Master Yuan, start!

The most optimistic constitutionalists among the bureaucrats finally became disappointed with the Qing Dynasty, and local revolutionary forces took this opportunity to stir up trouble.

It is impossible for Yuan Shikai to let history go on its original path. Only by letting the Qing Dynasty fall into the abyss can Yuan Shikai replace the Qing Dynasty without much resistance.

Although the Qing Dynasty was still a feudal dynasty at this time, changes had already begun after the Opium War.

After the establishment of concessions in Shanghai, foreigners used the concessions as a channel to establish many newspapers and periodicals in China. In the early days, these newspapers were mainly used to provide a platform for foreigners stationed in China to learn about Chinese anecdotes and international current affairs.

However, with the continuous disintegration of China's natural economy, some large landowners began to transform into the bourgeoisie. These people also needed a window to understand the foreign world, and foreign newspapers began to have Chinese versions.

As the Qing court was forced to loosen its grip on public opinion, the number of newspapers published by Chinese people gradually increased.

In fact, this is also thanks to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. It can also be said that after the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the 4 southeastern Han militia 3 armed forces rose up in an all-round way. The Qing court had lost full control of the southeast and had to delegate power to local armed forces.

Surrendering the right to public opinion was still one of the options acceptable to the Qing Dynasty. It was better than surrendering personnel, financial and military power.

However, with the further decline of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing central government would sooner or later lose control of the southeastern coast, and the Southeast Mutual Protection was the best manifestation of this.

In fact, the rise of the southeastern militia can be said to have indirectly contributed to the birth of that revolutionary country in later generations.

Before Yuan Xiangcheng traveled through time, he had heard of a theory that the Taiping Rebellion was wreaking havoc in the southeast, and the Qing government was unable to suppress it, so it could only allow landlords in various provinces to organize militia.

The Hunanese people, led by Zeng Guofan, emerged as a new force and fought fiercely. While destroying the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Hunan Army also brought back cartloads of money and jewelry obtained from the war to their hometowns.

Now that my hometown is rich, I naturally don’t have to worry about food and clothing, and I want to pursue further spiritual goals.

"When the granaries are full, people will know etiquette." The next step is to open a school.

In the late Qing Dynasty, schools that only taught the Four Books and Five Classics had long lost their market, so new-style schools sprang up in Hunan.

The children who were just learning to speak in the school grew up to be revolutionary fighters under the guidance of new ideas.

This is also why Hunan produced so many talented people in the early years of the Republic of China, because their fathers had laid a solid foundation.

Among them, a great man was born in an academy on Miaogaofeng in Changsha, Hunan.

It can be said that the Hunan Army, which destroyed the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and saved the feudal dynasty, actually added a lot of dry wood to the flames that buried feudal old China.

All we can say is that every sip and every bite is predestined by fate.

No one had expected that the feudal system, which we had placed high hopes on, would eventually end with the descendants of the Hunan Army, the most ferocious force in maintaining the feudal system.

Promise me, if you like the Qing Dynasty, please swipe away.

The significance of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to China goes far beyond simply modifying the Bible. It also allowed Chinese people along the coast to come into contact with Western ideas.

It turns out that Chinese people can also use Western ideas, and it turns out that the Four Books and Five Classics cannot defeat the Bible, the Bible of God.

Although the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was defeated, the degree to which it shocked the people in the southeast was far beyond what the Qing court could compensate for by adding a few special punishments after the rebellion was quelled.

When the people in the southeast wanted to absorb Western ideas like a sponge, newspapers undoubtedly provided the best carrier for promoting Western ideas.

However, the idea of ​​loyalty to the emperor and patriotism that has existed for thousands of years cannot be reversed in a short period of time, although newspapers occasionally introduce the thoughts of great scholars from France, Germany and England.

But when the Sino-French War was in full swing, almost every front-page headline in the newspapers in the Shanghai Concession was related to the war, and a total of millions of words of war-related reports and comments were published.

From December 1883 to June 12, Shenbao not only published news about the Sino-French War every day, but also published more than 1885 editorials on the war. In addition to Shenbao, Zilin-Shanghai News also emerged at this time.

The high frequency of editorial publication shows the extent to which the public, especially the southeastern media, was involved in the Sino-French War.

In the early stages of the Sino-French War, both Shenbao and Zilinhubao were war-oriented, and most of them hoped that the Qing court would win and show off its power.

If Yuan Shikai wanted to tear off the mask of the Qing Dynasty, the best way was to burst the illusions of these people.

Let them know that the Qing Dynasty was lucky to survive until now, and it should have perished as early as the Taiping Rebellion.

But the Qing court could not be allowed to lose too badly. If it lost directly like it did after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Yuan Shikai would not be able to obtain a large rear base for stable development.

What he needs to do now is to follow the historical trend while slightly throwing a stone into the tributary of history to change the direction of some of the water flow, although it will eventually rush into the sea.

But who can smooth out the ripples except Yuan Shikai?

The Qing Dynasty was defeated and Xiangcheng won. This was the second step in Yuan Shikai's journey to becoming a god.

In the evening of the second day, Yuan Xiangcheng finally recovered after a day's rest. Just as he was thinking about going to the Ministry of War to report on his work, he heard a shouting in his ears.

"Master Yuan, Master Yuan!" A servant at the street corner shouted at Yuan Xiangcheng.

Only after he ran up to him did Yuan Xiangcheng have time to take a closer look at the man in front of him.

He was wearing a vest made of some unknown fur, a cotton coat underneath, and a melon-shaped hat on his head. He was very fair and clean.

"You are Yuan Xiangcheng, Lord Yuan, right?" the servant shouted breathlessly.

"It's me. I wonder who you are..." Yuan Xiangcheng asked in confusion.

"Sir Yuan, my prince invites you to his mansion for a chat tomorrow." It turned out to be a servant from the prince's mansion. He finally calmed down and handed Yuan Xiangcheng a business card.

Yuan Xiangcheng looked at the four big characters "Prince Li's Mansion" on the name card and was puzzled.

Do I know Prince Li Shiduo?

Chapter 23: The Legacy of the Great Uncle

The steward in the melon-shaped hat saw Yuan Xiangcheng's confusion and said leniently, "The prince specifically instructed me to invite you to his house. Please don't make things difficult for me."

Yuan Xiangcheng had no intention of making things difficult for the steward. He just felt that he had never had any contact with Prince Li and was curious about what he wanted from him.

"I..." Yuan Xiangcheng pointed to his clothes. He had just eaten a bowl of noodles at a street stall and was still wearing casual clothes.

If Prince Li saw me dressed like this, would he feel that he was disrespecting him?

"Master Wang has instructed that since Lord Yuan has arrived in Beijing for the first time, he has no servants, but he can come to the mansion first to bathe and change clothes." The housekeeper further solved Yuan Xiangcheng's troubles.

"Master Yuan, please."

Now that things had come to this, Yuan Xiangcheng had nothing to refuse and followed the butler to Prince Li's mansion.

It was very lively as we walked through the streets. Although it was getting dark, the streets were gradually becoming noisy.

Yuan Xiangcheng was quite surprised, as he had always thought that cities before the electrical age also worked from sunrise to sunset.

There was a curfew in Beijing, but it was only implemented thoroughly at the beginning of the founding of the country. After the Opium War, the court's control gradually declined. After the British and French forces captured Beijing, they severely destroyed the buildings in the city.

After the coalition forces retreated, the people who returned home looked at the ruins of their houses. Some borrowed money to repair them, while others simply left them and returned to the countryside to live with relatives and friends. This area then became a low point for real estate value in the capital, and attracted a group of people who made a living by performing arts.

Gradually, the nightlife around the areas destroyed by the coalition forces has become more lively. Although there is still a curfew late at night, the evening is the time when people are bustling.

Listening to stories, singing operas and watching music are not only available during the day, but the theater troupe also opens special night shows. If Beijing were not missing a bridge, the current scene would be no less than that in the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival".

The butler's pace was swift, his right heel already lifted before his left toe had even touched the ground. His arms swung like the wind, his body leaning slightly forward, occasionally pushing aside the crowds in front of him as he led Yuan Xiangcheng through the downtown area. "Master Yuan, don't be fooled by this bustling scene. A hundred years ago, these low-class people wouldn't even be able to enter."

There was a sense of arrogance in the steward's words, as if he, a servant in the royal palace, was superior to those around him who made a living by their skills.

Yuan Xiangcheng knew that this was the imprint of the times on an individual, and he did not intend to talk to him about class differences. He just signaled him to lead the way as soon as possible.

After a while, the crowd thinned out, and the two of them finally arrived at Prince Li's Mansion in the west.

After being led into a guest room, Yuan Xiangcheng took a bath, changed his clothes, and then put on the casual clothes provided by the mansion. Under the guidance of the butler, he came to the study of Prince Li Shiduo.

As soon as he entered the study, the person in front of him, Yuan Xiangcheng, felt very familiar.

Isn’t this Prince Chun Yix who was at Prince Chun’s Mansion yesterday? Why is he here at Prince Li’s Mansion again?

"Yuan Xiangcheng, are you surprised why I am here with Prince Li?" Prince Chun Yixun said to Yuan Xiangcheng with a smile.

Yuan Xiangcheng didn't expect why he would meet Prince Chun at Prince Li's mansion, but even though he couldn't figure it out, he still had to put on a good show.

Just as he was about to kneel down and kowtow again, another voice rang out from behind Yi X:

"No need to be so polite, you are Yuan Xiangcheng, right?"

Yuan Xiangcheng looked up and saw a man leaning out from behind Prince Chun. He looked middle-aged, with bright eyes and an upright posture. He was also wearing court robes embroidered with four five-clawed golden dragons.

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"It seems that this is Prince Li," Yuan Xiangcheng thought.

"Seventh brother, stop playing dumb." Prince Li pointed at Prince Chun and said, then turned to Yuan Xiangcheng.

"Seventh Brother and I both have something to discuss with you this time. You are really lucky, kid."

"Good luck to the two princes." Yuan Xiangcheng shouted with a little nervousness.

Anyone who encounters this situation would be a little confused. How come they were found by the princes of the Qing Dynasty, and two of them at once?

Although the princes today no longer hold the power of life and death in their hands like in the early Qing Dynasty, their status in the court is far beyond that of Yuan Xiangcheng, the little Kalemi.

"Yuan Xiangcheng, do you know why I asked Prince Li to come find you?" Prince Chun asked Yuan Xiangcheng after taking two puffs of his iconic big pipe.

"I don't know. When the palace steward found me, I was also confused." Yuan Xiangcheng didn't know.

Prince Li's thorns" Hedgehog 4 folds purchasing agent: a lin7yi Shan Lu heard this but slowly said: "This matter can be traced back to the Xianfeng period. At that time, I had not yet inherited the title, and I was holding a strong desire to pass the imperial examination. It just so happened that your great-uncle Yuan Jiasan passed the imperial examination and served as the head of the Ministry of Rites in the court.

My father sent someone to find a tutor, and he found your great-uncle, who taught me the classics for several years. But I wasn't up to the task and didn't even pass the national examination, so I gave up the idea. But I will always remember the friendship between teacher and student.

Later, your great-uncle returned to his hometown to suppress the Nian Rebellion, but was framed by Hechun and thrown into prison. It was I who went to the Inspectorate every day, and the Inspectorate reported to Emperor Wenzong, who ordered your great-uncle to be rehabilitated and reinstated.

We didn't talk for many days after he was released from prison, and your great-uncle went to Henan to suppress the Taiping Rebellion. We didn't expect that we would never see each other again.

I never thought I'd hear the name Yuan Xiangcheng again in the court a while ago. There aren't many ministers with the surname Yuan in the court, and I heard your ancestral home is in Henan. I sent someone to investigate and found out that Yuan Jiasan is your great-uncle."

Prince Li usually does not pay much attention to political affairs and has little interest in power.

My biggest hobby on weekdays is watching popular street dramas, drinking with a few friends, and going fishing by the river.

After hearing about Yuan Xiangcheng's deeds in the court that day, he went against his usual habit of going to listen to music after leaving the court. Instead, he ran to the residence of his seventh brother, Prince Chun Yix, as soon as he left the court, wanting to ask in detail about Yuan Xiangcheng's origins.

After asking clearly, he asked Yi X to inform him as soon as Yuan Xiangcheng arrived in Beijing.

After meeting Yuan Shikai at Li Hongzhang's residence, Yi Xin developed a liking for Yuan Shikai and informed Prince Li Shiduo to invite him to his residence for a chat. This is how the two princes invited Yuan Shikai together.

"You did a good job in Korea this time, and lived up to your great-uncle's reputation." Shi Duo patted Yuan Xiangcheng on the shoulder and encouraged him, "I heard from my seventh brother that you have a good knowledge of Western studies, and you can speak eloquently in front of two major military officials and a governor. You Yuan family members are really smart."

"Your Highness, thank you for your praise. Xiangcheng has simply read more books and met more foreigners." Yuan Xiangcheng responded politely.

"I just don't believe it. There is no one in our family who is good at studying." Thinking of this, Shi Duo hated himself for not studying hard enough. He couldn't even pass the Eight Banners Examination, a backdoor that the Qing court opened for bannermen, and was ridiculed by others.

Although he inherited the title of prince, no matter how much his ancestors gave him, in Shiduo's opinion, it was not as important as what he earned through his own exams.

"Yuan Xiangcheng, I have a boy named Chenghou. He's playful and flamboyant. Every day he either wanders around South City or studies some weird Western stuff." Shiduo said with gritted teeth.

"I don't expect him to pass the imperial examination in this lifetime. Let him learn some Western knowledge from you so that he can contribute to the court in the future. I can't let those iron-hat princes look down on me and my son. The lineage of Prince Li cannot be looked down upon!"

What seemed like a very simple request to Prince Li Shiduo made Yuan Shikai very embarrassed.

He wanted to rebel, but if he had a prince's son with him, what kind of rebellion would it be?

I'm afraid he was planning something in the house and was reported and arrested.