Not long after Ruan An and Zhang Xi got married, new personnel changes began in the capital. After Lin Zexu served as the censor for several years, he was awarded the Hangjiahu Road by Jiaqing because of his courage in speaking out and his diligence. On this day in Jiaqing

He also specially summoned Lin Zexu in the Old Summer Palace to give him a final reminder before leaving the capital to take up his post.

"Is that Lin Zexu... I have seen many of your memorials, which are quite accurate. I also know that when you were in the Hanlin Academy, you studied in an eclectic way, including water conservancy and geography. You have always been diligent in learning and asking questions. You are young and

I am very happy to have such a practical talent like you among us. Letting you go to Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou Road this time is also to let you have a practical understanding of the political affairs of the province, so that your talents in world affairs can be put to practical use. Hangzhou... I know very well about money and food over there.

It is sufficient. Although there is a debt to the people, there is no shortage. However, in the past ten years, I don’t know if there are any new problems... My new governor of Zhejiang, Shuai Chengying, is also a person who does his job with sincerity. After you go, if there are any specific matters

If you don’t know how to do it, feel free to ask him for advice. Living in peace and being prepared for danger is the way to gain a foothold. Do you understand?"

"Back to the emperor, I understand that I will work hard to make the people of the three prefectures peaceful and live up to the emperor's favor!" Lin Zexu knew clearly that after ten years of being an official, he could finally show off his talents in state and county affairs.

Naturally happy.

"You can go down now." Jiaqing nodded, and Lin Zexu immediately left. But Jiaqing looked at the empty Fengsan Selfless Hall and sighed unknowingly.

"Your Majesty." Cao Jin was pleased to see that Jiaqing had finished meeting the ministers. He just entered and whispered to Jiaqing: "Your Majesty, please calm down. I have already given instructions to the Ministry of War and the nine-door admiral Ying about the matter of stealing seals."

Let them hunt down with all their strength, and don't neglect it. It's just that more than half a year has passed since this happened, and it's really... Also, tomorrow is the funeral of Prince Qing, Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please don't hurt yourself again?"

"The matter of stealing the seal... that's all. According to the report from the Ministry of War, it has been eight months since this incident. Tell Yinghe that there is no need to pursue it anymore. I think the thief just wanted to steal the seal because he saw money, so he melted

If the seal is melted, where do you want them to chase him? Yonglin... I have a few notes to read this afternoon. You should go to the palace to inform him about his affairs." Jiaqing thought about this.

Two things, but I feel quite disappointed in my heart.

It turned out that in March of the 25th year of Jiaqing, the Ministry of War suddenly discovered that the seal of the Ministry of War that should be used when traveling in Jiaqing was suddenly stolen. The seal was a silver seal, so it was coveted by others, but the dignified Ministry of War actually

It was only five months after the seal was lost that the matter was discovered and reported. The negligence was so unforgivable that Jiaqing also severely punished the Ministry of War and demoted several court officials. At this time, Jiaqing and his colleagues

Mother and younger brother, Yonglin, who had just been crowned Prince Qing, suddenly fell seriously ill and passed away in April. Jiaqing and Yonglin were both from the Wei Jia family, so they loved this younger brother the most among the clan. At this time, Yonglin saw

How could he calm down when he was walking in front of him? His body, which was already not optimistic, was naturally even weaker at this time. However, his daily diet was not unusual, so he did not pay much attention to it for a while.

"Also, Your Majesty, the military parade will be held in three days' time. Do you...do you still want to go? I see that your face looks a bit...otherwise, Your Majesty, you can take some time to recuperate before this year's military parade."

How about giving up the matter immediately and suspending the Chengde inspection tour for one year?" Cao Jinxi, as a person who has served Jiaqing for many years, was far more aware of the changes in Jiaqing's demeanor than Jiaqing himself.

"Cao Jinxi, you talk a bit too much today. I have already decided to hold this military parade once a year, how can I neglect it? If the Firearms Battalion and Jianrui Battalion cannot see me for many years, they will only think that they are living a lazy life. It is no different from practicing diligently. How can they train well at that time?" Jiaqing also scolded Cao Jinxi: "What's more, Mulan Qiuyi is not only the fundamental method of our court, but also the training place for the soldiers of the Eight Banners. Nowadays, the world has not heard of war for many years. If one day, foreign invaders invade the mausoleum, and these soldiers don't even know how to fight, what will it do? I think you are telling the truth. I won't blame you today. If you dare to fight against me again in the future, Don’t blame me for being ruthless if I intervene in national affairs!"

"But your Majesty..." It seemed that Cao Jinxi was really worried about Jiaqing's safety.

"What's the big deal? I never dare to neglect riding and shooting, so I'm in good health! There have been a lot of things in the past two days, so it won't be a problem. Besides, Mulan Qiu will be in two months, even if this I have been a little tired for the past few days. Is it still the same two months later? Just prepare for the funeral of King Qing. The rest should be done step by step." Jiaqing added to Cao Jinxi.

Cao Jinxi knew that he could not disobey Jiaqing's words, so he also paid homage to Jiaqing and went to the capital to handle Yonglin's funeral. At this time, Jiaqing naturally did not know what Mulan Qiuyi would look like to him two months later. , what exactly does it mean...

"Milican is in North Asia and is adjacent to England in the north. The land of North Asia is also occupied by England. Millica and England are also at odds with each other and have been at war many times. The country of Millica is very large, and there are two tribes. Ten, which is about the land of fourteen direct provinces, but its land is flat and abundant in rice, and England often relies on it for support. There is no king in America, and merchants are not allowed to travel. Therefore, in the past few years, more and more merchants have come to Guangdong."

After Ruan An and Zhang Xi got married, Ruan Yuan also returned to his official duties. While he continued to learn about the West and the United States from Wu Bingjian, he also actively carried out opium cleanup activities. However, Ruan Yuan seemed not to know that the man who actually asked him The person who spreads information about American geography and customs is actually the man behind the American opium smuggling in China.

"Master, do you look so interesting in this matter of the Millennium Kingdom?" Kong Luhua looked at Ruan Yuan holding only a few pieces of letter paper, and then read with interest. She also smiled at Ruan Yuan from the side of the study: "But then again , if I hadn’t come to Guangzhou with you, I wouldn’t have known there was a country called Milijan in this world.”

"Madam, this America seems to be a new country that appeared decades ago. It's normal that Madam doesn't know about it, but..." Ruan Yuan looked at the geographical situation of the United States written by Wu Bingjian to him. It was unclear whether he was more happy or worried: "I think the establishment of this country is just shorter. In time, it may not become an overseas power like England, or maybe... it will be stronger than England." Woolen cloth."

"Master, how did you figure this out?" Kong Luhua listened to Ruan Yuan's words and seemed unable to understand.

"Madam, I have seen the situation of England in Daochang Li's "Huandian Tushuo". England is only one or two provinces in size. In recent years, it has relied on its strong ships and powerful artillery to bully overseas countries, and it has become arrogant. But America is It’s different. According to Mr. Wu, the country’s territory should be seven to eight times that of England. Moreover, the country’s land is flat and abundant in grain and rice. He even said that England needs to be supported by millennia’s grain and rice. These two It seems that the relationship between the two countries is not good. In other words, if one day England and America are at odds with each other, America can go north to Ghana, making England unable to take care of both ends, and at the same time, it can cut off England's supply of grain and rice. If that happens, England will It will definitely fall into passivity. Moreover, this country of America seems to have a small population, a large number of people but little food, abundant natural life, and vast land, which is the basis of its strength. So maybe one day, this country of America will become a stronger country than England. Country." Ruan Yuan looked at Wu Bingjian's letterhead, as if the situation he was thinking of was much more complicated than the current situation.

"Really... Master, what are you worried about?" Kong Luhua continued to ask.

"This American businessman is much more difficult to control than the British businessman." Ruan Yuan also explained to Kong Luhua: "The British businessmen have always been under the control of the British public bank, which is the so-called public bank. Without the permission of the public bank, even if they are Hong Kong foot

Merchants are also not allowed to come to the Guangdong Mutual Market. This means that if British merchants carry opium, we can go directly to the public bank and ask the public bank to come forward to restrain them. I heard that this public bank also has some connections with the British country, so we went to the public bank.

We have already established contact with England. But it seems that because there is no king in America, there is no restriction on the business operations of merchants. Merchants come to Guangzhou if they want to trade. But my wife may not know that a few days ago, several Dan people robbed Guangzhou.

We caught a American merchant ship. There was a lot of opium in the ship. So, once the American merchants carried opium, we were going to hold them accountable, but where could we find them? What kind of Gu Sheng was there at the Thirteenth Bank Merchant House?

, I heard that he is just a casual trader, and has nothing to do with the leader of the tribe in the country of Milijan... I hope that we will not have any conflicts with the country of Milijan in the future." Ruan Yuan's last sentence was also the same.

They were worried that once relations between the Qing Dynasty and the United States were at loggerheads, and Sino-British conflicts recurred, they would need to face two opponents at the same time. In such a situation, the power of the governors of Guangdong and Guangxi would not be enough.

"Oh, I didn't expect that Master has just read these few pages. There are so many things on his mind." Kong Luhua sighed and asked Ruan Yuan: "Master, you said you found opium before, so how are you going to judge in the end?

ah?"

"According to the emperor's new regulations, all opium will be burned and will never be returned, but a few gangsters who committed robberies first will also be hanged." When Ruan Yuan looked at Kong Luhua, he felt that although her expression was calm, there was also a kind of worry that could not be concealed.

His feelings could not be dissipated. He comforted her and said: "Madam, I don't think the opium eradication is that difficult now? Han Qing, the deputy general who recently took office as the governor of the Yuan Dynasty, inspected the smuggled opium trade in the past few days.

He confiscated a thousand kilograms of opium in one go. Based on his ability, I think if we continue to strictly investigate and deal with it for a few more years, it will be effective. But I am not worried about the Green Camp, it’s just..."

"What Master wants to say is...the Eight Banners soldiers in the west?" Kong Luhua couldn't help but wonder.

"Yes." Seeing that there was no one else around, Ruan Yuan also expressed his doubts and said: "Everything else in Guangzhou is easy to handle, including the Guangdong Customs and Qiying, but I can't

In the interrogation area, if those people know this flaw and start by buying flag soldiers and Guangdong customs, then no matter how much I clean up opium here, it will be useless." It turns out that the Great North Gate in the west of the inner city of Guangzhou to Guide Gate

In between, there is a street called "Dabeimen Straight Street" that runs from north to south. To the west of this street is where the Eight Banners are stationed in Guangzhou. The other inner and outer cities of Guangzhou and the Pearl River outside Taipingmen are where people live.

There is no Eight Banner garrison in the sense of urban defense in Guangzhou, but the west side of Dabeimen Street is actually the garrison of the banner soldiers. The Guangzhou Banner Camp is under the jurisdiction of the Guangzhou General, with a quota of more than 3,400 banner soldiers.

Kong Luhua listened to Ruan Yuan's words, but she also knew that the Eight Banners soldiers in Guangzhou were only under the control of General Guangzhou, and Ruan Yuan could not mobilize them. The Guangdong Customs was actually directly under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and had no reporting relationship with Ruan Yuan's governorship. Therefore, Ruan Yuan could only

Negotiating the smoking ban with the Guangdong Customs Supervision cannot override it. It seems that if Ruan Yuan wants to continue to investigate opium, the two important positions within the Qing Dynasty need to work together with Ruan Yuan to ensure Ruan Yuan's success.

"Yes, this matter seems to be a bit difficult..."
Chapter completed!