allonlinenovel Chapter 260: The Governor's Gamble in the Court
Chapter 260: The Governor's Gamble in the Court
The next morning, Liu Ye leisurely arrived at the court. The civil and military officials flanking him were all surprised. Hadn't he already resigned? Why was he attending court again? And, what? He was actually wearing a second-rank official's official hat and court robes!
Could it be that the rumor really came true and he really became the governor!
Prince Chun Yihuan, standing by, was furious. It had only been a few days, only five or six days since he'd been beaten, and this brat had transformed himself. Not only had he not been punished, he'd actually become a second-rank governor. Needless to say, the imperial edict appointing him as governor of Shandong had already been issued! But, damn, his brothers were still being held in the Imperial Clan Court, including the clan leader Renshou!
"Liu Ye, you!"
Yihuan's face turned pale and he pointed at Liu Ye, so angry that he was speechless!
Liu Ye smiled and replied, "Prince Chun, it's been a long time since we last met. Have you recovered from your injuries? I'm so sorry. I was a little too harsh last time. I'm really sorry..."
Yihuan was so angry that he almost fainted. He jumped forward and was about to attack again!
The people on both sides were startled. Wen Xiang, who was standing by, quickly grabbed Yi Huan and said urgently, "Your Highness, please calm down. The court is about to start. Don't ask for trouble!"
Yihuan still refused to give up. Just as Wenxiang was getting anxious, the door curtain was lifted and Prince Gong walked in from outside. He shouted, "What are you doing? The court is about to start, and you haven't formed your ranks yet? What are you arguing about?"
Yihuan stopped angrily when he saw his sixth brother come in.
Liu Ye, who was standing by, quickly bowed and said, "Your Highness, Liu Ye pays his respects to Your Highness!"
Prince Gong rolled his eyes at Liu Ye, snorted coldly, and replied, "Fortunately, I wasn't pissed off to death by you, Liu Ye. You're quite capable. Even I can't enter your house. The threshold is really high, hehe!"
Liu Ye smiled awkwardly and was about to answer when the eunuch in charge of ceremonies came out and called out in a shrill voice, "My Lords, the Emperor has arrived!"
Upon hearing this, everyone quickly formed into two teams and walked into the Qianqing Palace.
Cixi and Ci'an sat behind the curtain, while the young Emperor Tongzhi sat uneasily on the dragon throne. Only his head could be seen above the tall dragon desk.
Ci'an said, "Prince Gong, what's the situation with Li Taiguo now?"
Prince Gong quickly stepped forward and replied, "Your Majesty, this matter involves relations with foreigners, and even more so, Western firearms and iron ships. I am ignorant and do not understand much about this. Therefore, I recommend that Prime Minister and Shandong Governor Liu Ye be given full responsibility for this matter."
Ci'an nodded and called out, "Liu Ye!"
Liu Ye quickly stood up and replied, "Queen Dowager, I am here!"
"What do you say about Li Taiguo?"
Liu Ye replied, "Your Majesty, there is no doubt that Li Guoguo is taking advantage of us because none of us understand the cost of warships, and we are even more so because we don't know how much the Western soldiers are paid. That's why he's asking for an exorbitant price, trying to get the most out of them all at once. Five million taels of silver, with an annual budget of one and a half million taels, is ridiculously high. If we sign the agreement, we will lose everything. This is undoubtedly a losing proposition!"
"Anything else?"
"Also, Li Taiguo asked us to appoint him or a retired British officer he recruited as the fleet admiral, responsible for the management and combat command of the entire fleet. All warships must be controlled by the British, and Chinese are not allowed to board the ships. This is even more outrageous. We bought the fleet, so naturally the fleet is ours. We have the final say on who to appoint as the fleet admiral, and the British have no room to interfere. Also, if we buy such a fleet, we can only use it to deal with pirates and the Taiping Army in the south. If we want to defend the sea borders, it is still far from enough. How can we possibly be a match for the British and French fleets if we are only trying to search for small and medium-sized warships? Then what's the point of building such a fleet? It's very simple. It's not only to deal with the Taiping rebels, but the most important thing is to rely on these warships to train a group of well-trained naval officers! These talents are the most precious. They won't let our people get on board, so what's the point of buying them? It's better not to buy them!"
Liu Ye's words made some knowledgeable ministers nearby nod their heads. That was true, but it was not enough to just make sense. The most important thing was how to deal with it!
Prince Chun, standing by, said angrily, "Liu Ye, is that all you can say? I know that Li Taiguo is trying to take advantage of the court, but how do we solve this problem? This is the key. Do you have a solution? If you do, tell us. If you don't, take off that second-rank official hat and get out of the court!"
"Seventh Brother, shut up!"
Prince Gong shouted angrily, saying that at this critical juncture, there was no room for error. If the plan was ruined by the fool, the Seventh Prince, it would be a huge loss!
Liu Ye laughed and said, "Prince Chun, this matter may seem very difficult to others, but for me, it's just a piece of cake. All I need is a piece of paper three fingers wide, and the problem is solved. You are the only one who is at a loss, haha."
"you!"
Prince Chun's face turned pale and he pointed at Liu Ye, but in front of the two Empress Dowagers and his sixth brother, he didn't dare to raise his hand again, otherwise he would be tortured by those censors!
Cixi's eyes lit up behind the beaded curtain and she asked, "Liu Ye, what do you have in mind? Tell me."
Liu Ye smiled and said, "It's very simple, Queen Mother. Please allow me to send invitations to the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Austria and other countries in the name of the Zongli Yamen. Simply say that we are going to form a fleet and need a total of two large warships, four medium warships, and eight small warships. The ministers of each country can submit procurement plans on behalf of their respective countries, and we will cooperate on the best one!"
Yihuan, standing by, sneered, "What a joke! We only want to buy seven warships, and they've already asked for five million taels. Now you're asking for fourteen at once. Wouldn't that more than double the price? Our treasury can't even afford one million taels of silver!"
Liu Ye sneered and said, "Prince Chun, if I can get this done within three million taels, what do you say?"
Yihuan said disdainfully, "Three million taels, you can accomplish this? Are you kidding me? I'm afraid you can't even take those eight small warships."
Liu Ye held up a finger and said, "First, three million taels to purchase at least ten warships of varying sizes, fully equipped with artillery and ammunition. Second, we must have all nations provide free training for our naval fleet. Third, all naval personnel must not interfere with fleet management or operational command! If any of these three things can't be accomplished, then I lose, how about that?"