Chapter 26 Section 26

The Empress Dowager Cixi changed her mind and was willing to preserve the appearance of the tie, but at this moment, Zhang Peilun made a note of "secretly reporting the situation to prevent the arrangement", which made her attitude harden again.The memorial is written like this: On the 25th day of the fifth lunar month, the number of French ships increased day by day, pay attention to the ship bureau, please march into the horse's tail, try to stop the enemy from rushing, and name the admiral Huang Chaoqun, and lead the army to sneak in from the land.On the 27th, a telegram was received from Beiyang Minister Li Hongzhang, saying that the French Consul Lin Chun had 28 days to complete and that he would attack the Mawei Shipping Bureau.The minister was afraid that the enemy would provoke, which is now, so he braved the rain at night and sailed to the shipping bureau at dawn to discuss everything with He Ruzhang, the minister of shipping.The two battalions also arrived to select the front, and the minister ordered many flags to be placed along the way, and they lined up on the river bank to suspect the enemy. "

In addition to being suspicious of soldiers, Zhang Peilun proudly reported that Guba was afraid of him: "First, before the army arrived, I had a secret business with He Ruzhang, and Zhang Cheng led a naval guerrilla attack with a military ship, and two The small mosquito boat is moored bow to stern with the enemy's boat, preparing for the enemy's sudden attack, that is to say, it will be smashed by the impact, and it is a desperate plan for a deadly battle. The enemy is vicious, and for three days, it has been used to contain it. The dawn is dim, and the admiral of the French navy is alone, suddenly Seeing that the minister's army was full of flags and drums, he questioned the teacher and boat, and suspected that I wanted to fight. The minister ordered Zhang Cheng to answer that China is upright, and the battle must be scheduled, and there is no deceitful way. He asked the admiral to be useless. The admiral invited Zhang Cheng to meet each other, and the tone of his words Peace, saying that China treats me politely, I heard that the people are suspicious, and my ship is also planning to retreat two ships first. Depending on the words of the French Consul Pariser's note on the 27th, the minister is still ordering the water, and the troops are strictly prepared, and I personally led Huang Chaoqun and others in Qishan Mountain in the weekly calendar to look at the enemy's division. The boats were five large and small, and they were scattered in Luoxing Tower, only half a mile away from the shipyard. Before two months, even foreign merchants were suspicious."

Next, we will describe how difficult it is for the ship to defend, so we have to resort to another suspicious strategy: "It is announced today: digging the Haosai River, laying more mines and mines to prepare for the battle, Gu Chen's army has not a single mine." This tactic of suspicious soldiers was effective on the second day. The French warships retreated two ships, but "if they go out, they will join the three ships outside the mouth to scare Nagato, and if they enter, they will join the two ships inside the mouth to doubt the ship's situation." There are only three "official boats" on the Minjiang River, and they are lonely and dangerous.The enemy can retreat or advance, and can fight or defend. Besides, "how can I dare to use the enemy's retreat to lift the law when no military ships from the north and south have arrived?" At the same time, a telegram from the Prime Minister's Office was also mentioned.

The Prime Minister’s Yamen has seen the strategy of the French army. First, they must occupy a port in China as a basis for blackmail. However, Li Hongzhang must come forward to negotiate peace between China and foreign countries. Therefore, to save his face, he must not violate the Beiyang border.Otherwise, approaching Jifu and shaking the capital, Li Hongzhang will be in a very difficult situation, and it will be difficult to achieve peace, and it will not be good for France. Therefore, secondly, the location must be far away from the south of the capital, and ideally a place that is convenient for naval supplies.In this way, Keelung has coal mines, and Fuzhou has a shipping bureau, which became the first target of France if it didn't do anything.

Because the Zongli Yamen had received telegrams in the past few days, French warships frequently entered and exited the Minjiang Estuary, and negotiations were imminent.If there is really a fight, according to Li Hongzhang's judgment, "the ship situation cannot be guaranteed", but if the Mawei defenders are willing to take a small loss and the battle situation does not expand, the tie situation can still be salvaged.So I sent a telegram to Zhang Peilun: "Small setbacks can be recovered."This is to imply that setbacks have already been taken care of, and he will not be held accountable, and it means to persuade him to bear the humiliation.

Zhang Peilun naturally understood, but he was not persuaded. He said: "If the Guochen army is defeated, all resources will be exhausted, and there will be no soldiers and no pay. Who will be more motivated?" Of course, he has another opinion when he talks like this. , also have self-confidence. In order to contrast his loyalty, bravery and hard work, he had to make a comparison without involving Peng Yulin.It is said that last autumn Peng Yulin was ordered to handle Guangdong's military affairs and demarcated a defense zone with Zhang Shusheng, governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.This matter was despised by Zhang Peilun, so he happened to use him to raise his own status and praise his achievements: "When the minister came out, the people of the province and the city had no firm will, and the wind and the crane were all soldiers. There are those who want to help Peng Yulin not to go to Qiongfang to stay with his ministers. I think that the new recruits are not in proportion to the old ones, and they will definitely lose the horsetail without a fight. So I asked for compensation for its quality, and the ministers waited quietly in the province. Redeeming and returning this land together, how can he be a man? So he dare not be at ease, lest he be tarnished by the empress dowager and the emperor's confidant, it was not at first that this army could win."

"This army" is Huang Chaoqun's army, which was captured by Zhang Zhaodong in self-defense. Although this army may not be able to win, Zhang Peilun is still sure of victory. "When I come to the front enemy, I feel that the spies from various battalions and the telexes from all walks of life are half of the legal person's false threats, and the minister, please preemptively strike the enemy, it is not unsure." His certainty is based on two judgments. First, China has repeatedly made concessions to France. The French army does not need to fight to the death. However, the navy and army commanded by Zhang Peilun in the counter-terrorism fight to the death have already lost a bit in morale; Secondly, the French warships in the Minjiang River are no more than two bureau ships.If all the French troops landed, they could attack the enemy ships by taking advantage of them. If only half of them landed, only a few hundred people, with 2,000 troops to meet them, the French might not be able to gain the upper hand.What's more, the enemy army goes deep into the interior, and their return can be blocked everywhere.At the same time, the tide has been "small letters" recently, and it is inconvenient for French warships to come and go. This is a taboo for the army, and it is the reason why Zhang Peilun wants to go to war.

The art of war emphasizes "knowing yourself and knowing the enemy". He said that he has such a chance of winning, but he also needs to assess the enemy's situation. Zhang Peilun said with confidence that the enemy has seen his fighting spirit and has become timid, so he is still lingering. There will be no loss of harmony, but Guba came here with a naval admiral and arrogance, saying that the Fujian officials will surrender their hearts and agree with each other, and the shipyard is definitely within reach. I don't talk to them first, and I want to fight with them first. If you retreat from the army suddenly, you are also afraid of seeing other countries and taking ridicule soldiers, so you can drive the Hujiang River to cover up their retreat, and they are still the end of the coercion. The plan is also cunning! De Nuo, it's not that Yun wants to offend him, that is, Yun must send someone to Shanghai to explain. He telegraphed Li Hongzhang yesterday and asked him not to go to Shanghai. When the Lord is worried about the humiliation of the minister, the minister has the army and cannot fight. Defeating the enemy with strength, how dare you speak out loudly and have no fear of the situation? Just think about the enemy's situation and fight hard. It is difficult to reason. Now that the Fachuan is in Fujian, if the situation changes slightly, there must be one or two people who can pretend to be able to do it. Those who do foreign affairs have done their best to distinguish and deal with the difficulties, without the solitude of the officers and men, they are the shortcut of the rogue Xirong, and the enemy's flames are damaged by the country's constitution. There is no more than this. "

These presentations greatly strengthened Empress Dowager Cixi's courage, and what touched her the most was that Zhang Peilun swore at the end of the day: If the situation turned bad, "Our support will be cut off, and the French ships will come. I am afraid that they will suddenly attack the former enemy. According to our upstream, our army was finally defeated, and the two armies, led by Ranchen, vowed to live and die with the factory, and would never retreat, so as to embarrass the court." Such a man of integrity, loyal and brave, is really Worth reusing. The plan of relying on the United States to "negotiate cooperation" finally came to nothing. France officially refused the United States' mediation, and at the same time took action against Keelung. Guba's deputy, Li Zhibi, led four warships to bombard the Keelung fort.When Liu Mingchuan got the news, he ordered the Keelung Coal Mine to be blown up by himself, and at the same time personally led the four admirals to repel the landing French army, but he himself quickly retreated to Danshui.According to Liu Mingchuan's own explanation: Taiwan has no warships, and it cannot compete with the French army on the sea. Only by luring them ashore can they be "gathered and wiped out."

The French army refused to be fooled, and left three warships to monitor the waters of Keelung. At the same time, Badeno sent a note to Zeng Guoquan. The French army captured Keelung as a pledge, and temporarily refused to take Fuzhou. With the situation at this point, if they are willing to make peace, they will become an alliance under the city.Seeing this situation, King Chun was unwilling to make peace, and could not fight. Under the desperation of the six gods, he had no choice but to call a court meeting. At this time, Chen Baochen sent a telegram. There was a sentence that made the Empress Dowager Cixi very sad. Qingliu is mostly resolute in nature, not because he sees that things are difficult and there is absolutely nothing he can do, and he is absolutely unwilling to say such helpless and discouraged words.

"The matter has come to this point, I really don't know what to say!" The Empress Dowager Cixi sighed to King Chun and the prime ministers, "Can we fight? You have to have something real. The matter cannot be dragged on! It gets worse and worse." The weather on June 22 was cloudless and sweltering with no rain. King Chun was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. He really wanted to say, "I'm not sure if we want to start a war." But he just couldn't say it. The Empress Dowager Cixi knew that King Chun was useless, and she was willing to reuse him because he was useless.Therefore, regarding the issue of military pay, I will directly inquire with Xu Gengshen and Yan Jingming at this moment. "Xu Geng's body!" She asked: "Look, if you start a war, are you sure?" This is the most difficult question to answer.However, although Xu Geng himself could not make up his mind about the grand plan of peace and war, after Hong Yangping, he worked as a "Dalami" in the military aircraft, and almost all the important military affairs were issued by him. The Huai Army has many accumulated habits and cannot be relied on; the Beiyang Navy is like a baby and is learning to walk, and it is not enough to be self-reliant; Although he is in charge of military affairs, he presides over heavy affairs.Of course, he didn't want to offend Li Hongzhang, let alone King Chun, saying that their soldiers were useless, and he always said repeatedly: Prepare more strength.At this time, it is still playing like this. "China has a vast territory and too many ports. At the beginning, our ancestors set up troops to garrison and focused on land routes. Since Daoguang, five ports have been opened for trade, and Sino-foreign negotiations have become more and more frequent. It was never expected by our ancestors. Since Wenzong controlled the guests and relied on the empress dowager It has only been more than ten years since we have worked hard on the top, developed and leveled, and paid attention to coastal defense. Naturally, it cannot be compared with the navies of Western countries that have been in operation for decades. If you have more equipment, you will divide your strength. In Fuzhou, He Jing called for help one after another, and there was no warship in the North and South Oceans that could be transferred to the sea of ​​Fujian. Even if it could be transferred, France gave up its horsetail and attacked Keelung. The Chinese and Western newspapers said that the admiral of the French navy, Guba, was a strong general, and he sent a telegram to their Navy Department to attack Zhifu, Weihaiwei, and Lushun in Shandong, and the enemy’s divisions would attack the north, and the capital would be shaken. After we meet, we don't need to say the conclusion. Empress Dowager Cixi sighed faintly, turned her face and asked again: "Yan Jingming, what do you say?" "According to my minister, it is advisable to close it. The soldiers who fight the war are paid, and the current salary source is very scarce. The most worrying thing is that Nancao mostly uses sea transportation. If something happens at sea and the ship of China Merchants cannot reach Tianjin, then When..." Yan Jingming said with difficulty: "'Food is the first thing for the people'! The empress dowager is wise." There has always been insufficient food in the north. If the southern canals are interrupted, this shortage of food will cause people's hearts to fluctuate, and it will cause great chaos.Rethinking this, it is chilling. "According to this, if you can't fight, you will surrender?" "Is there any reason to surrender?" King Chun said uncomfortably. "Yeah, not only do you have nowhere to go, what face will I have to see my ancestors in the future? Everyone has to find a way out! " "Your fool, I think that the country's century-old plan should not be contested for a day's short or long, but a long-lasting strategy." Xu Geng said again, "In the past, most of the court discussions have been empty words. Worker, discuss it in detail, if it is a replay of empty words, throw it back immediately." Xu Gengshen cleverly changed the subject, and the Empress Dowager Cixi nodded unconsciously: "You are telling the truth. I just drafted the order according to your wishes. The notes received in the past two days, the telegrams from Nanbeiyang and Fujian, and the notes from Chen Baochen, Send it all down, and read it in public." "Yes!" King Chun agreed. When he came out of the palace, King Chun was sweating profusely and looked very bad.His heart is simple and honest, competitive, but he is mediocre! For many years, he has been saying that Prince Gong is not good. Under Sun Yuwen's instigation, he hastily decided to seize power, and he took over a heavy burden in a muddleheaded manner. Once he shouldered it, he felt overwhelmed. Now he is in a dilemma, unable to move an inch .Recalling someone's words from Prince Gong: "It's not hard to see people carrying burdens", and I feel ashamed and apprehensive, which is why I have such an inner agitation and an air of self-shock. "Uncle Xing," he said to Xu Gengshen, "I'll go back first. You can discuss it with Laishan, and come to my place first when you leave the palace." "Yes! My lord, please go back and rest first. Don't be in a hurry!" Xu Gengshen comforted him and said, "The situation can always be salvaged. After passing this hurdle, make a good long-term plan, and there will be a day when you can feel proud. " "That's the only way I think now. But..." King Chun blinked his eyes and thought for a while beside the sedan chair before saying, "Let's talk about it later. Ting Yi, you should be prepared." He didn't go to the military aircraft office, and he was usually in the mansion when he did business, and King Qing often passed on his messages.Recently, because of the urgent situation, and King Chun took special care of him, so after the military plane was on duty this afternoon, Prince Qing, Sun Yuwen, Yan Jingming, and Xu Gengshen went to Shiyuan to have an audience. "The court decided on the 22nd." King Qing said: "The imperial front, the military aircraft, the General Administration, the six ministries and the nine ministers, the scientific officials, and the lecturers." This is the person who was required to participate in the court meeting according to the report. King Chun asked in surprise, "Why is there no prince?" "Laishan!" King Qing turned to look at Sun Yuwen: "Go back with Master Qi!" It is an unprecedented precedent for the court to discuss without summoning the prince. This example was created by Sun Yuwen, and the purpose was to relieve the siege of the Alcohol King.Because when King Jin was "in the field", he spoke out loudly and criticized King Gong for his improper measures, and his words were often extremely sharp. Now he is in a different place, afraid of King Gong, and there is always King Dun who has always said something, said something, and said nothing. , In front of the public, he was so crowded that King Chun couldn't get off the stage. Embarrassment is one thing, but I am even more afraid that under agitation, the officials will inevitably echo their voices, so under the situation of being unable to resist, King Chun made the conclusion of the main battle, and the overall situation will be difficult to deal with at that time.Therefore, Sun Yuwen agreed to use the method of "cutting the mess with a sharp knife", and simply refused to let King Gong discuss with King Dun. Of course, it is inconvenient to say this directly, so he just replied: "Aren't there princes among the imperial ministers?" King Jin agreed, nodded and didn't mention it, but asked the lecturer: "Sheng Boxi and the others don't know what they will say?" "What else can they say? It's just a conclusion." Sun Yuwen added, "Zhang Youqiao is in Fujian, Chen Boqian is in Nanyang, Wu Qingqing is in Beiyang, and Zhang Xiangtao is in Guangdong. It's a decisive victory. The imperial court has prepared a red cap." In these sneering remarks, Sun Yuwen revealed his tricks, using the Qingliu to control the Qingliu, and may even use the Qingliu to attack the Qingliu.Chen Baochen has already said that "reconciliation is also regrettable, and not reconciliation is also regrettable", which is enough to see that the tone of the main battle is not as good as before.If Sheng Yu, who was not the leader of the lecturer, blamed him, it would be tantamount to having trouble with the two Zhang Chen Wu and others. Knowing this, Chun Wang felt relieved.However, within two or three months, he has already fully understood the plight of the country. There is no one-sentence settlement between war and war.Taking the current situation as an example, "regret after disharmony" is not as good as "regret after disharmony", because "regret after discord" will inevitably lose teachers and humiliate the country, pay for military expenses, and pursue accountability, causing chaos in the world and loss of vitality. "Peace and regret" at least preserves strength, so Xu Tu can do it again and strive to be a hero.Such a simple and clear truth cannot be explained in a single word, but it has to be twisted and twisted to deal with Empress Dowager Cixi's accusation and Qingliu's main argument. , constrained everywhere.Now, from what Sun Yuwen said, Qingliu seems to have been restrained, so things are much easier to handle. Then discuss the wording of the replay.There has always been a replay in the court meeting, which is called "public fold". The draft is prepared in advance, and those who agree are listed, otherwise there is a separate play.The public document is either drafted by the cabinet, drafted by the military aircraft, or prepared by the princes who lead the convening, depending on what is being discussed. But Sun Yuwen objected again. Although the discount was prepared by military planes, it might as well be submitted to Boyan Mogu.This seemed unbelievable, but after he explained the reason, he couldn't help but admire his ingenuity. This is done to prevent one person from disturbing the overall situation, and this person is Zuo Zongtang.Since he was summoned back in May, and since he arrived in Beijing, his favor has not faded, and he is still in the direct military aircraft, and also in charge of the Shenji battalion.But his temper has not changed, he is still prone to big words, swearing, and he is in a trance, talking inconspicuously, and none of his military colleagues does not feel headaches.If the draft of the public draft was prepared by a military plane, he must have many opinions and picks, making it impossible to finalize it. Therefore, it is better to let Zuo Zongtang, who is the most honored title in this court meeting, and the leader of the replay, propose a draft. And smell, but quiet nothing. "That's good!" King Dun nodded deeply, then frowned and said, "This honesty is really annoying." "There is a way!" Sun Yuwen said, "This old man is not suitable for participating in temple discussions, so let's ask him to go out and lead troops when the opportunity arises!" "What do you think of Laishan's words?" King Chun looked at Yan and Xu and asked. Both Yan Jingming and Xu Geng remained silent, seventy old men and emperor soldiers may not be suitable, and in terms of human feelings, they also think it is too much.It's just that this old man is in the court, and he really doesn't accomplish enough and fails more, so he doesn't want to express his opinion. "Let's talk about it according to the situation!" Chun Wang also felt that this arrangement was inappropriate, so he put it aside, "Let's ask Uncle Xing to write." "yes!" "I have one more thing to discuss with everyone. I've been thinking about it for a long time, but I can't decide to pay attention to it. Now in order to boost morale, I have to do this. I want to interview the Empress Dowager, and follow the example of the old fifth grandfather. In the name of the General, lead the Shenji Battalion to Vietnam to fight the French devils." As soon as this remark came out, everyone was shocked, and even Sun Yuwen was speechless. In the third year of Xianfeng, Prince Hui, the "Old Fifth Master", was appointed as a general by order, but he only supervised the defense and suppression of Jifu. How can it be the same as going to Vietnam? "It was difficult for the ancestors to start a business. Although they won the world immediately, they could not rule the world immediately, but riding and archery is the foundation of the Eight Banners, and there is no need to practice martial arts. When the dynasty first entered the customs, all the princes and ministers were unable to draw strong bows and speak 'national language' Yes. The peace has been going on for a long time, and I am accustomed to arrogance. Chunmiao is far-sighted and tries his best to correct it. He shoots three arrows and misses the target. He immediately reprimands him. The disciples of the Eight Banners will have a test in the township. They first try the bow and horse. Top Ten Martial Arts'. At that time, Mingliang and Kuilin were all officials of Jiaofang, and they ordered Changchun Temple in Jiangxi: "The Zhou Dynasty established its foundation with crops, and today it establishes a country with agriculture. This dynasty ruled the world with arrows. How can it be Abolish weapons for a day? Abandoning martial arts means forgetting one's roots! '" King Chun became excited again when he said this, "It is because the Eight Banners have forgotten their roots that today they are humiliated by foreign enemies! " "Your Highness sees it very well." Sun Yuwen persuaded: "However, as a Highness, how can His Majesty feel at ease for a moment if he dares to kill Shi Shi himself?" "It's not possible to risk Shishi personally. Naturally, I will set up camp in the pass to command and supervise the battle. I don't need to visit the former enemy." King Chun said, "Only as me, personally supervising the division can boost morale." "To be honest, it's enough for the prince to have such a meaning..." "Not enough, not enough!" King Chun rushed to shake his hand, "We must go to the front and show it to everyone. Some people say that the Shenji Camp is fake and beautiful, but I am not convinced. Wenbochuan brought the Shenji Camp to Fengtian to suppress the horse bandits. , played very well. He came back and told me: It’s not that the Shenji Camp cannot be used, but it’s just that they are too lazy to raise them in the prosperous place of the capital. If you do it, you can’t even eat a meal, so it’s a big change. This is really a word of experience. Besides, raising soldiers for thousands of days, they can be used in one day. The Shenji Battalion has been practicing for so many years. When it’s time for them to show their skills, they are not desperate To save face? I have made up my mind, and it is useless for you to persuade me." "My lord!" As soon as Yan Jingming said a word, King Chun rushed to speak again, "Dan Weng!" He cupped his hands, "In terms of this salary, you should help me no matter what. As for the food and fodder, you are so old, of course I don’t dare to work on you, but I must ask you to send a young and strong officer who can endure hardships and endure hard work to manage the food platform for me.” Speaking of such words, Yan Jingming could only respectfully respond: "Yes!" Both Sun and Yan were "out of control", they only looked at Xu Geng.Of course he also had something to say, but seeing that King Chun was full of confidence and pride, it was inconvenient to pour cold water on him.So I kept thinking, how can King Chun know that the Shenji camp is useless without hurting his self-esteem? Only then can he retreat from difficulties. At this moment, I had already thought about it, but I asked leisurely: "Who is the counselor the prince plans to use?" "Rong Zhonghua!" Chun Wang blurted out, "Zhonghua has been wronged for several years, and I feel very sorry. In the second year after Shen Jingsheng's death, I wanted to keep him back, but he refused. Now you have to help me I have already made a plan, the emperor has reached the age of "horses", I will prepare eight good horses as his reward, as long as there is a decree to reward them, I will naturally restore his original position." "My lord misses the old man so much, I really appreciate it. Rong Zhonghua is good. However, my lord," Xu Gengshen said, "the story of the Three Kingdoms must be learned from." "The story of the Three Kingdoms?" Bannermen took it as the art of war. Although King Chun did not do so, Chen Shou's "Three Kingdoms" was written by Xuanzong when he was in the study, and he had to read it by heart. Therefore, the story of the Three Kingdoms , know a lot. "I don't know which one you're talking about?" "I'm talking about the Battle of Chibi. At that time, the troops of Liu and Guan had no more than 10,000 elite soldiers, Liu Qi's Jiangxia soldiers had less than 10,000 soldiers, Zhou Yu and Cheng Pu had only 10,000 soldiers each, and Sun Liu's soldiers had no more than 40,000 soldiers." Cao concealed his troops, who claimed to be in the millions, but in fact there were 400,000, ten to one, and outnumbered, only because Wei Shi came from the north. Throw away your helmet." Xu Gengshen continued, "Southerners ride boats, while northerners ride horses. It's because of their habits, so there's nothing to force them to do. The children of Shenjiying can reap their merits when they go to Fengtian, because the climate in Fengtian is not far from that of Beijing. Now we are at the southwestern border of the scorching and miasma-ridden land, the weather is not right, the water and soil are not acclimatized, and if we get caught in the miasma, there is no one who will not fall ill! The hero is only afraid of illness, so it will not damage the majesty of the prince?" "Ah, ah!" Alcohol King was shocked. "Uncle Xing, what you said is true." Yan Jingming hurriedly agreed, "When I was doing relief work in Shanxi, I knew that the hungry people are easy to save, but the plague is hard to deal with. At that time, hurry up and transport the medicine to the front, I'm afraid it will be too late." "Yes Yes!" "Although the prince is strong, he has never been to the south. If the water and the soil are not acclimatized, I will be worried," Xu Geng said in a very earnest voice, "how can the prince feel at ease?" "It's right to blame." King Chun, who was sincerely convinced, spoke extremely humbly, "Thank you for the kind words, I dare not not accept the advice." "My lord is too serious!" Xu Geng stood up and replied with lowered hands. "Everything depends on it." King Chun cupped his hands, "I'll see you in the palace tomorrow morning!"