Chapter 11 Section Eleven

On this trip to Beijing, Li Hongzhang brought more money and more people.The reason for bringing more money is to send red envelopes to those who are slightly related to Yin, Nian, Xiang, and Shiyi from the military aircraft to the six small Beijing officials. Bringing more people is because there are many major issues pending, and there must be more in the meantime. Memorial documents need to be done. The first important thing to do upon entering Beijing is to see your majesty.According to the order, after entering Chongwenmen, first drive to the palace gate to greet you.He was dressed in his own traveling clothes, but he came slowly with a big sedan chair all the way, without the slightest appearance of dust. He was wearing a brand-new sapphire blue satin robe, covered with a yellow mandarin jacket given by the emperor, and on his head was a sable-brimmed warm hat with two eyes and feathers. Looking at his slim figure, rosy complexion and his man's eyebrows, which are more or less white than black, one can see that he really looks like a man among gods.

Before the ministers of Jiang entered the pilgrimage, they would not meet or visit guests as usual, so the palace gate greeted them, and then went back to Xianliang Temple to walk and rest early.Get up in the middle of the night, tie the knots, and enter the palace at the right time.King Chun has already sent someone to wait at the Donghua Gate, and greeted him to the court room of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, opened a room dedicated to King Chun, and invited him to rest. As soon as I sat down, I heard someone outside the door asking: "Have you handed over Li Zhongtang's invitation booklet?"

Hearing the voice of King Chun, Li Hongzhang hurriedly got up and went out to meet him.Su La opened the door curtain, met him, Li Hongzhang greeted him at the door, King Chun returned with a long bow, stepped into the door, and took his hand to greet him. "You look so good!" Chun Wang looked sideways, "You seem to be more energetic than last year." "Thanks to the prince! The prince is also much plumper than last year." "Hey!" King Chun sighed, "The life of the second half of last year was lived by humans? If you don't die, you will be skinned!" He said again: "The higher-ups have been looking forward to you, and they asked about you yesterday. Now the Chinese and French Negotiations are finally over, and there is a long way to go in the future, and you have to refresh yourself. I am afraid that you will have to stay for a longer time when you come here."

"Yes! Hongzhang plans to work with the prince for half a month, and wants to ask him to teach him." "You're welcome! Let's discuss with each other. Shaoquan, you have to help me." "Your Majesty's words are serious! As long as you can do what you can, Hongzhang will be as good as your life." King Chun nodded, hesitated to speak, and finally said with difficulty: "My situation is very difficult. Let's talk slowly!" Li Hongzhang knew in his heart that King Chun had something to say, and it was inconvenient to say it at this time, so he talked about something irrelevant.About an hour later, the imperial guards came to convey Yi's decree: "The empress dowager summons."

So Li Hongzhang followed the imperial guards into Yangxinmen.On this day, Jing Shou, the Minister of Internal Affairs who led the guards, led the team to the East Nuan Pavilion of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.The morning sun filled the room and it was as warm as spring. The Empress Dowager Cixi wore a magenta satin cheongsam with a black satin waistcoat on top, and a huge silk flower on her hair. She looked like thirty people, Li Hongzhang felt that she was more young than what he saw when she was in her fifth birthday last year. This is just a glimpse.After a few walks, it was close to worshiping the mat, knelt down to go to the crown, and greeted Sheng'an when we met. As usual, the Empress Dowager Cixi had a question and answer about the itinerary, the abundance of crops, the suffering of the people, and whether the daily life was comfortable.Of course, the "greetings" between the monarch and his ministers vary from person to person, time and place.For example, Ding Baozhen is far away in Western Sichuan, and it has been rare for a few years to enter the pilgrimage. Once they meet, they will naturally express their condolences and gossip endlessly. Li Hongzhang has only seen him for ten months, and the Empress Dowager Cixi often inquires about the situation in Gyeonggi, so there is no need to say so much gossip.

"I've come to you this time to discuss a lot of important matters." The Empress Dowager Cixi expressed her wish before getting into the main topic, "The emperor is almost an adult, and my responsibility can be relieved. I often think about it. For all the hard work, there is always something to do! You officials, talk about thinking about it and about remaining love, that's what I mean. After the curtain is removed, it is good for someone to often read it and remember me.These twenty years of hard work are not in vain! " "The empress dowager's intentions are as high as the earth!" Li Hongzhang was suddenly excited, "I have passed sixty this year, and I don't have many days to go. I have spent half my life in the army, and I have never had a day of leisure. If I ask the empress dowager and the emperor to give me a job to support me I think that the empress dowager and the emperor will look decent to all the ministers when they read the ministers' little work. However, the ministers never dared to think of this, because the empress dowager personally worked hard, and the sacred heart was full of considerations. There are people who dare to have such idle thoughts? There are many scolding ministers outside, and I dare not say that I just laughed it off, I just think that instead of being idle about it, it is better to look up to the sacred heart and do more things, which is the way to repay the deep kindness."

"That's how it is! Your contribution is no better than others, I know it." The Empress Dowager Cixi said again: "Changmao and Nianzi have been leveled for 20 years, and now a group of juniors, how do you know the difficulties that our monarchs and ministers struggled to support back then? It is really hateful to talk nonsense without conscience! The words of the past two years were too arrogant, and even the princes and ministers were not in their eyes. " Li Hongzhang understood that this was referring to the punishment of Liang Dingfen, so they met and said: "The empress dowager preserves the kindness, and I have to do my best to report it."

"Anyone who works hard, don't be afraid if I'm around!" The Empress Dowager Cixi paused and said, "Before I return to the government, I have a few important things to do, and I can only succeed with the help of Prince Jin and you." "Yes! I don't dare not be wholehearted." "The first thing is of course to build a navy." The Empress Dowager Cixi asked, "Have you read all the memorials from various provinces?" "Yes! Prince Jin has copied it to the ministers. The provinces should set up the size of the navy. Different people have different opinions. There are differences. It is just that there should be a dedicated government office. There is no difference." Li Hongzhang then put forward his own opinion, "I think that in today's affairs, the first thing to do is to quell the floating debate, and to quell the floating debate, it must first return to the power of the matter. With the empress dowager and the emperor presiding over it, and the ministers of the seven coastal provinces taking charge of the affairs, as long as there are people in the middle hub, it will be as flexible as the arm."

This is recommending the king of alcohol and maintaining the overall situation.However, King Chun is ashamed to be recommended by others because of his relatives and nobles and the respect of the emperor.Li Hongzhang has been an official for decades, and no one has as much experience as him, and he can figure out the details, so he refuses to take the liberty. Of course the Empress Dowager Cixi could hear what he meant, but instead of talking about people, she talked about things, "Zhang Zhidong's book arrived just two days ago." She asked, "I wonder if you saw it?"

"The minister saw..." The copy of the original music was received by him on his way to Tongzhou.Zhang Zhidong's memorials have always been afraid of endless words, often thousands of words.Naturally, this memorial is no exception. It is divided into eleven categories, including land distribution, ship purchase, billing, fundraising, bank deposit, ship maintenance, ship repair, general training, shipyard, fort, and firearms. , as revealed by Lishan, advocated the training of the four navies of Nanyang, Beiyang, Fujian, and Yueyang, and they were under the jurisdiction of the Zongli Yamen.It sounds clear and logical, but in Li Hongzhang's view, it is purely a scholar who talks about war with big words and exaggerations.

However, during the Sino-French War, Zhang Zhidong borrowed a lot of foreign debts to provide arms everywhere. Fees, fundraising to refute him. "Zhang Zhidong respected the empress dowager Teda's knowledge, and he was appointed to Fengjiang. His talent is good, he is determined to forge ahead, and he can quite live up to the expectations of the empress dowager and the emperor. It is a pity that the situation is too smooth, and it is too easy to see things. In terms of billing and fundraising, just for shipbuilding, each army needs 4 million taels, and the four armies need a total of 16 million taels. It was so easy." When it came to money, Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't help but sigh: "China and France went to war, and the provinces reimbursed more than 30 million yuan for military supplies, and owed a lot of foreign debts. How did you get it?" "That's exactly why." Li Hongzhang continued, "Not to mention the repayment of principal and interest on foreign debts, let's take the navy as an example. , and the supply of food and salaries for naval officers and soldiers? According to Zhang Zhidong's fundraising regulations, the five-year foreign drug import tariff and half of the likin are used to build the ship, and the remaining half can cover various expenses. In recent years The state's annual revenue is mainly based on foreign drug tariffs. I don't know how many people have designated this tax as income? Apart from other things, the foreign debts borrowed by Zuo Zongtang and Zhang Zhidong were guaranteed by more tariffs on foreign medicines. I am afraid that foreigners will not agree to use this money. " "That's right!" Empress Dowager Cixi nodded deeply: "Zhang Zhidong always likes to do things on a large scale, and he is a bit careless about the past and the future." "Borrowing foreign debt is definitely not a good strategy for seeking the country." Li Hongzhang took the opportunity to say: "You have to make money yourself. This time, I came to Beijing this time and brought several reports, and I can't go into details right now." "I also heard from Prince Jin that your intentions are good. As long as you can find ways to increase your income and have money to do business, I have nothing to disagree with." It needs to be done no matter what, but there must be a sequence. Beiyang has a scale first. I think one will be established first, and it will expand slowly. what do you mean " "The empress dowager is wise." Li Hongzhang replied, "This is the long-lasting way." "Military training is not only expensive, but also needs people. You have always been willing to pay attention to talents. If you can serve in the navy, just keep them." Empress Dowager Cixi asked again: "Look, are there any good generals?" Li Hongzhang thought to himself that the Empress Dowager Cixi was looking for talents at this time, of course she was preparing for great use. Since the navy planned to invite King Chun to preside over it, it would be inconvenient for him to provide sponsors.After thinking about it for a while, I felt that there was a way to have both, and recommended Chun Wang's pocket man. The person King Chun admired the most in terms of military management was originally Rong Lu, but there was a misunderstanding during the period, and the friendship was almost endless.In recent years, King Chun also wanted to repair it, but Rong Lu didn't know what to do, and would rather hide his strength and bide his time. There may be some special twists and turns in it, and Li Hongzhang dared not take the liberty to recommend it.As a last resort, he thought of someone. "Shanqing, the imperial bodyguard, used to be restrained by his ministers in the early years. When Shanqing's cavalry was quite effective when he was suppressing Xi Nian, he also got along very well with Liu Mingchuan." Li Hongzhang said, "I know him well. He is loyal, brave and honest. It's a good general." "Prince Jin also mentioned to me that Shanqing can lead troops and handle affairs." The Empress Dowager Cixi added: "Zuo Zongtang ensured that Zeng Jize could be an important task in coastal defense before his death. What do you think?" "Zeng Jize and my minister are family friends. He is wise and intelligent, and he is a good talent for foreign affairs. However, he has never led soldiers, and the minister has never heard him talk about military affairs. This time he is called back to the country. Dare to speak out." Having said that, I don't think it is obvious that Zeng Jize, as Zuo Zongtang played, can be an important task in coastal defense.Empress Dowager Cixi nodded, noncommittal, and turned the topic to Zuo Zongtang. "It's a pity for Zuo Zongtang! The court originally wanted to use his prestige to sit in the south, but he didn't want to be in office." The Empress Dowager Cixi sighed and said: "He has worked hard for many years, and I always want to find a quiet place for him to retire. I am free in Beijing. Living, it was good at first, but he knew that he had a stubborn temper and didn't get along with everyone. Last year, the military plane interviewed him and said that it would be best to send him to Fujian. I think Fujian is a place he is very familiar with, and it is considered suitable for people and places. I agreed, and specially sent Yang Changjun there again. The original intention was to tell him not to worry about everything. I don't think he can't appreciate the painstaking efforts of the court. He is old and sick, and he has made great achievements. He can't live a comfortable life for a few years. , it sounds like the imperial court is sorry for him!" "The empress dowager and the emperor are deeply benevolent and kind. They are so sympathetic to the veterans. Zuo Zongtang must be very grateful. However, Zuo Zongtang used Zhuge Liang's self-importance in his life, 'dedicate himself to death, and die later'. Now he died of overwork and illness. Death in battle is no different, for him it can also be said that he seeks benevolence and obtains benevolence, and dies without regret." Li Hongzhang wanted to take his own identity, so he said: "I and Zuo Zongtang usually have different opinions on official affairs, but I know that Zuo Zongtang's sincerity in serving the country and seeking loyalty to the country are no different from my ministers. Recalling the time when I worked with Zeng Guofan, I can see that Zuo Zongtang has passed away now. I am over sixty years old and my energy is declining. It's a lot of work, and I haven't worked for a few years." "You are no better than him! Your spirit is very strong." Empress Dowager Cixi comforted her with an optimistic tone, "The imperial court really depends on you!" "I also know that there are only a few years, and I dare not take a day off. I always want to do more things for the court and the people in my lifetime." "As long as you do it, the imperial court will definitely protect you. But when you get older, you should save your labor." Li Hongzhang came here full of economics and wanted to confide. He originally planned to seek the consent of King Chun and the support of the military aircraft and the ministers of the General Administration.Now, after hearing Empress Dowager Cixi's repeated encouragement, I changed my mind, thinking that by seizing the opportunity at this time, by convincing Empress Dowager Cixi, you can coerce the emperor to order the princes, and it will be more convenient when negotiating. Isn't it a shortcut to do things? After making up her mind, without any hesitation, she first raised the issue of building the railway, which was the most hurdle, "The Empress Dowager sees it clearly. I have been determined to make profits in the past few years, and I have been hated by others. If it is not for the preservation of kindness, even if I have three heads and six arms, I will Nothing will happen." He then switched to the main topic: "Take the construction of the railway as an example. In the sixth year of Guangxu, Liu Ming came to the court and asked to build the railway. He saw that when the railway was opened, the east, west, north and south are connected, and the distance between thousands of miles is the same. Far away, it can be reached in a few days, millions of people gather at one call, the eighteen provinces are united into one, and one soldier can be used for ten soldiers. These words are really insightful. Last year, Wang Shi prepared a lot of power to use troops against the law , the bravery recruited in the hinterland, temporarily unable to send the border provinces to defend against the enemy, delayed for a long time, and missed the military opportunity. In addition to the inconvenience of military supplies transfer, how can there be no reason for invincibility? If Liu Mingchuan played at that time and built the "South Road" first, One from Qingjiangpu via Shandong, the other from Hankou via Henan, and all arrived at the capital. At that time, troops were dispatched and generals were dispatched. In order to resist foreign aggression, the foundation of coastal defense, building railways has nine major benefits in military administration, capital, people's livelihood, transshipment, postal stations, mining, investment promotion, ships, and travel, so we should hurry up and catch up!" When mentioning this matter, the Empress Dowager Cixi recalled all the protests and complaints on the road, and said with a frown: "It is said that the opening of the railway will break Feng Shui, this matter must be carefully checked." This answer made Li Hongzhang a little frustrated, but once he said it, he had to argue, "Where are the vicissitudes of life, where is the mausoleum that has remained unchanged for thousands of years? Western countries emphasized various new policies back then, and often there were people who opposed them. It was all about perseverance. Perseverance is the only way to conquer the bottom. I remember that Zuo Zongtang also gave a play, in favor of imitating railways, saying that foreign countries "build roads because of business, and control soldiers because of roads. There is no disadvantage in transshipment. Before it was built, it was obstructed. Wow! Once it is done, the people will be rich, the country will be strong, and the characters will be prosperous. It is beneficial but not harmful. It is inherently obvious. Telegraph ships are not available in China. Once they are there, they are indispensable.' This is experience. His words are really thorough.” Speaking of this, he remembered an excellent example: “In the first year of Tongzhi, the minister was recommended by Zeng Guofan, and was granted the governorship of Jiangsu by the grace of the Empress Dowager. The British ship arrived in Shanghai. I remember that I disembarked from Anqing in early March, and arrived in Shanghai on the fourth day. If there is no ship, it will be thousands of miles away. I don’t know when I will get there? Another example is the war with foreign countries last year, Fujian, Yunnan, Guizhou and the capital. Thousands of miles away, the military report arrives every morning and evening, and the general of the border province is able to accept Yi's order and go to the matter quickly. If the telegram has not been sent, and there is no news for a month, I can't imagine what the situation will be like today? " These words made the Empress Dowager Cixi terrified and moved. "Most Beijing officials don't understand foreign affairs. The best way to run the railway!" She gave a general instruction: "You should discuss everything carefully with Prince Jin. As long as it is beneficial to the country, the No harm to the people, no matter what happens!" Playing to this point, time has run out, and the talk has come to an end.So Jing Shou made a gesture to signal Li Hongzhang to kneel down and retreat. When we returned to the court room of the House of Internal Affairs, King Chun just called out, we met in front of the door, and there was no time for a deep talk, King Chun only said: "Let's talk in detail at night!" Then he hurried north with the imperial guards. Li Hongzhang no longer sat in the court room.In order to respect his status as the chief assistant, he did not go to the military plane either.Although Li Wang Shiduo was present at the military aircraft department, Li Hongzhang didn't take this prince seriously, and passed the sedan chair out of the palace by himself. Go out of the palace but don't go back to Xianliang Temple, go to visit guests first.The first person to pay homage was to King Dun, who now inherited the respectful title that everyone called Prince Hui Mianyu, "Old Fifth Lord".His nature has always been simple and straightforward, this day Qing Che Jian went to visit Xishan.Li Hongzhang was in a hurry, but it was well-placed, because he was really a little afraid of the "Old Fifth Lord" who would speak freely and without taboo, and sometimes asked a sentence, which made people laugh and cry. The next step is to pay homage to King Gong.Li Hongzhang recalled the past in the sedan chair, full of emotions, and felt sorry for King Gong.For more than a year, he has been rebellious. Last year, in order to accompany Zhu Gu, it was already embarrassing to touch such a big nail. This year, he suffered from the pain of losing his eyesight. Moreover, there are many rumors about his death, saying that he was born with bayberry sore , festering all over the body, incurable.It is also said that King Gong had abandoned the eldest son for a long time. When Zai Li was dying, someone persuaded King Gong to visit him once to show the love of father and son.Prince Gong listened to the persuasion and went away. As soon as he entered the room, he saw the sick bed. What he saw was a black silk gown embroidered with flowers. At that time, he turned around and left, and squeezed out two words from his teeth: "Damn it!" He died in early June.When the patriarch's palace reported to the palace, the Empress Dowager Cixi shed some tears. Among all her nephews, she loved Zaichen the most, not only because he was smart and handsome, but also because of Mu Zong.Ten years have dilute the grief of the death of her beloved son. She only remembers that twenty years ago, their "little brothers" were as dear as brothers born from one mother.Because of this melancholy and tasteful memory, she vaguely regards Zai Cheng as her own, decorated with the final code, extremely elegant, and added the title of county king and posthumous title of "Guo Min".And because Prince Gong hated the eldest son deeply, and was afraid that his death would be careless, he specially appointed Minister of Internal Affairs Baktanbu to manage the funeral on behalf of Zaichen, and the funeral was held according to the ceremonies of the county king. All expenses were paid by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. From Li Hongzhang's point of view, this is an intriguing matter. Could it be that the Empress Dowager Cixi felt sorry for Prince Gong and used this to make up for it? And did Prince Gong accept this "graciousness"?It's hard to say. Thinking all the way like this, I arrived at Jianyuan unknowingly.When the poster came to the door, the guard went to the sedan chair to ask for safety and declared: "My lord has been ill for two days, and I just took medicine and fell asleep. I don't know if I can see Zhongtang. Zhongtang please sit inside first, and I will go back right away." .” "Sick? Is it okay?" "It's a bit of heat stroke." "Then, I have to take a closer look." Li Hongzhang said: "Go back with the prince, please don't get up, let alone change clothes, I will see you in the upper room." After a while, the guard sent a message: "The prince said: We are very good to each other, respect is worse than obedience. Ask Zhongtang to change into plain clothes and sit in the upper room. " So Li Hongzhang put on a "Fuse" mandarin jacket with a black tribute satin and Ningxia silk lined velvet gown in the hall of Jianyuan, and was led upstairs by the guards.Prince Gong greeted him at the stairs, held his hand and prevented him from saluting. Li Hongzhang believes that etiquette cannot be discarded, it is not about dressing and dressing, and he already feels that it is simple, so why not give it a big gift?The host is humble and humble, but the guest has a lot of reason.So the accompanying attendants spread red felt strips, and Li Hongzhang knelt down and kowtowed.That being the case, King Gong also followed the etiquette.The prince's ceremonial system is noble, just like the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty's "excellent etiquette", so he received Li Hongzhang's head standing up. When he got up, Prince Gong insisted on letting Li Hongzhang sit at the head of the kang bed as his master did.On the marble-topped kang table, there were eight tall fruit plates, four dry and four wet, and another girl with a long body and braids hanging down to her waist offered a bowl of tea covered with gold caps, and then stood beside her with a hookah , Ready to smoke. "I haven't seen you in a year, you've gained weight!" Prince Gong said while stroking his thin chin. "Thanks to the lord." Li Hongzhang leaned forward and replied, "It's a pity that my son is unfortunate. I just have to ask the lord to look away." "I've seen it for a long time!" Prince Gong shook his head, "I'm very ashamed." This is self-teaching, and Li Hongzhang doesn't know how to answer it?At this moment of stalemate, the waiter in Tsing Yi stretched out the hookah and said, "Please smoke in Zhongtang!" After he finished smoking a bag of hookah "snurling", Prince Gong changed the subject: "Have you seen the above?" "Yes! When you come out of the palace, go to see the fifth prince first, and say that you have gone to visit the West Mountain, and then come to greet the prince." "Have you met Lao Qi?" "Just had a quick chat in the court room early in the morning." Li Hongzhang said truthfully: "The Seventh Prince asked me to have a detailed talk at night." "It's thanks to you too! I said earlier, 'It's not hard to see people carrying burdens', he has already tasted it. You must help him carry this burden. Shaoquan," Prince Gong paused, stretched The tone said: "There is a long way to go!" "Your Majesty's lesson!" Li Hongzhang looked a little apprehensive, "The situation in the court is like this, Hongzhang is really suffering, and the few things that are going to be done now are still carried out in accordance with the grand plan of the prince. It's just the same thing. It is much harder to do it now than in the past. Although the prince does not ask about things now, the prince's insight, Hongzhang is the most admired, and the prince should always teach him!" "You are too modest. I have to avoid suspicion now, so it is inconvenient to talk too much, and I am also separated, so I have nothing to say." Prince Gong suddenly felt emotional, "The clear flow is gone for a while, and there are fewer people who speak high, and I can do things freely. It didn’t start off bad either.” Li Hongzhang didn't know what his intention was for a while, so he didn't dare to agree, so he only agreed: "Yes!" "How is Youqiao? Do you communicate often?" Speaking of Zhang Peilun is a big concern of Li Hongzhang.During the battle of Majiang, Zhang Peilun was not reprimanded because the military planes cast a taboo, fearing that the responsibility for the defeat would be too involved and difficult to deal with, but Zhang Peilun would not be able to quell the anger of the world.Therefore, Sun Yuwen decided to take advantage of Tang Jiong's and Xu Yanxu's cases to clean up all of them.Tang and Xu were convicted of beheading the prisoner for the crime of bereavement of their teachers and humiliation of the country. Before the charges were settled, Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang, and Ding Baozhen successively went to rescue Tang Jiong, but they all hit a wall.After the charges were established, in order to find out whether the recommendation was wrong, Tang Jiong was recommended by Zhang Zhidong, Chen Baoju and Zhang Peilun, but the results were different. Zhang Zhidong was "quite hardworking in Guangdong, so he leniently judged and discussed". The second is Chen Baochen, who was dismissed because he "raised Tang and Xu vigorously, causing serious delays".Next is Zhang Peilun, plus the battle of Ma Jiang, the crime of "dispatching the good side, abandoning the teacher and absconding", and defending the border more seriously.This is the so-called "dismissal of Hou Guan, and Fengrun fills the army". Zhang Peilun started to explain it in April of this year. It was called "Camping the Army", and he was actually studying behind closed doors in Zhangjiakou.Not only did Li Hongzhang often provide aid, but he often exchanged letters, talking about military and national plans.But at this time, there is no need to tell the truth to Prince Gong, just answer like this: "It's just an occasional question!" "You Qiao is a pity!" Prince Gong said with a slight sigh, "Zhang Xiangtao is miscellaneous, Chen Bo Qian is mediocre, Wu Qingqing is light, among the clear streams, in terms of talent, he is still You Qiao." Li Hongzhang felt that King Gong's one-word comments on Zhang Zhidong, Chen Baoju and Wu Dacheng were very appropriate, and he was even more gratified that he showed pity for Zhang Peilun.Prince Gong deposed, Zhang Peilun couldn't get rid of the responsibility, thought he would hold grudges, but didn't want to feel sorry for Zhang Peilun's experience!That being the case, might as well say a few words of truth. "Your Majesty's knowledge of people is really admirable. It was You Qiao's idea to start a large navy now. As a minister, Hong Zhang has the responsibility of educating talents for the country. At the beginning, he had a private plan. If the navy was established, he would recommend You Qiao's brokerage, the results must be impressive. After this fall, nothing can be talked about." Li Hongzhang only told half of the truth.His expectation for Zhang Peilun is not only to run the navy, but to pass on the mantle and take over Beiyang.The situation in Beiyang is very serious. He thinks the words of his "teacher" Zeng Guofan: "Finding a replacement is the first thing to do when doing big things!" is really a wise saying.I am an extremely human minister, who will be over 60 years old, and I have not been in Beiyang for a few years. Once I hand over the customs, I have to arrange someone to be there in advance. This person is not easy to find, lack of qualifications, lack of talent, different opinions, and not deep relationship, it is difficult to dazzle him , the leader of Qingliu, this qualification is not qualified by any of the direct descendants of Beiyang.It is very difficult to be a Beiyang minister if you are not from Hanlin.Like Zhang Peilun, taking Zhang Zhidong as an example, a cabinet bachelor who has accumulated funds to be promoted to the second rank can be put to great use immediately if he is sent to the governor or transferred to the minister.At that time, Zou Tiao would handle Beiyang military affairs. After two or three years of experience, he would take over his own customs and defense as a matter of course. Wouldn't it be the most comfortable plan for public and private purposes? Therefore, "after this fall, nothing can be discussed", is also against one's will.He not only wanted to try to get Zhang Peilun back, but also wanted to protect him from recovery.However, there is still "no way to talk about it". Of course Prince Gong couldn't guess what Li Hongzhang was thinking.At this time, he thought of another person from Zhang Peilun's experience, "Tang Esheng is also a pity." Prince Gong said: "In comparison, Zhang Youqiao is considered lucky." Esheng is Tang Jiong's nickname.Tang Jiong was no more serious than Zhang Peilun in terms of the crime of bereavement of a teacher and humiliation of the country.The winter solstice is approaching in a blink of an eye, and if "a single write-off" is made, Caishikou will once again become a sensation after killing Sushun and He Guiqing. "Yes!" Li Hongzhang couldn't help but said: "Xue Yunjie is too much, I heard that there are personal grievances involved." Xue Yunjie was Xue Yunsheng, the left servant of the Ministry of Punishment. Prince Gong asked very carefully, "Oh, what's the personal grudge?" Li Hongzhang regretted his slip of the tongue. Xue Yunsheng would naturally hold grudges when he heard the rumors about Taoist people for no reason. Could it be that he offended a powerful official in the capital for no reason?Just when he was pondering and didn't answer, Prince Gong urged curiously: "Just chat. It's okay! " Not only urging him, but also seeing the embarrassment in his heart, Li Hongzhang had to talk about it, "It was a misunderstanding, and it was also Ding Zhihuang's handling, which was a little less thorough." He said, "I heard it, but I don't know the details. Say it!" Li Hongzhang was rumored to have come from a visitor from Sichuan.Tang Xue had a grudge seven or eight years ago. At that time, Tang Jiong was promoted from donating to the county magistrate in Sichuan to being a Taoist priest. When Ding Baozhen saw it, he was very appreciative, and he was allowed to be a "national scholar". .To be honest, Tang Jiong was ordered to clean up Sichuan's salt affairs, and he did make some achievements. No wonder Ding Baozhen followed his advice and became a popular figure in Sichuan's official circles. At this time, Xue Yunsheng was transferred from the magistrate of Raozhou, Jiangxi, to Longmao Road, Chengmian, Sichuan. Commissioned Jianchang Shangnan Road. These two Dao Que and Fertility are very different.Chengmian Longmao Road has jurisdiction over Chengdu and Long'an prefectures, and Mianzhou and Maozhou two Zhili prefectures. The yamen is located in Chengdu. It is not only the first road in Sichuan, but also has a lot of income because it also manages water conservancy. Jianchang Shangnan Road has three prefectures under the jurisdiction of Yazhou, Ningyuan, and Jiading. Qiongzhou is a Zhili Prefecture. The Yamen is located in Yazhou, which is located at the border of Sichuan and Tibet.The place is hard, and the mission is troublesome, that's all. The most injustice is that the generals stationed in the provinces don't care about the civil affairs. Chang Dao, this is naturally because Jianchang Dao is in charge of the chieftain and has a special position. Because of this management, Jianchang Road has an extra immediate boss out of thin air. Every time he goes to the province for business, he has to take care of the general's office.The general's "three festivals and two birthdays" and the congratulatory rituals of other local officials are only limited, but Jianchang Road must send them according to the number of filial piety to the governor.Therefore, Xue Yunsheng was extremely displeased, and decided that it was Tang Jiong's fault. Speaking of this, Prince Gong interrupted and asked: "I remember that Tang Esheng was in Jianchang Dao at that time, is it reversed? Tang Esheng doesn't seem to have been in Chengmian Dao before!" "Yes! The prince has a good memory. At that time, Tang Esheng belonged to Jianchang Dao, but he had never been a Chengmian Dao. Later, Chengmian Dao was listed as the agent of Ding Zhifan, but Ding Zhifan was transferred from Jianchang Dao." "Slow down! Shaoquan, you did not miscalculate this account, did you?" "My lord is saying that since Tang Esheng is on the road of Jianchang, why did Ding Jiafan be transferred from Jianchang? There is a bill for the workman, I will count it for the lord..." It turned out that Tang Jiong's job was Jianchang Road, but because of supervising the salt affairs, he was often stationed in the provincial capital, so he had to send another person to act as Jianchang Road.This person is what Li Hongzhang called Ding Zhifan. His name is Ding Shibin. He is from Henan. "According to this, Tang Esheng is nothing more than occupying a real vacancy, and whoever acts as his vacancy has nothing to do with him at all." "That's exactly what you said." Li Hongzhang replied: "It was Ding Jifan who wanted to change the administration into Mian Dao, and Zhihuang wanted him by his side, so he insisted on an exchange. Xue Yunjie didn't know the inside story. It was written on Tang Esheng's head, and he has been brooding about it all the time, and now he has the opportunity to repay his grievances directly." "It's hard to describe the kindness!" Prince Gong sighed.Then he asked again: "Childish Huang is pure and bright, and is also known for being able to recognize people. This Ding Price Fan must be capable?" "Not to mention whether you can do it or not, it's true that Zhihuang is troubled by him. Sichuan people call him and Zhihuang together, and they call him 'double movement in the eyes. There is also the saying of "Four Great Heavens and Earth", it is very mean to slander Zhihuang, and of course it is Ding Zhifan's complaint for him. " "Oh," Prince Gong asked, "What are the 'Four Heavens and Earth'?" " "It's the words to scold Zhihuang: 'Hearing the name of the duke, it shakes the heavens and earth; seeing the duke coming, I am overjoyed; seeing the duke's government, the sky is dark; I hope the duke will go, thank God!' Sichuan cuisine is spicy and sour, and the words are so so!" "It's hard to say what I like or hate!" Prince Gong sighed again, "Childish Huang Duchuan is a virtuous government that benefits Sichuan from above. If you want to come to honest officials, you must be loved by the local people, so you know that there are also such evil voices. To say that Zhihuang's government is 'dark and dark', I If he refuses to accept it, is there something to be said about his official voice?" "Childish Huang is in charge of politics, promotes advantages and eliminates disadvantages, and strives to avoid failure. It will inevitably attract people's resentment, so that he will be criticized. Fortunately, the imperial court has preserved it. However, it is a mistake to use the Ding price vassal." "It's hard to tell right from wrong!" Prince Gong asked, "Zhihuang must have a reason for using this surname Ding, he wouldn't use his hands to make money from this person, would he?" "That's absolutely impossible. Zhihuang is as clean as water. Everyone in Sichuan knows that the governor is often very poor." "This," Prince Gong was very surprised, "I'm afraid it's an exaggeration?" "It's true. I've heard it from more than one person. As a rule...."