Chapter 134 As long as you open your mouth, I will give you a deputy minister of management
The Gengzi Incident in 1900 dealt a huge blow to the Qing Dynasty, which also triggered internal conflicts among the rulers.
The political situation was corrupt and the finances were in short supply. The rulers of the Qing Dynasty felt that the foundation of their rule had been shaken.
In addition, great powers such as Britain and France continued to exert pressure on the Qing court, requiring it to quickly change the current disorderly state and protect the interests of Britain and France.
The Westernization leaders Liu Kunyi, Zhang Zhidong, Yuan Shikai and others jointly submitted a memorial requesting the imperial court to implement the New Deal.
As the biggest obstacle to the Qing Dynasty's reforms, Empress Dowager Cixi had to accept the pressure.
Even the conservatives who supported her at the time demanded reforms, so Cixi had no choice.
On January 29, 1901, Empress Dowager Cixi issued an edict in the name of Emperor Guangxu, officially announcing the implementation of the New Deal.
The main content is basically similar to the reform a few years ago. How ironic this is.
At that time, Cixi was furious at obstructing the reform in every possible way, and did not hesitate to kill.
Now after being beaten up by foreigners, he has honestly taken the initiative to reform.
So for people like the old witch Cixi, you must not play tricks.
Either beat her until she is scared, or beat her until she dies.
Guangxu was too cowardly at that time. If he wanted to take charge of the government, he would just kill Cixi cruelly.
Now, after Cixi was forced to implement the New Deal, she still controlled the government, and Guangxu was still a puppet.
She ordered ministers above the governor level to conduct detailed discussions on issues such as state affairs, government administration and people's livelihood, school examinations, military system and finance.
On April 21, 1901, Cixi ordered the establishment of a Supervisory Government Affairs Office headed by Prince Yikuang of Qing (read [box]).
This is a specialized agency that plans and implements the New Deal, and is responsible for handling education, officialdom, government, finance, commerce, military affairs and other affairs.
Among them, Li Hongzhang, Ronglu, Kungang, Wang Wenshao, Lu Chuanlin, and Qu Hongji were appointed as supervising ministers of state affairs.
Appoint Liu Kunyi, Zhang Zhidong, and Yuan Shikai as participating ministers of state affairs.
These people are in charge of all New Deal matters.
The Supervisory Government Affairs Office also has two people promoted and several people from Zhang Jing.
Although the Supervisory Government Affairs Office has been established for more than a year, it is still a showpiece due to the unbearable efficiency of the Qing Dynasty.
And these big guys in charge of the New Deal did not dare to push forward rashly, for fear that one day Cixi would change her mind again, and she would really regret it.
However, no matter how bad things are, when the state machine is running, there are still some results.
Among them, in the field of education, the main tasks are to establish schools, send students abroad, and abolish the imperial examination.
On September 4, 1901, the Supervisory Government Affairs Office ordered that all provincial academies be converted into university halls, all prefectures and Zhili prefectures be converted into middle schools, and all counties be converted into primary schools, and many primary schools were established. .
In fact, it was the prototype of primary schools, middle schools, and universities in later generations.
On February 13, 1902, measures for promoting schools were announced.
On August 15, 1902, the "Imperial School Charter" was promulgated, forming a complete school system.
Cixi was afraid that New Deal education would affect people's thinking, so she appointed Zhang Baixi as Minister of Management and Education and asked him to formulate a charter that met her wishes.
This is the origin of the word "Qin Ding" in the "Qin Ding School Regulations", which was promulgated with the approval of the Empress Dowager Cixi.
The charter stipulates that the purpose of running the school is to "inspire loyalty, develop wisdom, and revitalize industry" and "correct trends and cultivate general talents."
The first word is the most important. Who do you love? Of course, they are loyal to the Qing Dynasty and Cixi. This is the foundation of the school.
I have to say that the old witch sees the problem very thoroughly and knows how to mix sand into the New Deal.
The "Imperial School Regulations" divides the educational age from low to high into the following stages:
Mongolian School (four years);
Ordinary Primary School (three years);
Higher elementary school (three years), parallel to which is the simple industrial school (similar to later technical schools);
Middle school (four years), parallel to which is the secondary industrial school;
Higher school or university preparatory course (three years), parallel to which is the higher industrial school;
Graduate school (three years);
Graduate school (unspecified number of years, similar to later graduate schools)< br>
The entire course lasts a total of 20 years.
It can be seen that the academic system proposed by Zhang Baixi is basically similar to that of later generations.
Of course, he also referred to the education systems of European and American countries at this time.
This academic system has several distinctive features.
First, it focuses on practical education. The content taught in it is basically so-called dry information and is very practical.
Second, there are strong traces of the imperial examination.
Because the Qing government stipulated that graduates of primary schools, middle schools, colleges, and universities should be given the titles of Fusheng, Gongsheng, Juren, and Jinshi respectively.
Therefore, in name, it communicates between the school and the imperial examination, but in fact, the imperial examination affects the school.
It was not until September 2, 1905, that the Qing Dynasty officially abolished the imperial examination, and the imperial examination was completely decoupled from school education.
At present, this "Charter" has not been implemented. In real history, it has not been implemented due to various reasons.
Maybe it was made for business and shown to the people above.
However, now that Li Qiwei is here, everything will be different.
That's right, the so-called secret decree Guangxu gave himself was actually a promise in advance to give himself the position of deputy minister of management.
As long as you are willing to assist the Qing Dynasty in implementing the New Deal after returning to China, you will allow yourself to participate in educational reform.
This is also the result of Guangxu's careful consideration.
In the New Deal, Li Qiwei did not even have to think about the oil and water departments with real power regarding the reform of the new army, diplomacy, official system, etc., and it was impossible for him to get his turn.
Furthermore, Guangxu believed that Li Qiwei was originally a scientist, so it was most appropriate to carry out educational reform.
Guangxu praised Li Qiwei profusely in his secret edict, and he felt as if he had met Li Qiwei too late.
Guangxu also mentioned that when he summoned the British minister, he said in public that Li Qiwei was a great scholar in the West.
This kind of character will be treated with courtesy and reused in any Western country.
Therefore, Guangxu thought that Li Qiwei was the person he was looking for.
This gave Li Qiwei a hint of conspiracy.
The British guys have nothing to do? He actually blew wind in Guangxu's ear, which was preparing to elevate him to a high position. Li Qiwei felt like a mirror in his mind. Even though Guangxu was known as the Qing Emperor, he was probably a person that all officials in the country were afraid to avoid.
The scene of beheading a few years ago is still vivid in my mind.
No one dares to get too close to Guangxu.
Now that Cixi has agreed to the reform and new policies, Guangxu feels that he is good again and his opportunity has come, so he seems impatient.
His idea is very good, that is, to try his best to insert people into the New Deal, cultivate his own power, and accumulate strength for the real pro-government.
However, at home, due to Cixi's power, few officials would sincerely assist Guangxu.
So, he looked outside the court and wanted to find special talents from the people.
And Li Qiwei was one of the talents he selected.
Young, with a clean background, proficient in Western objects, and also hugely famous.
Such a person made Guangxu feel very at ease, and he was not easily criticized in the court.
When the time comes, he will use some tricks and show his true feelings, and Li Qiwei will bow before he surrenders and die exhausted.
Therefore, when he gave Zhang Deyi a secret edict with a smile, he was impressed by his wisdom.
After Li Qiwei clarified the interests involved here, he felt enlightened and smiled softly.
He doesn’t care how many big guys are playing games, fighting for power and profit, and how many conspiracies are behind the New Deal.
He is not worried about the UK being obstructive, plotting something with bad intentions.
Everything must be based on strength.
This deputy minister of management meets Li Qiwei’s requirements very well.
Not only is he free from the power of the court and not envied by others, but it also allows him to promote education reform reasonably and legally.
It is simply a position tailor-made for myself.
Originally, he was worried that if he returned to China and started a university without authorization, he would be threatened by the Qing court.
Looking at it now, I thought too much.
As long as you are willing to contribute money and effort, the Qing Dynasty will not bother to care about you, as long as you do not openly promote certain ideas.
And he suspected that Zhang Baixi would be happy to be his deputy, and then he would be the boss.
After all, it is not easy to achieve results in the education field and it is not easy to get promoted.
Even if he did too well, he would make Cixi unhappy, and she would burst into tears.
In today's Qing Dynasty, there is only one sentence for being an official: lick Cixi well, everything else is empty.
Li Qiwei, who suddenly heard the good news, made a rare joke. He asked Zhang Deyi: "Ambassador Zhang, how big an official is this deputy minister of management and education?"
Zhang Deyi thought that Li Qiwei was moved and thought that the young man really couldn't hold his breath.
No matter how much knowledge you have about Western science, even if you can win the Nobel Prize in Physics, when it comes to being an official, you are still just a rudiment.
At the same time, he also lamented Guangxu's sophisticated methods, and took Li Qiwei as his own in a few words.
"Your Majesty is the true genius."
"Li Qiwei's knowledge of physics is just a small way of doing things. Your Majesty's methods and mind are the big way."
>After flattering the emperor in his mind, Zhang Deyi said with a smile: "Now that the New Deal has just been established, the position structure is very different from before."
"Many positions cannot be classified according to the previous levels. ”
"But the deputy minister of management and education has a low position and heavy weight. If you want to compare, I am afraid that he is at least a member of the imperial family."
"Nephew Qiwei, you must not underestimate this position."< br>
“At your current age, you are already blessed by the Emperor’s Holy Grace and have been promoted.”
Li Qiwei smiled falsely, understanding in his heart.
To put it bluntly, this New Deal is just the result of compromise between Cixi and many forces.
I'm afraid from top to bottom, not many people really care about what it can do.
It might be canceled someday.
Today, the orthodox decision-making bodies of the Qing Dynasty are still the Military Aircraft Department and the Cabinet, and the following administrative agencies are the Six Ministries.
Shang Shu, Shi Lang, Lang Zhong, Yuan Wai Lang, Chief Minister, Bi Tie Shi, these are the levels within a department.
In real history, the Qing Dynasty established the Academic Department in 1905 to take charge of school affairs across the country, with the same level as the Six Ministries.
There is one secretary of the academic department and two ministers on the left and right, who are responsible for managing the work of the academic department.
Under the academic department, there are 5 divisions and 12 departments.
The so-called minister of management is probably the official head of the Reform Department under the academic department.
Compared to other departments, it should be at the level of a doctor.
As a deputy minister, the deputy minister of management and education is naturally at the level of Yuanwailang.
The chiefs of each section are at the principal level.
Now, as long as Li Qiwei returns to the country, he can rise from a commoner to a fifth-grade Yuanwailang.
In Zhang Deyi's view, this is simply a step to the sky.
As for Li Qiwei's own British knighthood, it was naturally ignored by them.
All the rulers of the Qing Dynasty had an ostrich mentality.
Although you, Li Qiwei, are a British knight and we dare not touch you blatantly, we will never recognize you.
Li Qiwei smiled, he didn’t care about the size of his official position anyway.
He is now looking forward to life after returning to China.
When the time comes, let’s see how he stirs up the turmoil of the Qing Dynasty as a small deputy minister of management.
(End of this chapter)