Chapter 56 Section fifty-six

Zeng Guofan, who was near Jinan, was the first to see the edict sent to the provinces, and he really heard it.Zeng Guofan has to do everything by himself. In addition to writing and reading, he also has to play a game of Go, which seriously hurts his eyesight. His right eye has reached the point where he can't distinguish objects. , All friends read to him. Thinking of Ding Baozhen's capture of An Dehai and his decree to rectify Ming's decree, Zeng Guofan was moved, and opened his eyes, "Zhihuang is really a hero!" He said, "After hearing this news, I seem to be impressed Go away."

"I didn't care about this." His friend Xue Fucheng said. Zeng Guofan remembered.In April of this year, Xue Fucheng was invited to Baoding and passed by Jinan. Because his younger brother was in Ding Baozhen's shogunate, he stayed there for half a month. It is said that if he passes through Shandong, he will not be spared.Xue Fucheng once told him this. "Although I care about it, it is still commendable. In comparison, I should be ashamed." Zeng Guofan has already blamed himself, so it is inconvenient for the fans to talk about this matter.Then I read other official documents, and then I read letters from various places.The first one was sent by Li Hongzhang from Kuizhou. Someone read a copy by Wu Tang, the governor of Sichuan, and said that he was corrupt and arrogant, which was well-founded.

Due to the relationship with Empress Dowager Cixi, Prince Gong couldn't be serious, but he had to do it. After several considerations, he asked Li Hongzhang, the governor of Huguang, to investigate and deal with it nearby. Because Li Hongzhang is the best official, he must understand the secrets and will help Wu Tang to resolve the matter. Small, trivial things are nothing, and Hubei relies on Sichuan to provide relief with salt, with millions of silver every year. In terms of "public friendship", Li Hongzhang had to cover it up for Wu Tang. Since it takes four or five months to go back and forth, Li Hongzhang was ordered to "bring out the time when it was printed. Wherever the boat and car went, it was the administrative office of the Governor of Huguang, and there was still a whole class of staff handling the documents for him. This letter to Zeng Guofan , besides greetings, it was to explain for Wu Tang. After reading a paragraph, Zeng Guofan waved his hand to indicate a pause. He wanted to distinguish the meaning of Li Hongzhang's words first.

Normally, these letters are not easy for Muyou to see, and Li Hongzhang's implication is only felt in his heart by himself.Now that it has been made public, we might as well talk about it further, so he called Xue Fucheng's number and asked: "Shu Yun! Shaoquan seems to have a plan before he arrives in Chengdu. From your point of view, why did he tell me what he said first?" "This is also the meaning of respecting the master. And..." Xue Fucheng said with a wry smile, "Your Excellency is well aware of the young master's affairs, so why bother to ask?"

Zeng Guofan nodded, thinking in his heart that Li Hongzhang often had things he refused to say, and he was good at taking advantage of others. The meaning of this letter was to defend Wu Tang first, and to pave the way for him to excuse Wu Tang in the future.There is no rush on this matter, let's talk about it later. "Please read on." He said, "I wonder if he went to see Chun Ting?" Bao Chao was from Kuizhou, and he had built a huge mansion and recuperated at home for two years. Naturally, Li Hongzhang had no reason not to meet him. "The following is Tan Chunting," Xue Fucheng looked at the letter and smiled, "Chun Ting intends to come back, Sir, what do you think Chun Ting wants to do?"

Zeng Guofan pondered for a while and asked, "Could it be that you want to open a mansion?" "Mr. Jue really knows people!" Xue Fucheng said with a smile, "It's unbelievable that Shuai Ting wants to be the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou." This is indeed somewhat unbelievable.The appointment of Han people in frontiers has always been not as strict as the ministers in terms of qualifications. Usually, they are required to be promoted to two lists, and the two ministries of officials and rites must be of Hanlin background. Arts and sciences, can't do it.Liu Yuezhao, the current governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, is a fellow villager of Zeng Guofan. He started his career with military exploits, and his achievements are mostly in Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou.As for Bao Chao, except for his own name, he could barely read any words, so it would be too much for him to want to be governor.

It's just that Zeng Guofan has deep cultivation, is loyal, and Bao Chao is his "loved general", so he refuses to show a little sneer. "This is nothing more than wanting to see it for ourselves." Chia!" Apart from being commendable, it is ridiculous and pitiful!Xue Fucheng knew that Zeng Guofan didn't like to listen to harsh words, so he just smiled and continued to read Li Hongzhang's letter. The letter talked about the teaching case in Youyang Prefecture, Sichuan, and ordered Li Hongzhang to investigate it nearby. There was hope for a peaceful settlement. He specially told Zeng Guofan that he expected the "teacher" to support him.Zeng Guofan is a university scholar who is also a direct governor, an important minister of the country, and is close to Gyeonggi. When the court encounters major political affairs, he often consults his opinions. answered.

After listening to the letter, Zeng Guofan said with emotion: "Westernization is not difficult, the difficulty lies in making teaching plans, and the teaching plans are not difficult, but the difficulty lies in too many opinions from one's own people." This is already an implicit statement. The words "too many opinions" really refer to the big class of Woren, who knows that there are Taoist teachers from abroad outside of China. It doesn't matter if they are true Taoists. Ban hears the word "foreign" and will cover his ears and walk away quickly.Xue Fucheng and his colleagues in Zeng Guofan's shogunate were mostly well-informed. At this time, Zeng Guofan's emotion caused a lengthy discussion.

The origin of the teaching plan has not been a day.In the early years of Kangxi, Catholicism flourished for a while. This was because the grandmother of the Holy Patriarch, Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, believed in Catholicism. Her "Godfather" was a German named Tang Ruowang. Recommend to serve in the Hanlin Academy.The solar eclipse at the beginning of May in the second year of Chongzhen, using the "Datong Calendar" and "Hijli Calendar" to calculate the time was not accurate. Only Xu Guang used the Western method to calculate the time, as expected, so he specially opened the "Calendar Bureau" to revise the new calendar. Tang Ruowang participated in the work.He can also repair "firearms", so in the first month of the 17th year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng approached the capital, and his assistant minister Li Tingtai supervised the division to suppress the bandits, and specially brought Tang Ruowang into the army to handle guns.

After entering the Qing Dynasty, Tang Ruowang served as an official while preaching, and what he did was the Qintian Supervisor who was in charge of astronomy and calendar.The empress dowager Xiaozhuang and the grandparents and their sons trusted him very much. The reason why the holy ancestor was able to reserve the throne was because Tang Ruowang said that he had had smallpox and was safe.In the eighteenth year of Shunzhi, Shizu passed away due to acne, which made Tang Ruowang more prescient.Therefore, the holy ancestor also respected and trusted him very much, he revised the calendar, advocated the calculation of heaven, and the emperor personally advocated it.This is why Catholicism can prevail in China.

It's wrong when Sejong ascends the throne!Man Bao, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, first issued an edict in the first year of Yongzheng, saying, "Catholic churches are set up in various provinces, and evil religions are practiced sideways. What is heard and seen is gradually confused, and people's hearts are gradually incited. Please send Westerners from all provinces, except those who have been sent to Beijing, to resettle in Macao." . The Catholic Church was changed to a public house.Anyone who strays into his teaching will be strictly prohibited. " Sejong approved Manbao's petition, gave him half a year to move, and ordered local officials along the way to take care of them.This is all because the Holy Ancestor passed away not long ago, and he was extraordinarily generous with his body and heart.In the third year of Yongzheng, joining the "Western religion" was strictly prohibited. This prohibition was not lifted until 120 years later. The Opium War in the 19th year of Daoguang was won first and then lost. As a result, the "Jiangning Treaty" was signed to pay indemnities and cede territory, and the "five ports of trade" were opened in Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Ningbo, and Shanghai. The governor is also a manager, and the official title conferred by him is called "Minister of Nanyang Commerce and Industry". The British focused on doing business, while the French focused on missionary work.In the twenty-fourth year of Daoguang, on a French warship in Huangpu, a thirty-five-article "Sino-French Commercial Treaty" was signed.Then, the French minister Clerney made representations to Qiying, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, requesting the cancellation of Yongzheng's three-year ban.According to Qiying’s situation, the Ministry of Rites agreed to set up Catholic churches in the five trading seaports, but “it is not allowed to rape women and deceive patients’ eyes.” Foreign priests sometimes use knives when they treat people, so there are foreigners among the people. The legend of the eyes was also believed by the imperial court, so it was specially affirmed and restricted. Since then, the number of religious believers has gradually increased. This generation is called "religious people". The religious people only know God and do not worship their ancestors. "Forgetting one's origin" means rebellious ministers and thieves, and everyone can be punished. At the same time, there will inevitably be scoundrels among the religious people, relying on the influence of foreigners, oppressing the village, and increasing the hatred of the folk religion.There are endless "teaching plans" such as gang fights, killing priests and burning churches, and there is no local official who does not feel a headache when he hears the word "teaching plan". In the tenth year of Xianfeng, the British and French allied forces invaded the capital. Wen Zong fled to Rehe in a hurry and signed an alliance under the city. The Sino-French treaty signed by King Gong allowed the subjects of the Qing Dynasty to freely believe in religion. build a church.As a result, the more "teaching cases" there are, the imperial court is in great trouble with Hong Yang's heart, and it dare not provoke foreigners anymore. When encountering "teaching plans", the teaching people always have the upper hand.The people and religions are enmity, gradually becoming an inextricable trend.There are two incidents in Zunyi, Guizhou and Youyang, Sichuan, which have been delayed for so long that the French minister Luo Shuya couldn't bear it, and even claimed to be a "foreign minister" to report, and the Prime Minister's Office of State Affairs also delivered the "foreign minister" for him Memorial.The negotiation between the two countries has turned into an internal dispute. It seems that the ministries and courts have their own opinions. For this reason, Wen Xiang was angry with his illness, and for this reason, Shen Guifen was sent to walk in the "General Administration" to prevent Dong Xun from messing around again. All of Zeng Guofan's friends, discussing the teaching plan up to this point, all sighed.Dong Xun then talked about Chonghou—he was the "Minister of Trade for Three Ports" in the three northern trading ports newly opened in the ten years of Xianfeng: Tianjin, Niuzhuang, and Dengzhou. Westernization is just blindly flattering and pampering the foreigners.Everyone thinks this is not a good phenomenon, and one day something will happen because of the "too much deceit" of foreigners. "We can't blame the foreigners for the enmity between the people and the religion. The people's wisdom is not enlightened, and the misunderstanding is deepening. This is the hidden worry." Zeng Guofan then gave an example. Since he took office, several people have stopped the public to file a complaint, saying that a child was abducted for the church in Tianjin to "goug out his eyes and dissect his heart, pick raw materials and prepare medicines", pleading for justice. "This is something that the wild and vicious people can't bear to do. How can Western civilized countries have such cruel behavior? Logically speaking, it is absolutely nothing, but you can't tell the people clearly, so what can you do?" However, it is a fact that children continue to go missing in the Tianjin area. Zeng Guofan received the complaint and could not do anything other than strictly order the local officials to find the "kidnapper".Although there were many lawsuits accusing the "Charity Hall" outside the east gate of Tianjin and on the west bank of the canal for adopting orphans and abandoned babies with bad intentions, Zeng Guofan refused to believe it.I just have a plan, and when I have a chance, I will go and see for myself what is going on. This opportunity came quickly. In October of this year, I went out of the province to investigate the dredging project of the Yongding River. When I arrived in Tianjin, the governor went on a tour. Zeng Guofan went ashore and stayed at Shuixi Village of the Cha family, a great salt merchant in Changlu.After investigating the salt administration, reviewing the foreign gun team and the foreign gun team led by Chonghou, please check the prison lawsuit. This is something he is determined to do well after he takes office.I once personally wrote an article "Litigation Matters", and ordered all states and counties to clear the accumulated cases within a time limit. When encountering important cases, the province will review them in person. situation.In Tianjin, what he paid most attention to was suing the church for abducting children. Because the symptoms of blurred vision in his right eye were getting worse and worse, he still could only listen but could not see. After listening to the "face-to-face report" by Liu Jie, the magistrate of Tianjin County, he said: "There are more than 20 cases of abducting children. case, one case has not been solved, what is the reason? There is always an explanation, I would like to hear it." "I'm really ashamed to go back to the middle hall." Liu Jie said with a face full of panic, "The robbery case has been solved, but the abduction case can't be solved, and the low-level job is also very confusing. We have to strictly order the guards and step up the arrest. It's just that there is one layer Guan Yi, I have to go back to Mr. Chong, and Mr. Chong has repeatedly instructed to be cautious, so things will inevitably be difficult." "Oh, what's the problem? Tell me!" "If you kidnap a child, there will always be a solution. Boys are sold to those who run the country, and they use a whip to beat them all. They use them to collect money. Girls with beautiful features are sold to prostitutes, and they grow up to be good cash cows." Liu Jie emphasized his tone. Said: "The low-ranking staff sent people to investigate and visit secretly, but there is no such thing, so we have to go to Cirentang with suspicion." "That's right, Charity Hall!" Zeng Guofan paid attention, "I was just about to ask Charity Hall, isn't it a nursery hall?" "The Charity Hall is also a church. It has a very large scale. There are people who chant scriptures, people who read books, people who see a doctor, and there is also a nursery hall. Not all babies are accommodated. There are children aged five, six, seven or eight. Although it is a Good deeds, but it's not very human to spend money on good deeds." "'Spend money to buy good things to do', this phrase is so new, I can't figure it out." "It's like this. Whenever someone sends orphans and abandoned babies to the hall, the foreign nuns in the hall will give money as a reward. Please think about it in the hall. Regardless of the nursery hall or nursing home, if you send a person to the church, you must speak well before accepting them. Bo Shi Bo people, Yao and Shun are still sick, so foreign nuns buy good things to do, isn't it unreasonable?" "That's not entirely true." Zeng Guofan thought for a while and said, "You mean that the kidnapper abducted other people's children, and sent them to the Charity Hall as orphans or abandoned babies to receive rewards?" "Exactly!" Liu Jie replied, "I have discussed it with my friends countless times. After much deliberation, only Ci Ren Tang is a suspicious place. If I can search the hall, the truth may be revealed. But Mr. Chong... …” Although he didn't say anything further, Zeng Guofan knew in his heart that Chong Hou was afraid that this move would cause negotiations, so he forbade Liu Jie to do so. "It's inconvenient to search the hall. You send people to check outside the hall. If you encounter suspicious people, why not interrogate them?" Why didn't Liu Jie know how to do this?It's just that the number of people who enter and exit the Ci Ren Hall every day is unknown, once entering the hall, it becomes a restricted area, and if someone behaves suspiciously, if they want to interrogate them, they may not be able to.But if this is to be said truthfully, it becomes an argument with the "Zhongtang", so Liu Jie replied: "Yes, I have done this before. The only reason is that the servants are not effective, but there is no result. Work harder." For these unsolved cases, Liu Jie's supervision can only stop here.But at a higher level, Zeng Guofan had other plans. He wanted to go to the Charity Hall to take a look in person, because the people and religions are enmity, the crux of it is the people's misunderstanding of the church, where did the misunderstanding come from?You can't understand it unless you experience it yourself.Once you understand it, you can prescribe the right medicine and gradually eliminate it. He discussed this meaning with Chonghou, and Chonghou tried his best to dissuade him from this idea, thinking that in his capacity, it is not appropriate to lightly visit Western churches that were not allowed by the teachings of Yao, Shun, Confucius and Mencius, otherwise, there must be some officials who said, " Ministers are reckless and hurt the country's constitution", and they will participate in impeachment.Zeng Guofan has always been worried about slander and shy of ridicule, he thought about it well, and listened to Chonghou's persuasion. When he returned to Baoding, Zeng Guofan's eye disease became more and more serious due to the fatigue of travel and heavy business, and at the end of the year, unsatisfactory things came one after another.First, it was not good for Guizhou to suppress soldiers and bandits, so the court ordered Li Hongzhang to lead troops into Guizhou.Li Hongzhang was extremely unwilling. Since Guizhou was mountainous and inconvenient for horse teams to gallop, he had to "change horses into steps" and reorganize infantry battalions. Today, the ravages have been longer and wider, and the source of salary is narrower and scarcer." He had to raise money and transport food first as an excuse, and refused to leave these annoying things. Li Hongzhang would write letters to his "teacher" to complain. Soon, Gansu's military affairs suffered another setback. Liu Songshan, a famous general of the old Hunan camp, was killed in Jinjibao.Fearing that Zuo Zongtang would not be able to support it, the court changed its mind and ordered Li Hongzhang to go to Shaanxi to aid in the suppression. This time Li Hongzhang became even more reluctant.The most troublesome thing for him was dealing with Zuo Zongtang, so he still made a fuss between "horse and infantry", saying that he had withdrawn the cavalry and changed it to an infantry camp, and now he was ordered to march west, and there was no horse around him, so how could he calm down the chaos? ?And Liu Mingchuan's cavalry, who are good at fighting, must be kept to defend Gyeonggi.Such an excuse to delay, hoping that the "teacher" will mediate from it, and the court can withdraw its order. However, what worries Zeng Guofan the most is the situation in Liangjiang.In the chaos of Kanping and the rapid retreat, Zeng Guofan's first move at that time was to abolish the Hunan Army.He felt that this matter was done very cleanly, but there are countless Hunan troops in Jiangning. When they were just laid off, they all had some property from the war in their hands, and Zeng Guofan hated the Hunan army going back to Hunan to ask for land. , so many settled in Jiangning.After a long time, sitting and eating mountains and empty mountains, it is inevitable that there will be bandits. However, the official Ma Xinyi values ​​​​local order the most. He has strict restrictions on stragglers and bandits. Ordinary bandits can be interrogated layer by layer as usual. , instructing "the government of the pipeline to rectify the law on the spot", which is clearly stated in the record. For this reason, the dismissed Hunan Army was very dissatisfied with Ma Xinyi.In their thinking, "Nine years of hard work and hundreds of cities", Jiangning's recovery and Hongyang's destruction are all credit to the Zeng family and the Hunan Army. As the governor of Zhili, the head of the border ministers, then the governor of Liangjiang should still be replaced by the leader of the Hunan Army. The most qualified and ideal candidate is naturally the "Nine Commanders".As a last resort, the next best thing is to let Li Hongzhang do it, which makes sense, because he has a deep relationship with the Hunan Army.Who knew that it would fall on Ma Xinyi, who had been an official in Anhui, where did this start? Ma Xinyi's treatment was too harsh, so the relationship between the old Hunan Army man in Jiangning and the governor who was born in Shandong and was in the sect was very bad, and people kept coming to complain to Zeng Guofan.Apart from consoling him, he didn't want to express anything, in fact, he couldn't express anything, since he had already left Liangjiang, it was not only unreasonable to ask about Liangjiang's affairs, but also violated the court's taboo.As a result, Wu Zhong was troubled, lost sight in the right eye, and suffered from dizziness. Only when he closed his eyes and lay quietly in the blackheads could he feel more comfortable. As a result, doctors recommended by various parties poured in one after another. Wen Xiang recommended an ophthalmologist who was passed down from the seventh generation, and Chong Hou also recommended a foreigner.The medicines are different, but one point of view is the same, Zeng Guofan must take good care of himself.Therefore, in April, I reported my symptoms, asked for a month's leave for recuperation, and extended my leave for another month when the period expired.His plan was that if he continued his vacation a few times, he would have to ask for a vacancy. Even if he could not return to Xiangxiang to spend the rest of his life without being an official, he could at least hand over the governorship of Zhili Governor and return to Beijing to become a bachelor.You respect others, and if you put in a lot of effort in promoting Western learning and cultivating talents, that is your own "professional career".