Chapter 56 Section 56 Zeng Guofan's face-to-face lecture opportunity

After the incident of Tianjin religion, seven countries, including Britain, the United States, and France, jointly lodged a protest to the Prime Minister’s Office of the Qing Dynasty, and mobilized a large number of warships from various countries to Tianjin and Yantai. .The entire Qing Dynasty panicked. The imperial court issued three decrees on ten days to Baoding, and dispatched Zeng Guofan, the governor of Zhili, a university scholar, to Tianjin to handle the case with Chonghou.Zeng Guofan didn't dare to be negligent, and rushed to Tianjin. When he arrived, he saw a large army and foreign ships gathered. He was worried that China and France would go to war, and hoped to settle the case as soon as possible. Compensation for France 460,000 taels of silver.

Zeng Guofan's actions were not only condemned by the people of the country, but also ungrateful by the French. During the internal and external criticism, he was exhausted physically and mentally, and his old illness relapsed, so he had to ask the court to ask for leave to recuperate. case. Empress Dowager Cixi urgently sent Prince Gong into the palace to discuss the matter.After a careful argument between the uncle and sister-in-law, the topic gradually focused on Li Hongzhang, who was supervising military affairs in Shaanxi. Empress Dowager Cixi said: "Zeng Guofan has been scolded for us this time. It seems that he can't stay in Zhili any longer."

Prince Gong sighed: "The queen mother is right, Zeng Guofan has been exhausted for the past few years, he should take a rest." The Empress Dowager Cixi said again: "Zhili is extraordinary. It is located in the capital, an important area of ​​Jifu, and has a great relationship. It is not comparable to ordinary governors. You must choose a reliable and willing person. Who do you think will do it? How about Li Hongzhang?" Huh? I remember that not long after he arrived in Shanghai, he encountered Bai Qiwen’s dispute over wages. Not only did he withstand the pressure of foreigners, but he also did a good job. Let him take over the teaching case in Tianjin and share some of the slander for Zeng Guofan. Besides, foreign soldiers gather in Tianjin, so we have to take precautions."

Prince Gong replied: "What the queen mother said is very true. After I go down, I will ask the Military Aircraft Department to urgently draft an order for Li Hongzhang, asking him to lead troops to Beijing and Tianjin to prevent foreigners from changing." The Empress Dowager Cixi thought for a while and said, "Governor of Huguang, please let Li Hanzhang go. He is honest and kind, and he has been with Zeng Guofan for many years. Let the Military Aircraft Department draft an order." Just as Prince Gong came down from the palace, Jiang Ning handed in another special discount for the 800-mile fast ride.

The Empress Dowager Cixi was shocked when she saw it, and hurriedly sent Prince Gong in again. She handed the booklet to Prince Gong and said, "It's really strange. Ma Xinyi is fine, why was he stabbed to death? It seems that this Zeng Guofan can't rest still, he has to go to Jiangning. The case of Ma Xinyi is also strange, let Zhang Zhiwan go to Jiangning to investigate the case first. It is related to the assassination of the governor, so we can't be hasty!" The imperial decree to send Zeng Guofan back to the post of governor of Liangjiang and Li Hongzhang to make up the governor of Zhili was quickly handed out by the capital.Li Hongzhang had just arrived in Xi'an for seven days at this time, and had not yet met with Zuo Zongtang, governor of Shaanxi and Gansu.The imperial decree ordered Li Hongzhang to lead the army to set off quickly without delay, and go to Tianjin to handle the case first.

After receiving the order, Li Hongzhang breathed a sigh of relief. On the one hand, he issued an order to accompany the battalions to return to Beijing and Tianjin overnight. Only two days after receiving the order, Li Hongzhang left Xi'an with only a farewell letter for Zuo Zongtang, acting extremely quickly.On the way to Tianjin, Li Hongzhang wrote in a letter to Yang Linan: "China does not rush to strengthen its military and military skills. People are flustered when things happen one after another, and they just whitewash them afterward. In June of this year, Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang, master and apprentice, finally met in Tianjin, where many foreign ships gathered.Looking at the emaciated Zeng Guofan lying on the bed, Li Hongzhang burst into tears, knelt down in front of his teacher's bed, choked up and said: "Men, my disciple is late, which makes you tired all the time!"

Zeng Guofan stretched out his trembling right hand, pointed to a chair next to him and said, "Shaoquan, you are finally here! Get up and sit down, the old man wants to talk to you." Li Hongzhang got up with grief, moved a chair and sat in front of the bed, and said, "Teacher, please take a breath and speak slowly. Before the disciple came, he asked Yusheng to invite two foreign doctors in Shanghai. It is estimated that it will take a few days It will arrive in a day." Zeng Guofan nodded, and said slowly: "Shaoquan, the Tianjin case started in a hurry, and I still dream about it. Tianjin's atmosphere is strong, there are many people who are righteous, and the local officials and French consul Feng Daye mishandled it. They rose up and hurt many people in Britain, the United States, and Russia. The great powers only talked about war, and they used swords and guns when they disagreed. This has never been the case since Daoguang Gengzi. Now the peace is hard-won, and it is time to work hard. Don't show off your momentary courage and start a provocation.

"Before you came, the old man had played the Ming sage and dismissed the officials of the Taoist, prefecture, and county in Tianjin and handed them over to the Criminal Ministry for questioning. The French minister Luo Shuya had heard about the situation and had quarreled with the old man three times. The old man has categorically rejected him, and it is impossible to accept. Foreigners are treacherous by nature, and they can make an inch of it; when things happen, they specialize in strength and weakness, regardless of right and wrong. The ocean is in full swing. If you are prepared, a peace negotiation may be made. Shaoquan, before you came, the old man had secretly dispatched Zhang Qiu's 9,000 men from the Hunan Army to garrison the Cangzhou area in case of accidents. Do you have any troops to deploy? Tell me."

Li Hongzhang replied: "The teacher's theory is very true, and he also agrees with the disciple. On the day the disciple received the order, he ordered Zhang Shusheng and Pan Dingxin's battalions to advance to Zhili, and Ding Richang led soldiers from Hunan and Huaihe in Jiangsu to come by boat bravely. This is not for war, but for foreigners to see, and hope that the peace talks will be successful." Zeng Guofan nodded and said: "Shaoquan, you are right. Remember, you must never open up the army on your own, thinking it is the way to protect the people; always equip it, thinking it is the foundation of the country. The two cannot be neglected."

Li Hongzhang said: "What the teacher said is that after the students go down, they will go to meet those foreigners. The teacher can only rest here to recuperate, and the students will come to report the progress at any time." Zeng Guofan said with a smile: "Shaoquan, seeing you here, I feel at ease. Although I am sick, I can still support you when I hand over the seal. You don't have the Zhili seal in your hands. It is inevitable that things will not go smoothly, and it will also make foreigners suspicious. What's more, the seal of the Governor of the Two Rivers is false, and the case of Ma Gushan must be investigated as soon as possible. It is better for the old man to go to Jinling to recuperate."

Li Hongzhang hurriedly said: "Men, let me tell you that my disciples think that the imperial court has ordered Jiangning General Kuiyu to temporarily protect the superintendent seal, and the case of Ma Gushan, and Zhang Zhiwan, Minister of the Ministry of Punishments, went to Jiangning to investigate and deal with it. Even if my teacher delays his appointment for two months It's not too late! Besides, Ding Richang is rushing here with two foreign doctors." Zeng Guofan said: "Shaoquan, you have been with the old man for a long time, and you should know what the old man thinks. The old man is eager to leave Tianjin, so that you can handle this case freely. You have dealt with foreigners for a long time, and you are well versed in the case. What's more, since the Hunan Army was dismissed, the Huai Army under your command has become a powerful force in our Qing Dynasty. Foreigners must be fearful when negotiating with you, and they should not ask for unlimited, peace talks can be achieved. The old man arrives Wouldn't it be better for Jinling to recuperate?" Li Hongzhang said with tears: "The teacher said so, the disciple dare not disobey, the disciple is just worried about your old body!" Zeng Guofan said decisively: "Shaoquan, please arrange it, and we will hand over the seal in the afternoon." After lunch, after a short rest, Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang held a handover ceremony at Governor Xingyuan. French Minister Luo Shuya, together with British Minister Witoma, Russian Minister Buce, and American Minister William Williams, came to the governor's residence aggressively and asked for a meeting with Zeng Guofan three times, but were blocked by soldiers outside the door. Witoma and others yelled again and went to the Yamen of the Minister of Commerce and Industry to find Chonghou's reasoning, but they were told that Master Chong had gone to Beijing to report the case to the Prime Minister's Yamen the day before, and that Zeng Zhongtang and Li Jue, who had just arrived in Zhili, The relative is handing over at Xingyuan. Luo Shuya and the others suddenly realized. The British Minister Wade said: "No wonder the number of troops in Beijing and Tianjin has been increased these days. It turns out that Li Hongzhang has come! Li Hongzhang's Huai army is not easy to mess with. Li Hongzhang came to Zhili as the governor, and our affairs are a little tricky. This People have guts." The others were silent and dispersed, and decided to negotiate with Li Hongzhang tomorrow. After handing in the seal, Zeng Guofan seemed to have unloaded a big burden from his shoulders, and his spirit suddenly improved. He packed his luggage in a hurry, called Li Hongzhang into the secret room, and said, "Shaoquan, although there are only ten prefectures, twelve prefectures, and more than one hundred counties in Zhili, it is simple and important. It is close to Jifu. You have the responsibility of defending the capital, which is beyond the reach of other governors. You are the leader of the governors from all over the world. The imperial court let you come here, first because it is optimistic about your Huai army, and second because it is optimistic about you. You can take this opportunity to show off Skills, do a few things for the country in a real way, so that foreign countries are afraid of my country's strength and dare not speak out. "The old man is getting old, there are not many days left, and there are not many things to do. You and I are saying goodbye this year, and the old man may be dead at this time next year. If there is more, the old man will not talk about it. It's just half manpower and half God's will." After hearing this, Li Hongzhang was heartbroken, and said in a low voice, "My mentor's words have been kept in my heart. But there is one sentence that my disciples have always wanted to ask you, Mr. Yu, about choosing young children to study abroad. Is it feasible or not?" Zeng Guofan said: "This matter has not been forgotten by the old man, and it has been mentioned to Williams, Wade and others. It is generally feasible, but it is not suitable to mention it now. After the Tianjin case is over, the old man will definitely find an opportunity to play, but you and I need to cooperate. It’s only effective when you play.” Zeng Guofan set off to leave Tianjin on the same day, and Li Hongzhang personally sent him to the city gate to say goodbye with tears. On the day Zeng Guofan left Tianjin, a large-scale war broke out between France and the Kingdom of Prussia, known as the Franco-Prussian War in history.The French government was struggling to deal with it, and quietly transferred some of the warships anchored in Tianjin and Yantai overnight to the country. The Prime Minister’s Yamen of the Qing Dynasty had no information and did not know anything about France, so Li Hongzhang naturally had no way of knowing.He basically ended the case according to the plan drawn up by Zeng Guofan.