plan B. Once we fail, we will lose all our political status."

"Politics is all about transactions. Once you decide to go with plan B, Minister Bao Ling will resign as minister early and his successor will be Count Elgin, who is a war madman."

"There is a high probability that Rear Admiral Simachi will withdraw from this secret agreement."

"And I, if this secret agreement is terminated, I will serve the new minister, Count Elgin."

"Sir Su Yi, do you want to continue this secret agreement? Do you know the weight of it?"

Of course Su Yi knew.

This is a completely unfamiliar and remote political route for the British.

Once they decide to take this route, Bao Ling and Basia Li must make a desperate move and sacrifice everything to open this road.

If successful, they will gain huge rewards.

Bao Ling's political life is coming to an end. Once this path is opened, his political life will move towards new glory, and he may even directly enter the cabinet and become an important minister of the British Empire.

And once it fails!

That means losing everything.

And Basial is still young. Although he has also been criticized by Congress, at least he still has a choice.

"Sir Su Yi, if you terminate this secret agreement, you will not suffer any personal losses, because we are the ones who broke the agreement, but you will be able to get compensation." Ba Xiali said: "And if we want to continue this secret agreement, it means that Minister Bao Ling and I will His political life and almost all his interests are tied to this secret agreement."

"Minister Bao Ling and I are both facing the biggest stakes in our lives."

"Whether it is as a friend or as a politician, please tell me very seriously and solemnly, do you want to continue this secret agreement? If not, we will go to Plan A to maintain our poor political life."

This plan A is very scary, and it is also related to the fate of the country.

Su Yi said solemnly, word for word: "I choose to continue the secret appointment."

Ba Xiali said: "Okay, if you choose to continue the secret agreement, then it is our choice. Should we choose to compensate you two million taels of silver, or should we choose to continue the secret agreement."

"This is a huge gamble for us, and we need to pay a huge stake."

"Sir Su Yi, we cannot place our bets on vain hopes. We must see infinite will and determination."

Su Yi said: "I captured Jiujiang more than a month in advance and even quelled the rebellion in Jiangxi. Isn't this enough?"

Ba Xiali said: "This is very miraculous. I can even tell you that if it weren't for the fact that you conquered Jiangxi and created miracles, I wouldn't have been able to come to see you. We will send someone directly to inform you that the secret agreement is cancelled."

"But you created a miracle and gave us hope, so I went all the way to find you."

"But this is not enough, my friend." Sir Basili said: "Do you know what truly expresses a person's will and determination?"

Of course Su Yi knew.

Sir Basari said: "It is money, and money can convince people. Money persuaded Sir Bao Ling, and the people behind him paid huge profits to bypass Congress, lobby Her Majesty the Queen, and open the door for the British Empire's diplomacy towards China. plan."

"We don't want your money, but we want you to come up with this money first. According to the secret agreement, you need to invest 10 million taels of silver, and we need to invest 1.8 million pounds."

"Now you need to take out ten million taels of silver and deposit it in the Liru Bank of the British Empire in Shanghai. Then I will go to London to hand it over to Minister Bao Ling and other important people in London based on this deposit check, and then promote The next process can show your country’s strong will to cooperate!”

"Sir Su Yi, is my request reasonable?"

Anyone else would have felt that the British were trying to deceive us.

But Su Yi knew that this was a very reasonable request.

If you want to invite others to the gambling table, you must first reveal your bets before others can safely follow your bets.

Money expresses will.

This is true in capitalist countries.

"Sir Su Yi, time is very tight." Basia said politely: "The people behind Minister Bao Ling have limited patience. And the time left for us to operate is also very tight."

"If Congress just disagrees and doesn't pass it, then we can directly lobby Jardine Matheson and the East India Company to make this investment as a large ordinary investment. But the conservatives in Congress said Strong opposition and condemnation of our weakness made our process very difficult, and the British Empire's consortium did not dare to invest. "

"So, we need to pay extra costs to advance this matter, and we need to take risks in remediation. That's why we need you to take out ten million taels of silver to show your determination. Of course, when you get to London, your determination will be It will become your country’s determination. We can use this as political capital to continue to promote this matter. This is a lever to leverage the Queen and the consortium. I am definitely not making things difficult for you.”

"Can you understand?"

Su Yi nodded and said, "Of course I understand."

"From now on, I will give you ten..." Sir Basial closed his eyes and began to count the time.

How long does it take to get to Shanghai from here, how long does it take to get from Shanghai to London, and how long does it take to get back from London.

"Thirteen days, not twelve days!" Sir Basari said: "I will give you twelve days. Please raise ten million taels of silver, or bills of equal value, gold, etc.. Then we will The two of them went south to Shanghai together, deposited the money in Liru Bank, and pledged it in the bank. Then I took the deposit note and immediately boarded the ship back to London to continue to promote the secret agreement and bypass it. Parliament, lobbying Her Majesty.”

"Is that okay?" Basia said politely, "I really didn't make things difficult for you. Even the price we have to pay for this matter is greater than you imagined."

Of course Su Yi knew that political games in the West were different from those in China.

Of course he knew how much Bao Ling and Basia Li would pay for this, and of course the future gains would be huge.

That's why I took a gamble on this.

Su Yi was silent for a while and said, "Okay!"

Twelve days, ten million taels of silver.

It's hard!

But it must be done.

After Basiali heard Su Yi's answer, he exhaled forcefully, and then slumped down on the chair.

After a long while, he took out a cigar and said, "Can I?"

Su Yi said: "Of course!"

Ba Xiali also handed one to Su Yi, then took one to himself and lit it.

Take a long breath and spit it out.

"Seriously, Sir Su Yi." Basia said politely: "You have an old saying in China, which is to do your best to obey fate. I came to Beijing to see you, but my emotions are actually very complicated. I even hope that you will reject me, because in this way I There is no need to continue this difficult job, because unlike Minister Baoling, I have no choice, and I can still serve Count Elgin."

"However, I am unwilling to give up, or I can't just give up. At least I want to see your will."

"And your will is so determined that I have no choice but to accompany you to the end on this narrow and difficult road, but I can vaguely see a bright future."

"Sometimes, when I can't make a decision, I usually let God decide. I wonder if God rolls dice to determine success or failure?"

Su Yi smiled and said: "Sir Basiali, you may have said a famous saying accidentally."

"Oh, which one?" Basia said politely.

Su Yi asked: "Does God play dice?"

Ba Xiali said: "May God bless us, Sir Su Yi. This time the political fate of the three of us may really be tied together. I hope we can win this time!"

"I will wait for you in the capital for twelve days and wish you success."

Then, he stood up and left.

Su Yi said: "Sir, don't you live in my house?"

Basia said politely: "I will definitely conceal my whereabouts this time, and your family is really attracting too much attention."

After taking a few steps, he suddenly said: "By the way, I haven't congratulated you on giving birth to a son. I heard that you are celebrating the Chinese Full Moon, so I prepared a small gift."

Then, he took out a gold pocket watch from his arms, and it turned out to be a children's watch because it was in the shape of an animal.

"I hope your son will grow up healthily and that our friendship will last forever."

Su Yi took the gift from the other party and said, "Thank you very much, Sir."

Basia saluted: "Goodbye, I'm waiting for your good news, Sir Su Yi."

The two shook hands and hugged.

Then, Basiali completely hid himself in his cloak. After going out, he got directly into the carriage and left.

………………………………

After Basiali left, Bai Feifei walked in directly.

"Xiaoyi, what's the matter? Is it important? Has the secret agreement you had with the British changed?"

Su Yi said: "There have been certain changes."

Next, Su Yi told the whole thing.

After Bai Feifei heard this, his expression changed slightly and he said: "Ten million taels? Twelve days, it's too difficult..."

Then, she said anxiously: "No, I want to go home immediately and ask my father to speed up the process and raise money."

"I'm leaving now, going to Suzhou now."

"But Xiaoyi, let me tell you first. My parents' family can only raise three million taels at most, and they have already spent everything."

Su Yi said nothing and bowed directly to her sister-in-law.

Then, Bai Feifei said goodbye to her husband and her mother-in-law.

Under the protection of dozens of new troops, he immediately left Beijing and headed for Tianjin. Then he took a sea ship south to Suzhou to sell off his property and raise money.

Su Quan felt sorry for his wife.

He finally couldn't help but said: "Xiaoyi, we are obviously doing things for the country, but we still have to raise money ourselves. And some people are still desperately embezzling national funds, which is really disappointing."

"Now I hate that I am not a corrupt official. Otherwise, I could have embezzled more than ten or two hundred thousand taels over the years, and I could help you share even a little bit of your worries."

Su Yi did not speak, but patted Su Quan's shoulder to express comfort.

…………………………………………

Meeting the next day!

Su Yi once again attracted attention.

There is no doubt that he is the focus of the meeting today.

How long has it been since then? After the great victory in Yangzhou last year, there was a court meeting, which was almost dedicated to rewarding him and the new army.

This time, his military exploits were even greater.

So this court meeting was another one-man show for Su Yi.

I don’t know what kind of rewards there will be.

"The Emperor has arrived!"

All civil and military officials knelt down and saluted.

"Long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

The emperor seemed happy, even excited.

It was even happier than the last victory in Yangzhou, because Su Yi had won against Boyan and the Zhenghuang Banner Xiaoqiying last time. For the emperor, it was his own people fighting against his own people.

But this time, Su Yi won against the Hunan Army, and it was a complete victory.

This of course made the emperor proud.

This confidant and beloved general is really up to date.

Recovering Nanchang and recovering Jiujiang, such a difficult task, was completed in two months.

The emperor said: "Everyone is safe!"

"The first thing we want to discuss today is the reward for Su Yi."

"Su Yi made great contributions to the last negotiation with the British, but the reward was suspended for some reason. This time, it will be added as well."

"Zongren Mansion, what title should Su Yi be granted this time?"

At the order of the clan, Prince Zheng Duanhua came out and said: "Your Majesty, Su Yi has made two great achievements and shall be granted the title of second earl."

The emperor laughed and said, "How is this enough?"

"Su Yi's hard work has made great achievements. He turned the tide at the critical moment and fought for the glory of his ancestors and me. He can't show his merit without a heavy reward!"

"Canonized as a first-class marquis!"

……………………………………………………

Note: This is the first update. It was written at around 7 o'clock in the morning. Woohoo!

My benefactor who has monthly tickets, can you give me a few to accompany me to sleep?