Chapter 4 fourth quarter

Hong Fuzhen's whereabouts are generally clear, from Jinling to Guangde, via southern Anhui to Jiangxi, from Xincheng to Shicheng, Jiangxi's chief secretary, Xi Baotian, pursued him relentlessly.It is said that the remnants of the Hong army were protecting their "young lord", mixed among the refugees, resting during the day, burning incense at night as a sign of echo, walking in the dark, and their tracks were extremely secretive. The edict has been pursued again and again, but there is no good news.In September, there were rumors in the capital that Hong Fuzhen had been captured alive by Su Yuanchun, a battalion officer of the Hunan Army.When Xi Baotian got the news, he sent a special messenger to ask for someone, but Su Yuanchun refused to hand it over until Xi Baotian went to ask for it himself.

At that time, someone pointed out to Xi Baotian, didn't Su Yuanchun know that this was a great achievement, why did he mean to let Hong Fuzhen go?He does not seek meritorious service, but seeks no faults. In the report of the Zeng brothers, they made a big fuss, saying that the fake "young master" had "self-immolated", and now a fake "young master" came out. Can be fatal.Therefore, I advise Xi Baotian not to be troublesome. Xi Baotian kept silent, and sent Hong Fuzhen to Nanchang, where the governor Shen Baozhen personally interrogated him.This is already a major case that cannot be concealed. When Shen Baozhen reports to Beijing, the imperial court does not know how to deal with it?Those Beijing officials who were dissatisfied or jealous of Zeng Guofan and Zeng Guoquan were all talking about it.Many military officers among the bannermen are particularly active.The reputation of the Hunan Army has long been the source of their heartache, so naturally they gloated and looked forward to the severe punishment of the Zeng Brotherhood.

The news confirmed.At the beginning of October, Shen Baozhen sent a special envoy to Beijing. Su Yuanchun’s name was not mentioned in the memorial. It was said that it was Zhou Jialiang, a guerrilla under Xi Baotian’s subordinates—it was rumored to be the military officer who was ordered by Xi to go to Su Yuanchun’s place to demand someone. "Captured Hong Youni in the barren valley of Shicheng".This is something to be thankful for, and a stone in the hearts of Prince Gong and the military ministers can be put down. However, on the surface, Prince Gong regarded Jiangxi's memorial as if it was insignificant. This was because he deliberately diluted the matter so as to leave room for Zeng Guofan to excuse himself.His idea was not wrong, Zeng Guoquan was exaggerating. Since Zeng Guofan had never visited the former enemy in person, how could he investigate whether his brother's words were true or false?It's just that according to the system, if Zeng Guoquan is to be condemned, then Zeng Guofan cannot escape the blame of "overseeing".In order to protect Zeng Guofan, he had to take advantage of his younger brother. On the day Jinling City was destroyed, Zeng Guoquan and his subordinates were busy robbing property, which led to the big mistake of the first rebel slipping through the net, and ignored it.

"Zeng Guoquan doesn't have to ask, but Shen Baozhen has to reward." Empress Dowager Cixi asked, "Have you discussed how to reward?" "There are still many people who deserve the award." Prince Gong replied, "Like Bao Chao, he is the number one general under Zeng Guofan. He played very well in Jiangxi, so he should be awarded a title." "A knighthood?" "Yes, a knighthood. Li Chendian has been made a viscount, so Bao Chao is naturally worthy." "The grace of the imperial court must be cautious." The Empress Dowager Cixi said slowly, with an air ready to comment, "Zeng Guofan should be a marquis. The other uncles, sons, and men are a little too profane. Look, that surname Hong's little child..."

"Yes!" Prince Gong snatched her words, wanting to use a quick knife to cut through the mess, and said in one word: "Zeng Guoquan returned home from illness, Li Chendian has died of illness, and Xiao Fusi Dingyou has a vacancy. The matter is over. Please don't worry about it. Pursued." This kind of Chen Zou's attitude made the Empress Dowager Cixi very unhappy.But what about being unhappy? Can you put down your face and say a few words about him?I had no choice but to bear it in my heart. "Now the military affairs in the southeast have been accomplished. Zuo Zongtang's contribution to the restoration of the whole province of Zhejiang is by no means inferior to that of Li Hongzhang. Please ask for instructions on how to motivate him."

The Empress Dowager Cixi didn't answer immediately, she first looked at the Empress Dowager Ci'an - half of Zeng Guoquan's appointment as uncle was her idea, and she felt that she had done something wrong, so she refused to speak at this time. So the Empress Dowager Cixi deliberately replied: "You see!" "I have drawn up a list here." Prince Gong presented a piece of paper that he had held in his hand to the royal case. The Empress Dowager Cixi looked at her and said: "Shen Baozhen, governor of Jiangxi, first-class captain of light vehicles, world-class, and rewarded with a top-ranking top; Bao Chao, first-class viscount, governor of Zhejiang; Zuo Zongtang, governor of Fujian and Zhejiang and governor of Zhejiang. , the first-class earl; Jiang Yili, the chief envoy of Zhejiang Province, and the world-class captain of the riding capital."

Reading the list, Empress Dowager Cixi was thinking, Prince Gong already made arrangements, so why did she say "please handle it"?Isn't it obvious that the palace is right, but it's just a false story? What kind of grace comes from above, it's all deceitful words! Angry in her heart, her face became unattractive. She picked up the stamp of "Tongdaotang", dipped it in the white jade ink clay box, and quickly stamped it under the four names. The seal was not very clear, and she No matter what, just push the list to the left. The Empress Dowager Ci'an stamped her "Imperial Reward" seal very carefully, and asked at the same time: "Where is Xi Baotian? There should be grace, right?"

"That's in another case under Zeng Guofan's protection." Prince Gong replied, "What I have planned is that the envoy Xi Baotian be named and rewarded with a yellow jacket; the guerrilla Zhou Jialiang rewards Yun with the title of 'Batulu'." The post of cavalry captain. In addition, how to discuss and discuss the personnel who contribute to the purge throughout Jiangxi is being handled." "Jiangxi has been purged," Empress Dowager Cixi said immediately after him, "Fujian is in a tight spot again!" "This is Hong Jun Yu Xue's harassment. Zuo Zongtang has already entered Quzhou, so he must be able to handle it."

"Where's Hubei? What about Anhui? What about Henan?" The voices were louder and louder, and the meaning of blame was obvious. The military ministers under the imperial case were all a little muttered in their hearts. It was the first time they felt the "heavenly power" of the Empress Dowager Cixi. Only Prince Gong was different. All he had was disgust. "There is also the chaos in Xinjiang, Shaanxi, and Gansu." He simply confronted him tit for tat. "As long as the imperial court appoints someone, it can be gradually calmed down, without worrying about it."

"We have to come up with a way to do this. Talking in plain language doesn't work." A simple sentence carries a lot of weight.The situation in the Central Plains and the Northwest is very complicated. Where can we come up with a comprehensive solution?However, Prince Gong naturally did not discuss with his colleagues and ministers of relevant departments, so after thinking about it, he first outlined the policy of using troops. "There has always been an incident in the frontier, and it is always necessary to mobilize powerful troops in the interior and raise food and wages before a large-scale attack. Therefore, to pacify Xinjiang, we must first pacify Shaanxi and Gansu, and to pacify Shaanxi and Gansu, we must first eliminate the Nian bandits who stalk Hubei, Anhui, and Henan. .Things have their roots and ends, and things have their beginnings and ends, and success cannot be achieved overnight."

"Then let's talk about the Nian bandits," the Empress Dowager Cixi asked in a very stern voice, "What's going on there? Seng Gelinqin and Guan Wen are both in Hubei. A king and a great scholar can't help the Nian bandits. You guys Think about it, what is the reason?" The reason for this is well known, official papers don't work because people make things happen, Seng Gelinqin is proud and self-satisfied, his subordinates have become old-fashioned, and the military discipline is extremely bad, so sometimes he wins and sometimes loses, and he can't reap the rewards.But Prince Gong refused to say this, and once he said it, he would discuss punishment.Monk Wang is a relative of the state, with a long-standing reputation, and Guanwen is the only bannerman in Pinghong Yangzhong who has been knighted. There are rumors that Prince Gong relies too much on Zeng Guofan and despises the banner general. If Monk Wang and Guanwen are punished , the banners of Mongolia and Manchuria are bound to resent it, and everyone will bear the brunt of it. The relationship is too important. Therefore, he suspected the aggressiveness of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and was afraid that it was a trick to kill with a knife, so he must not be fooled by her.In this way, he had no choice but to feint first. "The Empress Dowager Mother is right!" he said, "I will return to the two empress dowagers after the ministers wait for the results of the deliberations." Waiting for Kneeling to withdraw, Prince Gong's expression was very ugly, and he said that at the prime minister's office of national affairs, he had an appointment with the British minister to discuss "teaching matters", and he had already got into the sedan chair, opened the sedan chair curtain, and ordered Bao Yun to invite the minister of military affairs to Jianyuan After dinner, discuss the military affairs of suppressing Nian. Bao Jun agreed and hurried back to the military plane.In Xiaoyangchun's weather, he was wearing more clothes. He flipped back his warm hat, took the handkerchief from the footman, and wiped it on his face—wiping sweat while facing the meditating chair. Wen Xiang stuck out his tongue, and said softly, "I never expected to touch such a big nail as 'West Side'!" Wen Xiang didn't answer.His heart was very heavy, and he felt faintly uneasy, feeling that today's attitude of getting along with the monarch and his subjects was not a blessing for the country, and he was afraid that it would become more and more difficult to handle affairs in the future. Bao Yun saw that his expression was different from usual, and knew why it happened?But he didn't talk any further, he just conveyed Prince Gong's invitation to Wen Xiang, and then went to the outhouse, notified them one by one, and agreed to return the value from the military plane and go to Jianyuan together. Before arriving at Jianyuan, everyone made some preparations. Some asked people to check their files; some verbally asked about the current situation in Hubei; . Therefore, as soon as I arrived at Prince Gong's place in the afternoon, the conversation got to the point and the speech was extremely enthusiastic.Bao Yun's voice was the loudest and the most straightforward, "The Monk King is not as good as before!" He said, "His invariable method has also been seen through. Although the Mongolian horse team is fast, the Nian bandits are also very alert and erratic. You come and I go, you go and I come, always pushing behind others, never ending!" "The Monk King's use of troops is exactly the opposite of Zeng Disheng's, and he doesn't quite understand the principle of stopping with silence." Li Tangjie said slowly and roughly the same opinion as Bao Jun, "But it's no wonder that his elite is a cavalry team, and they come from the desert. , chasing and chasing the north, is its director. Tell him to stand there and not move, how can it work?" "According to this, it is not suitable for people and places. But, how can we transfer the monk king? Who will be called after the transfer? The official document must not be alone. I think——" King Gong had an idea, without thinking So he said it: "Zeng Di was born!" As soon as he finished speaking, Bao Jun blurted out: "Okay! Besides, there is nothing wrong with Zeng Disheng in Jiangning." "How can you say there's nothing wrong?" Wen Xiang immediately corrected him: "Jiangnan's aftermath needs to be dealt with in every possible way, and it's very heavy!" "With Li Shaoquan here, he can do it." Prince Gong waved his hand to prevent them from arguing, and when everyone calmed down, he said in a tone that had made a formal decision: "I think Zeng Disheng, as an imperial envoy, should be stationed on the border of Hubei and Anhui to suppress the Nian bandits; It is not necessary to be the governor of Jiangsu, the lack of..." He sneered slightly, "Someone has been waiting for a long time." Everyone understood that it meant Wu Tang, and no one wanted to tell the truth. "Look, how about doing it like this?" Li Tangjie and Wen Xiang didn't think this was the best way, but there was no better suggestion for a while, and Cao Yuying spoke in this silence. "This is the right thing to do!" He said: "The Hunan army is being laid off, the Huai army is rejuvenating, and the two rivers are handed over to Li Shaoquan. This is the most appropriate one. Liu Mingchuan and Liu Lianjie of the Hunan army have been sent to Hubei for suppression, and Zeng Disheng has gone Sitting in the town, commanding flexibly, and the monk king's cavalry as a surprise soldier, with two prongs, the situation will definitely change, this is the second." And so it was settled.The next day, when the matter was played, Prince Gong felt that he was so organized and considered everything, so he talked eloquently before the case, feeling relieved, and seemed quite proud. The Empress Dowager Cixi's attitude was exactly the opposite of his. On the surface, she seemed to acquiesce, but she didn't take it seriously in her heart.In the past three years, she has read Zeng Guofan's memorials a lot, and she has a different understanding between the lines.Zeng Guofan is the most cautious person, always remembering the phrase "full of losses, modest benefits". If his fame is too high, he is afraid of being jealous. Jinling Kefu, pushing official documents to lead the show, can see his vigilance and fear .At present, there is an urgent need to lay off the Hunan Army, and ask Zeng Guoquan to open a vacancy to return home to recuperate, showing the determination to retreat bravely everywhere.But let him go to the Anhui and Hubei borders to sit in town, which will make Seng Gelinqin look ugly, will he be willing?He is not willing. Besides, Seng Gelinqin has always regarded himself very high, thinking that his reputation will spread, and clowns will run away when he hears about it.Sending Zeng Guofan to help him now is the same as ordering Li Hongzhang in Changzhou to lead the army to the Jinling Conquest. It is not only about face, but also afraid that others will share the credit.How could Seng Gelinqin be willing to do what Zeng Guoquan didn't want to see? She didn't want to tell the truth, if she said it, let Prince Gong learn to be good-humph!She sneered in her heart, Prince Gong thought that he was very capable, so if he let him touch two obstacles, it would be good to kill him with arrogance!Moreover, this is also a spur to Seng Gelinqin: just like Zeng Guoquan was deeply stimulated when Li Hongzhang was ordered to suppress him, he would encourage the soldiers to work extra hard.Since this move is beneficial to the country, there is no need to say more. So the empress dowagers of the two palaces approved Prince Gong's suggestion, and Wu Tang dispatched the governor of Jiangsu, which was an unexpected gain for the empress dowager Cixi.This decree, together with Zuo Zongtang's edict to be knighted, is scheduled to be issued on the tenth day of October, as a grace for the Empress Dowager Cixi's birthday.