"Sorry, I got a letter from home the day before yesterday."
"Oh." Zhang Tinglan nodded nonchalantly.
"Why don't you ask what was written?"
Zhou Xinyao lazily climbed up from the bed. It was time to say goodbye. The two of them were particularly crazy yesterday. Although she is already the mother of the child, Zhou Xinyao's figure has not changed at all, and she is becoming more mature.
There is a moving energy, especially now that the brows are wrinkled, it looks even more moving.
Zhang Tinglan couldn't help but sit on the edge of the bed and blocked his wife's waist: "Honey, how about we do some more morning exercise?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Da Ya will cry if she doesn't see me when she wakes up." Zhou Xinyao said with a blushing face.
"Hey, why do I feel that my status has dropped after I have a child? If there are ten or eight more children, will I be out of line in our family?"
"Whoever gave you ten or eight babies would have turned into a pig!" Zhou Xinyao said with a smile, but suddenly her expression changed again, and her fingers pinched Zhang Tinglan's soft ribs.
"You haven't said why you didn't ask about the content of the letter. Does it mean that you don't care about me anymore after becoming the vice president?"
Zhang Tinglan said hurriedly: "How dare I? It's just a favor lawsuit. When I get to the capital, I will try my best to arrange the Zhou family."
"No!" Zhou Xinyao suddenly stopped Zhang Tinglan: "I'd like to say that the Zhou family has been a prominent person for many years, and the big tree attracts wind. I don't understand other reasons, but I know that when making a prescription, the emperor and his ministers must coordinate with each other. No matter how high you climb now, you will fall down in the future.
How miserable it is. Aren't you planning to formulate regulations to require the spouses and children of public officials not to engage in business? You can't break the rules because of the Zhou family."
When Zhang Tinglan heard this, he also showed a happy smile on his face, and couldn't help but kiss Zhou Xinyao on the forehead: "My wife really understands the righteousness. I know it well, and I will not let my own people suffer!"
Zhang Tinglan is very fond of his own people. In other words, those who sincerely support Zhang Tinglan will never be treated badly, but those who are half-hearted and have both sides are not included in the care and protection.
Zhou Xinyao also heard the meaning and had nothing to say. She could only stand up silently and help Zhang Tinglan finish cleaning up. They arrived at the main hall of the handsome manor together. Zhang Zuoxiang was already waiting here. The old man still had the
Holding the cigarette rod.
When he saw Zhang Tinglan coming, he also smiled and said: "Immodestly, have you thought about everything?"
Zhang Zuoxiang didn't say much. Instead, he condensed all the thousands of words into this. Zhang Tinglan also nodded heavily: "Dad, don't worry, there is no problem at all."
Zhang Zuoxiang also nodded, as if he wanted to say something more, but felt it was unlucky, so he simply shut up. At this time, Wang Yongjiang, Sun Anhu, Yang Yuting and other civil and military officials all arrived. Zhang Tinglan gave a few simple explanations.
, and then, surrounded by people, he boarded the special train directly and embarked on the road to Beijing.
The train was churning forward, but Zhang Tinglan's mind could not calm down at all. One thought after another kept spinning in his mind, thinking about various possible situations.
Since the end of the Qing Dynasty, China has been in chaos for decades. Many people have lived in the capital, but it has not stabilized the country. There is no doubt that this country is seriously ill. It cannot be cured without strong medicine. I don’t know.
Can I, like those great men who came out of northern Shaanxi, bring peace to China and reshape the country's prestige?
"Sorry, we're at Shanhaiguan just ahead!" Yang Yuting suddenly spoke.
Zhang Tinglan also woke up suddenly: "Stop the train, Lin Ge, and you go out for a walk with me."
The guard still didn't know why Zhang Tinglan did this, so he could only follow him not far or close behind. Zhang Tinglan stood on the empty roadside and sighed: "Before entering Beijing, I went to see the tomb of the first commander. Originally,
I wanted to shoot that old guy Saito Minoru, but then I thought about it and left it to Han Qing, who is about to return home."
"Yu Shuai was also a hero, but he can't be buried yet, which makes people feel uncomfortable. But now Zhuoyan is also completing Yu Shuai's unfinished work, defeating Japan and taking over the Central Plains. I think Yu Shuai will also smile.
"
The two of them stood outside for more than ten minutes before Zhang Tinglan turned around resolutely and boarded the train again. All the way south, she felt the capital. For the sake of safety, Zhang Tinglan's visit to Beijing was very low-key this time, without any welcome ceremony, and got off the train.
Take the train and go straight to his office.
In order not to conflict with Li Yuanhong, Zhang Tinglan did not go to Zhongnanhai to join in the fun, but chose the original Prince Qing's Mansion as the vice president's official residence. Prince Qing Yikuang was considered the greediest and richest prince in the late Qing Dynasty, and his mansion was also beautifully built. Zhang Tinglan
When Zhang Xun's rebellion was put down, the Eight Banners disciples in Beijing were vigorously purged.
Prince Qing's Mansion was also the first to bear the brunt. It was completely liquidated and the Prince's Mansion became empty. After Zhang Tinglan became the vice president, he had people clean up the palace and use Prince Qing's Mansion as his office location.
The bulletproof car Zhang Tinglan was riding in drove into the gate of Prince Qing's Mansion. As soon as he got off the car, someone was waiting here. It turned out to be the newly appointed Prime Minister Tang Shaoyi and the Speaker Liang Qichao.
Upon seeing them, Zhang Tinglan also smiled and said: "Why don't these two gentlemen even give me any time to rest? I haven't seen the new home yet!"
"It's okay if you don't rush. I'd like to say that we have been fighting in the capital for several months. Our bodies are weak, but we can't hold it anymore. It's up to you, the taller one, to hold on. Let us two rest."
Tang Shaoyi said with a tired look, and Liang Qichao also nodded frequently: "I would like to say, if you don't come again, we will be at the end of the road and will be driven crazy."
Yang Yuting also got out of the car behind him and immediately said with a smile: "The two gentlemen are highly respected and talented. Is there any trouble that they can't handle?"
"Lin Ge, we have seen it all these past few months. If we want to stay in Beijing, we only need two things, one money and one gun. People from all walks of life block the door every day asking for money. If you give it, you will be obedient. If you don't give it, you will be obedient.
Trouble. If we had guns, we could have driven them away, but we don’t have anything, so we can only act as doormats. If I don’t come back again, I’m ready to resign!”
"Mr. Shaochuan, is the situation really that bad?"
"It's worse than imagined." Tang Shaoyi and Liang Qichao said in unison.
When Zhang Tinglan saw this, he didn't care about resting. He hurriedly came to the living room and listened to the introductions of the two people. Tang Shaoyi first said: "I'd like to say that according to your wishes, I tried to retain some old people from Beiyang, which can be regarded as the cabinet."
The team was formed and the new government began to operate. But now the national treasury is empty and there is no money to come out. Military leaders want money, government officials want salaries, teachers also want education funds, and the great powers want compensation. All of them are piled up in front of us at once.
, I really can’t hold it any longer.”
It was a financial issue again. Zhang Tinglan also guessed it, so there was no surprise. He asked with a smile: "Mr. Shaochuan, how much of a gap is there? Tell me."
"Well, I have to make a rough estimate. The monthly expenses are at least 11.2 million yuan, but the actual income is less than 4 million yuan, which means there are 7 to 8 million yuan.
There is a gap that needs to be filled.”
Zhang Tinglan was dumbfounded when he heard this. He knew that since the Manchu Qing Dynasty, he had defaulted on a large amount of compensation and loans, and the amount was quite large. But after he really knew the details, he was still frightened.
Tang Shaoyi crossed his fingers again and calculated with Zhang Tinglan. Since the Republic of China government announced at the beginning of its establishment that it would inherit the Qing Dynasty's war reparations, including foreign loans from the Shimonoseki Treaty and the Boxer Indemnity from the Xinchou Treaty, the total added up to 793.88 million taels.
Kuping silver, converted into silver dollars, is more than 1.2 billion.
Subsequently, the Beiyang government made several more loans, the most famous of which was Lao Yuan's large-scale loan for the aftermath, and Lao Duan's Xiyuan loan, which was disrupted by Zhang Tinglan. So far, the total of these loans is 560 million.
Silver dollar.
And this is only in terms of money. The mines, railways, and land that have been mortgaged for this purpose are countless.
Tang Shaoyi sighed and said: "I would like to say, for such a huge amount, let alone paying it back, even the interest is a huge problem. The principal and interest that needs to be paid this year has reached 23.13 million yuan, and the fiscal revenue
More than a quarter of the total has to be handed over to the great powers, which is really distressing. If you deduct military expenses, administrative expenses, and education funds, there will be almost nothing left, or even a deficit. How can we talk about national construction? Every time I think about this, I can't sleep.
Sleep."
When Zhang Tinglan heard this, he couldn't help but sigh. What a mess has been left since the late Qing Dynasty! The current situation is still good. If it continues to develop according to history, Beiyang's borrowings will increase.
If you are in power, the amount will be even greater.
During the so-called golden decade, the minimum debt expenditure was more than 120 million yuan a year, and the maximum amount was more than 834.6 million yuan, accounting for 44% of the fiscal revenue. Such huge expenditures
, squeezing out a small amount of fiscal revenue, making the country more and more embarrassed, and all kinds of industrial construction have come to nothing.
Zhang Tinglan thought about it again and again, and finally became convinced that even if she died, she could not serve as a cash machine for the great powers!
"Mr. Shaochuan, you have said so much, how do you want to solve this problem?"
Tang Shaoyi calmed down his emotions a little, and then said with some embarrassment: "I would like to say that Fengtian's financial situation is much better than that of Beijing. Can you provide some subsidies to allow the government to continue to maintain it?"
Liang Qichao also said: "I am sorry to say that the deterioration of the financial situation makes us sad, but there is really no good solution at present. Fengjun has to spend some funds now. If the finances improve in the future, we will definitely make up for it."
Zhang Tinglan waved his hand and smiled slightly: "Mr. Shaochuan, according to what you just said, Fengtian must spend at least nearly 100 million yuan a year to subsidize the central government, and more than a quarter of this money must be given to the great powers in vain.
.Can I afford to fill such a bottomless black hole? Even if I fill it, how will I pay it back in the future?"
Tang Shaoyi was also speechless when asked: "Idiot, what do you think we should do?"
"Just one sentence, if I don't pay back the money, if I can, let Britain and the United States call me, and I will fight them to the death!"
ps:
I compiled some information about the finances of the Republic of China. Alas... it's a big mess.
