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Volume 1: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 524: Three Deputy Envoys

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    Cheng Lingxiu's hands froze slightly when he heard this, Xingzhen closed her eyes and continued: "Li Ding is a meticulous worker. He betrayed his own people this time. He would have been killed for sure, but now he is delivering messages for me, and he can be regarded as a middleman."  , Don¡¯t worry, as long as he is still the middleman, Taiping will not touch him for the time being."

    Cheng Lingxiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appeared on her face, and the acupuncture movements on her hands became brisk again.  After a while, Cheng Lingxiu finished acupuncture and received the acupuncture for Xingzhen.  The acupuncture of the Cheng family was indeed very effective. Xingzhen's headache had completely disappeared. She smiled and stood up and praised: "Lingxiu's craftsmanship is indeed first-rate." Cheng Lingxiu said a few words of humility before resigning.

    Xingzhen said calmly: "Aren't you curious why I sent a letter to the one in the south?"

    Cheng Lingxiu shook her head and said: "Lingxiu doesn't know how to send letters. Lingxiu only knows how to do her own job, and the others don't know."

    Xingzhen nodded with satisfaction and said, "You're very good. I'll reward you with this jade bracelet. Dress up nicely and go see your Li Ding tomorrow."

    Cheng Lingxiu took a white jade bracelet that Xingzhen took off her hand. Thinking that she would see Li Ding tomorrow, she couldn't help but blush. After kneeling down to thank the favor, she left with a smile in her eyes.

    Xingzhen couldn't help but smile when she saw her, and said to herself: "It's really good to be young." As soon as she finished speaking, Li Lianying, a male duck outside the door, said loudly: "Blessings to the Queen Mother."

    After Li Lianying opened the curtain, Ci'an walked in quickly with a smile. Xingzhen stepped forward to salute. Ci'an quickly supported her and said: "Sister, there is no need to be polite. I heard that you have a headache again. I will come over and take a look.  .¡±

    Xingzhen's heart moved slightly, thinking to herself, I just asked Cheng Lingxiu to use the needle on the front foot, and you came to visit on the back foot.  She was really well-informed. She smiled calmly and said, "Sister, I'm interested. I've been diagnosed and treated just now, and now I'm fine."

    Ci'an ordered his maid to bring a food box and said, "Here are some nourishing medicinal foods. My sister can use some." Xingzhen said happily, "Thank you very much, sister."

    The two women laughed and sat down hand in hand. Ci'an said: "Yesterday, the Imperial Palace summoned He Guiqing, the Minister of Rites, and asked about the negotiations with the United States and the Yi. This He Guiqing talked eloquently and had a lot of Taoism in his chest. Compared with those short-sighted and shouting people in the court,  The ministers who cannot open a commercial port in the north are much stronger.¡±

    Xingzhen smiled slightly and said: "He Guiqing is an operator. He can be used. Could it be that my sister wants him to be Liu Ye's deputy?"

    Ci'an nodded slightly and said, "Sixth Master is young and energetic, so he always needs the support of a mature and prudent person around him. He Guiqing is the right candidate."

    Xingzhen said: "He Guiqing is a suitable candidate. I also like him. Since my sister has said so, I will issue an edict for him to concurrently serve as deputy envoy."

    Ci'an smiled and said, "It would be great if my sister doesn't object."

    Xingzhen also smiled and said: "Why would my little sister object? The person my sister likes must be a talented person. However, this negotiation is of great importance. Only when the United States and Yi mediate well can they reopen negotiations with Britain and France. The little sister thinks that Mr. Liu and  Together, He Guiqing is a little weak, so I think it would be better to add two more people."

    Ci'an made a sound and asked, "Which two?"

    Xingzhen said: "One is Yiliang. This person has been dealing with foreign barbarians since Lin Zexu banned smoking. The late emperor was the governor of Liangjiang at that time. Although he was beaten by Changmao and lost his troops and territory. But he still had some methods to deal with foreign barbarians.  This person can also serve as deputy envoy."

    Ci'an frowned slightly and said, "Yiliang? But this person seems to have been a member of the Sushun Party in the past."

    Xingzhen smiled slightly and said: "Sushun has been dead for a long time. Yiliang has been idle at home for more than a year. It seems that he is quite aware of current affairs these days. He has been hammering for a long time and it can be put to use. Besides, Sushun had many gangsters in his trap back then.  Many, even people like Zeng Guofan have secretly communicated with each other. Now that we have activated Yiliang, it can just give these ministers some peace of mind, right?"

    Ci'an nodded slightly and said: "My sister has thought carefully. Let Yiliang let him serve as deputy envoy. After he has made great achievements, I will give him other errands. Who is the other person?"

    Xingzhen said slowly: "The other person is Shen Baozhen, the son-in-law of Lin Zexu."

    Ci'an asked curiously: "Shen Baozhen?"

    "It was this man who was a Jinshi in the 27th year of Daoguang Shen Baozhen's reign. He served as editor of the Hanlin Academy and supervisory censor. In the fifth year of Xianfeng's reign, he served as the prefect of Guangxin. Later, he lost Guangxin and retreated to Nanchang with Jiang Zhongyuan. Later, he was  Impeachment then resigned and returned to his hometown of Fujian. Later, Fujian was captured by Changmao, and he took his family to the capital for temporary refuge."

    Ci'an frowned again and said, "It sounds like this person is not very good. What talents does he have?"

    Xingzhen said slowly: "This man is Mr. Lin's son-in-law and his student. He has the true inheritance of Mr. Lin.When he was in Fujian, he organized team training in his hometown, and also bought a merchant ship with foreigners to support Li Tingyu in his fight against Chang Mao, which was quite a credit.  The most important thing is that this person has dealt with foreigners a lot in Fujian, is familiar with foreign affairs, and is the son-in-law of Mr. Lin, so he can also serve as deputy envoy.  "

    At this point, Xingzhen paused and then said: "One more thing, sister, Changmao has his own navy. The ships travel to Dalian, Sakhalin and other places all year round. We, the Great Qing Dragon Xingzhi,  The ground is a huge threat, and it is also possible to attack important places such as Dagu by sea. This time Changmao attacked Guangzhou by sea is the best example, so we should also consider building a navy that can go to sea as soon as possible.  . The Americans can build large-scale ships, and Shen Baozhen was engaged in shipbuilding when he was in Fujian. He was used as deputy envoy to buy ships and prepare for the establishment of an ocean-going navy."

    Ci'an pondered for a moment and then said: "Okay, let Shen Baozhen also serve as deputy envoy. With these three deputy envoys under Mr. Liu, I think he will be able to succeed immediately."

    Xingzhen hummed and then said: "But we should not take it lightly. Changmao is still determined to kill me. He sent assassins to disrupt the peace talks last time. He will definitely try his best to disrupt the peace talks this time. We need to be more careful."

    When Ci'an heard this, he said with a sad expression: "These rebellious officials and traitors are really cunning and despicable. The Western thieves are always cunning, and they don't know that they will come up with any tricks to sabotage the peace talks. Guangzhou is gone, and most of the imperial court is gone."  We still count on this place for our commercial tax money. We have to negotiate with the foreigners as soon as possible and reopen the trading port, otherwise the capital will be short of food. There will not even be a place to buy food."

    Xingzhen hummed and said: "Sister, don't worry, my little sister will definitely plan more. Even if Changmao comes up with some tricks, I will let him steal the chicken but lose the rice."

    After the two women talked for a while, Ci'an went back, and Xingzhen ordered someone to summon Yiliang and Shen Baozhen in the capital to enter the palace.  Li Lianying, who was waiting on the side, couldn't help being curious and asked cautiously: "Master, didn't you just slap Gong An on this matter of Yi Liang?"

    Xingzhen smiled faintly and said, "I hit Xiao Anzi because he has been really restless recently, but Yiliang is really useful. Mr. Liu has He Guiqing beside him. I need to add two more people."

    Li Lianying heard the words and praised: "Master is really wise, slaves and others are not as good as the worst."

    After hearing this, Xingzhen said with a straight face: "You have recently been a highlight of your recruitment. Why is it that I have a headache here, but I got the news from Cining Palace? Will I have to be on guard against everyone I meet in the future?"  ?¡±

    Li Lianying said hurriedly: "I will go down and conduct a thorough investigation right now."

    Xingzhen¡¯s face was as cold as frost and she said coldly: ¡°I¡¯ve found some clever tricks. Don¡¯t let anyone get a handle on anything. I don¡¯t like to be known for whatever I do!¡± Li Lianying hurriedly went down with a sigh.

    After that, Xingzhen approved the papers for another half an hour. Yiliang arrived first. This man was over fifty years old, his hair and beard were white, and he greeted Xingzhen with great gifts.  After Xingzhen ordered someone to bring him a piece of tea and sat down, Xingzhen opened her teeth and said softly: "Do you know, sir, why I have heard that you are here to see me?"

    Yiliang hadn't learned about An Dehai's beating yet, and said that his job had been settled after Ande Hai's kind words. He said respectfully: "I don't know. But I have been busy all the time when I'm idle at home."  I'm waiting to be assigned some errands. Even though I'm old, I can still do something for the Qing Dynasty with this old bone."

    Xingzhen said yes without comment, and ordered the eunuch to bring a copy of the charter to Yiliang for reading, and said: "The American and Yili Minister Lie Weilian will arrive at Dagukou in a few days. This time, the imperial court intends to let the Americans and Yili mediate between the two countries.  To reopen negotiations, it is better to appease the foreigners first, so that the imperial court can allocate troops and manpower to fight against Changmao. Please read this charter first. The peace talks are very important. You have dealt with foreigners a lot, and I intend to promote you to be the deputy peace negotiator.  Give him his job.¡±

    Yi¡¯s conscience was mixed with joy and worry. The good thing was that he could finally be dispatched with an errand, and his official reinstatement was just around the corner. The bad thing was that foreign affairs had always been difficult to handle, and suppression was a very difficult matter.  But after reading the charter, Yiliang's eyes lit up. It can be said that the charter was very pragmatic. Although he did not fully agree to the conditions proposed by Britain and France, he at least had a clear attitude, not as vague as before.

    After reading it, Yiliang spoke for a long time before saying: "Queen Mother, since the court has a clear limit in this charter, I have a bottom line in my heart. The opening of five more trading ports in the north is the main purpose. And Britain and France  The so-called merchant ship incident and the murder of the foreign monk are just a cover. These two incidents have been concluded during the last negotiation and can be alleviated. However, the foreign barbarians will definitely seize on the assassination of the last mission and demand an explanation.  "

    Xingzhen hummed and said: "Last month, Shang Yu's backup office seized Chang Mao's stronghold in the capital. As soon as the assassin found out, just push down Chang Mao. If you want any evidence, you can go to Shang Yu's backup office later to see."??, just organize it yourself.  If the foreign mission wants to provide compensation or something, you can just discuss it with Prince Gong and the others when the peace talks resume.  "

    Yi Liang bowed to accept the order, but then said with a somewhat gloomy face: "Queen Mother, it is easy to talk about opening the port for trade, pensions, etc., but the charter says that if foreigners want to concession ports, open opium trade, and station in the capital,  Ministers can discuss it as appropriate. If this clause is finalized, I am afraid there will be criticism from the DPRK and China."

    Xingzhen said calmly: "The concession port has just been able to attract foreign merchants to come and do business. When Shanghai opened as a port, it was just a big place. What has changed now? You should know that it is okay to give the concession land to foreign merchants, but the length of the concession must be  You have to be careful not to create something that is hundreds of years old. The longest lease period cannot exceed fifty years. It will be settled through negotiation after expiration. It is also true that foreign ministers are stationed in the capital. Today's world powers are looking around. We can't continue to work behind closed doors.  , open your eyes and see the world more, and those officials in the DPRK will not only know about impeachment. As for the opium trade, I heard that there is also opium trade in Guangxi and Yunnan, and Gu Jiang Zhongyuan and Lao Chongguang reported it  , these tobacco and soil are all produced by the local people in Yunnan and Guangxi. After the fall of Guangzhou, the mainland needs tobacco and soil. Yunnan and Guangxi are good at it. When starting the tobacco and soil business, the profits are actually higher than before. Isn¡¯t this stuff like opium and tobacco and soil?  You said that if you don¡¯t trade with foreigners, you can ban it. The imperial court needs money to fight wars, so it also needs trade. The profits from opium are huge. Since there are local precedents for doing this business, why can¡¯t the imperial court do it?¡±

    Yiliang let out a soft sigh, and Xingzhen said calmly: "Opium trade can be negotiated, but the quantity imported every year must be limited. Domestic opium merchants are issued a quota quotation, and the opium imported by each business each year cannot exceed the regulations.  amount, otherwise the source of silver will drain out and harm the country. At the same time, with a quota, the price can only be sold at a high price, right? To put it bluntly, if the court does not make money from this silver, the local government will also make it, and smuggling merchants  They will make money, and local wealthy gentry and powerful people will also make money, so why can¡¯t the imperial court make money? Do you think Zeng Guofan in Hunan can support 100,000 Hunan brave men?"

    Yiliang felt cold sweat break out on her forehead, and she agreed obediently. Then Xingzhen explained some more details. Finally, Xingzhen waved her hand and asked Yiliang to kneel down. When Yiliang retreated to the door, Xingzhen suddenly raised her head again and said: "  Oh, by the way, An Dehai will return the three thousand taels of silver to you later. Since the boss is still rich, I will make the decision. The boss will increase the price ten times to get thirty thousand taels.  The money goes into the national treasury, and the right should be devoted to the country."

    Yi Liang wiped the sweat from his forehead and agreed hastily, then stumbled away in a hurry.  (To be continued)
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