The six-dimensional pictures of emperors of all dynasties were exposed, and the ancestors panicked

Chapter 790: Westernization Movement
[Evaluation C level, 2 points]

{He got two cents for nothing, where can Xianfeng go to seek justice?}
……

Qing Dynasty, Xianfeng Period
Qianqing Gate

Sushun glanced at the sky and snorted coldly.

I'm afraid the emperor can't reason with me now.

"What does this demon concubine want to do?!"

Zai Yuan slammed the table and said angrily:

"How dare you block the palace gate!"

"Where does she get the courage! Where does she get the power!"

Mu Yin glanced at everyone and said softly:
"Now is not the time to talk about this, everyone. Every failure is a learning experience..."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"For today's plan..."

Sushun's eyes darkened and he lowered his voice and said:
"Only by striking first can we gain the upper hand!"

……

{If the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had been more powerful, it might have overthrown the Qing Dynasty. But facing the great powers, it would still be difficult.}
{Judging from the results, the Qing Dynasty was half dead. It might have succeeded at any other time, but it just happened to be such a delicate time as the end of the Qing Dynasty.}
{The Taiping Army was able to flourish in the late Qing Dynasty, just in time for the British and French forces to burn down the Old Summer Palace and severely damage the Eight Banners of the Beijing Camp. The Qing court was unable to cope with internal and external troubles, so the Taiping Army was able to advance rapidly.}
{What we need is not rapid progress, but to create a new world. It is naturally difficult to have great powers. After all, this is not the scenario of the Chu-Han contention, but the scenario of the Five Barbarians going south, and even worse.}
……

Big man.

Liu Bang thought they were too optimistic.

"A thousand steps forward in a day? Except when everything went smoothly at the beginning, how can there be any such thing as a thousand steps forward in a day?"

He pinched his waist and paced back and forth on the ground.

"There was no reason for the Taiping Army to leave the Shuangjiang camp at their doorstep from the beginning."

Lu Zhi couldn't tell whether she felt regret or helplessness about the Taiping Army's fate.

"But the overall combat effectiveness of the Taiping Army was definitely not weak. A group of commoners, with only a few months of regiment training and faith from the beginning of the uprising, were able to go head-to-head with the elite regular army of the Qing Dynasty, organize large-scale sieges and capture two provincial capitals."

"In the later stage, we can also defeat the Jiangnan and Jiangbei camps."

"It's just that the internal strife is too intense."

……

{After the Hunan Army entered Tianjing, they burned, killed and looted the city. All women under the age of 40 were robbed, and the elderly and children were slaughtered.}
{Zeng Guofan reported to the Qing court: "More than 100,000 bandits were killed in three days. The Qinhuai River was littered with corpses."}
{But at that time, there were only 30,000 people left in Tianjing. Apart from the residents, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had no more than 10,000 officers and soldiers, of whom only 3,000 to 4,000 could defend the city, and some even broke out. He regarded all the residents of Nanjing as enemies.}
{Nanjing...}
{That’s why he’s called Zeng the Barber. He’s notorious. Nowadays, many people are trying to whitewash Zeng the Barber.}
{Many people fail to see the consistent reactionary nature of the feudal rulers.}
{After a few years of eating well, those people forgot their roots. They thought they were already noble elites after leaving their jobs. They regarded Zeng Li and others as their predecessors and role models. Of course, they flattered and praised them, thinking that this would also raise their own status and value.}
……

Period of Emperor Guangwu of Yanhan Dynasty

Liu Xiu looked at the sky and sighed.

Since ancient times, after a city was captured, whether it was for revenge or street fighting, it would cause heavy casualties to the people in the city, so it was also called a massacre.

But there is another kind of massacre, which is to kill everyone you see after breaking into the city and drive the people in the city together for an extermination massacre.

"They say... massacring a city is the best reward after conquering it... it means wealth, women, and killing to vent the frustration in one's heart."

Liu Zhuang looked at Liu Xiu, who suddenly looked tired, and didn't know what to say.

People all say that my father is the one who recreates destiny.

But is this destiny really in my father’s hands?
……

Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period
Kangxi didn't take these accusations to heart at all.

Since they are enemies, we should set an example by killing them.

"Since ancient times, who among the founders of a nation has not had some innocent blood on his hands?"

"Aren't those Huang Chao uprising and Li Zicheng uprising that you mentioned also the epitome of massacres?"

Kangxi snorted coldly.

"Ridiculous."

……

{Many books praise Zeng Guofan as "half a saint", but whether in officialdom or in military campaigns, after Zeng Guofan left Baiyangping, he simply absorbed some of Hu Linyi's advantages, combined with his own savage spirit, and blended yin and yang, so that he could thrive in both the military and political circles.}
{This level is worthy of being a great man of the time, but it is still far from being a "half-saint".}
{A saint must have a complete and advanced ideological system based on the world trend at that time to drive the renewal of the entire society's thoughts, and also have strong practical capabilities to prove the correctness of the theoretical system.}
……

Ming Dynasty and Zhengde Period
"We have accumulated thousands of years of culture, and have found ways and methods to deal with conflicts and get along with others from personal experience and the insights of our predecessors."

Wang Yangming bowed to the emperor and said:
"It's not difficult among those who are knowledgeable."

"As long as they can go one step further, they can all be called saints."

Zhu Houzhao frowned, somewhat puzzled.

“Can this be called holy?”

Zhu Houcong raised his eyebrows.

"Everyone can be called a saint..."

"Teacher, you want the study of the mind to become a separate teaching of Confucianism."

Wang Yangming smiled and said nothing.

Zhu Houcong also laughed.

When Buddhism was introduced to the East, Zen Buddhism became the dominant school with the theory that everyone can become a Buddha.

Zen is basically equivalent to Buddhism.

The idea that everyone can become a saint is something that all Confucian disciples dream of.

He glanced at his brother, whose expression was heavy and eyes were empty.

We must let my brother know that this matter has great potential!
……

｛Zeng Guofan only prolonged the life of the Qing Dynasty, rather than giving the country or the nation a brand new look.｝
{From the late Qing Dynasty to today, Zeng Guofan's fame is due to the fact that his students and old friends are all over the government and the country, and half of the governors and governors-general in the country came from the Hunan Army.}
{The students have a common teacher.}
{As the saying goes, those who take from others are soft-hearted, and those who eat from others are soft-hearted. These people have money, power, and influence. In order to repay their teacher, they praised Zeng Guofan like a flower after several generations.}
{He can be considered a great man of his time, but he is definitely not a saint.}
……

Datang.

"saint……"

Li Shimin twisted his beard and said with a smile:
"Since the Tang Dynasty, these titles that indicate meritorious service have become less and less valuable."

The ministers nodded and smiled, but they did not say what they were thinking.

Since the Tang Dynasty... Let’s start from the Tang Dynasty.

"A sage must develop a complete and advanced system of thought based on the prevailing world situation at the time, thereby driving academic innovation throughout society."

Wei Zheng scoffed at the title of half-saint.

“Not only academically, but also in practice, there must be actions that can verify and prove the correctness of the theoretical system.”

"Perhaps Zeng Guofan's way of dealing with the world is much better than that of ordinary people."

"But in the vast pool of Chinese wisdom spanning thousands of years, is there any innovation?"

"Then Wang Yangming's ideas of unity of knowledge and action and awakening conscience are more like those of a saint than he is."

The ministers nodded upon hearing this.

Although Tianmu didn't go into detail, who among you here doesn't have a wide range of knowledge?
He was not only proficient in classics, but also good at poetry.

He is also proficient in astronomy, geography, agriculture and medicine!

Isn’t it all easy to understand?

Li Shimin twirled his beard and thought deeply.

'Wang Yangming?'

'Did he say anything?'

"Why don't I have any impression?"

'Didn't he suppress the rebellion?'

……

Qing Dynasty, Guangxu Period
"Half a Saint..."

Cixi glanced slightly, glared at Guangxu, and spoke in a long voice.

"Emperor, don't you want reform?"

Sweat suddenly broke out on Guangxu's forehead, but he didn't wait for him to say anything.

Cixi said again:

"Then why not let him become the founder of a school of thought?"

Guangxu was immediately confused. "Establish a sect?"

Cixi smiled and nodded.

……

【Institutional construction: the Westernization Movement. 】

……

On the canopy.

The little emperor sat on the wide dragon throne.

There is a curtain behind him.

Behind the curtain, two figures were vaguely seen sitting side by side.

The prince bowed in front of the little emperor.

Behind the prince, the ministers stood on his left and right.

The difference is clear.

……

[After the Taiping Rebellion broke out, the Qing government was forced to employ a large number of Han officials to suppress the rebellion, which led to the rise of a large number of Han bureaucrats.]

[Before the Taiping Rebellion, most governors and governors were Manchu officials.]

[After the Taiping Rebellion, the power of Han officials expanded rapidly, and the number of governors and provincial governors gradually increased. By the time the Taiping Rebellion was suppressed, their proportion had far exceeded that of Manchu officials.]

[Local political power is basically in the hands of Han officials.]

【With the growth of the power of Han officials, the original political structure of the Qing court underwent great changes.】

[On the one hand, it was manifested in the decline of the Qing Dynasty's centralized power and the new trend of equal power between the Manchu and Han rulers. The trend of separation between Han officials and the Qing Dynasty gradually expanded, making some Han officials realize that the Qing Dynasty's rule had reached its end.]

[On the other hand, a more direct manifestation was the emergence of the Westernization Movement.]

【At that time, reform was imminent, and the Qing court was faced with questions such as whether to learn from foreigners, how to learn, and what to learn.】

[The ministers in the court started a great debate on this issue. According to their different attitudes, the ministers can be divided into the Westernization faction and the diehard faction.]

……

Ji Han.

"As the saying goes, the general trend of the world is that division lasts long and unity lasts long, and unity lasts long and division lasts long."

Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan, looking calm and relaxed.

"The world has been unified for so long that it is bound to be divided."

"It is only because the Qing rulers have always been tyrannical and the trend of the times has not been opened up."

"If the heart is not rotten, the situation will not collapse."

"The embers of the Taiping Rebellion are not at that time, but after this."

Liu Chan took it to heart and thought about it carefully later.

"How long do you think the Qing Dynasty can last?"

Zhuge Liang smiled and said:
"It is unlikely that a man will govern for more than fifty years."

……

[The Westernization Movement was represented by Yi Xin at the central level and Zuo Zongtang, Zhang Zhidong, Li Hongzhang, and Zeng Guofan at the local level. They advocated using advanced Western technology to maintain the rule of the Qing Dynasty.]

【The diehards, on the other hand, advocated sticking to tradition. The two sides engaged in a debate over this.】

【Here we have to mention Yi Xin. 】

[He can be said to be the earliest initiator of the Westernization Movement. In November 1860 (October of the tenth year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign), he petitioned to import Russian weapons and borrow troops to help suppress the rebellion, and proposed the idea of ​​manufacturing guns and explosives, mines, land mines, and gunpowder by ourselves.]

【Then, on January 1861, 1 (December 11, ), he, Guiliang, and Wenxiang proposed the "Six-point Memorial on the Overall Planning of Westernization Affairs and the Drafting of Regulations", which was the first call for "self-revitalization".】

[On the 24th, he proposed the purpose of the Westernization Movement, "self-strengthening", in the "Petition to the Eight Banners Forbidden Army to Train Guns and Cannons", and instructed Zeng Guofan and Xue Huan to "hire foreign craftsmen" and "teach how to make" foreign guns and cannons in Shanghai, which directly promoted the establishment of the Anqing Internal Arsenal and the Shanghai Marine Artillery Bureau.]

[After dealing with the great powers for several years and signing several humiliating treaties, he finally realized that if you fall behind, you will be beaten.]

[So they took advantage of the opportunity when the great powers encouraged the Qing Dynasty to establish the Zongli Yamen and took the opportunity to promote the reform and opening up of the late Qing Dynasty - "learn from the foreigners to control the foreigners"]

……

{The function of this position is very mysterious}

{The deputy foreign minister is a legitimate and appropriate person to deal with the great powers. He uses this position to negotiate with foreigners, learn advanced experience, and introduce foreign capital and equipment.}
{Then he used his power as the director of the National Development and Reform Commission and the Minister of Commerce to legitimately use this experience, foreign capital and equipment in the reform.}
{This is the benefit of having a long history.}
……

Great Qin.

"Learn the skills of the foreigners to defeat them..."

Ying Zheng muttered to himself and looked at Liu Bang again.

Liu Bang bowed his head and said:
“That makes sense, but not much.”

Ying Zheng nodded slightly and said:
"explain."

Liu Bang bowed and said:
"In the past, King Wuling of Zhao wore Hu clothing and rode and shot arrows. This can be said to be learning the advanced skills of the barbarians in order to defeat them."

"But the problem is that there is no such huge difference between Zhao and Hu in terms of national strength and equipment."

“There’s a problem here.”

Liu Bang looked up at Ying Zheng and said seriously:

"What is the basis for the overseas countries to stand in the world?"

Ying Zheng glanced at him.

You are so brave that you dare to ask me back!
"industrialization."

Ying Zheng answered honestly.

Hey there! Damn the old winning tradition!
Answers to any questions!

Liu Bang paused.

"Yes...industrialization..."

There was silence around the two of them.

Ying Zheng turned his head and continued to look at the sky.

"Industrialization... What is industrialization?"

Liu Bang also frowned and thought.

“It should be a system that can be expanded and shortened.”

Systematized...

Ying Zheng thought about these three words.

The Qin soldiers’ equipment could have been built in a systematic way long ago.

The problem is shortening the time...

"In my opinion, this matter still has to fall on the Mo family."

Liu Bang took out a wrinkled piece of white silk from his arms.

There are also black carbon marks on it.

Ying Zheng took a glance.

On it are the objects that have been displayed in the sky.

steam engine.

……

[The diehards attacked the Westernization Movement for learning advanced Western technology, saying that it was destroying China's rule and ethics, and advocated "using etiquette as oars and loyalty as armor."]

【The Westernization faction fought back, saying that no matter how they learned, the goal was to use foreign guns and artillery to defend China, so learning Western technology would not destroy ethics and morality, but would be the best way to maintain ethics and morality, and that the West used guns and artillery to start wars.】

【The Westernization Party suppressed the opposition voices in the court through debate.】

[It was in this context that the position of Minister of Commerce was born.]

[The establishment of the Minister of Commerce marked the official start of the Westernization Movement.]

【In addition, the Zongli Yamen played an important role in the Westernization Movement. It was originally a department in charge of diplomatic and trade affairs. As the Westernization Movement progressed, all matters related to foreign countries were managed by the department. For example, opening mines, setting up factories, and sending students abroad were all carried out under the direct control of the Zongli Yamen.】

(End of this chapter)