Chapter 58 Section 8 On the Qinhuai Moonlit Night, Zeng Guofan pretended to be happy, and bid farewell to his younger brother who returned home after being vacant

For several days in a row, Zeng Guofan had no intention of managing affairs or studying, and played Go with Zhao Liewen and others sooner or later.When playing chess, I would occasionally think of Kang Fulai, and feel guilty for no reason.There was no more important news from the capital, and the piles of things piled up on the desk were piled up again. Zeng Guofan made a couplet in a self-deprecating way: to feed a group of spring spirits, and to support two poor bones.Reluctantly cheer up to do things. In the morning, Wang Zengfu, Qian Mizhi and other three sages and seven sages came to the Governor's Yamen together, and made many suggestions for this year's Jiangnan Township Examination: First, for the sake of grandeur, this year's Jiazike Township Examination invited the Governor to personally enter the prison; Lianshibafang, please take the exam in Kedi's birthplace in the real lack of state and county. If there are not enough people, that is to say, you can choose from each class in the waiting room of Anhui and Jiangsu provinces; , due to the fact that there are few candidates, there were 40% and 36 left, please allow them to be included in the quota for this year's pilot test; the fourth is to rebuild the Confucius Temple that was destroyed by the long hair and then burned by the fire.These suggestions, except for the first point that Zeng Guofan said that he would follow the old rules, that the governors of the two provinces take turns to supervise, and that this year Li Hongzhang, the governor of Jiangsu, will be the governor of Jiangsu, all others are readily adopted.The three sages and seven sages left with satisfaction.Before leaving the house, Wang Zengfu handed over his recently written "Fuxin Fu" to Zeng Guofan, and said, "Please enlighten me in the middle hall."

In the afternoon, he took a group of staff to check the recovery of the market. He saw that houses were being built and repaired everywhere, the streets had been cleaned up, merchants had started to open for business, and people from outside the city came to the city to do business.When I returned to my study in the evening, I remembered that I hadn’t read the "Fudong Fu" that Wang Zengfu had given me during the day, so I took it in my hand and started to read: "Place me beside Miaoman's brows, and ask me if I have a lustful heart. Said not to move. Then placed it next to the red and blue big roof, and asked me if I wanted to move my heart, and said not to move." A smile appeared on the corner of Zeng Guofan's mouth, and he was about to continue reading, when he suddenly saw someone next to him criticize A few lines: "Miaoman's crescent eyebrow side, next to the red and blue roof, my heart is not moving, I just want to see the middle hall." This is clearly Zhao Liewen's handwriting.Zeng Guofan became angry, and ordered his soldiers to call Zhao Liewen quickly.There was no one around, until late at night, when Zhao Liewen came in.

"Huifu, did you approve this?" Zeng Guofan held up "Fuxin Fu" and asked with a sullen face. "It was written indiscriminately on the whim of the humble job." Zhao Liewen readily admitted. "Wang Zengfu is the number one celebrity in the south of the Yangtze River. How can you write such unkind words next to his handwriting?" Zeng Guofan was obviously unhappy. "Zhongtang, I think this number one celebrity is a duplicity and hypocrisy, and I intend to stab him." Zhao Liewen didn't seem to care. "Hui Fu!" Zeng Guofan's face turned pale, but his expression was still serious. "This generation is a pure thief, and I know that I can't confess my words and deeds. Do you need to remind me? Mr. Wang has been doing this for decades. It is this kind of hypocrisy that is used to deal with officials and gentry. You exposed him so impolitely, ruined his reputation, and damaged his image. Does he hate you to death? He has many friends and disciples , these people will become your enemies. Perhaps the disaster of killing one's life in the future will be buried in these few lines of doggerel today."

Zhao Liewen's face changed when he heard this, knowing that Zeng Guofan's teachings had deep intentions, so he said earnestly: "It's wrong to be a lowly job. The lowly job has too little experience in the world, and it almost got into trouble. I won't dare to do it again in the future." "Tomorrow he will definitely pretend to be asking for advice, come to accept my praise for him, and then brag about my words. I knew his intentions a long time ago, and although I was extremely reluctant in my heart, I couldn't offend him. He, I have to rely on this group of people to win Jiangnan scholars! Unfortunately, I can't write on this page tomorrow, so I have to write another one."

"It's all because of my humble job and my lack of knowledge." Zhao Liewen felt ashamed. "Hui Fu." After a while, Zeng Guofan asked again, "I've been looking around for you this afternoon, but I can't find you. Where have you been?" "The humble job went to visit a friend." Zhao Liewen replied, his face blushed unconsciously.Zeng Guofan stared at his face, saw this slight change, and smiled, "I think you are not going to visit friends, but to seek pleasure!" "Zhongtang Mingchao." Zhao Liewen guessed that Zeng Guofan already knew, and then admitted with a blushing face, "Bizhi went to listen to music on the Qinhuai River with a friend this afternoon. I will not go there again." After finishing speaking, he lowered his head and waited for reprimand. He knew that Zeng Guofan had always been He hates literati who listen to music and play prostitutes.

"Is someone singing on the Qinhuai River again?" Unexpectedly, instead of reprimanding Zeng Guofan, he had a happy expression on his face.Zhao Liewen was very surprised, and his interest in answering increased: "It has been there for a long time, and it has become more lively in the past half month. The old Jinling people say that as long as there is another half year of peaceful life, Qinhuai singing and dancing can be compared with Xianfeng two years ago. " "What do people in Jinling think of this?" "You don't need to ask." Zhao Liewen became happy. "People in Jinling say that the Qinhuai song and dance is a symbol of Jinling City. Without the Qinhuai song and dance, Jinling would not be Jinling. My friend also said the same to me. Just to him In a word, I violated an adult's taboo and listened to the song for a long time on the Qinhuai River."

"Going to the Qinhuai River to listen to music is not a taboo." Zeng Guofan stroked his long beard, thoughtfully, and spoke softly, as if talking to himself. "What? My lord said no taboo!" Zhao Liewen almost suspected that his ears had misheard. "Huifu, tell me roughly how the situation on both sides of the Qinhuai River is now." "Yes." Zhao Liewen danced happily, and said happily, "Qinhuai singing and dancing have been extinct for more than ten years because of the prohibition of long hairs. And because of the siege, the buildings on both sides of the Qinhuai River were also burned down. Probably. In the first half month of entering Jinling, the Qinhuai River was still a dead river, with black lights on both sides and no life at all. Slowly, people who used to do this work came back, building buildings and houses on both sides of the river, and building boats and oars , It is said that most of the business is brother Jiziying’s business.” Zhao Liewen peeked at Zeng Guofan, and saw that there was no disgust on his face, so he continued on with interest, “For more than a month, the Qinhuai River The business on both banks and on the river is getting more and more prosperous. From Jubaomen to Tongjimen, tourists are increasing every day, and 30% of the houses have recovered 20%. Taoyedu is especially lively, with restaurants and brothels one after another. The cries of selling snacks and gadgets are loud. At night, all kinds of lanterns, glazed lanterns, paper lanterns, and silk lanterns are picked out of the door. There are at least a hundred boats in this area, all of which are hired by stunning women and high-class The luthier, the boats are full of tourists listening to the music, everyone is so intoxicated, I don’t know what time it is.”

The Qinhuai River enters the city from Tongji Gate, travels westward for five or six miles, turns south and flows towards Jubao Gate, and there is a ferry at the turn.According to legend, Wang Xianzhi, a great calligrapher in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, often picked up his concubine Taoye here, and this ferry will be called Taoyedu in the future.If the Qinhuai River is the representative of Jinling City, a land of gentleness and wealth, and a prosperous cave of poetry and wine, then Taoyedu is the representative of Qinhuai River with rouge pollen. Bewildered. "Are you at Taoyedu this afternoon?" Zeng Guofan smiled and thought to himself: I can't tell, this Zhao Huifu is still a figure in the romantic scene!

"I just listened to the song for two hours at Taoyedu. I haven't heard such a beautiful Wu song for more than ten years. It's really this song that should only exist in the sky. How many times can I hear it in the world?" Zhao Liewen hasn't heard it yet. Freed from the Taoyedu painting boat. "Hui Fu, I ask you to do something." Zeng Guofan stopped his right hand that was stroking his beard, and said to Zhao Liewen solemnly. When Zhao Liewen heard that there was something to do, his mind immediately calmed down: "May I ask what your lord is going to ask me to do?"

"You will be in charge of the restoration of the Qinhuai River, and restore the Qinhuai River from Jubaomen to Tongjimen to what it looked like two years ago in Xianfeng before the township examination in November." Zhao Liewen was both surprised and delighted. He never dreamed that such a good job would fall on him. He said happily: "Master Xie Zhongtang favors me. I will take up the post tomorrow!" There is only more than one month left for the Yuexiang Examination, and the time to fully restore the Qinhuai River is too short." "It's impossible to recover them all." Zeng Guofan stroked his beard with his left hand, thought for a while and said, "That's good, you just need to restore the upper and lower areas of Taoyedu. The bustling place is only ten miles away, and now I only need you to build five miles away."

"I obey the order. I must build Taoyedu even better than it was more than ten years ago." Zhao Liewen was ambitious, and after a while, he said, "However, I still need to borrow one thing from my lord." "what?" "I would like to borrow a notice from my lord." Zhao Liewen said, "Please issue a notice to restore the Qinhuai River, encouraging restaurants, teahouses, Goulan tile houses, and all walks of life to be built on both sides of the Qinhuai River. No tax for three years. The measures for the drought are the same." "Thank you for thinking of it, comparing the restoration of the Qinhuai River with the creation of wasteland." Zeng Guofan said appreciatively, "Okay, I'm up to you." Zeng Guofan was so interested in restoring the old ruins of the Qinhuai River, which surprised Zhao Liewen. He finally couldn't help asking: "My lord, this Qinhuai River has always been degraded as a place for frivolous children to play. I don't understand it. Why do you think so?" Is it so important?" "Do you want to ask this!" Zeng Guofan smiled slightly, "Thirty years ago, I yearned for You Ye but dared not do it; thirty years later, I didn't want to do it and couldn't help others. Thirty years ago Years ago, I was full of vigor and sensuality, which often fascinated me, but I was seeking fame and career, and I could not indulge in this. I blamed myself bitterly, and often called myself a beast and dung to make myself vigilant. After more than ten years of quiet , respect, sincerity, and constant determination and self-cultivation, and finally achieved a heart like an ancient well, unmoved. Thirty years later, as the governor of Liangjiang, I cannot handle things according to my own likes and dislikes. I want to serve the people of Jinling Restoring a long-standing and popular amusement place is to rebuild a famous city in the south of the Yangtze River for the emperor. There are so many living beings in the city, how many can build temples and do great things? They work hard to make money, and they also want to enjoy themselves Restaurants, prostitutes, painting boats and singing songs can relieve their worries and make them happy, so they are worth building. As the lord of Jinling, can I not think about these thousands of ordinary people? And visiting the Qinhuai River is like Reading an old history from the Six Dynasties to the pre-Ming Dynasty, how many ups and downs, how many sorrows and joys, is enough to make a scholar look at the past and learn from the present, be inspired, be prepared for danger in times of peace, and share the country's worries. There was a couplet on the pillars of the Confucius Temple , The way is: "They are all saints, and they have experienced the smoke and water of the Six Dynasties; if you stay for a while, don't let go of the nine songs." I think this pair of couplets is good, and gentlemen and villains can visit the Qinhuai River. This pair of couplets must be engraved on it. Fan Wenzheng praised Teng Zijing when he governed Yuezhou as "the government is well-organized and the people are in harmony, and a hundred wastes are prosperous." This is a good saying! , It also reflects the harmony between the government and the people. After the Qinhuai River takes shape, Jiming Temple, Mochou Lake, Taicheng, Shengqi Tower, Saoye Tower, and even Yuhuatai outside the city, Xiaolingwei, Yanziji, etc. will be restored. The old relics of the Six Dynasties and the cultural relics of the pre-Ming Dynasty have been restored one by one, making the stone city once again glorious. Huifu, are you right?" These words convinced Zhao Liewen from the bottom of his heart, and he gained a deeper understanding of Zeng Guofan.He sighed from the bottom of his heart: "Your lord has a wide range of equipment and high knowledge, which is really beyond the reach of ordinary people." Repairing the city wall, building houses, rebuilding the city, rejuvenating the Gongyuan, rebuilding the Confucius Temple, and restoring the Qinhuai River, Zeng Guofan was busy all day long with dealing with the aftermath and rejuvenating all wastes, temporarily forgetting his heart-wrenching worries and fears.This morning, an imperial decree brought back his worries and fears. This was the empress dowager and the emperor's approval of Zeng Guoquan's vacancy to return to his hometown to recuperate.Of course, the edict is still polite.First of all, he was affirmed that he was "a famous city in Diake, with outstanding merits, and he made great achievements in attacking Jiangning", and then said that he was exhausted because of his military affairs. He said that the imperial court is relying on the capital, and hopes to improve his treatment. Once the disease is cured, he will come to Beijing to see him. Zeng Guofan has a clear understanding of the thoughts behind these polite superficial words. "Be patient and hold on!" He kept admonishing himself. At the same time Zeng Guofan received the edict, Zhejiang governor Zeng Guoquan also received the imperial edict.Although he had prepared for a long time, he still seemed aggrieved and painful. After a quick look, he hurried to the supervisor's office in a sedan chair. "Brother, I'm leaving Jinling tomorrow." Zeng Guoquan's voice trembled slightly as he spoke. "Have you done everything you need to do?" Zeng Guofan looked at his younger brother with a lot of combat achievements tenderly, feeling very sad, but with a smile on his face, he put on a happy expression. "I started to make preparations after the request for opening a vacancy was issued. Since King Gong was dismissed, I knew that opening a vacancy was only a matter of time, and everything that should be done has been done quickly." Prince Gong was dismissed and went to discuss politics. The Wang incident shocked Zeng Guoquan greatly. For the first time, he truly experienced the majesty of the king, and his previous arrogance restrained somewhat. "I'm leaving tomorrow." Zeng Guoquan repeated after a pause. "Don't be so anxious." Although "accepting the order and setting off" was what he said to his younger brother, but it was really like this, and he felt too desolate.As the governor of Liangjiang who carried out the emperor's order, he would undoubtedly encourage the commander-in-chief of Jiziying to come if he recruited, and leave if he waved.But as the elder brother of the Zeng family, he is obliged to give a grand farewell to the ninth younger brother who has made great contributions to the Zeng family. "You say goodbye to the brothers in Jiziying these two days. The day after tomorrow is the fifteenth day. In the evening, I will buy wine for you to see you off on the Qinhuai River." After Zhao Liewen received the order, he spared no expense and prepared day and night.Two days later, the Taoyedu area was really decorated. On the afternoon of the 15th, all the Xiangyong of the Jizi Camp in Jinling City celebrated the New Year, hanging flags at the building, setting up wine in teams, and held a grand farewell party for their commander, the first-class Earl of Prince Shaobao and former governor of Zhejiang, Zeng Guoquan.After eating, all officers and soldiers put on new clothes and came to the Qinhuai River together.Hundreds of boats have been moored in the river, and all the generals and officers over ten years old have been invited to board the boats, which are filled with wine, meat, melons and fruits.Ordinary Yongding are scattered in dozens of teahouses and restaurants in Taoyedu.People from far and near heard that the Hunan Army had made such a grand move, and they all brought their young and old to support the old. They flocked to the banks of the Qinhuai River in the area of ​​Taoyedu, making it very lively. Zeng Guoquan, the protagonist of the grand event, sat on an extra-large, brightly painted boat in the river. Zeng Guofan led the senior generals of Jiziying and the Yangtze River Navy to line up around, chatting attentively with Zeng Guoquan one by one.Boasting his military achievements, praising his military talents, praising his benevolence to his subordinates, and describing the friendship between them.In short, try to bring out all the good words to make Zeng Guoquan happy when he is sadly opening a vacancy.Zeng Guoquan also tried his best to pretend to be indifferent, joking and saying goodbye to the robes who had fought bloody battles with him. As the sky gradually darkened, the painted boats in the river lit up big red candles of the same color, and lanterns of various shapes were hung high on the bow and stern of the boat, including rabbit-shaped lamps, fish-shaped lamps, deer-shaped lamps, turtle-shaped lamps, etc. The five-mile-long Qinhuai River is brightly reflected.The buildings on Taoyedu are lit up with all kinds of strange lanterns as if competing for beauty.The Qinhuai lantern is the most famous tradition, but this is the first revival after more than ten years of interruption, which makes people very happy.Taoyedu and the shop owners in the vicinity wanted to take this opportunity to show off their talents and attract customers. In addition, Zhao Liewen wanted to show his ability to handle affairs in front of Zeng Guofan. The lanterns here are far better than those held during the Lantern Festival in the second year of Xianfeng. The variety of colors, varieties, brightness of the candles, and coincidences are truly comparable to the prosperous period of the Six Dynasties recorded in history.The lights on the banks of the river and the bright moon in the sky reflect each other, together with the curling sound of strings coming from various buildings and halls, it creates a poetic and charming moonlit night in the peaceful and prosperous age, as if time has gone back to the "smoke" The cold water in the cage, the moon in the cage and the sand, mooring at Qinhuai at night, near the restaurant". Peng Shouyi, Yang Guodong, Wang Zengfu, Qian Mizhi and others were sitting in the stern of the boat, enjoying and chatting while drinking. "It's time for peace and prosperity again!" Qian Mizhi exclaimed. "This is all the blessings of Mr. Tuo Zhongtang, Jiushuai and all the masters and soldiers!" Wang Zengfu looked at Peng Shouyi and Yang Guodong and said flatteringly, and got up to pour wine into Peng Shouyi's cup.Peng Shouyi hurriedly got up and said, "Don't dare!" After sitting down, he looked around and said intoxicated, "This Qinhuai Night Moon is so wonderful." "Yes, otherwise, why do you say that the Qinhuai night moon is the first scene in Jinling!" Qian Mizhi affirmed as an old Jinling, and pointed to a wooden sign about ten feet high standing on the ferry, "That's on it." The three characters 'Taoye Ferry' were inscribed by Zhongtang himself. They are both vigorous and rigorous, but also graceful and graceful. These three characters will really be passed down through the ages together with this ferry!" "That's right, that's right." Wang Zengfu continued, "The words are just like the person. Mr. Zhongtang was originally not only a commanding army, a mighty and strict military, but also a literary and romantic Hanlin!" As expected of the number one celebrity in the south of the Yangtze River, what he said was good, and the whole audience laughed in admiration. "Peach leaves repeat peach leaves. You don't need oars to cross the river, but you don't have to worry about crossing. I will welcome you." Amidst the laughter of the crowd, Yang Guodong hummed softly. "Master Yang has a good memory." Qian Mizhi praised, "Chen Qin once wrote a poem about Taoyedu, which has always been hailed as the first poem about Taoyedu. I wonder if Master Yang remembers it?" "My knowledge about the Qinhuai River is only those few sentences just now, and I don't know the rest. Please read it, old man, so that I can learn more." "There are more than a thousand poems chanting Taoyedu by talented scholars of all dynasties, but this one by Chen Qin is my favorite." Qian Mizhi shook his head and began to read, "I offered to love Taoye back then, and Taoye crossed the river to welcome him. The appearance of clouds is harder than a beautiful woman's clothes, and the flowers are as beautiful as a beautiful woman's cheeks. Wang Ling's romantic voice is old, and the thousand-year-old ferry has a good name. The spring water at the ferry is green every year, and the peach leaves and peach blossoms hurt the feelings of tourists." "It's really well done!" Yang Guodong praised, "The rhyme is round and round, graceful and beautiful, and it has won the beauty of palace style poems in the Southern Dynasties." "The restoration of the old appearance of the Qinhuai River this time is a masterpiece of brother Huifu. I can't usually see that he still has this talent." Peng Shouyi said with a smile, "I will suggest to him tomorrow that we will plant 10,000 trees on both sides of the strait. willow." "That's right! Qinhuai willows are another masterpiece in Jinling back then." Wang Zengfu interjected. "The old courtyard of the former Ming Dynasty will also be restored." Peng Shouyi continued drunkenly, "The Meixiang Building and the other Qiyan buildings in Jinling will also be repaired as they were then." "So that today's Hou Fangyu can meet Li Xiangjun!" Qian Mizhi interrupted abruptly, causing everyone to laugh.The old man laughed so much that his white beard shook wildly, and his mouth, missing three front teeth, opened wide. "Look, Jinling Bayan is really here!" Wang Zengfu cried out in surprise, pointing to the distance. At this time, Zhao Liewen was also proudly introducing Zeng Guofan and Zeng Guoquan: "Zhongtang, Jiushuai, the humble official invited the former Jinling Bayan." Zeng Guofan and others followed his gestures, and they saw a group of painting boats with burning red candles and high hanging lanterns slowly rowing towards this side, and there were bursts of gentle Jiangnan silk and bamboo.Immediately, the generals of the Hunan Army on the ship opened their eyes wide and pricked up their ears as if they were on a rooftop or a fairyland, wanting to feast on the beauty of Wu Yue and swallow the endless fairy songs.On the bow of the first boat, there is a pumpkin-shaped red lantern with the words "Li Xiangjun" written on it.On the bow of the second boat hung a square cake-shaped yellow light with the words "Gu Hengbo" written on it.The third is a white lantern in the shape of a jade rabbit, with the words "Ma Wanrong" written on it.They are in order: Liu Rushi, Dong Xiaowan, Zheng Tuoniang, Bian Yujing, Kou Baimen, and sure enough, all of them are here. "Huifu, you have a great idea!" Peng Yuju praised Zhao Liewen with a thumbs up. "What charming bitches!" Somebody savagely burst out a sentence, making the whole boat laugh. "Don't shout, and listen to what they are singing!" Someone reminded everyone to pay attention.The laughter quieted down, and the night wind sent a burst of singing: There is no new or old moon in the Qinhuai River every night, the fat and powder are all over the east, and the love of spring every night will not be lost. The flowers in the south of the Yangtze River are full of water, and people go to Qinhuai to relieve their worries. No matter how far away Fengyan's family is, Wu Geng turns his voice in his arms. The singing sounds gentle and beautiful, floating on the soft water.Amidst the singing, Li Xiangjun, Gu Hengbo, Dong Xiaowan and others danced lightly, and the boats on the river, the restaurants on both sides of the river, and the people standing on the shore cheered together.After a while, the applause stopped, and the singing started again: Going down the stairs, the tourists are exhausted, and the boat stays for a spring. I'm afraid that the bottom of the flower is hard to knock on the door in the middle of the night, the road is not real when the moon sets and the smoke is thick, The red place of the small building is the east neighbor.The Qinhuai River is full of water, and the spring breeze blows beauties in the middle of the night. At this time, the other Qiyans all rested, and only Li Xiangjun danced to the moon alone.After dancing for a while, another handsome young man walked out of the cabin, holding Li Xiangjun in his arms, making all kinds of affectionate expressions.Thousands of pairs of eyes turned to this painting boat, as if they were watching the love between Chang'e and Wu Gang in the moon. "Hui Fu, Kong Pinzhi is the one you lined up tonight," Zeng Guofan said to Zhao Liewen. "It's not the whole drama, but I selected a few passages." Zhao Liewen replied not without complacency, "Isn't it the most suitable to play a piece on a moonlit night in the Qinhuai River, on the Taoye Ferry, on a painted boat?" "It's good." Zeng Guofan said vigorously, "It's just a little sad." In fact, Zhao Liewen didn't know that Zeng Guofan was not interested in enjoying the singing and dancing on a moonlit night at this time, and the fact that he was using the love between men and women to remember the Nanming regime in front of him made him feel even more sad.Indeed, the sound of silk and bamboo has changed, and an old man is singing mournfully: The prefectures and prefectures were full of beacon smoke, and the north and south joined the army, lamenting towards Qin, Mu and Chu, and relying on Liu for three years. Who misses Wang Sunshou when he comes back? Revisit the hook under the curtain of Qinhuai. After wandering for a long time, I asked Taoli to travel in the past. This year, this country is not as gentle as before. "Everyone, Huifu's scriptures for you are indeed wonderful. However, we are sending Yuanfu back to his hometown tonight. Let's get back to the topic." The more Zeng Guofan listened, the more sad he became.He didn't want to continue the performance, so he turned to Zhao Liewen and asked, "Is the singer I wanted here?" "Here we are, waiting on the boat." Zhao Liewen felt a little disappointed. "Call her up." Zhao Liewen walked to the side of the painting boat and waved to a small black-covered boat moored nearby.The black awning boat came, and a pretty girl of seventeen or eighteen came up, followed by two male luthiers.Zhao Liewen ordered the team of Jinling Bayan to row downstream for others to enjoy. "Ninth brother." Zeng Guofan said affectionately to Zeng Guoquan, "Since you recruited courage to form the Jizi Camp in the sixth year of Xianfeng, you have conquered Anfu, Ji'an, Jingdezhen, Anqing, Fanchang, Nanling, Chaoxian, Hanshan, Hezhou, and Wuhu in the past nine years. , and finally captured Jinling, the long-haired lair, and made immortal contributions to the country. The meritorious deeds of the nine younger brothers will last forever, and they will be an example for my Sanxiang children to follow. Reward ginseng, give back to my hometown to recuperate my illness, I hope my brother will rest in peace, cherish the country, recover soon, live up to the holy hope, and take on the heavy responsibility again." At this point, Zeng Guofan's throat was a little choked, and the whole boat was silent . Seeing this, Yang Yuebin quickly raised his glass and said, "I wish Jiushuai a speedy recovery!" Everyone stood up, raised their glasses together and shouted: "I wish Jiushuai a speedy recovery!" Zeng Guoquan stood up and toasted with wet eyes: "Thank you everyone!" "Ninth brother, your forty-first birthday will be in a few days. Big brother, I have no gold or silver to give away, no land to give away. I only wrote a few little songs, and now I ask the singer to sing them as gifts for you." birthday gift!" The singing girl cleared her throat, and the luthier plucked the strings, playing and singing euphemistically: After nine years of hard work, hundreds of cities have been hard-pressed, and the sky is full of Jikou. Today, after drinking yellow flower wine, I began to rebirth with A Lianqing. The singer's voice was clear and pleasant, and the senders and those sent off at the banquet nodded frequently. When Lu Yun entered Luozhenghua, he had a strong determination to visit Taoism and find a teacher. I am ashamed that the spring in the courtyard is weak, and there is no wind to send you to the blue sky. The singing brought Zeng Guofan and Zeng Guoquan back to more than 20 years ago. At that time, the brothers lived together in the capital, just like Lu Ji and Lu Yun, but the power of being a brother was limited, which prevented the younger brother from becoming an official as he wished. After a few years of hard work, every inch of Cordini is difficult. The dragon changes every moment, who can live forever. The singing became more and more intense, expressing Zeng Guoquan's ambition to form Jiziying. The general army under the Luling city, the lord will know his heart. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Pingju Kou, a scholar is trying his best for the first time. At the end of Chu and at the head of Wu fights against the dust, there are no indigenous people in Jianggan. The multi-jun shrine is set in Tong'an County, and there are three lights on the top and hundreds of gods on the bottom. The first one praises Kejian, and the second one praises Anqing. Zeng Guoquan felt very comforted, Xiao Fusi, Peng Yuju, Liu Lianjie, Zhu Hongzhang and others were also happy. Ruxu has passed Liyang, and countless golden soups are cut open. Raising the disciples of Hu Xiangliang, they follow the wind and go straight to the platform of thin rain flowers. Ping Wujie played into the sweet spring, and is writing the June chapter of Zhou Xuan. In the middle of the night when the king was born, there is non-smoke by the Qinhuai moon. Before Zeng Guoquan's eyes, the days and nights of attacking Jinling appeared again. He worked so hard to conquer Jinling, but unexpectedly, he was vacated and returned home within a hundred days. Heshan is the crown of fashion, and Lu Wei is the same as the other. Is it a lesson from the sky?Poor uncle alone works hard. Zeng Guoquan remembered the night when his eldest brother arrived in Jinling, he asked him to lift up his clothes, gently stroked his back arm, and asked about every wound with tears in his eyes. This feeling and this scene came to mind again as the singing sounded.The eldest brother knows the joys and sorrows, but the queen mother and the emperor don't necessarily know, and those crows who make trouble not only don't know, but also slander and curse. In the end, even the queen mother and the emperor are suspicious. .Zeng Guoquan thought about it, full of grievances and pain.Suddenly, he burst into tears, the more he cried, the more he cried, the more he cried, the worse he cried, which made Zeng Guofan and Man Chuanren at a loss, and the singer and the luthier stopped in fright. "Yuanfu, your hard work is known to the empress dowager, the emperor, and the gods of heaven and earth. Don't cry, don't cry." As Zeng Guofan spoke, his eyes became blurred. All the people on the boats around stopped their merrymaking and looked at their commander silently. Complicated thoughts swirled in everyone's minds. From Zeng Guoquan's vacancy to himself, from the current situation of the Hunan Army to the difficulties in the future, everyone felt They are all covered with a veil like the moonlight tonight, and they have a premonition that the future is uncertain, confused, unpredictable, and unpredictable... After a long time, Zeng Guoquan stopped crying, and Zeng Guofan and everyone on the boat were relieved.At this time, the bright moon has already set in the west, and the east is faintly pale. The spectators on both sides of the strait have gone home to sleep, and a large ship full of goods is coming. Zeng Guoquan got up and bowed his hands to everyone, saying: "Guoquan is going back to his hometown, I hope you all take good care of yourself and see you again in the future." After speaking, he took Zeng Guofan's hand and said, "It's cloudy right now, brother You need to pay more attention." Everyone is stunned.Zeng Guofan hugged his younger brother's shoulders tightly for a long time, and then said sadly: "Brother, I have long ignored misfortune, fortune, and reputation. I will do it calmly, stay when I see it, and retreat when I see it. Just go." The two brothers hugged each other tightly, for a long time, Guoquan let go first: "Brother, I'm leaving!" "Wait." Zeng Guofan turned around and shouted, "Jing Qi, bring the things for Master Jiu." Jing Qi walked over holding a roll of red paper. "Ninth brother, after your doctor's house is built, post this couplet that elder brother wrote for you." Zeng Guoquan unfolded the red paper, and saw that it said: "Thousands of years, leave me alone, and study again after returning from a hundred battles." He understood the intention of his elder brother, nodded heavily, turned and walked towards the cargo ship... The boat sailed far away, but Zeng Guofan was still looking out of the window. He seemed to have forgotten the generals of the Hunan Army on the boat, and he also forgot that he was on the Qinhuai River. "Di Zhang!" Peng Yulin walked to Zeng Guofan and called softly, "In a few days, I will also ask for leave to return to Hengyang." "What's the matter?" Zeng Guofan turned around and saw Peng Yulin's face was gloomy. It didn't look like he wanted to return home, but for another reason. "Guoxiu is terminally ill." Peng Yulin said sadly. "What's wrong?" Zeng Guofan remembered at this moment that Peng Yulin had been preoccupied with many things in the past few days, and he didn't say a word at today's farewell banquet, always thinking that it was because of Yuan Fu's vacancy, but it turned out to be the case! "The doctor has not yet diagnosed the cause of the disease. It has been half a year. I don't think about food and drink all day long, and I am getting thinner." Peng Yulin said, the circles of his eyes were red. "Xueqin, it's all my fault that I didn't care enough. I relied on you as my right-hand man and didn't let you go home for vacation. Guoxiu's illness is because I missed you for a long time. Now that Jinling has recovered and you're done, you can arrange your general affairs and go back to live in three Yue! Do you want Guodong to go with you?" "It would be better for Guodong to go to Hengyang with me to visit my sister." Peng Yulin was moved by Zeng Guofan's sincere concern. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "However, when Yulin goes back this time, he will never leave Zhajiang again." "Why?" Zeng Guofan was greatly surprised. The ninth younger brother's return to his hometown had already made him extremely sad, and Peng Yulin's words like this made him feel even more sad. "Dizhang, Yulin was born in a poor family and has a straightforward personality. In this troubled world, it is not suitable to go out to work. In the third year of Xianfeng, one was agitated by righteous indignation, and the other was feeling that Dizhang knew him well, so he left home and left his mother. Fortunately, the emperor's great blessing and great talent made this achievement possible. When Yulin left Zhajiang, he swore an oath on his sister-in-law's grave: After the success, the commoner will return to his hometown, and he will be with the lonely soul forever, and never be separated." Peng Yulin Speaking of which.Even though his voice was hoarse, Zeng Guofan was also moved by this strange man's sincerity and sincerity. "What's more, today's Guoxiu is like this! It seems that she will not have many days to live, and I can't bear to let her suffer at home alone with a weak child. Dizhang, you always said well: Qianqiu is too old to leave me alone. Study again after returning from hundreds of battles. In more than ten years of war, the Hunan Army, from generals to Yong Ding, always lost 30,000 to 50,000 people. It is a great fortune for us to be able to see the capture of Jinling with our own eyes. , I know very little about the world. Over the years, I have followed Dizhang to fight things, gathered all kinds of people, and my eyes have been opened. At this time, I look back at the legacy of the former philosopher, and I seem to have a deeper understanding. Yulin has no extravagance in this life, but only wants to return to Zhajiang , rough tea and light meals, reading lessons, comparing what the sages said, carefully chewing on the past ten years, if you can have a deep understanding of life, it will be better than the boa robe and jade belt!" Peng Yulin's words from the bottom of his heart were like a flowing spring, a shower of rain pouring in silently, nourishing Zeng Guofan's heart delicately.He was ashamed.I talk about Huang Lao's techniques every day, but I am far behind Peng Yulin who never talks about Huang Lao.Looking at the quietly flowing Qinhuai River, he said sincerely: "Xueqin, your ambition is the legacy of the sages. I always want to learn how to do it, but I may not be able to. Although Jinling is down, there are still long hairs. More than 200,000 people, the Nian army in northern Anhui and Henan is very powerful. They are likely to join together, and the war will soon turn from Jiangnan to Jiangbei. The father is still in danger, how can the ministers disarm and return to the fields and enjoy the blessings? Xueqin, go back and do well Rest for a period of time and take care of Guoxiu. Once Guoxiu's condition improves, please return to Jinling as soon as possible." Peng Yulin smiled and said: "Although Yulin has been awarded important positions for several years, in the army, he dare not pretend to be a real shortage of personnel. False post. At present, the army needs silver urgently, and Yulin has 20,000 taels of grain and silver to raise it. Please use it for public use.” Zeng Guofan held Peng Yulin's hand tightly, and said excitedly: "Your brother's kindness can truly admire ghosts and gods, but how can the army lack these twenty thousand taels of silver! If you don't take it, I will keep it for you. I just hope that Brother Xian will come back soon." Peng Yulin stopped talking.It was already dawn, and the boat was about to return, but unexpectedly, a rider flew over from the shore.In an instant, Xiao Fusi, the newly appointed first-class baron, fell to the ground crying. It turned out that Xiangxiang sent an obituary, and his father passed away twenty days ago.Xiao Fusi's mournful cry reminded the generals of the Hunan Army on the boat to think of their old parents far away in their hometown, and they couldn't help feeling sad, and Zeng Guofan's heart seemed to be covered with a heavy haze.Xiangyun's sudden death, Tingjun's mutiny, Prince Gong's dismissal, his ninth younger brother's vacancy, Xueqin's resignation, Fusi's father's death, severe reprimands from the imperial edict, slander and slander everywhere, he never expected it, and waited for it for more than ten years. After all the hard work and great victory, it is so desolate and desolate, which makes people feel sad and frustrated... The boat paddled silently towards Taoyedu, and the water of the Qinhuai River gradually changed from black to blue, from blue to green, and finally there were thousands of sparkling light waves.It woke up from the mysterious sleep last night, as if returning to the world from a fairyland, taking off the colorful veil that confused the mind, and restoring its gentle and amiable original appearance.Above the head, the rising sun hangs high above Jinling City, sending its infinite light and vitality to the universe.Zeng Guofan walked out of the cabin and came to the bow, and was immediately attracted by the grandeur of the Jiangnan Gongyuan under construction: thousands of people were busy there, and the magnificent and extraordinary Gongyuan had begun to take shape.Looking at the scene of revival under the rising sun, Zeng Guofan's mood suddenly brightened.He couldn't help blaming himself, why did he always think about it from the sinister side?Right now, he is clearly the No. 1 hero of the Qing Dynasty. No matter how much slander is made, can he erase the iron fact of conquering Jinling?太后再有疑心，不是已上奏湘军要大规模裁撤吗？历史上这样断然自剪羽翼的功臣能有几个？长毛扑灭了，两江乃至整个东南半壁河山亟待重建，江南贡院可以在自己的手中得到恢复，金陵城、两江三省也同样可以在自己的手中得到恢复。如果说战场厮杀、夺隘攻城要靠九弟、雪琴等人的话，那么安邦定国、经世济民则是自己的长处，无须假手他人。而这，又正是大乱平定后的第一要务！广阔富庶的两江大地，为自己才具的充分施展提供了良好的基础。 “大厦正欲梁栋拄，灰心何事赋归田？”手无寸权的翰林院学士时代都能有如此胸襟，大功初建、权绾三省的协揆总督反而退缩了吗？ 想到这里，曾国藩豪情顿生。当画舫轻轻靠近桃叶渡岸边时，他安慰萧孚泗几句后，又对着满船湘军将领高声笑道：“诸位辛苦了，上岸好好休息吧。明年灯节，我再请各位来一次秦淮夜游！”