Chapter 51 Jade Seat Bead Curtain (13-2)

"At present, the generals of the battalions who seek to enter Shaanxi may not necessarily be loyal and brave, and there is no need to recruit them. The move of the provinces to pick troops into Shaanxi must be there, and it may not be selected by the minister. I plan to return to Shaanxi after returning to Shaanxi. Pay attention to the matter of salary, how much can you raise soldiers? Then select the officers of the battalion and post, and go to Anhui and Henan to start recruiting. At this time, I really dare not do it rashly." The next step is to protect Liu Songshan.Liu Songshan was indeed very effective in Zuo Zongtang, and because of Zeng Guofan's dispatch, Zuo Zongtang knew it in his heart. At this time, in order to attack Li Hongzhang, he had to temporarily forget the past and praised Zeng Guofan:

"Liu Songshan was originally a late Taoist priest in Hunan, and he was given the posthumous posthumous name Zhuangwu Wang Xin's old department. The minister knew about it more than ten years ago, but he didn't realize it. He was conscripted from Hunan and entered Anhui, and was rewarded by Zeng Guofan. , But there is hope. The minister tastes private opinion: Zeng Guofan is known as a knowledgeable person, and he won Liu Songshan late, especially for his outstanding knowledge. Liu Songshan moved from Anhui and Henan to other provinces. As many as one hundred thousand taels, let him concentrate on dealing with thieves, without worrying about shortages, use it to protect the dying Qin, save the dying Jin, quickly defend Jidian, and take the pawns as horses and thieves as the first in the world. In my heart, is it not the power of Liu Songshan? I use this to subdue Zeng Guofan's understanding of people and seek the loyalty of the country. It is beyond the reach of my ministers. I have to say it from the provinces, and I can't help but see it as the Qin army. Don't look at it as a minister's department. The minister has no real name but lives in his name, and he is ashamed of his heart. He especially respects the grace of God and appoints Zeng Guofan's ability to Liu Songshan. , clearly declared that he believed that the border ministers should be persuaded by those who are responsible for others."

When the memorial was delivered to the imperial court, Empress Dowager Cixi praised it greatly, "Zuo Zongtang's pen is really good!" She smiled and said to Prince Gong, "I finally said a word of conscience to Zeng Guofan." Therefore, at this time, Prince Gong proposed to adjust Zeng Guofan as the governor of Zhili.The governor of Zhili, although he is the leader of the frontier ministers, is close to Gyeonggi, with the government at the top and the governor of Shuntian Prefecture at the bottom.The Empress Dowager Cixi had been dissatisfied with the official documents for a long time. When Wu Tang entered the audience, she wanted to keep him, but Wu Tang refused, thinking that the governor of Sichuan was far away from the emperor and could do whatever he wanted, so her Majesty hurried out of Beijing after seeing that the matter was over.Now Zeng Guofan is transferred to be the governor of Zhili. On the one hand, he will use his prestige to sit in the capital, and on the other hand, he will be asked to train troops, raise salaries, and rectify the administration of officials.At the same time, if the imperial court has difficult affairs, it can be consulted nearby, so the empress dowagers of the two palaces felt that this was the most appropriate arrangement, and they readily agreed.

"So, what about Liangjiang?" Empress Dowager Cixi said, "This is a very important place, and there must be a capable person to go there." "Except for Zeng, Zuo, and Li, the most capable governor of each province is Ma Xinyi." "Ma Xinyi?" Empress Dowager Ci'an was somewhat disapproving, "Isn't the qualification too shallow?" Ma Xinyi is from Heze, Shandong Province. He is on the same list as Li Hongzhang. He was a Jinshi in the 27th year of Daoguang.They have never ordered Hanlin, nor recruited officials in the capital. They are used immediately after the list, and distributed to Dangzhi County, Anhui.Ma Xinyi went to the province on the first day, and had an audience with the chief on the second day. On the third day, the vassal yamen was listed and made up the county magistrate of Jianping, which belongs to Guangde Prefecture.Since then, he has been an official in Anhui, fighting Hongyang and Nian army, from county to government, from government to Taoism, and has been an Anhui feudal secretary.

Hong Yang was pacified, and Ma Xinyi was promoted to governor of Zhejiang. In December last year, he took over Wu Tang's vacancy and succeeded the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang.However, after half a year, the transfer of the governor of Liangjiang was too fast, so the Empress Dowager Ci'an said that he was not qualified enough. "The ministers and others have also discussed it, and it is really Ma Xinyi who is the most suitable." King Gong calmly said: "Ma Xinyi is smart and capable, and he has good integrity. He has served as an official in Anhui for many years and is most familiar with Liangjiang. It takes someone like Ma Xinyi to repatriate those arrogant soldiers and return them to their hometowns."

"This is important." The Empress Dowager Cixi asked, "Ma Xinyi is the same age as Li Hongzhang, how is their friendship?" "They're the best of the same year." "Well, I'm afraid they won't be at peace with each other." Empress Dowager Cixi turned to look at Empress Dowager Ci'an: "I think Liangjiang should ask Ma Xinyi to go." "What about Ma Xinyi's deficiency?" "I'm waiting for a public discussion," Prince Gong replied, "It will still be under the concurrent administration of Fuzhou General Yinggui."

"Will Yinggui go?" Empress Dowager Ci'an expressed doubts. "No, there is no other way." Empress Dowager Cixi said, "Let's settle it like this! Also, Li Hongzhang has to let him come to Beijing for a meeting." "Yes, I also intend to do so. There are many matters related to foreign affairs. You can ask Li Hongzhang for clarification." "Okay! Write the decree right away." So Prince Gong turned around and gave Shen Guifen a wink, he knelt down first and withdrew, looking for "Dalami" to write the imperial edict. "Since Shen Guifen was here just now, I can't tell." The Empress Dowager Cixi explained to the Empress Dowager Ci'an at this time, "Including water transport and river channels, there are ten governors in total, and Han Chinese account for eight. If the governors of Fujian and Zhejiang don't teach Yinggui is also in charge, and if one more Han is released, there will be only one Ruilin left in Guangdong and Guangxi!"

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

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

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

Then, Zuo Zongtang changed his luggage, put on first-class clothes, and ordered a car to pay homage to guests. The first one was to worship King Gong.Among the great officials in Fengjiang, the only one Prince Gong had never met was Zuo Zongtang, but he had admired him for a long time, so when they met, as soon as he knelt down, he quickly helped him up, took his hand, and carefully Looking at it carefully, he said with a smile: "Jigao, I have been friends with you for a long time! Today I saw a lot of talent, and I think of a person, Lin Shaomu." Zuo Zongtang didn't think he was like Lin Zexu, so he replied: "Mr. Lin Wenzhong is a talent for managing the world, but it's a pity that he dedicated himself and died with his ambition." "Fortunately, there are people here, the blessings of the common people." Then, Prince Gong asked about his itinerary, turned to greet him, and asked him to have a "light meal" in the evening. It's called "light meal", but it's actually a table full of Han people, and there are only five guests and hosts in total. Prince Gong only invited the three ministers of the military and aircraft to accompany him in order to talk about the deployment of the Western Expedition.Zuo Zongtang Yixing Trent flew, referring to the situation in Shaanxi and Gansu, and the strategy of marching troops, and referring to the historical facts of the "Ten Great Martial Arts" of Qianlong's Zhongping Huibu battle, he explained it clearly and logically.Although he was full of Xiangyin accent, Prince Gong could not quite understand it, but just looking at his imposing manner was heartbreaking. When it came to the end, Zuo Zongtang's old temper broke out and he began to attack Li Hongzhang and the Huai army. At this time, the attitudes of the three military ministers were different.Bao Jun was very interested. Although Shen Guifen was the same age as Li Hongzhang, she could keep her face and expression calm. Only Wen Xiang felt that something was wrong, so he found a gap to interrupt him and asked, "Ji Weng, are you ready for the training book?" "This..." Zuo Zongtang didn't know much about the rules of entering the pilgrimage, so he was stunned and didn't know what to answer. "Thinking about it, I haven't prepared yet." Wen Xiang said, "I'll ask someone to deliver it for Ji Weng!" "Troubleshooting, worrying!" Zuo Zongtang cupped his hands in thanks, "I will be summoned that day, please write to me in advance from Bo Weng." "Of course." Wen Xiang asked again, "Gui Geng this year?" "I am the same age as Hu Runzhi, fifty-seven this year." So Wen Xiang turned to look at Prince Gong and said, "When Ji Weng enters the palace, he should ask for grace first." Prince Gong understood what he meant. This "grace" was "riding a horse in the Forbidden City", also known as "chao horse".According to the custom, only ministers who are over sixty-five years old can play an invitation, but since the rise of the army, there have been too many famous weapons, so fifty-seven years old is also eligible. After the banquet and the tea break, Zuo Zongtang got up to say goodbye when it was time to start the watch.The three ministers of military aircraft still stayed there to discuss.Of course we have to talk about Zuo Zongtang, "What do you think of this contemporary Zhuge Liang?" Prince Gong asked with a smile. "Nature is far better than Wang Zhaoyuan." Bao Jun replied.Wang Zhaoyuan was the favored minister of Meng Chang in Hou Shu, a very useless person, like Zuo Zongtang, he could call himself Zhuge Liang, so Bao Jun compared him. "Everyone of this generation speaks big words and uses tricks." Shen Guifen said in a very cold tone: "On the day you are summoned, you must prevent him from talking freely. No trouble?" "It's right to worry." Wen Xiang nodded deeply, "On the day of the summoning, Master Liu will lead the class by himself!" "Yes." Prince Gong said again, "But it's better to find someone to say hello to him first, it's more appropriate." "This person is not easy to find." "There is one." Shen Guifen interrupted Bao Jun, "Zuo Jigao will definitely go to pay respects to Pan Boyin, and ask him to pass the camera on." Everyone thought his method was very good, so they asked him to go to visit Pan Zuyin that night, explain why he came, and asked him not to enter the office the next day, and waited for Zuo Zongtang to visit at home, Pan Zuyin naturally agreed. Sure enough, Shen Guifen's predictions were very accurate. The next day Zuo Zongtang paid a sincere visit. Pan Zuyin was kind to Zuo Zongtang, so he knelt down as soon as he met him. I dare not take it!" Then he knelt down and returned the salute. When the footman helped the two of them up, Zuo Zongtang said, "Yin Gong! I bowed today, and I bowed to your two words." Then he read aloud: "'The country cannot live without Hunan, and Hunan cannot live forever. There is no Zuo Zongtang in the day!'” It was the ninth year of Xianfeng. Zuo Zongtang was under the control of Fan Xie, the general soldier of Yongzhou Town. Zuo Zongtang's.Pan Zuyin laughed immediately, "Tell the truth to Jue Shuai." He said, "Everything in my memorial is not what Guo Junxian said." This time Zuo Zongtang was stunned and didn't know what to answer.Pan Zuyin and Guo Songtao worked together to save him, but his rewards were different, because he had a sense of knowing Pan Zuyin, but he was entangled with Guo Songtao, and finally turned against each other.Now according to Pan Zuyin's words, the confidant should be Guo Songtao, where did you start? Seeing the embarrassment of the guest, Pan Zuyin regretted Meng Lang a little, so she broke the conversation, said a lot of things she admired, and thanked him for the huge amount of "charcoal respect" he gave every year. Finally talking about the matter entrusted by Shen Guifen, he asked: "Will the commander-in-chief meet you that day?" "I have to wait for the Military Aircraft Department to make arrangements for me." Zuo Zongtang replied, "We have to talk about it before we can play." "Yes, yes!" Pan Zuyin took the opportunity to say: "Mansion Gong and the princes of the military aircraft all highly respect the marshal." "It should be so!" Zuo Zongtang replied without thinking. This was a bit brazen, and Pan Zuyin found it difficult to speak, but he was entrusted by others, so he had to resign himself to it, so he said tactfully: "The princes of the Privy Council have nothing to discuss. Let’s all help each other and discuss things from the long-term perspective. You don’t have to take the lead in hearing about it.” In Wu Ren's Jing language, his tongue can't be bent, but he spoke very slowly, so Zuo Zongtang heard it clearly, and immediately replied: "As long as the shufu cooperates, I have nothing to discuss, as I said before,' It is always necessary to talk about a rough idea first, before we can play it.' However, if the princes of the Privy Council have some preference, it is hard to say. " Pan Zuyin naturally understood the implication.Li Hongzhang said that the imperial court favored Zuo Zongtang, Zuo Zongtang also said that the military aircraft favored Li Hongzhang, King Gong and Wen Xiang, etc., mediating the generals, exhausted both mentally and physically, the result was not good for both sides, it was a bit unfair to think about it.Although he is a celebrity leader, he is not a person who just caresses the inscriptions on gold and stone tablets. Sometimes he dares to speak out, so he said bluntly: "The words of Jue Shuai have failed the painstaking efforts of the court. Although you have weathered the wind and rain, you have made great achievements in all battles. Little do they know that the ministers in the imperial court are obsessed with gains and losses, and are unwilling to eat, so they make overall arrangements for military affairs and government affairs, and require them to be appropriate everywhere, and the taste of them is enough." "Yes, yes!" Zuo Zongtang immediately took the blame: "I made a slip of the tongue." "Don't dare!" Pan Zuyin cupped his hands and changed the subject, talking about the Ganoderma lucidum produced in the Xiangyin Confucian Temple. There is such a legend outside: In the third year of Tongzhi, Ganoderma lucidum suddenly grew in the Confucian temple in Xiangyin, and this year Guo Songtao was released as the governor of Guangdong, and his family said that it was a sign of auspiciousness.Hearing this, Zuo Zongtang was very displeased, and thought that what should be done should also be due to the matter of his canonization, so he said in a letter of congratulations to Guo Songtao that the general of Ping Hongyang won the battle only after all the battles were difficult. Sealing borders, "and one step can sit in peace", this is the main reason for the disharmony between Guo and Zuo's relatives.According to the public opinion, the song is on the left, but Zuo Zongtang refuses to admit it, but it is not appropriate to talk about it at this time and here, so he just smiled and didn't answer. So the topic turned to those celebrities in Beijing, which Pan Zuyin was most familiar with. He said that Weng Tong and his funeral father had returned to their hometown, Xu Pengshou had already died of illness, and Gao Xinkui was in dire straits.Zuo Zongtang was very familiar with Gao Xinkui, whom Sushun admired the most, and he thought of his old friend very carefully. When I finished my goodbyes and returned to Xianliang Temple, there was already a military aircraft Zhang Jing who was ordered to deliver a letter and was waiting there.Report to Zuo Zongtang face-to-face that the empress dowagers of the two palaces and the emperor will be summoned on August 15th, and they will also be rewarded with "chao horses".After thanking them, he saw the guests out of the middle gate, and then the material officer came in with a lot of invitations. Zuo Zongtang read it over and decided that he would only accept Wen Xiang's appointment and decline all others. He invited Wen Xiang for dinner, but he arrived at Wen Xiang's very early, because he knew that there would not be too many people for the dinner, and Shen Guifen would be there to discuss the plan of the Western Expedition.He believed that Li Hongzhang, the same year Shen Guifen was partial to him in everything, and the intention of going early was to avoid secret talks between Shen Guifen and Wen Xiang. "Zeng Disheng and Li Shaoquan both fought in good places. In Xiyan, Li Shaoquan had 100,000 men, and I only had 5,000 men and horses for a few provinces. He should naturally be the co-organizer." Zuo Zongtang complained first , and then said: "Shaanxi and Gandhi are barren and poor, so when talking about the Western Expedition, the first thing is to talk about raising wages. I want to ask Bo Weng first, what does the court mean?" "Then you have to ask Ji Weng first, how much is the annual salary, have you ever calculated it?" "Shaanxi and Gansu provinces are very different from other provinces." Zuo Zongtang Qu pointed out: "First, the land is barren and the people are poor; Fourth, there are few cattle and horses, lack of seeds and agricultural tools, and many fields are abandoned; fifth, in addition to land money and food, the provinces also have lijin miscellaneous taxes to make up for it. Shaanxi only collects 100,000 taels of lijin a year. Gansu does not even have such a small number; sixth, Changmao and Nianzi surrendered, as long as they are entangled with him and sent back to their hometowns, they will settle down in their own places; the rebels in Shanxi and Gansu are all natives, so they have to raise additional funds to help them Make a living." When Zuo Zongtang spoke up to this point in one breath, Wen Xiang asked after a short pause, "Ji Weng, you haven't talked about military pay yet?" "This is about to be discussed." He first scolded the generals of the Huai Army for deducting military pay, and then said: "Shaanxi and Gansu are short of food, and it is difficult to transfer. The price of food is several times more expensive than other provinces. A soldier bravely It costs one penny to eat two catties of fine grains, and if we follow the method of the Huai Army and pay three taels of silver a month, it will just fill our stomachs, and we can only eat white rice." "Of course there are other allowances. Ji Weng will say the total first, and we will make plans." "I calculated it carefully." Zuo Zongtang replied quickly: "Shaanxi is short of 150,000 to 600,000 taels of salary every year; Gansu is short of more than 2 million taels of salary every year." Wen Xiang was startled: "There is a shortage of three hundred and fifty thousand taels of salary every year?" "Yes!" Zuo Zongtang said again: "The cost of running the farm and recruiting the rioters is not included." "That's the second step." Wen Xiang thought for a while and asked, "Where did this huge sum come from? President Ji Weng also planned it?" "Of course. If you don't have a plan, why dare you take on this big job? Fortunately, the west has been leveled, and Li Shaoquan no longer has to regard the two rivers as forbidden lands. With the wealth in the southeast, to support the armored soldiers in the northwest, let's look at the old man's means!" Say it haha laughing out loud. Wen Xiang has been watching "History of Jin" for the past two days, thinking, there really are people like Huan Wen and Wang Meng in this world!You can only grind with him patiently.Therefore, it was explained that after the Great Rebellion, the aftermath of the provinces was extremely onerous, and it required huge sums of money to do foreign affairs, build ships, and emphasize the strength of the army.In the end, I promised that he would not let him return empty-handed, and the trip was in vain, but the exact amount of "military salary" had to be discussed carefully by the Ministry of Household Affairs. Of course Zuo Zongtang also knew the difficulties of the court, and at the same time he also believed that Wen Xiang was a man of seeking truth from facts, so he was quite satisfied with this result.The host and guest had a good time and parted ways that day. On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, I rode into the palace early in the morning and rested at the military plane first. After the military plane "meeted" as usual, the first person to be summoned was Zuo Zongtang, led by Prince Gong himself.It was Zuo Zongtang's first time entering the inner court. The nine-fold forbidden door was quiet and silent. The guards and eunuchs walked close to the wall all the way. When they saw Prince Gong, they all lowered their hands to say hello. The respectful and fearful majesty of the heavenly family is not intimidating. In terms of people, Zuo Zongtang, who never cared about anyone he met, also made his heart flutter, and felt that the muscles between his shoulders and back were a little tight and cold. Just meditating on the rites of the audience, he had reached the Hall of Mental Cultivation before he knew it. The eunuch opened the curtain and entered the East Nuan Pavilion from the main hall. He could no longer see Prince Gong in his eyes, and only remembered the etiquette taught by his friends, walking in three steps After that, he knelt on both knees and said in his mouth: "The minister Zuo Zongtang respectfully invites Shengan." Then he kowtowed without his crown.According to the rules, the hat should be put on the ground first, and those who have admired the feathers with eyes must put the tails upwards. Zuo Zongtang remembered this, but when he kowtowed his head and stood up and knelt before the emperor, he forgot to put the hat on again. At this moment, he only saw a mat a few steps ahead - this was Youyu, and it was also a reminder that he had to kneel there to play right, and Zuo Zongtang knelt on the mat with his head bare. "Zuo Zongtang," Empress Dowager Cixi was the first to speak, "You have worked hard these past few years." "My minister, Meng Xiandi, knows the kindness of encounter, and he should do his best." "On which day did you leave for Beijing?" "I set off from Lianzhen on the second day of August, arrived in Tianjin on the fifth day, and arrived in Beijing on the tenth day." "Is it quiet along the way?" "After the great chaos, the people have no means of living, but they seem to be quiet in front of them. It all depends on the honesty of the border officials and the rectification of the officials. If the people don't suffer, there will be no chaos." "The imperial court also thinks so." Empress Dowager Cixi continued, "So Zeng Guofan was transferred to be the governor of Zhili. You should help each other." "Yes!" Zuo Zongtang replied, "I admire Zeng Guofan's knowledge of people." At this time, the Empress Dowager Ci'an asked, "Have you taught Zeng Guofan?" "I have given lectures to He Changling, the governor of Henan Province. At that time, Zeng Guofan was an official in the capital, and I never had any friendship with him." "Oh!" The Empress Dowager Ci'an asked again, "Which department do you belong to?" "The minister is Renchen in the twelfth year of Daoguang, and he ranked eighteenth in the Chinese style of the Hunan Provincial Examination." Only then did the Empress Dowager Ci'an remember that Zuo Zongtang was a Juren, not a Jinshi, and she didn't even get the right questions, so she didn't want to talk anymore. So Empress Dowager Cixi asked, "How long have you been out of Beijing?" "The minister went to Beijing three times during the Daoguang period, and the last time was when he left Beijing in the eighteenth year of Daoguang's reign. It has been thirty years since then." "Eighteen years of Daoguang?" Empress Dowager Cixi looked at Prince Gong and asked, "Isn't Zeng Guofan the Hanlin of that year?" "Yes!" Prince Gong knew very well that Zuo Zongtang's regret in his life was that he was not able to be a Jinshi and entered the Ci Lin, but the empress dowagers of the two palaces touched his hidden pain, so he took the opportunity to praise him: "Zuo Zongtang's knowledge is not inferior to that of the Imperial Academy. He is a practical person.” The Empress Dowager Cixi was very vigilant, and immediately said: "The imperial court employs people on their merits, and they don't pay attention to the name of the department. Zuo Zongtang, look, how long will it take for the military affairs in the Northwest to be successful?" This question came to an important point, Zuo Zongtang did not dare to ignore it, thought for a while and replied: "Military affairs in the Northwest must be suppressed and comforted, once everything is done, it will take five years to be able to be a teacher." Five years seems to be too long, but the words "everything is done" made Empress Dowager Cixi very happy.I was thinking in my heart that after five years, it will be the twelfth year of Tongzhi, and the emperor will be eighteen years old, and he can be in charge of the government.At that time, the world was peaceful, and the emperor was paid by hand. The ZTE of the Qing Dynasty came from the heroine, who was worthy of the ancestors and the people of the world.To be the Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty in the girls' middle school is truly the unique, unprecedented and unprecedented queen! Thinking about it now, he flutters like a fairy, brisk as Lingyun and the wind! "You have to work extra hard, and it's best to reap the rewards as soon as possible." She said, "The people have suffered a lot these past few years. It's all thanks to your concerted efforts to put down the chaos as soon as possible, so that everyone can have a peaceful life." "Yes!" Zuo Zongtang unknowingly quoted the words in the "List of Teachers": "I'll do my best, and die only after death"!" Speaking of this, Empress Dowager Ci'an asked again: "Are you almost sixty?" "The minister is fifty-seven years old this year." "The spirit is quite good." "Thank you for your grace, you have a stubborn body." Zuo Zongtang said, "That's all from training in the military camp in the past few years." "Zuo Zongtang," Empress Dowager Cixi mentioned the Western Expedition again, "You must fight all the way from east to west when you suppress thieves!" The meaning of these words is easy to understand. Only from east to west can peace be ensured in Gyeonggi.In fact, Zuo Zongtang's strategy for marching troops is also the same, so he immediately replied: "I would like to obey the instructions of kindness. I have already ordered the army to be on standby in Luoyang. When I leave the capital, I will set up camp to Shanxi, and then cross the river into Shaanxi." .” "This is very good." The Empress Dowager Cixi said again: "The day before yesterday, King Gong gave an interview and said that the military salary for the Western Expedition would cost 3.5 million taels a year. This must be carefully planned." "The military salary for the Western Expedition actually needs to be four million taels per year. I beg God's grace and send it to the Ministry for funding. Only when the salary is paid and the army is stable, and the ministers have no worries, can they concentrate on the front. " "That's a good word." Empress Dowager Cixi hesitated for a moment, looked at Prince Gong and asked, "Sixth Master, what do you think?" Prince Gong was slightly displeased. He originally said three hundred and fifty thousand taels, but now he said "four million taels is really needed". Zongtang wrote a note, and the ministers, the household and the soldiers, carefully negotiated the regulations and asked for the order to handle it." "Okay!" Empress Dowager Cixi nodded: "Let's do it like this!" So King Gong knelt down.Zuo Zongtang knew that the performance was over, kowtowed, stood up, took a few steps back and turned around, still bareheaded, followed behind Prince Gong and left his big hat on the brick floor of the Hall of Mental Cultivation . An Dehai was waiting on the sidelines, with sharp eyesight and quick hands, he rushed forward, put away his hat, and the Empress Dowager Ci'an shouted: "Little Anzi!" "Cha!" An Dehai knelt down and agreed. "You asked someone to send Zuo Zongtang's hat to him." "Cha!" An Dehai agreed, and retreated. So the queen mothers of the two palaces discussed again, because it was a festival, and specially rewarded Zuo Zongtang with "a plate of thirteen four-color moon cakes".The reward was awarded to Xianliang Temple, thanked for the kindness, and developed the reward number. The first time the eunuch just left, the second time the eunuch arrived again, carrying a hat box, and wanted to see "Master Zuo". "Master Zuo's red crown and double-eyed feathers are all lost," the eunuch knelt and said: "I came here specially to return it." "Oh!" Zuo Zongtang was upset and annoyed by this, so he said happily, "It's really hard for you." "Talk to Mr. Zuo, this matter is not known outside." What if you know?Zuo Zongtang was still thinking about it, and the vigilant screen friends on the left and right rushed to his ears, whispered a few words, and he nodded and said, "Okay, you can figure it out." Muyou invites the eunuch sent by An Dehai to another room, first establishes friendship, and then asks about his intentions. The eunuch wants three thousand taels of silver, not less than a penny. How about not giving it?The consequences can be imagined, there must be a Manchurian censor who impeached Zuo Zongtang for his "disrespect", and he must be exempted from discussion. This time, "making trouble" will become a joke. Yuan Rong's expedition to the west has something to do with prestige!Namuyou made the decision for Zuo Zongtang and accepted the eunuch's request.As for Zuo Zongtang himself, he only knew that a reward had been issued again, but he didn't know that he had been blackmailed.He put aside this trivial matter and wrote it himself; he wrote a memorial that "it is difficult to pay for Shanxi, Gansu and Gansu". The army is one million taels. Zuo Zongtang was naturally disappointed.But it's useless to fight at this time. When the troops leave the customs and the military deployment has seen the actual effect, then how many people need how much salary, calculate according to the actual situation, and indicate the source. Don't be afraid that the court will not allow it. .Everyone knew this method of coercion, so he decided to learn smarter, and without saying a word, "passed the sign" to the empress dowagers of the two palaces and the emperor, and left the capital. It was the twentieth day of the eighth month. He was out of Beijing, and Li Hongzhang was in Beijing. The two of them had some entertainment at Xianliang Temple.Then Li Hongzhang "accepted" Zuo Zongtang's residence and lived there for almost a month. This is because he is here to deal with the aftermath, the first thing to talk about is "withdrawing courage"; the second thing is to talk about reimbursement.Both of these things are very troublesome.The imperial court meant that Liu Mingchuan's troops should first be stationed in Gyeonggi. Liu Mingchuan's position was "Admiral of Zhili", and it was justifiable to lead troops to the post.Moreover, Zeng Guofan was transferred to the governor of Zhili. In terms of personal friendship, he had no choice but to find a way to get Liu Mingchuan to help Zeng Guofan.Helpless, the nobleman, who has become famous and rich, is physically and mentally exhausted. He just wants to disarm and return to the farm, and enjoy the title and huge sum of money first. This has put Li Hongzhang in a dilemma, and he himself has the "clay Buddha crossing the river". "The danger. "Shaoquan!" Prince Gong said to him like this, "The meaning of the superior is that Zuo Jigao is afraid that Zuo Jigao will not be able to support himself alone, and there will be a place to rely on you in the future. Therefore, the Huai army should weed out the weak and retain the strong, and make preparations." Li Hongzhang is absolutely unwilling to lead troops to fight again!On the one hand, fighting is too hard, on the other hand, "military merit" is enough.Especially fighting with Zuo Zongtang, not only suffering, but also being angry, the "meaning" above must be dispelled no matter what. "My lord!" He replied in a very solemn tone: "I dare not report the truth to the grand plan of the military and the country. Ping Hongyang, Ping Nian Army, the experience of more than ten years of hard fighting, there is only one sentence: the power of affairs must be unified. On the other hand, if it weren’t for the government’s decree to control the armies with the princes, and there are so many generals and governors in Zhili who are doing their own thing, I’m afraid the situation will be unspeakably bad.” These words are flattering to King Gong to explain that "power must be unified", which is naturally very pleasant, so King Gong nodded and said: "This is very true. Especially Ji Gao's temper, everyone knows that if the Western Expedition does not go smoothly, It must be changed to handsome, and the imperial court will naturally deal with it properly." This is even more incredible!If you stay in the Huai army to prepare for the suppression, you can also send your generals into Shaanxi. According to what Prince Gong said now, the Western Expedition is unsuccessful and he is easy to be handsome. If you are to replace Zuo Zongtang by yourself, then you have to visit the former enemy in person. If you can't reap the merits, you have to die in Qin Long. "My lord!" He said, "Zuo Ji is a great talent, and he regards the management of the Northwest as his life's ambition. If he still has no achievements, let alone anyone. What's more, the generals of the Huai army, I am not the one who said something in front of the lord." If you are discouraged, it will be difficult to fight a hundred battles, and your vigor will be exhausted. It is really 'the end of a crossbow, not enough to wear Lu Jin'." "Then..." Prince Gong looked at Wen Xiang who was present and said, "I'm afraid there will be no result for the discussion on withdrawing troops." "In Beijing, there is no way to talk about the result." Wen Xiang looked at the overall situation and made a suggestion: "The aftermath should be planned in an overall way. It is one thing to eliminate the weak and retain the strong, but where does the food and salary come from? It is another matter. It is a matter of laying off the brave and sending capital. In addition, military training is another matter. The great chaos is brought to an end, all kinds of wastes are waiting to be implemented, especially the westernization is urgently needed to be carried out, and a large sum of money is needed, and the western salary has only raised one million. Where will the shortfall fall? It must be done first. Make preparations, wait for Zuo Jigao's bill to pay, and then we can deal with it." "Alas!" Prince Gong was a little annoyed, and said with emotion: "A single word for coming and going: money! " "That's right! It's just a word for money. So the lifeblood of the world is Liangjiang in the southeast wealth area, and Gyeonggi is the heart, and Huguang is the arm. Let the three governors meet and have a good talk, and the matter will be clear. gone." "Okay!" Prince Gong immediately made a decision: "Shaoquan, you go to Jinling and ask Ma Gushan to discuss the regulations with Zeng Disheng. Anyway, you know the meaning of the court, as long as the overall situation can be maintained in a stable manner." Let's start, how do you say it, how good it is!" "Talk back to the prince. My original plan was to go to Liangjiang first after leaving Beijing to meet my teacher, and then to Wuchang in the first year to take over the affairs. However, my teacher may not accept the seal of the direct supervisor." Mentioning this, Prince Gong became upset again.Although Zeng Guofan did not clearly express his unwillingness to take office in the Xie En Zhezi for Zeng Guofan's transfer to the direct governor, there is an "attached piece" that says: "Ding You was not able to end up at home twice; , Looking forward to the pine and catalpa, it is difficult to sleep in peace and sleep." He also said: "It is a matter of guilt to suppress the twisters for nothing; but after returning to office, he was not diligent in his duties, and many official affairs were neglected. All ministers apologize, and when they arrive in Beijing When the time comes, I will play it all." It means that I have done my loyalty, and now it is time to show my filial piety. When I come to Beijing to see you, I will definitely meet and play. I will ask for leave to return to my hometown to visit the grave, and I will resign from the governor.Listening to what Li Hongzhang said now, the implication of the "attached film" became more and more clear.This has to be cleared up early. So Prince Gong made a very firm statement: "Shaoquan! In all fairness, how long should your teacher take a rest, but in such a situation, who can do nothing? Not to mention your teacher's virtue and talent, the country There is absolutely no need for this person! Your junior brother has a very good relationship, I ask you to persuade him on your behalf, if you refuse to accept the words of the direct supervisor, it is best not to say it, once it is said, it will not help the matter, and it will only hurt the relationship." Li Hongzhang's mind was very active all the time, thinking that the "teacher" really insisted on resigning directly to the supervisor, and his superiors did not want to force others to make things difficult, so he would try to persuade Zeng Guofan to "recommend the virtuous to replace him", so he publicized his teacher's tireless intentions everywhere.Listening to Prince Gong's tone now, it must be someone else, he has given up his heart in front of his eyes. Therefore, he agreed very earnestly: "Your Majesty, please rest assured! I will definitely persuade my teacher to follow the imperial court's wishes and come to accept the direct supervisor." Prince Gong was very fond of him, and said a lot of words of please.But Li Hongzhang had something to do, but he couldn't ask King Gong to mediate.Forty million taels of silver were spent on Ping Nian's military expenditures. Although they came from Liangjiang, they had to be reimbursed to the Ministry of Household Affairs.His idea is that it is best to exempt from the cancellation of military expenses like Ping Hongyang's military expenses. For this reason, he went to see Bao Jun and Luo Dunyan, Shangshu of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and offered hints, but Bao and Luo refused silently, so he had no choice but to Another way. The first step is to ask someone to make friends with the book office of the Ministry of Household Affairs. Please go to the restaurant for a drink and inquire about how to reimburse the 40 million taels of silver and pass the customs smoothly? The real power of the six ministries is in the hands of the officials, and the officials must rely on the book office, so the key to "passing the customs" lies in the book office. Do it differently.Originally, the six departments of officials, households, rites, soldiers, criminals, and workers were compared with six characters: rich, noble, mighty, poor, and humble.The book offices of the Ministry of Officials and the Ministry of Household Affairs occupy the word "rich", but they are really well-deserved. However, there are internal distinctions between the officials and the book office of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the responsibilities of the fourteen "official officials" are different.On this day, people from Li Hongzhang’s side invited the book offices of the “Jiangxi Division” and the “Guizhou Division” as the hosts and guests, because the Jiangxi Division audited the provincial association salaries, and the Guizhou Division audited the customs tax revenue. are closely related. There is another host and guest, which is even more important. This person is a pen post style of the "Northern House" of the Ministry of Households.The general account of the Ministry of Households is under the management of the Beifangfang. Only the Beifangfang knows the exact amount of the country's annual expenditure and revenue.同时北档房负复核的责任，报销的准与不准，最后就要看北档房，因而这个名叫乌克海的笔帖式，被奉为首座。 代作主人的是一个山西票号的掌柜，姓毛行三，他这家票号跟淮军粮台有往来，李鸿章在京里有什么应酬馈赠，常由他出银票过付。跟户部的人极熟，三天两头在一起，不是酒食征逐，就是听戏“逛胡同”，下馆子吃饭，照例要“叫条子”。但这天却只是“清谈”，因为要商量“正事”，而这件正事的关系出入甚巨，不足为外人道的缘故。 酒过三巡，毛三开口了，“乌大爷，”他说，“都不是外人，敞开来谈吧！'那面'托我先请教、请教各位的意思。” “这也用不着我说，部里的规矩，你不是不知道。”乌克海说，“我们哥儿几个，倒不妨先听听那面的意思。” 这话很难说，毛三只受托探问口气，不能放下什么承诺，想了想自作聪明地说：“从前曾大人……。” 刚提了这一句话，乌克海就打断了他的话，“嗐，还提那个！”他痛心疾首地说，“那时候倭中堂'管部'。这位道学老夫子，根本就不懂什么叫人情世故，也不跟大家商量商量，糊里糊涂就上了个折子，平洪杨的军费免予报销。这倒也不是便宜了曾大人，是便宜了他下面的粮台。都要照倭中堂这个样，我们家里的耗子都得饿死了。” “那么，”毛三问道，“乌大爷，你也别管部里的规矩不规矩，反正托的是我，也总不能说是非按规矩办不可。这话是不是呢？” “当然，熟人是熟人说话。等我们商量、商量再说。” 三个人坐到一边，悄悄低语了一番。其实这是做作，应该开个什么“盘子”早就在部里商量好了来的。 “别人来说，是这个数，毛三爷，看你的面子，这个数。” 乌克海比着手势，先伸一指，再伸三指。 “一三？”毛三问道：“一厘三毫？” “对了，一两银子一厘三。报多少算多少。” “这个……，”毛三问道，“能不能再少一点儿？” “一厘不能少。”乌克海斩钉截铁地回答。 由于乌克海的口风甚紧，无可通融，毛三也就不必多说。散了席随即赶到贤良寺。李鸿章对此事特别关切，降尊纡贵，特别找了毛三来亲自问话。 磕过头起身，毛三斜签着身子坐在椅子上，把乌克海的话，照实说了一遍。李鸿章心想，两江地方，前后数年为平捻所支出的军费，总在三千万两左右，照一两一厘三毫扣算，一千万就得十三万；三千万左右，就得四十万两银子，这笔数目不小了。 “部里原来是什么规矩？”李鸿章问道：“你可晓得？” “回中堂的话，这没有准规矩的，看人说话。” “噢！”李鸿章要弄明白，是看报销的人说话，还是看居间的人？这得弄清楚：“如何叫看人说话？” “象中堂这样，他们不敢多要。”毛三又说，“再要看各人的做法怎么样？我们这面漂亮，他们那面也漂亮。” “嗯，嗯。”李鸿章虽没有说什么，心里在估量毛三到底是为自己说话，还是为对方说话？ “再有句话，不敢不跟中堂回，那班人真正是又臭又硬，事情越早办越好，晚了还花不进钱去。” "why?" “人防虎，虎也防人。”毛三低声说道，“晚了，那班人只当另有布置，就不敢要了。” 由这句话，李鸿章知道毛三相当忠实，因为他说的话很中肯。这件事一起了猜疑之心，不敢要钱，那就一定公事公办，尽量挑剔，事情就会很棘手。 “你倒是个肯说老实话的人，很好！辛苦你了。” 说罢，李鸿章手扶一扶茶碗，廊上的戈什哈便喊“送客”，毛三赶紧站起身来要叩别，李鸿章已经哈一哈腰，往里走了进去。 “搞他娘的！”他走到幕友办公的那间屋子里，坐下来便骂：“真正是'阎王好见，小鬼难当'！” 李鸿章与左宗棠的脾气不同，左宗棠是讨厌谁骂谁，而李鸿章骂人，不一定就表示他对被骂的人不满，所以他的幕友，明知他是骂户部的胥吏，都不接口，要听了他的意思再说。 “我十几年不曾进京，来一趟也不过花了十万银子，那些小鬼要我四十万，那里来？” 四十万两银子，诚然是个巨数，但幕友中各人的想法不同。有的吓一跳，那是不明淮军军饷支出的人，明了的，就不觉得多了。 “大帅！”管章奏的幕友，很平静地说：“江宁的折差刚到，涤相有封信，只怕里头有谈到报销的话。” 那是一定的！此事与曾国藩密切有关，而且调任直督，在两江经手的大事，必须作一交代。从西捻平后，他与他老师函牍往还，一直就谈的是撤军与报销。果然，曾国藩的这封信中，提出了他对报销的处理办法，打算“实用实销”。 一看这四个字，李鸿章便觉刺心，知道又有麻烦了。 再取信中附来的奏折草稿，看出是曾国藩的亲笔。笔划之间，直来直去，跟他方正的性情一样，少波磔顿挫的捭阖摇曳之姿： “从前军营，办理报销，中外吏胥，互相勾结，以为利蔽。此次臣严饬属员，认定'实用实销'四字，不准设法腾挪，不准曲为弥缝。臣治军十余年，所用皆召幕之勇，与昔年专用经制弁兵者，情形迥异；其有与部例不符之处，请敕部曲为鉴谅，臣初无丝毫意见，欲与部臣违抗也。” “我那老师，真正是可欺其以方的君子。”李鸿章顺手把奏稿递了给幕友，“你们看看！” “话是说得再好都没有，招呼打在前面，户部的堂官，心里会很舒服，不过，司官以下的人，看了就不舒服了。” “'中外吏胥，互相勾结，以为利薮'，骂得倒也痛快！”李鸿章就在这片刻间，心思又已一变，心想让老师骂一骂也好，有人在表面骂，自己在暗地里做人情，相形之下，便越发会令对方心感。所以他接下来说：“事缓则圆，留着慢慢再说。” 这是在大庭广众间说的话，私底下他另有处置。派人告诉毛三，托他转告乌克海，说这件报销案，于公于私，都得听曾国藩主持，目前他还不能有确实的答复，但他个人，将来无论如何一定会有一番“意思”，请他们放心。这样先把部里的胥吏稳住了，然后写信给曾国藩，隐约表示，即使有这道奏折，部中怕仍旧要照例挑剔驳复，与其以后“随驳随顶”，不胜其烦，不如早作部署为妙。当然，劝是这样劝，曾国藩听不听又是一回事，反正他已经准备花钱了，就不听也无所谓。 于是，过了重阳，摒挡出都。一路思量，这趟入觐之行，公私两方面都还算顺手。到金陵看了老师，然后回合肥过年，等年初五做过生日，奉母到武昌接任，从此以后，又另是一番境界了。 “我半生事业，尽在两江、山东。江苏从上海到常州，这一片膏腴之地，是我从长毛手里拿回来的，我那里还对不起江苏人？江苏的京官丧尽良心！”李鸿章这样对他的幕友说，想起江苏京官对他的种种为难，越说越愤慨，“不是我，翁叔平那里去回乡葬父？我们在前方出生入死打仗，他们在京里升官玩古董，结果是以怨报德，真正叫人寒心。” 大家都不明白他这样大发牢骚，是何用意？只有默然听着。 “安徽骂我的人也不少，不过总是家乡。山东，虽然丁宫保处处掣我的肘，百姓对我是不错的。我这一走，总得留下点去思才好。” I see!立刻便有幕友献议，说曲阜的孔庙丹漆剥落，尼山书院自军兴以来，久已荒废，如果能筹一笔款子把孔庙修起来，不但山东的老百姓高兴，凡是读书人亦无不心许。 对此建议，李鸿章击节称赏，立刻就商定了办法。 办法并非他自己捐几万银子，这不是舍不得，更不是拿不出来，只是一不愿过于沾丁宝桢的面子；二怕有人骂他沽名钓誉。所以只上了一个奏折，请在撤军完毕以后，由两江、湖广各筹两万银子，解送山东，并由山东巡抚自筹两万，一共六万两银子修孔庙。 再有一个奏折，是由为安徽留去思，扩大到为匪患各处的百姓请命，凡安徽、江苏、山东、河南、湖北五省，捻军所流窜盘踞的各地，同治六年以前的钱粮，请旨概行豁免。 这两个奏折就在旅途中拜发。然后到江宁与曾国藩见面，谈好了撤军、报销两件大事，衣锦荣归到合肥过年。曾国藩接着也动身进京。