Chapter 52 Section Two

It wasn't because of Li Chendian's decoration that Zeng Guoquan suddenly remembered that the imperial edict had not arrived for three days.In fact, since the day when the red flag was sent out, from Zeng Guoquan to ordinary soldiers, all those who participated in the conquest of Jinling were eagerly looking forward to the emperor's reward.Everyone is calculating the date of the arrival of the Shangyu: the memorial will be issued on June 23, and it will take 600 miles a day to reach Beijing in five days. The decree was sent back, and it took another six hundred miles a day to reach Jinling in only five days. The court's discussions and unpredictable delays on the road took three days, and it should have arrived on the sixth day of the seventh month.Today is the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, and the edict has not come yet. What is the reason?Jinling City at the beginning of July was a veritable big furnace, so hot that people even had no interest in life and no fear in death, and the delay in the future of the edict added a little anxiety to their restless mood.

There is a large bamboo forest in the back garden of the former Prince Attendant's Mansion, the branches and leaves are whirling and green, and Zeng Guofan likes it very much.In the afternoon, he moved the bamboo cool bed to the bamboo forest, and put a coffee table next to it, where he would write and read. When he was tired, he would lie on the bamboo bed for a rest.Now, he was lying on the bamboo bed, thinking about this edict in his heart.How will the empress dowager and the emperor reward them?He stared at the dark green bamboo leaves above his head and asked himself silently.I remembered the night of the secret talk with Kang Fu in Tianjia Town, Zhou Shouchang's Jinkou Lun voice of "the first person who conquered Jinling will be crowned king" by Zhou Shouchang.At that time, this sentence fascinated him for a long time. Reminiscent of what Wang Shiquan said when he presented the sword, and the successful capture of Wuchang and Tianzhen, he felt that he was the most promising leader in conquering Jinling. A man of merit, that is to say, he will be very likely to be crowned king.However, Zeng Guofan is also very clear that since the San Francisco rebellion was put down, the Han people have not been crowned kings, which has been passed down as an ancestral system.When Wen Zong said that, he was probably just happy for a while, or he might only be thinking of Qishan, Hechun, Duxing'a and other Manchus, and did not count the Han people.It is true that the Han people were the first to conquer Jinling, and the Manchu and Mongolian relatives would also carry out the ancestral system. At that time, Wenzong would not be able to keep the promise no matter how determined he was.Later, Jiangxi was trapped for three years, and everything failed, so he no longer had the mind to think about these things.Later, when Emperor Wenzong died and the Empress Dowager came to power, Zeng Guofan had no hope of becoming a king.Even if Jinling is conquered first, will the queen mother repeat this promise of violating the ancestral system?At the beginning Zeng Guofan felt a little regretful, especially when the capture of Anqing and the defeat of Jinling had become a foregone conclusion, he also imagined that if Wenzong was still alive, there might still be a chance of being crowned king.But later he was also relieved, Lao Tzu said it well: "Don't dare to be the first in the world." Jue, what's the benefit of accepting it like being on the fire!There is no blessing for being a king, so what about being a marquis?Zeng Guofan remembers that since the San Francisco Rebellion, no one in the civil service has been granted a marquis.I am a civil servant and did not directly lead troops to the city. Will the empress dowager and the emperor reward him exceptionally?These days, Zeng Guofan has been worried about this.Although he has repeatedly told himself to cultivate his mind with the Tao of Lao Zhuang and take fame and fortune lightly, he can't achieve the point of forgetting after all.

What about Yuanfu?What kind of reward will Yuan Fu get?Thinking about himself, Zeng Guofan thought about his younger brother again.He is grateful to his brother from the bottom of his heart.Therefore, Yuanfu even felt guilty about the past twenty years ago when Yuan Fu was unhappy in the capital.He blamed himself for being too strict and indifferent to his younger brother, who was only eighteen or nineteen years old at the time. I hope that I am just a dutiful scholar in the Taiping era, and I really underestimate this younger brother!Yuanfu has always been very concerned about fame and fame, and has high self-esteem. If this reward is too far behind his elder brother, what will he think in his heart?Will the brotherhood become estranged in the future?There is also a group of arrogant battalion officers under Yuanfu, all of whom are almost the same in terms of merit, if the difference in rewards is too large and they are not convinced by each other, it is difficult to guarantee that accidents will not happen.There are also Peng Yulin and Yang Yuebin who blocked the river, occupied the vital points of Jiufuzhou, and made great contributions to conquering Jinling, but they did not directly enter the city, so what about their rewards?There are also Li Hongzhang who fought in Jiangsu, Zuo Zongtang who fought in Zhejiang, Shen Baozhen who fought in Jiangxi, and Bao Chao who is currently going south to hunt down deserters, etc. They either held back Changmao's various forces, or participated in the siege together , have made indelible military exploits for conquering Jinling, how will the empress dowager and the emperor reward them?This series of questions upset Zeng Guofan so much that he simply stopped thinking about it and sat on the bamboo bed to continue reviewing official documents.

"Brother, the edict has arrived!" Zeng Guofan looked up in shock from a loud shout, and saw Zeng Guoquan striding up, with a strange joy on his face.From behind, Peng Yulin, Yang Yuebin, Xiao Fusi, Liu Lianjie, Zhu Hongzhang, Peng Yuju and others came over happily surrounded by Zhaichai. "Okay, okay!" Zeng Guofan was so excited that he didn't know what to say for a moment, he paused for a long time before getting up and said, "Everyone go to the hall and receive the order together after I change my clothes." After a while, Zeng Guofan changed into his court clothes, and knelt in the middle of the hall, with a large group of civil and military officials behind him.Cigarettes were lingering on the large desk in front, and in the middle was enshrined the imperial edict delivered by the cabinet from Liubaili of the Ministry of War.Zeng Guofan led the crowd to kneel down three times and bow nine times in front of the edict, and then began to read. His sonorous Xiangxiang mandarin resounded in the hall: "Today's official document, Zeng Guofan stepped up from six hundred miles to win the red flag and conquered the provincial capital of Jinling. The first self-immolation, all the bandits were wiped out, and Li Xiucheng, Hong Renda and others were captured alive, and after reading and playing, they really share the deep joy with the subjects of the world."

Although Zeng Guofan was still reading it vigorously, the listeners didn't care, because it was a retelling of the main content of the original book as usual, and the focus of everyone's attention was on the following. "The imperial envoy co-organized the university scholar Zeng Guofan, the governor of Liangjiang." One sentence raised the hearts of everyone, and the core of the edict arrived, "Since the third year of Xianfeng, he initiated group training in Hunan, founded the boat division, and made great achievements with Taqibu and Luo Zenan. , Preserve the counties and counties in Hunan, conquer Wuhan and other cities, and clear the whole territory of Jiangxi. Since the Eastern Expedition, Susong conquered the hidden mountains and Taihu Lake, entered Qimen, and restored the counties and counties of Huizhou. Soldiers, restore the downstream states and counties. Fortunately, the great success has been accomplished, and the rebellious head is punished. In fact, the minister has made a complete plan, has both courage and courage, knows people well, and manages them well. Zeng Guofan wrote a gift and rewarded the crown prince with the title of Taibao, and he was granted the title of first-class marquis , hereditary without replacement, and rewarded with double-eyed feathers."

Everyone looked at Zeng Guofan together, and saw that his face was calm and expressionless, as if the person who was rewarded by the oracle was someone who had nothing to do with him. Everyone couldn't help admiring his superhuman self-cultivation. "Zeng Guoquan, governor of Zhejiang." Everyone immediately turned to Zeng Guoquan.I saw him with a terrified expression, listening attentively. "I joined the army with all my students, and accompanied Zeng Guofan to suppress bandits in several provinces. I made great achievements. In the tenth year of Xianfeng, I recruited bravery from Hunan, and conquered the provincial capital of Anqing. In the second year of Tongzhiyuan, I joined Kechao County, Hanshan, and Hezhou. The battalion approached Jinling, stationed at Yuhuatai, and attacked the puppet city. The thieves surrounded the camp, held on for several months, and fought back. In the first month of this year, the stone fortress of Zhongshan was conquered, and then the siege of Jiangning was closed. The commander Liao Zhan dug the tunnel, It has been half a month without withdrawing from the army, conquering the whole city and eradicating the chief villain. It is really perseverance and hard work, public loyalty to the country. Zeng Guoquan rewarded the crown prince with the title of Shaobao, sealed the first-class earl in tin, and rewarded him with double-eyed feathers." Everyone was envious, and when they looked at Zeng Guoquan again, not only did he not look happy, but he showed a dejected expression, everyone was surprised and puzzled.

Then, Zeng Guofan read: "The admiral Li Chendian was named, and he was awarded the first-class viscount by Jia Enxi, and he was rewarded with a yellow mandarin jacket and double-eyed feathers." .Zeng Guofan read again: "Xiao Fusi was awarded the first-class baron, and he was rewarded with double-eyed feathers; Zhu Hongzhang recorded his name at the military plane office, and no matter whether the admiral or the commander-in-chief was absent, he would be the first to play, and was rewarded with a yellow mandarin jacket, and was rewarded with the post of riding captain; Liu Lianjie , Peng Yuju, etc. will be rewarded with a top-ranked Dingdai, and a first-class light chariot captain."

Then read a long list of rewards.In the end, it also specially ordered the important officials appointed by Li Xiucheng and Hong Renda to be sent to the capital, and they will be dealt with according to law after hearing the news. Everyone kneeling in the hall was rewarded heavily, except Peng Yulin and Yang Yuebin. When the two were wondering, Zeng Guofan launched another envoy and said: "The imperial envoy, Seng Gelinqin, Prince of Horqin Bolegatai, has repeatedly Jiaen was granted the title of Prince by Jin, and was hereditary and not replaced. He rewarded his son Buyan Namohu with a reward of one beile. Its main branch is still under the banner of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and it is carried into Manchuria of the Zhengbai Banner, where it is rewarded with double-eyed feathers. Li Hongzhang, the governor of Jiangsu, was awarded the first-class earl with grace and rewarded with double-eyed feathers. Yang Yuebin, the admiral of the Yangtze River Navy, added Grace rewards the first-class captaincy of light vehicles and the title of Prince Shaobao. Peng Yulin, the right servant of the Ministry of War, rewards the post of first-class captain of light vehicles and the title of Prince Shaobao. Governor of Sichuan Luo Bingzhang, With Jiaen, he was rewarded with the post of the first-class captain of the light car, and he was rewarded with double-eyed feathers. Bao Chao, the admiral of Zhejiang, was rewarded with the post of the first-class captain of the light car with grace. General Du Xing'a, General of Xi'an, General Fuming, General of Jiangning Ah, all of them will be rewarded with favors and rewards for the post of Cavalry Captain. Zuo Zongtang, Governor of Fujian and Zhejiang Province, and Shen Baozhen, Governor of Jiangxi Province, will wait for the military affairs of Zhejiang, Jiangxi and other provinces to be pacified before they will be graced."

Everyone has a reward, and everyone is not lacking. It is really a mighty grace of the emperor, and the whole world celebrates it.After Zeng Guofan finished reading these two edicts, all civil and military officials shouted long live together and congratulated Zeng Guofan and Zeng Guoquan one after another.Zeng Guofan also congratulated everyone with a wide smile.Just when the hall was filled with the joy of playing and crowning each other, the soldiers shouted outside the door: "The difference is here!" Everyone was wondering, and the difference had already strode in.Peng Yuju stepped forward to take it, and placed it on the desk with both hands.After saluting, Zeng Guofan opened the yellow silk envelope and took out a copy of the edict. Everyone bowed their heads and listened: "When Zeng Guoquan, the governor of Zhejiang, broke through the outer city on June 16, he led his troops back to the filial piety without taking advantage of the victory to conquer the inner city. The command of the Lingwei camp was inappropriate, so the false loyal chieftain and more than a thousand false young masters protruded from the gap in the Taiping Gate. According to the report from Zhejiang, the false young master Hong Fuzhen was mixed with this group of escaped thieves, and there were still false cadres among them There are still hundreds of thousands of long-haired people in Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi and other places. If a false young master is established to fight against the imperial court, when will the overall situation in the southeast be settled? Zeng Guofan played Hong Fu and set himself on fire with his salary Of course I believed the rumors. Now I am ordering the supervisor to track down those who failed to defend the Taipingmen gap and punish them severely. Jinling has been trapped by thieves for more than ten years. It is rumored that gold and silver are like a sea and department stores are full. Zeng Guofan quickly found out the whereabouts of gold and silver in Jinling City and reported it The Ministry of Household Affairs is ready for allocation. Li Xiucheng and Hong Renda are the two offenders, and they will be sent to the capital immediately, and they will be executed immediately."

The hall was dead silent.Zeng Guoquan's whole body was already drenched, his head was buzzing, his arms were stiffly propped on the tiles, and Zeng Guofan's voice was obviously lowered, with a trill in the middle: "Zeng Guofan served as a Confucian official in the army, the longest in history, the most military exploits, Since you can be cautious until the end as before, you will always preserve your reputation, but all the generals under your command, from Zeng Guoquan down, should be warned by the minister at any time, so as not to make you proud of a sudden victory, and the common people can continue to inherit their family."

After the edict was read out, everyone still knelt there blankly, as if the empress dowagers of the two palaces had finished their lectures, but they still kept a stern face, sternly examining the group of ministers with great military exploits, and did not give the order to stand up. "Everyone, please rise." Zeng Guofan put away the imperial edict and said to everyone with a forced smile, "Today is a big day, so we should be happy. Tomorrow, the Governor will prepare a small banquet to congratulate you all on your promotion. The imperial decree is wise and insightful. Everyone, please remember, don't be proud of a sudden victory, and the common people can inherit their favor forever." After a while, Zeng Guoquan took the lead to stand up and walked into the inner room gloomyly. Everyone lost interest and went back to the camp without saying a word.