Chapter 27 Section 27

At dawn the next day, King Chun had already invited his son and daughter's in-laws, Bo Yan Na Mo Gu, to meet at the court room of the House of Internal Affairs at the inner right gate, and to read together the manuscript drafted by Xu Gengshen. This manuscript is divided into four sections. The first section affirms the righteousness of the same enemy, saying that the army is rampant, attacking Keelung, and all the officials in the court are deeply indignant.The second paragraph mentions Chen Baochen's excerpts, saying that he was always resolute, but now there is a statement of "regret for reconciliation and regret for not reconciliation". Naturally, he is in the game, has seen it for himself, and cannot ignore his opinion.This is the difficulty of Daoming War, which led to the third paragraph of the proposition of preserving the peace: if France "repents and loses its sincerity, and is afraid of public discussion, it can still show generosity and turn around", because "at this time, it is difficult to pay the soldiers. Lasting. In addition, it is a situation that has never been seen in thousands of years, and it is very different from hair twisting."

Seeing this, King Chun nodded deeply, thinking that such a wording revealed the real crux of the crime, which was very appropriate.Look at the fourth paragraph, which is the conclusion, but it is almost empty talk. This should be the conclusion of public discussion among the courtiers. It is believed that if France continues to provoke and finally has to fight, it should not be swayed by small setbacks. At that time, it must try to recruit troops to raise wages, or hold regiment training, or split up, thinking of it as a "long-lasting strategy." , and the most important thing is to declare military law.

After reading this passage, Boyan Namo shook his head and said, "Isn't that too pretentious? The devils have already invaded and are still recruiting troops to raise money. How can there be enough time? Running a regiment is even more unreliable." "No!" King Chun replied, "You didn't read it carefully. The gist of this passage is to express the final plan. The French should stop in moderation, and the Chinese might as well show generosity. It’s not over, we have to fight to the end.” "Hey!" Boyan Namoge walked back and forth, pinching the joints of his palms so that "Gaba, Geba", he said with a slightly disdainful air, "Are you planning to scare the French devils so that they dare not move? "

"Whether they dare to move or not, we don't know. Anyway, as long as foreigners land on the shore, they can't get cheap." King Chun said: "The strength of the foreigners is his iron-clad boats and cannons. Stop him, block him, trap him, make him desperate, and ask for forgiveness. Liu Shengsan used this method in Keelung, and Zhang Youqiao planned to do the same in Mawei. In short, get rid of my shortcomings and use my strengths. confident." Boyan Namo was silent.His father, Seng Gelinqin, took over the battle with foreigners in Tongzhou when the Anglo-French allied forces committed crimes, but retreated back to Beijing. There must be certainty in the land battle", he really can't see where the certainty is?Then I had no choice but to keep silent.

You can't do it if you don't speak up, because he proposed this discount, and he must have confidence before he can persuade everyone to join the title. So Chun Wang urged and said: "What do you mean, let us think about it." "I mean, if you want to talk about it, peace is peace, war is war, and it doesn't seem to work if it doesn't hurt." These words scratched an itch.Since the early years of Tongzhi, when encountering foreign enemies, the way the imperial court dealt with them was always to prepare for war and seek peace. Seeking peace is real, preparing for war is fake, and the fake wants to make it look like something real, but the real one looks back and forth, as if pretending to be false.According to Boyan Namo's commentary, the views and propositions put forward in this public compromise are also the same.

Alcohol King refused to admit it.Lu Zhan is sure, he is sure of it, but he is afraid that the commander will not use his life.He had discussed this point of view with his cronies several times, and Xu Geng knew it well, so the proposed discount was in line with King Chun's intentions.Now Boyan Namogu didn't take it seriously, but King Chun seemed to have nothing to say, so he had to speak up. "Nowadays, when we start wars with foreign countries, we must be reasonable. Otherwise, the foreigners will definitely conspire with us. The victory and defeat will not be decided by the wise. If France dares to go to land, it will clearly invade our country. Who is it?" Who is right? It is very clear. Even if some countries want to provoke, there is no excuse. Another point is that there are already many foreigners who come to China. Once the war starts in the interior, the artillery fire will inevitably hurt the nationals of other countries. All countries must not allow France to be rampant. It is naturally beneficial to me to come forward to mediate."

After this explanation, Boyan Namo Gu had nothing to say.It was nearly noon, and I took a sedan chair to the cabinet lobby to preside over the court meeting. The so-called host, in fact, is just one arrival.The former imperial ministers and university scholars sat tall, with six ministers and nine ministers on both sides, and a long table at the bottom, surrounded by a group of Han Zhankedao who were enthusiastic about state affairs, and they were circulating the imperial edicts, telegrams from Beiyang and Nanyang, and the prime minister's office. Eight French notes sent. There were more people with documents, and the weather was too hot. I saw the servants from various houses coming in and out, twisting hand towels, pouring tea, filling cigarettes, and playing fans.The court meeting was originally a kind of gathering that was almost casual chatting, and the order on this day was even more difficult to maintain. There were groups in the east and west, and each of them looked for a cool place to talk.Among them, the figure in the limelight is Sheng Yu.He has become a rising leader in Hanlin, so there are a lot of people around him.

Among the elders, Li Hongzao was idle, Pan Zuyin returned to his hometown, Weng Tonghe stepped up and became the protector of Fengya, Sheng Yu got close to him and admired him, so when he saw him, he came up to greet him . "I just got out of the study, so I'm late." Weng Tonghe asked, "What did you discuss?" "The discussion hasn't started yet. It's always like this, and there is nothing famous about it! I heard that it was prepared by the king. Such a big event is presided over by the emperor, which is considered new." Weng Tonghe smiled and didn't answer.After a pause, he asked, "Maybe you are performing alone again?"

"That depends on what the public records say? If there is a practical way to avoid humiliating the country, I don't need to worry about it." "Come here!" Weng Tonghe waved, "I'll show you a letter." The letter is a copy, first look at the title, then look at the signature, it is a letter written by Zhang Peilun to Li Hongzao after he moved from Fuzhou to Mawei on the 28th of last month, but I don't know how Weng Tonghe has this document? "I asked about Youqiao's situation, and Lan Wengte sent it for the recording assistant." Weng Tonghe said.

"Oh, Mr. Lan's menstrual bleeding may be more clear." Sheng Yu replied while reading the letter.The letter is very long, and the main thing is of course to talk about his deployment: "Pei Lun decided to set up a plan to garrison the horse's tail. The two battalions allocated are the provincial defenders of Youshan. They will lead Huang Chaoqun to break the siege of Huangxiang and make friends with Youshan. Pei Lun saw his surname in Shaanxi documents, and looked at his resume. He used to practice bravery when Hu Wen was loyal to Guizhou, and then moved to the line with Nanxi. He visited the famous camp in the provincial capital, but the army was still in order. It was a special call. On the twenty-seventh afternoon, Hefei suddenly called Lin Chunyun, saying: "When the twenty-eighth deadline expires, we will attack the horse's tail, but let the law be used as an emergency measure, and Hong dare not agree." And so on.

Sheng Yu knew that Lin Chun was a French consul, but what he didn't know was why did Li Hongzhang listen to this man's words?It seems that he is negotiating with a consul as his opponent, which is not commensurate with his status.Moreover, since he "did not agree", why did he call Zhang Peilun again? Did he imply that Zhang Peilun "let the law be an emergency measure first", and if he loses his ponytail, he can mediate from it to exonerate Zhang Peilun? This is an inscrutable question, Sheng Yu put it aside for now, let's see how Zhang Peilun will deal with it first: "I despise Fat's threat, but I tell the governor that it will be a big disturbance. So I sneaked out at night. Invasion of the dawn, the enemy's boat is watching Seeing the flags, nothing happened. The camp was about a mile away from the enemy boat, and the market was as usual in the coming days. It was far from the wind and cranes in the provincial capital, and the grass and trees were full of soldiers. In the spare time of the military book, the rain left the mountains green, and the sound of the waves at the bottom of the pillow was better than that of the city. It’s also the day’s reception.” After reading this paragraph, Sheng Yu shook his head greatly. He felt that Zhang Peilun was too conceited and self-deceiving!He actually thought that the French army was shocked by his prestige, so "seeing the flag, it's okay." The writing is pretending to be free and easy, like a feather fan and a scarf, and talking and laughing can defeat the enemy. When it really came to a critical juncture, he couldn't show Xie An's self-cultivation. "It's really a scholar who doesn't know the heights of the sky and the depths of the earth." Sheng Yu said with a sneer, "I don't believe that he is the only one who can do it." "Keep reading." Weng Tonghe said with a smile, "Youqiao really has no eyes." So Sheng Yu said softly: "Fa enters the inner port, but I have more boats than him, and he will go away in frustration. However, there are only two boats in Guangdong, and the rest have nothing to do. Fearing the law like a tiger, it is better to have no boats, and it will save money. Twenty-eight nights, the battle is sure to win." "What's that?" Sheng Yu was surprised, "Didn't he repeatedly request orders by telegram, urging Beiyang to help? If you think that you have a boat but are 'fearing the law like a tiger', it would be better to have no boat and reflect on the military salary. It’s reasonable to speak negatively, but you still say, ‘Twenty-eight nights, the battle is sure to win’, since you are so sure, why bother to call for reinforcements? Moreover, since you are sure, why not strike first?” "Wars are not to be taken lightly, and Youqiao is also exaggerating." Weng Tonghe said, "What I worry about is that Youqiao's situation is too smooth, seeing things too easily, and measuring the enemy too lightly." "Yes!" Sheng Yu thought for a while and said, "You can add another sentence: 'I have suffered too much.'" "Who was affected by it?" Weng Tonghe asked, "You mean Hefei?" Sheng Yu nodded, and then Then I went to read the letter: "Now the situation has changed again, and Nagato is becoming more and more important. I don't know how the veteran generals are going to recover?" "Does 'Zhige Veteran General' refer to General Mu guarding the Nagato Fort?" "That's right. There is a small note below: 'Chunyan and Lun get along well, and we will talk about the details in the future.' It seems that there is only one Mu Chunyan in Youqiao in Fujian, and he has a little permission. In addition, not only Fujian Even the governors of the prime minister's yamen are not under his eyes." This passage refers to what Zhang Peilun himself said in the letter: "Military planes stop fighting for breath, if everything is controlled remotely, the battle will be defeated, and the peace will be damaged. What's more, the defense of Fujian is not good? The translation office uses the organization of regiment training as the instruction strategy. How ridiculous? Zhangquan people are more courageous, but also No discipline. The local water warriors, the magistrate sent twenty men, and all of them were trying to catch the sailors, trembling before entering the water." "It's not a long-term strategy to run a regiment." Sheng Yu shook his head again, "Youqiao is right. 'Soldiers stop fighting for breath' is also reasonable, but I don't know if he can stay calm in the face of danger and deal with Yu Ru ?” Just as they were talking about Zhang Peilun, the manuscript of the public document was read out in the hall, and a revision was made. All countries are still invited to arbitrate and the United States will mediate.When Weng Tonghe and Sheng Yu received the notice and returned to the hall, they had already signed their names with their pens, while most of the lecturers were unwilling to list their titles, saying that they would perform separately.Naturally, the same was true for Sheng Yu, and Weng Tonghe felt that Gong Zhe's writing was not bad, so he picked up a pen and wrote his name on the draft.The so-called "court discussion" ended hastily like this. In addition to the public collection, there are 34 other collections discussing columns and war plans. The above collections are all famous Hanlin officials who are also commentators. A few have consecutive titles, and most of them are solo. Therefore, Empress Dowager Cixi thought it necessary to summon this generation.But it is impossible to summon all the participants, there is no such case, and there are too many people to ask questions, so she decided to only summon the leaders. "Who is the head of the lecturer now?" She asked King Chun. "It's Sheng Yu now." Wang Jin was honest, he didn't like Sheng Yu in his heart, but he didn't dare to deceive Empress Dowager Cixi. "The lecturers are all scholars after all. Their opinions are similar to mine." The Empress Dowager Cixi said again: "Looking at France, it's almost unbearable. You should prepare well." This is tantamount to clearly declaring that he will not hesitate to fight, and the responsibility of presiding over military affairs is given to King Chun.Understanding this, Chun Wang suddenly felt his shoulders were heavy and his back was sweating, but of course he had to answer loudly: "Yes!" Then, the Empress Dowager Cixi passed on Yi's decree and summoned Sheng Yu.As usual, anyone who is qualified to make a speech must go to the palace gate to wait for the order. Even if the lecturer has a discussion, he is rarely summoned, so Sheng Yu is not in the palace.The Military Aircraft Department specially sent Sura to notify, and when he arrived, Empress Dowager Cixi had already been waiting for a while. Sheng Yu was deeply terrified, but also deeply moved. In such a mood, facing such a hot and golden weather, he naturally sweated profusely, so that after entering the palace, he even kowtowed to Sheng'an, but was also unable to speak because of his shortness of breath. This is Sheng Yu's first time facing the saint.The Empress Dowager Cixi saw this kind of situation of trembling and losing time for the first time, so she didn't take it seriously, but said kindly: "Speak slowly if you have something to say!" "Yes!" Due to the coolness of the palace, Sheng Yu finally stopped being so dizzy, so he collected himself and answered clearly: "Yes!" "Are you 'Yellow Belt'?" "Yes!" Sheng Yu replied, "The Queen of Prince Chen Su." "The situation is so bad now, you are a clan, so you have to be extra dedicated." "A slave has received the grace of the country, and dare not fail to repay the grace of heaven with all his heart." Sheng Yu replied: "The slave is young and inexperienced, and he repays the imperial court with blood and sincerity." "I have always attached great importance to the speeches of officials in your outer court, and many of them are very practical." Empress Dowager Cixi said: "Military aircraft and the Prime Minister's Office, there are many outlandish sayings. I used to think that Prince Gong and the others were ineffective. So the whole class changed. I know... "She sighed: "Oh!Forget it. " This sigh was full of remorse.At the same time, it also touched Sheng Yu's sore spot.If I hadn't been the first to launch the attack three months ago, and a single incident caused a big political tide in which the entire squad of military planes were withdrawn, maybe the situation would not have been so bad.Rethinking this, there is even more apology and regret of "a word that mourns the country", and I unconsciously bumped my head. "Prince Jin is the only one who agrees with me when it comes to political affairs. However, you can't rely on him alone. If you have a good idea, just say it." Empress Dowager Cixi asked, "What do you think of Zhang Peilun?" "Zhang Peilun is a good and ingenious official." Sheng Yu blurted out this sentence, feeling that he was too straightforward and not in line with the principle of being kind to others, so he continued: "But he has talent. He admired the empress dowager, and the emperor promoted him many times. Naturally, the kindness must be repaid sincerely. The slave looked at the copy of the mansion, and Zhang Peilun said in the booklet, "The two armies who will walk in water will vow to survive and die with the factory, and will never back down." Sure enough, even if there is a small setback, it doesn't matter. " "I think so too. Victory or defeat is a common matter in military affairs. The most important thing is to be able to stand up. I wish Zeng Guofan and the others used to quell the chaos, and they often lost battles. The court had to punish them and ordered them to take the blame. Now the governors of the provinces, training troops and raising salaries, as long as they can think of a way, there is nothing wrong with it. The court treats them well, and by now they should arouse their conscience and fight for the country. Who knows how many people are afraid of difficulties and take advantage of them. That's right. Tell me, how did you get it?" The Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't help being excited when she talked about the later, her voice was full of sadness and disappointment, which made Sheng Yu feel ups and downs, full of complaints, and couldn't help it, and replied loudly: "The world's affairs are often caused by the word 'private'. By the Holy Spirit, Although Chinese and foreign ministers dare not openly bully others, there are quite a few who use it for their own purposes. The slaves want to ask for strict orders, as long as those who are obsessed with kindness and neglect their duties, regardless of their rank or position, they will be punished strictly, so that discipline can be rectified and people's hearts can be rectified." "That's what the imperial court was doing. When Tang Jiong and Xu Yanxu arrived in Beijing, I must deal with it again." The Empress Dowager Cixi suddenly asked, "Are you familiar with Deng Chengxiu?" "The slave has frequent contacts with him." "I heard that this person has a very strong temper?" "Deng Chengxiu is loyal and unafraid of power. His name is Tiexiang, so some people call him Tiehan." "What about talents?" Empress Dowager Cixi said, "I think his writings on Westernization are very pertinent." "Deng Chengxiu is very dedicated to Westernization." "The first thing to do in foreign affairs is to have your own opinions, and you can't listen to foreigners." The Empress Dowager Cixi changed the topic again, "Now I value your group of young, bloody, and hardworking people. That's right, Chen Baochen is usually very willing to talk, but now at Zeng Guoquan's place, he seems to be out of favor and perfunctory when things happen. Zhang Yinhuan was very good at first, and he was very organized in his speech and actions. Looking at him now, he is nothing more than that. This trip There is really no way to negotiate between China and France." "It's no wonder Zhang Yinhuan." Sheng Yu swallowed the following words. Before the tone was finished, the Empress Dowager Cixi would of course ask: "Then who is to blame?" "Naturally, Li Hongzhang is to be blamed." Sheng Yu bluntly said to Chen Zou: "Li Hongzhang advocated harmony, and Zhang Yinhuan listened to his instructions, blindly accommodating, and cultivated the arrogance of foreigners who want to make progress. The failure of Westernization is caused by Li Hongzhang's selfishness. Take investment promotion As for the case of the sale of the bureau steamship to Qichang foreign company, Li Hongzhang did not repeat it until the court interrogated him, and his heart can be punished!" Empress Dowager Cixi couldn't hear these words.She has always had this idea that anyone who attacks Li Hongzhang must be prejudiced.In her opinion, Li Hongzhang is the most willing to do things. Although he insists on preserving the peace, his heart is to strengthen the country and make the people rich. Buying ships, building forts, installing wires, and opening coal mines are the foundation of self-improvement.It would certainly be a good thing if the ministers of the Prime Minister's Office were able to negotiate a peace without losing the dignity of the country. If the peace talks failed and they were repeatedly coerced and threatened by others, it was the prime minister's incompetence, not Li Hongzhang's fault. As for the case of selling the China Merchants Steamship, she also heard from Li Lianying that it was a last resort measure to preserve the vitality of the country due to the urgent situation.She felt that Li Lianying's words were very pertinent: "Li Zhongtang dare not! China Merchants has so many ships, so many warehouses, and docks. If he can swallow them all in one gulp, he won't be afraid of death? No matter what, the authority is in the hands of Lafayette." , How many brains does he have to dare to bully Lafayette?" Therefore, although she was unwilling to publicly reprimand Sheng Yu, she answered indifferently, "Li Hongzhang has Li Hongzhang's difficulties." She said, "Chinese and foreign ministers can be like him, and our Qing Dynasty must not teach foreigners to bully like this." As soon as Sheng Yu was obedient and not speculative, he knew what he was interested in, so he didn't want to say anything more.The Empress Dowager Cixi also felt that she had asked all the questions that should be asked and said all the things that should be said, so she ordered "kneel down" and ended the summons.