Chapter 14 Red Top Merchant (9-1)

The development of the situation is really unexpected.First, under Li Hongzhang's subordinates Guo Songlin, Liu Mingchuan, Zhou Shengbo, Zhang Shusheng, Li Hongzhang, and the ever-victorious army Gordon, Changzhou was restored on the 60th of April; then Feng Zicai, who had been guarding Zhenjiang for a long time, entered Danyang.Everyone thought that after the two armies joined forces, they would surely take advantage of the victory and go west, and go straight to Jinling to assist Zeng Guoquan.Unexpectedly, despite the urging of the imperial edict, Li Hongzhang held back his troops in the name of heavy casualties and urgent need for repairs.This was expected by Zuo Zongtang and Hu Xueyan. Li Hongzhang did not want to share Zeng Guoquan's unique achievements, and deliberately put on a show.

Second, Hong Xiuquan, the "King of Heaven", suddenly issued a dreamlike "edict", saying, "I will go to heaven, receive heavenly soldiers from heavenly father and brothers, and protect Tianjing."Two days later, the "king of heaven" committed suicide by taking poison, fulfilling his promise of "going to heaven".Hong Xiuquan's sixteen-year-old son was succeeded by him, named "Hong Tiangui Fu"; his title was "Young Heavenly King". As the news spread, everyone knew that Zeng Guoquan's great success was imminent, and quite a few people chanted Du Shaoling's "Youth company is good to return home", a plan to reorganize their homeland after the rebellion.And the important ministers in Beijing and the governors outside Beijing, who have a conscience and are willing to do things, are also planning silently. When Zeng Guoquan went to Jinling, the accumulation of more than ten years of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was collected in the "Tianwang Mansion", which can be used to lay off soldiers and restore the place. It is true that the income from Jinling must be used for the Jiangnan and Hunan Army, but the payment that should be paid can be incomprehensible, which is tantamount to increasing local income.Zuo Zongtang, for example, had a wishful thinking, thinking that if Zeng Guoquan conquered Jinling, Guangdong would become Zhejiang's salary source again.He once talked with Hu Xueyan that at that time, he would be specially assigned to play a concert, and he would be sent to Guangdong to handle donations.Hu Xueyan made a verbal promise, but he actually didn't take it seriously; in his opinion, this matter was very vague, but it was just inconvenient to spoil Zuo Zongtang's interest, so it was just perfunctory.

With the assistance of the artillery team borrowed by Li Hongzhang, Zeng Guoquan's troops captured "Longshizi" at the end of May. It was located on the top of Zhongshan Mountain in the northeast of Jiangning City, overlooking the whole city.Once this place is lost, "Loyal King" Li Xiucheng is helpless.Zeng Guoquan used the army, and he got the word "toughness" alone; he was besieged to such an extent that he wanted to be tough, and he refused to neglect at all. He ordered the battalions to gather from all sides, press straight in, approach the city, and attack day and night.But the real function is to cover up the sound of his tunnel digging with the occasional or ever-present cannon fire.

Jinling was surrounded for two years. Zeng Guoquan dug three tunnels from Chaoyangmen to Zhongfumen. , smoked and poured with water, the dead talk about everything.Once it was almost successful, the soldiers in the tunnel suddenly found that a spear had been stabbed down; in fact, the long-haired army was resting and inserted the spear at will. Mao was terrified at first, and then overjoyed. He dug the ground and beat him hard. His success was on the verge of failure, and as many as 400 people died; they were all Zhu Hongzhang's subordinates. Zhu Hongzhang is from Guizhou, and among the senior generals under Zeng Guoquan, he is the only non-Hunan native.Because of the isolation, I had to work extra hard so as not to be excluded.Zeng Guoquan also valued him very much, and kept him until the title of admiral was named commander in chief, and sent him to manage the camp affairs office.At this time, he and Li Chendian, the commander-in-chief of Guide Town, Henan Province, will be in charge of digging the tunnel again.

Since the eighth day of June, we have been digging day and night, and it took seven days to dig it out, fill it with explosives, and make the final attack.Zeng Guoquan asked his generals: Which battalion is the "lead enemy"; which battalion is the "second enemy"? The generals were silent.They consulted individually according to the size of the official position.The highest rank was Xiao Fusi, who had already been replaced by Fujian land admiral, but he was still silent; so he had no choice but to ask Li Chendian. Li Chendian would rather take the lead, but he wants Zhu Hongzhang to dispatch one or two thousand elite soldiers to him.Zhu Hongzhang said: "Since this is the case, it is better for me to take the lead." The matter was settled like this, and a military order was issued, and the one who flinched would be executed!

At noon on June 16, Zhu Hongzhang ordered the release of explosives.The explosives in the tunnel are as much as 30,000 catties, and the entrance is sealed with huge stones; in addition, extremely thick moso bamboo is inserted into the tunnel, and the inside is filled with explosives wrapped in coarse cloth as a fuse; after the fuse is ignited, there is a faint sound like thunder from the ground. , but did not explode, the scorching sun in the sky, the flowing water shone like gold, there is no reason why the explosives would not burn; thousands of soldiers sweated and held their breath, waiting anxiously.After an hour of this, even the faint sound of thunder disappeared underground.

There have always been things that failed to trigger explosives in the past;The soldiers of each battalion were all disappointed, and were about to retreat a group of troops first, and when they were divided into shifts to rest; suddenly, there was a loud thunderbolt, as if the sky was falling apart.A section of the city wall at the Taiping Gate is about twenty feet long, rising straight up with the smoke, towering so high that it has become an unheard of spectacle. There is a saying.Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty established the capital in Nanjing. The capital was built in the second year of Hongwu, and a large number of civilians were enlisted. It took four years to complete the construction. The surrounding area is 61 miles, which is not only larger than the 40 miles of Beiping City and the 14 miles of Xi'an City. ; And it is also the largest city in the world.

The city of Nanjing is not only big, but also high, with an average height of over forty feet.In addition to being large and tall, the biggest feature is firmness. The city is based on granite, and the walls are made of specially fired huge bricks;After the whole city is completed, it is coated with glutinous rice slurry soaked in lime, so if you tap anywhere outside the city, white marks will appear.The city wall, invulnerable to swords and guns, water and fire for five hundred years, is no match for Western explosives after all; it is only after being bombed that the bricks are too strong, so the entire section of the city wall more than 20 feet long was formed, flying into the city. A spectacle in the air.It was later learned that this section of the city wall flew more than a mile away, split into several sections and landed, killing hundreds of people.

At that time, Zhu Hongzhang rushed forward, holding the flag in his left hand and wielding the knife in his right, shouting to go to the city.So the nine gates were broken, and there was the so-called "nine generals who ascended first". In addition to Zhu Hongzhang, Li Chendian, and Xiao Fusi, there were also registered generals Wu Mingliang, Xiong Deng, Wu Weishou, admiral Zhang Shiri, registered envoy Liu Lianjie, and registered Taoist Peng. Yu Tangerine.When the good news arrives in Beijing, it is natural to reward the heroes.It is said that Wen Zong once made a promise when he was in Japan: whoever flattens Hong Yang will be crowned king.However, after the San Francisco in the Qing Dynasty, there were no kings with different surnames; there were not even dukes.Therefore, some relatives and nobles opposed the realization of Wenzong's promise, forming a difficult problem.In the end, the Empress Dowager Ci'an came up with an idea to divide a prince into four. Zeng Guofan made the most contribution and was granted the title of Marquis;

Zhu Hongzhang was very dissatisfied with the imperial edict.On the day the city was broken.He really should be the first, go to the city first, capture the false brave king Hong Renda alive, and occupy the "Heavenly King's Mansion".However, when Zeng Guoquan reported his meritorious service, Li Chendian was the first; it is said that when Zhu Hongzhang occupied the "Tianwang Mansion" and guarded it until dusk, Li Chendian led the troops to rush there, and said to himself, "play the order of the Nine Commanders to take over the defense".Therefore, the "Tianwang's Mansion" was under the control of Li Chendian, who was guarded until 8 o'clock the next morning. In broad daylight, the "Tianwang's Mansion" caught fire for no reason and burned to the ground.Afterwards, Zeng Guoquan reported and searched for "Tianwangfu", but found nothing except a false seal.

This is the mystery why Li Chendian's narration is the first!Zhu Hongzhang was not even as good as Fusi among the "first-class nine generals", and he was a "first-class man" at the end of the fifth-class nobility; The mandarin jacket will be rewarded to the world position of the captain of the cavalry", although it is not thin, but it is ranked third, which is too wronged. Unable to swallow his breath, Zhu Hongzhang went to the "Nine Commanders" for a theory.Zeng Guoquan probably had been prepared for a long time, and he had no way to deal with it. He said, "I also think you should take the lead. But the memorial of the meritorious service was sent by my brother; I heard that it was his friend Li who was behind the scenes." Said. Then, he pulled out a handful of bright Xuezi from the boot leaf, held it upside down and handed it to Zhu Hongzhang, "Go and kill that Li." Zhu Hongzhang couldn't help but laugh at it.But Li Chendian is like Huang Liang Yimeng, the kindness of Xijue; the glory of yellow jacket and double-eyed feathers, he can't bear the favor;According to Zeng Guoquan's report, when he attacked the city, he "injured his waist acupoint and blocked his Qi channel", so he died on the second day of July.However, some people say that Li Chendian died "under the peonies" - on the day when the city was broken, the jade and silk children were allowed to take with them; !Of course, this is a private legend; anyway, the cause of death seems to be between the bed and the bed, and the truth can no longer be revealed. There is also a story about Xiao Fusi's title of Baron. When the city was broken, Li Xiucheng took a confidant book boy in the rebellious army and fled out of Tongji Gate to the southeast; the purpose was to cross Maoshan, pass Liyang and Changxing to Huzhou, and join Changmao who escaped from Hangzhou. . Walking to a place called Fangshan, I bumped into eight woodcutters. Some of them knew him, but they were not sure, so they shouted: "Loyal king!" When Li Xiucheng saw that Xingzang had been discovered, he knelt down and begged, "Who will lead me to Huzhou, and I will reward you with 30,000 silver." As he said that, he and his book boy wiped off their sleeves; but they saw that the four arms were covered with gold bracelets; there was another horse, which carried a box on its back. It didn't look big, but it weighed heavily on the horse. The waist is bent, and it can be imagined that it contains gold and silver jewelry.Seeing this situation, the eight woodcutters became greedy. On the one hand, they wanted to embezzle Li Xiucheng's money, and on the other hand, they wanted to repay their merits and receive rewards.So these eight people tricked Li Xiucheng's master and servant into the "Jianxi Village" at the foot of the mountain, and publicly recommended a man surnamed Tao to report to the officers and soldiers; the destination was to be stationed in Li Chendian's camp outside the Taiping Gate, because a brother surnamed Tao was Li Chendian's Subordinates, it is more appropriate to ask him to report. Mr. Tao passed by Zhongshan, hungry and thirsty; he remembered that this was Xiao Fusi's defense area, and there was a cook in the camp who knew him well because of the supply of firewood, so he might as well go to him to rest and ask for food. The man surnamed Tao was overjoyed, and while resting and chatting, he revealed the process of capturing Li Xiucheng alive.The cook told the soldiers, and the soldiers reported to Xiao Fusi, and Tao was doomed to be a dead ghost. After a series of secret instructions, he entertained the good wine and meat surnamed Tao; Xiao Fusi, with more than 20 soldiers, galloped to Jianxi Village under the scorching sun, and captured Li Xiucheng; master.The one surnamed Tao was beheaded with a knife to silence him; but Xiao Fusi finally had a conscience, and instead of killing the cook, he gave him five fine pearls and a fine horse, implying that he "deserted" overnight and walked farther and farther. it is good. Xiao Fusi was awarded the title of baron because of the merit of capturing Li Xiucheng alive.Zeng Guoquan didn't know the truth until later, and ordered the eight woodcutters to be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver each.As a result, the soldiers engulfed most of it, and only took out a "big ingot" - fifty taels of silver, which was shared equally by the eight families. If Li Xiucheng was captured alive by Xiao Fusi by himself, this credit is really worthy of a Baron.Because although the "Tianjing" was broken, the "Young Heavenly King" was not captured, and he was only said to have died in the chaos, which seemed difficult to explain to the court.Fortunately, there is Li Xiucheng, who is more important than "Young Heavenly King" in reality, and can make up for the loss of the culprit's whereabouts. At that time, Zeng Guofan had already arrived in Jiangning by special boat from Anqing. Apart from caring for the soldiers and helping the people, another major event was to deal with Li Xiucheng. "Li". From the 27th of June to the 6th day of July, ten days were spent, and the time for interrogation was short. Li Xiucheng spent more time writing his "confession" in the cage; he wrote about 7,000 words a day, totaling about 70,000 to 80,000 words.However, Zeng Guofan made major deletions and major changes, and only one-third of it was saved; Fang began to report.It talked about the whereabouts of Hong Xiuquan's two sons after the city was broken, and said that "the young master was alone, and the young master had no good horses, so I handed over my war horse to ride." The Nine Marshals broke down the gap in the city wall and came out. Hundreds of monarchs and ministers risked their lives and rushed out of the pass. There are endless shouts everywhere; I and the young master are separated, and nine handsome soldiers chase after them on horseback. Although they come out at this time, their life and death are unknown. The sixteen-year-old boy has never ridden a horse since he was a child, and has never been trained. Panicked, the Nine Commanders marched in from all directions, and they would definitely be killed, if the Nine Commanders killed them on horseback on the road, they would not know that it was the young master, a little boy, who would know?" This confession is similar to Zeng Guofan's report "Young Ni has died in the rebellious army"; it is not self-defeating, but it shows traces of deletions-"Young Tianwang" did not die, but fled to Huzhou. While Zeng Guofan was enfeoffed as a marquis, there was also an order to reward the commanders and ministers of the frontiers in the southeast; the prince, Seng Gelinqin, was rewarded with a baylor; Li Hongzhang, first-class earl; Yang Yuebin, governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and Peng Yulin, the right servant of the Ministry of War, awarded the first-class captain of light vehicles to the world, and rewarded him with the title of Prince Shaobao; Luo Bingzhang, governor of Sichuan, and Bao Chao, governor of Zhejiang, first-class captain of light vehicles Du Xing'a, General of Xi'an, Fu Ming'a, General of Jiangning, and Feng Zicai, Admiral of Guangxi, were all awarded the title of Cavalry Duwei. Among the senior officials in the southeast, only Zuo Zongtang and Jiangxi governor Shen Baozhen were in the corner. The edict specifically explained: "We will give grace after Zhejiang and Jiangxi are cleared up." Although this is an encouragement, it is embarrassing in comparison; especially It was Li Hongzhang's knighthood that made Zuo Zongtang even more unconvinced.Thinking about it on a deeper level, Zeng Guofan restrained the military affairs of the five provinces, Jiangxi and Zhejiang are also among them; since these two provinces have not been eliminated, it means that Zeng Guofan's responsibility has not been fulfilled, so why is he alone rewarded? Another thing that annoyed Zuo Zongtang was that Chang Mao, who was defeated in Jiangning, had no choice but to flee all the way to the southeast. Therefore, the Huzhou area, which had been fighting smoothly, suddenly increased heavy pressure.If it was secretly negotiated in advance, when will Zeng Guoquan plan to break through the city, and what is the strategy for encircling and suppressing it?Can let Zuo Zongzong know that sending troops to fill the gap in advance and laying down the road to intercept, how can the defeated Changmao rush over like a mountain collapsed?However, Zeng Jun only cared about his own merits, so he was "beggar-thy-neighbor"! King Gong, who is in charge of the country in the court, and Wen Xiang, the military minister who is trusted and respected by his superiors and loyal to the country, is a sage in the banner, but he does not know that there is such a profound contradiction between the generals in the southeast; Under the imperial edict of rewarding the meritorious officials, there was another edict of extremely strict supervision, which made Zuo Zongtang feel even more uncomfortable after reading it. The Shangyu said: "When Jiang Ning is restored, the ugliness will be wiped out, and there will be no thieves who escape." These few words made Zuo Zongtang suspicious. The Zeng brothers reported their military exploits in the restoration of Jiang Ning, but they did not know how to exaggerate and exaggerate. ?Therefore, for the latter: "Let Li Hongzhang transfer Wang Yongsheng and other troops to Changxing to assist in the defense of Hu County; Zuo Zongtang led all the troops to join the Su division, quickly wiped out the thieves in Huzhou and Anji, and conquered Jiancheng. Don't let a thief go up" request, the more I feel disgusted. "Look," he said to Hu Xueyan, "Brothers Zeng not only claimed credit for themselves, but also cut off the way of others to make meritorious deeds. According to the words, the great meritorious service has been accomplished, and Zhejiang can be wiped out in a short time; It is extremely difficult to get up, even if you try your best to get it off, you will not be able to please. Because there is a saying from the ancestors of the Zeng brothers that Jiang Ning's "all ugliness will be wiped out, and there will be no thieves who escape". Hateful or not?" Of course, Hu Xueyan could only comfort him, but his words were general and ineffective; and the spies one after another were full of long-haired "kings" and "kings" who fled from Guangde in southern Anhui to the border of Zhejiang, crossed Tianmu Mountain, and went straight to News from Huzhou.Finally came a piece of news, which came from among the refugees; Zuo Zongtang was very excited when he saw the report flying to Hangzhou. The report said: "Young Heavenly King" Hong Fuzhen, after the destruction of Jiangning City, was "guarded" by "Qianwang" Hong Renqian, "Nurtured King" Ji Qingyuan, "Yuwang" Li Ruisheng, and "Yangwang" Li Mingcheng. Arrived in Guangde on the 21st day of the lunar month; then Huang Wenjin, the "blocking king" guarding Huzhou, personally welcomed him into the city of Huzhou five days later. Feng Hong Renqian was named "Regimental Army Division". This time, Zuo Zongtang thought that he could make Brother Zeng look good; he immediately asked his aides to draft a draft of the performance, planning to fly into the performance, to expose the lie reported by Zeng Guofan that "Young traitor died in the rebellion".And just when he was full of spirits and Xie Yan was laughing; Hu Xueyan happened to arrive at Xingyuan. Hearing the news, he had to cheer Zuo Zongtang up and persuade him. "My lord, can this memorial be delayed for a while?" "Why is it slow? The culprit has been exposed, why dare to hide it and not report it?" Zuo Zongtang said eloquently. Hu Xueyan knew that using generals to criticize each other and persuasion that was not a blessing for the country would not be of much interest to him, so he used his own interests, "We Hangzhou people have a saying, which is called 'Turn a stone and press your foot by yourself', my lord, you this stone You can't pull it!" He said, "If you pull it badly, you will break your head." "How do you say that?" "Your Excellency, please think about it. Of course, the court will be happy with such a performance, and say, 'Very good! You must capture You Ni; no matter what, you are not allowed to slip through the net. If you catch it, you will be sealed as a marquis.' Your Excellency can't catch it?" "Ah, ah!" Zuo Zongtang suddenly realized, "If you can't catch it, you will become the culprit and slip through my hands!" Hu Xueyan deliberately stopped talking.A smart person like Zuo Zongtang, of course, can understand a little bit, and there is no trouble with words; the most important thing is that he has another opinion. During his trip to Shanghai this time, he heard a lot about the current situation of the Zeng brothers and Li Hongzhang, all of which were revealed by Zeng and Li's close friends or cronies.There are many words in the letter, which are not allowed to be heard by a third person according to the usual logic, but they have also leaked out!Of course, this is Zeng Li himself, who has no scruples, speaks to the left and right, and only speaks deeply for those who know: shallow self-proclaimed close to the big bureaucrats, well-informed, embellished, and vivid, how many right and wrong arise out of no reason It hurt the relationship of many people for no reason, because of this, Hu Xueyan became wary of Zuo Zongtang. He was thinking, this "adult" is famous for his openness.If I design it for him, I will alienate the relationship between Zeng and Li; maybe one day, Zuo Zongtang will tell others what to do.Isn't this "cure one classic, damage one classic"; if you offend Zeng and Li for no reason, it is too wrong! Zuo Zongtang's words are enough.At that time, I was very happy and said repeatedly: "I know it! I know it!" Hu Xueyan was not very satisfied with such an answer; he hoped that Zuo Zongtang had a specific plan to say so that he could uphold the purpose and help with affairs.So I asked: "Does my lord think that there is still something to be learned in my humble opinion?" "What is my opinion? Your opinion is too brilliant!" Zuo Zongtang said in a deep voice: "However, in the end, I am not just turning my hands into clouds." The person who covers his hands as rain; besides, Li Shaoquan has always been for me——" He didn't say any more, but anyone who knew what he said on weekdays could guess that Li Hongzhang had always been despised by him.Now that I am on good terms with him, it seems that I am asking for help from others, so I feel unwilling.Hu Xueyan believes that setting up words to persuade people from the front is different from talking about people's shortcomings in private. Even if the secret words are leaked, they can still be put on the "table", which will not hinder his reputation, so he decided to make some words to promote Zuo and Li's collaboration. "My lord," he asked intentionally, "what is the only urgent matter now?" "Do you mean the official business, or my own business?" "The same is true of official affairs, and the same is true of adults' private affairs. One becomes two, two becomes one, what is the big thing?" "Freedom means clearing the whole of Zhejiang." "Yes, there is only one obstacle left to clear the whole of Zhejiang; that is Huzhou. If Huzhou is taken down, it will be reported and cleared. At that time, my lord will also be named a marquis and worshiped the prime minister." "It is still early to worship the prime minister, and it is not enough It's surprising. I really want to resign for this kind of reward." Hu Xueyan didn't know whether he said this out of emotion or pretending to be hypocritical. Anyway, there is no need to argue with him. Only by following his tone of voice can he move his heart. "My lord's song is high!" He pointed his thumb and said, "It's not uncommon to be a Marquis. Seeing wealth and honor is like floating clouds to me. It's higher than Zeng Xiang and Li Zhongcheng. However, if the court has no grace, how can your lord do it?" Shows a superior character?" "That's true." Zuo Zongtang nodded deeply. Zuo Zongtang finally heaved a sigh of relief, and Hu Xueyan also heaved a sigh of relief.As for how to cooperate with Li Hongzhang?He didn't need to bother; Zuo Zongtang saw all the situation clearly, and he couldn't say anything about the use of troops.He only reminded Zuo Zongtang that he would attack Jiangning, and that Li Hongzhang disobeyed the imperial edict; he is now anxious to make amends, so even if Zuo Zongtang is unwilling to cooperate with him, he will send troops into Huzhou himself to express his compliance with what the court has repeatedly revealed , "The ministers of the frontier must not be divided into regions when dealing with thieves."Zuo Zongtang also really needed Li Hongzhang's support. The first is military strength.Huzhou has become a long-haired place in the southeast, and the remnants and defeated generals gather together, the number of which exceeds that of the left army by several times.And if you are in a hurry, you will fight with trapped beasts, so you must not take it lightly. The second is terrain.Huzhou is surrounded by ports and branches, and battles can be set up everywhere to invite attacks. This is a place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Back then, Zhao Jingxian insisted on the isolated city, adapting to the situation and making use of the terrain to the extreme.Now Huang Wenjin, the long-haired general guarding Huzhou, is not weak; and it is easy to command under the name of "young master" Hong Fuzhen.Moreover, the grain stored in Huzhou is reported to last for one year, which is much better than Zhao Jingxian's situation at that time. Zuo Zongtang could not overcome these two obstacles to enter Huzhou alone; only Li Hongzhang could help him overcome these two obstacles.In terms of military strength, the siege of Huzhou can only be completed with the cooperation of the Soviet army-of course it is not the siege like Zeng Guoquan's attack on Jinling.If such a strategy is adopted, even if it can be done in terms of troop deployment, it is unwise. The casualties in this area must also be extremely heavy.On the other hand, leaving a gap to manipulate the enemy can just arouse the enemy's love for life and disintegrate his fighting spirit.What's more, on the pre-arranged enemy's escape route, you can set up ambushes everywhere, which is a good idea. In terms of terrain, the first critical pass on the outskirts of Huzhou is the Daqiankou exiting Taihu Lake in the north; Zhao Jingxian lost a lot of money on a snowy night, which led to Huzhou's failure to defend.Looking at the past from the present, the situation is not different. If you want to break Huzhou, you must first seize a lot of money; and to win a lot of money, it is much more convenient for the Soviet army to cross Taihu Lake and go south than for the left army to go north.At the same time, the biggest key is that to attack big money, you must use water divisions, and this is the weakness of the left army and the strength of the Soviet army. Of course, Li Hongzhang wanted to make use of his strengths and try his best to make a difference, not only to make up for the blame of Changzhou's military suspension, but also to confer the title of no negative tin.After Zuo Zongtang had a deep talk with Hu Xueyan, he made a silent plan; he was not as good as Li Hongzhang in terms of location and people. If he couldn't make a big deal, let go of his promise, and conquer Huzhou by himself within a time limit, he couldn't stop Li Hongzhang from rushing forward and attacking Huzhou from the north. .If the two armies cannot cooperate, it will be a situation of competing for success; it doesn't matter if Li Hongzhang can't compete. After much deliberation, he realized that it was the best policy to use Li Hongzhang for help.As long as he did his best to be a landlord, the guest army had to give in everywhere. Even if the Soviet army invaded Huzhou first, Li Hongzhang would always be embarrassed and play the performance.As long as the good news of the recovery of Huzhou is issued by myself, and the military exploits are laid out, it can be manipulated. He made up his mind to be a man who can bend and stretch for the time being; Zuo Zongtang personally took up the pen and wrote a very sincere letter to Li Hongzhang, revealing his intention to ask for help in the strategy of Shanglue to wipe out the remnants of the southeast.Li Hongzhang was also very beautiful, and promised to put all his "Guo Liu Pan Yang Fourth Army" into the Huzhou battlefield.Guo Liu Panyang—the four armies of Guo Songlin, Liu Mingchuan, Pan Dingxin, and Yang Dingxun are the backbone of the Huai Army; in fact, Li Hongzhang was not the only one who joined the Huzhou battlefield. Admiral Huang Yisheng's navy was also appointed to assist in different ways.Zhu Hongzhang's thoughts were roughly the same as Zuo Zongtang's. He intended to make a big splash and would attack Huzhou. On the one hand, it is also to sweep Zeng Jun's interest. The Changmao in Huzhou is known as 200,000, at least 40% off; the regular army on the left and the Li side is no less than 80,000, plus the clerks and husbands accompanying the army, the total is more than 100,000.They are evenly matched, and it is expected that a fierce battle will occur; but the outcome has been determined as before, and the situation of Long Mao's defeat is also roughly estimated.Because of the constraints of the terrain, the direction of progress can only follow the trend.Zuo Zongtang's troops advanced from the southeast and southwest of Huzhou; the Soviet army attacked from the northeast and northwest, and marched from the north to prevent Changmao from entering Taihu Lake.The east of Huzhou is the most affluent area in the southeast. It is heavily defended, and there is no way out to the seashore. In Huzhou, the only way out is to go west. If you can go to Guangde, then there is Li Shixian in Jiangxi Wang Haiyang and Wang Haiyang are all well-known giants among the long-haired men, and they may be able to join together, or they may still be able to survive. The battlefield is like a chess game, not only between the enemy and us, but also intrigues and deceptions; Jiao; in the name of attacking Guangde and breaking the thief's way back, he actually wanted to intercept Huang Wenjin, capture "young rebels" and seize the luggage. Huzhou finally recovered on July 26. As predicted in advance, Huang Wenjin opened the west gate of Huzhou to escape.Captain Mao went westward in three routes, and when he arrived at Guangde, he divided into two routes, all the way to southern Anhui; the first route was led by Huang Wenjin with "Young Ni", from Ningguo to West Tianmu Mountain, and then into Jiangxi via Kaihua and Yushan.Liu Mingchuan pursued him relentlessly; all the other armies fought bravely and took the lead. They chased him for five days and five nights, but Chang Mao was defeated and Huang Wenjin died in the chaos. However, Hong Fuzhen's whereabouts are still unknown; the more reliable legend is that he went south from Jiangxi, intending to join Li Shixian and Wang Haiyang who fled to the border of Guangdong and Fujian.Then go west to Hubei; connect with "Fu Wang" Chen Decai, enter Shaanxi from Jingxiang west, and start another situation in Guanzhong.This is of course a wishful thinking.But even if the fight is unsuccessful, running around like this, such as joining forces with the Nian bandits in Anhui and Henan, is also a matter of great concern.Therefore, the imperial court was deeply annoyed that it failed to stop the "young rebellion" and punished it twice and three times. What was even more annoying was Zuo Zongtang. The papers for "All Zhejiang Suppression" had already been distributed, but Hong Fu hadn't received it, so he couldn't be regarded as a master of all achievements, and it was hard to see the reward for a while. Distinguish the theory of "100,000"; then discuss the responsibilities of the subordinates of the corrections, and the words are sharper: "Zhiyunhang City has all escaped, and the corrections have not been heard, especially incomprehensible. Jinling has already been encircled, but Hangzhou has not yet been encircled. Also; the Jinling newspaper "killed all the thieves", and the Hangzhou newspaper "the first traitor has escaped"!" Just these two sentences are like an old official who was sentenced to prison, and Zeng Guoquan was judged to be responsible for not allowing the thieves to escape, while Zeng Guofan was responsible. The crime of lying about military affairs.But at the end, he changed his style of writing and played tricks: "I have to argue because the military is the most authentic."Since then, all official affairs have been handled in harmony, and the ministers dare not hold any opinions and respect themselves. This passage is the so-called "Mianlizhen", which seems to be cautious and modest; in fact, it is sharp and angular, and every sentence implies an accusation against Zeng Guofan. The memorial was sent out, but there was an echo within half a month.The "Tingji" issued by King Gong was extremely euphemistic. Not to mention that Zuo Zongtang could not be granted the title for a while, but he said, "Since Zuo Zongtang entered Zhejiang, he has conquered dozens of city passes and cleared the whole territory. Very great. I want to reward you, I am afraid that the supervisor will firmly resign because Hong You's rebellion is still alive; once the remaining evils are wiped out, he will send a decree of kindness." It is a clear hint that Zuo Zongtang can be knighted, but sooner or later thing. Regarding his debate with Zeng Guofan, there is also Wen Yu: "The imperial court has meritorious officials, and they do not want to demand details. The supervisor should report the truth when Hong Youni entered Zhejiang; when he left the country, he sent troops to follow him. Do it. It is said that from now on, official affairs will still be negotiated with Zeng Guopan in harmony, and I dare not hold any opinions, especially as a minister. It is worthy of praise. The imperial court expects the supervisor to be great and far away; the supervisor should be strengthened Encourage him to be a famous official of his generation, with high hopes." Although Zeng Guofan was not reprimanded in the edict, it was very clear that he had no likes or dislikes.And Xu Zuo Zongtang's "a generation of famous ministers" is a rare word in the edict.In short, Zuo Zongtang had the upper hand in this pen-and-ink lawsuit by the imperial court; and the grievance with Zeng Guofan naturally deepened. Zeng Zuo's grievances, what appeared on the surface, was a dispute of words; what they resisted desperately in secret was a dispute over territory.It also seemed to be squeezed in the cracks, and it seemed that Zeng Guoquan was the first to bear the brunt. Zeng Guoquan's job is the governor of Zhejiang.In order to encourage generals when they are in use, they do not serve according to the system; it is common for senior officials in this province to lead troops in other provinces.But when the war ended, the situation was different. As usual, even if Zeng Guoquan made mistakes after breaking Jiangning, he has made great achievements in battle; he should be allowed to serve as governor of Zhejiang, which is the right thing to do.Zuo Zongtang had no choice but to serve as the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang and also the governor of Zhejiang, and he had no intention of giving in.And Zeng Guofan complained about Zeng Guoquan. Although he was worried about slander and fear of ridicule, he retreated bravely as a prudent way to protect himself; In the imperial court, he can suffer from a dilemma.On the one hand, the southeast military affairs crypt was restored in Huzhou and Qing Dynasty in Zhejiang Province, so Zuo Zongtang had to be perfunctory;Therefore, regarding Zeng Guoquan's illness, he has been procrastinating without making a clear treatment; I hope that between Zeng and Zuo, the grievances can be resolved, and the words will be reconciled, and Zuo Zongtang will come forward and ask Zeng Guoquan to take office. This is an unattainable luxury.Seeing that procrastination was not a problem, the imperial court decided to grant Zeng Guofan's wish, and Xu Zeng Guoquan resigned.But who will replace the vacant Governor of Zhejiang Province?But it took a lot of consideration. The imperial court also knew what Zuo Zongtang meant, and it was best for Jiang Yili to be promoted from the feudal secretary, and Zuo Zongtang would recommend him if there was a shortage of the Zhejiang feudal chief.Helpless, Jiang Yili's qualifications are still low; and this way of handling it is too ugly for Zeng Guofan's face.The imperial court reconcile the generals, and they will never easily give people the impression of favoring someone, so Zuo Zongtang's wishes are not considered. Things to consider: First, the new governor of Zhejiang really needs to be honest and capable, because of the provinces that Hong Yang ravaged, Zhejiang suffered the most disasters; the aftermath is also the most difficult to handle.Second, this person must have no grievances with Zuo Zongtang; and be supported by Zeng Guofan and even Li Hongzhang. Only then can he obtain assistance from neighboring provinces for the aftermath of Zhejiang.Third, the chaos has been settled, and Yanwu has repaired the literature; the governor of Zhejiang is the first official appointed by Hong Yangping to seal Xinjiang, and it is also the beginning of the restoration of civil rule, so it is best for this person to come from a family background.It would be even more ideal if he had military exploits.As a result, an ideal person was selected.This person's name is Ma Xinyi, and his name is Gushan; , is a native of Shandong through and through. At the same time that Ma Xinyi's new order was delivered to Zhejiang, an important and interesting news came from Jiangxi, Hong Fuzhen, the "young rebel", was finally arrested. Consolidating Ping Hongyang's military affairs, but there is still a rather arduous task of fighting chaos that needs to be deployed. According to Prince Gong and Wen Xiang's plan, there are still three rebellions that must be subdued in order to achieve peace and prosperity.These three rebellions are: first, the remnants of Hong Yang who ran south; second, the Nian bandits who disturbed the Central Plains; Fortunately, there are many talented people, and they are the best in the previous dynasty; King Gong and Wen Xiang decided to entrust four people to quell the rebellion in these three places. The first one is still Zeng Guofan.On the first day of October, when Zeng Guoquan successfully retired and led the abolished Hunan army back to Hunan, there was a post from the imperial court to Jiangning, saying that "Jiangning has reached the bottom level, and the military affairs have been handled by Tibet. Go to the junction of Anhui and Hubei, supervise the troops to suppress the bandits, and advance quickly, don't delay." The so-called "thieves" are the Nian bandits. The Nian bandits originally used northern Anhui as their old nest, and since they were attacked and suppressed by the monk king with all their strength, they have fled to Hubei and Henan.Although Zhang Luoxing died, his nephew Zhang Zongyu was not a weak one. In addition, Chen Yucheng's former subordinate Lai Wenguang fled back from Guanzhong.The imperial court knew well that it was not a good strategy for the King Monk's cavalry to chase north and drive the Nian Bandits back and forth;At the same time, because of the honorable status of the Monk King, even the Empress Dowager of the West Palace had to be extraordinarily graceful. She was an extremely difficult prince to serve. He simply acted arbitrarily.Therefore, it is better to try to let him hand over his military power and return to Beijing to enjoy the blessings, which is the best way for both public and private interests. There is only one Zeng Guofan who can command several provinces on behalf of the monk king.不仅威望足够；而且他那“先求稳当，次求变化”，以静制静，稳扎稳打的作风，亦正可救僧王之失。至于筹饷之责，朝廷也想到了一个必不可少的人。 这个人就是李鸿章。上谕派他接替曾国藩，暂署两江总督；江苏巡抚则调慈禧太后的恩人，漕运总督吴棠署理。上谕中虽未明言，曾国藩带兵驻扎皖鄂交界，从路粮台由李鸿章负其全责；可是这样部署的用意是很明白的，第一，曾、李师生，“有事弟子服其劳”，天经地义；第二，李鸿章带兵，曾国藩替他筹过饷，如今曾国藩带兵，自然该李鸿章筹饷；第三，两江最富，是海内最主要的一处饷源，所以谁当两江总督，都有筹饷的责任。 这样的安排，就大局而言，不能算错；只是委屈了曾国藩，便宜了李鸿章与吴棠，可也就顾不得那么许多了。 再有一个是杨岳斌。他是与彭玉麟齐名的水师名将，本名杨载福；因为同治皇帝这一辈，玉牒谱系上第一字为“载”，不免有犯讳的不便，所以改名岳斌。当江宁未克复以前，他已升任陕甘总督；打算赋以敉平回乱的重任。回乱不仅生于陕甘；也生于云南与新疆。云南将次平服，而新疆方兴未艾；朝廷寄望于新封子爵的鲍超，特降温旨，认为新疆平乱，“非得勇略出群如鲍超者，前往剿办，恐难壁垒一新”，所以命曾国藩传旨鲍超，在他回籍葬亲的两月假期一满，“即行由川起程，出关剿办回乱。”恭王和文祥知道鲍超好名，特地拿乾嘉名将杨遇春，与他相提并论，很灌了一番米汤。上谕中说：“从前回疆用兵，杨遇春即系川省土著，立功边域，彪炳旅常。鲍超务当督率诸国，肃清西陲，威扬万里，以与前贤后先辉映。该提督忠勇性成，接奉此旨，必即遵行，以逼朝廷委任。”话说得很诚挚，而命曾国藩传旨，亦有暗示他帮着催劝之意。无奈曾国藩对湘军的急流勇退，明哲保身，早有定算；鲍超是他的爱将，当然要加意保全，所以只是照例传旨，并不劝驾。 再有一个朝廷寄以重望的，便是左宗棠。他是现任的闽浙总督，由江西瑞金为鲍超所败，而窜入福建境内的李世贤、汪海洋两大股，顺理成章地该由他负责清剿。 左宗棠不是怕事的人，对此亦自觉当仁不让，义不容辞；可是朝廷一连串的处置，却使他即气又急，愤愤不平。 首先大失所望的是，浙江巡抚派了马新贻；蒋益澧落了空，也就等于是他失去了浙江这个地盘。其次是李鸿章调署两江，名位已在己之上，使他很不舒服。其次是在江西的陕甘总督杨岳斌，奉旨迅即到任；朝廷责成浙江每月拨给陕甘协饷十万两，并先筹措八万银子，作为杨军的开拔费用。为此，左宗棠的肝火很旺，每日接见僚属，大骂曾国藩、李鸿章和郭嵩焘。这样骂了几天，怒火稍减；想想既不肯辞官归田，就得有声有色地大干一番。军务是有把握的，就是饷源越来越绌，得要找个足智多谋的人，趁马新贻末曾到任以前，好好筹划妥当。 这个人自然非胡雪岩莫属。“雪翁，”他说，“你看，挤得我无路可走了！你算算看，我该到哪里筹饷？哪里都难！” 两个人将十五行省一个一个地算。除开穷瘠的省份，有饷可筹的富庶之地，都已为他人早着先鞭；江苏、安徽是两江辖区，曾李师弟的势力，根深蒂固；江西沈葆桢，对待曾军的前例，足以令人望而却步；山东、山西供应京饷，而且两省巡抚阎敬铭、沈桂芬清刚精明，都不是好相与的人；湖北食用川盐，在沙市设局征厘，收入相当可观，可是官文是督抚中唯一的一个旗人，有理无理，皆受朝廷袒护，不容易打得进去；至于天府之国的四川，有骆秉章在那里，顾念旧日宾主之谊，自然不好意思唱一出“取成都”。“福建穷得很；我能筹饷的地方，只有贵省和广东了。东该给我的饷不给；可恨郭筠仙，心目中只认得曾涤生、李少荃。此恨难消！”左宗棠停了一下又说，“至于马谷山，听说倒还讲理；不过既是曾涤生所保，又是李少荃的同年，不见得肯助我一臂。雪翁，你看我该怎么办？” 胡雪岩默然。因为他觉得自己的处境很难，左宗棠的知遇要报答；而浙江是自己的家乡，为左宗棠设谋画策，可不能挨地方父老的骂。 胡雪岩一向言词爽利，而且不管天大的难事，一诺无辞；象这样迟疑不答的情形，可说绝无仅有。左宗棠微感诧异，不免追问缘故。 “不瞒大人说，我很为难。大人现在只有浙江一个地盘，粮饷当然出在浙江，筹得少了不够用；筹得多了，苦了地方。说起来是我胡某人出的主意；本乡本土，我不大好做人。”雪岩又说，“如果大人兼署浙江巡抚，我还可以出出主意，截长补短，见机行事，总还兼顾得到。现在换了马中丞，我又是分发江西的试用道，是大人奏调我在浙江当差；大人一离浙江，我当然不能再问浙江的公事，善后局的差使亦要交卸，何况其他？” 他一路说，左宗棠一路点头，等他说完，做个“稍安毋躁”的手势答道：“你刚才所说的情形，我完全清楚，我们要好好谈谈。万变不离的宗旨是：雪翁，你仍旧要帮我的忙。怎么个帮法，我们回头再商量，现在先谈你的难处；诚如所言，我现在只有浙江一个地盘，粮饷只有着落在浙江，而且要定一个确数，按月一定汇到，连日子都错不得一天。雪翁，凡事先讲理，后讲情；情理都站得住，还争不过人家，我当然也有我的手段。” 胡雪岩不知他最后这几句话，意何所指？只能就事论事，问一事：“大人预备定一个啥数目？” “你看呢？”左宗棠放低了声音说：“我们自己人，我告诉你实话：我的兵，实数一万八千，不过筹饷要宽，照两万三千人算。” 胡雪岩的心算极快。士兵每人每月饷银、军粮、器械、弹药、马草，加上营帐、锅碗等等杂支，平均要五两银子；两万三千人就是十一万五千两。另加统帅个人的用途；文案、委员的薪水伙食；送往迎来的应酬费用，每个月非十五万银子不可。 这笔巨数，由浙江独力负担，未免太重；胡雪岩便很婉转地说道：“闽浙一家。福建拨给浙江的协饷，前后总计，不下三百万两之多；如今福建有事，当然要帮忙。而况大人带的又是浙江的兵，理当浙江支饷。不过，浙江的情形，大人是再明白不过的；如果能够量出为入，事情就好办了。” 成语是量入为出，胡雪岩却反过来说，倒也新鲜；左宗棠便捻着八字胡子，含笑问道：“何以谓之量出为入？倒要请教。” “譬如一碗汤，你也舀，他也舀，到嘴都有限……。”“啊！”左宗棠抢着说道：“我懂了！我亦本有此意，第一，陕甘的协饷，决不能答应；第二，广东解浙江的协饷，有名无实，我要奏请停拨。”说到这里，他眼珠打转，慢慢地笑了，笑得极其诡秘。 这一笑，大有文章。胡雪岩觉得非搞明白不可；便有意套问一句：“广东的协饷是个画饼，虽不能充饥，看看也是好的。” “不然！奏请停拨，就是要让朝廷知道，这是个画饼。雪翁，”左宗棠突然兴奋了，“你看老夫的手段！画饼要把它变成个又大又厚，足供一饱的大麦饼。你信不信？”“怎么不信？”胡雪岩紧接着问，“大人变这套戏法，可要我做下手？” “当然！少了你，我这套平地抠饼，外带大锯活人的戏法就变不成了。” “大锯活人”四字，虽是戏言，却也刺耳，胡雪岩便用半开玩笑的语气问道：“大人，你要锯哪一个？”“哪一个？”左宗棠有种狞笑的神色，“锯我那位亲家。”胡雪岩骇然。他早知左宗棠跟郭嵩焘有心病，而此心病，不但未能由时光来冲淡，反有与日俱深之势；但何致于说出“大锯活人”的这样的话来？因此一时楞在那里作声不得。 左宗棠的脸上，也收起嬉笑之态，变得相当认真，眼睁得好在，嘴闭得好紧；但眼神闪烁，嘴唇翕动，竟似心湖中起了极大的波澜似的。这就使得胡雪岩越发贯注全神，要听他如何“大锯活人”了。 “雪岩！”左宗棠第一次改口，以别字相呼，表示对胡雪岩以密友看待，“你的书读得不多，我是知道的；不过'世事洞明皆学问'，照这一层来说，我佩服你。” “不敢当。”胡雪岩有些局促，但也很率直，“大人有什么话要说，尽管吩咐；拿顶'高帽子'套在我头上，就有点吃不消了。” “你我之间，何用要什么送高帽子的手段？我的意思是，我的为人，我的处世，只有你能明白五分；还有五分，你不但不明白，或许还会大不以为然。这就因为你少读书；如果你也多读过一点书，就会明白我那另外五分，而且谅解我不得不然；势所必然！” 原来如此，胡雪岩倒有些受宠若惊了，“大人”他说：“你老跟我谈'大家之道，在明明德'，我是不懂的。”“我不跟你谈经，我跟你谈史。雪岩，我先请问你两句成语，'大义灭亲'、'公而忘私'怎么讲？” 胡雪岩无以为答；觉得也不必答，老实回复：“大人不要考我了。就从这两句成语上头，谈你老的打算。”“我不是考你，我的意思是，我的行事，照世俗之见，或许会大大地骂我。不过，我的行事，于亲有亏，于义无悖；于私有惭，于公无愧。这都非世俗之见所能谅解，而只有读过书的人，才会在心里说一声：左某人命世之英，不得不然。”这段话很掉了几句文，不过胡雪岩也大致还能听得懂；而且听出意思，他对郭嵩焘要下辣手了！所想不通的是，他有何辣手可对郭嵩焘？ 他的疑问，立刻得到了解答；左宗棠起身坐在书桌前面，伸毫铺纸，很快地画成一幅地图，在那些曲线、圆点之中，写上地名；胡雪岩看出是一幅闽粤交界的形势图。“李世贤在漳州。漳州是九月十四沦陷的，总兵禄魁阵亡；汀漳龙道徐晓峰殉难。李世贤大概有八千多人，不可轻敌。”左宗棠又指着长汀、连城、上杭这三角地带说：“汪海洋在这一带；照我的看法，他比李世贤更凶悍。然而，不足为虑，贼不足平！雪岩，你这几年总也懂得一点兵法了！你看李、汪二贼的出路在哪里？” 这一下好象考倒了胡雪岩。他仔细看了半天，方始答说“他们是由西面江西逃过来的；往东是出海，有好长一段路，再说没有船也出不了海。北面呢，大人带兵压了下来，啊，”胡雪岩恍然大悟，很有把握地说：“这两个长毛的出路，只有南面的广东，嘉应州首当其冲！” 左宗棠深深点头，拈髭微笑，“对，”他说，“嘉应州首当其冲！到了那时候充饥的就不是画饼了！” 语中有深意。左宗棠没有说下去；胡雪岩不便回——怕自己猜错了，冒昧一关，是大大的失言。 谁知左宗棠毫不忌讳，真的拿胡雪岩当可共极端机密的心腹看待，“郭筠仙一直担心曾涤生'驱寇入粤'，他没有想到'驱寇入粤'的是他的亲家。”他说：“雪岩，到那时候，又另是一番局面了。” 胡雪岩不自觉地打了个寒噤，觉得左宗棠的手段真是太辣了些！虽然，这正是他所猜想到的，但测度是测度，听别人亲口证实，感觉又自不同。 “雪岩，”左宗棠问道：“你倒说说看到那时候是怎么样的一番局面？” “是。”胡雪岩想了想说，“到那时候，朝廷当然借重大人的威望，拜钦差大臣，节制福建、浙江、广东三省的军务。郭中丞——。”他没有再说下去；意思是郭嵩焘在左宗棠“大锯活人”的摆布之下，非吃足苦头不可。 “不错，此亦是势所必然之事。到那时候，雪岩，我不会再累浙江了，不怕郭筠仙不乖乖替我筹饷。不过，”左宗棠沉吟了好一会，“也说不定！郭筠仙愚而好自用；怕他仍旧执迷不悟。” “果然如此，大人又怎么办？” “那就不能怪我了！可惜！” 前后两句话不接气，胡雪岩再机敏也猜不透他的意思；只以此事于减轻浙江的负担关系甚大，不能不追问：“大人，可惜些什么？” “可惜，我夹袋里没有可以当巡抚的人物。” 这是说，如果将来郭嵩焘不能替左宗棠筹得足够的饷；他不惜攻倒他派人取而代之。这样做法，却真是“公而忘私”、“大义灭亲”了。 “到时候看吧！言之过早。”左宗棠对着他手绘的地图凝视了好一会，突然拍案而起，“对，就是这么办！” 接着，左宗棠谈了他的突如其来的灵感。他指着地图为胡雪岩解释，自己的兵力还不够；倘或想用三面包抄的办法，将长毛向广东方面挤，相当吃力。万一有个漏洞填塞不住，长毛一出了海，不管在福建或浙江的海面，自己都脱不了干系，岂不是弄巧成拙？ 因此，左宗棠想请李鸿章的淮军助以一臂。克复湖州之役，彼此合作得还满意；如今再申前请，想来李鸿章不致于拒绝。 “不过，这话我不便开口。”左宗棠说，“如果是我出面相邀，就得替客军筹饷；譬如他派一万人，一个月起码就得五六五银子，再加上开拔的盘缠，第一笔就非拨十万银子不可，实在力有未逮。倘或朝廷有旨意，让淮军自备粮饷，来闽助剿；我们至多备五万银子作犒赏，面子上也就把好看了。雪岩，你说，我这把如意算盘如何？” “是好算盘。不过淮军自备粮饷，恐怕李中丞不肯。他出饷，我们出粮；李中丞就没话好说了，因为他的军队闲摆在那里，一样也是要发饷的。至于请朝廷降旨，只有请福建的京官在京里活动。” “那怕不行。”左宗棠摇摇头，“福建京官，目前没有身居高位的，说话不大有力量。闽浙唇齿相依。浙江在京的大老，雪岩你倒想想看，有什么人可托？” “浙江在京的大老，自然要数许大人；不过，他的吏部尚书交卸了。倒是他的大少爷，在南书房很红；还有他一位侄少爷，是小军机，专管军务——。” “对！对！”不等胡雪岩说完，左宗棠便抢着说，“这条路子再好都没有，请你替我进行。许家杭州望族，你总有熟人吧？” “他家的人很多，我倒认得几痊；不过象这样的大事，也不好随便托人。”胡雪岩想了一会说，“大人，我想到上海去一趟；去看许七大人。一面拿大人交办的事托他；一面想拿许七大人搬到杭州，出面来办善后。” 左宗棠想了一下。觉得胡雪岩这个办法极好——所谓“许七大人”就是小刀会刘丽川起事之时的江苏巡抚许乃钊；如今逃难在上海。他的胞兄，也就是胡雪岩口中的“许六大人”许乃普，以吏部尚书致仕，因为闹长毛不能南归；在京里是浙江同乡的“家乡”。而且科名前辈，久掌文衡，京中大老，颇加尊礼。许乃普的长子许彭寿，是李鸿章的同年，也是道光二十七年丁未这一榜的会元；许乃普还有个胞侄许庚皋，在“辛酉政变”中出过大力，如今是极红的“小军机”——军机章京领班之一，熟谙兵事，精于方略，对军务部署有极大的发言权。所以走这条路子，路路皆通；必要时还可以请许彭寿以同年的交情，写封切切实实的信给李鸿章，更无有不能如愿之理。