Chapter 42 Section 42

Having said that, the prestige in front of him belongs to the Han people.Crowning Beijing is not as eye-catching as the general's entry. Zuo Zongtang was the first to be called, and when he arrived in Tianjin on the fifth day of August, Chonghou specially invited him to parade—the foreign spear team of Shenji Battalion.This is almost the first time that the children of the Eight Banners have been reviewed by the Minister of Han.Zuo Zongtang also did his part, wearing a pair of big dark crystal glasses to watch the foreign gun team shooting targets, honestly criticizing their "accuracy" is not good, but he also gave a reward.Then on the tenth day of the eighth lunar month, we entered Chongwenmen from Lugou Bridge. Chongwenmen tax collectors were repugnant and well-known all over the world, but they dared not call it "Zuo Mule" -- Zuo Zongtang's new nickname was given by Shenjiying.

As soon as you enter the city, go to the palace gate to pay your respects, and then, accompanied by the officials at the front station and the officials who handle the errands, go to Xianliang Temple to rest.Xianliang Temple is located in Bingzhan Hutong of Donghuamen. It was originally the residence of Prince Yi Yunxiang during the Yongzheng period.The place is exquisite and quiet, and it is close to the Forbidden City, so it has virtually become the lodging place for the officials of the frontiers to report their duties, and now it is the residence of the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu. Before they sat down, the manuscripts of Daxing County Magistrate, the first county under Shuntian Prefecture, were handed over.As usual, the first county will be the host for dignitaries to transit or visit, and all supplies will be prepared, and all expenses will be apportioned by the local government, or public funds will be embezzled first, so as to satisfy the distinguished guests, there is nothing that cannot be discussed.Therefore, people in Zhishou County must be good at serving, and there is a verse of "Cross Order": "Red, Weirong, Passepartout, know antiques, not afraid of big losses, go horse hanging fine, Liyuan children are attentive, clothes are neat and calm , the Lord’s kindness and constitutional virtues are full of praise, and the guests are always full of wine.” Zuo Zongtang has seen many of these characters, and he has his own set of unique ways of dealing with them.

"Our commander-in-chief has nothing to say to your county!" The official who was ordered to "stop driving" said to the magistrate of Daxing, "I want to tell your county again that our commander-in-chief never disturbs the local area. Your county doesn't need to prepare anything, everything is fine. We do it ourselves, don't worry about it." "Yes, yes!" The county magistrate also knew Zuo Zongtang's style. He passed millions of military salaries a year, got what he wanted, and refused to take advantage of local petty advantages, so he was not prepared at all.

Then, Zuo Zongtang changed his luggage, put on first-class clothes, and ordered a car to pay homage to guests. The first one was to worship King Gong.Among the great officials in Fengjiang, the only one Prince Gong had never met was Zuo Zongtang, but he had admired him for a long time, so when they met, as soon as he knelt down, he quickly helped him up, took his hand, and carefully Looking at it carefully, he said with a smile: "Jigao, I have been friends with you for a long time! Today I saw a lot of talent, and I think of a person, Lin Shaomu." Zuo Zongtang didn't think he was like Lin Zexu, so he replied: "Mr. Lin Wenzhong is a talent for managing the world, but it's a pity that he dedicated himself and died with his ambition."

"Fortunately, there are people here, the blessings of the common people." Then, Prince Gong asked about his itinerary, turned to greet him, and asked him to have a "light meal" in the evening. It's called "light meal", but it's actually a table full of Han people, and there are only five guests and hosts in total. Prince Gong only invited the three ministers of the military and aircraft to accompany him in order to talk about the deployment of the Western Expedition.Zuo Zongtang Yixing Xingfei, took the situation in Shaanxi and Gansu, and the strategy of marching troops, to participate in the ten major martial arts "Qian captivity". Da understands it, but just looking at his aura is heartbreaking.

When it came to the end, Zuo Zongtang's old temper broke out and he began to attack Li Hongzhang and the Huai army. At this time, the attitudes of the three military ministers were different.Bao Jun was very interested. Although Shen Guifen was the same age as Li Hongzhang, she could keep her face and expression calm. Only Wen Xiang felt that something was wrong, so he found a gap to interrupt him and asked, "Ji Weng, are you ready for the training book?" "This..." Zuo Zongtang didn't know much about the rules of entering the pilgrimage, so he was stunned and didn't know what to answer.

"Thinking about it, I haven't prepared yet." Wen Xiang said, "I'll ask someone to deliver it for Ji Weng!" "Troubleshooting, worrying!" Zuo Zongtang cupped his hands in thanks, "I will be summoned that day, please write to me in advance from Bo Weng." "Of course." Wen Xiang asked again, "Gui Geng this year?" "I am the same age as Hu Runzhi, fifty-seven this year." So Wen Xiang turned to look at Prince Gong and said, "When Ji Weng enters the palace, he should ask for grace first." Prince Gong understood what he meant. This "grace" was "riding a horse in the Forbidden City", also known as "chao horse".According to the custom, only ministers who are over sixty-five years old can play an invitation, but since the rise of the army, there have been too many famous weapons, so fifty-seven years old is also eligible.

After the banquet and the tea break, Zuo Zongtang got up to say goodbye when it was time to start the watch.The three ministers of military aircraft still stayed there to discuss. Of course we have to talk about Zuo Zongtang, "What do you think of this contemporary Zhuge Liang?" Prince Gong asked with a smile. "Nature is far better than Wang Zhaoyuan." Bao Jun replied.Wang Zhaoyuan was the favored minister of Meng Chang in Hou Shu, a very useless person, like Zuo Zongtang, he could call himself Zhuge Liang, so Bao Jun compared him. "Everyone of this generation speaks big words and uses tricks." Shen Guifen said in a very cold tone: "On the day you are summoned, you must prevent him from talking freely. No trouble?"

"It's right to worry." Wen Xiang nodded deeply, "On the day of the summoning, Master Liu will lead the class by himself!" "Yes." Prince Gong said again, "But it's better to find someone to say hello to him first, it's more appropriate." "This person is not easy to find." "There is one." Shen Guifen interrupted Bao Jun, "Zuo Jigao will definitely go to pay respects to Pan Boyin, and ask him to pass the camera on." Everyone thought his method was very good, so they asked him to go to visit Pan Zuyin that night, explain why he came, and asked him not to enter the office the next day, and waited for Zuo Zongtang to visit at home, Pan Zuyin naturally agreed.

Sure enough, Shen Guifen's predictions were very accurate. The next day Zuo Zongtang paid a sincere visit. Pan Zuyin was kind to Zuo Zongtang, so he knelt down as soon as he met him. I dare not take it!" Then he knelt down and returned the salute. When the footman helped the two of them up, Zuo Zongtang said, "Yin Gong! I bowed today, and I bowed to your two words." Then he read aloud: "'The country cannot live without Hunan, and Hunan cannot live forever. There is no such thing as Zuo Zongtang!'" It was the ninth year of Xianfeng, Zuo Zongtang was under the control of Fan Xie, the general soldier of Yongzhou Town. Entrusted by the official Guo Songtao, Zuo Zongtang was rescued by Shangshu.Pan Zuyin laughed immediately, "Tell the truth to Jue Shuai." He said, "Everything in my memorial is not what Guo Junxian said."

This time Zuo Zongtang was stunned and didn't know what to answer.Pan Zuyin and Guo Songtao worked together to save him, but his rewards were different, because he had a sense of knowing Pan Zuyin, but he was entangled with Guo Songtao, and finally turned against each other.Now according to Pan Zuyin's words, the confidant should be Guo Songtao, where did you start? Seeing the embarrassment of the guest, Pan Zuyin regretted Meng Lang a little, so she broke the conversation, said a lot of things she admired, and thanked him for the huge amount of "charcoal respect" he gave every year. Finally talking about the matter entrusted by Shen Guifen, he asked: "Will the commander-in-chief meet you that day?" "I have to wait for the Military Aircraft Department to make arrangements for me." Zuo Zongtang replied, "We have to talk about it before we can play." "Yes, yes!" Pan Zuyin took the opportunity to say: "Mansion Gong and the princes of the military aircraft all highly respect the marshal." "It should be so!" Zuo Zongtang replied without thinking. This was a bit brazen, and Pan Zuyin found it difficult to speak, but he was entrusted by others, so he had to resign himself to it, so he said tactfully: "The princes of the Privy Council have nothing to discuss. Let’s all help each other and discuss things from the long-term perspective. You don’t have to take the lead in hearing about it.” In Wu Ren's Jing language, his tongue can't be bent, but he spoke very slowly, so Zuo Zongtang heard it clearly, and immediately replied: "As long as the shufu cooperates, I have nothing to discuss, as I said before,' It is always necessary to talk about a general idea first, before we can play.’ However, if the princes of the Privy Council have a preference, it is difficult to say.” Pan Zuyin naturally understood the implication.Li Hongzhang said that the imperial court favored Zuo Zongtang, Zuo Zongtang also said that the military aircraft favored Li Hongzhang, King Gong and Wen Xiang, etc., mediating the generals, exhausted both mentally and physically, the result was not good for both sides, it was a bit unfair to think about it.Although he is a celebrity leader, he is not a person who just caresses the inscriptions on gold and stone tablets. Sometimes he dares to speak out, so he said bluntly: "The words of Jue Shuai have failed the painstaking efforts of the court. Although you have weathered the wind and rain, you have made great achievements in all battles. Little do they know that the ministers in the imperial court are obsessed with gains and losses, and are unwilling to eat, so they make overall arrangements for military affairs and government affairs, and require them to be appropriate everywhere, and the taste of them is enough." "Yes, yes!" Zuo Zongtang immediately took the blame: "I made a slip of the tongue." "Don't dare!" Pan Zuyin cupped his hands and changed the subject, talking about the Ganoderma lucidum produced in the Xiangyin Confucian Temple. There is such a legend outside: In the third year of Tongzhi, Ganoderma lucidum suddenly grew in the Confucian temple in Xiangyin, and this year Guo Songtao was released as the governor of Guangdong, and his family said that it was a sign of auspiciousness.Hearing this, Zuo Zongtang was very displeased, and thought that what should be done should also be due to the matter of his canonization, so he said in a letter of congratulations to Guo Songtao that the general of Ping Hongyang won the battle only after all the battles were difficult. Sealing borders, "and one step can sit in peace", this is the main reason for the disharmony between Guo and Zuo's relatives.According to the public opinion, the song is on the left, but Zuo Zongtang refuses to admit it, but it is not appropriate to talk about it at this time and here, so he just smiled and didn't answer. So the topic turned to those celebrities in Beijing, which Pan Zuyin was most familiar with. He said that Weng Tong and his funeral father had returned to their hometown, Xu Pengshou had already died of illness, and Gao Xinkui was in dire straits.Zuo Zongtang was very familiar with Gao Xinkui, whom Sushun admired the most, and he thought of his old friend very carefully. When I finished my goodbyes and returned to Xianliang Temple, there was already a military aircraft Zhang Jing who was ordered to deliver a letter and was waiting there.Report to Zuo Zongtang face-to-face that the empress dowagers of the two palaces and the emperor will be summoned on August 15th, and they will also be rewarded with "chao horses".After thanking them, he saw the guests out of the middle gate, and then the material officer came in with a lot of invitations. Zuo Zongtang read it over and decided that he would only accept Wen Xiang's appointment and decline all others. He invited Wen Xiang for dinner, but he arrived at Wen Xiang's very early, because he knew that there would not be too many people for the dinner, and Shen Guifen would be there to discuss the plan of the Western Expedition.He believed that Li Hongzhang, the same year Shen Guifen was partial to him in everything, and the intention of going early was to avoid secret talks between Shen Guifen and Wen Xiang. "Zeng Disheng and Li Shaoquan both fought in good places. In Xiyan, Li Shaoquan had 100,000 men, and I only had 5,000 men and horses for a few provinces. He should naturally be the co-organizer." Zuo Zongtang complained first , and then said: "Shaanxi and Gandhi are barren and poor, so when talking about the Western Expedition, the first thing is to talk about raising wages. I want to ask Bo Weng first, what does the court mean?" "Then you have to ask Ji Weng first, how much is the annual salary, have you ever calculated it?" "Shaanxi and Gansu provinces are very different from other provinces." Zuo Zongtang Qu pointed out: "First, the land is barren and the people are poor; Fourth, there are few cattle and horses, lack of seeds and agricultural tools, and many fields are abandoned; fifth, in addition to land money and food, the provinces also have lijin miscellaneous taxes to make up for it. Shaanxi only collects 100,000 taels of lijin a year. Gansu does not even have such a small number; sixth, Changmao and Nianzi surrendered, as long as they are entangled with him and sent back to their hometowns, they will settle down in their own places; the rebels in Shanxi and Gansu are all natives, so they have to raise additional funds to help them Make a living." When Zuo Zongtang spoke up to this point in one breath, Wen Xiang asked after a short pause, "Ji Weng, you haven't talked about military pay yet?" "This is about to be discussed." He first scolded the generals of the Huai Army for deducting military pay, and then said: "Shaanxi and Gansu are short of food, and it is difficult to transfer. The price of food is several times more expensive than other provinces. A soldier bravely It costs one penny to eat two catties of fine grains, and if we follow the method of the Huai Army and pay three taels of silver a month, it will just fill our stomachs, and we can only eat white rice." "Of course there are other allowances. Ji Weng will say the total first, and we will make plans." "I calculated it carefully." Zuo Zongtang replied quickly: "Shaanxi is short of 150,000 to 600,000 taels of salary every year; Gansu is short of more than 2 million taels of salary every year." Wen Xiang was startled: "There is a shortage of three hundred and fifty thousand taels of salary every year?" "Yes!" Zuo Zongtang said again: "The cost of running the farm and recruiting the rioters is not included." "That's the second step." Wen Xiang thought for a while and asked, "Where did this huge sum come from? President Ji Weng also planned it?" "Of course. If you don't have a plan, why dare you take on this big job? Fortunately, the west has been leveled, and Li Shaoquan no longer has to regard the two rivers as forbidden lands. With the wealth in the southeast, to support the armored soldiers in the northwest, let's look at the old man's means!" Say it haha laughing out loud. Wen Xiang has been watching "History of Jin" for the past two days, thinking, there really are people like Huan Wen and Wang Meng in this world!You can only grind with him patiently.Therefore, it was explained that after the Great Rebellion, the aftermath of the provinces was extremely onerous, and it required huge sums of money to do foreign affairs, build ships, and emphasize the strength of the army.In the end, I promised that he would not let him return empty-handed, and the trip was in vain, but the exact amount of "military salary" had to be discussed carefully by the Ministry of Household Affairs. Of course Zuo Zongtang also knew the difficulties of the court, and at the same time he also believed that Wen Xiang was a man of seeking truth from facts, so he was quite satisfied with this result.The host and guest had a good time and parted ways that day. On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, I rode into the palace early in the morning and rested at the military plane first. After the military plane "meeted" as usual, the first person to be summoned was Zuo Zongtang, led by Prince Gong himself.It was Zuo Zongtang's first time entering the inner court. The nine-fold forbidden door was quiet and silent. The guards and eunuchs walked close to the wall all the way. When they saw Prince Gong, they all lowered their hands to say hello. The respectful and fearful majesty of the heavenly family is not intimidating. In terms of people, Zuo Zongtang, who never cared about anyone he met, also made his heart flutter, and felt that the muscles between his shoulders and back were a little tight and cold. Just meditating on the rites of the audience, he had reached the Hall of Mental Cultivation before he knew it. The eunuch opened the curtain and entered the East Nuan Pavilion from the main hall. He could no longer see Prince Gong in his eyes, and only remembered the etiquette taught by his friends, walking in three steps After that, he knelt on both knees and said in his mouth: "The minister Zuo Zongtang respectfully invites Shengan." Then he kowtowed without his crown.According to the rules, the hat should be put on the ground first, and those who have admired the feathers with eyes must put the tails upwards. Zuo Zongtang remembered this, but when he kowtowed his head and stood up and knelt before the emperor, he forgot to put the hat on again. At this moment, he only saw a mat a few steps ahead - this was Youyu, and it was also a reminder that he had to kneel there to play right, and Zuo Zongtang knelt on the mat with his head bare. "Zuo Zongtang," Empress Dowager Cixi was the first to speak, "You have worked hard these past few years." "My minister, Meng Xiandi, knows the kindness of encounter, and he should do his best." "On which day did you leave for Beijing?" "I set off from Lianzhen on the second day of August, arrived in Tianjin on the fifth day, and arrived in Beijing on the tenth day." "Is it quiet along the way?" "After the great chaos, the people have no means of living, but they seem to be quiet in front of them. It all depends on the honesty of the border officials and the rectification of the officials. If the people don't suffer, there will be no chaos." "The imperial court also thinks so." Empress Dowager Cixi continued, "So Zeng Guofan was transferred to be the governor of Zhili. You should help each other." "Yes!" Zuo Zongtang replied, "I admire Zeng Guofan's knowledge of people." At this time, the Empress Dowager Ci'an asked, "Have you taught Zeng Guofan?" "I have given lectures to He Changling, the governor of Henan Province. At that time, Zeng Guofan was an official in the capital, and I never had any friendship with him." "Oh!" The Empress Dowager Ci'an asked again, "Which department do you belong to?" "The minister is Renchen in the twelfth year of Daoguang, and he ranked eighteenth in the Chinese style of the Hunan Provincial Examination." Only then did the Empress Dowager Ci'an remember that Zuo Zongtang was a Juren, not a Jinshi, and she didn't even get the right questions, so she didn't want to talk anymore. So Empress Dowager Cixi asked, "How long have you been out of Beijing?" "The minister went to Beijing three times during the Daoguang period, and the last time was when he left Beijing in the eighteenth year of Daoguang's reign. It has been thirty years since then." "Eighteen years of Daoguang?" Empress Dowager Cixi looked at Prince Gong and asked, "Isn't Zeng Guofan the Hanlin of that year?" "Yes!" Prince Gong knew very well that Zuo Zongtang's regret in his life was that he was not able to be a Jinshi and entered the Ci Lin, but the empress dowagers of the two palaces touched his hidden pain, so he took the opportunity to praise him: "Zuo Zongtang's knowledge is not inferior to that of the Imperial Academy. He is a practical person.” The Empress Dowager Cixi was very vigilant, and immediately said: "The imperial court employs people on their merits, and they don't pay attention to the name of the department. Zuo Zongtang, look, how long will it take for the military affairs in the Northwest to be successful?" This question came to an important point, Zuo Zongtang did not dare to ignore it, thought for a while and replied: "Military affairs in the Northwest must be suppressed and comforted, once everything is done, it will take five years to be able to be a teacher." Five years seems to be too long, but the words "everything is done" made Empress Dowager Cixi very happy.I was thinking in my heart that after five years, it will be the twelfth year of Tongzhi, and the emperor will be eighteen years old, and he can be in charge of the government.At that time, the world was peaceful, and the emperor was paid by hand. The ZTE of the Qing Dynasty came from the heroine, who was worthy of the ancestors and the people of the world.To be the Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty in the girls' middle school is truly the unique, unprecedented and unprecedented queen! Thinking about it now, he flutters like a fairy, brisk as Lingyun and the wind!Aoyu 芤 裢獬随 Γ Moya tent exhibition ψ 詈 谢!He  bear  strike down change Zang Nuo dip Yunbo   knock 忝 Qiang father  male  Γ  Liao Jin hinge away  beetle also Pang Xing  dumpling Zhao Yong mold ! ? "Yes!" Zuo Zongtang unknowingly quoted the words in the "List of Teachers": "I'll do my best, and die only after death"!" Speaking of this, Empress Dowager Ci'an asked again: "Are you almost sixty?" "The minister is fifty-seven years old this year." "The spirit is quite good." "Thanks to the grace of God, the stubborn sword with a broken body," Zuo Zongtang said, "It's all practiced in the military camp in the past few years." "Zuo Zongtang," Empress Dowager Cixi mentioned the Western Expedition again, "You must fight all the way from east to west when you suppress thieves!" The meaning of these words is easy to understand. Only from east to west can peace be ensured in Gyeonggi.In fact, Zuo Zongtang's strategy for marching troops is also the same, so he immediately replied: "I would like to obey the instructions of kindness. I have already ordered the army to be on standby in Luoyang. When I leave the capital, I will set up camp to Shanxi, and then cross the river into Shaanxi." .” "This is very good." The Empress Dowager Cixi said again: "The day before yesterday, King Gong gave an interview and said that the military salary for the Western Expedition would cost 3.5 million taels a year. This must be carefully planned." "The military salary for the Western Expedition actually needs to be four million taels per year. I beg God's grace and send it to the Ministry for funding. Only when the salary is paid and the army is stable, and the ministers have no worries, can they concentrate on the front. " "That's a good word." Empress Dowager Cixi hesitated for a moment, looked at Prince Gong and asked, "Sixth Master, what do you think?" Prince Gong was slightly displeased. He originally said three hundred and fifty thousand taels, but now he said "four million taels is really needed". Zongtang wrote a note, and the ministers, the household and the soldiers, carefully negotiated the regulations and asked for the order to handle it." "Okay!" Empress Dowager Cixi nodded: "Let's do it like this!" So King Gong knelt down.Zuo Zongtang knew that the performance was over, kowtowed, stood up, took a few steps back and turned around, still bareheaded, followed behind Prince Gong and left his big hat on the brick floor of the Hall of Mental Cultivation . An Dehai was waiting on the sidelines, with sharp eyesight and quick hands, he rushed forward, put away his hat, and the Empress Dowager Ci'an shouted: "Little Anzi!" "Cha!" An Dehai knelt down and agreed. "You asked someone to send Zuo Zongtang's hat to him." "Cha!" An Dehai agreed, and retreated. So the queen mothers of the two palaces discussed again, because it was a festival, and specially rewarded Zuo Zongtang with "a plate of thirteen four-color moon cakes".The reward was awarded to Xianliang Temple, thanked for the kindness, and developed the reward number. The first time the eunuch just left, the second time the eunuch arrived again, carrying a hat box, and wanted to see "Master Zuo". "Lord Zuo's red crown and double-eyed feathers are lost," the eunuch knelt and said, "I'm here to give them back." "Oh!" Zuo Zongtang was upset and annoyed by this, so he said happily, "It's really hard for you." "Talk to Mr. Zuo, this matter is not known outside." What if you know?Zuo Zongtang was still thinking about it, and the vigilant screen friends on the left and right rushed to his ears, whispered a few words, and he nodded and said, "Okay, you can figure it out." Muyou invites the eunuch sent by An Dehai to another room, first establishes friendship, and then asks about his intentions. The eunuch wants three thousand taels of silver, not less than a penny. How about not giving it?The consequences can be imagined, there must be a Manchurian censor who impeached Zuo Zongtang for his "disrespect", and he must be exempted from discussion. This time, "making trouble" will become a joke. Yuan Rong's expedition to the west has something to do with prestige!Namuyou made the decision for Zuo Zongtang and accepted the eunuch's request.As for Zuo Zongtang himself, he only knew that a reward had been issued again, but he didn't know that he had been blackmailed.He put aside this trivial matter and wrote it himself; he wrote a memorial that "it is difficult to pay for Shanxi, Gansu and Gansu". The army is one million taels. Zuo Zongtang was naturally disappointed.But it's useless to fight at this time. When the troops leave the customs and the military deployment has seen the actual effect, then how many people need how much salary, calculate according to the actual situation, and indicate the source. Don't be afraid that the court will not allow it. .Everyone knew this method of coercion, so he decided to learn smarter, and without saying a word, "passed the sign" to the empress dowagers of the two palaces and the emperor, and left the capital. It was August 20th, he left Beijing, and Li Hongzhang came to Beijing. The two had some remuneration at Xianliang Temple, and then Li Hongzhang "accepted" Zuo Zongtang's residence for almost a month. This is because he is here to deal with the aftermath, the first thing to talk about is "withdrawing courage"; the second thing is to talk about reimbursement.Both of these things are very troublesome.The imperial court meant that Liu Mingchuan's troops should first be stationed in Gyeonggi. Liu Mingchuan's position was "Admiral of Zhili", and it was justifiable to lead troops to the post.Moreover, Zeng Guofan was transferred to the governor of Zhili. In terms of personal friendship, he had no choice but to find a way to get Liu Mingchuan to help Zeng Guofan.Helpless, the nobleman, who has become famous and rich, is physically and mentally exhausted. He just wants to disarm and return to the farm, and enjoy the title and huge sum of money first. This has put Li Hongzhang in a dilemma, and he himself has the "clay Buddha crossing the river". "The danger. "Shaoquan!" Prince Gong said to him like this, "The meaning of the superior is that Zuo Jigao is afraid that Zuo Jigao will not be able to support himself alone, and there will be a place to rely on you in the future. Therefore, the Huai army should weed out the weak and retain the strong, and make preparations." Li Hongzhang is absolutely unwilling to lead troops to fight again!On the one hand, fighting is too hard, on the other hand, "military merit" is enough.Especially fighting with Zuo Zongtang, not only suffering, but also being angry, the "meaning" above must be dispelled no matter what. "My lord!" He replied in a very solemn tone: "I dare not report the truth to the grand plan of the military and the country. Ping Hongyang, Ping Nian Army, the experience of more than ten years of hard fighting, there is only one sentence: the power of affairs must be unified. On the other hand, if it weren’t for the government’s decree to control the armies with the princes, and there are so many generals and governors in Zhili who are doing their own thing, I’m afraid the situation will be unspeakably bad.” These words are flattering to King Gong to explain that "power must be unified", which is naturally very pleasant, so King Gong nodded and said: "This is very true. Especially Ji Gao's temper, everyone knows that if the Western Expedition does not go smoothly, It must be changed to handsome, and the imperial court will naturally deal with it properly." This is even more incredible!If you stay in the Huai army to prepare for the suppression, you can also send your generals into Shaanxi. According to what Prince Gong said now, the Western Expedition is unsuccessful and he is easy to be handsome. If you are to replace Zuo Zongtang by yourself, then you have to visit the former enemy in person. If you can't reap the merits, you have to die in Qin Long. "My lord!" He said, "Zuo Ji is a great talent, and he regards the management of the Northwest as his life's ambition. If he still has no achievements, let alone anyone. What's more, the generals of the Huai army, I am not the one who said something in front of the lord." If you are discouraged, it will be difficult to fight a hundred battles, and your vigor will be exhausted. It is really 'the end of a crossbow, not enough to wear Lu Jin'." "Then..." Prince Gong looked at Wen Xiang who was present and said, "I'm afraid there will be no result for the discussion on withdrawing troops." "In Beijing, there is no way to talk about the result." Wen Xiang looked at the overall situation and made a suggestion: "The aftermath should be planned in an overall way. It is one thing to eliminate the weak and retain the strong, but where does the food and salary come from? It is another matter. It is a matter of laying off the brave and sending capital. In addition, military training is another matter. The great chaos is brought to an end, all kinds of wastes are waiting to be implemented, especially the westernization is urgently needed to be carried out, and a large sum of money is needed, and the western salary has only raised one million. Where will the shortfall fall? It must be done first. Make preparations, wait for Zuo Jigao's bill to pay, and then we can deal with it." "Alas!" Prince Gong was a little annoyed, and said with emotion: "One word for coming and going: money!" "That's right! It's just a word for money. So the lifeblood of the world is Liangjiang in the southeast wealth area, and Gyeonggi is the heart, and Huguang is the arm. Let the three governors meet and have a good talk, and the matter will be clear. gone." "Okay!" Prince Gong immediately made a decision: "Shaoquan, you go to Jinling and ask Ma Gushan to discuss the regulations with Zeng Disheng. Anyway, you know the meaning of the court, as long as the overall situation can be maintained in a stable manner." Let's start, how do you say it, how good it is!" "Talk back to the lord. My original plan was to go to Liangjiang first after leaving Beijing to meet my teacher, and then go to Wuchang to take over the job after a new year. However, my teacher is afraid that he won't meet Ying, the direct supervisor." Mentioning this point , Prince Gong was upset again.Although Zeng Guofan did not clearly express his unwillingness to take office in the Xie En Zhezi for Zeng Guofan's transfer to the direct governor, there is an "attached piece" that says: "Ding You was not able to end up at home twice; , Looking forward to the pine and catalpa, it is difficult to sleep in peace and sleep." He also said: "It is a matter of guilt to suppress the twisters for nothing; but after returning to office, he was not diligent in his duties, and many official affairs were neglected. All ministers apologize, and when they arrive in Beijing When the time comes, I will play it all." It means that I have done my loyalty, and now it is time to show my filial piety. When I come to Beijing to see you, I will definitely meet and play. I will ask for leave to return to my hometown to visit the grave, and I will resign from the governor.Listening to what Li Hongzhang said now, the implication of the "attached film" became more and more clear.This has to be cleared up early. So Prince Gong made a very firm statement: "Shaoquan! In all fairness, how long should your teacher take a rest, but in such a situation, who can do nothing? Not to mention your teacher's virtue and talent, the country There is absolutely no need for this person! Your junior brother has a very good relationship, I ask you to persuade him on your behalf, if you refuse to accept the words of the direct supervisor, it is best not to say it, once it is said, it will not help the matter, and it will only hurt the relationship." Li Hongzhang's mind was very active all the time, thinking that the "teacher" really insisted on resigning directly to the supervisor, and his superiors did not want to force others to make things difficult, so he would try to persuade Zeng Guofan to "recommend the virtuous to replace him", so he publicized his teacher's tireless intentions everywhere.Listening to Prince Gong's tone now, it must be someone else, he has given up his heart in front of his eyes. Therefore, he agreed very earnestly: "Your Majesty, please rest assured! I will definitely persuade my teacher to follow the imperial court's wishes and come to accept the direct supervisor." Prince Gong was very fond of him, and said a lot of words of please.But Li Hongzhang had something to do, but he couldn't ask King Gong to mediate.Forty million taels of silver were spent on Ping Nian's military expenditures. Although they came from Liangjiang, they had to be reimbursed to the Ministry of Household Affairs.His idea is that it is best to exempt from the cancellation of military expenses like Ping Hongyang's military expenses. For this reason, he went to see Bao Jun and Luo Dunyan, Shangshu of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and offered hints, but Bao and Luo refused silently, so he had no choice but to Another way. The first step is to ask someone to make friends with the book office of the Ministry of Household Affairs. Please go to the restaurant for a drink and inquire about how to reimburse the 40 million taels of silver and pass the customs smoothly? The real power of the six ministries is in the hands of the officials, and the officials must rely on the book office, so the key to "passing the customs" lies in the book office. Do it differently.Originally, the six departments of officials, households, rites, soldiers, criminals, and workers were compared with six characters: rich, noble, mighty, poor, and humble.The book offices of the Ministry of Officials and the Ministry of Household Affairs occupy the word "rich", but they are really well-deserved. However, there are internal distinctions between the officials and the book office of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the responsibilities of the fourteen "official officials" are different.On this day, people from Li Hongzhang’s side invited the book offices of the “Jiangxi Division” and the “Guizhou Division” as the hosts and guests, because the Jiangxi Division audited the provincial association salaries, and the Guizhou Division audited the customs tax revenue. are closely related. There is another host and guest, which is even more important. This person is a pen post style of the "Northern House" of the Ministry of Households.The general account of the Ministry of Households is under the management of the Beifangfang. Only the Beifangfang knows the exact amount of the country's annual expenditure and revenue.At the same time, the Beifangfang is responsible for the review, and the approval or inaccuracy of the reimbursement depends on the Beifangfang in the end. Therefore, this pen post style named Wu Kehai is regarded as the first. The surrogate owner was a shopkeeper of a Shanxi ticket office, surnamed Mao Xingsan. His bank had contacts with the Huai Army Liangtai, and Li Hongzhang would often issue bank notes to pay for any entertainment gifts in Beijing.He is very familiar with the people in the household department, and he is together every three days, either for wine and food, or for listening to operas and "walking in the alleys", and eating in restaurants, as usual, he has to "call for notes".But this day is just a "clear talk", because there is a "business matter" to be discussed, and the relationship between this business matter is so huge that it is not for the sake of outsiders. After drinking for three rounds, Mao San spoke up, "Uncle Wu," he said, "you are not an outsider, let's talk about it openly! "I don't need to say that, it's not like you don't know the rules of the ministry." Wu Kehai said, "We brothers, we might as well listen to the meaning of that side first." It's hard to say, Mao San was only entrusted to ask, but couldn't let go of any promises, so he thought about it and said smartly: "Once upon a time, Mr. Zeng..." As soon as he mentioned this sentence, Wu Kehai interrupted him, "Hey, let's mention that!" He said sadly, "At that time, the 'administration department' of Wuzhongtang. This old Taoist master didn't know what it was called. Sophisticated, he didn't discuss with everyone, so he made a discount in a daze, and Ping Hongyang's military expenses were exempted from reimbursement. This is not to make Mr. Zeng cheaper. In this way, the mice in our house will starve to death." "Then," Mao San asked, "Uncle Wu, don't worry about the rules and regulations in the department. Anyway, I am entrusted to you, so you can't say that you have to follow the rules. Isn't that right?" "Of course, acquaintances are talking to acquaintances. Let's discuss and discuss." The three of them sat aside and whispered to each other.In fact, this is artificial, what kind of "plate" should be opened has long been discussed in the ministry. "For others, this is the number, Mr. Mao, for your sake, this is the number." Wu Kehai made gestures, stretching out one finger first, then three fingers. "One three cents?" Mao San asked, "one centimeter and three cents?" "By the way, one tael of silver is one cent three. It counts as much as you report." "This...," Mao San asked, "Can I have a little less?" "Not one centimeter less." Wu Kehai replied firmly. Since Wu Kehai's tone was very tight and he could not be accommodated, Mao San didn't need to say much.After the feast was over, I rushed to Xianliang Temple.Li Hongzhang was particularly concerned about this matter, condescending, and asked Mao San to personally question him. Kowtowing his head and getting up, Mao San sat on the chair obliquely and told what Wu Kehai said truthfully.Li Hongzhang thought to himself, in Liangjiang, the military expenses spent on leveling and twisting in the past few years were always about 30 million taels, calculated according to the deduction of 1 tael, 1.3 cents, and 10 million would be 130,000; about 30 million, That's 400,000 taels of silver, which is not a small sum. "What are the rules in the Ministry?" Li Hongzhang asked, "Do you know?" "If you go back to Zhongtang, there are no rules. It depends on what people say." "Oh!" Li Hongzhang wanted to figure out, should he look at the person who reimbursed him, or the person in the middle?This has to be clarified: "How to make the watcher speak?" "Like Zhongtang, they don't dare to ask for more." Mao San said again, "It depends on how everyone does it. Our side is beautiful, and their side is also beautiful." "Mmm, um." Although Li Hongzhang didn't say anything, he wondered in his heart whether Mao San was speaking for himself or for the other party? "One more word, dare not tell Zhongtang back. Those people are really stinky and tough. The sooner things are done, the better. If it's too late, you won't be able to spend money on them." "why?" "People guard against tigers, and tigers also guard against people." Mao San whispered, "It's too late, those people just think there are other arrangements, and they dare not take it." From this sentence, Li Hongzhang knew that Mao San was quite loyal, because what he said was very pertinent.This incident arouses suspicion, and if you dare not ask for money, then you must do business and be as picky as possible, and things will be very difficult. "You are a person who is willing to tell the truth, very good! Thank you for your hard work." After finishing speaking, Li Hongzhang held up the tea bowl, and Goshha on the porch shouted "See off the guests", Mao San hurriedly stood up to say goodbye, Li Hongzhang had already bowed and walked in. "Damn it!" He went to the room where Muyou was working, sat down and scolded, "It's really 'It's nice to see the king of hell, but it's hard to be a little devil'!" Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang have different tempers. Zuo Zongtang hates whoever scolds, and Li Hongzhang's scolding does not necessarily mean that he is dissatisfied with the person being scolded. If you don't talk about it, you have to listen to what he has to say. "I haven't been to Beijing for more than ten years, and it only cost one hundred thousand silver to come here. Those little devils want me for four hundred thousand. Where are you coming from?" Four hundred thousand taels of silver is indeed a huge amount, but everyone in the screen friends has different ideas.Some were startled, they were people who didn't understand the Huai army's military pay, and if they knew it, they didn't think it was too much. "Master!" Guan Zhangzuo's friend said calmly, "Jiang Ning's business has just arrived, and there is a letter in front of him. I'm afraid there is something about reimbursement in it." that's for sure!This matter is closely related to Zeng Guofan, and he was transferred to the direct governor, and he must explain the major events in Liangjiang.从西捻平后，他与他老师函牍往还，一直就谈的是撤军与报销。果然，曾国藩的这封信中，提出了他对报销的处理办法，打算“实用实销”。 一看这四个字，李鸿章便觉刺心，知道又有麻烦了。 再取信中附来的奏折草稿，看出是曾国藩的亲笔。笔划之间，直来直去，跟他方正的性情一样，少波磔顿挫的捭阖摇曳之姿：“从前军营，办理报销，中外吏胥，互相勾结，以为利蔽。此次臣严饬属员，认定'实用实销'四字，不准设法腾挪，不准曲为弥缝。臣治军十余年，所用皆召幕之勇，与昔年专用经制弁兵者，情形迥异；其有与部例不符之处，请敕部曲为鉴谅，臣初无丝毫意见，欲与部臣违抗也。” “我那老师，真正是可欺其以方的君子。”李鸿章顺手把奏稿递了给幕友，“你们看看！” “话是说得再好都没有，招呼打在前面，户部的堂官，心里会很舒服，不过，司官以下的人，看了就不舒服了。” “'中外吏胥，互相勾结，以为利薮'，骂得倒也痛快！”李鸿章就在这片刻间，心思又已一变，心想让老师骂一骂也好，有人在表面骂，自己在暗地里做人情，相形之下，便越发会令对方心感。所以他接下来说：“事缓则圆，留着慢慢再说。” 这是在大庭广众间说的话，私底下他另有处置。派人告诉毛三，托他转告乌克海，说这件报销案，于公于私，都得听曾国藩主持，目前他还不能有确实的答复，但他个人，将来无论如何一定会有一番“意思”，请他们放心。这样先把部里的胥吏稳住了，然后写信给曾国藩，隐约表示，即使有这道奏折，部中怕仍旧要照例挑剔驳复，与其以后“随驳随顶”，不胜其烦，不如早作部署为妙。当然，劝是这样劝，曾国藩听不听又是一回事，反正他已经准备花钱了，就不听也无所谓。 于是，过了重阳，摒挡出都。一路思量，这趟入觐之行，公私两方面都还算顺手。到金陵看了老师，然后回合肥过年，等年初五做过生日，奉母到武昌接任，从此以后，又另是一番境界了。 “我半生事业，尽在两江、山东。江苏从上海到常州，这一片膏腴之地，是我从长毛手里拿回来的，我那里还对不起江苏人？江苏的京官丧尽良心！”李鸿章这样对他的幕友说，想起江苏京官对他的种种为难，越说越愤慨，“不是我，翁叔平那里去回乡葬父？我们在前方出生入死打仗，他们在京里升官玩古董，结果是以怨报德，真正叫人寒心。” 大家都不明白他这样大发牢骚，是何用意？只有默然听着。 “安徽骂我的人也不少，不过总是家乡。山东，虽然丁宫保处处掣我的肘，百姓对我是不错的。我这一走，总得留下点去思才好。” I see!立刻便有幕友献议，说曲阜的孔庙丹漆剥落，尼山书院自军兴以来，久已荒废，如果能筹一笔款子把孔庙修起来，不但山东的老百姓高兴，凡是读书人亦无不心许。 对此建议，李鸿章击节称赏，立刻就商定了办法。 办法并非他自己捐几万银子，这不是舍不得，更不是拿不出来，只是一不愿过于沾丁宝桢的面子；二怕有人骂他沽名钓誉。所以只上了一个奏折，请在撤军完毕以后，由两江、湖广各筹两万银子，解送山东，并由山东巡抚自筹两万，一共六万两银子修孔庙。 再有一个奏折，是由为安徽留去思，扩大到为匪患各处的百姓请命，凡安徽、江苏、山东、河南、湖北五省，捻军所流窜盘踞的各地，同治六年以前的钱粮，请旨概行豁免。 这两个奏折就在旅途中拜发。然后到江宁与曾国藩见面，谈好了撤军、报销两件大事，衣锦荣归到合肥过年。曾国藩接着也动身进京。