There are round tables in the hall, with rich dishes and bottles of white wine on them. Countless waiters shuttle back and forth in the hall to prepare for the banquet. The bright red color in the banquet hall adds to the whole hall. Festive meaning.
"Vice Premier Shi, when the President summons officials from Beijing to celebrate the New Year, you will definitely be the first to attend."
"With your good words, it is an honor for me to sit at the table with the President."
…
"Premier Zeng, in recent years, the country has become more and more prosperous, and the people have enough food and clothing. This is all maintained by you. At this year's New Year gathering, you will definitely sit next to the president, and you will definitely be rewarded by the president. The president is away from home all year round. Without you to maintain the rear, the President would not be able to rest assured. In my opinion, you are Xiao He to Han Dynasty and Xun Yu to Cao Wei."
"Too modest, too modest. I just did my duty. There is nothing worthy of praise. The country is developing stably and the people live and work in peace and contentment. This is not my fault alone. It is the collective work of a group of people under the leadership of the president." Thanks to the hard work of Vice Premier Shi, President Zhao, Chairman Hu, President Zuo and others, they have all made great contributions to the stability of the country. This is the credit of our entire group, not one individual."
"As the leader, you should do your part."
"Wrong, I am not the leader. The president is our leader. I just follow the president's instructions and do everything well. There is nothing worthy of praise."
…
"President Zhao, is there anything new happening in the court recently?"
"Trial without officials is the best situation. The president appointed you as the president of the Supreme Court. You really have a keen eye for talents. Because of your efforts, corrupt officials have been reduced in recent years and the administration of officials has become clearer. This is all due to you." Ah, without you running around, without you leading the court officials to vigorously picket, the corrupt officials' arrogance would not have been suppressed. In my opinion, when the president summons us to celebrate the New Year, he will definitely toast you with a glass of wine."
"This is the good leadership of the president. Without the support of the president, I would not have achieved what I have achieved now."
…
At this moment, people kept coming in from outside the hall, with smiles on their faces.
Today is the annual Spring Festival.
The year 1862 was coming to an end and the first day of 1863 was about to usher in. On such a great day, Li Zhen summoned his staff to have dinner at the Presidential Palace. Among these people, there were officials stationed in Beijing and officials from various departments. All the heavyweight officials came. In addition, there were also scholars, experts, and wise men from all walks of life. It was a pity that Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong, Su Lei, Yang Jianhou and others left Beijing to take up their posts in various places. They only Being able to celebrate the New Year outside.
After these people entered, a waiter led them to their seats.
Each official's seat is arranged.
Sitting at the first round table are Zeng Guofan, Shi Dakai, Zuo Zongtang, Hu Linyi, Peng Yulin, Zuo Zongtang, Qiao Zhiyong and Li Zhen. Officials from other departments have their own seats. Among them, Zeng Guofan sits on the left hand side of Li Zhen , Zuo Zongtang sits on the right side, and the two of them can be called Li Zhen's right and left arms.
"The president is here."
A shout came from the door of the banquet hall.
Brush, brush,,.
The officials, experts, etc. who had already been seated all stood up in unison.
Gazes gathered at the entrance of the banquet hall.
A man wearing a white cotton robe walked in with steady steps. This man was clearly Li Zhen. His expression was resolute and powerful, his eyes were deep and sincere, and he had a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, giving people a feeling of spring breeze. It was very Comfortable, Li Zhen strode in and was immediately welcomed by countless people. He waved and shook hands with the people who came up to him. He came to the first table and sat down. At the reminder of the waiter, the banquet hall quickly became quiet. When we got down, there was no more noise.
Everyone's eyes were once again focused on Li Zhen.
"Next, please give the president a speech."
Following the waiter's shout, thunderous applause resounded throughout the banquet hall.
Li Zhen walked to the rostrum in the banquet hall and looked at the officials below, looking very excited. He never thought that a small soldier from the Jiangbei Camp would have the opportunity to stand at the top of the country.
Opportunities in life are unpredictable.
He took a deep breath and said loudly: "Today is the happiest day of the year. It is a day for everyone to reunite with their families. Everyone is excited when they come to the New Year party, but they definitely have the urge to go home, so I will not make a long speech. Nonsense is a waste of everyone's time. Let me just say a few words. In the past year, thanks to your sincere unity, the country has prospered and made great progress. Here, I would like to thank those who have contributed to the country and the people. I hope that during the Chinese New Year next year, everyone will be able to make great progress. I can speak to you in such a relaxed tone, and I hope to achieve greater development in the coming year."
After finishing speaking, Li Zhen bowed.
"Pah, pah, pah,."
The applause in the banquet hall was like thunder and continuous.
Li Zhen stood up straight and raised his hands to press down. The applause in the hall quickly stopped.
Li Zhen had a smile on his face, waved his hand and said loudly: "Let's have a banquet."
In an instant, another burst of applause broke out. Li Zhen returned to his seat, saw the officials accompanying him at the table, and said with emotion: "Our table can be called the pillars of the country. There is a saying that among the stars Fire can start a prairie fire, so the people at our table can be called the fire of the country. It is precisely because of the fire that will never be extinguished that the country can continue to thrive and make continuous progress. Thank you all."
Zeng Guofan said: "The president has given you the award. You are the fire that saves the country. Because of you, we can sit here. Otherwise, we will still be the Manchu officials who cannot hold their heads up in the face of foreigners."
Shi Dakai nodded and said: "Premier Zeng's words are reasonable. Without the president, there would be no current country."
With a smile on his face, Zhao Liewen said seriously: "When the Hunan Army was founded, I had a chat with Premier Zeng and concluded that the Manchu Qing Dynasty must perish because the Manchu Qing Dynasty had lost the support of the people and had long lost its will to enterprising. However, I did not expect that the president could A sudden rise, a sudden rise in the country, and a hero in times of crisis. The president is the hero who saves the country. He has sacrificed a lot for the people and the country."
All the officials spoke up one after another and praised Li Zhen.
This time, Li Zhen was quite embarrassed. He waved his hand, picked up the wine glass and said: "I may have some abilities, but I always think that we are a group. Only when everyone unites can we exert all our abilities." With strength, I alone cannot succeed. Therefore, I hope we can unite and continue to struggle. Everyone, cheers to the future of the country." He stood up, looked at everyone in the hall, and said loudly: "Everyone, please."
People at the table stood up and clinked glasses with Li Zhen to drink.
The atmosphere in the hall is very harmonious. It's another year, a new year and a new atmosphere. The country will enter a new stage in the new year.
