Chapter 14 What should I do if the suggestion in Section 14 is rejected?

Zeng Guofan began to order the whole army to prepare for moving to Qimen. On the day Li Hongzhang received the order, he secretly took out the map of the whole territory of Anhui Province drawn by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and looked at it carefully.Li Hongzhang couldn't help but turn pale with shock when he saw it.He found that Qimen was surrounded by mountains on two sides, water on one side, and a road on only one side.Li Hongzhang didn't know what kind of considerations Emperor Xianfeng wanted to temporarily set up the Yamen of the Governor of Liangjiang here.He took out the Anhui map of the Qing Dynasty and compared it with the map drawn by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and only then did he find out the reason.It turns out that Qimen, marked on the Anhui map of the Qing Dynasty, is only surrounded by water on one side, and it does not specify the mountains on both sides.Li Hongzhang didn't know which was right and which was wrong, so he didn't dare to express his opinion easily.

Zeng Guofan pulled out his camp and marched towards Qimen.On the day he arrived at Qimen, Li Hongzhang hurriedly took two copywriters with him, and made a survey of Qimen's topography, so it must be that the map of the Qing Dynasty was wrong. Li Hongzhang didn't dare to delay, and rushed to Daying to see Zeng Guofan: "Men, my disciple just took someone to survey the terrain of Qimen, so I was in a hurry to speak to my teacher." Zeng Guofan hurriedly asked: "Shaoquan, did you find something wrong? Please tell me!" Li Hongzhang pointed to the map in front of Zeng Guofan and said: "According to the map, Qimen is surrounded by water on one side and has roads on three sides, which leads to open land. In fact, this is not the case. The disciples rode around Qimen for a long time and found that there is only one side of Qimen. Surrounded by water is good, but there are mountains on both sides, and there is only one road for pedestrians to enter and exit. The imperial court plans to build the supervisory office in Qimen, so it is really a map!"

Zeng Guofan was taken aback, and couldn't help asking himself: "How could such a big fallacy be possible? Shaoquan, you can walk with me in the afternoon!" Li Hongzhang was a little unhappy, but he agreed very readily.After returning from surveying the terrain, Zeng Guofan remained silent for a long time. Li Hongzhang said anxiously: "Master, seeing the court making mistakes, you should make a quick decision. Qimen is a taboo for military strategists. If something happens, there is no way out!" Zeng Guofan frowned and asked: "Shaoquan, in your opinion, where is the most appropriate place to build the camp?" Li Hongzhang replied confidently: "My teacher is generous, and my disciples boldly think that if the camp is stationed in Dongliu, it will be a safe solution. Dongliu has a wide area, you can attack when you advance, and you can defend when you retreat."

Zeng Guofan said slowly: "It is not entirely wrong that the imperial court ordered the camp to be built in Qimen. Qimen is close to Tunxi, and Tunxi is the throat of Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces. What's more, the camp is built in Qimen. It is an expedient measure, once Jiangning is reinstated, it will naturally be moved there. Moreover, Changmao's vitality has been greatly weakened after internal strife, and it is still difficult for them to save themselves. Can they still send troops to attack my Qimen? Shaoquan, I see you are worrying too much!" Li Hongzhang said anxiously: "My teacher, Rong Rong, the so-called bereaved dogs can also hurt people. Their long hair is fierce and stubborn, and they are always deceitful. We must take precautions in advance! My teacher is an important minister of the court and the commander of the Hunan Army. We must not be negligent in guarding against it." !"

Zeng Guofan stopped talking, and silently picked up the teacup.Li Hongzhang had no choice but to get up and leave.But he was not reconciled, and before leaving the door, he said: "I beg my teacher to think twice." Zeng Guofan is like a clay sculpture, motionless.Li Hongzhang secretly sent Zhang Sheng back to his home in the countryside that night.Three days later, Zhang Sheng returned and brought a letter to Li Hongzhang's family.Li Hongzhang came to see Zeng Guofan with a letter, and cried: "My mother is seriously ill, and my disciple has to come to say goodbye to his mentor!"

Zeng Guofan was taken aback for a moment, and then said: "Is there any reason why the headquarters does not let go of such a big matter? When you see Master Lingtang, don't forget to greet her on my behalf. Send a message to the food desk and withdraw all the salary that Li Jianhua has stored in the account. " Li Hongzhang hurriedly said: "Men, let me tell you that the salary of my camp is very tight, and the teacher's salary has not been mentioned, and the disciples dare not take a cent. If the disciples really need it, it is not too late to come to the grain platform to get it. The disciples are here Farewell, wait for my mother to rest, and the disciples will come to the tent to serve again."

Li Hongzhang knelt down on both knees, and then said: "Student is planning for the safety of my teacher, I implore my teacher again to leave Qimen as soon as possible, and move east as soon as possible!" Zeng Guofan helped Li Hongzhang up, without saying yes or no, he just said lightly: "Shaoquan, the road is not very calm, you have to be careful!" Li Hongzhang left Qimen with Zhang Sheng that day.In fact, Li's mother was not sick. This was just an excuse Li Hongzhang came up with to leave here in a grand manner.As for not receiving the salary before leaving, it was a retreat reserved by Li Hongzhang for himself.

This time Li Hongzhang was right again. Less than ten days after he left Qimen, the Taiping army broke through several lines of defense in four directions and surrounded Qimen.At that time, the Qimen camp had only about 2,000 people in the personal battalion and civil and military entourage. When the news of the Taiping Army approaching Qimen came, not only the staff were overshadowed by the news, even Zeng Guofan, who had always been calm, was stunned!He flew Zeng Guoquan and Bao Chao, who were fighting in Anhui, back to help.The two armies of Zeng Guoquan and Bao Chao were blocked by heavy troops of the Taiping Army on their way back to aid.

The sky over Qimen was cloudy, the people fled one after another, and the morale of the army was in turmoil.Zeng Guofan was busy arranging funeral affairs while making a public announcement to comfort the people. He already smelled the breath of death.Fortunately, Bao Chao's Ting army arrived at Qimen half a day earlier than the Taiping army, so Zeng Guofan survived. Zeng Guofan had to admire Li Hongzhang's keenness and foresight.Zeng Guofan felt an irresistible force from Li Hongzhang in advocating the donation.This force can make the Hunan Army stronger in a short period of time, and become an irreplaceable and important military department of the Qing Dynasty.

Soon, Zeng Guofan moved eastward.On the day he arrived in Dongliu, Zeng Guofan sent a letter to Li Hongzhangfei, who was serving his mother, and asked him to recruit the fifth battalion on the spot for deployment.Zeng Guofan didn't want to wrong his protégé anymore.Li Hongzhang could not help but burst into tears after seeing the official committee.This was the most precious gift Li Hongzhang received in his life. Obviously, not only did Zeng Guofan not blame Li Hongzhang for leaving Qimen to save his life, but he paid more attention to him. In Zeng Guofan's view, there was nothing wrong with Li Hongzhang leaving Qimen.What's more, before he left, he repeatedly advised him that he didn't listen to the advice.Li Hongzhang quickly recruited courageously in the countryside.Li Hongzhang imitated the battalion system of the Hunan Army. Each battalion had a quota of 500 people, and the battalion officials selected reliable people to serve.

In three months, Li Hongzhang successively recruited five battalions of Huaiyong. The battalion officers were led by Zhang Shusheng, his younger brother Zhang Shuzha, Junjun Xiucai, and Li Hongzhang's two younger brothers Hezhang and Yunzhang respectively. . Li Hongzhang recruited five battalions under Fuji's eyes and was not restrained by him. This made Fuji furious; a piece of paper was secretly sent from the governor's office in Anhui to the capital. Fuji decided to give Zeng Guofan, the commander of the Hunan Army, a pair of blindfolds to wear, and Fuji forbade people from the Hunan clan to come to Anhui to recruit bravery.It is a pity that Fuji's booklet was still on the way to the Rehe Palace, and the commander of the Hunan Army, Zeng Guofan, was awarded the title of Governor of Liangjiang and Imperial Commissioner by the court; two days later, Anqing was defeated by the Hunan Army, and the court rewarded Zeng Guofan The prince seldom protects the title. On the day Fuji’s booklet was handed over to the palace, Zeng Guofan also received an edict: “Imperial Envoy Zeng Guofan, Governor of Liangjiang, governs the three provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, and Jiangxi, and the military affairs of the entire province of Zhejiang. All officials below the governor of the four provinces are under the control of the province. .” In August, Emperor Xianfeng died of illness in the Rehe palace, and all participation, awards, promotions, and demotions in the Qing Dynasty were stopped.The ginseng that Fuji handed in turned into a piece of waste paper, and he almost broke his gut with regret. Soon, Xianfeng's son Zaichun, who was only six years old, inherited the Datong, ascended the throne as emperor, and his reign name was Qixiang.The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom seized the favorable opportunity of the transition from the old to the new in the Qing Dynasty, mobilized heavy troops to rush to Shanghai, and even broke through the counties of Songjiang and Taicang.Shanghai fell into heavy siege by the Taiping Army. At that time, most of the Hunan Army was gathering around Jiangning, the Chu Army led by Zuo Zongtang was fighting in Zhejiang, and a few Hunan Army were in Anhui and Jiangxi. Zeng Guofan didn't expect the Taiping Army to make such a move at all, and Xue Huan, the governor of Jiangsu, had already turned around with his head covered, not knowing how to deal with the sudden situation. Li Hongzhang led five battalions of Huaiyong at this time, and rushed to Anqing to report to Zeng Guofan.Li Hongzhang's army had just set up camp outside the city, and Qian Dingming, the head of the household department and the assistant of the Shanghai regiment, also came to Anqing by ship.When Qian Dingming arrived, Li Hongzhang was in the Governor's Yamen in Anqing City, telling Zeng Guofan about the process of forming an army. After Qian Dingming stepped into the signing room, he first saluted Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang, and then took out the joint title request letter from Shanghai officials and gentry from his bosom, raised his hands, and said in a mournful voice: "Song, Tai has been killed." The long hair is broken, and Shanghai is in danger. At this time of life and death, Shanghai Dao and ten thousand gentry jointly petitioned the military commander to send troops to help as soon as possible. Shanghai is now in panic, officials and people have fled. We have to come to Anqing." Zeng Guofan hurriedly helped Qian Dingming up, and asked, "Where is Xue Zhongcheng's foreign gun team? Isn't the foreign gun team very good at fighting?" Qian Dingming wiped his tears and said: "Your Excellency, the foreign gun team can fight, but the number is too small after all. The ancients said that a good tiger is not worth a pack of wolves, and the foreign gun team can't care about Taicang after looking at Suzhou. Taicang can't protect Songjiang." "Where's the Fubiao Army?" "The Fubiao Army has already been beaten badly by Changmao. It's too late for Xue Zhongcheng to recruit bravery to supplement it!" "Master Qian, you are exhausted all the way, go down to the dining room to have dinner first. We will slowly discuss the matter of sending troops to rescue Shanghai. Come and send Master Qian to the dining room for dinner." Qian Dingming was led out.Li Hongzhang said at this time: "Master, why didn't you ask about the situation of Pang Zhonglu, the minister of regiment training in Jiangsu?" Zeng Guofan replied with a wry smile: "Pang Zhonglu's regiment training has less than a thousand people left, not to mention suppressing thieves, he can't even protect himself. Cough! I have heard about Xue Huan for a long time. He relies on the help of foreigners. The power, guarding Shanghai, does not think about advancing and suppressing, but only buys treasures and toys every day to enrich his pockets. Since he was ordered to conduct trade, he has accepted bribes and made many dignitaries in Beijing and China. Military affairs are no longer in the same city, and official administration is not done. One thing. These things that Xue Huan did have been rumored in the capital, and the Queen Mother has ordered me to investigate them carefully. Is there still a need to investigate? Jiangsu has been ruined by Xue Huan in the past few years. Shaoquan, what do you think about Jiangsu’s affairs? , where should we start?" Li Hongzhang thought for a while and replied: "Returning to my teacher, my disciples think that Jiangsu is the center of gravity of the two rivers, and Jiangning is the royal weaving place. Jiangsu's textile industry has been very developed since ancient times. Shanghai is a place where foreign merchants gather. Lijin is abundant. Now that Jiangning is occupied by Changmao, Shanghai must never fall into the enemy's hands. Just now, my disciple thought, even if Mr. Qian does not come to Anqing, the mentor should have a thorough consideration of Shanghai." After listening to Li Hongzhang's words, Zeng Guofan did not answer, but suddenly asked: "Shaoquan, you have already become a teacher, what are your plans for the future?" Li Hongzhang was taken aback for a moment, but quickly calmed down, and replied: "Returning to the teacher, the disciple is to practice courage for the teacher, and the group training of the disciple is at the disposal of the teacher." Zeng Guofan stood up and said: "Let's go, you are tired after talking for half a day, follow me out of the city to your camp to have a look." Li Hongzhang stood up happily, busy to help his mentor. On the same day, Zeng Guofan allocated all the equipment, food and salaries to Li Hongzhang's camp.Li Hongzhang asked the committee members to register one by one.But Zeng Guofan no longer raised the matter of aiding Shanghai.Although Qian Dingming was burning with anxiety, there was nothing he could do.In Anqing, Li Hongzhang could only follow Zeng Guofan's instructions and step up his training every day.