Master Yuan, start!

This time, let them go to Korea with the power of a great victory and slowly plan their actions. With time, it will not be impossible to turn Korea into counties.

His uncle Li Hongzhang listed the pros and cons of abolishing the feudal system and establishing provinces in Korea, and the military ministers present had to admit that this was indeed a good move.

Even Guangxu listened with great interest. He had no other thoughts but to care about the great hero in his heart, Yuan Shikai.

After explaining the pros and cons, Li Hongzhang added, "However, the abolition of the feudal system and the establishment of provincial governments cannot be done hastily. We must proceed gradually to avoid provoking resentment among Korean officials and people."

"This is easy. Just follow the old examples in Northeast China and Xinjiang and establish the position of Korean general or Korean minister to focus on the establishment of a Korean province." As a Manchu, Shiduo was well aware of how to control border areas.

"If so, the matter of the counties in Korea will not be widely publicized, and the impact of ceding Taiwan..." Cixi had already accepted Li Hongzhang's statement in her heart, but she still felt a little embarrassed.

Upon seeing this, Prince Chun Yixun spoke up decisively for the sake of the emperor's son's future, saying that his abilities were limited and that he was already physically and mentally exhausted from attending meetings at the Grand Council every day. He often felt dizzy in the hot summer and requested to go home to rest.

Yan Jingming, another Han Chinese who was a stickler for details and served as the Minister of Military Affairs and the Minister of Revenue, also expressed that he could not bear the daily hard work in the central government and wanted to retire and return to his hometown to enjoy his grandchildren and educate his fellow townsmen.

Li Hongzhang also took the opportunity to say that he had "done his best" as the Governor-General of Zhili and the Minister of Beiyang, and expressed his desire to return home to rest.

When Cixi saw that there were more than one person willing to take the blame, she was naturally overjoyed, but she still pretended to keep them.

But the three men were determined to leave, and it was impossible for them, grown men, to play the trick of crying and making concessions with Cixi, so Cixi stopped trying to persuade them after a few times.

So Cixi asked Li Hongzhang to handle the Sino-French-Vietnamese Tianjin Treaty in a low-key manner, while she drafted an edict to be issued to the whole country.

"By the grace of Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: Prince Chun Yix has diligently fulfilled his duties and worked hard day and night since he joined the Grand Council. However, he has recently suffered from frequent fevers and is feeling unwell. Therefore, he is dismissed from his position as Grand Councilor and is granted an apricot-yellow sedan chair for travel outside the palace. He will continue to assist Prince Qing Yixun.

...

Minister of Revenue Yan Jingming has demonstrated integrity and good financial management since taking charge of the Ministry. He was also upright and forthright in his investigation of the Yunnan expense reimbursement case. He is hereby awarded a yellow riding jacket and permitted to return home.

...

Li Hongzhang, Governor-General of Zhili and Minister of Commerce of the Northern Ocean, was transferred to become Governor of Guangdong and Minister of Commerce of the South China Sea...

In addition, Sun Yuwen and Elhebu were appointed as military ministers to study and walk

On the 25th day of the sixth month of the seventh month in the eleventh year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty, I hereby decree this!"

Volume 2 of Haidong Overlord will be available tomorrow

Chapter 65 Haidong Minister

Li Hongzhang was transferred from the head of the eight governors-general to the governor of Guangdong. It seemed like a demotion, but in fact it was just a trick set up by Cixi.

In the early stage of the Sino-French War, Pan Dingxin, the former governor of Guangxi, was afraid to fight and refused to advance. He was dismissed from his post but remained in office and died of illness on the front line.

The new governor of Guangxi, Zhang Yao, was only acting and would be transferred after the task was completed. Zhang Zhidong, who was acting as the governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi, was also transferred to become the actual governor-general of Huguang after the war.

This means that in the two provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, there was only one governor of Guangdong, Li Hongzhang.

The Minister of Commerce of the South China Sea was a position created for the individual, and was more like an official position separated from the powers of the Minister of Commerce of the Nanyang.

The Minister of Commerce in Nanyang was once known as the Minister of Commerce in the Five Ports and the Minister of Commerce in the Six Nanyangs. He was in charge of foreign trade in the five provinces of Guangdong, Xiamen, Fujian, Nanjing, and Hangzhou, and had been so since the Tongzhi period.

Zeng Guoquan, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, also served as the Minister of Commerce in Nanyang, in charge of overseas trade from Guangzhou to Shanghai. During the initial Sino-French negotiations, it was Zeng Guoquan who rushed to Guangzhou to meet with the French.

Now Cixi set up another Minister of Commerce in the South China Sea, whose duties were to manage the trade at the Guangzhou port as well as matters such as coastal defense and tariffs, which was equivalent to dividing the power of the Minister of Nanyang.

The officialdom is so magical.

This move by Cixi not only weakened the power of Zeng Guoquan, the leader of the Hunan clique and the Governor-General of Liangjiang, but also did not embarrass Li Hongzhang, the leader of the Huai clique.

Zeng Guoquan had nothing to say. The Nanyang Navy stationed in Ningbo was completely destroyed under his nose, and Zhenhai City fell in one day. He could not escape responsibility.

He is still in office despite being dismissed from his post. After seeing the edict from Empress Dowager Cixi, he can only obediently hand over part of his power as the Minister of Nanyang to ensure his safety.

As for Li Hongzhang, on the surface he fled to the border, but in fact it was also a tacit exchange of interests between him and Cixi.

Lin Zexu was also demoted after his defeat. After his defeat, Emperor Daoguang dismissed him from his post and exiled him to Xinjiang to eat sand and plant trees.

Li Hongzhang was only demoted from Governor-General of Zhili to Governor of Guangdong, which was undoubtedly a preferential treatment.

Moreover, Li Hongzhang was willing to sign the contract and take the blame, in exchange for not only the preferential treatment of his own demotion, but also the faction of Huaihe River was not blamed for its anger.

Although the Governor of Guangdong + Minister of Nanhai sounds weaker than the Governor-General of Zhili + Minister of Beiyang, when there is no tiger in the mountain, the monkey will become king.

The Governor of Guangdong is equivalent to the Governor-General in the Lingnan region at present. In addition, Li Hongzhang has many students and former officials in Guangdong and Guangxi, so it can be said that the Governor-General exercises the power of the Governor-General.

Such a handy rag was hard to find, and Cixi was reluctant to throw it away, so she asked Li Hongzhang to go somewhere to hide.

As for the two newly appointed military ministers, Sun Yuwen and Qi'erlehebu, both were from the Hanlin Academy and had been exercising government in various provinces in the Mainland for many years. They had no background in Westernization and no achievements.

These were two benchmarks set up by Cixi in order to consolidate her power and build up her own influence after the defeat in the Sino-French War.

"Look, whether you are Han or Manchu, as long as you are loyal to me, Empress Dowager Cixi, even if you don't have any impressive political achievements, you can still serve in the Central Government and become a national military advisor."

...

The imperial edict was issued openly to the world, while the treaty was spread secretly.

Although it was handled in a low-key manner, the funds from the treaty signed with France inevitably flowed out. In just a dozen days, it caused a huge wave around the world.

The Shenbao immediately pointed out in an editorial, "France relied on its great warships and soldiers. Now that the great warships are still there and the soldiers have escaped, if France wishes to reconsider its policy, it can gather troops outside Dagu and march straight in. Arriving the next morning and reaching the capital the next day would be a piece of cake. How could they have reached a peace treaty so easily?"

Hankou's Zhaowen Xinbao and Guangzhou's Shubao also expressed bewilderment, calling this "unheard of and unprecedented. Throughout the four thousand years of history, both in China and abroad, there has been no such case of a victor ceding territory in exchange for peace."

The Zilin-Shanghai Daily even pointed the finger directly at Li Hongzhang, accusing him of being a traitor and a court spy, and demanding his dismissal and execution to thank the people of the world and the souls who died in the war.

Even Sichuan Governor Ding Baozhen, the incoming Huguang Governor Zhang Zhidong, and Shaanxi and Gansu Governor Tan Zhonglin all said, "If this treaty is ratified, not only will the people of Taiwan rebel and cause unrest, but the military and civilians of other provinces will also suffer and be deeply resentful, and we will never accept it."

Thirteen of the 18 governors-general explicitly wrote letters opposing the peace treaty, and the remaining few, such as Zeng Guoquan, also said that the treaty amount could be "negotiated again"

The Manchu tutor Kuihua even wrote a joint letter with 155 people, arguing that the requirements of the Sino-French Treaty were "unprecedented in the five continents and a change that had not happened in three thousand years." If the treaty was signed as signed, the British would inevitably eye Yunnan, the Russians would eye Xinjiang in the west and the three provinces in the east, and the four barbarians would invade, each showing their desires.

Even the suppressed North Korean political situation showed signs of instability after officials in Seoul learned the content of the Sino-French agreement.

Some scholars and candidates for the imperial examination were so angry that they united and wanted the court to revoke its decision.

The situation in the court seems to be getting out of control.

The pride and glory that the people had felt a few days ago after the successful defense of the capital were now all shattered into pieces and scattered on the rubble-covered streets of the capital that had not yet been repaired. They were mixed together and there was no difference anymore.

Yuan Xiangcheng has been living in the house given to him by Li Hongzhang these days and has not gone out until today when he went out to receive the appointment documents.

After receiving the order, he slowly walked out of the Forbidden City, still feeling a little unreal.

The Qing court rewarded him with the titles of first-class viscount, right vice minister of the Ministry of War and right censor-in-chief of the Inspectorate, minister of commerce of the Beiyang government in Seoul, and most importantly, minister of the Haedong Office.

According to convention, the titles of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Right Censor-in-Chief of the Inspectorate were given to governors. Cixi allowed Yuan Shikai to hold these titles concurrently as a minister in charge, which undoubtedly meant that she treated him as a provincial governor.

As for the Beiyang Minister of Commerce in Seoul, it was because Cixi felt that Ronglu was not good at foreign affairs, so she divided the Minister's powers into two. The affairs in the Beijing-Tianjin area were still handled according to the rules set by Li Hongzhang, and Ronglu could do whatever he wanted.

All foreign affairs east of Shanhaiguan, including the Northeast and Korea, were handed over to Yuan Shikai.

In order to win over Yuan Xiangcheng, Cixi also proposed to marry her niece Yehenara Jingfen to Yuan Xiangcheng.

However, Yuan Shikai declined the offer politely, saying, "State affairs are not yet accomplished, and I dare not indulge in pleasure." He simply said he would wait until Korea abolished its feudal system and established counties.

In addition to him, Ronglu was also promoted to the third-class earl and a cloud cavalry captain among the five armies of Jiashen, and succeeded Li Hongzhang as the governor of Zhili.

Liu Shengxiu, Song Qing and others were also awarded the title of admiral.

The deceased He Cheng was posthumously named Prince's Guardian, promoted to first-class baron, and given the posthumous title of "Loyal and Brave". A monument with an inscription was erected in his hometown and recorded in the county annals.

Yuan Shikai had not yet recovered from the shock of being suddenly promoted to a high position. When he walked out of the Forbidden City, he saw that the people of the capital all had solemn and dazed expressions, and he sighed in his heart.

“Sometimes, when people’s hearts are gone, everything is gone, but the high and mighty Qing rulers seemed unaware of this.

A broken bowl can be mended, but a broken mirror cannot be mended.

Once that thought in the hearts of the people is shattered, it is truly shattered."

However, Yuan Xiangcheng did not think there was anything wrong with this, because he knew that this was the ordeal that people in today's world must go through.

Without this hardship, the Chinese people would never wake up from their dream of the Celestial Empire, and would forever be immersed in the illusion of a powerful country woven by the Qing court, until they were invaded again and again by foreigners and exploited again and again by the court, until the whole country, north and south of the Yangtze River, inside and outside the Great Wall, became the territory of foreigners.

During these days, when the impact of the treaty had not yet completely dissipated, many officials, scholars and common people came to see Yuan Xiangcheng.

They all thought that Yuan Xiangcheng was unable to bear the humiliation, so he locked himself in the house and refused to see guests.

Some young people believed that the French troops should be detained and executed after being formally punished. At the same time, they called on the people of the world to go to Beijing to defend the king. Even if the French came again, they would not be afraid of fighting.

Some elders were afraid that Yuan Xiangcheng would get so angry that he would do something dangerous, so they advised him to be patient and think big, not just for the sake of momentary satisfaction, but to have a broad perspective, as the court would need him for many years to come, so he should not do anything stupid.

Taking advantage of this trend, many people near the capital expressed their desire to join Yuan Shikai's Jiashen Right Army. However, within a few days, the Jiashen Right Army, which had suffered heavy losses, had recruited thousands of soldiers.

If Ming Ye, who was in charge of recruiting soldiers, had not announced in advance that the Jiashen Right Army was stationed in Korea, there would probably be more people coming.

Ming Ye also said happily after Yuan Xiangcheng returned to his residence: "Chief Instructor, in addition to the new recruits, many brothers in the front and rear left armies are thinking of transferring to the right army. Look at this..."

Yuan Xiangcheng was speechless upon hearing this. He put down the document in his hand and pondered, "I never expected that the backlash against the Sino-French peace treaty would be so strong in the court, affecting even the army."

"Doesn't this just prove that the Qing Dynasty is unpopular, Chief Instructor? If the Qing Dynasty can make the whole world submit to it, how can we, the Red Confucianists, drive out the Tartars and restore China?" Ming Ye had no regrets about the Qing court's decision to cede Taiwan.

It’s a pity that Taiwan doesn’t care about the imperial court.

Because in their studies at the Red Confucian Society, Mingye and his friends were taught to only recognize China, not the Qing Dynasty.

Taiwan, which was ceded by the Qing Dynasty, can be taken back by China in the future. Mingye believes that the chief instructor can do it.

Yuan Xiangcheng knew what Mingye was thinking by looking at his expression. He felt that Ma Xiangbo's ideological and political education was very successful. It was not easy for Mingye, as a Korean, to sympathize with the cession of Taiwan.

At the end of the 19th century, not many people in the Qing Dynasty had any feelings for Taiwan. In these people's minds, Taiwan was more like a symbol. If something happened in Taiwan, it was like something happened in the neighboring village.

"Someone from the neighboring village got into an argument yesterday over the moving of a field boundary marker, and his entire family was killed!"

"Oh."

"Don't you care? This is a life!"

"Oh, how pitiful."

"Is it just a matter of pity? Aren't you indignant in your heart? The boundary marker was moved, and when you went to seek justice, your entire family was killed. Where is justice?"

"Oh, I see. Moving someone else's boundary marker isn't my boundary marker. I still need to weed. Don't delay my work."

People who don't care about things that don't concern them still exist, even in the 21st century.

Nowadays, ordinary people have no concept of the country at all. They only have concepts such as family, court, and superiors.

If we want to change the world, there is still a long way to go!

Chapter 66 Yuan Ying North Korea Cooperation

After a conversation, Yuan Xiangcheng presented Ming Ye with the plan of abolishing the feudal system and establishing counties, and Ming Ye was very excited after hearing it.

"Chief Instructor, if Korea could return to China, the millions of people in the eight provinces of Korea would be excited and pray for China's identity..." Ming Ye hesitated again halfway through his words.

Yuan Xiangcheng immediately said that it was okay to say it.