Chapter 41: Internal Affairs of the East and West

The moonlight is dim and the grass and trees are bleak.

More than a dozen riders were galloping on the loess road, and the horses wrapped in soft cloth on their hooves, so the sound of the hooves was not visible. Suddenly, a war horse neighed, his front legs became weak, and he fell to the ground. The horse immediately rolled to the ground, falling to the ground, and the horse foamed at the mouth and saw that it was not alive.

"Wow, whiff..." The riders pulled the reins. They were all dressed in Northern Dynasties soldiers and officials, but they were ragged and covered with blood, and looked extremely embarrassed.

"Master, please go first!" The Huai Army's personal army who fell off the horse got up and kowtowed hard. When he looked up, his forehead was covered with blood. He was determined in his eyes and pulled out his dagger and prepared to commit suicide. The reconnaissance team of the Gray Head Army and the Iron Horse Carriage behind him were searching everywhere, and he would rather die than be captured by the enemy.

The middle-aged official with thick eyebrows and big eyes and extremely strong red top shouted: "Stop! I will go first, where can I go?" As he said, he sighed sadly and was depressed.

He was Luo Zenan, who fought fiercely with Huitou, patrol, militia and other bandit troops for a day and night, and was surrounded by layers of layers. Kun's camp sacrificed his life to protect each other and fought a bloody path. There were only a dozen personal troops around him, more than 20,000 Huai troops and various soldiers who were serving the king. Today, he was completely lost. Luo Zenan was really disappointed.

"Well, let's wipe our necks together today!" Luo Zenan said, and he also showed his sword with a slash.

"Master General!" "Ming Gong cannot!" The personal soldiers were so scared that they rolled off their horses, and kowtowed Youzhi, and rushed forward to hug the Master General.

The person who hugged Luo Zenan was Zhang Jinheng, the deputy commander of Kun's camp. The commander was the elder brother of his clan. In order to help Luo Zenan escape, he led his troops to attract the bandits. He didn't know his life and death. Zhang Jinheng was so sad and angry that he was even more sad and angry at this moment: "Master! The soldiers are indefinitely in power. The general should take the long-term plan and retreat to Ningbo to collect the remaining troops. He will definitely make a comeback and eliminate the bandits!"

Luo Zenan smiled miserably: "Ningbo? Are you really going?"

The personal troops were silent, but in fact, after the Pingyuan army conquered the Dinghai, the Zhejiang territory became an isolated army. The western, southern and northern borders were either occupied by the Southern Dynasties, and the ammunition supply was all relied on the eastern coastal sea routes. The supply ships from Shanghai were often sunk by the Pingyuan army's gunboats. The supply supply was very difficult. The coastal prefectures became battlefields, which was even more a strategy for the Pingyuan army to lose their families. As long as the water supply was completely cut off, the Qing army in Zhejiang would become waterless fish and would be defeated without fighting.

Now that the Huai Army is defeated, although there may be many people who break out, people's hearts have long dispersed. Who is willing to go to Ningbo to fight for trapped beasts?

Zhang Jinheng knelt down suddenly: "Master, let's go back to Jiangbei! Sleeping on firewood and taste gall, and avenge this again! The Master's strategy, Zhao Sanbaoshan Ye Villageman, what is the point of being a rooster and a dog thieves? Relying on firearms, the Master returned to Jiangbei to reorganize his team, recruit new troops, and purchase a full firearm, which will surely be able to relieve today's hatred!"

Luo Zenan smiled bitterly, thinking to himself that Zhao Sanbao, Pingyuanjun is more than that? But there is no need to say any more discouraged words today. He stared at him quietly and nodded slightly: "You are right, you all get up!"

As he spoke, he pulled off the red official hat on his head, threw it on the ground, and said, "Looking for a village ahead, I changed my clothes, and we will go back to Jiangbei. Today's shame and today's hatred, I, Luo Zenan, swear to the heavens! I will ask the bandits to return ten times!"

"Zhe!" The personal army agreed in unison, and they were suddenly excited. The general had always acted resolutely. Today, he was willing to suffer the great humiliation of losing his hat. He would definitely return to the southeast in the future and take revenge!

Luo Zenan looked at the south silently for a few seconds, then rode his horse and ran towards a dark small village not far away...

...

The Baihu Hall of the Martial Arts Academy, on the stage, Zheng Huzi, Liu Fugui and more than a dozen Pingyuan Army soldiers stood straight like nails, and everyone could not hide the excitement and excitement on their faces.

Below the stage, there were dark officers and martial arts students. Although the war was in a hurry, no major generals could return to Guangdong, the military horses and navy in the six towns had outstanding generals watching the ceremony, and they were all heroes of the moment. The generals and stars in the White Tiger Hall were shining and talents were abundant.

This is the award ceremony of the Pingyuan Army. The general personally awarded the title of "Loyal and Brave Camp" to the Second Battalion of the Fourth Town of Pingyuan Army, and awarded Zheng Huzi, Liu Fugui and others the medal of defense to commend his loyalty and courage in fighting bloody battles in the Taizhou Battle.

The Pingyuan Army’s Medal of Defense is divided into three levels. Among them, the first-class Medal of Defense is the highest honor of the Pingyuan Army. It is cast in pure gold and has a pattern on the front. It has a proverb on the back "to show courage and perseverance". From the style to the proverb, it was decided by the General Wang Qin.

When Ye Zhao, wearing a beautiful cloud robe and a handsome and handsome man, stepped forward, the generals in the audience immediately stood up. No matter how bold the generals of the various departments who were famous outside were brave, they were all arrogant and did not dare to breathe, and their faces were full of fanaticism and respect.

Zheng Huzi and Liu Fugui saw the beautiful Regent coming in front of him with a smile, and they felt that it was extremely difficult to breathe. A heart thrust into their throats, their brains dizzy and they were almost fainting.

In the Great Hall, only the regent's clear and exciting voice could be heard.

"The second battalion of the fourth town of Pingyuan Army resisted more than 1000 tyrants and bandits with a few hundred people, and sprinkled green blood on Balipo. After ten days of bloody battle, bandits were unable to move forward. They were loyal and brave in the world, and righteousness was spread in the mountains and rivers. They were loyal and brave, and they were the example of our army! The glory of Jingxiang!"

Zheng Huzi and Liu Fugui stood straight with his back. When he heard the Regent take pride in their performance, he suddenly felt so sad and red. His eyes were red. Brothers under the spring, have you all heard it?! Have you heard the prince and his elders?!

"I hope that the sacrificed soldiers will always be loyal and righteous! You will work hard with me to clear the world! The glory of Pingyuan Army will always exist!"

"Zhe!" On and off the stage, the military officers were in a state of excitement and all knelt down.

In March 1859, the Fourth Town of Pingyuan Army fought with the Southern Qing army Luo Ze in Taizhou. The Second Battalion of the Fourth Town fought bloody battles in Balipo, restraining more than 10,000 bandits, and eventually trapped Luo Ze in the Southern Town, and encircled by patrols and various militia groups.

After a fierce battle for a day and a night, the Qing puppet army collapsed. Luo Zenan's generals Li Maosan and Zhang Dingbang died in the chaos. Chen Jiuru surrendered, and Luo Zenan disappeared.

At this point, the Southern Dynasty controlled most of Zhejiang, and the Taiping Army in Hangzhou also took the opportunity to invade the south, Shaoxing, Yanzhou and Ningbo, and fell into the hands of the thief.

Since then, there has been no more Qing army in Fujian and Zhejiang. The Green Camps and Regiment have all joined the Southern Dynasty.

...

In the flower hall of the palace, Ye Zhao looked through the telegram in his hand. The mission to Shanghai for peace talks was sent by the Northern Dynasties. The latest conditions issued by the Northern Dynasties were: with the current control of the territory between the two sides, the Yangtze River was entrusted by Britain, France and the United States, and supervised the implementation of the peace treaty between the two sides, and the Northern Dynasties compensated 10 million taels of silver for military expenses.

From the Battle of Changsha to the Battle of Fujian and Zhejiang, and with the fierce battle between Jiangxi and Jinchun and the new army of the northern kingdom, Haric attacked the Qing army strongholds on the south bank of the Yangtze River in Sichuan. The Qing army suffered more defeats and fewer losses, and the princes and nobles complained about the six kings, and civil and military court officials were disloyal.

A few days ago, Shi Dakai, the wing king of the Taiping Army, led the Northern Expedition Army to break Kaifeng Prefecture, and the sword pointed directly at the capital, shaking the world.

Now the Northern Dynasty urgently needs to get a breather through peace talks. The envoys of both sides spent several months in Shanghai before they truly began substantive negotiations.

As for Ye Zhao, it goes without saying that it is the primary priority to temporarily truce with the Northern Dynasties and fully eliminate the Taiping Army and pacify the southeast half. The Southern Dynasties' fiscal revenue naturally increased by a factor of a significant increase. This year, it will inevitably break through the 50 million taels of silver mark, reaching the national annual income level before the First Sino-British War, but at the same time the expenditure was extremely huge, which really made Ye Zhao feel that he was unable to make ends meet.

Infrastructure construction and education investment are like bottomless pits, which really makes people feel that no matter how much money you have, you can't hear any sound when you invest it.

In education, although the people are more dependent on the power of the people, after all, gentry running schools is one of the Chinese traditions since ancient times. In the Ye Zhao Dynasty, the Ye Zhao Dynasty, they only strengthened publicity through various means, making gentry running schools more active. However, it is necessary to set up public primary schools at the county level, and the first-term short-term training classes of normal schools are also quickly cultivating teachers' sources. In fact, although most teachers are teaching, they are actually students themselves, and rely on correspondence courses and various textbooks to learn the latest knowledge of mathematics, physics, chemistry, natural sciences, etc.

Although the military has been streamlining its government and has not made the huge army the largest black hole in fiscal expenditure, the war has also flowed like a flow of money. The control area of ​​the Southern Dynasty has become wider and wider. Ye Zhao is preparing to expand the troops in six towns, completely eliminate the cold weapon battalions, and establish a truly modern force, with about 5,000 people in each town, rifle battalions, artillery battalions, reconnaissance battalions, security battalions, logistics such as kitchen squads, health teams, etc., each performs their duties, and this requires a lot of money.

Infrastructure, roads and bridges are built everywhere, and railways have always been the top priority and have never stopped for a moment. There are four railways built at the same time today, Hengzhou-Changsha section, Hengzhou-Guilin section, Ganzhou-North section, Yanping-Jinhua section.

In fact, the north of Ganzhou is the railway from Ganzhou to Nanchang. However, Yanping to Jinhua is naturally the main line from Yanping to Hangzhou, Shanghai, Nanjing. Although Nanchang, Hangzhou and other places are now under the control of bandits, the construction of the railway network does not have to wait for it to be restored.

Nowadays, railway bonds are not only in China, but have even been issued to London. For external funds, Ye Zhao did not borrow silver from Qing dynasties in his previous life and implemented official business. As a result, he fell into a vicious cycle and owed countless foreign debts. He was also trapped in others. He was as smart as Zuo Zongtang, and he had also been trapped by others in borrowing silver to repay gold. He borrowed silver from foreigners, but had to pay back gold. Not only did he pay high interest, he was also hit by foreigners because of the falling silver price in the financial market.

Borrowing foreign funds, the ready-made role model is America. To enable foreigners to truly participate in your infrastructure, just talk about railways. In fact, there is no need to be afraid of this and that because the ownership of railways is temporarily in private hands. You must know that after the railway trunk line is built, the role of promoting the entire society is immeasurable. For China, it is even more important. It is not only reflected in economic development, but also in thoughts and social structures. You will have huge positive changes. You have to wait until you have money to rely on yourself. How could you miss it as simple as time?

Of course, Ye Zhaozi also had various treaty restrictions on railways where foreigners participated, imposed special taxes, and could freely requisition and transport military supplies for military purposes, legitimate political purposes, and free transportation of mail by the State Post Bureau. There are also some binding clauses with the characteristics of the Southern Dynasties. Although it is complicated, it is generally safeguarded for the interests of both the state and investors. The Chinese are so serious and the treaties are so complicated and detailed, and foreign investors are more at ease.

To be honest, if there is an environment for stable development, investment in this wealth is the vibrant and vibrant Eastern Kingdom at the beginning of industrial transformation, and it is actually more attractive than the barren land of the Americas.

Ye Zhao also needs to negotiate to pacify the southeast half of the wall to give confidence to domestic and foreign investors.

In fact, what Ye Zhao first mentioned with the peace talks envoy Zou Kaizhi, for example, compensation for military expenses of 50 million taels is mostly due to false intimidation, which makes the Southern Dynasty more high. For example, it is now immediate, and the North really agrees to pay the money.

If you really want to pay 50 million taels, I am afraid that the Six Kings would rather fight to the death than pay it out, and it would be a bit impossible to pay it out.

Ye Zhao was quite clear about the fact that the Ministry of Revenue in Beijing. After Kangxi and Qianlong, they accumulated 20 to 30 million taels of silver in the years, but after the bandits were launched, expenditure surged. By the third year of Xianfeng, Emperor Xianfeng lamented that "the ministry only had more than 227,000 taels of silver to be paid." In addition, it is common for various provinces to arrears of funds from the Ministry of Discipline. All provinces were crying for poverty and greed became popular. Pay the bank to the central government? Wait slowly. Zeng Guofan's military expenses were robbed, and you can imagine the chaos in the financial management of the northern country.

In fact, in the late Qing Dynasty, fiscal revenue was extremely dependent on Shanghai's tariffs. Shanghai's customs tariff revenue reached 20 to 30 million taels per year, accounting for one-third of its annual fiscal revenue. It is conceivable that Shanghai is important, but now it is rising in the southeast, so there is no need to count on Shanghai.

The compensation for military expenses of tens of millions of taels will naturally be passed on to the northern merchants and the people, and the names of compensation will be added to the harsh taxes they imposed. This is a good show for the late Qing government. Every time they are defeated, the people suffer. On the contrary, officials and officials took advantage of the numerous tax items to intercept the traffic, making the people complain and suffer. It is no wonder that every time the late Qing Dynasty started a war with foreign countries, the imperial authority was weakened a little. If you lose a war, the people will pay for it, and it is very strange that the people will always pee.

Ye Zhao lit a cigarette and thought about military compensation. Ten million taels were just the beginning, so he naturally could snatch out as much as he could. It was also a blow to the legitimacy of the pseudo-government of the Northern Dynasties. He himself was not enough for the money.

It is barely acceptable to have a ceasefire based on the current control areas of both parties.

But the Yangtze River is entrusted by three mediation countries such as Britain, France and the United States. What a thing, it’s a mess.

However, this is not a big deal for the Six Kings. The limitations of this era do not pay much attention to the sea power. No one thinks it is shameful to have foreign ships in the rivers. Just say that Russia, a few years ago, the fleet was sailing in the Heilongjiang River. The Qing soldiers along the coast were just curious to watch the fun, and no one thought they were provoking.

Now that the Six Kings entrust the Yangtze River to foreigners, they can prevent themselves from suddenly breaking the contract. From his perspective, it is also an extremely clever move.

But from my own perspective, I was so angry that I wanted to curse, "Ghost Six, what's the matter!"

...

In the living room of the Prince's House, the lights flashed, and the embroidered red carpet was half an inch thick, and it was soft when stepped on it, like a cloud.

Through the gorgeous candlesticks and the long table with blooming flowers, Ye Zhao was explaining his point of view to Machasson.

"The trust of the Yangtze River to the mediation country is definitely a great humiliation of China's sovereignty. I will never allow such a situation to happen. My idea is that after the extermination of the bandits, the North-South free trade, and the establishment of several free trade zones along the north-south coast of the Yangtze River. Of course, the specific trade zone should be equivalent to the end of the fight between the bandits and then settled. What we need to consider now is Shanghai. I think Shanghai should be jointly managed by the North-South and become the first free trade zone in the North-South."

It is inevitable to dump industrial products into the north. On the one hand, it will make money and put a ready-made market? On the other hand, it will gradually affect the people's thoughts of Jiangbei. Turning Shanghai into a free trade zone can curb the slumber of fishing in the UK, France and the United States to the greatest extent, and control the throat of trade between the north and the south.

In fact, there is no bottom line for the amount of military expenditure compensation, but this is an insurmountable condition for Shanghai to be jointly managed by the north and the south.

The current situation in Jiangsu on the south bank of the Yangtze River is somewhat bounded by the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal. To the east of the canal, such as Suzhou, Shanghai, etc., was controlled by the Northern Dynasties, and to the west of the Nanjing, Zhenjiang, Taihu Basin, etc. are in the hands of the bandits.

In the current peace talks, there are really some tricks with tigers. I don’t know how the Suzhou camp of the Northern Dynasties would react when it was besieged Nanjing. But no matter what, if you can use this peace talks to reach Shanghai, a place where all forces compete, it would be like a lot of money.

Ye Zhao naturally had already talked to Zou Kaizhi in the telegram, but after all, Zou Kai was not worth enough, so Ye Zhao personally came out to host a banquet to entertain Machason, who had just returned from North Korea. The drunkard's intention was not to drink.

Machason listened carefully and smiled and said, "Prince, I thought you would launch a large-scale attack on the north after conquering the peasant rebel army." He worked with Ye Zhao several times and understood Ye Zhao's character a little. He would never surrender to others, nor would he continue the situation of separatist rule in the north and south.

Ye Zhao laughed, raised his long goblet and tasted the lipstick wine. After thinking for a while, he said, "I hope that the unity of the north and the south is sincere, and now I am sincere in the peace talks with the north. I think the rulers of the north will be the culprit in the provocation of the war." He didn't hide it much. How difficult is the battle between the bandits? The end of the war will definitely take a rest for a while.

Speaking of which, if the north and the south can maintain a peaceful situation, and the thoughts of all classes in the north will not be bad, and can evolve peacefully and fill the Berlin Wall of the Yangtze River, it will be a blessing for the people of the world. However, as the great man said, if you have unrealistic fantasies about peace, it will definitely be a tragedy.

Moreover, only by reaching the military can we break the old social structure of the northern country as quickly and effectively and re-establish a vibrant new regime.

McChasson smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Excellency, for your honesty." The longer you get along with this Chinese prince, the more you like this person, a powerful ruler, a person who can oppress cannot breathe, and can make people feel as if they are in spring breeze. He has unique views on social structures and views on the development of civilization. He even vaguely feels that the great founder who formulated the separation of powers did not have the same ideological height as his.

Ye Zhao raised his glass with a smile and said, "John, I hope you can convey my sincerity and kindness to your country to your leaders, and I hope you can convey it to your country's representatives in the mediation mission. Your country can play a more important role in this mediation."

McChason smiled and clinked glasses with him, saying, "It must be that America is willing to be the close friend of His Excellency the Prince."

After drinking a sip of wine, Ye Zhao smiled and said, "I heard that the abolitionist movement in your country is booming. I am happy to see the light of freedom shining on the American land and appreciate the position of your party in the abolitionist cause. In the year of your country's general election next year, I will unconditionally support your party's candidates. Our Guangdong News and Times will publish articles to express support for your party."

McChason was a Republican and one of the representatives of the radical abolitionist faction. In fact, the Republican Party was not born a few years ago and was a representative of the northern capital class. However, his open proposition of abolitionist was always extremely vague to avoid losing the support of the Whigs who advocated slavery. However, the core figures almost all believed that abolitionist was imperative.

McChason was stunned when he heard Ye Zhao's words, and then he was overjoyed and smiled: "Thank you, Your Majesty, I will tell my friends that you are deeply honored for your support and understanding of us."

The laws, supervision system, and the property declaration system of the Southern Chinese government have attracted the attention of Western society. Even a company law just formulated by the American Federation has largely borrowed from the expressions of shares and legal persons in the laws of southern China. Today, southern China is no longer an ancient and decadent fallen kingdom in the eyes of Western society in the past, but a new country full of vitality.

It is a piece of news worth celebrating for Republicans to receive public support from the Southern Chinese government, and it can also take the opportunity to create momentum and gain the support of large capitalists with vital interests in China.

Ye Zhao smiled and clinked with McChason again, thinking that there is no saying that he will not interfere in his internal affairs now, right? But speaking of this, every election in the United States in later generations has caused trouble for the people of the world. They all hope that the president who is kind to his country will come to power, and there are many heads of state who publicly declare to support a presidential candidate. But in this life, except for Britain, the former sect leader who has always had close ties with him, he is the first foreign leader to care so much about his presidential election and express his opinion?

Its realization of the history of this day can be said to be full of countless variables. In the previous life, the Northern Government won the Civil War in the American Civil War, and from the perspective of historical development laws, it seems that the victory of the North is inevitable, but in this life, it may not be possible. Their butterfly wings still affect the other side of the ocean. Not to mention anything else, just my partner Wilson would have built an arsenal in the United States long ago? This is also my own idea, and I am going to make a war fortune in the Civil War in the United States. If we sell advanced weapons in the south on a large scale, isn’t this a variable?
Chapter completed!