Yang Jiaofeng talks about moving towards republicanism issue 1:
"Toward the Republic" is a historical drama that covers a series of major events from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China for decades.
In 1840, the Western powers forcibly opened the door of the decadent Manchu Qing Dynasty with foreign guns and cannons, so that the Eastern powers began to truly contact the Western powers.
After experiencing the impact of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which was dominated by Hong Xiuquan, the status of Han chen within the Qing government gradually rose and they held great power. Subsequently, with these Han courtiers as the mainstay, a vigorous foreign affairs movement was launched, trying to "master Yi and control Yi" in order to consolidate the rule of the Qing Dynasty.
And the series takes place just before the Sino-Japanese War, when Empress Dowager Cixi was going to celebrate her birthday...
Yang Jiaofeng on "Toward the Republic" No. 1: A parrot pulled the wrong color, why did Li Hongzhang panic?
One
The opening chapter is that Li Hongzhang eats steamed sea bass at his residence in Tianjin, and his subordinates are reporting on their work, and the fish eating utensils are quite luxurious, which is also in line with Li Hongzhang's identity.
Li Hongzhang, a native of Hefei, Anhui Province, when Yang Jiaofeng was studying, once went to the "Former Residence of Li Hongzhang", which still looks quite grand. After years of operation by the Li Hongzhang family, the Li family compound occupies half a street in the middle of Hefei Huaihe Road, known as "Li Fu Half Street".
This is reminiscent of another famous minister of the late Qing Dynasty, Zuo Zongtang, who twice served as a military minister and experienced many battles, including the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Pingtuo Army, the capture of Xinjiang, and the war against France. His life was clean, and the cemetery after his death was extremely desolate, far less brilliant than Li Hongzhang's tomb, but Li Hongzhang's luxurious tomb was later destroyed. Zuo Zongtang also has a former residence, which is a small courtyard in Beijing, and he only stayed here at that time, the property rights were not his, and in the Republic of China, he only sold a few white cloths.
Returning to the plot, Li Hongzhang's subordinates reported a total of three things:
The first thing, Ding Ruchang came again to collect silver, mainly for buying ammunition for several warships of the Beiyang Navy and replacing the cannons.
The second thing is that Japan's conquest of the Qing Dynasty has been solidified, and they want to use Korea as a springboard to invade the Qing Dynasty, occupy Taiwan, and then occupy Southeast Asia.
The third thing, Nanyang Minister Zhang Zhidong on the fold, Hanyang Iron Works has been built out of the iron, in the future to repair the railway, build ships can be:
"It is reported that the government and the public are noisy, saying that Zhang Xiangshuai's move, in the end, has overpowered me in Beiyang."
And these three things, Li Hongzhang did not care at all, ah, oh, continue to eat his own steamed sea bass.
Two
However, the subordinates reported these three things, not casually, but had another meaning:
First of all, Ding Ruchang came to urge silver again, proving that he had urged many times, for Li Hongzhang, it was already commonplace, anyway, there was no money, urging was also white, simply did not listen to or reply.
And the second thing echoes the first thing, it is precisely because the Japanese have aggressive ambitions, so Ding Ruchang only urged silver, otherwise how to fight with Japan?
The first thing is not solved, the second thing is that there is no way to know it, and we can't run to Japan to let them change their policies. In fact, we call the Sino-Japanese War, japan called the Sino-Japanese War, and the original script of "Toward the Republic" was written about Japan's conquest of China's policy.
The third thing, written in the script is the struggle between Weng Tonggong and Yan Jingming about "restoring the production of money", which becomes zhang Zhidong's nanyang and Beiyang dispute in the TV series.
This paragraph is obviously handled better by the series, after all, before "Towards the Republic", Nanyang and Beiyang fought each other and wanted to overpower each other. However, in the later period, the two were united again, Li Hongzhang sent people to save the Hanyang Iron Works, and Zhang Zhidong sent money to the Beiyang Marine Division, so that the handling was more responsive.
In addition to these three things, in fact, there is a subordinate who reported half a thing:
"My lord, the British called, my Beiyang Admiralty custom-made ironclad ship, almost completed, but this money ..."
This matter is also related to money, which is an extension of the first and second things, and this battleship refers to the Yoshino in the play. Legend has it that the ship was originally ordered by Li Hongzhang, but was later bought by the Japanese.
But this is not the case!
Three
The qing government's failed purchase of the warship was Blangu? The Encarada, purchased by the Chilean Navy, was larger than the Yoshino, with higher armor and more firepower. At that time, the Sino-Japanese War had already begun, and outside public opinion also said that whoever got the warship was the ultimate winner.
Later, the Chilean side kept increasing prices, and Japan interfered with it, and the Qing government finally did not buy the warship. The Yoshino mentioned in the play later played a very important role in the battle of Jiawu such as the naval battle, which played a very important role.
The several things mentioned earlier did not make Li Hongzhang stop eating fish, but the next thing reported made him panic, what is this?
"Lord! Master! The parrot that was preparing to pay tribute to the empress dowager had not eaten or drunk for more than a day! ”
Hearing this, Li Hongzhang suddenly froze on eating and drinking, and involuntarily exhaled:
"Huh?"
Then the subordinate added a sentence:
"The color of the pulled feces is also a little wrong!"
As a feudal official, when eating, he was lifted by his subordinates to excrement, and no one had to respond, but Li Hongzhang did not respond, but showed panic, why is this?
In fact, because this parrot is to be given to Empress Dowager Cixi, if you ask the state major events to keep up with the small things at the higher level, which is more important?
Although it is cruel to say it, in the end, the major affairs of the country are far away from themselves, but the small things of the top boss are close at hand. This may not be reasonable, but it is absolutely reasonable, and it corresponds to what Li Hongzhang said when he later met Cixi:
"The Empress's affairs are no small matter!"
Four
But in fact, although the plot of this parrot is full of dramatic conflict, it is recorded in the "Records of the Imperial Fragrance" of the Lord of Deling County, that it was yuan shikai who gave the parrot to Cixi:
"The slaves have a pair of parrots, which were specially sent from India to be donated to the empress dowager for fun, so as to see the slaves have a filial piety."
At this time, Yuan Shikai was actually already directly subordinate to the governor, and Yuan Shikai in the play had just returned from North Korea.
The reason why Empress Dowager Cixi liked this pair of parrots was because the pair of parrots would do tricks and would say:
"Galeries Lafayette is auspicious!"
Therefore, Yuan Shikai lied, that is, the parrot he trained, which was not from India at all. In fact, this paragraph in the play is a bit of a problem, generally send parrots are sent to a pair, where to send one?
So why does Li Hongzhang care so much about this parrot?
Obviously, he wanted to rely on this parrot to please Empress Dowager Cixi, and at the same time do things for himself.
Of course, it is to ask for money, Japan is already eyeing the tiger, to attack the Qing Dynasty, and its own Beiyang Marine Division is seriously short of money. But Li Hongzhang obviously did not understand his relationship with Empress Dowager Cixi, and only if the relationship was so close that he could not leave you, could he send birds.
For the strange superior-subordinate relationship, it is better to send real money and silver directly, otherwise you send birds, and people only do bird things for you, so the money has not been raised. However, the reason why Li Hongzhang dared to send birds in the play also shows that his intimate relationship with Cixi during this period was not ordinary.
Therefore, throughout the dialogue, it seems that Li Hongzhang does not care about major national affairs, but cares about a small parrot. In fact, he understood that if he wanted to solve the previous few big things, he had to do a good job of this small thing around him. When the parrot is raised, the empress dowager is happy, and when the empress dowager is happy, the silver thing can have a fall.
While caring for the empress dowager's parrot, Li Hongzhang also asked his subordinates the next sentence:
"Yuan Shikai ran back from North Korea, why did he disappear?"
Although Li Hongzhang "leisurely everything is leisurely, only the affairs of the empress dowager are great", he believes that the second biggest thing is Yuan Shikai.
From this, the opening of the whole play is opened, and the cover of the whole play is also responded to, the story of three men and a woman. Three men, Li Hongzhang, Yuan Shikai, and Sun Yat-sen, and one woman, Cixi.
The whole drama also revolves around these four people, from the construction of the Summer Palace by Cixi to the establishment of the Republic of China by Sun Yat-sen, and the whole drama has a theme, that is, to seek a way out for the sons and daughters of China!
My name is Yang Jiaofeng, look at "Towards the Republic" in another event, you will find different fun, like to pay attention to it!