C3402 Zuo Zongtang who was worried about money

The finances at the end of the Qing dynasty were so chaotic that it was outrageous!

The military spending that Zuo Zongtang had used to flatten Xinjiang was coming from an extremely chaotic source. Due to the previous conflict between the sea and land, it had almost become a political power within the imperial government.

However, most of the imperial court officials still supported Li Hongzhang's suggestion. It was not because they did not want Xinjiang, but rather, they wanted the limited financial resources to go to sea.

After all, how close was the coastline to the capital? British and French combined forces could even directly send a attack from the Da Gu Kou to the capital!

~ Ah, how far is Xinjiang? There are so many natural moats along the way, how is Yaqub able to fight his way to Beijing!

With the morals of those officials who had been waiting to die during the last years of the Qing Dynasty, they would not be in a hurry to destroy the east wall and repair the west wall. Since the hole in the sea defense was closer to them, they might as well block this hole first.

In the battle between Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang, he gradually fell into a disadvantageous position. The hot-tempered and stubborn Zuo Zongtang would not accept defeat, he wagered to the imperial government that he wanted to raise his own salary.

As long as you don't spend my money, you can do whatever you want!

However, the so-called self-financing military pay could not be disregarded by the imperial government. It was not shameful at all, and in the end, the Ministry of Revenue gave them two million taels of silver.

The rest was up to the provinces!

It was clear from how incompetent the Qing Dynasty was. In the end, even the basic financial control over the country fell, and the provincial rates gave the provinces a very large amount of independent authority over the finances.

Until this moment, the daoyin s of the various provinces were truly called border feudal officials!

All kinds of bad debts and bad debts come up one after another. In any case, your imperial government doesn't have the energy to check the accounts, and even your imperial government is tacitly accepting the corruption of the local bureaucracy.

Under the order of the rate, those who had a good relationship with Zuo Zongtang would be able to raise fifty to sixty percent. If the relationship was not good, then they would say that their province's water was uneven, even if they owed you, they wouldn't be able to do anything.

Until the year that Zai Chun returned to his hometown, Zuo Zongtang did an accounting, and discovered that he was owed a huge amount of twenty million silver!

There was no money in the government account department, only debts owed by the provinces. Zuo Zongtang had no choice but to borrow money, borrow money from the private capital of the Qing Dynasty, and borrow money from foreign merchants … He wanted to borrow money from the Chinese!

In the real history, Zuo Zongtang borrowed money to take back Xinjiang!

A dignified Great Qing like him actually forced his subjects to borrow money to fight a war. Even if he turned around and used the imperial taxes to pay his debt, this process would still have to be carried out by the imperial government!

Why did the Qing Dynasty perish? He himself had already decided that he would die in a country, and since the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, he knew that he would die sooner or later.

If you want to spend my Manchu's money, then you definitely can't, but if you want to borrow money to do business? Anyway, in the end, the Chinese will pay the tax, and that will not touch the meat in my Manchu's pot.

With such greed and selfishness, how could the imperial government not perish?!

In the dark night, under an oil lamp, the infamous Zuo Zongtang was lost in thought in his study in the Golden Region Grand Commander's Estate.

"Marshal …" "It's too dark, let's have one more lamp …"

A voice came from outside the study room, and soon after, a high-ranking officer dressed in commander's uniform walked in, holding a silver candlestick in his hand.

The three smokeless candles on the trident candlesticks of the Sea King flickered with flames, and as soon as the candlesticks entered the room, they lit up.

"Ah …" It was Yi Zhai! You haven't rested yet? "There's no need for it to be so bright. Save your military expenses …"

Yi Zhai was the famous Liu Jintang, the first patrolman of Xinjiang since the establishment of the province! Right now, he was just a newly promoted vanguard commander under Zuo Zongtang's command.

"Marshal, what are you saying? Although our military expenditures are tight, we don't lack the money from the candles …" "Besides, Marshal, you are the beacon to guide the way big boss. Your eyes are even more important than our lives!"

"Haha …" Are you here to make me happy? Directing the way with the lantern is the His Majesty, we are all subjects! "It's fine if I'm blind, but if I'm blind, I won't be angry anymore …"

Looking at the table full of surface words, Zuo Zongtang was so angry that he punched it with his fist!

"Xinjiang wants it, not spending money... He wanted everything to be good, all the beautiful things in the world belonged to the Manchu? Are we just tired to death? "

"Silent …" The marshal kept quiet … Be careful of the wall! " Liu Jintang hurriedly tried to persuade her.

"The wall has ears? Who was the one who reported his situation to the gods? He was the one who made the final decision! If you want to be under my watch, then you have to know who gave you this bowl of rice! "

"Look at the debt, it's all due …" It's as if this Xinjiang belongs to me, Zuo Zongtang, as if I would destroy the earth and become the emperor if I were to fight against it … "

"Oh my god …" Liu Jintang was so shocked that he immediately rushed over and covered the marshal's mouth.

"My god, don't talk about that. What if it gets out?" "Of course the imperial government wouldn't dare to do anything to us right now, but don't forget …"

"Our ancestors still have a future for us …" We still have to be buried in the Central Plains. We still have to be buried in our homeland! "

"Don't cause trouble for the people behind us! "Don't create trouble for future generations …"

These words stabbed at the marshal's weak spot, causing Zuo Zongtang to sit back down in his master's chair!

"Ai …" Home Country, Home Country... If not for the ancestral tombs … "Forget it, let's not talk about it anymore …"

This was a huge weakness of all the ambitious people in the late Qing. The Chinese people's thoughts on home and country were too numerous, and the thoughts of the monarch, his subjects, his father and his son were actually based on a set of ethical ideas.

What if they rebel against their ancestors and bring shame upon them? What about digging my ancestral grave and my grave after death? What if the future generation would not let Sun Youde get into trouble?

After thinking about it, he decided not to go back on his words. This way, the world would be at peace!

Liu Jintang poured a cup of tea for the Marshal and said, "Marshal, why are you worried about this bit of money? "If you really want money, someone will send it to you if you open your mouth!"

"Who?" Who would have such great ability? My military expenditures are ten million silver, who can make up for it? "

"There's someone here!" How did you forget that there's a God of Fortune riding a black tiger in Eastsea City? "

"Xiao Letian?" Zuo Zongtang glared at him and his body stiffened, as if he was about to fight. "You took Xiao Letian's silver? "How dare you!"

"No, please calm down marshal, there's absolutely none …" Liu Jintang was so scared that white hairs on the back of his neck started to sweat.

"Marshal, please calm down. I don't dare touch this silver …" Xiao Letian has become a power, all of Europe recognizes the Chinese as their nation, if I take his silver, the imperial government will eat me alive! "

"I'm just reminding the marshal that a caravan has arrived in the city recently …" Their leader was extremely close to Hu Xueyan, and they took Hu Xueyan's letter to find me, so I could introduce him to the great marshal … "

"Hu Xueyan said that there are a lot of things that you can discuss with the people in the caravan, anything …"