Chapter 7 Political change

At the beginning of August, on the West Lake, it was "a good year for you to remember, the most orange-yellow and orange-green time". Baosen, who was a little tired of the feasting and red lights in Shanghai, received Hangzhou for Hu Xueyan. He was accompanied by Gu Yingchun.As soon as the boat arrived at the pier of Wangxianqiao, there were one green and one blue sedan chair waiting, and another horse, two horses, and four soldiers, all wearing the uniform of the Chief Secretary, scattered in all directions. Blocking pedestrians and leaving an open space, Rong Baosen landed. The boatman moored the boat and set up the gangplank. The boatman cooperated with the servants of the Hu family on the shore, stretched out a thick bamboo pole, and pinched the two ends firmly. Then a well-dressed middle-aged man came forward with a smile - Baosen also met this man in Shanghai. His name was Tao Dunfu, and his style name was Houzhai. It is to receive guests.

"Second Master Sen has finally arrived. Mr. Hu Da has been looking forward to it for several days. Second Master Sen is still comfortable on the road?" "It's very comfortable." Baosen breathed a sigh of relief, looked around, looked at the passing pedestrians, and couldn't help admiring, "It's said that Hangzhou is a paradise, and it really lives up to its reputation." "Second Master Mori only sees today's bustle, how could he know that sixteen or seventeen years ago was full of desolation, which was too horrible to look at." "Long Mao" broke Hangzhou twice, and was the only one affected by the disaster. Hu Xueyan was the leader in the recovery of the aftermath.In addition to being a guest of the Qing Dynasty, you must not forget to praise the host, but the most important thing is not to show any traces.Hearing this, Baosen nodded again and again: "Xueyan's existence today is really a reward of virtue." He and Hu Xueyan have a very deep friendship, so they are called Xueyan.

Tao Dunfu greeted Gu Yingchun after looking at the sky, and asked Baosen to sit in the big green woolen sedan chair for Hu Xueyan's own use, Gu Yingchun sat in the blue woolen sedan chair, guided by the top horse, Tao Dunfu took a small sedan chair and rushed to the road first. "Yuanbao Street" is waiting. "Yuanbao Street" is covered with bluestone slabs, enough for four horses to run side by side. The middle of the street protrudes, and the two ends are lowered, resembling the heart of Yuanbao, hence the name.However, when Hu Xueyan first paved this street, he didn't think of this tacky street name that could match his title of "God of Wealth". It was just for the convenience of drainage. It rained heavily every day, and there was two or three feet of water in other places, but as long as the rain stopped on Yuanbao Street, the water would disappear.

From Wangxian Bridge to Yuanbao Street, it was only a cup of tea. Sitting in a green wool sedan chair, Baosen looked out from the left and right glass windows, and saw a large circle of five or six feet high wall and cornerstones, and there was a person how high.The big sedan chair was carried into the gate that could accommodate two sedan chairs, passed through the gate tower, and was carried into the second-door rest sedan chair. Hu Xueyan was already standing in front of the dripping eaves of the hall waiting. "Master Mori," Hu Xueyan cupped his hands and said, "Have you had a good trip?"

"Very good, very good." Bao Sen supported his arm, turned his face and looked carefully, and said, "Xue Yan, I haven't seen you for more than a month, and you have gained weight again." "TOEFL, TOEFL. Please sit inside." Bao Sen nodded, and turned his face up, not because he was putting on airs and ignoring people, but because the hall of the Hu family was too spacious, and he had to look up to see clearly. Before looking at the hall, look back at the courtyard first. The courtyard is seven bays in size and extremely deep, so that it can be used as a stage for performing operas.Of course, the hall also has seven bays, and it is estimated that thirty tables can be placed. Because of the high openness, although the hall is deep, it is very bright.In the middle of the tree is a blue ground with a golden background, surrounded by large plaques with dragon patterns, the four black characters of "Ji Shan Yan Qing" in the big nest book, and a large square seal at the top of the center, which can be seen at a glance as the imperial seal, but the upper and lower inscriptions are different due to the distance between them. Far away, I can't see clearly. I don't know whether it is the Empress Dowager Cixi or the imperial pen of the late emperor.

Looking at it in a blink of an eye, on the east and west panels, there is a red sandalwood hanging screen five feet high and more than ten feet wide. It is expected that it will be a ancestral hall, and the banner people have always valued etiquette, so they immediately said that they should pay homage. Hu Xueyan naturally even said that he "did not dare to be". It’s just that Baosen wanted to be sincere and respectful, so he called someone to open the screen door and lit the incense candles. Baosen respectfully kowtowed three times to the “God of Hu’s Ancestors” in the shrine. Hu Xueyan accompanied him, and finally kowtowed to Baosen again thank.

"I still want to see the old lady." "Another day!" Hu Xueyan said, "My mother went to Tianzhu to burn incense today." "Second Master Sen has just arrived, please rest for a while." Tao Dunfu interjected, "I'll lead the way." So I went out of the hall, walked around through the west corridor, and turned to the north. There was a moon cave door on the whitewashed wall, with the word "Zhijing" on the list, and an exquisite rockery at the entrance. Tao Dunfu walked around from the east, suddenly Cheerful, Baosen took a look around, but he saw the shade of trees, uneven pavilions, and the five-colored glass on the windows, which were illuminated by the westward sunlight. It was really fascinating.

"Come across the bridge, please!" Baosen followed Tao Dunfu through a stone bridge with three curves, and stepped onto a huge white stone terrace. In the middle is a three-bay, square "four-sided hall" of nanmu, with a board with blue characters of boxwood hanging on it, and the list reads "welcome Purple" word. Entering the door is another scene, a rectangular room of two sizes is separated by red sandalwood partitions, the interior is furnished in Western style, surrounded by red velvet easy chairs, and matched with a white and gold-lacquered coffee table, the middle one is made of the same material as the coffee table On the large dining table in the style of the Chinese style, eight sterling silver fruit bowls have been placed on it.

After the host and guest were seated, two pretty maids came to offer tea and cigarettes, and it was time to greet each other. "How's Second Master Sen's drinking this morning?" "Very good!" Baosen said with a smile, "Since the day Tianjin boarded the ship, the wine has never been bad." "This is the best." Hu Xueyan asked Gu Yingchun, "Why didn't Second Master Sen bring Hua Xiangrong?" "Thank you, thank you!" Bao Sen rushed to reply, "I came to the house as a guest, there is no reason to bring her here."

It turned out that Hua Xiangrong was a "Red Lady" on the "Changsan" and was under Baosen's family. Hu Xueyan invited him to come and enjoy the autumn scenery of the West Lake. He had written in his letter that he might as well take the beauty with him, but Baosen did not I think it's not suitable for etiquette, so I don't want to bring flowers. Next, he talked about Shanghai's sensuality and novelty, and Baosen said with great interest how much he had opened his eyes, seeing foreign circuses and the tricks of the Oriental woman "Tianshengniang".While talking, girls kept bringing snacks. Baosen likes sweets, and his favorite is sweet-scented osmanthus chestnuts boiled in rock sugar.

"Xueyan," Baosen yearned sincerely, "I don't think being an emperor is as comfortable as you, he is simply a fairy!" He pointed out the window, the "Hundred Lion Tower" rising on the rockery, and suddenly remembered a Tang poem , and read it out, "'The Pavilion is exquisite and the five clouds rise'." "Second Master Mori talks about poetry, so I can't keep up with the conversation." Hu Xueyan turned his face and said, "Hou Zhai, look someday, we will invite those great poets from our city of Hangzhou to have a chat with Second Master Mori .” "No, no!" Baosen waved his hands hastily, "How can I write poetry? Don't do it, lest I be embarrassed." Seeing that he was telling the truth, Hu Xueyan laughed it off and said no more.Tao Dunfu was afraid that the scene would be left out, so he immediately asked, "Second Master Sen, Shanghai is well-informed, I wonder how Liu Zhitai's participation in the case is going?" Hearing this, Baosen stood up suddenly, "Hey!" He clapped his palms suddenly, the sound was loud, and the action was almost rude, which surprised everyone, and then saw the restrained expression on his face. The unstoppable smile became even more strange. "Master Mori," Hu Xueyan said, "please sit down and talk slowly." "Talking about Liu Xianzhuang's participation in the case is really satisfying!" He rubbed his stomach and said, "The stagnation in my stomach has disappeared—" Liu Xianzhuang is Liu Kunyi, governor of Liangjiang.Ever since Sheng Xuanhuai's case came out, Li Hongzhang felt that this person was in Liangjiang, which was a great hindrance to him, and Sheng Xuanhuai was even more worried and tried to slander him.But Liu Kunyi's official reputation is good, and the big officials in Fengjiang are no better than Beijing officials. The supervisory censor known as the "Master Capital" has insufficient knowledge and knowledge, so he cannot join him, so he goes up to participate in the impeachment, and the Empress Dowager Cixi may not be able to hear it.After several planning, I think that only one person is qualified to join him, and it will definitely work. This person is Peng Yulin, who "Peng Lang won the sister-in-law", the leader of the Hunan Army Navy.Hong Yang is flat, Peng Yulin is indifferent to fame and fortune, he does not want to be a governor on the outside, and he does not want to be a minister on the inside, so someone suggested that the Yangtze River Navy is mixed with dragons and snakes, and the salt owls are in collusion. In the prestige of the Yangtze River, it is better to imitate the system of "specialized ministers" in the banner camp, and send him to patrol the Yangtze River Navy, so that he can specialize in the affairs of the Yangtze River, and award the "Wang Ming Banner", so that he can act cheaply when encountering unjust officials.Peng Yulin accepted this mission and visited the Yangtze River Navy once a year. For the rest of the day, he lived on the West Lake, singing and spending time with his grandchildren and relatives, Yu Quyuan, and spending their time like a crane. However, when Peng Yulin went on tour, the prestige spread can indeed make corrupt officials and ink officials care about each other.The things he is in charge of are not limited to rectifying the discipline of the navy. He also takes care of things that he doesn't like in the places along the Yangtze River.In Wuchang, Tan Zulun, the commander of the Navy who once asked the king to order the banner to be executed, was involved in the impeachment and dismissal of local officials.In short, as long as Peng Yulin participates, whoever is involved will be unlucky. Sheng Xuanhuai thought of this person, and Li Hongzhang also thought he could make use of him, so he picked up false rumors, which aroused Peng Yulin's temper, and he really impeached Liu Kunyi with secrets. Lack of energy, unable to rectify business affairs; second, there are many aunts and wives, rarely see guests, indulge the servants, and accept door bags; the third point is the worst, and it is also what Peng Yulin saw with his own eyes. He is most dissatisfied and it is something he should take care of , "The forts along the river are mostly unusable. Every time a cannon is fired, the smoke squints, or even collapses." After arriving in Beijing secretly, the Empress Dowager Cixi summoned the military aircraft and decided to send Peng Yulin to conduct a further investigation.It is said that Prince Gong had discussed this matter with Li Hongzhang. At that time, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu was reassigned Zeng Guoquan, but Zeng Guoquan thought the place was too harsh, and he was afraid that he would not be able to command Zuo Zongtang's direct line troops. It is better to take this opportunity and reassign Liu Kunyi as the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu. As for the governor of Liangjiang, Ding Baozhen, the governor of Sichuan who was famous for Qingwang, was transferred to make up for it. The vacancy was taken over by Li Hanzhang, Li Hongzhang's brother. This was Li Hongzhang's wishful thinking. In the original system of the Qing Dynasty, the big officials who feudalized the borders ruled the borders, and the governor often only managed a province, which was not as mobile as the governors and governors of the Ming Dynasty.Of course, there are many reasons for the formation of this system, one of which is that the emperor believes that each has its own responsibility, which is easy to inspect, that is, easy to control.Therefore, although there are often "indiscriminate" edicts, in fact the restrictions are very strict, and no ultra vires behavior is allowed.When Hong Yang rebelled, this two-hundred-year-old tradition was broken. Before the Daoguang period in the Qing Dynasty, the emperor had the power to dispatch troops and generals during major conquests, and military salaries were allocated from the treasury. Commanders returned to the court after successful achievements, surrendered their military power, and returned to their posts after receiving rewards. There was no private army.However, since Zeng Guofan founded the Hunan Army, and the military pay had to be raised by the generals on the spot, the whole situation changed drastically.When Zeng Guoquan entered the siege of Jinling, his official title was the inspector of Zhejiang, the chief justice of a province, and he led troops to fight. Isn't it "official inappropriate"?And fighting wars is not the responsibility of Zhejiang to guard the land, which is "guarding the land that is not its own." "Wealth is difficult to use by oneself" is even more subtle. Originally Qin people regarded Yue as the most fertile and indifferent, but when Zuo Zongtang went west, he had to hope that Zhejiang would have a good harvest, because Zhejiang had to pay the Western Expedition Association 10 per month. 40,000 silver, and the repair of seawalls in this province requires additional financial resources. As for "soldiers for private use", it has become a rule that the Hunan and Huai armies were originally subordinate soldiers, and father, son, brothers, uncles and nephews led each other. This tradition of the Huai army is even more unbreakable. Because he broke the limitations of territory and duties, Li Hongzhang was able to use his means to extend his power in Liangjiang—Nanyang.Li Hongzhang, direct governor and minister of Beiyang, and Jiangdu and minister of Nanyang, Li Hongzhang has always emphasized that whether it is preparing for defense or doing business with foreign countries, the northern and southern oceans must be connected and unified, regardless of each other.This is the case, but only Beiyang has the right to invade Nanyang, and the power of Nanyang cannot reach Beiyang, because Beiyang is close to Kifu, and the location is convenient, so it can directly communicate with the ministers of various countries in China. In this way, the commercial affairs of Nanyang are naturally The land was handled by Beiyang.At the same time, the "Prime Minister's Office of State Affairs", in order to leave room for buffering in negotiations, often entrusts Beiyang to conduct preliminary negotiations and retains the final ruling power, which makes it easier for Li Hongzhang to expand his power. In this way, Li Hongzhang couldn't help but care about the candidates for the governor of Liangjiang.It is best to be able to listen to his instructions, and secondly, to be able to cooperate.Like Liu Kunyi, Li Hongzhang felt a lot of inconvenience, so he hoped that Ding Baozhen would succeed Jiang Du.Ding Baozhen was in the same year when he took the exam, and Li Hongzhang has always been very courteous to him. Every time Ding Baozhen was called to report on his duties, he had to go to Beijing from the military plane in the Wangdi to the Beijing officials in his hometown. It was Li Hongzhang who prepared a whole box of cash. .With such a friendship, he believes that Ding Baozhen will be able to cooperate with him when he is transferred to Jiangdu.As for Li Hanzhang, there was nothing he could do except to be greedy, and after Ding Baozhen's rectification, Sichuan was a province that could be governed under government. Li Hongzhang wanted to find a good place for his brother to take care of his mother. This abacus was done extremely well, but as the saying goes, "people have a thousand calculations, and heaven has a calculation", Peng Yulin's replay came to Beijing, and Li Hongzhang was surprised by the impeachment of Li Hongzhang's close relative Zhao Jiyuan. Zhao Jiyuan was from Taihu Lake, Anhui Province. His grandfather was Zhao Wenkai, the number one scholar in the first year of Jiaqing.Zhao Jiyuan himself was also a Hanlin, but his belly was full of thatch. When he "dismissed the hall", he was ranked third in the examination and was assigned to be a secretary in the ministry.Being an official depends on ability and qualifications. Zhao Jiyuan has self-knowledge. He can't "pass the palm" when he is an officer. It is better to be a foreign official. So he donated an additional Taoist priest to distribute Liangjiang.Jiang Du was Li Hongzhang's teacher, Zeng Guofan, who loved the house and Wu, so as soon as Zhao Jiyuan "reported" to Jiangning, he immediately "listed" and sent him a fat job in the General Office of Military Supplies. From then on, Zhao Jiyuan took control of the Liangjiang Military Supplies Administration, and the previous governors all looked at Li Hongzhang's face and forbearance.This time it was Peng Yulin who ruthlessly exposed his misdeeds. In the replay, he said: "The Liangjiang Military Supplies Bureau was originally a member of the Governor's Office, and was presided over by the Secretary. He was born as a Taoist priest, and he was the wife and brother of Li Hongzhang. He showed off his cleverness and pretended to know the soldiers. Those who were sent to build the fort by the bureau members and campers only listened to Zhao Jiyuan's words. Li Zongxixuan complained of illness, and Zhao Jiyuan became even more powerful and arrogant. The fort collapsed, and the guard repeatedly called Check and repair, it’s all because of Zhao Jiyuan’s deceit.” Li Zongxi, courtesy name Yuting, was born in Kaixian County, Sichuan Province. He was a Jinshi in the 27th year of Daoguang, the same year as Li Hongzhang.In the twelfth year of Tongzhi, Zeng Guofan died in the post of governor of Liangjiang. Thanks to Li Hongzhang's recommendation, Li Zongxi was able to succeed him.His talents are ordinary, Li Hongzhang can control them remotely, and all the facilities in Liangjiang are under the command of Beiyang.Sheng Xuanhuai was sent to the China Merchants Bureau as a member of the Zhili alternate way, which was a matter of Li Zongxi's tenure.Such a person, Zhao Jiyuan naturally would not take him seriously. As for Liu Kunyi, according to Peng Yulin's replay: "I am afraid that Liu Kunyi will be wronged by him, and insist that he is not available. Liu Kunyi was transferred out of the office and reassigned to the prime minister's business, which can be regarded as preferential treatment. However, Zhao Jiyuan dared to fight for the superintendent in the court and the public, and still helped in the affairs of the bureau. He didn't know soldiers at first, and he didn't have far-sightedness. , using the pretext of saving military expenditures to confuse the public and block their speech." Peng Yulin said that from Zhao Jiyuan's point of view, any disputes with foreigners can be attributed to the word "harmony" in the end.That being the case, whether it is "Jiangfang" or "Haifang", it is all a waste of effort, but the court has to explain it like this, it has to be perfunctory. But it’s okay to really save money and whitewash the surface.In fact, there is a lot of waste, but it is only used when it is not used.Peng Yulin believed that it was extremely dangerous for Zhao Jiyuan to hold this kind of argument. The lax defense was pure fiction.Finally, he said: "The handle of dismissing the chief belongs to the governor, and the power of appointing commissioners belongs to the governor. The ministers dare not do it without permission, but they have knowledge and can't bear to be silent. Be a warning to the reckless minds of bureaucrats." This means very clearly, if he has the power, he will immediately remove Zhao Jiyuan from his post. As soon as this performance was played, the Empress Dowager Cixi was furious, and when she first took over the power, she was about to rectify Gangji and establish her prestige, so she immediately approved "dismissed for obvious misdeeds", which once again showed Peng Yulin's prestige. As a result, Li Hongzhang also suffered a great loss of face, and it was inconvenient to express his opinion on the candidate for the governor of Liangjiang. His wishful thinking was completely in vain. After listening to Baosen talking about the newly released news, Hu Xueyan immediately asked: "So, Liu Xianshuai will return to his post?" "I probably won't return to office." "Then who's coming?" "Of course it's Marshal Zeng." "Zeng Jiushuai" is Zeng Guoquan.Jiang Ning was captured by him in the third year of Tongzhi, and the old troops of the Hunan Army spread across the two rivers - Anhui in the upper river and Jiangsu in the lower river. Therefore, whenever the governor of Jiang was vacant, someone would always list him as a successor.This time, it seems that it is really the turn of "Zeng Jiushuai". The result was unexpected. When discussing this personnel matter in the imperial court, Bao Jun raised objections. "Zeng Jiu is not suitable." Bao Jun said, "He thought Shaanxi, Gansu and Gansu were too bitter and refused to go, so he finally gave him the rich Liangjiang. Bao Yun is Prince Gong's think tank, he heard what he said was good, so he immediately asked: "Then, who do you think will go?" "There is one person there, Zuo Jigao." "Ah, ah! Good." Prince Gong nodded deeply. It turned out that Zuo Zongtang had too many ideas in the military aircraft department, and he often talked big and exaggerated, which was unrealistic, and Bao Yun kept pushing him away.In a fit of anger, Zuo Zongtang reported his illness and asked him to return to his hometown to recover from his illness. The court rewarded him with two months' leave.After all, Prince Gong was honest and honest, although he also hated Zuo Zongtang's chattering, but he couldn't help but feel guilty for making him uncomfortable. Now that Liangjiang is a "benevolent place" for him to retire to the elderly, he can make up for his guilt, so he deeply agrees. So on the sixth day of September, King Gong played in front of him, saying that the discussion on coastal defense is flourishing, and it is imperative. The important minister presided over it, and after several considerations, he believed that Zuo Zongtang was the most suitable.Moreover, Jiangnan's political style is weak, and someone as courageous as Zuo Zongtang must be the governor to rectify major issues. The Empress Dowager Cixi also hated Zuo Zongtang's open mouth. She said whatever came to her mind without any scruples. , he should be given a good place for him to retire, so he agreed to Jun Ji's suggestion and released Zuo Zongtang as Governor of Liangjiang.