As expected, Zhu Yourong's speech in the evening aroused strong responses from all walks of life in the Ming Dynasty and around the world. The cabinet was also surprisingly calm, and nothing happened.
After the speeches that night, the cabinet officials became the targets of media reporters. When ministers entered and exited their official residences and various government departments, they were "sought after" by a large group of reporters, who clamored to ask them "As current cabinet members,
"How do you feel about Her Majesty the Queen's decision?" These contents
Although the cabinet ministers were very sudden and had never had a meeting together beforehand, their performances were surprisingly consistent. They all said a few simple words in a low-key manner. Basically, they said that this is the world trend and the general trend, which is the key to the long-term prosperity and strength of the Ming Dynasty and the people.
Happiness has great benefits, and I respect Her Majesty the Queen's decision, and so on.
Then, the ministers were still busy with their own affairs, some worked overtime, some went home, and they did not get together for a meeting or anything. None of the ministers were fools. They knew that no matter whether they felt happy or not, they could never openly oppose it.
Such a popular decision, especially since it is the decision of Her Majesty the Queen.
A few hours later, the special editions of major newspapers and periodicals came out. Although it was already very late, Zhu Yourong still had people buy a few copies from outside.
She lay in bed and read the headlines of major newspapers, the comments above, and the reactions of the ministers, and suddenly felt a little guilty. She suddenly felt a little sorry for these cabinet ministers. They usually worked so hard and supported her so much.
I have shared a lot of the hard work of running the country, but I didn't discuss such a big matter with them beforehand. As a minister, I only found out about it by listening to the radio...
With a complicated and anxious mood, Zhu Yourong put down the newspaper and turned off the light.
Something she had wanted to do for a long time was finally done today. She felt a lot more relaxed. But... what will happen in the future? Will it be what she expected?
…
At the same time, at 12 o'clock at midnight on July 4th, a fleet quietly sailed out of the Sasebo naval port on the northwest tip of Kyushu Island, Japan. The flagship of this fleet was the battleship Fuso; the fleet was equipped with the heavy cruiser Myoko, Mogami
Two ships; one light cruiser, the Nagara; and twelve destroyers.
After leaving the port, the fleet turned northeast, passed the Tsushima Strait, and entered the Sea of Japan silently.
The pilot ship turned around and returned, finally using its lights to signal the flagship Fuso: I wish you a happy victory!
The Fuso also used lights to signal in the darkness: Thank you!
These sixteen warships all turned off their lights and sailed in total darkness, sailing quietly northward between the pitch-black sea and sky. Except for the white waves that kept crashing onto the deck, everything else was black. The fleet maintained strict radio control
It was silent, but on each warship, various commands came one after another from the loudspeakers. The Japanese sailors were full of energy and morale, repeating various orders loudly and working energetically at their respective posts.
Everyone in the fleet knows that the long-awaited day has arrived. They are also very confident that the Japanese fleet will be sure of victory. They usually train so hard, and they also know that the intensity of their training is far higher than that of the Ming Dynasty sailors.
Even if they are one-on-one, they will definitely be able to win. Not to mention that the Japanese fleet now has an advantage in quantity and tonnage.
…
The next morning, on the other side of the world, it was the evening of July 4th in Washington. U.S. President Roosevelt indeed received a lot of "ammunition." In a radio speech to the United States, he loudly called for all efforts to support the Ming Dynasty. Of course, he did not
Publicly calling for amendments to the Neutrality Law.
Because this is a speech to the people of the United States, not to Congress. Although the Neutrality Act is not directly mentioned, the rhetoric is very strong. Whether it is Zhu Yourong, Xiang Xiaoqiang or senior military officials, as long as they are listening to the radio at this time
, are starting to become more optimistic.
In the morning, Zhu Yourong took the initiative to convene a cabinet meeting in front of the emperor. She knew that at this time, the cabinet was in an embarrassing situation and it was difficult to take the initiative to come to the monarch to say anything. And such a very important decision for the country had to convene a cabinet meeting.
"My dear friends..." Zhu Yourong smiled and said with a somewhat apologetic smile, "Everyone knows my decision... Some people must think that it is not very appropriate to propose it at this time. After all, we are still
In war...but think about it
, the reform of universal suffrage has been mentioned on the agenda many times over the years, but it has been taken off the agenda many times... Why? Because things are always happening, and when something happens, the cabinet at that time is also
, everyone thinks that the time is not right...
"So for so many years, I kept putting it off again and again, just circulating in the circle of 'prepare and implement-something happens-cancel preparation-prepare and implement-something happens-cancel preparation...' until one day I finally understood
Well, for such a big country, things will always happen to us.
Moreover, the current international situation is becoming increasingly tense. Regardless of Europe or Asia, the external environment is generally getting worse. It is impossible to expect a completely calm environment, at least in the short term. If you don’t want to reform, you can find ten thousand reasons.
Delay. If you want reform, one reason is enough.
"The reason why I decided to prepare for universal suffrage during the war was, firstly, to boost the morale of the people and give them a promise, so that the people could have stronger cohesion during the war. Secondly, it was also to win a more favorable international environment for Ming Dynasty.
As for the actual implementation...well, as I said, it will definitely have to wait until the war
The war is over. In this way, we can get the support of the people and the international support, but still have a stable government, and there will be no instability during the transition period. It can be said that during the war, we got the benefits of reform, and
It avoids the disadvantages of reform. Well...this is my idea, what do you think, dear friends?"
The ministers looked at each other, but no one said anything. Many people thought in their hearts: Yes, you have got all the benefits, and you are going to attack our cabinet, and you still ask us what we think? What can we think? Without even saying hello in advance.
, announced it directly...the morale of the people has been mentioned. Have you ever thought about the morale of our cabinet?
Zhu Yourong looked at the circle of ministers below and found that there was indeed a "low morale". She laughed and was about to throw out the "meat bun" that Xiaoqiang had discussed with her.
She smiled and said:
"Haha... My dear friends, this is what I think. Currently, among the cabinet countries in the world that implement universal suffrage, some of them implement a cabinet term limit system. That is, the constitution stipulates that each cabinet shall serve for one, two, or three terms.
After that, they must rotate... Some countries implement an unrestricted term system, which means they only
As long as your party can maintain a majority in the parliament, you can continue to be in power... I think that the Ming Dynasty's reforms did not last long, and it is now in a troubled time, so it is better not to move too fast... Besides, from the perspective of European countries,
Judging from the examples, no obvious advantages of term limits have been found...
"Therefore, I think it would be better for Ming Dynasty not to introduce term limits. In this way, as long as the party represented by your beloved ministers can hold a majority in the Congress, then your beloved ministers can continue to govern indefinitely... Haha, the only change
That is, if you follow my will now, I will not replace you. In the future, all you need to do is follow the will of the people."
Zhu Yourong said this, and sure enough, the ministers present turned around in their chairs and looked at each other, their faces obviously relieved. Many people also began to drink tea and smoke more naturally.
These ministers were already very cold-hearted before, thinking that no matter how good they were, they would definitely step down in a few years. Now, it means that as long as they can maintain a majority in Congress, they can still govern indefinitely as before.
Go down.
And if they compete for seats in the parliament, the current "Donglin Party" can soon transform into a formal political party. Moreover, "Donglin" is a centuries-old towering tree with the largest number of people in all walks of life.
has the largest number of supporters, and covers almost all the elites and most intellectuals, occupying the right time and place. However, the current civil political organizations, opposition parties, etc. in the Ming Dynasty are numerous and scattered, and there is no quality or quantity.
Anyone who can compete with the Donglin Party.
The key is that those who are likely to run for parliament and elect seats can only be from the elite. They are either intellectuals or entrepreneurs. It is impossible for those ordinary people who only have a primary school education and are still running for three meals a day to rise to the top.
Those who are running for parliament. And those who may be running for parliament all have a deep identification with the brand "Donglin".
Shen Rongxuan looked at everyone, smiled, and said:
"Your Majesty, I also understand that as the king of a country, Your Majesty is willing to make such sacrifices for the long-term interests of the Ming Dynasty. What about the ministers? The ministers are willing to follow your Majesty for the long-term prosperity of the Ming Dynasty and for the sake of the people of the Ming Dynasty.
For happiness, give everything.”
…
The cabinet meeting ended in the morning. It went smoothly and in a very amicable manner. There were no issues to be decided, it was just a "ventilation meeting", and Her Majesty the Queen and Shen Rongxuan both spoke, so there was no dispute.
Xiang Xiaoqiang was in a good mood after talking to Zhu Yourong on the phone. He was very happy that there were no major differences between the royal family and the cabinet and they had reached an agreement so quickly. Then he would focus on three things:
The first is to continue to monitor the Japanese side, while continuing to maintain close contact with the navy, "mentoring" them, and preventing the tragedy of Pearl Harbor from happening again in the Ming Dynasty. No, it should be to prevent it from happening in advance.
The second is to urge the Lanzhou investigation team to step up the investigation, and at the same time, it is best not to hinder the use of troops in the northwest. Zhao Cunnian is currently under covert surveillance. It stands to reason that the investigation team is doing it very secretly, and he will not notice it. But even if he does, it will not happen.
Can't run anymore.
The third is to find an opposition political party and quietly support it. At present, Ming Dynasty is indeed dominated by the Donglin Party, and it belongs to the "elite party". Now Ming Dynasty needs a "grassroots party" that can effectively check and balance the Donglin Party. Now I
As a public official and a soldier, you certainly cannot engage in politics openly. But you can support or lead one of the parties through an agent. You can.
Let mother-in-law Shang Xiaojun or father-in-law Qiu Huhu take care of this matter. This is not as strict as economic issues. It is not like being responsible for the Ming army's change of uniforms, and their family members cannot touch the stocks of related companies. Although I am in the army now
Generals, but their family members can openly and legally join politics as long as they are not in public positions. - Moreover, funding is not a problem at all.
Once you marry the queen and hand over military power, in addition to controlling a huge financial group, you can also indirectly control a political party - leading troops is too boring, so it would be good to try playing politics.