Chapter 12 Section 12 Crazy Bet

Hu Linyi quickly bid farewell to Zeng Guofan, rode back to his camp on horseback, and arranged for the departure of the camp.Zuo Zongtang stayed in Zeng Guofan's big tent to rest overnight. Zeng Guofan sent a secret letter to Taqibu overnight, asking him to cooperate with Hu Linyi to fight together, and create a chance for Hu Linyi, who has just arrived, to make meritorious deeds.Taqib received the secret letter, and immediately sent his own soldiers to contact Hu Linyi, notifying the departure time, the meeting place of the two armies, and the marching route. Hu Linyi was overjoyed to receive the letter, and quickly pulled out the camp and set off according to the route designated by Tazibu.Tazib is an officer of the green battalion, not a regiment trainer, but also a full member. Why does he listen to Zeng Guofan so much?

Taqibu is a Manchurian inlaid yellow banner man, from the Tuoerjia family, whose style name is Zhiting. He is the most loyal man and quite brave in battle.At the beginning, he was promoted to the third-class guard by the firearms battalion guard.In the first year of Xianfeng (1851 A.D.), Taqibu went to Hunan Tibiao Zhongjun to serve as the commander of Zhengsipin and worked under Bao Qibao.During Zeng Guofan's group training in Changsha, he ignored Bao Qibao, but he looked at Tazibu with admiration for his bravery and bravery, and recommended him again and again. Team training. From then on, Zeng Guofan would always list Taqibu at the front of every performance to show his reliance.Bao Qibao knew that Zeng Guofan was digging at the foot of the Green Camp by doing this, but he dared not speak out.Bao Qibao suggested several times in front of governor Luo Bingzhang that Taqib should return to the green battalion system. Luo Bingzhang either tried to comfort him, or used words to prevaricate him, clearly not daring to provoke Zeng Guofan.In fact, just when Bao Qibao was full of anger, Zeng Guofan, who was very rich in the city, was planning to replace Tazibu in his heart, and was waiting for the opportunity.

Good news and bad news reached Changsha at the same time. The good news is that Taqibu led various armies to achieve a great victory in Tongcheng and regained Tongcheng; Army, easily regained Xiangtan. The bad news is that the navy led by Zeng Guofan was defeated by the Taiping Army in Jinggang, and Zeng Guofan himself was knocked into the water by the Taiping Army.In this battle, more than half of the warships of the Hunan Army Navy were lost, many battalion officers were killed in battle, thousands of brave soldiers died in battle, and their vitality was seriously injured. Taqibu happily returned to Changsha with Hu Linyi and went to the governor's office to see Luo Bingzhang that day.At the end of the ceremony, Taqi preached: "This time, we were able to recover Tongcheng very smoothly, thanks to Master Hu's Qian Yong's help. On the way back to the provincial capital, we went to Xiangtan in the middle, and it was Master Hu who offered a plan. This time, the great victory in Xiangtan, Hu Your lord is the master!"

Luo Bingzhang hurriedly said to Hu Linyi: "Observing the bravery, the headquarters has heard about it for a long time. The headquarters vaguely remembers that when Zhang Shiqing was making the stage, he had already played a tune to observe the bravery and aid Hubei. It has been a long time since I wanted to observe it. The current situation is getting worse and worse. The worse it gets, the fall of Hubei Province and Tong Province, and the corruption of Anhui Province, the responsibility of observation is very light." Hu Linyi said: "Zheng Dao has just arrived, and he has not yet seen the master of the army. It coincides with Taxietai leading the army to fight with Changmao, and Zhidao dare not stand by. If you want to talk about bravery, Taxietai is the real brave. Zhidao personally witnessed As you can see, there are no less than a hundred people in Taxietai alone! The career path is really eye-opening!"

Luo Bingzhang said happily: "This expedition not only recaptured Tongcheng according to the emperor's will, but also achieved a great victory in Xiangtan! This time, the headquarters and Mr. Zeng will be honored for all the contributors!" Luo Bingzhang then ordered his soldiers to go down and hold a banquet in the governor's yamen.That night, Luo Bingzhang sent Zuo Zongtang to the signing room to draft a memorial, notifying the emperor that the officers and soldiers had recaptured Tongcheng and the great victory of Xiangtan, and at the same time invited rewards for the contributors.Luo Bingzhang specifically mentioned that the first contribution this time was Hu Linyi, the former prefect of Liping, Guizhou, who was ordered to aid Hubei.

Zuo Zongtang took the order to leave, and quickly wrote an article to express Hu Linyi's contribution to the court. Zhezi wrote: "Luo Bingzhang and Zeng Guofan Yuta Qibu led the third battalion of their subordinates, the third battalion of Peng Yulin, and the second battalion of Yang Zaifu, and fought fiercely with the bandits outside Tongcheng. Hu Linyi led Qianyong 600 to this place, and immediately joined the battle bravely. Hu Linyi first sent his troops to outflank the bandits, and then launched an attack. This battle captured a lot of horses and food. Afterwards, Taqibu and other soldiers joined forces and chased the enemy for more than 20 miles before returning to the provincial capital. On the way, they learned that the regiment training navy division Jinggang had failed, and the bandits had broken through In Xiangtan, Hu Linyi negotiated with Taqibu and suggested that he should go straight to Xiangtan from the middle way and wipe out the bandits when they were caught off guard. Taqibu then contracted Hu Linyi and others to rush to Xiangtan and launched an attack. After a day of fierce fighting, the bandits were beheaded More than ten thousand bandits fled, and the city of Xiangtan was restored." After that, Zhezi showed Taqibu's bravery, and Peng Yulin and Yang Zaifu were killed in battle.Eloquent and eloquent, a total of more than five thousand words.

The draft of the memorial was handed over to Luo Bingzhang. Luo Bingzhang looked at it, and wrote the word "recording" with a pen.Almost at the same time, Zeng Guofan, the minister of regiment training, also offered a discount to the court. After reporting the great victory in Xiangtan, he also explained the reasons for the defeat in Jinggang.After folding, according to the usual practice, ask for punishment. Later, Zeng Guofan wrote two more folds.A piece of secret security taqibu "loyalty and bravery, can be a great responsibility", and a piece of performance "Liuhu Linyi Qianyong will suppress".

Zeng Guofan is known for his sophistication and his meticulousness and prudence.This time is no exception, self-incrimination and recommendation of talents are being carried out quietly.Except for himself, no one in Hunan official circles knows about it. Twenty-five days later, the imperial edict was promulgated, which said: "The cabinet issued an edict: According to Luo Bingzhang, Zeng Guofan, etc., the bandits were trapped in Xiangtan, and the officers and soldiers won by water and land. ...Taqibu, the deputy general, who was recommended by Zeng Guofan to fight against bandits in Chaling, has been rewarded with Hualing. Dao Hu Linyi, who was dispatched from Hubei by governors Zhang Liangji and Wu Wenrong, brought 600 brave men with him, and went from Guizhou to Hubei. On the day of his arrival in Tongcheng, he joined Taqibu to suppress bandits and overcome Tongcheng. According to the title of envoy, Hu Linyi and Taqibu first conquered bandits in Hunan, and the food and salary were temporarily allocated by the governor's office of Hunan. Peng Yulin, a sixth-rank military meritorate, It was written that the county magistrate should belong to the Ministry, and he would be elected when there was a vacancy. Yang Zaifu, the training camp officer and general manager of the regiment, wrote the garrison and kept it in the province for supplementary use, and rewarded him for flower feathers." The imperial decree then wrote: "According to Zeng Guofan's request for a severe punishment, it is indeed a crime. The blame is due. Gu Nian Xiangtan won the victory, and Shui Yong made great efforts. He was exempted from punishment by Jia En and was dismissed immediately. He did not lead the troops out of the province, and reported military affairs repeatedly, only the ranks. The admiral has the responsibility of commanding the officers and soldiers of the whole province. It seems that this company is incompetent. That is to say, Taqibu will act as the interim agent. Hereby."

It can be seen from the imperial decree that Emperor Xianfeng agreed to Zeng Guofan's request to keep Hu Linyi, and the goal of replacing Bao Qibao with Taqibu was also achieved.Whether in the battlefield or in the officialdom, Zeng Guofan won a big victory, which is a real double happiness. After receiving the order, Bao Qi got up angrily, and reluctantly congratulated Tazibu beside him.Tazibulian said: "Congratulations! Congratulations!" Hearing these harsh words, Bao Qibao couldn't help but said: "Ta Zongzhen was able to protect the admiral's seal as the commander-in-chief. This is certainly a joy, but the official was dismissed for no reason. Is this also a joy?"

Taqibu was taken aback for a moment, knowing that he had said something taboo on the spur of the moment, so he hurriedly said: "My lord misunderstood and dismissed me, my lord misunderstood my dismissal." Bao Qibao said angrily: "I don't know which tortoise bastard is behind the maggots, saying that this official is 'only able to play the title', and also said that 'the company is incompetent'. Master Futai can testify here, how can this official Didn't Futai plan a campaign in advance?" After Bao Qibao finished speaking, he gave Zuo Zongtang a vicious look.

As soon as Luo Bingzhang heard the voice, he guessed that Bao Qibao had misunderstood Zuo Zongtang, and suspected that Zuo Zongtang was behind the scenes, so he smoothed things over and said, "Don't talk angry about the military gate. The military gate is dismissed right now, but the entry After Beijing, maybe the emperor will be happy one day, and send a general to the military gate!" After Luo Bingzhang finished speaking, he turned his head and said to Xu Youren, the chief envoy of Hunan who was sitting there, "Xu Fantai, Hu Jietai's six hundred Qianyongs can't go hungry." Xu Youren smiled and said: "Futai, please rest assured, even if my green battalion in Hunan does not pay, Si Litou Gongdi can't starve the guest army!" Hu Linyi said repeatedly to Xu Youren, "There is Mr. Lao!" Zeng Guofan said at this time: "Xu Fantai, the navy's camp at Jinggang was defeated, and most of the ships were lost. It is up to you to find a way to get back together!" Xu Youren said in embarrassment: "Master Zeng, the amount of money to reorganize the naval battalion is not a small amount! You always know the family background in Hunan!" Zeng Guofan sat there stroking his beard for a long time, then suddenly said with a sneer: "It seems that the matter of reorganizing the naval battalion has to be discussed in the long run." If you want to go to the naval camp to have a look, I won't accompany you." After speaking, he walked out of the official hall. Looking at Zeng Guofan's back, Xu Youren spread his hands and said to Luo Bingzhang: "Look at Zeng Disheng's temper! Jinggang was defeated, and he was justified! It seems that it was not Chang Mao who made him lose, but Si Li! It’s different from the land battalion, it’s a ship and a cannon, not to mention the waste of time, how much money is needed to fill it in!” Zuo Zongtang pushed the tea bowl and said: "Master Fantai, what you said is wrong! It is a strategy set by the imperial court to train sailors, and it is not Zeng Disheng's whim. How can you become a strong team without long-term practice? It does not cost money. How can silver be used to make boats? If there is a boat, there must be a cannon. Everyone in the world knows this truth, so why can’t adults understand it?” Xu Youren sneered and said: "Master Zuo, you put it lightly! Do you know how much money Zeng Disheng needs to reorganize the navy this time? A whole one million taels! I gave him all the money, and the salary of the green camp What about the food? What about Hu Jiesi’s salary? Do he still need to eat the 20,000 taels he once prepared and trained? Even if the official pays 500,000 taels from the treasury to the navy battalion, what about the remaining 500,000 taels? manage?" Luo Bingzhang interjected at this moment: "Xu Fangbo, can Curry spend half a million taels of silver for the navy battalion now?" Xu Youren sighed and said, "Sili is speaking out of anger. Doesn't Futai know about the situation in Curry? Let alone 500,000 taels, even 300,000 taels, you can't get it together all at once!" Zuo Zongtang stroked his beard and sneered, "No one would believe that a majestic provincial treasury would not be able to collect three hundred thousand taels of silver. If you can't even get out three hundred thousand taels of silver, isn't this treasury the same as having nothing?" ?” Xu Youren raised his voice and said, "Master Zuo, you don't have to provoke me. I am in charge of a province's money and food, and I know better than you whether you can get 300,000 taels of silver in the treasury! Now I want to ask Master Zuo a question." : If Curry collected 500,000 taels of silver for the naval battalion, where will the remaining 500,000 taels come from? Why don’t you take it out of your own pocket?” Zuo Zongtang stared wide-eyed, stood up suddenly and said, "Xu Fangbo, I, Zuo Zongtang, want to make this bet with you today! Tell me, can you come up with the fifty dollars for the navy camp?" Ten thousand taels of silver?" Xu Youren was taken aback, and asked: "Master Zuo, what do you mean by asking this? How about taking it out? So what if you can't take it out?" Zuo Zongtang said word by word: "If you can take out 500,000 taels, I, Zuo Zongtang, will raise the remaining 500,000 taels!" Xu Youren was a little embarrassed for a moment.He looked at Luo Bingzhang, spread his hands and said, "Look, Futai, the master you invited has lost his temper while talking! We are just chatting a few gossips, not discussing any major matters! Besides, The navy battalion has been completely defeated, and it is not something that can be done in a short time if you want to recover." Luo Bingzhang waved his hand at Zuo Zongtang and said, "Jigao, sit down and talk quickly, Fang Bo has difficulties with Fang Bo!" Zuo Zongtang sat down slowly, and said with a smile: "My third son Zuo has lived in Hunan for forty-two years. I dare not say that I know exactly which gentry has money and which country gentry has no money, but I also know A general idea. I knew that Xu Fangbo would not dare to bet with me." After speaking, he deliberately stroked his beard and laughed. Xu Youren became annoyed, he slapped the table with his hand, and said with a sneer: "Okay, Mr. Zuo, since you have talked about this matter today, I can't do it if I don't want to bet with you! I want to bet with you today." Bet this time! We have a limit of one month, and when the time limit comes, what will you do if you can’t raise half a million taels of silver?" Zuo Zongtang stared at him and said: "Master Futai is a witness, and the time limit is one month. If the deadline is up, I, the third son on the left, cannot hand over 500,000 taels of silver to the navy camp, and I will get out of the governor's office." Don't step into the officialdom again! How about it?" Xu Youren asked, "What if the imperial court orders you to come to Beijing to introduce you?" Zuo Zongtang said in a loud voice: "Zuo Jigao will never obey the edict! No matter how the superior asks for the crime, I will take it!" Xu Youren hit the case and said, "Okay! We've made a deal!" But Zuo Zongtang said: "Xu Fangbo, what if you can't come up with the money when the time limit comes? You must have an explanation, right? Otherwise, what are we betting on?" Xu Youren was stunned for a moment, and said in a deep voice: "Master Zuo asked a good question! If I don't keep my promise when the time limit comes, I will be willing to take off the hat on my head and let you do it! How about it?" Zuo Zongtang laughed and said: "Your Excellency can tell jokes. A provincial domain is an official of the Emperor's family, not your Master Xu's own. You can give it to whoever you want? The Emperor must agree, right? You, as long as If I don’t break the contract, I’ll be content. There are no jokes in the army, you Master Xu, you can’t just go back on your word!” Luo Bingzhang was both angry and funny, and said again and again: "You two! Why is this necessary?"