During the execution of the members of the Spanish Governor's Office, they performed a single hanging, a double hanging, five hanging on the same stage, and ten hanging on two stages at the same time.
The British and French envoys said that this was a political murder and an unacceptable atrocity, and the Dutch East Indies authorities were silent. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that China's internal affairs are not subject to foreign interference.
No matter how noisy the outside world is, it can't represent the actions of the Chinese government. The Marines and the Sixth Army jointly summarized the operation. While the Marines summarized, they sent warships to Luzon and the affiliated islands to establish boundary markers to prove China's ownership of these islands.
The State Council was happy to prepare the budget, formulate the immigration plan, and prepare the production plan. Lanfang Province alone has now absorbed more than 300,000 immigrants. Luzon is more suitable for living than Lanfang Province, and it is very easy to migrate millions of people. Immigration not only alleviates the domestic land pressure, but also makes the economy of Luzon and Lanfang Province an important part of China. There is nothing better than opening up new sources of income and saving money at the same time.
The Ministry of Finance should have been unhappy. War and immigration are operations that cost a lot of money. The Ministry of Finance is currently struggling. But this time the Ministry of Finance showed an unusual smile. The Spanish exploited Luzon for hundreds of years, and all their accumulated wealth fell into the hands of China. Not only the officials, but also the businessmen were plundered by China. The seized Spanish gold and silver coins were shipped to China in boxes. With these gold and silver coins, the banknote bank had a solid foundation.
The wealth brought by the war, especially the war at sea, was refreshing. Even if Vézé stressed again that the future war would start again in 1870, no one dared to make a request to march into the Dutch East Indies immediately. But everyone was preparing for the war. The Navy was very clear about their position at this time. They asked for an exorbitant price and doubled the number of warships launched in 1870. If it was six months ago, the Navy's plan would never have been passed. Now this ship-building budget was passed with unprecedented efficiency, which undoubtedly showed everyone's attitude.
"Commander-in-chief, if it wasn't for rubber, spices, and palm oil, we could only lose money if we occupied the South China Sea!" Bi Qingshan said sincerely at the meeting.
As soon as this remark came out, it was followed by a tide of flattery.
"Yes, yes! Commander-in-chief is the biggest contributor! "
"With the Commander-in-Chief leading us, even a rotten land can become a good one!"
Zuo Zongtang frowned as he listened to their heartfelt words. He didn't think much of these high-ranking officials who came from the bottom of society. These people had never addressed Vézé as His Majesty, and now they even used the term "meritorious minister". In Manchu Qing, this would be a great disrespect, and they would probably be beheaded. However, Vézé didn't seem to care at all, which made Zuo Zongtang very worried.
Rubber, spices, palm oil, and the large-scale water conservancy construction that the army had started in the liberated areas, as well as the railway construction that Zuo Zongtang had only seen a little of, were all major projects that would benefit the future generations. But Vézé's role in this was too strange. According to the history that Zuo Zongtang had read, these were the work of the officials. On the contrary, Vézé was like an unparalleled Prime Minister who shouldered these tasks. But he was the Emperor, not the Prime Minister. In the work of stabilizing the imperial power and building a dynasty that would last for thousands of years, Vézé could undoubtedly be called lazy.
If it was in the past, Zuo Zongtang would inevitably think that Vézé "did not look like a human emperor". But now, the new government led by Vézé had demonstrated a strong ruling ability, and was even gradually solving the fundamental social problems that Manchu Qing could not solve. Zuo Zongtang couldn't help but worry about Vézé's throne.
After the meeting, Zuo Zongtang went to find Vézé's father-in-law, Qi Yuchang. As a bibliophile, Qi Yuchang had heard of Zuo Zongtang's reputation before he became an official. When the two met, it was as if they regretted not meeting each other earlier. Qi Yuchang admired Zuo Zongtang's insight, and Zuo Zongtang felt that Qi Yuchang and Qi Yuchang were kindred spirits. After all, Vézé's background as a high-ranking official in the government was indeed a problem.
Zuo Zongtang said, "Master Qi, it is our great fortune that His Majesty is so wise and mighty. I haven't followed His Majesty for long, but I feel that I have no regrets in this life. However, His Majesty underestimates imperial power too much. I don't know whether to praise His Majesty's confidence or say that His Majesty is too arrogant. "
Qi Yuchang couldn't help but shake his head and sigh after listening to Zuo Zongtang's words. Vézé was his son-in-law, and Vézé and Qi Hongyi were very close. In addition, Vézé's style and the central government's internal democratic system, so Qi Yuchang didn't hold back when commenting on his son-in-law. "My virtuous son-in-law is too ambitious and wild. He only knows how to cause trouble with his brothers! Master Zuo, you have been Vézé's secretary for so long. How many of his subordinates are decent? If it wasn't for Vézé's leadership, who could have made a name for themselves in the past? They still don't know themselves, and they don't have the slightest distinction between ruler and subject. When did they become the commander-in-chief? When did they become the commander-in-chief? But Vézé doesn't care about them at all. He lets them do whatever they want. "
After experiencing so many things, Zuo Zongtang's self-control had improved. He turned a blind eye to Qi Yuchang calling Vézé by his real name. He only smiled bitterly in his heart. It seemed that Qi Yuchang himself didn't realize that he had also been assimilated by Vézé's crew. Even though Qi Yuchang was Vézé's father-in-law, calling Vézé by his real name was a serious crime of disrespect.
Avoiding this awkward question, Zuo Zongtang said, "I just think that His Majesty is a little arrogant by not making a clear distinction between ruler and subject and not appointing a Crown Prince …"
"Do you think I didn't tell him? Since ancient times, the rule has always been to appoint a legitimate heir. Now that His Majesty has three sons and one daughter, the matter of appointing a Crown Prince should have been discussed a long time ago. "Qi Yuchang became even angrier at the mention of this.
Zuo Zongtang could completely understand Qi Yuchang's current mood. His daughter, Qi Hongyi, had given birth to two sons for Vézé, while Vézé's other wife, Li Yifang, had given birth to a son and a daughter for Vézé. In theory, these three sons were the ones to inherit the throne. The so-called 'appointing a legitimate heir' was based on the ancient saying, "appointing a legitimate heir should not be based on virtue, and appointing a son should not be based on age." This meant that under the same circumstances, regardless of whether the son was wise or not, the eldest son should be appointed as the successor. If this condition couldn't be fulfilled, then the choice would be made based on the son's mother's noble birth.
According to the theory of appointing a legitimate heir, Qi Hongyi's eldest son should inherit the throne. If something happened to this eldest son, things would become interesting. "appointing a legitimate heir should not be based on virtue, and appointing a son should not be based on age." Li Yifang's first son was older than Qi Hongyi's second son, so he was considered the older one.
In terms of maternal family, Qi Hongyi's father, Qi Yuchang, was the Minister of Education. Li Yifang's uncle, Li Yuchang, was now the Governor of Fujian, and Li Yifang's cousin, Levis, was the Governor of Hunan. They were the two genuine governors.
The new government's' Marriage Law 'stipulated that after liberation, monogamy must be practiced everywhere. However, for polygamy, if the wife was unwilling to divorce the husband, then the marriage was considered legal. Moreover, there was no difference in status between the wives, and they all enjoyed the same treatment.
According to the old system, Li Yifang was the concubine. Qi Hongyi was the legal wife. According to the new system, there was no difference between the two. This maternal family had become very interesting. Li Yifang's father was only a scholar, and he had passed away early. However, Qi Yuchang was only a book collector, and he had no scholarly title. According to the feudal tradition, Li Yifang's family background was more noble.
Thinking of this, Zuo Zongtang felt angry and amused at the same time. According to the new legal system, the wives were completely equal, and the tradition of "appointing a son should not be based on age" led to a result. Li Yifang had the advantage, because her father's status was higher, and her maternal family was more prominent. No wonder Qi Yuchang sounded flustered and exasperated at the mention of this.
At this time, Zuo Zongtang no longer had any interest in discussing with Qi Yuchang. The reason why he felt that Vézé had to be a wise ruler was entirely because of his loyalty to Vézé. After following such a rare monarch, Zuo Zongtang was no longer worried that his future would be fruitless. He was worried about whether Vézé's dynasty could continue stably. Vézé was gradually solving the problem of China's overpopulation, a problem that no dynasty could solve. Now it seemed that this problem could be solved through foreign wars and expansion.
A founding ruler with such achievements should have an impregnable state that would last for thousands of generations. Zuo Zongtang had completely seen how incompetent his former master, Manchu Qing's regime, was. Such a trashy regime could last for more than a hundred years. If Vézé's state was a short-lived one, Zuo Zongtang felt that it was unfair.
But this did not mean that Zuo Zongtang supported the foreign relatives. Zuo Zongtang had no intention of becoming a foreign relative. Jin Liang's self-esteem prevented him from having such thoughts. Moreover, Vézé looked down on the old literati. Did Zuo Zongtang really look up to the old literati of the same generation?
Zuo Zongtang was worried that Vézé would continue with the current democratic system within the party. The committee members would inevitably have too much power, and sooner or later it would become a situation where they could not be removed. Every founding ruler had to kill the meritorious ministers. With Vézé's wisdom, Zuo Zongtang believed that the reputation of killing the meritorious ministers would have a great impact on Vézé. So now he hoped that Vézé could quickly make adjustments to deal with the future.
But all this could not let Zuo Zongtang be involved in the struggle of the foreign relatives. So he stood up and said, "I still have some documents to sort out. I'll visit another day."
Qi Yuchang was a little surprised, but he could understand Zuo Zongtang's clear attitude. After all, Zuo Zongtang was a secretary and a close attendant. It would not be good for Zuo Zongtang to be involved in the affairs of the foreign relatives. And at this time, Qi Yuchang's thoughts had already turned to the matter of the crown prince. So at this time, Qi Yuchang's heart was full of displeasure towards Vézé. Qi Yuchang's grandson was Vézé's eldest son. Once the crown prince was appointed, the Qi family's position would be completely established. The future royal family would have the Qi family's blood flowing in them. That was a connection that could never be severed. As long as the Qi family did not act like the foreign relatives in history, there would always be a place for the Qi family in the new dynasty.
Did Vézé not want Qi Yuchang to receive such a reward?
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