Dominate the Country

"Crackle, crackle..." Early in the morning, the deafening sound of firecrackers rang out in Nanjing City, one after another. It also pulled Chen Ming out of his sleep.

He looked at the sky outside and it was already bright. Looking at Li Xiaomei lying in his arms again, Chen Ming carefully pulled out his arm. Li Xiaomei didn't wake up. The battle last night was too intense. There was hot water prepared next to the bedroom. She jumped into the big wooden barrel and soaked for a quarter of an hour, and then jumped out quickly.

Taking a shower in the morning is generally not a Chinese habit, but taking a shower in the morning does help to promote more vigorous blood circulation, and the feeling of cleanliness itself can adjust the mood and make the spirit more full. Chen Ming didn't have the conditions and time in his previous life, but now he has it. Everything is prepared by the subordinates. If Chen Ming is willing, he only needs to lie in the water, rub his back, shoulders and body, and there will be beautiful women lining up to do it for him.

Chen Ming returned to Nanjing five days ago. He led the Guards Brigade from Tianjin to Caofeidian, and then the Guards Brigade left two regiments to defend Caofeidian, which was also a point to balance the Qing army in Beitang. They could attack Beitang from the side and threaten Junliangcheng from the side and rear. The others followed Chen Ming back to Nanjing.

Now five days have passed, and the New Year atmosphere in Nanjing is getting stronger and stronger.

A simple breakfast was placed in front of Chen Ming, along with a thick stack of newspapers, with the "Zhongyuan Daily" on top.

Chen Han moved the capital, and the "Zhongyuan Daily" also moved. Chen Han did not start a new national newspaper from scratch. In Nanjing, a place that cannot be called the Central Plains, the "Zhongyuan Daily" continued its career as the first official mouthpiece.

The opening headline was nothing else, but the recent noisy and well-known issue of the separation of the military cooperative. The "big split" has finally arrived.

Chen Ming's eyes swept across the square character, and there was no expression on his face, because he had expected this scene at the beginning of the establishment of the military cooperative. Just thinking about the news from the National Security Bureau, the quarrels at the conference are really sad.

Of course, this does not mean that the comradeship between soldiers is as fragile as paper in the face of personal economic interests. It can only be said that after several years of losses, the soldiers' patience has reached its limit. So when the autumn harvest season ended, a trend was set off, and then it was unstoppable to break the dam called "comradeship".

Brothers, let's settle accounts clearly.

The matter was a big deal, but fortunately when Chen Ming fought in Beijing and Tianjin, and Qianlong died, continuous heavy news grabbed the headlines, so it didn't make the front page of major newspapers. Otherwise, the image of soldiers would be more or less hit.

From the initial quarrel to the final tearing war. The branches in each province stated the facts and presented evidence. When all the contradictions broke out completely, the result waiting for the military cooperative could only be separation. From a behemoth covering half of China to an independent economy limited by provinces, ordinary people may only see the glittering money in the revelations in the newspapers, but in the eyes of another group of big businessmen, it is a headache. This range also includes those foreigners!

For the revelations in the newspapers, the latter pay more attention to it than the local Chinese businessmen, because it is an important data to estimate the Chinese economy and income level.

In addition to the "Zhongyuan Daily", there are more than a dozen other newspapers in Chen Ming's hands, all kinds of types, and even two are tabloids related to football and horse racing. The latter has rough paper and poor printing quality, and the price is cheaper to one copper cent. Copper cents are a new small metal currency added by the Fu Han Army. The Fu Han Army cancelled the silver cents and changed them to copper corners. One copper corner is one silver cent, ten copper corners are equal to one silver corner, and ten copper cents are equal to one copper corner.

Although Chen Ming was very happy to see that football and horse racing had taken root in Nanjing in just over a year, and was also happy to see the development of the newspaper industry, he was very clear about the harm of tabloids and had urged the government to introduce a "Press Law" to have corresponding rules and regulations for newspapers and newspapers. This era does not need any "freedom of the press"!

Chen Ming seemed to have developed a very bad habit of reading newspapers while eating in the morning. But he really didn't have time to leisurely read newspapers after dinner. Riding in a carriage, with dozens of guards on both sides, it took only a few minutes to get from the Prince's Mansion to the Grand Governor's Mansion.

"Your Highness, Britain, France, Prussia, and Austria have all forwarded requests to formally establish consulates."

"What did my father say?"

"The king said it was too early, so it would be better to wait for another year."

Chen Ming had just sat down in the Grand Governor's Mansion when Wang Huizu came in with a thick stack of documents, and it was clear that he had countless things to report. In fact, as the chief historian who stayed behind in the Grand Commandery after Chen Ming went to war, the most important thing in Wang Huizu's eyes was Chen Hui's health. He showed up so early today because he had just received a secret report half an hour ago.

"Did my father faint? Or was he in Concubine Wan's bed?" Chen Ming's face was very interesting.

"Your Highness, the news is absolutely true."

"But what about the letter from my mother?"

"It's not the Queen Mother, it's Zhao Erxi's line. I have sent someone to contact the Queen Mother." No matter how well-mannered Wang Huizu was, he couldn't help but smile at this time.

Chen Ming's feelings at this time were very complicated. On the one hand, that was what, but on the other hand, he wanted Chen Hui to occupy the position in good health. Otherwise, when it was his turn to sit on the throne, how could he easily lead the troops to fight?

The temptation of imperial power was beyond doubt, but the battlefield was also Chen Ming's favorite. How refreshing it would be to lead thousands of troops and roam the world?

The masts and oars were destroyed, and the enemy chieftain fled in panic.

Counting the age in the previous life and the time of this moment, Chen Ming was only in his thirties. How much less tempting was war to men than the imperial power in his pocket?

Compared with the founding emperor, there was nothing wrong with being a 'Tang Taizong'.

But he had to admit that if Chen Hui's health was really bad, Chen Ming's own position would become more and more solid. Moreover, he felt pity for Chen Hui. Chen Ming himself didn't know when the relationship between Chen Hui and Gao had reached the point of treating each other with respect. How could Chen Hui not be pitiful when being treated like this by his own wife and 'children'?

This is the saying that there is no father and son in the royal family.

"What about Chen Gang?"

"Mr. Chen is more closely connected with Peng Zhongrui. However, the opposition between the two and the new Confucianism is becoming more and more acute." Wang Huizu was once so worried about Chen Gang's identity. As a result, this old man of the Chen family cut off his own future and refused to mix with the promising 'new Confucianism', although the latter might not take him to play together. Shen Guozhen was Chen Ming's diehard; but he insisted on standing in the pit of the old Confucianism with Peng Zhongrui, and it was inevitable that he would be buried by the times bit by bit.

After Wang Huizu stepped down, Chen Ming sat in his seat for a long time. In the end, all the complicated emotions in his heart turned into a long exhalation...

Everything was normal on this day. Chen Ming spent half a day in the Grand Governor's Mansion. In the afternoon, he went to Chengjun Public School. His baby son is already four years old, and it will be time for him to enter school in two years. Chen Ming is very concerned about this first aristocratic school in China. Of course, he also wants to relax.

The school is a "paradise", and there is no shortage of fighting inside, but compared to the outside, it is as gentle as a young girl in love. Besides, the current Chengjun Public School is just an elementary school.

As soon as he entered the school, Chen Ming heard the laughter of the children. The current Chengjun Public School only has three grades, and the third grade and above are still empty.

There are quite a few foreign teachers in Chengjun Public School. While they are teaching students foreign languages, they are also learning Chinese with all their strength, because the four-level Chinese test A, B, C, and D can bring them extra salary bonuses for each level passed. These teachers have a strong desire to learn Chinese.

Of course, the playground is the place where you can feel the joy of children the most. The first grade class three is taking physical education class on the big playground.

Chen Ming can see a few familiar faces, such as Chen Jiqing's son, Sulu Hou's grandson, and Chen Gang's son.

As an aristocratic school, morality, intelligence, physical education, art and labor are the basic positioning of the teaching purpose. If a nerd is born in Chengjun Public School, it is a shame for the school. Compared with the traditional knowledge imparting, the status of nature and sports seems to be more prominent. The former broadens the students' horizons, and the latter exercises the students' physique and will.

Listening to the children's laughter can really make people dispel their inner troubles. It's just that Chen Han now has only one Chengjun Public School. In local counties, many public schools in counties are not fully staffed, and even if there are teachers, few students go to study. In the eyes of many people, the most valuable Jinshi subject in the imperial examination still relies on the "Four Books and Five Classics"!

Chen Ming is not in a hurry. This matter needs to change little by little. Moreover, the number of qualified "teachers" in their hands is also worrying. Although all provinces have established normal colleges, it is too early to wait for qualified students to graduate from school.

Just as Chen Ming, who was in a light-hearted state, was wandering in Chengjun Public School, at the same time, in a street shop outside Xiaguan Wharf.

Two young people of young age sat opposite each other. There were only two ordinary dishes, one cold and one hot, on the table, and a bowl of rice for each person. There was a teapot and two water cups on the side.

"Shen Yuan, do you really want to work in Sichuan? The current situation there is still unclear. Although the First Division is unstoppable, it has to take Yunnan into consideration. If the war is unpredictable, it will be a public official like you who will suffer."

Huang Dingyou felt that his classmate was too rash. Even if his family had difficulties, he should not have gone to Sichuan easily. If he went to Sichuan and couldn't stick to it, and gave up halfway, it would be like having a great stain on his body, and it would be difficult for him to get ahead again.

Shen Yuan is not yet 18 years old. He put down his chopsticks with a bitter look on his face. If there is no other way, why would he be willing to take the risk to go to Sichuan? But his father died of illness in the first half of the year, and the family's belongings were sold out to buy medicine for his father's medical treatment. And his mother is bedridden because of grief, and his younger brothers and sisters are not very old. If he, as the eldest son, cannot take up the responsibility of the family, he will be unworthy of being a son.

"Dingyou, my family is really struggling. My mother is weak, and there are still two younger brothers and sisters. As the eldest son, I must support this family." Working in Sichuan is dangerous, but the salary is also generous, and the inclusion conditions are also low.

"The salary of civil servants in war-zone provinces is one level higher than that of other places. The salary of government-dispatched work teams, such as mobile courts, is one level higher than that of civil servants in the city. With subsidies and allowances, I can get 15 silver dollars a month, which not only covers the food expenses of my family, but also allows me to save some money. When the family's economy improves in a few months, I will want the land instead of the salary. After a few years of hard work, my Shen family will be able to stand up again."

Shen Yuan calculated for his classmates the material subsidies he could get in addition to the silver dollars a month. Including two pairs of shoes, 20 kilograms of rice, 5 kilograms of oil, 2 kilograms of sugar, 10 kilograms of fruit, 5 feet of cloth, 5 kilograms of eggs or 5 fish, all together, it can be worth more than one silver dollar! The oil, rice, eggs, fruit, candy, etc., are just right for his mother, brother and sister-in-law to replenish their bodies.

For small families, these in-kind subsidies can be taken back home to supplement the household expenses, leaving a lot of money for the family every month!

"But I heard that before you go to the countryside, you have to study in a political and legal college for a few months!?"

"That's right. Our group of people all study in Wuhan. During the study period, we eat and live in the school every day, and we have one day off every ten days. The treatment remains unchanged." Shen Yuan felt very relieved when he said this. But Huang Dingyou chuckled, "You kid really has money in your eyes. The food and accommodation treatment in the school is indeed first-class, but the system is strict, and everything is based on military discipline. You have to get up at six o'clock every morning to run exercises and run three laps around the school grounds. Then there is morning reading. At seven o'clock, all teachers and students in the school have lunch on time. Classes are on time at eight o'clock."

Why did Huang Dingyou know so much? That's because one of his cousins ​​was admitted to the Political College, and he didn't go to the central campus in Lushan, but was assigned to the branch in Wuhan.

"The books I learn every day are not classics. The court now advocates miscellaneous studies, and the teaching of the Political College is based on this, saying that it expands students' knowledge and broadens their horizons. I haven't heard anyone mention law, but I think it is inevitable to read those thick books, as well as simulated teaching and classroom practice." Huang Dingyou said these words not to show off his "wide knowledge", but to remind Shen Yuan.

When he heard Huang Dingyou talking about the course, Shen Yuan's expression was bitter enough to drip water. Chen Han's rules and regulations do not mean that everything will be fine once you sign up and enter the school. The monthly exams during the three to six months of study period are a hurdle. If you can't leave the school after six months, you can only be demoted or expelled.

Of course, although Shen Yuan's face was bitter, he was full of firm confidence in his heart. He didn't want to be expelled, and he wouldn't be expelled! He wouldn't be kicked out of school directly and filled in various agencies under the jurisdiction of the local government, doing a real bottom-level grassroots with no future.

…

In the Han Palace.

Chen Hui, who was only wearing a middle-aged dress, endured the fishy smell and drank the deer blood in the jade bowl. As a treasure since ancient times, the taste of deer blood is only a trivial aspect. What is important is its efficacy. There are no red deer in the south, only sika deer. In order to ensure the supply of deer blood for Chen Hui to drink, a deer park has been built outside Nanjing.

"Cough cough cough..." Chen Hui coughed and wiped the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief. His face was a little hesitant, but soon the illness that "coughed" again made him close his eyes and finally made up his mind: "Pass the order, I am not in good health, and the New Year's Day sacrifice, let the prince sacrifice to the ancestors on my behalf."

"Cough cough cough..." Just after a few words, an unbearable itch rose from his throat, and Chen Hui coughed violently again.