Chapter 59 The fifty-ninth section is promoted to a second-rank officer

It was only after Zeng Guofan entered Beijing that he found out that there had been further negotiations with the barbarians in Guangzhou, to an even greater extent than before. As we all know, because of the ban on opium that year, the Qing Dynasty produced Lin Zexu, an anti-smoking expert. Lin Zexu, courtesy name Shaomu, was a native of Houguan in Fujian Province. He was a Jinshi in the 16th year of Jiaqing, and he was transferred to the Imperial Academy as a Shujishi.In the eleventh year of Daoguang, he was promoted to the governor of Donghe River, in the twelfth year, he was transferred to the governor of Jiangsu, and in the seventeenth year, he was appointed the governor of Huguang.At that time, the opium trafficked by the barbarians had flooded the country. Emperor Daoguang held several meetings of the imperial king and ministers to discuss countermeasures, and sent inquiries to the governors of various provinces.On the issue of prohibition and release, Emperor Daoguang hesitated.Later, when he finally made up his mind to ban smoking, Lin Zexu was appointed as an imperial envoy to Guangzhou to manage the smoking ban.Unexpectedly, this ban on smoking actually led to a war.

Several countries fought against the Qing Dynasty, and the most vicious one at that time was England.This anti-smoking campaign made Lin Zexu famous all over the world, and his future was ruined.Lin Zexu succeeded in banning smoking and also failed in banning smoking.Therefore, Westernization was the most troublesome thing in the last years of Daoguang.People at the time said that among those who did foreign affairs, few of them ended well. Guangzhou and Hong Kong are separated by water, and both belong to Guangdong and Guangxi.In an Opium War, the Qing Dynasty lost money and dismissed Lin Zexu, which finally calmed the anger in Yingjili's chest.The able member Qi Shan was strongly recommended by Mu Zhang'a and Lin Zexu was missing. After arriving in Guangzhou, he made three tricks and lost another Hong Kong. The people of the country were enraged, and Emperor Daoguang was also scolded.

In order to calm the anger of the people, Emperor Daoguang had no choice but to dismiss Qi Shan again.After Qishan was dismissed, Qiying, a university scholar and imperial envoy, succeeded Qishan in Guangdong.Qiying was able to go to Guangdong to take charge of the government, but also thanks to Mu Zhang'a's recommendation.Mu Zhang Ali recommended Qiying because Qiying was most afraid of foreigners.Mu Zhongtang firmly believed that as long as Qi Zhongtang was willing to go to Guangdong to meet foreigners, there would never be a war in Guangdong.In the memorial, Mu Zhongtang said that Qi Zhongtang was "accustomed to negotiating with foreigners, and he was an extremely rare and capable person in the Qing Dynasty to engage in diplomacy. The minister guarantees with the head of the item that Guangdong cannot be stable unless Qi Zhongtang is in charge."

In order to allow Qiying to sit in Guangdong, Mu Zhang'a risked his life. In fact, even if Mu Zhang'a didn't risk his life, Emperor Daoguang would do as Mu wanted. Through the matter of Lin Zexu's ban on smoking, Emperor Daoguang has admitted that Mu Zhang'a is knowledgeable and a minister.Without delay, an order was immediately issued that Qiying should be appointed as the imperial envoy and go to Guangzhou to handle foreign affairs with full authority. Na Qiying has been in a state of anxiety since receiving the decree, always in danger of divorce.After spending three full months in Beijing, and procrastinating to the point where even Mu Zhang'a was unable to speak if he didn't go to the post, he slowly went to Guangzhou to pick up the seal.Qi Zhongtang was fifty-seven years old.At that time, the people in Guangzhou were full of dissatisfaction with the cession of Hong Kong. In addition, some daughters from Guangzhou married to Hong Kong as wives, and some girls from Hong Kong went to Guangzhou to find their husbands. Country, who is not angry?What's more, Hong Kong is a tiny place. Now that the barbarians have occupied Hong Kong, how can there be no reason not to spy on Guangzhou?Ghost letter.As a result, the wealthy gentry started to form regiments to practice self-defense, no longer had any hopes for the court, and tried to fight the barbarians with their own strength.Obviously, the people of Guangzhou have long lost confidence in the imperial court and in the officers and soldiers.Especially when they heard that Qiying had arrived in Guangzhou, the common people had no hope.

Yingyi's idea really made the common people guess right. England's "renting out" of Hong Kong is really not the final goal.Davis, the general representative of the British government in Hong Kong for business affairs, heard that the new imperial envoy of the Qing Dynasty, Qiying, had arrived in Guangzhou. He immediately sailed from Hong Kong to Guangzhou and asked to see Qiying to discuss the British businessman's business in Guangzhou. The specific matter is actually to take Guangzhou away. When Qiying heard the news, people said that all the British people looked valiant and high-spirited, and his legs began to shake.But I can only have the courage to meet him.

Before Qiying could walk out of the gate, the servants came to report again, saying that the people in Guangzhou had heard that Yingyi had entered the city, and they had gathered hundreds of thousands of people to practice martial arts in groups. It’s going to be a dead end; the Qing Dynasty dared to give Guangzhou to the Yingyi, it would be even worse; no matter whether the Qing Dynasty or the Qiying, no matter what treaty they signed, the people of Guangzhou would not approve it, and they would all be fucked. ! Hearing this, Qiying trembled coldly, was too frightened to move any more, and just said in his mouth: "This is so good, this is so good. Mu Zhongtang really hurt this old man!"

At this time, the family member reported again, saying that Master Liu Xun, the prefect of Guangzhou, was visiting. Hearing the word Liu Xun, Qiying's eyes lit up instantly.That Liu Xun was born with a white face and a fat body, so he naturally catered to foreigners.What a fart for a foreigner, while others are still thinking about it, he has already smelled the fragrance. He was a relatively "capable" diplomatic official in the Qing Dynasty at that time.Because of this, Deng Tingzhen, the former governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and Lin Zexu, the imperial envoy, even gave him a copy. Although he was immediately dismissed and questioned, he was quickly rescued by the university scholar Mu Zhang Ali who suffered from Oceanophobia. Be his prefect of Guangzhou.It really makes people feel that Guangzhou will no longer be called Guangzhou without Liu Xun.

After hearing Liu Xun's visit, Qiying came up with an idea.He invited Liu Xun in, and led him straight into the office, where the English envoy Heguli, who had come to send letters and reports, was sitting waiting for an interview.He enthusiastically introduced the eccentric Heguli to Liu Xun.Liu Xun was at a loss, and Heguli was also puzzled. "This is Mr. Liu, the prefect of Guangzhou." Qiying smiled and introduced to the arrogant Heguli, "Mr. Liu is the person who knows the most about foreign affairs in the Qing Dynasty and is the best at handling Western affairs. All the Western affairs, the emperor of our country has none of them." Don’t ask Mr. Liu for advice. Mr. Liu is the most important official of our emperor. Please Mr. He go to the magistrate’s office to discuss the specific matters of Guangzhou trade with Mr. Liu. Mr. Liu not only represents me, but also my Qing Dynasty. Mr. Liu comes forward Negotiating with your country is the most suitable, and there is no second one in Guangzhou. Everything that Lord Liu promises, the emperor of our country will never refuse!"

Liu Xun never expected that the imperial envoy would lift him up to a place where he could not go up to the sky or down to the ground.He actually forgot all the things he had to report when he came here, and he also forgot that he had worked hard for decades to be only a fourth-rank magistrate, as if Qi Zhongtang said that he was a capable minister of diplomacy, and he really was a capable minister of diplomacy. Liu Xun was confused for a moment, but he listened to Master Qi's words, smiled and took Heguli's hand, walked out of the imperial envoy's office in high spirits, and returned home in a high spirited manner.

Some common people had seen it clearly for a long time, so they found the head of the regiment training in a ignorant manner, saying that the Qing Dynasty had given up Guangzhou to the Yingyi, and all the Yingyi would enter Guangzhou City; In particular, Liu Zhifu organized all the people in the city to welcome Yingyi into the city. Everyone in the city saw Liu Zhifu's hand and Yingyi's hand together, as close as brothers. Business, farmers are not farmers, and the whole of Guangdong will be in danger!That meaning couldn't be clearer, if you don't do it yet, wait until the Yingyi brigade arrives before you do it, then it will be too late!

This muddle-headed remark was passed on to ten, ten to hundreds, and hundreds of thousands, and it didn't take a single meal for the whole city of Guangzhou to know it. As soon as Liu Xun and Heguli sat down in the government office, before the tea was brewed, more than 3,000 people with wooden sticks, chopping axes and the like surrounded the prefect's office, urging them to hand over to the barbarians. The yamen servant was so panicked that he tried his best to stop it, but he couldn't stop it!The fast-legged yamen servant quickly went to the lobby to report to the magistrate. When Liu Xun saw this posture, he knew that he had committed the anger of the public, and before he had time to explain to Heguli, he pulled Heguli's tuxedo and ran to the brick courtyard wall behind, clenching his teeth, and first took Heguli, who was like an iron tower, with his head. Pushing against the wall, Heguli screamed strangely, and Liu Xun also tried his best to roll down from the wall.Regardless of the bleeding, both of them went to Qiying for refuge. Although the magistrate's yamen is small, it is not a place where ordinary people often come.How can people miss this opportunity in vain!The spectators encouraged the rioters, and the rioters encouraged the bold ones. Together, the crowd squeezed a few yamen servants to the corner and yelled empty-handed, but they couldn’t move. The room and the lobby are also full of people.They rummaged through boxes and cabinets, robbed silver and jewellery, threw Liu Xun's unworn official uniform into the yard, poured oil on it and set it on fire.Mrs. Liu Xun and her maid were not only robbed of their jewelry, but half of their hair was also taken off. Qiqin dispatched three battalions of soldiers to drive the people out of the Yamen. There was not a single murder case in the yamen, but many yamen servants and servants were injured.As soon as these people saw the officers and soldiers arriving, they lay on the ground in disarray and hummed more and more, unable to get up.Liu Xun's family members were more seriously injured, and they searched hard. All decent clothes were stripped off. Seeing that all the people were still hanging around the gate and refused to leave, and more and more people were gathering together, the lieutenant-general, who was the leader of the army, asked someone to post the notice of Qi Qin envoy on the gate of the magistrate's yamen. The notice said: "Whether Yingyi enters the city to do business is determined by the imperial court, and the people are ordered to disperse quickly."If you continue to gather crowds to cause trouble, you should be punished as bandits according to the laws of the Qing Dynasty. Underneath the notice was the purple flower seal of Qiying, the imperial envoy.Those who can read will come out sentence by sentence earlier. After the notice was read, a few boldly said: "Fucking imperial envoy! He posted the notice, but the common people can't post it?! Get the guy, we will write it too!" As soon as the words fell, there were people looking for ink, paper, and pens, and there was someone who could write. A sentence from you, a sentence from me, fell on the paper, and it turned out to be a notice, this notice Close to the official notice is also posted on the gate.Bing Yong, the gatekeeper, couldn't laugh or cry. Looking at the notice, it was clearly written, and it was quite easy to read. The notice said: People in Guangzhou, don't be afraid of being stunned.I am afraid that Yang will be stunned, not the people of Guangzhou.Foreigners are not allowed to enter the city again, and foreigners are not allowed to open shops.Yang Da Leng, who has already opened a shop in the city, we are going to compete with them soon.If the government dares to stop, kill Liu Xiaogou first, and then boil the old Qiying. At the bottom of this notice, a seal was also drawn with a brush, and the word "common people" was written. Before the soldiers and warriors could finish reading the notice, the people surrounding the gate of the government office had already rushed to the foreign firm in Guangzhou to make trouble.Seeing the people leave, the soldiers hurriedly revealed the printed notice, and ran to report to Qiqin's envoy. At this time, Heguli had already been escorted to Davis's boat by Qiqin's personal soldiers. Seeing this scene, Davis' expression suddenly changed. He Yi gasped for a long time, and then began to describe the scene in the city while gesticulating. Before he finished speaking, there were already broken-headed and lame businessmen rushing from the city to the shore, followed by a crowd of black people , dragging a few foreigners who were walking slowly and beating without thinking.The foreigners begged for mercy, but the common people didn't understand, they thought they were threatening, and the beating became more and more joyous.Davis hurriedly opened the hatch, and asked the soldiers on board to lie down on the side of the ship and set up their muskets to prevent accidents.The foreigners rushed to the ship, not only the English, but also the Russians. Davis hurriedly ordered the ship to sail, and the big ship whimpered towards Hong Kong. The people on the other side stretched their necks to hold their parents and mothers and scolded the foreigners bloody, very happy. Qiying knew that Yingjili would never let it go, so he sent people to Mu Zhang'a's door overnight, and offered a discount to Emperor Daoguang, saying: "The big trouble caused by Lin Zexu can't be settled by non-competent people. Slaves I want to share my worries for the emperor, but the vertigo suddenly broke out, and I can't manage the affairs even if I support it, I really feel anxious about this servant!" When Emperor Daoguang saw Qiying's book, his heart sank suddenly, and sweat broke out on his forehead instantly.He summoned Mu Zhang'a overnight and asked the old loyal minister to quickly recommend capable people to go to Guangzhou to exchange for the old loyal minister who suffered from vertigo.Mu Zhang'a immediately thought of Zeng Guofan who was not very obedient. Emperor Daoguang ordered Zeng Guofan and the officials to return to Beijing without delay. On the day Zeng Guofan entered Beijing, he was called into the palace.Emperor Daoguang briefly asked about the situation in Hunan, and asked Zeng Guofan to kneel down.Zeng Guofan returned to the mansion suspiciously. After the meal, a total of thirty-two colleagues, subordinates, disciples, and former officials all sat in sedan chairs to visit him.In the past, there were sedan chairs parked everywhere in the quiet Zeng Mansion.Zeng Guofan did not rest until midnight. The next day, Zeng Guofan received an imperial edict as soon as he entered Taichang Temple. The decree said: "Zeng Guofan, the Minister of Taichang Temple and the left deputy capital of the office, Zeng Guofan, is respectful and mature, and strives for the country. From now on, he will be promoted to the governor of Guangdong and the right deputy capital of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. The author will leave quickly. There should be no delay in taking up the post in Beijing. This is my honor." Zeng Guofan accepted the decree, and it took him a long time to say: "Thank you for the decree!" Back at the mansion, he stayed up midnight with lamp oil, and drafted a note for Emperor Daoguang. He knew that no matter who the emperor sent to Guangdong to govern at this time, the first thing he would do in Guangdong was to face the proposal of Yingyi to do business in Guangzhou. This was the most sensitive issue. He thought it over and wrote: This is almost a replica of Lin Zexu's main battle. In the early court, Zeng Guofan handed over the booklet. After retiring from the court, he did not go to the office, but went straight back to the mansion.The Zeng Mansion of the capital did not have any valuables and valuables, but there were quite a lot of broken books and papers in pots and pans.There are few servants in the mansion, so he needs to inform the servants in advance to pack up earlier.There are more than twenty jars of pickled vegetables, if they don't need to be wrapped, they will definitely be broken before they reach Guangzhou.Every time the third brother of the Nan family brought pickles to him, he had to bring back the empty jar.If he heard that all the jars were broken, it would be no wonder why my grandfather didn't drive him to Guangzhou to scold him. Zeng Guofan was handing over to others in the office of Taichang Temple, when he suddenly received an imperial decree read by Eunuch Cao himself: "Zeng Guofan will be promoted to a cabinet bachelor, minister of rites, and left deputy capital censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate from now on, and he does not need to act as governor of Guangdong." The post of governor of Guangdong has been acted by Jian Ye Mingchen. The post of Minister of Taichang Temple, left by Zeng Guofan, is acted by Mu Tong. This is my honor." Zeng Guofan was a Jinshi in the first month examination in the 18th year of Daoguang (AD 1838), and he ranked 38th, belonging to the upper middle class; on the first day of April in the reexamination in Zhengda Guangming Hall, he won the top three and forty-two, and he was born with Jinshi ; On the first day of May in the imperial examination, he won the first and third place; on the second day of May, he was introduced by the Ministry of Rites, and he was awarded the honorary scholar of the Imperial Academy. All in all, he has been in the capital for nine years.In nine years, he had changed from a humble scholar to a senior official of the second rank in the red top.Not only was he surprised by the same year of the examination, but also the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty. You must know that Zeng Guofan was just thirty-seven years old this year.He was born in the right way, was thirty-seven years old and reached the second rank of Han officials, and he was the only one since the founding of the Qing Dynasty. Back at the mansion, the officials who came to congratulate him had already filled the hall, and even the courtyard was full of people, Zhou Sheng ran around in a hurry.The most depressing one was Mu Zhanga. He originally wanted to get rid of Zeng Guofan in one fell swoop with the help of foreigners, but unexpectedly he helped Zeng Guofan a lot. Without his strong recommendation, Zeng Guofan would never have been able to enter the ranks of the second rank. Before going to sleep that night, Zeng Guofan, who was already a second-rank official, sat in the study for an entire hour. After seriously thinking about his career path and promotion experience, he thought to himself: "From now on, where all the benefits are, we should share them with others." points; where the name is, it should be shared with others.”