Chapter 80 Received new tasks during the eightieth period of keeping filial piety

A month later, the imperial decree came to Li's residence again.To Li Hongzhang's surprise, it was Wang Wenshao, Minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs, who delivered the decree!When Li Hongzhang, Li Hanzhang and several younger brothers greeted him out of the mansion, Wang Wenshao with a white beard hurriedly took a step forward and said in a low voice, "Shaoquan, there is an order. You should accept the order first. After receiving the order, we will Let's talk again." As soon as Wang Wenshao finished speaking, the accompanying officials shouted: "The imperial decree has arrived, Li Hongzhang accepts it!"

The Li brothers hurriedly knelt down, with Li Hongzhang kneeling in front and Li Hanzhang kneeling behind Li Hongzhang.The official sent the imperial decree to Wang Wenshao. Wang Wenshao opened the imperial decree, coughed, and read word by word: "The cabinet issued an edict: because Li Hongzhang was in Jijiang for a long time, he was troubled and responsible, so he should not leave abruptly. After repeating the edict, after wearing filial piety for a hundred days, that is, Returning to the acting position. I hereby reply to Chen Yuzhang according to the memorial. I plead to withdraw my order and grant a 10% discount for the opening of the vacancy. I am deeply saddened by Li Hongzhang's petition. Thinking about border affairs, relying on appointment and needing people is really a last resort. However, if Li Hongzhang is still ordered to serve as usual, his heart will eventually be uneasy, and it is not for this reason to show compassion. After wearing filial piety for a hundred days, he was stationed in Tianjin, supervised and led the battalions of his troops to train carefully, and acted as the minister of commercial affairs, and the governor of Zhili temporarily acted on behalf of Zhang Shusheng. Since the minister has been vacant and stayed in the camp, there is no way to avoid the golden revolution of Kui , nor go against the scriptures of rites. This is based on his sincerity and discretion, so as to achieve both loyalty and filial piety. There is no regret, and it should be forgiven by the world. The responsibility is heavy, and Miantu reported that Hongji was in a difficult situation, so he had high hopes. He also sent Wang Wenshao, Minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs, to Hefei to send a letter of consolation, so as to know my intentions, and please do not make further requests. This is yours.”

Under Li Hongzhang's repeated petitions, the imperial court had to allow him to open a vacancy for a bachelor and governor of Zhili, but still required him to wear filial piety for a hundred days before going to Tianjin to train troops and handle trade matters. After Li Hongzhang received the order, he first led Wang Wenshao and his party to the mother's coffin, and Wang Wenshao personally lit three incense sticks, then knelt down and kowtowed to the coffin, and then invited Wang Wenshao into the hall to sit down.Make tea and pour water, it's a treat. Wang Wenshao took Li Hongzhang's hand and said, "Shaoquan, you may not have thought that my brother would be able to make this trip to Anhui, right? Your brother has written a lot of papers and begs for the finalization, the Queen Mother is in a hurry! Shaoquan, you are not going to go to the mountain this time, I'm afraid it won't work."

Seeing Wang Wenshao's flickering words, Li Hongzhang couldn't help but asked in surprise: "Da Si Nong, what happened in Beijing?" Wang Wenshao said: "Nothing happened in the capital. It was the turmoil in North Korea that killed Li Zuying and other three or four ministers and injured two Japanese. The king of North Korea is now taking refuge in the countryside, and the princess is also He has escaped from the palace and disappeared. In North Korea, the abdicated king, that is, Li Shiying, the father of the current king, is in charge of the government and claims to be the prince of the country. The king of North Korea has sent three times to the prime minister's office to ask for help, please send troops to quell the chaos. The queen mother has summoned the princes and ministers three times Discuss this matter, but there is still no conclusion until today. Isn’t this a panic? Shaoquan, what is your idea? North Korea’s affairs, should we take care of it or not? Should we send troops? Japan has already sent troops to North Korea .”

Li Hongzhang stood up and took two steps habitually, but his mind was spinning rapidly about North Korea: "Da Sinoong, what did the princes and ministers in Beijing say? What's Prince Gong's idea?" Wang Wenshao shook his head and said: "Shaoquan, you will ask! If the princes and ministers can explain clearly, will the Queen Mother still let me go this way? I will tell you the truth today, Prince Gong is not there yet. After all, North Korea is very different from before. During the civil strife, the Japanese envoy there forced Li Shiying to conclude the Treaty of Incheon on the grounds that "Japanese businessmen suffered losses in doing business in the country". According to this treaty, Japan not only Let North Korea pay a large sum of money, and you can also send troops to North Korea to garrison. The reason is to protect the businessmen who do business in the country. Although North Korea is still a vassal state of our Qing Dynasty in name, it will be difficult for the Japanese to intervene. My brother, I advocate that we should send troops to calm down the chaos, arrest Li Shiying, and let the king return to power. But the other ministers disagree. Both Weng Tonghe and Li Hongzao think that sending troops to the past will easily arouse Japanese suspicion. Jingli Now we are arguing every day, and the quarrel has turned into a pot of porridge. The Queen Mother is in a dilemma. Shaoquan, tell the truth, North Korea is closely related to our country, and it is a vassal state, should we send troops there?"

Li Hongzhang Nianxu said: "Da Si Nong is right. If the imperial court does not send troops to quell the civil strife in North Korea, Japan will surely take advantage of the false plan, and North Korea will be difficult to stop. If Japan stationed heavy troops and a large number of warships in North Korea, our country's capital will be in danger. , the future troubles are bound to be endless." After finishing speaking, Li Hongzhang said to Li Hanzhang again: "Brother, please sit and talk with Da Sinong for a while, and let me go to the study to draw up a book for the Queen Mother."

Wang Wenshao said in surprise: "Shaoquan, you promised to take office in Tianjin?" Li Hongzhang replied calmly: "The ancients said: 'When the country is in trouble, everyone is responsible.' How about me, Li Shaoquan?" On the day of Li Hongzhang's death, he sent someone to Jinling again, and through the Nanyang Telegraph Bureau, he sent a telegram to Ding Ruchang, the admiral of the Beiyang Navy, asking him to send a military ship to the court to check the situation in advance, and sent an urgent telegram to the army of the admiral Wu Changqing. Under the leadership of Ma Jianzhong, they proceeded to quell the incident by boat.

Zuo Zongtang, governor of Liangjiang, saw the secret letter and telegram sent by Li Hongzhang, and couldn't help saying: "Shaoquan is rare! Shaoquan is rare!" He asked the telegraph office to send Li Hongzhang's telegram to Tianjin, and at the same time wrote to Li Hongzhang Said that for this dispatch of troops, the salaries and food will be jointly provided by the North and the South. On the second day after Li Hongzhang received Zuo Zongtang's letter, he accompanied Wang Wenshao and his party to Jinling to meet Zuo Zongtang, then went to Shanghai to investigate the movement of the Japanese consulate, and then returned to Tianjin.

Counting it, Li Hongzhang only wore filial piety for his mother for more than eighty days. When the Empress Dowager Cixi saw Li Hongzhang's excerpts, Wu Changqing and his translator Ma Jianzhong led the army to North Korea by boat, and Ding Ruchang sent two military ships to accompany him. Empress Dowager Cixi read through the scriptures, and immediately passed on Prince Gong.She waved Li Hongzhang's brochure, and said word by word: "Without Li Hongzhang, I really don't know how we would have lived in the Qing Dynasty! He only wore filial piety for more than 80 days, and when he heard about North Korea's affairs, he immediately began to make decisions. No, Before he and Wang Wenshao arrived in Tianjin, they had already dispatched troops and got busy. These veterans are still reliable!"

Prince Gong replied yes, but he knew in his heart that the Empress Dowager was beating him with words, and she was also taking the opportunity to vent her dissatisfaction with a group of princes and ministers in Beijing.What exactly did Li Hongzhang do to move the Empress Dowager Cixi so much? Li Hongzhang's excerpt reads: "Although the humble minister is in the thatch, he cherishes the monarchy, meditates on the current situation, worries and hesitates, and is not at ease. It is intended to call for a holiday and a proper funeral, but Jin Ge There is no avoidance, etiquette has clear instructions. At a time when there are troubles at home and abroad, North Korea is close to the east, and it is related to the overall situation. How dare you consider your own selfishness, delay and evade, and bear the burden of the sage's reliance...Ding Ruchang and Ma Jianzhong have been sent to lead the troops as appropriate The ship went to North Korea to investigate the situation, and planned to dispatch the admiral Wu Changqing to discuss the method of repression and mediation. The minister is in a remote village, and the situation is difficult to overcome. Since he heard the order, he hastened to deploy and set off on July 12. Leaving the river from Chaohu Lake, passing through Jinling, and discussing with Zuo Zongtang, governor of the two rivers, the payment of land and water soldiers, and the relief of the rear. Then he went to Shanghai to investigate the recent foreign situation, that is, sailed northward by ship. After arriving in Jinling, he continued to work in plain clothes as usual. I am exhausted and foolish, trying my best to secure Anyang, hoping to ease the situation a little bit. Once the burial is due, I will ask for rewards and leave to return to my hometown, so as to assist in great things."

Soon after Li Hongzhang arrived in Tianjin, Ma Jianzhong sent a courier letter from North Korea, claiming that the cause of the incident had been found out and that it was indeed the former king Li Shiying who conspired. The statement of some participants was attached to the letter. Li Hongzhang immediately asked Wu Changqing to arrest Li Shiying and a group of people, and sent them to China by military ship for questioning, so as to stabilize the overall situation in North Korea.purpose. After seeing Li Hongzhang's secret order, Wu Changqing arrested Li Shiying and other people overnight, and posted a notice to make the matter public, urging the current king to return to the palace as soon as possible to take charge.The king saw the notice, and soon returned to the palace.In a few days, the princess was also found by Wu Changqing's soldiers.The situation in North Korea soon stabilized. How to deal with North Korea in the future quickly became the central topic of discussion among the ruling and opposition parties of the Qing Dynasty.At this time, Zhang Peilun, the attendant of the Imperial Academy, used his brilliant pen to write "Please talk about martial arts to obey the Jingfan" for the court, and proposed: "The poor and widowed in Japan are in danger, and the land of Ryukyu has not returned for a long time. North Korea has caused Xiaoqiang , Disaster to the hotel, he lived in Ryukyu, so Zhijie League extorted fees, greedy. Today's matter is in the name of the two countries. The ministers of the North and the South, the navy, and the extensive construction of warships, Taiwan and Shandong are suitable for governance. Warships are stored at the corners of the north and south oceans. The governors along the coast quickly train the land and water armies in preparation for entering Japan." Zhezi also said: "China's handling of Western affairs is due to uncertainty in planning and lack of professionalism. North Korea is chaotic inside. The enemy is forcing us outside. Wu Changqing's army temporarily stays in the town and Fu, and it is almost an expedient strategy, not a long-term plan." Zhang Peilun then put forward his own six-point proposal on six items, including business administration, pre-military power, Japanese rescue agreement, purchase of division ships, Fengtian increase of troops, and Yongxing preparations.Suggestions: 1. When dealing with business and politics, you should be a senior member of the Jianpai. As the Minister of Commerce of North Korea, you should take care of its foreign affairs.2. North Korea is weak, and China should send teachers to teach it and buy foreign guns on its behalf.3. Riyue is greedy in extorting fees, especially cunning in garrisoning troops. He heard that he was suing for loans to Beiyang.There are many hidden dangers in the Japanese army stationed in the royal city, and Wu Changqing should conspire to suppress it.Fourth, the army protects the king's capital, not as good as the navy protects the seaport.The ministers of the Ministry of Ying and Order quickly allocated huge sums of money to build two or three fast boats first, and the generals selected by Beiyang were stationed in Incheon, which was more vivid.5. North Korea is becoming more and more troublesome, and the Liao defense should also be prepared.Please order General Shengjing to draw and train the bannermen, and bring them back to Song Qing to rule, and his troops are always full of ten thousand people to prepare for urgency.6. Yongxing Bay in North Korea is extremely cold and ice-free, and the Russians want to station ships there.Ying and Wu Dacheng made proper arrangements to fight for the key points. As soon as Zhang Peilun played this performance, he immediately understood the thoughts of the Empress Dowager Cixi. In addition, Zhang Peilun was handsome, articulate, and wrote dignified and neat small script.On the one hand, she asked the Military Aircraft Department to copy Zhang Peilun's eloquent book to the princes and ministers in Beijing, the ministers of the North and South, and the governors from all over the country for discussion. The left deputy of the courtyard is the censor.In a few days, Zhang Peilun went from a small official of the fifth rank to a senior official of the third rank, and became the backbone of the Qingliu political party headed by Li Hongzao and Weng Tonghe, which is impressive. For several days, Zhang Peilun was so happy that he forgot about the north and the south, talked about state affairs almost everyone he met, and handed out memorials to the court, as if he was the only one who cared about state affairs in the whole country. in the eyes. The Empress Dowager Cixi sighed in front of people more than once: "Finally, the ancestors have spirits. After Zeng Guofan, there was Li Hongzhang. Li Hongzhang was old, and Zhang Peilun came out again! It's really my Qing Dynasty!"