Chapter 5 Jiashen Change

Shanghai's market situation is even worse, which is affected by the French war in Vietnam. France has coveted Vietnam for a long time.In the first year of Tongzhi, Emperor Napoleon II invaded Vietnam with his navy.At that time, China was too busy to take care of itself because of Pinghong and Yang, so although Vietnam was a vassal state of China, it was unable to send troops to protect it.Jiading Province is Saigon, where the French tried their best to operate as a base for further invasion of Vietnam and China's Yunnan. In the eleventh year of Tongzhi, there was a civil strife in Vietnam. The leader was Huang Chongying, who had tens of thousands of people and used the yellow flag, known as the "Yellow Banner Army".The French colluded with Huang Chongying, captured "Tokyo", crossed the Han River, and captured Lang Son outside Zhennan Pass in Guangxi.The governor of Guangxi is Liu Changyou, a veteran general of the Hunan Army, who sent troops to help Vietnam to quell the chaos. At the same time, he invited Liu Yongfu to help suppress it——Liu Yongfu is from Shangsizhou, Guangxi. With a heart in mind, he led 300 men under his command to leave Zhennanguan and enter Baosheng, Vietnam. This place was originally occupied by a Cantonese, He Junchang, and was replaced by Liu Yongfu. The troops used black flags, known as the "Black Banner Army".Not only invited by Liu Changyou, but also appeased by the King of Vietnam, he flanked the French army with Guangxi officers and soldiers, and was very powerful for a while.However, there were disagreements within Vietnam, and finally decided to negotiate a peace. The three ministers sent were detained by the French army, and they were forced to sign the 22-article "Treaty of Saigon".In order to appease Liu Yongfu, he was appointed as the deputy admiral of Sanxuan. Liu Yongfu cultivated and trained soldiers in the deep mountains on the border. His subordinates gathered as many as 200,000, of which 20,000 were powerful, aged over 17 and under 24, All of them are dark-faced and tall, with powerful Kong Wu, leaping over the forest and over the stream, as light as an ape, with extremely high morale, so they were regarded as a thorn in the side of the French army, and they once offered a lot of money to buy his head.

Since the signing of the "Treaty of Saigon", the whole country of Vietnam has regretted and angered. King Nguyen Phuc of Vietnam decided to reuse the black flag soldiers.It is not known that the French acted first and fell into Hanoi with heavy troops. Therefore, in Nguyen Phuc Thien in Hue, the Black Banner Army was given the task of expelling the French army. If Vietnam is lost, Guangxi and Yunnan will be threatened, and France has formally requested trade with China.The discussion between the DPRK and China was divided into two factions: the main battle group and the main peace group. The main group was led by Li Hongzao. In addition to supporting the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, Cen Yuying and Liu Yongfu, Zeng Guoquan was appointed as the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi to deploy coastal defense.In addition, Zuo Zongtang also strongly advocated fighting, and the Qing discussion was even more passionate, but the power of the peace faction was not small.Of course, Li Hongzhang advocated peace, and Zeng Jize, Minister to France, did not advocate a breakup, but Guo Songtao, who used to use the law, saw the benefits and losses most clearly.In the first month of the ninth year of Guangxu this year, Li Hongzhang and French Minister Bao Hai had already reached an agreement that "China would withdraw its troops and the law would not invade Vietnam". Removal and overthrow of the agreement, on the one hand, prompted France to increase its troops to Vietnam.So the court ordered Li Hongzhang, who was in Ding You's guard, to go to Guangdong to supervise Vietnam affairs and control the Yunnan Defense Forces in Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan.On the surface, it seems that Li Hongzhang was sent to preside over the war situation, but this is not the case. Guo Songtao has read the news and sent a long letter to Li Hongzhang from his hometown Xiangyin, Hunan, thinking that "the handling of the West must always be done." There is no way to fight”, he said, foreigners want to do business, so let’s discuss business with him.As long as they agree to negotiate and trade, the situation in Vietnam will naturally ease.Now Li Hongzhang is sent out to supervise the division, with great fanfare and a showdown, which is to force France to fight.France had no intention of fighting at all, and forcing it to fight is a "knowing the enemy" in the art of war.

If you really want to fight, it is "not knowing yourself".His words are very painful: "For more than 30 years in the army, they gather to form soldiers, disperse to become robbers, spread all over the world, and the hidden dangers are deep. The emphasis is on frequent floods and droughts, the government is weak, thieves are everywhere, and the people are struggling to survive. Provoking frontier quarrels and recruiting troops for defense will take a long time, and the depletion will be unbearable." This is speaking in terms of military expenditure, saying that China cannot fight.

Even if we win, what should we do?Victory will of course require disarmament, and the newly recruited recruits will be dismissed. The result is "wandering with nowhere to go." Gathering "starving and impoverished people trying to succeed" is creating a source of chaos for oneself. Next, he relayed the discussion in Beijing: "The shufu uses the governor of Yunnan to hold the army, while the governor of Guangdong is calm, and there are many complaints. Therefore, it belongs to the central hall to recruit people." It seems that because Cen Yuying wanted to fight, but Zeng Guoquan stood on the sidelines, and the generals in front had different opinions. He needed a high-ranking Li Hongzhang to cover everything and preside over everything.In fact, "the capital discusses, so it belongs to the middle hall, and it is still for peace, not for war."

Although Li Hongzhang is in control, the situation in the court is not estranged. He has several "spots" in the capital. Every move in the court is reported to Hefei in the fastest way. Li Hongzao, the leader of the "Northern faction" and a group of Qingliu, especially Zhang Peilun, the censor of the left deputy capital, are the most powerful in the main battle. Therefore, even though Li Hongzhang had the intention of negotiating peace, he did not dare to express it openly, because the power of the Qing Dynasty was very strong, and Liu Yongfu's Black Banner Army fought well, which further fueled the momentum of the main combat faction. It's a shame.So he delayed his trip, and after arriving in Shanghai, he had several talks with De Liguo, the new French minister who succeeded Bao Hai, and his attitude was neither soft nor hard, and he mastered the word "dragging".

What will be the result of "delaying" it?This is something that even Li Hongzhang himself does not know, but he has worked hard in secret to remove several obstacles to the peace negotiation. The high-pitched songs are not so loud, and it is easier to be caught off guard when negotiating peace. The other is Zeng Jize, Minister to France. He does not advocate a break in negotiations, but it does not mean that he advocates concessions to France. Especially after returning to Paris from Russia, seeing that France's policy is also vacillating, there are only a few who are fighting.Therefore, a special secret message was sent to Li Hongzhang and the Zongli Yamen, suggesting military aid to Vietnam, and it might be tough to negotiate with Deligu.Li Hongzhang was noncommittal about Zeng Jize's opinion, but he wrote to Guo Songtao, expressing the hope that he could influence Zeng Jize.Guo Songtao has a deep relationship with Zeng Jize, and he was stationed in France before and after, so his remarks must be respected by Zeng Jize.

During this "delay" of one or two months, the situation in France and Vietnam has changed. France's policy has tended to be consistent. 9,000 people aided Vietnam, and another 12 warships were sent to the east. Admiral Guba of the navy replaced Bu Yi, the admiral of the army, as the commander of the French army. The king of Vietnam, Nguyen Phuc Thien, died, and was succeeded by his younger brother Nguyen Phuc Sheng, who was titled "King of Hehe". From this title, it can be known that he is willing to submit to France. Only one month after he ascended the throne, he signed a 27-article treaty with France. The "Hue Peace Treaty" formally recognized Vietnam as a protectorate of France, and respected China as the suzerain. Originally, the tribute was paid every year, and the tribute was paid by land via Zhennan Pass. In the future, the tribute will be paid by sea.

This Franco-Vietnamese "Hue Peace Treaty" contributed to the consistency of French policies, and at the same time gave the French army the status of being able to drive out the Black Banner Army justifiably.Therefore, the main combat faction in the Vietnamese government was very dissatisfied, and killed the king of Hehe and appointed Nguyen Phuc Hao, who was titled "King of Jianfu". Although Li Hongzhang, who had returned to Tianjin, was still negotiating the sovereignty of Vietnam with the French minister, in fact, China and France were at war, and a war was almost inevitable. Especially when the news spread that Peng Yulin was appointed to handle military affairs in Guangdong, people in Shanghai became more panicked.It was in mid-September, when Mrs. Snail returned to Hangzhou from Shanghai.

On the second day after she returned to Hangzhou, Jiang Ning sent a special messenger. He was dressed in a red suit and had a dusty face. A flower feather, followed by four servants, all wearing tops.They came by land, with five tall horses, the dust billowing all the way, the bridle bells ringing, majestic and majestic, and passers-by looked sideways.As soon as they entered the martial arts gate, the special officers raised their hands and reined in their horses. One of them, a military officer wearing a dark blue cap, walked forward and waited for orders. "Ask for directions!"

"Cha!" The man rolled off the saddle, held the rein in one hand, and grabbed a middle-aged man with the other and asked, "Come on, buddy, ask for a place name, where is Yuanbao Street?" "Ah! What are you talking about?" It turned out that the military officer was from Zeng Guofan's hometown, and Xiangxiang dialect was the most difficult to understand among the Hunan dialects. Besides, the military officer was impatient and spoke very quickly, so he didn't know what he was talking about. Fortunately, the military officer was self-aware, and replied word by word: "Yuanbao Street." He held up his hands and gestured for Yuanbao.

"Oh, oh, oh, you mean Yuanbao Street!" The man, surnamed Bu, was the book office of the "Lifang" in Qiantang County. He didn't answer, but asked instead, "Excuse me, where are you from? Jiangning?" "good." "So, you went to Yuanbao Street to see Mr. Hu Da?" "Mr. Hu Da?" The man was taken aback for a moment, and then thought, "Yes, yes, Mr. Hu Da is Hu Xueyan, Master Hu." The divination office nodded, took a step forward, pointed and asked in a low voice: "Who is that red-capped man right now?" The military officer became a little impatient. People in the world travel the world, and asking for directions should be a common thing. Those who know and are enthusiastic will give detailed instructions. Those who know but are too lazy to answer say "I don't know." I apologize and ask the other party to inquire separately. Those who don't know and are too lazy to answer will turn around and leave without answering a word.Asking for directions like this is being asked by others instead, similar to interrogation, but this is the first time I have encountered it. Seeing the military officer's expression, the divination office hastily offered an explanation: "You old man, don't think I'm trivial. It's really the first-rank military officer who is right now. I don't dare to neglect. Now that I know my identity, I can report to the county magistrate. What's your order?" , there will be no mistakes." It turned out to be such a good intention!The military officer felt sorry for it, but he didn't know how to answer—the special messenger's real name was Gao Laosan. When he joined the Hunan Army, the recruiting committee changed his name to "Leshan" to have a homonym. Another nickname is "Uncle Ren". Gaole Mountain was originally under the tent of Liu Songshan, Zuo Zongtang went west, and Zeng Guofan specially assigned Liu Songshan's first battalion to belong to Zuo, which was called "gift marriage" at that time.During Liu Songshan's Western Expedition, his military achievements were brilliant, Zuo Zongtang was very powerful, Zuo Zeng was at odds with him, in the eyes of the talented Zuo Zongtang, Zeng Guofan had nothing to admire, except for "gifting" Liu Songshan, he was sincerely convinced , thank you very much.Because of this, Zuo Zongtang always treats Liu Songshan differently. This Gao Leshan was originally Liu Songshan's Ma Bian, and he is honest and simple. Once Zuo Zongtang went to inspect and stayed in Liu Ying, Liu Songshan sent Gao Leshan to serve him. , patrolling all night, sleepless until dawn, appreciated by Zuo Zongtang, asked Liu Songshan to go, and put it around.Every time there is a "protection case", Gao Leshan's name is always listed in the "Secret Security", and his current title is "Recorded General Soldier and Admiral", which is already "the best official residence" in the "Green Camp". He is still the so-called "material officer" who is used for running around. Among Zuo Zongtang's subordinates, his status is like the "imperial guard" in the palace. But the military officer of the first grade is just a "high-ranking horse", and if this is said, the red-capped son of Gaoleshan will be belittled, so the military officer of the blue-capped son replied vaguely: "Master Zuo specially sent to see Mr. Hu Da. .” "I guessed it," the divination office clapped his hands and raised his thumbs, "Master Zuo must have sent you. Good, good, good, Yuanbao Street is far away, one south and one north, wait for me to lead the way. Please wait Wait, wait until I rent a horse." Wulin Gate is the main road to the north of Hangzhou. The Gongchen Bridge at the starting point of the canal is just outside Wulin Gate, so there are cars, sedan chairs, mules and horses at the gate of the city, and it is all possible to hire or rent.The Bushu Office leased a "Chrysanthemum Green" and proudly led the way. That "Chrysanthemum Green" is an old horse eliminated from the banner camp. It is very docile, but its pace is extremely slow - the horse is spiritual, and has been hired for too long. The faster you go, the more you will suffer. When it comes to the return journey, even if you are thirsty and rushing to the spring, it is far from comparable to the way you went.That horse, Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum, is the "old fritter" among such horses. Nine out of ten people who run books are "old fritters". Now that "old fritters" meet "old fritters", each other gets what they want.The divination office made money slowly, followed by five military officers, following the same pace, it seemed like he was following horses.Among the civil and military officials in Hangzhou, the highest ranking is the "general", followed by the governor. Although they are all red hats, their entourages never wear red hats when they travel.Therefore, the divination book office is full of gold, and it is difficult to describe the proud look, especially when you meet acquaintances along the way, you will clasp your fists and raise your arms, bend down and nod your head, and at the same time you must add a loud sentence: "I bring They went to see Mr. Hu Da." Several times, he got so carried away that he almost fell off the horse, and hastily pulled the "judge's head" on the saddle to save the day.This kind of ugliness made passers-by smile, but Gao Leshan's face became more and more ugly. When approaching Yuanbao Street, when the divination office was at the corner, he raised his hand forward to signal a pause, but he put his legs between the horse's belly and urged him to move forward until he stopped the horse in front of the gate of Hu's mansion. "Old Bu," one of the servants in front of Hu's house recognized him, "What are you doing here?" "I'm here to report that Lord Zuo, Governor of Liangjiang, sent a military officer with a red cap to see Mr. Hu Da. Once he entered the city gate, I was the one who led the way." "Where?" "behind." The man looked up, and sure enough there were five horses behind, and the red and blue tops could be clearly seen in the bright autumn sun.As a result, the dozen or so people in front of the Hu family became nervous. It turned out that it was common for Zuo Zongtang to send orders to Goshha, the red-top son, but at the time he was the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and he sent special missions for public and private affairs only to the Shanghai Transit Bureau.It was the first time for him to be sent directly to Hu's house, so it was rare to see him, so he was clever, and reported to the room first without watching the excitement. Mrs. Snail was startled when she heard this.It turned out that the Hu family had spent a lot of energy for the red cap. Hu Xueyan himself was a Taoist priest with the title of inspector, and the third rank was wearing a blue cap. It is definitely possible for him to add the title of political envoy, but Hu Xueyan can only be an "official businessman". This ceremony", Hu Xueyan can't stand that kind of restraint, and he will never be an outstanding official.Not only is he self-aware of this, but anyone who loves him will think that if Hu Xueyan really becomes an official, he will give up his strengths and lose his strengths, which is the most unwise. Because of this, if you want to be an official, you can only use money to be an official. There are restrictions on donating to an official. When you reach the third rank, you are "the best official residence", but the honorary title of your parents can be bought with money. For more than ten years Whenever there are floods, droughts and famines, Hu Xueyan always uses the name of Mrs. Hu to donate silver, rice, cotton-padded clothes, and medicinal materials, and finally obtains the title of "Mrs. Yipin". Wearing a red hat. Hongdingzi is so precious. In the memory of Mrs. Luosi, the civil and military officials of Hongdingzi came to visit very few times. Every time, they got information in advance. The sky planned, and things will be done solemnly for the time being.When a military officer with a red cap came suddenly like this, he was naturally startled, and he was a little nervous and overwhelmed. But Hu Xueyan is commonplace, and Gao Leshan is an acquaintance, so you might as well welcome him with a gift, and explain to Mrs. Luosi first, and change into the official uniform to meet in the flower hall. One is called "Xueweng" and the other is called "Gaojunmen". When they met each other as usual, they went to the corridor to ask Gaoleshan's servants for their surnames. Plain clothes!" As soon as the words were finished, a servant came into the house with a bag in his hands to serve him—official entertainment, seeing each other in official clothes is a courtesy, and plainclothes is a kind of friendship, but guests always think about their friendship with their masters, and they anticipate such needs. It was not only Gao Leshan's first experience, but it was also unheard of for Gao Leshan to order his followers to bring their own bags. However, considering that Hu Xueyan is famous for his generosity, such actions are not surprising.Immediately said: "Xue Weng, please go in and change clothes!" "Yes, yes, let's talk about it after changing clothes." When Hu Xueyan came out after changing his clothes, Gao Leshan had already put on a brand-new iron-gray crepe jacket, a satin jacket with coral buttons, and a blue satin cap with red knots on his head. Radiant and radiant. "Does the clothes fit you well?" "Thank you, thank you. It's better than asking a tailor to do it myself. I'm not polite, Xue Weng, thank you, thank you!" Gao Leshan cupped his hands again and again. "Master Zuo is in good spirits?" Hearing this, Gao Leshan's smile gradually faded, "It's much worse." He said, "The eyesight is not as good as before, and the problem is not serious." "Did you ask the doctor to see it?" "Please." Gao Leshan replied, "It's useless to watch! The doctor told him not to read business, not to read, and to close his eyes and rest. Xue Weng, do you think he can do it?" "So, what is the disease?" "The doctor can't tell. The left eye is clouded, and the one on the right is crying in the wind." "Will you go blind?" "Hard to say." "I recommend a doctor." Hu Xueyan said, "I went with Gao Junmen." "Yes." Only then did Gao Leshan take out Zuo Zongtang's letter. The letter was very simple. It only said that the military situation in Vietnam was urgent, and that the defense of the North and South Oceans had to be intensively planned, and troops had to be sent to aid Vietnam. Therefore, Hu Xueyan was asked to take time to meet in Jiangning.As for other details, you can ask Gao Leshan in person. Hu Xueyan thought to himself, this must be raising money again.He is not in his position, he does not seek his own government, and he has not received any appointment from the Yamen of the Governor of Liangjiang. If he needs to serve, it is purely a personal relationship. You might as well explain this to Gao Leshan first. "Gao Junmen knows that what Lord Zuo says is what he says, I only have the word 'comply'. However, Jiangning is not Shaanxi-Gansu, so I'm afraid there are some thankless places." "Yes." Gao Leshan replied, "Master Zuo also said that there are people in Jiangning in Jiangning, and Hu Mou works for me. Discussions can't be made. That's why Xue Weng was invited to talk face to face." "Oh, I don't know what to talk about?" Hu Xueyan asked, "Is it money, is it a weapon?" "It's a firearm." "Yeah, um." Hu Xueyan was a little relieved, "If you don't talk about money, things will always be easy." "When is Xue Weng going to leave?" "It needs to be discussed with my wife." Hu Xueyan answered bluntly.The "wife" he mentioned naturally refers to Mrs. Snail.Then he asked: "Which one is going to be sent to Guangxi by Mr. Zuo?" "It's Lord Wang." "Master Wang?" Hu Xueyan couldn't remember for a moment, which general surnamed Wang was in Zuo Zongtang's subordinates. "Yes, Commander Wang Lang." "Oh, it's him." It turns out that Gao Leshan refers to Wang Debang. Like Gao Leshan, he has a very elegant nickname called Langqing. He is from Jianghua County, Yongzhou Prefecture, Hunan. This remote county has not produced any outstanding people since ancient times, but Wang Debang is a unique and commendable veteran general in the Hunan Army. In the early years of Xianfeng, this person destroyed his family, practiced the village regiment, and made great achievements in defending his hometown. Later, he made great contributions in aiding Jiangxi. , is a well-known titan, bestowed the title "Ruiyong Batulu", rewarded with a yellow mandarin jacket, and was promoted to the feudal lord after four years of Tongzhi. He conquered Xinjiang from Zuo Zongtang. Unhappy, the vassals have been in charge of false titles for seven or eight years, but they have not been able to make up for the lack of real ones. It turned out that Wang Debang was an old man. When he was promoted to the vassal and was called into the audience, his language was vulgar and he spoke a local accent.Ding You returned home in the first year of Guangxu, and went to Xinjiang six years later. Not long after, Zuo Zongtang joined the military plane in Jinjing and managed the military department as a university scholar. His subordinates built Jifu water conservancy, carried mud and dredged the river, and did hard work without complaint, so they were also appreciated by King Chun. Of course Zuo Zongtang is well aware of his strengths, but he also has many weaknesses. He can only be a general, not an official.This time Peng Yulin asked Zuo Zongtang for help. He thought of Wang Debang and thought that he could do what he could do, so he asked to go to Guangdong and Guangxi, under Peng Yulin's control, and promised to provide military supplies. He went to Hu Xueyan to discuss this matter. Knowing what happened, Hu Xueyan knew what had happened, "Gao Junmen," he said, "you can play here for two days, I have discussed with my wife, maybe we can go together." "If Xue Weng goes together, of course I have to wait, otherwise, I'll go back and report first. You know Master Zuo's temper." "It's fine if you want to go back to your life first. When will you leave?" "tomorrow." At present, there is no need for Hu Xueyan to accompany him with a grand banquet, and after the banquet, he is sent to the guest room to rest for the night, and the greeting is very thoughtful.The next day was about to leave, so of course I had to ask Hu Xueyan to meet and ask if I had anything to say. The message was sent in, and the reply was that Hu Xueyan invited him to dinner at noon and handed in a letter to Zuo Zongtang in person.At noon, please go to the garden, and there is another feast, including his servants. Five gifts have been placed in the hall, a robe, two pieces of machine spinning, and a large box of household products produced by Hu Qingyutang. Good medicine, and two "official treasures" of fifty taels of silver each.An additional spring gold watch and a revolver with tooth handle will be given to Gao Leshan. "I wanted to prepare a boat to take you back home, but I was afraid that the journey would be too slow, so I had to work hard, brothers, so I went back on horseback." "Xue Weng rewarded me like this, I'm really sorry." Gao Leshan rubbed his hands again and again, really disrespectful and ashamed to accept it. "Small meaning, small meaning! Please have a drink." Gao Leshan refused to drink too much, and his four subordinates, who had never experienced such a scene, felt even more embarrassed. They each fell down and ate three bowls of rice, stood up and thanked Hu Xueyan and said goodbye. Because of Hongdingzi's relationship, Hu Xueyan naturally opened the middle door to see off the guests. There were five horses lined up against the wall at the door. They were still the original mounts, but the saddles and bridles were brand new, and even the whips were new.Hu Xueyan himself had a pair of "guides", and two horses led Gao Leshan and his party out of the martial arts gate, causing passers-by to point and point along the way, and they all knew that they were "Mr. Hu Da's guests". After Gao Leshan left, Hu Xueyan discussed with Mrs. Luoshi about what to do. "The second batch of foreign money is also due, I think I will go to Shanghai to cook first, and then to Jiangning." Hu Xueyan said, "Fortunately, Wang Langqing just left Beijing, so I won't miss it if I arrive in Jiangning later. " "No, since Lord Zuo specially sent an official to invite you, you should come to Jiangning first, which is the reason for respect. As for Shanghai, there is Mi Ben who is always there and has to pay the foreign money, so ask him to come first Go to Shanghai Road to urge, and when you arrive in Shanghai, the money is in place, and you can pay it face to face, wouldn't it be a matter of course?" "I'm not too worried about the market in Shanghai, I want to go and have a look first." "That's not necessary, Mi Benchang is very capable, so he must arrange it well." Mrs. Luozhi said, "You are not wrong to listen to me. You must go to Jiangning first, and then to Shanghai. When you come back to hold a wedding, the days count. Coincidentally, if you go to Shanghai first and then to Jiangning, in case Mr. Zuo has an errand and you miss the wedding date, it will be bad."