Chapter 6 Limited

Compared with any empire in the world, the predecessor of the Chinese Imperial Palace, which was just a governor's mansion, was undoubtedly the least "imperial style", but even so, no one in Nanjing dared to suggest moving the capital of the country to Beiping, with the magnificent Forbidden City as the palace. On the one hand, it is the opposition of the people, and on the other hand, no one wants to see the continuation of the foreign garrison in the capital of a country and the Dongjiao people's lane, which is similar to the concession.

As for the world's largest palace, the Forbidden City in Peiping, it will also be opened to the public in the next few years, not as a royal industry, but as a national museum. Although this palace in Nanjing, which is far from in line with the "imperial style", has been expropriated and expanded, it is absolutely in terms of area. Compared with the Forbidden City, as the emperor himself, he does not want to waste much precious money on such "unnecessary" things as palace expansion.

After all, now is the time for "the empire to settle down and wait for a hundred wastes to rise". Although the indemeless palace really worries some officials who care about the prestige of the empire, the corresponding emperor's own ambition of "sleeping on firewood and tasting gall" makes them sigh with emotion.

Indeed, not to mention the "old witch" who spent 40,000 taels of silver a day and ate more than 100 dishes at a meal, the emperor of the Chinese Empire only spent a few hundred yuan a day, and had only one meat, one vegetable, two dishes and one soup for a meal, but he has always been popular with the people. Even since he was elected emperor, there have been tabloids every day. The "Royal Recipe" was published, which was shabby and made people feel irre. That's why people were full of expectations for such an emperor with the ambition of "sleeping on firewood and tasting gall" and trying to strengthen the emperor.

At this time, in the palace, on the stone path of the remnant snow garden, the emperor himself with the expectation of the people - Chen Moran was walking slowly in an upset mood. At this time, he was not wearing a military uniform, but a black Hanfu. The only difference from the past was that this black Hanfu was embroidered. Dark five-clawed dragon.

As an emperor who "appoints in front of the whole people", he has his own troubles. He knows better than anyone that for the current Chinese people, their dependence on the emperor is more traditional. As an emperor, he must use his own actions to prove that he is the "holy king" expected by all people. .

But in the past day, Chen Moran has always been entangled between national strength and interests. On the one hand, the "Yuan Hunting Plan" has long been implemented. The mobilization of troops, the mobilization of materials, the support of logistics, and the financing of funds have made the plan difficult to the point of being overturned.

On the other hand, the Surabayan overseas Chinese case has pushed the empire, which has just been established for three days, to the forefront of the storm. The reason why the fleet was sent at the first time is that on the one hand, it is to show the determination to protect overseas Chinese in front of the people and take the opportunity to collect the hearts of the people, but on the other hand, it is to cover up the "Yuan Hunting Plan". Compared with Surakao, the Yuanshou plan will really determine the foundation of China.

"It's really not a good job to be an emperor."

Chen Moran said to himself.

A soft sound of footsteps came from behind. He turned around and looked, and a attendant bowed his head to him.

"Your Majesty, the Minister of Management is here."

Chen Moran waved his hand and muttered in a low voice.

"I'll come."

When he appeared again, he was already dressed in a uniform and sitting on a mahogany circle chair. In front of him, Finance Minister Guan Mingtang sat on his knees and reported the issuance of the Ministry of Finance bonds. Since the implementation of the "Yuan Kari Plan", in addition to military and infrastructure matters, Chen Moran has to inquire about bond issuance every day. After all, in the final analysis, war is still money.

"...Yesterday, Zheng Axe announced that after sending a fleet to protect overseas Chinese, the amount of bonds recognized in Nanyang reached 18.765 million yuan on the same day. As of at least 3 p.m. today, Nanyang's bond sales exceeded 21 million yuan today, and today exceeded 30 million yuan. There is no problem at all! ......"

Gang Mingtang was still reporting, and Chen Moran's eyes were fixed on the face of the angular and resolute middle-aged man in front of him. For Guan Mingtang, who constantly surprises him in front of him, Chen Moran has always held his admiration attitude. On the one hand, he appreciates his ability in doing things, and on the other hand, he appreciates his ability to control the general trend and has a vision on many issues.

In the past, as soon as he arrived at the industrial company, he carried out a drastic reform of the industrial company, and then began to train and select senior executives for the company. It was thanks to the fact that after his departure, more than a dozen companies under the name of the industrial company could continue to operate in a steady and orderly manner and further expand. After he served in the Ministry of Finance, what impressed Chen Moran most was that he was afraid of running a training course to send tax officials to the provinces. In the name of "reduction and exemption of excessive donations", he achieved the purpose of returning taxes to the central government, cut off local financial power and financial resources, and ensured that the ruling axe would not collapse due to financial problems, and under the premise of reducing or exempting harsh taxes. , and it has been increased without adding negative.

In the words of some foreigners, Guan Mingtang's finance minister is the foundation of maintaining stability. Without money, it is impossible to maintain stability. It is impossible to maintain the operation of this country by relying only on his own money.

His excellent work as Minister of Finance has made him more and more influential in China. Some people at home and abroad think that he is more suitable to be the prime minister of the empire than Zhang Zhidong. His experience of staying in the United States for more than 20 years makes people believe that he is more suitable to dominate the reform of this country than Zhang Zhidong.

But Chen Moran knows that compared with him, Zhang Zhidong is the pillar to maintain "political stability" in the next few years. His activities and influence can maintain the stability of the country. This stability is exactly what the country needs in the next few years, but Zhang Zhidong's conservatism makes Chen Moran's inner contradictions. He They hope to use these influential figures to achieve their own goal of stabilizing the people's class. On the other hand, they are full of dissatisfaction and erarchism with these figures. They are too conservative.

Just like Zhang Zhidong, after yesterday's meeting, the conversation between the two once again appeared in Chen Moran's mind.

"Your Majesty, please think twice for the country!"

"I don't think we should talk about war lightly now!"

"I think it's not easy to take any act in state affairs!"

"I thought..."

"Zhang Xiang, answer me, why do you say that people should take risks!"

"Your Majesty, China is not Japanese!"

"I think that the people yearn for the revitalization of national dignity! The integrity of the nation makes us have to take risks. If the dignity and rights and rights of the country are not worth the risk, what else is worth trying?

At the end of the conversation between the two, although it ended with Zhang Zhidong's compromise, thinking of their conservatism and dependence on Zhang Zhidong in the next few years, this contradiction often disturbed his inner peace.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

After the report, Guan Mingtang noticed that His Majesty seemed to be a little distracted.

"Ah..."

Back to his senses, Chen Moran smiled awkwardly and then said.

"Zheqin,"

In private, Chen Moran prefers to call them directly than you. It's just like "I". Most of the time, he still calls me "me". A person can't even call me. What's the meaning? My name is too lonely.

"Do you think they will believe our actions in Nanyang?"

Chen Moran asked with some less confidence. The "Yuan Hunting Plan" is full of "opportunism". For a long time, the biggest uncertainty in this plan is whether the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of troops will arouse their vigilance. Now the only one that can be regarded as cover is to use Surabaya as a cover.

"Your Majesty, they all understand that if we challenge an enemy, it is a risky move, but if we set up two enemies at the same time, there is no doubt that it will commit suicide. No reasonable person will make this choice. I believe that Suragi is enough to confuse them!"

"So, what do you think we have a chance of winning?"

Hearing this question, Guan Mingtang finally raised his head. But he did not answer immediately, but rubbed his knees with his hands and looked at His Majesty in front of him, and his brain was running quickly. He wanted to find out the emperor's intention and consider the words.

"Your Majesty, if this victory is used properly, there should be 90% hope. However, I think that there is no military victory, only a strategic victory. Strategically, we can use this to win the respect and face of the great powers, and at the same time boost morale, but in the end... Your Majesty, I think that the final decision to victory is not on the battlefield, but at the negotiating table.

Seeing that His Majesty did not have much reaction, Guan Mingtang, who led the matter, continued to say.

"I think that for our country, although a brilliant military victory can change many things, our strength makes it impossible for us to win a glorious victory. It can even be said that a brilliant victory is also not what we need. We must consider what our goal is. Well, if we categorically gather heavy troops to defeat one of the armies, then we have to consider other factors, that is, the fleet factor..."

With that, he took another deep breath.

"Of course, Britain will intervene for the interests of China, but if it hurts the other party, like defeating or annihilating the enemy, it is difficult to guarantee the valid surname of British intervention, and may even lead to the other party's desperate efforts! This is exactly what we don't want to see, but if the battle is controlled on a certain scale, we can rely on the British intervention and coastal defense fortifications. On the one hand, the British intervenes in mediation, and on the other hand, the fleet's attack may suffer losses, which will make the other party hesitate and give opportunities for diplomatic breakthroughs. Of course, if our navy now has a few warships and a dozen cruisers, we don't need to be as careful as we are now, but the problem is that our limited strength makes us only set limited goals!"

Guan Mingtang became more cautious at this time.

"Your Majesty, we must be clear about our strength and needs before we can strive for the greatest rights and interests within our ability, which is something we must consider. Our purpose is not to defeat one of the other, but to win the respect of the great powers and save the dignity of the country. An appropriate war is immeasurable to improve the internal and external situation in our country.

"sigh!"

Guan Mingtang's words made Chen Moran sigh, and he glanced at a map on the wall.

"Zheqin, you know, if a war breaks out, sometimes it is difficult for us to decide how to control the scale of the war!"

"Your Majesty! Then do everything possible to control it. If we can't control the scale of the war, then we have to face a long-term war, and even like our worst plan, we have to face a cruel local comprehensive defense war!"

Guan Mingtang once again warned His Majesty that soldiers are eager to obtain immortal military achievements on the battlefield, especially after the current empire. In the face of future titles, soldiers hope to prove themselves with military exploits. Similarly, His Majesty also hopes to rely on a gorgeous and dazzling victory to win the worship of the people, but in his opinion, this is absolutely Very dangerous.

"Your Majesty, adventure does not mean not to ignore your own strength. Any military adventure is based on your own strength and external environment. If either of the two does not have it, the adventure will become "crazy", and madness will destroy the whole country, just like the disaster of Gengzi. Your Majesty, please Strictly restrain the generals in front of us, we must strictly follow the orders of the staff, carry out operations in the war zone, fight fiercely in the war zone, and strive for the advantage of the war zone!"

Guan Mingtang's expression was solemn, and his voice changed accordingly.

"Any army must build complete fortifications on the edge of the war zone. Any army moves in the Vietnam war zone, officers are shot, and soldiers serve hard labor. It must not be tolerated. Any officer is trapped in the country for personal glory!"

Staring at Guan Mingtang, who looked serious in front of him, Chen Moran understood that his words were not so much to persuade him to give strict orders to the army, but in fact, he hoped that he could think twice in front of glory and strength.

Limited war, limited purpose, and the long-term benefits ultimately brought by Guan Mingtang's own goal of fighting this war. Guan Mingtang always gives himself too many surprises, whether it is in the Ministry of Finance or the proposal to fight this war, and the most valuable thing is that he can stay awake.

With the implementation of the plan, in the face of the smooth implementation of the plan, from the staff to himself, there is a desire in his heart. The desire to determine the universe in World War I, but only Guan Mingtang still adheres to the limited goal. What he considers is to win the greatest possible return with the least cost.

"Zheqin!"

Looking at Guan Mingtang in front of him with a smile, Chen Moran was silent for a while and stared at him seriously.

"I will give this order, but Zheqin, if it unfolds, when I can't control myself, I hope..."

"Your Majesty, I think that as long as you have a country in mind, you can calm down! Soldiers can only consider military issues, but Your Majesty must consider the whole country! After all, this is your empire!"

(to be continued)