Under the August sun, more than 30,000 former prisoners of the Qing army and now citizens of the Ming Dynasty sat silently in front of the official residence of the Chief Minister at No. 2 Changping Road. Because there were so many people, not only the small square in front of the official residence was filled up
, and the long distances on the east and west sides of Changping Road are filled with water.
The official residence of the First Assistant is No. 2 Changping Road, and a few hundred meters further east is No. 1 Changping Road - the Forbidden City. Although these "new citizens" of the Ming Dynasty who are sitting in meditation are so close to the Forbidden City, the easternmost team is already close to the Forbidden City.
Although they were at the entrance, their gathering was still centered on the official residence of the Chief Minister and did not surround the palace. Although that would have a greater effect of attracting attention.
This shows that these new citizens of the Ming Dynasty are not stupid. Although they are new here, they know the rules very well. It may also be that some people gave them advice. It is true that there is no law that prohibits gatherings at the entrance of the Forbidden City, but Nanjing’s previous events
Assemblies, whether to express opinions or vent dissatisfaction, basically target government agencies such as the residence of the Prime Minister and Assistant Minister.
Because unlike the Qing Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty has a tradition of hundreds of years. The royal family is basically "idle and do nothing". It is very aloof to play with crickets, make elixirs, and be a carpenter. And those who actually manage the country and deal with the people are the ones below.
That bunch of state machinery is the cabinet and the government, the ministers and officials at all levels. In fact, these are also the Chinese people.
There is a traditional understanding in my heart: the emperor must love the people, and the main reason is that the corrupt officials below are not good. Generally speaking, the peasants in the past dynasties have killed officials and rebelled, and they have always "only opposed corrupt officials, not the emperor." It is the knowledgeable warlords and aristocrats who rebelled
, the slogan they often use is "Kill the traitorous ministers and clear the emperor's side." Because they know that this can unite the foolish and loyal people.
After the Ming Dynasty reform implemented constitutional government and ended China's policy of obscuring the people for thousands of years, the people of the Ming Dynasty are no longer as ignorant as before, and their political literacy has also improved unprecedentedly. With the continuous enlightenment of the people's wisdom in the Ming Dynasty, the people of the Ming Dynasty have gained a similar understanding to the people of the West.
: The government is just a group of stewards hired by all taxpayers. Not only must we prevent the stewards from stealing the owner's money,
, and if the housekeeper does not do well and does not satisfy the master, the master can scold him at any time. - Of course, there is no universal suffrage yet, and the people only have "judicial independence" and "press supervision" in their hands.
card. If the card of "universal suffrage" is added, then this "butler" can not only scold him at any time, but also fire him at any time.
But on the contrary, the concept of respecting the royal family has still been retained. This is not because of stupid loyalty, but mainly because of that reason: after the establishment of the constitution, the royal family basically no longer interferes with the management of the country, and there is no chance to make the people angry. And the "specific administration" of
All jobs that offend people are
The cabinet government took over. In addition, the Ming Dynasty royal family learned everything from the royal families of Western countries. Regardless of specific matters, they always appeared as a kind and people-friendly image. They have won the sincere love of the people and became the Ming Dynasty.
It is a national symbol and the emotional sustenance of the people.
Zhu Yourong's father, Emperor Deyong, was a fan of Cao Xueqin. In his words, this is:
"Wang Xifeng is in charge of the entire Jia family, which makes everyone hate her. Jia's mother doesn't care about anything, but she is loved by everyone. Let the cabinet be Wang Xifeng, and we will be Jia's mother."
Therefore, these new citizens of the Ming Dynasty have learned very quickly and know that the palace cannot be surrounded. If it is surrounded, most of the people will not stand with you. The official residence of the chief minister can be surrounded at will. Of course, there is another They also understand the rules, that is, besiege and besiege, leaving a path at the door and not obstructing the normal entry and exit of the official residence. Otherwise, the highest administrative body of the country will be paralyzed by you.
…
Now the "head steward" of the Ming Empire: Shen Rongxuan, has now encountered the most difficult incident since the Nanyang Massacre. Although the previous incident was big, it was relatively easy to make a decision and just fight it. But now it is a real dilemma. Obviously, Emperor Guangwu didn't care about his 150,000 captives. But he knew that the Nanming side cared about their thousands of captives. And Emperor Guangwu knew that most of the Qing captives had become Ming citizens, so he This is a good trick. Otherwise, he would have changed it normally.
"Now we are trying to put pressure on the Beiqing," Shen Rongxuan leaned on the table, biting his pen, and looked at the three ministers opposite him and said, "One is through the League of Nations, the second is through Japan, and the third is through the Red Cross will and international public opinion. However, you can also imagine that the first and third ones should have little effect on the Beiqing. They have always been used to playing hooligans in the League of Nations, and they also know that they have nothing to do with it. International image, it can be said that a dead pig is not afraid of boiling water. The key lies in Japan. Mr. He, what do you think?"
The Foreign Minister, the Interior Minister, and the Northern Affairs Minister were all sitting on the sofa opposite Shen Rongxuan. Foreign Minister He Ziguang frowned and said:
"Mr. Ge also knows that the relationship between Japan and us has not always been very good, and they have always been on the side of the Beiqing... This is also because we are also a powerful navy, and we have always maintained a tough stance on the North Korea and Ryukyu issues. Related. I think Japan cannot completely reject this matter... After all, Japan is different from the Beiqing Dynasty. It considers itself a modern civilized country and has always insisted on "leaving Asia and joining Europe". At least it must be based on Western civilization. The standard requires itself. In this matter, Japan must at least make a gesture... If His Majesty calls the Emperor in his own name and requests for mediation, then the Emperor may also make an appeal to Emperor Guangmu according to etiquette. However, …”
"However," the Minister of Northern Affairs took over and said, "this is only a 'possibility'. It is entirely possible for Japan to get rid of us on the grounds that 'this is the internal affairs of the Qing Dynasty and it is inconvenient for us to interfere'. It was better in the past, and Japan You're trying to make trouble with us like this."
At this point, several people nodded in agreement. When Zhu Yourong first succeeded to the throne two years ago, he wrote a letter to the emperor, asking the emperor to appeal to the Northern Qing emperor to treat the captured south escapees humanely, at least not to execute them. However, At that time, Japan used the excuse that "this is the internal affairs of the Qing Dynasty and it is inconvenient for us to interfere", which gave Zhu Yourong a hard time.
The Home Secretary said:
"Even if Japan makes gestures, it will definitely be limited to gestures and will not really put pressure on Beiqing."
The Foreign Secretary mused:
"Not necessarily. It's different now than before. The Strait of Malacca is in our hands, which is Japan's blood vessel. Also, most of the oil in Southeast Asia is in our hands. If we can actually provide it this time, If Japan gets some benefits, Japan may do a favor. For example, allow Japanese companies to participate in the exploration and operation of Nanyang oil, or relax the quota for exporting pure tungsten bars to Japan..."
The Minister of Northern Affairs immediately shook his head and said:
"No, definitely not. These two are just trying to quench thirst. Nanyang is our own backyard, and we cannot let Japan extend its claws in. Britain, France and the United States will not rest assured. We are a moderate democratic country, while Japan is a Spar. It is a dangerous country that has militarized its entire country. They can tolerate us entering Nanyang, but they will never tolerate Japan entering Nanyang. Also, pure tungsten bars are also the most critical strategic material. Now that we have export quotas, Japan will resell them to North Korea. There is a lot of Qing, if we are relaxing the quota, then we will have to arm the Qing army to the teeth with our own hands."
Shen Rongxuan pondered for a while and asked:
"Do you think the headquarters' war plan will determine when to launch the Northern Expedition?"
The three ministers looked at each other, and suddenly they all thought that Shen Rongxuan had hit the point. The headquarters is still discussing, and there is no result yet. However, if the war is launched within a year, then they might as well consider some "short-sighted" measures now. Transaction. Pure tungsten is very expensive, and the price per kilogram is equivalent to gold. Even if Beiqing gets a large amount of pure tungsten at once, it will not be used all at once. It must be stored and used slowly, and it must be used gradually. Use it bit by bit on the blade. Then in a year and a half, the amount of pure tungsten that can be converted into combat effectiveness is very limited.
Shen Rongxuan told the Foreign Minister:
"No matter what, we have to give the Japanese route a try. This is the only country that has any weight in Beiqing. I will go and communicate with the headquarters to find out the specific time limit of the Northern Expedition in advance. Mr. He, it depends on you. We have communicated with the Japanese side first. If the high command decides to launch the Northern Expedition this year, then it is not impossible for us to directly negotiate secretly with the Beiqing, write a check, and agree on conditions."
Foreign Minister He Ziguang nodded and said:
"Please don't worry, Sir."
At this time, Shen Rongxuan's chief secretary knocked on the door and came in, whispering:
"Sir, those who gathered outside have basically drank all the water they brought. Now most people are drying out in the sun. Several people have fainted from heatstroke... Please tell me, should we send someone to treat those who have heatstroke? Take it to the hospital? Or carry it in directly for treatment?”
Shen Rongxuan asked:
"Which one looks better?"
The chief secretary hesitated and said:
"It would be better if he was carried into the official residence for treatment."
Shen Rongxuan nodded and asked him to make arrangements. When the secretary came to the door, he stopped him again:
"Instruct the kitchen to boil a few tons of mung bean soup and send it out to the people at the gathering."
The secretary looked embarrassed:
"Sir, these... several tons of mung bean soup cannot be prepared in a short time... How about delivering water to them? They are all suffering from thirst now. Water will solve the problem."
Shen Rongxuan waved his hand and said:
"Okay, just boil water. But be kind enough. They are exposed to the sun and lose salt in their bodies. Let the infirmary add some salt to the water in the required proportion. In addition, let the ice cellar pry out a few pieces of ice and put them in the bucket... There are so many people gathering outside, so there must be a lot of ice water sellers around. But ice water is very expensive, and they must be reluctant to buy it. Our free ice water must be popular. Let’s do it.”
The Foreign Minister still couldn't help but compliment him with a smile, saying "love the people like a son". Shen Rongxuan laughed, waved his hand and said:
"Mr. He, we don't have to use our own people... This is a good opportunity. The people at the gathering fainted from heatstroke, and the Forbidden City didn't react yet, so we seized the opportunity. If the palace had given it to the people before us,
Send ice water, then we will follow suit, but it will have no effect at all. Hahaha!"