Usurping the Qing Dynasty: My first love was Cixi

Chapter 261 The Queen Mother gave birth! A new world! A big change

Jiujiang.

Yehenara stayed in Tantuo Temple for a few days symbolically, and then went south to Jiujiang secretly.

Zhu Sanniang, An Dehai, and even her mother followed her south.

She came down along the Grand Canal Line, passing many well-known cities along the way, such as Yangzhou and Nanjing.

When she arrived in Nanjing, she stopped for a while and looked into the distance.

After all, this city had been occupied by the rebels for several years and had just been recovered not long ago.

However, she didn't see anything special, so she continued to go west.

When she arrived in Jiujiang, she was completely shocked.

This... Is this Su Ye's Jiujiang?

Before, she had no idea about this city. She only knew that this city belonged to Su Ye completely, and he would flee back to Jiujiang at any time, but she didn't think this city was so special.

But now...

She was stunned.

Because when she arrived at Jiujiang Wharf, it was night.

She had seen Yangzhou at night, and it was also brightly lit, with countless lanterns, like stars in the night sky.

But Jiujiang in front of her was the real fireworks, the real bright lights.

Because it was the electric lights that illuminated the night sky.

Jiujiang was probably the first city in China to achieve electric lighting.

At the World Expo in 1860, the electric lights in Jiujiang Economic Experimental Zone amazed the world, and since then it has entered a period of making a fortune.

Because what was sold was not light bulbs or generators, but the entire lighting system.

The price was expensive and the profit was extremely high.

The project was simply not completed.

At the beginning, there were only nine engineering teams, but now there are more than a hundred engineering teams, with a team of more than 10,000 people.

And the business is no longer just in Europe, not just in the United States, but also in Asia.

Almost all the governors-general of the colonies in Asia have placed orders, and now the order amount of the Governor-General of India alone exceeds 20,000 pounds.

Even recently received an order from Japan, when receiving this order, Bai Feifei was still a little surprised, isn't Japan very conservative? Isn't it even more unacceptable to electric lights?

This is already old news. Since the Black Ship Incident, Japan's doors have been opened and it has been ravaged by the powers more severely than the Qing Dynasty.

Because of the great success in China, those British and American consortiums that have not squeezed into the Chinese market have invested in Japan.

As a result, Japan's reform may be advanced.

And this batch of lighting orders came from the Japanese emperor.

It's really strange. The shogun has been in power for a long time. The emperor is very poor. How can he afford to install a lighting system?

Even though three or four years have passed, it is still very expensive and luxurious.

And the order amount from the Japanese emperor is as much as 130,000 taels of silver.

Bai Feifei and his elder brother Su Quan, who have political sensitivity, immediately reported the news to Su Ye.

Based on this order, Su Ye guessed that Japan may face political upheavals next, and the Meiji Restoration will most likely be advanced.

Because installing a lighting system is an innovative attitude.

The political actions of Britain and the United States in Japan are much larger than in history.

This lighting system is expensive, and the projects cannot be completed at all, and the production capacity is not enough.

Therefore, the board of directors has gone through countless debates on whether to illuminate Jiujiang.

Most people think it is unnecessary, because the cost of comprehensive lighting is too high, and it is better to use this production capacity to make money.

Moreover, can the people of Jiujiang accept it? Whether they are willing to pay is a question.

In other parts of the world, only some government departments and wealthy nobles have installed lighting systems. You are going to popularize it in Jiujiang City? Are people willing to spend money?

In the end, Su Ye made the final decision.

Installation!

Next, a comprehensive Westernization Movement will be launched.

Jiujiang is a model house and a business card of industrialization.

Therefore, this city must be shocking enough to make people yearn for it as never before.

With Su Ye's order, the grand Jiujiang infrastructure construction was officially launched.

Even though the current funds are very tight, an infrastructure plan of more than six million taels was approved.

These six million taels are only approved by the economic experimental zone, and there is also an unknown amount of private capital investment.

So in just less than two years, the whole Jiujiang has undergone earth-shaking changes.

A railway of more than 30 kilometers has been built, and trains have begun to run.

From the steel plant, to the manufacturing bureau, to the textile factory, and finally to the dock.

This project started about five years ago. When it was opened to traffic last year, Su Ye didn't even have time to cut the ribbon.

Countless buildings have been built throughout the city.

Of course, most of them are six-story buildings used as residential areas.

When Su Ye recaptured Jiujiang, the city had almost no population except for Lin Qirong's tens of thousands of people.

Completely starting from scratch.

Now seven years have passed, and the population of this city has exceeded 400,000.

The original area of ​​the city has long been insufficient, and it is unknown how many times it has been expanded.

The evil real estate has also begun to sprout here.

Mortgages have also begun to sprout.

An ordinary house of 100 square meters has been sold for 400 taels.

When Jiujiang reported this price to Su Ye, Su Ye suppressed it for a long time and did not approve it.

Because the profit has exceeded 200%.

Jiujiang is undoubtedly the richest city in the whole country, no doubt.

In the experimental area, even Bai Feifei and Su Quan kept reporting that the price was reasonable, even low.

If the price is lower, it will even cause market chaos and be detrimental to market development.

The average annual income of ordinary workers in Jiujiang has reached about 70 taels of silver, and this city is very young. I don’t know how many factories are recruiting, so every family has about two laborers.

The average family income exceeds 100 taels of silver. After deducting living expenses, there are 60 to 70 taels of silver left every year.

Such a high savings rate is not good, so it is necessary to guide the people to spend their money. Take advantage of this wave of urban infrastructure to carry out a large-scale housing replacement.

Finally, Su Ye signed.

Then...

Every batch of houses launched was sold out.

It was almost a scramble.

Especially the limited luxury houses, which are in short supply, have to adopt a lottery purchase system.

In addition, the appearance of urban buildings has also sparked fierce discussions.

Shen Baozhen, Bai Feifei, Su Quan, Hu Xueyan and others have strongly expressed that they should adopt Chinese-style architecture.

And arranged for people to provide design drawings.

To be honest, it looks good.

There are Su style and Anhui style.

Even if it is built into a six-story building, it is not ugly.

But according to the plan, there are some high-rise buildings in the whole city, more than ten floors.

Even Jiujiang Building will have more than 30 floors.

If the Chinese architectural style is also adopted, will it be like the Yellow Crane Tower?

Regarding the urban style, Su Ye also had a fierce debate in the WeChat time travel group.

Most people in the group said that Chinese architecture should be used to maintain China's unique aesthetic style.

If modern architecture is adopted, what style is there?

Every city in modern China is the same, completely copied and pasted, and it is not interesting at all.

Go to Rome and Florence, where there are thousands or hundreds of years of buildings, maintaining a unique historical charm, and are treasures of mankind.

Even Paris? Although it has only a few hundred years of history.

But it is also one of the most beautiful cities in the world and can stand the test of time.

If Jiujiang adopts the new Chinese architectural style, then in two or three hundred years, it will be another Paris.

Look at those modern cities in the United States, how mediocre?

This opinion is almost overwhelming.

Especially the red flags were planted all over the Qing Dynasty, and they firmly believed that Chinese-style cities must be adopted.

Then in the future, Jiujiang will become a new treasure of human cities.

But Yingnian Zaobal and Fu Bamei expressed a completely opposite view.

These two people think that Jiujiang should be a modern city in an all-round way.

All architectural styles should be based on New York thirty years later.

It means high-rise buildings.

Many people criticized this view and thought it was particularly ridiculous.

The modern Jiujiang you have built now, in modern society, is at best the level of a fourth or fifth-tier city in the 1980s and 1990s.

More than a hundred years later, it is mediocre.

Fu Ba Mei sneered: "You are looking at the past with modern eyes, which is completely a case of looking for a sword in a boat."

"What you see as mediocrity now was indeed unique and modern in that era, and it even brought unprecedented impact to the world."

"Remember Li Hongzhang's visit to New York? He was shocked like never before. He felt like he had gone to another world, to an alien planet."

"And now the cities of the whole world are primitive and backward. There are no modern and modern cities at all."

"Jiujiang is a city that started from scratch. It happened to be a big infrastructure project this time. It took a few years, or even decades, to build a completely modern city."

"It has become the pearl of the global industrialized city."

"What do you think of the Chinese in 1861? Will the people of the world be shocked by your so-called new Chinese-style buildings? Bullshit, at that time, the Chinese-style buildings everywhere would only be mediocre to them. "

"Only by building the most modern and contemporary city at the lowest cost can Jiujiang shine!"

"What's even more ridiculous is that your so-called new Chinese-style buildings are the most expensive to build, while modern cities are the cheapest."

Someone retorted: "You are not mistaken, modern buildings require a lot of reinforced concrete and are cheap? Don't you know how expensive steel was at that time?"

Fu Ba Mei sneered: "Building your so-called Chinese-style buildings with more than six floors, don't you need reinforced concrete?"

At this time, there were more than a few thousand foreigners in Jiujiang.

Many of them held high positions in the board of directors and insisted on building the entire city into a new London and a new Paris.

In the end, Su Ye made the final decision, not to do anything new Chinese or European, but to modernize it comprehensively.

It was to make a modern city appear in the East decades in advance, shocking the world earlier than New York.

After deciding on the direction, Fubamei immediately found someone to carry out the urban design.

Su Ye asked doubtfully at the time: "Do you have so much money to pay for the design? Are you a rich second generation?"

Fu Ba Mei said: "I am a rich second-generation, but your urban design and the design of Jiujiang Building are free."

Su Ye asked in confusion: "Why?"

Fu Ba Mei said: "There are a lot of graduate students in the Department of Architecture, and doctoral students can get it for free."

Su Ye said: "Jiujiang Building is okay for that world, the design workload is not large, but can urban design be free?"

Fu Ba Mei said: "It can be used as a final assignment for a class, and then the tutor will revise it."

Su Ye said: "The tutor needs to pay."

Fu Ba Mei said: "The tutor is my dad."

It took a whole few months, and the design drawings of Jiujiang Building and the entire Jiujiang urban planning design draft were completed.

For modern society, it is not amazing.

But for this world, it is completely incomparable shock, modern, and contemporary.

However, Qingqing, the big baby, entered the busiest moment.

She needs to copy the drawings on the tablet one by one.

So she is also the only one who knows the existence of the tablet.

However, after a period of time, it was found that copying in this way was not feasible, and there would be certain errors.

Therefore, they could only use a camera to take pictures of the flat screen and then develop them.

Of course, even so, there will still be deformation, but fortunately these drawings contain very detailed and clear numbers.

In this way, the new Jiujiang, which was designed in 1861 and started construction in February 1862, has been vigorously carried out for a year and a half.

Today, only a few of the plans have been completed.

However, the most core Jiujiang Building has begun to take shape.

More than thousands of workers spent 530 days to build the shell of the Jiujiang Building, one-fifth of which were British, French and American architectural engineers.

Of course, there will be long interior decoration and exterior construction, but the entire shell has been completed.

The overall construction volume of the Jiujiang Building is only a few of the Empire State Building in New York, and the progress is half a year slower.

But after all, it was decades earlier, which is already very remarkable.

A total of 39 floors, more than 162 meters.

God has mercy on me, the Jiujiang Building was only 99 meters when it was first planned.

But some people strongly opposed that the building was too short.

Although it is higher than the Yellow Crane Tower and the Tengwang Pavilion, the Da Baoen Temple is almost 100 meters high, and the Yongning Tower a thousand years ago was 137 meters.

And the Cologne Cathedral is more than 150 meters high.

The churches built hundreds of years ago were all made of stone, and they could be built so high without any reinforced concrete.

Our Jiujiang Building, which is known as the most modern and the most fashionable, is only 100 meters high. What is that?

If it is built, it must be the tallest in the world.

162 meters!

This plan was put in front of Su Ye, and he was very troubled.

Other large urban infrastructure, especially the construction of a large number of residential buildings, can make money.

But this Jiujiang Building will be the office center of the Jiujiang Economic Experimental Zone in the future, which means that it has to pay for it out of pocket.

There is also a most critical problem, the elevator.

Although the elevator was invented by someone ten years ago and put into practical use.

And Su Ye has provided a more advanced elevator, and several have been built.

But... this thing is used at such a high altitude for the first time, and the safety cannot be guaranteed. The senior officials of Jiujiang Economic Experimental Zone cherish their lives, so it is impossible for them to use their lives to test such a high elevator.

Therefore, even after the Jiujiang Building is built, it is likely that they will only work below the tenth floor and walk up and down the stairs every day.

Above the tenth floor, they will all be empty and will not be put into use until the elevator is fully mature.

Also, what about the water supply on the top floor? And so on, all of which are problems.

Of course, the most critical thing is the construction cost.

If only 100 meters are built, the entire construction cost will only be about one million taels.

But if it is 162 meters, the entire construction cost may exceed three million taels.

Nowadays, money is needed everywhere, and the funding gap is so large. It is completely unnecessary to use three million to build a flashy and low-utilization first building.

Therefore, Su Ye rejected the height of 162 meters.

However, the senior executives of the board of directors of the Economic Experimental Zone, especially the foreign senior executives, repeatedly and strongly demanded that 162 meters be built.

Moreover, they let Bashali, as a lobbyist, persuade them again and again.

Finally, this group of vain capitalists directly said that they were willing to bear two-thirds of the construction costs.

It was in this environment that the height of 162 meters was approved.

Of course, in fact, the main building is only 130 meters, and the remaining 32 meters is the spire of the building.

Too vain, but at least the effect is gorgeous.

Although only a few of the major infrastructure of this city has been completed.

But when Yehenara arrived, he was still completely shocked, as if he had arrived in another world.

Standing on the boat, looking at the brightly lit city, unable to make a sound for a long time, this is a completely different world. Su Ye developed Jiujiang, at most seven years, and there is such an effect?

This... is this the real future?

"Then... is that the Jiujiang Building mentioned by the late emperor?" Yehenara asked.

Zhu Sanniang said: "Yes, Madam. It's just that the prince originally planned to build it only 99 meters high, but the foreigners forced it to be higher and higher. Now it is 162 meters high, the tallest building in the world."

Yehena Lama spent a long time calculating in her mind and said: "This, isn't this going to the sky?"

People in this era are exaggerated. Buildings of 60 or 70 meters are said to be terrifying to the heavens, let alone 162 meters?

Especially at night, this 162-meter high building is equipped with light bulbs and all lit up.

The visual effect is even more shocking.

"Are the lights of this Jiujiang Building lit every night?" Yehenara asked.

Zhu Sanniang said: "No, it is only lit at very few specific times. It is lit tonight because Madam is here."

After getting off the boat and landing, Qingqing Da Gege and Su Ye's parents came to greet them.

In the following time, Yehenara spent unforgettable days in Jiujiang.

Here she is free, and accompanied by Qingqing and others, she can go anywhere.

Eat in the cafeteria, visit the factory, take the train, and go to various foreign stores to buy things.

"So many foreigners?" Yehenara said.

Qingqing said: "There are more than 7,000 foreigners working in the experimental area. There are also many foreigners who come here to do business."

In Jiujiang, her residence is a villa estate along the river.

There are large lawn gardens and large glass windows.

The floor is paved with smooth marble.

Use the materials of that era for a brand new decoration.

Comfortable sofas and ubiquitous electric lights.

There is also a movie room with countless records.

"Oh my god, this place is much more comfortable than the imperial palace in Beijing." Yehenara said: "Yuanmingyuan, Changchunyuan, Chengde Palace, none of them are as good as here."

"The rooms here are several times larger than those in the imperial palace, and the living room here is several times larger than the flower hall in Beijing."

"Living here, I never want to go back to Beijing again."

In this way, Yehenara spent three comfortable months in Jiujiang.

In Beijing, these three months were the most difficult because it was too hot.

And this manor villa has introduced running water, which circulates throughout the house, and it is much cooler than outside even in summer.

In mid-July.

Yehenara gave birth.

More than a dozen gynecologists stayed in this gorgeous manor villa to prevent any risks from happening.

But everything went well.

On the night of July 18, Yehenara gave birth to a daughter.

Su Ye was unable to come after all, just like other women giving birth. He now has four sons and three daughters.

But when none of the children were born, he was by his side. There was no way, he was too busy.

"Congratulations, Madam. Congratulations, Madam. It's a daughter."

When looking at the child, Yehenara's face was full of love.

But after the child was taken away, tears still flowed from her eyes.

Why is it a girl, why not a son?

Qingqing held Yehenara's hand and said, "My husband loves daughters more, and we can have more children."

Yehenara cried, "You don't understand, you don't understand."

Then, she asked, "Princess Shouxi is also pregnant. Is it a boy or a girl?"

Qingqing said, "How can I know if it's not born yet?"

Yehenara said, "Your mother has experience, so she must know roughly. In fact, I knew roughly that it was a daughter before I gave birth, but everyone picked what I liked to hear, saying that it must be a son. Tell me, do you think the child in Princess Shouxi's belly is probably a son or a daughter?"

Qingqing said, "Probably, it's also a daughter."

Then, Qingqing comforted, "You can have more children, you can have more children."

Hui Zheng's wife next to him said, "Su Ye is really, he doesn't come at this time."

Yehenara said, "I don't want him to come. It's better for him to come when I become slim and beautiful."

…………………………

Beijing!

"Stop it, stop it..."

"Push it in, help them!"

"Don't come out."

Princess Shouan pressed Su Ye desperately to prevent him from coming out.

After a long while, Su Ye said, "It's almost done. If I stay in there any longer, I'll have to start all over again."

"Come on, who's afraid of who?" Princess Shouan said.

Now she is in her thirties, and pregnancy is already very risky.

But she is very persistent.

She has tried many times before, but she didn't get pregnant.

This time, she will go to Uliastai under the escort of 3,000 troops, which is a truly remote and cold place.

"It's all your fault, it's your fault..." Princess Shouan hugged him and said, "Originally, he and I had already divorced and were about to announce it officially, but you asked me to guard Mobei, so I can't make the news of the divorce public again."

Princess Shouan was originally a princess of Fumeng and the wife of a Mongolian prince, so it was appropriate for her to guard Uliastai.

But in this way, the divorce will be announced for a few more years.

"I'm sorry that I still need your help at this time." Su Ye said softly.

"No, I'm very happy." Princess Shou'an said: "I'm counting on my sixth sister to give birth to a son. But she has never been promising. She's just good-looking, but it's useless. I'd better do it myself."

"Ah?" Su Ye said: "What do you mean?"

Even if Princess Shou'an reconciles, she probably cannot marry Su Yi publicly.

Princess Shou'an said: "When I give birth to a son and give it to Shou Xi, I will treat him as if he was born to her."

………………

Two days later, escorted by thousands of troops, Princess Shou'an and Seng Gelinqin headed north.

The vigorous disarmament of the Eight Banners began.

Immediately afterwards, Wo Ren came to say goodbye to the Queen Mother.

In recent years, Wo Ren has become very distant from Su Yi, and he disagrees with many of Su Yi's policies.

However, this time he went to Shengjing to preside over disarmament, but there was no excuse.

He also told Empress Dowager Ci'an that even if he was shattered to pieces, he would complete the dismantling of the Eight Banners Army in Shengjing.

Afterwards, Zuo Zongtang led his troops to Xi'an and presided over the abolition there.

The next day, Ronglu said goodbye to Empress Dowager Ci'an again. He was going to Chengdu to preside over the disarmament of the Eight Banners.

At this time, almost all the war ministers were gone, which made the little queen mother a little uneasy.

"You all left at once. What if someone makes trouble in the capital? Only us orphans and widows are left." Empress Dowager Ci'an said with red eyes: "Tomorrow, you have to leave too."

"No, you are not allowed to leave."

Su Yi said softly: "It doesn't matter, Zhaobu, Zhang Guoliang, and Feng Zicai are all in the capital, and no one can make waves."

"Wan'er, I won't come to say goodbye tomorrow. I'll set off south early in the morning."

Empress Dowager Ci'an responded in a low voice.

"Can you let me hug you?" Su Yi said softly.

Empress Dowager Ci'an blushed. You usually pretend to be careless and hugged me many times.

Why do you have to say it out loud and ask me to agree?

This...doesn't this make me look unchaste?

"Is this how you coax the one to the west?" Empress Dowager Ci'an asked.

Su Yi shook her head and said: "I have many women, but 90% of my thoughts and patience are spent on Wan'er."

"You are not a good person. Who knows which words are true and which are false?" Niu Hulu said in a low voice.

Su Yi stepped forward, gently held her in his arms, and smelled the scent of her body.

"Wan'er, why does it smell so good?" Su Yi asked.

I bathe twice a day, but I don’t know how much toilet water fragrance I should use. Is it possible to avoid the fragrance?

Su Yi exerted a little force, and Niu Hulu seemed to be hugged so hard that she couldn't struggle, and then she obeyed.

In fact, she has obviously become much more beautiful in the past month or so.

Her skin is delicate and pink. At the age of twenty-six, she is even younger than before. She looks more like seventeen or eighteen years old.

The eyes also have light.

Because this is probably her first love.

Although he had been married to the late emperor for more than ten years, this was his first real love.

And Su Yi did bring her the complete feeling of first love, which was delicate, ambiguous, and budding.

It's not as rough as the Yehenala clan.

"Let's go..." Su Yi kissed her earlobe gently.

Then, he left directly.

Mrs. Niu Hulu stood there, looking at Su Yi's back with infinite reluctance.

Since marrying the late emperor, she has been very indifferent, as if she is not interested in the relationship between men and women at all, and she also thinks that she is not interested.

Now she discovered that she... was probably not interested in the relationship between men and women, but was not interested in... the late emperor.

And Su Yi is probably the lover that wealthy women dream of.

Although she kept saying that Su Yi was a liar and a bastard man who had an affair in front of her.

But she firmly believed that Su Yi treated her completely differently from other women.

……………………

The next day, Su Yi left Beijing and headed south.

As he left, the princes of the Eight Banners in the capital let out a long sigh of relief, as if the mountain above their heads had been moved away.

The entire undercurrent entering the city began to surge.

And as he went south, the entire southern governor became more and more nervous.

Because the exclusive power of the southern governor extends beyond the few provinces controlled by the Hunan Army.

Even the governors of Guangxi, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guangdong maintain great autonomy and have military and financial power.

Especially the new Governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, as well as the Governor of Sichuan, are facing formidable enemies.

Because Su Yi wanted to ban opium and reform the Lijin Bureau, which would already affect their lives.

Of course, the most critical thing is the hundreds of thousands of Hunan troops.

After a long period of deliberation, everyone knew that Su Yi's so-called investment promotion conference was to recruit the Hunan Army.

What choice did Zeng Guofan and others make?

Su Yi first arrived in Tianjin, and then took a boat to go south.

At this time, Shen Baozhen, a member of the China Merchants Bureau and the future Minister of Foreign Affairs, rushed to Suzhou to hold talks with Zeng Guofan.

"Mr. Zeng, please don't doubt the prince's sincerity." Shen Baozhen said: "Whoever controls Westernization will control power in the future. It is useful to control the army in troubled times, but what is the purpose of controlling the army to govern the world?"

"The Hunan Army has a large number of talents and elites. It will be a great cause for the country in the future. Your Majesty hopes that you can make great efforts."

Zeng Guofan said: "I wonder how the prince will arrange for us to wait?"

Su Yi said: "Among the Hunan Army factions, two people have entered the center, and one of them will enter the political hall."

"The entire Hunan Army must be disbanded and 40,000 people selected to join the Empire's new army."

"Senior officers in the Hunan Army can serve as senior generals after being trained by the Imperial Army Academy."

"Or to put it more directly, two division commanders can be appointed in the Hunan Army."

Zeng Guofan fell into silence. The two division commanders seemed very harsh.

But in fact, there are only three division commanders in Su Yi's direct line.

Moreover, Su Yi rebelled against the entire team and surrendered, only two to three division commanders at most.

Even as talented as Li Shixian, he can only start as a brigade commander.

However, the 40,000 people selected by the Hunan Army will never accept his command from Zeng Guofan again in the future.

Even the two division commanders of the Hunan Army probably did not command troops composed of the Hunan Army.

"Two central positions and two division commanders will occupy 26% of the equity in the next round of Westernization Movement." Shen Baozhen said: "This is the biggest bargaining chip that the prince can give. You are used to dealing with the prince and you know that he is Don’t bargain, just give the highest terms, even when facing the British Empire.”

Zeng Guofan said: "It's a very important matter, how about you let me think about it for a moment or two?"

Shen Baozhen said: "You don't need to answer me. Anyway, the prince has gone south. The Investment Promotion Conference will be held in Shanghai on August 17. You can express your position at the Investment Promotion Conference."

"However, I still have to remind you that this is the last chance."

……………………

After Shen Baozhen had an interview with Zeng Guofan, he left Suzhou and headed to Shanghai to prepare to meet Su Yi.

Daughter Shen Baoer followed.

He looked at his daughter with a look of anticipation on her face, her eyes filled with infinite longing and expectation.

"At the time, I thought it was a dangerous move and a helpless move to survive, but I never imagined that we would be in today's situation." Shen Baozhen couldn't help but sigh.

Shen Baoer said: "My father will have great ambitions in the future, and he will be the prime minister of the cabinet, and he will also be able to get things from his pocket."

"Prime Minister of the Cabinet, I dare not say." Shen Baozhen said: "But surpassing my father-in-law is a certainty. When I became an official that day, I never thought that I would be today."

Then, he couldn't help but said: "Bao'er, do you feel happy that you and the prince spend less time together and stay apart more often?"

"What a blessing." Shen Bao'er said, "My husband is a person in heaven, and if we get together for one day, we will be better than countless people on earth."

"To put it bluntly, when I think about Zhang Yuzhao at this time, it feels like a lifetime ago, as if... there is a gap in my memory, and a few years have disappeared."

Shen Baozhen smiled and said, "You can keep this to tell the prince."

"But, having you as my daughter makes me really proud as a father."

Shen Baozhen was indeed proud. Among Su Yi's many women, Hong Renli had power but no children.

Princess Shouxi had a noble status and was the head wife, but she did not hold power. Moreover, this pregnancy was probably a daughter. Shen Baozhen's wife read it carefully many times.

Qingqing is a big girl, has children, and has power, but she is indifferent by nature and doesn't like to take care of things.

Only his daughter Shen Baoer, who has children and is Su Yi's confidential secretary, knows some core things.

Especially during this interview with Zeng Guofan, Shen Baozhen was filled with a sense of superiority.

He looked up to Zeng Guofan before, but now...

When he saw Zeng Guofan, he only said one thing in his heart, whether you surrender this time or not, you will never be able to catch up with me, Shen Baozhen, in this life.

……………………

The American minister and the Russian minister came to visit Zeng Guofan.

This has been a secret meeting for countless times.

"Don't be intimidated by Su Yi. The enemy he faces this time is not the country, but us."

The Russian minister said: "The war between us and Su Yi is destined to break out. Our troops on the Sino-Russian border in the Far East have exceeded 50,000 people."

"In the Crimean War, we Russians fought to a draw with Britain and France. This shows how strong our combat effectiveness is."

"Three or four years ago, a mere 10,000 British and French troops defeated the Qing government's 100,000-strong army."

"Our combat level is no less than that of the British and French coalition forces. The severe cold in the northern battlefield makes it more suitable for us to fight."

"We dispatch 50,000 people. Do you know what this means? We can completely destroy Su Yi's army of 100,000 people."

"And does Su Yi have an army of 100,000? No, far from it."

"In addition, our fleet has traveled thousands of miles from Europe to the Far East. The British can no longer use piracy tactics to harass our rear in the Far East."

"Next, in the northwest of the Qing Dynasty, there will be at least three groups of rebels, with more than hundreds of thousands of people, half of whom will accept our influence and control."

"So, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for your Hunan Army. Su Yi will face an unprecedented enemy, and this time he is destined to be destroyed."

"You should boldly refuse Su Yi's surrender."

The Russian minister repeated it again and again.

The American minister and the British Sir William Wade were also smoking cigars nearby.

After the Russian minister stated the conditions, the American minister said: "Our domestic Civil War is coming to an end, and because of the success of the Suyi Jiujiang Economic Experimental Zone, we also plan to make comprehensive investments in Japan and China. For a long time, we , we have had in-depth and happy cooperation. Therefore, I think you, the Hunan Army, should take the lead in the Westernization Movement in the south, and should not leave it all to Su Yi."

Witoma said: "Many British consortiums have made a lot of money from Su Yi, but there are more consortiums that can no longer squeeze into their circle of interests. So they set their sights on you. You control several southern provinces. And many raw materials are produced in your province. The conditions in Jiujiang are not good enough at all. The conditions in Wuchang, Yangzhou, Suzhou, and Shanghai are much better than those in Jiujiang. As long as we have enough technology and enough money, we can completely copy it. The first Jiujiang, the third Jiujiang.”

"Su Ye is too strong. Even the British Empire has to bow down to him in many cases. Especially since he recently proposed to ban opium, it completely violated the interests of the British Empire."

"So both the Prime Minister and the Parliament hope to break Su Ye's monopoly on power in the Qing Dynasty. We are also willing to fully support you in the Westernization Movement."

"Or to put it more directly, I want to compete for the position of the British Empire's ambassador to China. We are very eager for Lord Zeng Guofan to take charge of the center in the next few years."

Zeng Guofan shook his head and said, "This is impossible. I am a Han Chinese."

Wade said, "Then at least you and Prince Gong Yi will take charge of the center together."

"Lord Zeng Guofan, please believe me, if you surrender to Su Ye, then you will be just a mediocre person in history, and there will even be only one paragraph about you in future history books."

"But if you choose not to surrender, then there may be half a book in the future, all about you."

……………………

As Su Ye's footsteps approached.

The top leaders of the Hunan Army held another secret meeting.

A decision must be made.

Zeng Guofan said slowly: "I have said this countless times, and the pros and cons have been analyzed countless times."

"Su Ye will arrive in Shanghai tomorrow, and we must make a statement."

"No matter what, we need to make a decision about our fate."

"Let's raise our hands to vote."

"Those who oppose surrendering to Su Ye raise their hands."

Zeng Guoquan raised his hand, Li Xubin raised his hand, Li Xuyi raised his hand, Li Hongzhang raised his hand...

Many Hunan Army giants raised their hands.

……………………

The next day!

Su Ye's fleet officially arrived in Shanghai.

It attracted everyone's attention.

……………………

Note: I finally finished writing it at eleven o'clock. My benefactors, can you continue to give me the monthly ticket? I really ask for your help.