Chapter 35 Section thirty-fifth

Although Dong Nian is flat, the New Year in the palace is not very lively, because Xi Nian has fled from Henan to Hebei.The Empress Dowager of the Two Palaces fled to Rehe during Feng Xianfeng's reign, which caused great pain and pain, and I would feel palpitations when I think about it, so I paid special attention to the swords and wars in Gyeonggi.In fact, Zhang Zongyu is still hundreds of miles away, but the Empress Dowagers of the Two Palaces always feel that once the Nian Army arrives in Hebei, it is as if they have arrived in Tongzhou and Liangxiang, and they have trouble sleeping and eating.

For this reason, starting from the summoning of military planes after receiving congratulations on New Year's Day, there was not a day in the New Year when he did not visit the Palace of Mental Cultivation, and there was not a day when he did not issue orders to dispatch troops and generals to instruct military strategies.There was a military report in the middle of the night, and the Empress Dowager Cixi did not dare to delay at all. She put on her clothes and got out of bed, asked the maid to turn on the lamp, and turned on the fire. When we got there, where did the encircling and suppressing officers and soldiers go again?The marshals of the kings from all walks of life have either set off or stayed due to business, and they generally have their whereabouts. Li Hongzhang alone has a lot of news. The army of Liu Mingchuan, whom the Empress Dowager Cixi is most looking forward to, has left yet?

"Master, master!" The Empress Dowager Cixi woke up in shock, and heard the maid shouting softly outside the tent, knowing that there was another military report, she asked, "Where did you come from?" "It's from the Zhili governor's yamen." This statement wiped out any remaining drowsiness in her, the governor of Zhili was stationed in Baoding, very close to each other, all the reports were always sent in in the afternoon, and now it was delivered late at night, so it must be extremely urgent news.So Huo Di sat up and repeatedly ordered: "Bring me to see!"

Of the four maids, one hung the curtain, the other draped her clothes, the other held the lamp, and the other opened the yellow box and delivered the memorial to her.The reason is that "the thieves are going north, please fly to send the soldiers to go straight." It is said that a large number of Nian bandits rushed from Pingxiang and other places, and went straight to the north. risk. The worried Empress Dowager Cixi never closed her eyes overnight.As soon as the gate of the palace opened, he immediately sent out the papers, and asked An Dehai to go to the military plane to deliver an order, urging Prince Gong to enter the palace early.

On weekdays, military planes meet, always around eight o'clock, this day was an hour earlier, the weather is dripping into ice, and the Hall of Mental Cultivation is huge, and four charcoal stoves are not very effective, so the faces of the monarchs and ministers are all blue from the cold. , looks particularly gloomy and depressed. "I haven't had a good year, and today is the tenth day." The voice of the Empress Dowager Cixi was as cold as the weather, "Li Hongzhang won the battle, his eyes grew on the top of his head, and he forgot about the three of us!" Prince Gong had always defended Li Hongzhang, so he didn't dare to defend him at this point, so he just replied: "Send him a letter on the military plane to urge him, if the Ming army has not set off yet, he is limited to set off on the same day, and advance at the same time."

"Hmph!" The Empress Dowager Cixi sneered, "It's useless to say yes to him. It's like begging him, and he started talking more and more. I don't know if he has a conscience? Give me what you want, the fat land in the southeast, as much as possible." How could the imperial court feel sorry for him after supporting the Huai Army? He just had the heart to ignore him like this? Sixth Master, I don’t think it’s necessary to be polite to him. Let him lead the team to Zhili himself! Ask him again and remind Mingjun It has been many days since the edict was issued, why is there no news? How should I deal with it? Tell me!"

"Naturally, it's the Ministry of Communications." Prince Gong said. "Strict discussion!" Empress Dowager Cixi added. "You can't just deal with Li Hongzhang." The Empress Dowager Cixi said something fair: "The Nian bandits went from Shanxi to Henan. Li Henian hid in Kaifeng and ignored the scoundrel. It's abominable! If Henan can stop it, the Nian bandits can't." It’s that easy to get to Hebei.” "That's not bad at all." Empress Dowager Cixi nodded deeply. It seemed that she still had something to say, but King Gong didn't allow her to continue, so he hurriedly stopped her: "Li Henian also sent Zhang Yao and Song Qing to chase after her, but the strength of the Yu army is guaranteed alone." Strictly discuss."

Li Henian was very close to Prince Gong, but the fact that the suppression of Nian was not effective, and the empress dowagers of the two palaces expressed their dissatisfaction in unison, it was inconvenient for Prince Gong to protect him, so he had to follow the order. In the yamen in Beijing, all official affairs that can be handled by themselves have always been done very quickly. The first day was handed over for discussion, and the next day there was a replay. ".According to the general punishment, the "downgrade" can be offset by the "upgrade" record, so the Ministry of Officials specifically stated: "It is related to military affairs, and it should not be allowed to offset." This is a spurious punishment. Li Hongzhang is willing to work hard according to the imperial court's will, "resume punishment", referring to interim matters, otherwise the word "stay in office" can be abolished logically, and he will immediately be resigned as the governor-general like Liu Changyou. As the "three-rank top wear", even the red top can't be kept.

Just as the replay of the Ministry of Officials had not yet been decided, the situation deteriorated rapidly.The official documents are played in flight, twisting from the west to the north to Hengshui and Dingzhou.Dingzhou is the Wan County of Baoding Prefecture, which is already shocking, but in fact, the official document still conceals the situation, and Xiyan has already rushed to Qingyuan, which is under the jurisdiction of Baoding Prefecture - this is what An Dehai inquired about The news, Empress Dowager Cixi has no reason not to believe it. After thinking all night, her attitude became very calm, "You all said that the official document must not be used, and his achievements in Hubei have been covered by the Zeng family brothers and Hu Linyi. Now you talk about it!" She said, "" Is the official document a unique talent?"

Prince Gong, Wen Xiang and Bao Jun were silent.Guan Wen was severely impeached and dismissed by Zeng Guoquan, and the group of "uncles under the banner" who had never been out of the Zhili province were all aggrieved, so Guan Wen was appointed governor of Zhili.As a matter of fact, all the military dispatches in Zhili were under the command of military planes, so it was not appropriate for Prince Gong to argue with the empress dowager Cixi's accusation in official documents, and there was no way to argue. Therefore, Wang Yuanfang died of illness in October last year. Shen Guifen, who was ordered to "learn to walk on the minister of military aircraft" out of Wen Xiang's sponsorship, said again and again: "Invite the two empress dowagers, today's situation is not complete. Blame it on the official document. The imperial court uses both kindness and power, a righteous man, punishment that should be punished, incentives that should be encouraged, and the soldiers should obey their lives when it is clear. Now there must be strict orders to cheer up the tired."

"I think so too." Empress Dowager Cixi nodded, "Fame and wealth come too easily, so I don't take the court seriously. Sixth master, tell me, what did Li Henian do a few days ago? " "It is to let him send Yujun to detour to Zhili to 'suppress them head-on'." "What about now?" Empress Dowager Cixi was a little excited, "The Yu army drove the Nian bandits from behind, from south to north, until they drove the Nian bandits into the capital." The language is already quite stern, but the expression is even more formidable. Whenever the Empress Dowager Cixi is furious, the blue veins on her forehead will bulge out.Prince Gong thought to himself, there is no need to let her explain it personally, let's find out for myself! So he said: "The ministers in Xinjiang are pushing each other, and they are responsible for appointing them. Their feelings are really abominable. Now they have to ask for a strict reprimand, so they can't be vigilant. After a few discussions, the ministers will return to the two empress dowagers." play." "Okay, you go discuss it." The Empress Dowager Cixi said again: "I know the situation outside. Guan Wen is a person who can't make up his own mind. Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang like to make up their own minds. Sure enough, the matter is settled. Now, it’s okay to say, but if you don’t do things and are disobedient, that’s not okay!” Hearing these words into the ears of Prince Gong, I felt deeply. The first is to be vigilant; Accommodating is not a good policy either. So when he returned to Junji Zhilu, he threw off his hat angrily and said loudly, "Tear your face and do it!" "Sixth Master!" Wen Xiang persuaded him with a straight face, "The situation is very difficult, and you have to calm down first." "There are two things to say. The imperial court has no sensuality, so how can it inspire people?" Bao Jun followed Prince Gong's intention and said, "Let's discuss punishment!" Those who should be punished are very clear, Guan Wen, Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang, Li Henian.Official documents and Zuo Zongtang are easier to deal with. There are ready-made examples of Erli, so you might as well submit them to the Ministry for strict discussion. What Fei hesitates is Erli, who has already been punished by "downgrading to three levels and staying in office". Henan Yili was proposed by King Gong on his own initiative, and the newly rewarded first-rank Dingdai was removed.There is only one Li Hongzhang left. According to Li Henian's example, it is natural to get rid of the post of Captain General of Geqi, but I am afraid that the Empress Dowager Cixi will think that the punishment is too light. In addition to the captain, he also deprived his eyes, flower feathers and yellow jacket. Among the four, he was the only one to suffer. So he immediately drafted an edict to be issued, and the cabinet issued a copy after it was approved in person.The officials working in the inner court first got the news. They thought that the Nian army had just crossed the Yellow River, but when they issued an edict stating that "the Nian bandits went north to Hengshui and Dingzhou", they had already arrived in Baoding Prefecture. Judging from this , In less than three days, the Nian army would be able to rush to the capital. No wonder Li Hongzhang, who had just flattened the Eastern Nian, would receive such a severe reprimand, which really missed the overall situation. This time, the officials who were paying more attention to the current situation all panicked and asked for further news.The people on the military plane were the most informed, so many visitors suddenly came to Shen Guifen's house that night. The master was in Prince Gong's Mansion, and hadn't returned home until the second watch.Those who couldn't wait simply put aside their troubles and went to the East Fourth Archway, Di'anmen, or the big fence outside the front door to watch the lights.On the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, when the lanterns were lit, the folks didn't know that the bandit atmosphere was approaching, and they were still bustling with people, "watching the lanterns and people watching the lanterns", and the second watch was still very lively. But there are others, seeing that Shen Guifen is discussing matters in Prince Gong's Mansion and has not yet returned home, it can be seen that the situation is serious, and they are more reluctant to leave. Fortunately, Jinwu can't help it these days, they can pass no matter how late, they are not afraid of not being able to return home. Fighting the fifth watch after the second watch—this is the same as fighting the sixth watch after the fourth watch in the Song Dynasty, and there are other reasons.The fifth watch of the Lantern Festival is actually the third watch, implying that the night is deep, those who light up the lights should turn off the lights, and those who watch the lights should go home, so the bang gong that plays the third watch and the fifth watch is called "reminding the lamp bang".