Instalment 4 (1894)
Scene 1: At the Hanyang iron foundry
Solutions to the financial problems of the iron foundry have been found with the help of Sheng Xuanhuai. Zhang Zhidong’s voice can be heard stating that he will confer with great pleasure the supervision of the iron foundry to Sheng. However, Sheng will be still required to consult Zhang on important questions.
Scene 2: At Zhang Zhidong’s residence
Zhang Zhidong has organised a feast to show his gratitude to Sheng Xuanhuai, who arrives belated accompanied by the German expert Mr. Heinrich. Sheng has a lump of iron carried in and Heinrich explains that the iron produced by the iron foundry now meets with international standards. Zhang is elated and thanks everyone. At table, he states that Sheng deserves high praise and that he will thank Li Hongzhang, Sheng’s employer, at a later stage. Sheng, now, reports that Li asked him to tell Zhang that they (Li and Zhang) should send up a joint memorial to the Imperial Court. Li wishes to petition for the emperor’s consent to have the state employ iron produced in the iron foundry in future railroad construction projects. Zhang thinks this is an excellent idea and thereupon willingly donates one million Liang silver to the Beiyang Army in return for Li’s aid.
Scene 3: At the Palace
One sees a board for inscriptions which has been covered with cloth and hears the voice of the Guangxu emperor. He says that the name for the future Summer Palace which is under construction ought to be “Yiheyuan” in accordance with Cixi’s wishes. The Guangxu emperor remarks to Weng Tonghe that the problems caused by the Summer Palace will now finally come to an end and that he may now occupy himself with navy matters. But Weng contends that there are even more important matters such as the palace examinations for officials. The emperor agrees, but reminds Weng that the official head of examination appointed by Cixi is Xu Tong, and not Weng.
Zhang Jian, a scholar who will take part in the palace examinations, arrives at an inn and asks for a room. Since all rooms are taken, he is forced to share a room with Kang Youwei. Kang pierces his books with an awl and states that he will finish reading all the books he has pierced within the same night. This, he explains, is a habit of his. Zhang tells Kang that he has read one of Kang’s works (the Xin xue weijing kao on supposed forgery of the Confucian Classics) and would like to ask Kang some more questions. But Kang is not at all enthusiastic about this request and appears rather condescending.
The Hanlin scholar Xu Tong holds a generalising speech about the qualities of an able man. Weng Tonghe, though, adds that one has to exercise great caution when selecting able men since the quality of the government depends on good selection. Xu mentions that he heard that Kang Youwei is to take part in the official examinations. He hopes that Kang will be failed since he considers Kang a lunatic. Weng agrees with Xu and estimates that Kang is a man who is only in search of fame.
Kang reads until late at night even though he is exhausted.
All examiners are kneeling in front of a commemoration plate for Confucius and perform a kowtow (a ritual to inaugurate examinations). Then the doors to the examination hall are opened and the examination candidates enter, Kang Youwei and Zhang Jian among them.
A eunuch reports to the Chun Prince Yihuan that new financial problems for the construction of the Summer Palace have arisen. Wood is urgently needed to continue constructions, but there are no funds available. Yihuan replies that Weng Tonghe, the new Minister of Revenue, is in charge of such questions. However, the eunuch says that Weng is presently occupied with the palace examinations and has no time for such questions, which greatly annoys Yihuan.
The examinations are over. Xu Tong holds one of the examination papers in his hand and asks who has chosen this paper. He is convinced that it can only belong to Kang and that it therefore has to be destroyed. Then he takes up another examination paper and states that this is the best of all. The other examiners agree (probably in order to be agreeable to Xu who is head of the Hanlin Academy) and they state that the paper must be that of one of Xu’s pupils. However, Weng Tonghe does not agree with them and contends that another examination paper (Zhang Jian’s) is best (for he favours Zhang). A fight erupts between Xu and Weng. Xu wishes to present the matter to Cixi. One of the examiners scolds Weng for having insulted Cixi (since Xu has been specially appointed by Cixi). Weng, however, argues that in such important matters as palace examination it is necessary to be “fair”.
Zhang Jian is waiting nervously for the examination results and wonders why Kang is so composed. He offers to accompany Kang to the official board of announcements. But Kang is very sure of himself and declines the offer. Then the commissioners in charge of delivering the examination results of the three most successful candidates enter and report to Zhang that he has been chosen as the best candidate. Kang is more than disappointed, throws the books off the table and pushes the table over.
Cixi informs Weng Tonghe that Zhang Jian has already paid her a visit to thank her. She is very pleased with the choice and lauds Weng for having selected Zhang as the best examination candidate. Weng contends, however, that he had only come to apologise for having opposed Xu Tong. Cixi is not bothered since she believes that Xu’s pupil was not the best candidate. But she reprimands Weng for still wishing to discredit Li Hongzhang even though the sale of official titles has already been put to an end. She believes that Li does not have an easy stand. Moreover, she proposes to the Guangxu emperor that they should inspect the Beiyang Army together sometime. The Guangxu emperor is delighted by this prospect of travel and says that he had been planning to do so for a long time. Cixi, though, reacts rather hesitantly to this enthusiastic reply and pulls back saying that she has to think about how to “best organise” such a trip.
The eunuch Xiao Dezi is waiting for the Guangxu emperor who is on his way to spend the night with his favourite concubine. Xiao Dezi obstructs the emperor’s way and explains that Cixi wishes the emperor to spend the night with the empress since he has not done so for two months. The emperor is upset seeing that he cannot even decide whom to spend the night with. Ultimately, he declines to go to either and states that he will sleep where he is. Then one sees tears welling up in his eyes. (The emperor is thereby juxtaposed to the Tennô emperor who is very secure, decisive and self-convinced – a stark contrast.)
Cixi is taking her daily ritualised walk (999 steps after her meal) and grants an audience to the Chun Prince Yihuan. She commissions him, instead of the Guangxu emperor, to go and inspect the Beiyang Army. Initially, Yihuan makes attempts to discourage her from the idea claiming he would prefer to commit himself entirely to the construction of the Summer Palace. But he succumbs to Cixi’s orders. In addition, Cixi commissions her favourite eunuch Li Lianying to “take care” of Yihuan (i.e. keep an eye on him) during the trip.
Li Hongzhang has called Sheng Xuanhuai back after having been informed of the upcoming arrival of the Chun Prince Yihuan. But to his surprise, Sheng informs him that the Beiyang Army is involved in illegal contraband trade. Li is enraged and decides to personally go and check on the navy base at Weihai.
At night, a navy soldier reports to Ding Ruchang telling him that Li Hongzhang has sent a telegram informing him of his arrival at Weihai and his upcoming visit to Liugong island. Ding orders all commanders to thoroughly check their ships and to forbid soldiers to disembark the ships without permission.
During the night, some navy soldiers who have been partaking in illegal contraband trade have been arrested by order of Ding Ruchang. They are put on a ship, sent onto the open sea and abandoned there. During the arrest, one of the accused navy cadets, Xiao Zhujian, had resisted and was beaten unconscious.
Ding Ruchang commands a soldier to report to the Ministry of War that the “Chaoyong” was surprised by a thunderstorm while on patrol and has sunk. Seven navy soldiers, Xiao Zhujian among them, are reported to have died at sea. (They were in fact sent to death in order to dispose of any confidants of the contraband trade).
Huang Ruilan attempts to persuade his accountant to silence the defalcation of public funds and threatens him with the clear hint that he should “think of his children”. The accountant replies that he does not wish to incur the wrath of his superior. However, he believes that Huang is excessively corrupt and has even misappropriated money which was intended for the purchase of canons. He refuses to construe fraudulent financial statements because he cannot live with a bad conscience. Moreover, he adds that in the case of war, everything will be revealed anyhow. Since his accountant does not agree nor change his opinion on the subject matter, Huang has him deported and disposed of.
Three men throw the accountant, who is tied up in a sack and curses Huang, wishing him to die an evil death, into the sea.
Li Hongzhang is on an inspection of the military port of Lüshun and tells Sheng Xuanhuai about the port and other matters regarding it. Huang Ruilan wants to curry favour with Li and adds that it was Li who constructed all this. He more-over states that Li personally carried stones during the construction of the ammunition depot. Thereupon, Li wishes to see the ammunition depot. Huang tries to keep him from doing so, but fails. In the ammunition depot, Li asks Huang whether the ammunition could become wet. Huang assures him that everything has been stored there for the past six years without ever being dampened and Li appears contended. But on exiting the depot, Li notices that something seems suspicious and has one of his followers, Ma Sanjun, open one of the ammunition cases. Instead of canon balls the case is filled with stones! Huang immediately kneels down and begs Li for forgiveness.
Sheng Xuanhuai is checking the accounts and claims that Huang Ruilan deserves a death penalty for all the crimes he has committed. He then asks Li how he could know that the cases were filled with stones. Li replies that he was also deceived at first but then he realised that the cases were rather new and that they could therefore not have been there for five to six years. Sheng praises him and compares him to an omnipotent god. But Li replies that he is not a god, but simply a person in a high official position and he is therefore required to be very vigilant at all times.
Ding Ruchang is on his patrol when he sees that some of the navy soldiers are on their way to a brothel. Li Hongzhang has just arrived on Liugong Island and Ding is taking him for a visit. They run into drunken navy soldiers of the “Jiyuan” who have left the ship without permission. Their commander Fang Boqian has also gone to his “home” (he has set up a second home with two concubines at Weihai) without permission, so they have nothing to do. When Li arrives at the port, he angrily asks Ding why he did not issue a ban on illumination during night time to the “Dingyuan”, the flagship of the Beiyang Navy. (A ban on night time illumination is necessary to prevent potential ene-mies from locating the ships). Li then sends Ma Sanjun to embark the illuminated flagship. Ma is supposed to check what the crew is up to. Ma sees some soldiers gambling, and their commander Liu Buchang is smoking an Opium pipe. (It is thus of little surprise China would loose in the upcoming Sino-Japanese War).
Meanwhile, Ding tells Li that he had, in fact, issued the ban, but Liu Buchang failed to take the order. Two navy soldiers who are on patrol then inform Li that their commander Deng Shichang has locked himself in his cabin to study maps for potential future sea battles. When asked whether the soldiers of Deng’s “Zhiyuan” are allowed to leave the ship, they tell him that anyone who dare leave the ship would be sentenced to death. They go on to say that Deng is very strict and exemplary, and never leaves the ship without permission. Even when his family was haunted by a catastrophe, he remained on board. (Here, Deng is depicted very positively, which coincides with the Chinese textbook portrayal of his person. Deng is considered the ray of hope of the Beiyang fleet). Ma then reports to Li about what he witnessed on board the other ship and hands Li the opium pipe which he confiscated from Liu Buchang. When Li asks Ding if he knows anything about contraband trade, Ding admits to it. He tries to excuse it by saying that the navy soldiers were lured by the prospect of money. Li, who cannot believe it, just repeatedly utters: “You, You!” (meaning: it is your fault that they are lacking discipline; you are too lenient.)
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