Chapter 316 Using Corrupt Officials to Fight Corrupt Officials
Li Guolou leaned forward and said: "Prince Gong, Lord Zhang, Lord Wang. In my humble opinion, officials cannot be distinguished by their integrity or greed. They should be judged by their ability. The country needs honest officials. Then there will be many in the world." Honest officials. Just like in the founding years of the Ming Dynasty, the people in the world were in poverty. At this time, there were countless honest officials. The law also implemented strict laws against corrupt officials, even skinning them. The same was true in the founding of this dynasty. The country was peaceful and honest officials were recorded in the annals of history one by one. For example, Yu Chenglong during the period of the Holy Ancestor. There are operas that praise and sing his deeds. They are still performed today. People also set up merit monuments for him. As for the benefits of upright officials, people are also telling them about it. What it means to be an official and make decisions for the people. Not to be afraid. Powerful people like Hai Rui eating meat for his mother's birthday have become big news in Nanjing. So honest officials like to invite names. This is an indisputable fact."
Li Guolou said a lot of good things about upright officials and representative figures, but he did not talk about the dark reality.
"Li Guolou said it very well. Keep talking. What do you think of the current political affairs?"
Li Guolou swallowed his saliva and said: "I have read a piece of history. I remember that Yu Wentai, the founder of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, became the prime minister of the Northern Wei Dynasty. He imitated Cao Cao's "coercing the emperor to command the princes". I once met Zhuge Liang and Wang Meng who could be compared with each other. The equally famous Su Chuo. Yu Wentai asked Su Chuo for advice on how to govern the country. He asked Su Chuo how to firmly control the officials. Su Chuo said: "Use corrupt officials and fight against corrupt officials." Yu Wentai was shocked and asked Su Chuo why he was like this. Su Chuo Said: "The main purpose of officials is to fight for power and profit. Fighting for power is a means. Fighting for profit is the goal. Who is willing to be an official if they don't get the benefits." Yu Wentai said. Didn't the court already give them a salary? Su Chuo said: 'The more greedy an official is, the more he loves being an official. The more he loves being an official, the more he is afraid of losing his official position. The more he is afraid of losing his official position, the more he fears you will take care of him. The more he fears you take good care of him, the more he will listen to you. On the contrary, honest officials are selfless and fearless. They dare to commit crimes.' Yu Wentai asked if he could be allowed to become corrupt. Su Chuo said: "Rebels who are disobedient are those who are extremely angry. People praise you for fighting corruption, and the power of the people will be firmly in your hands." It can be seen from this that what is the use? What kind of official is the decision of the court. It does not mean that the official has become a corrupt official. So it is meaningless to talk about who is a corrupt official and who is an honest official."
二b1 3看网/b I was choked by what I said. I don’t know how to refute Li Guolou’s point of view. Li Guolou has no point of view. He just talked about historical figures. He did not say which people in the Ministry of Punishment were upright officials. Which ones He was a corrupt official. A difficult problem was thrown to Prince Gong Yixin. It was the master who had the final say whether he should be an upright official or a corrupt official.
Prince Gong Yixin glanced at Li Guolou. The little fox was also scared sometimes. He also wanted to test Li Guolou's real thoughts. He showed a kind smile and said: "I have met many international students who have returned from studying abroad. They all say that they are great." The Qing Dynasty wants to reform its system. Do you agree with their ideas?"
Li Guolou said: "Prince Gong, I believe that the national system cannot be changed. It must maintain continuity. Only in this way can the country be peaceful and the people are safe. I agree to learn from the advanced things of foreigners and remove their dross. I can use foreigners for my own benefit. I will sacrifice my salary and taste my courage." Combining the horizontal and vertical to create a new Qing Empire. This is all I know about Xiaguan's humble abilities. In fact, they are all just words on paper and have never been put into practice. I hope Prince Gong will not take offense to Xiaguan's reckless and inappropriate words."
Yi Xin waved her hand and said: "I, the king, don't listen to these empty words. Everyone says so. Please give me specific examples."
Li Guolou frowned and stared: "Prince Gong, our Qing Empire is now at a critical stage. The rebels have reached the end of their strength. They cannot wear Lu silk. They are at the end of the wind. Their strength cannot float a feather. With our country's current situation Due to the speed of economic development, foreigners are full of fear and distrust of us. They will restrict and restrict us everywhere. They are afraid that we will come back to bite them in the future. Therefore, in the development of our country, foreigners will give us a black eye. Medicine. Deceive us. Just like the arms contracts signed with foreign powers today. Those custom-made warships can be boasted. Some of them will never fall into our hands in a lifetime. Some of them will be delivered when the contract expires. We We can't get them either. When they fall to the Beiyang Navy, these warships will become obsolete and inferior goods. We will never succeed if we rely on foreigners. We should set up our own shipyard. Let's start with simple imitations and hire some foreigners to do it. consultant."
"Li Guolou, what do you think of foreign consultants?" Zhang Jingtian, who is in his forties, has three strands of beard, and has a fair face, asked.
Li Guolou said: "The foreigners employed are mixed, good and bad. They can be roughly divided into three categories. The top ones are very smart and have unique ideas. Most of them are professional and specialized. They are strong and sharp. They believe in trust and righteousness. They should avoid laziness and greed. Operations Youheng is honest and unpretentious. He works seriously and out of nature. This is his specialty. The leader among them is General Gordon of the Ever-Victorious Army. He made an indelible contribution to the Qing Dynasty's annihilation of the Taiping Army. Among them, he is also Being able to follow the rules, abide by the law and serve the public, be hands-on in everything, never neglect one's duties, and be creative. Not everyone has the ability to do so. This is also the ethics that most foreigners hired already have. They can also be considered fairly well-behaved. The inferior ones are arrogant and bullying. Not everyone. He respects restraints, has many dull qualifications, is stubborn and incomprehensible, has a monopoly, and fights with the same party. He even indulges in promiscuity and drinking, and even bullies the people of the Qing Dynasty. The longer he lives in the Qing Dynasty, the deeper his habits become. He is frivolous about the Qing Dynasty and is exaggerated and arrogant. . Among them, the cunning ones are jealous of others who have learned their skills. Some may not teach them all in secret. It is cheating. In addition, it misuses foreigners and uses people who are not good at it. It also causes a waste of human resources."
Prince Gong Yixin listened to Li Guolou's story. He knew that Li Guolou had a good foundation in eight-legged writing. He couldn't help but like him even more. It meant that Li Guolou could do it well. He could write official articles and he could stand in the court and compete with those Jinshi. The person who succeeds will do the defense.
Yi Xin glanced at Zhang Jingtian, the clerk next to him. He had already written down Li Guolou's statement. He stroked his beard and nodded with satisfaction. He sighed: "Li Guolou, you are quite talented. You have studied abroad and are a scholar. Why are you Uncle Li Zhongtang did not recommend you. Instead, he asked you to work as an errand in the Ministry of Punishment."
Li Guolou smiled awkwardly and said: "I have been abroad for a long time, and I have acquired a lot of fake foreign habits. Master Zhongtang doesn't like me as my grandnephew. Let me practice more below."
Yi Xin praised: "Li Guolou, you are a talented person. You are young and decisive in doing things. Mr. Bao hired you out of the norm. You have a vision and a good talent. No wonder President Zhen is in front of me. I keep praising you. I thought President Zhen was exaggerating and almost made you useless in the Ministry of Justice. Good, good, good."
Yi Xin said three words in a row, then stopped and said nothing. She picked up the tea cup and drank tea, keeping an amiable appearance. The two clerks next to her made it clear. Prince Gong Yi Xin was thinking about how to use Li Guo Tower. They and Li Guo Tower The discussion in Guolou began. Li Guolou’s eleven statements started from the first one. Two Jinshi and a scholar began to defend. They had a great time chatting. Time passed by. Yixin was very happy. He said less and did not move away. He just sat there and listened to Li Guolou's explanation.
Since Li Guolou wrote the eleven propositions on the statement, he already had his own opinions. If he wanted to refute Li Guolou's opinions, it would take a lot of hard work. Both sides would go back and forth without giving in. There is no bottom line in throwing out each other's opinions. It's like talking bullshit in court. Everyone can find quotes from famous people in the previous dynasty, but no one can convince the other party.
Zhang Jingtian, the clerk, could not convince Li Guolou. He said: "You have written so many articles. Then I ask you where to start."
Li Guolou replied: "Xiaguan is writing to Prince Gong for details. As the decision-maker of national policy, of course we must start together. How can we wait for the opportunity to be lost in vain. Looking at the national resources and wealth, it falls into the hands of foreigners. Xiaguan I am also doing my own little bit. My family runs schools and does business. Let’s start with education and enrich the country. Maybe the two adults think that being an official is damaging the public and enriching private life. They are being an official and businessman. But the official must first make a statement. Say it with a clear conscience. Those who serve as officials are honest and honest. They use the money they earn to stick to the officialdom. They are the same as those who pay donations. They are just for fame, not for profit. They never take their salary and money home and put it in the public account. Although some people take it. I criticize my subordinates for their inappropriate private life. But that’s what you and I are willing to do. The foreign girl traveled across the ocean and threw herself into my arms. I didn’t disgrace the Qing Dynasty.”
There was laughter in Qiuju Hall. How could the three senior officials of Li Guolou not know that there were items used by Prince Gong. They haven’t talked about it yet. It’s hard to put them on the table. They can only laugh. Let out the joy in your heart.
Yi Xin covered her mouth with her fist and coughed dryly. She said: "Li Guolou, I heard that you are still practicing boxing and want to compete with Tarzan. Are you doing it for the bounty or for the honor? Do you think you have won?" Tarzan of the Apes?"
Li Guolou solemnly said: "Reporting to Prince Gong, I just regard this boxing match as a test for myself. It is also a challenge for myself. Although Taishan the Ape has the title of boxing champion, as a Qing Dynasty man, he is absolutely I don’t want to insult my character. Since I am going to compete, I just want to win. I want to step on my opponent. Of course, I can also bear the consequences of losing. Losing is not terrible. I can lose once, but I will still have the courage to challenge. After working hard, I will still work hard. I will not be intimidated by one or even two failures. I will be ready to continue fighting in the future.”
Yi Xin was overjoyed. He was very satisfied with this interview. Li Guolou was young and vigorous, with a positive energy. Sitting in his position was actually planning and nurturing talents, and placing all the needed talents in the right places. Of course, the first people to be promoted are confidants. Disciples and former officials are the first choice. There are also many factions in the court. Aixinjueluo Zaichun is about to take charge, and he is also arranging disciples of the emperor.
In fact, Yi Xin did not attach much importance to power. I think that when Emperor Tongzhi was young, he was more powerful. But he still did his duty and guarded the imperial power. He did not have the desire to overstep the throne, force the palace to seize the emperor's throne.
Now that Yi Xin is nearly forty years old, he has an even greater sense of urgency and mission. The Qing Empire has been in turmoil for more than ten years. The Treaty of Beijing that he signed in his hands betrayed national interests and humiliated the country. It was the shame of his life. In exchange for The Western powers' support for the annihilation of the Taiping Army and the Nian Army saw the divided territories returned to the Qing Empire piece by piece, which added to their confidence. He was an accomplished regent. Although now the "regent" His title no longer exists, but his power is overwhelming. Most of the prominent high-ranking officials in the entire Qing Empire came from his disciples.
Li Guolou was only in his early twenties and his hair had not yet fully grown. He was a leader among the younger generation. What was even more rare was that Li Guolou and his uncle Li Hongzhang had different political views. Their subordinates were of different factions and it was not easy to fight with each other. What Xin wanted to see could be used by him and could be used as a talent training for the next generation. Yi Xin's love for talents grew and she wanted to cultivate Li Guolou.
Li Guolou has no military merit. He is not a Jinshi. He is not a noble son of the Manchu people. If you want to promote Li Guolou out of the ordinary, he will be criticized. Even if he is promoted to the second level, let Li Guolou sit in the seventh-grade official position. It will be very difficult in the future. It is difficult to achieve great things. Family status and background will be an insurmountable threshold for Li Guolou's promotion. An unprecedented idea has been born in his mind.
Yi Xin interrupted the "Eleven Statements" discussion between Li Guolou and the two clerks and said: "Li Guolou, I heard that you came to the capital to take the imperial examination. There is a 'township tribute' 'Identity. Really?"
"Yes. I stayed in the capital for more than a year. I originally wanted to take the Jinshi exam. But by chance, I joined the Ministry of Justice as a clerk. I became an official. I had a lot of fun at work. I liked fighting with criminals, so I gave up on taking the Jinshi exam. Thoughts. I even had a quarrel with my brothers and sisters at home because of this matter. Fortunately for me, I have an upright official like Mr. Bao in the Ministry of Punishment who appreciates me. I was promoted two levels in a row and became a ninth-grade official." Li Guolou answered respectfully. He was very happy in his heart. He was about to get the rank of seventh-rank official. However, he remained calm on the surface and showed no pride and complacency. He was the best at putting on airs. He could keep his composure despite being overwhelmed. Others wanted to see his inner fluctuations. All we have to do is crack his head open.
Yi Xin suddenly changed his color and shouted angrily: "What nonsense, Li Guolou, you are destroying your future. How can I watch you waste your great youth in the corner of the capital alley? You will be admitted to the imperial examination for me." .Send your name first to Mr. Zhang. Leave this matter to you. Say hello to the examiner, Li Hongzao, and say that this is my student. Ask him to be polite and give him your name."
The faces of the two clerks changed drastically. An unprecedented favor was about to come to Li Guolou. This was to give Li Guolou a copy of Great Expectations. A bigger reward than a seventh-grade official hat. Like two After the secretary-general, he resigned from his post. When he became a local official, he was only a seventh-grade official. He found a good job and worked for seven years. Drought and floods guaranteed the harvest. But now Prince Gong wants to vigorously cultivate Li Guolou. The two secretary-generals are jealous and envious. They thought to themselves. : How come Li Guolou came up with the "Eleven Statements"? He has a sharp mouth. It's almost eleven o'clock. He hasn't defeated Li Guolou yet. He has lost the face of becoming a Jinshi.