Chapter 99 History outside the Qing Palace (8-2)

The reason for the memorial is called "planning to transfer the battalions to be stationed in the suburbs of Ji, to train the flag soldiers, and to build water conservancy projects."He also knew that for such a move, King Chun must work hard, and suggesting the construction of Jifu water conservancy is tantamount to accusing the governor of Zhili and the governor of Shuntian Prefecture for dereliction of duty, Wan Qingli, who manages Shuntian Prefecture, can be ignored In the eyes, but looking at Li Hongzhang, there are not enough successes and more than failures, so we have to take precautions, and declare at the end: "If the decree is allowed, the minister should communicate with Prince Jin, the governor of Zhili, and Yin Tianfu at any time. For the sake of planning, we can hold them at the same time or one after the other, and we dare not be stubborn.” As for the relocation to Kinki, we should delineate defense areas and build camps. Where are you stationed?"

This memorial was adjudicated by the Empress Dowager Cixi: "The minister of the king of Shenji Ying will discuss the performance together." That is to say, let the king of Chun decide, so Zuo Zongtang immediately went to visit the king of Chun as soon as he retired from the court. King Jin is good at martial arts, and he originally intended to be loyal to Zuo Zongtang, but under the family law of the Qing Dynasty, relatives and ministers were not allowed to interact with each other at will, and now there is a business negotiation, which is justified, and King Jin was given an excellent opportunity, so naturally he refused Let it go, downgrade to greet you, and treat Youlong with courtesy.

After entering the hall and seeing the ceremony again, King Chun asked Zuo Zongtang to "raise the kang" and pushed him to sit on it.The state system was closed, and the guests did not dare to overstep, so they sat down. Zuo Zongtang finally became vigilant because of the persuasive persuasion of his friends in advance, and he never talked about the proud things of the Western Expedition.Under the admiration of King Chun, he was modest for a while, and then got down to business. "The Imperial Army of the Eight Banners has different identities. The prince leads the troops, and he is more kind than powerful. If things go on like this, he will inevitably grow arrogant. To tell the truth from the prince, soldiers must learn to work hard before they can be useful. I have been in the northwest for the past few years. He was invincible in all battles, all thanks to not letting his subordinates idle around. For example..." Zuo Zongtang suddenly stopped, aware that he would not be able to finish talking about this "for example", so he swallowed, and strangled himself very hard. Huatou, add another sentence: "My lord, forgive me."

"That's right, that's right." King Chun replied sincerely: "Wen Bochuan said the same thing in the past. In the early years of Tongzhi, he took Shenjiying to Fengtian to suppress horse thieves. Seeing the officers and soldiers of the Shenji Battalion, all tanned, but full of energy, they were very different from those in Beijing. I was very surprised and asked him why. He had another idea, saying that the capital is too prosperous to be a place for military training. I think that's the truth, but I can't do it." "Yes!" Zuo Zongtang replied: "The pro-vassal ritual system is honorable, and the prince can't often lead troops to camp in Kinki for drills. Moreover, the imperial army defends Gyeonggi, and it is not suitable to be transferred far away. After all, the Shenji camp is led by the prince himself. First-hand training is different after all. What I mean is to start with the Jianrui and Huoying battalions first, and then select the Shenji battalion to serve as errands, so that the prince can have capable people to use."

"It's a good plan. But the young and strong from the Jianrui, Firearms, and Guard battalions have almost all been selected to practice in the Shenji battalion." Zuo Zongtang was stunned.He hadn't studied the rules of the Imperial Army, he only knew that the Shenji Battalion was equal to King Chun's personal army, but he didn't know that officers and soldiers from other battalions were also selected to practice in the Shenji Battalion.As a result, the old, weak and remnant soldiers are left, what else to choose? However, King Jin was thinking about it. He really believed that Zuo Zongtang had the ability to turn decay into magic in training soldiers. He hoped that he could train old and weak soldiers into strong troops, so he said in an open-minded tone: "Ji Gao , are you free that day? I invite you to see fuck."

Hearing this, Zuo Zongtang was very proud.Shenji camp had exercises, and the emperor was only invited to review them. The ministers of the Han Dynasty had never seen the exercises. It was truly an honor to be invited by King Chun. "Your lord's order, why dare you resign?" Zuo Zongtang cupped his hands and replied, "My lord has set a date, please give me a letter." "Okay. I'll ask them to prepare right away." As he said that, he immediately called for the guards of the palace, and ordered the left and right wing commanders of the Shenji Battalion to prepare for the Nanyuan exercise.

Then, he talked about the equipment and garrison of the Eight Banners Forbidden Army.Mentioning that Zuo Zongtang's pro-army stationed in Zhangjiakou moved to the outskirts of Ji and wanted to allocate a defense area, King Chun said that he could not answer for a while, and he had to ask about the situation, follow the edict, and convene a meeting before making a decision. Having said that, the servant came into the room and said, "It's ready." It's "Western photography" ready.King Jin was happy for a while, and wanted to take a group photo, so he specially found a photo studio expert from Huguosi Street.

The photo was taken outside the "Yi Shou Tang", with the screen door closed tightly, and two chairs and a couple of chairs, flower pots and spittoons were displayed in the middle of the door, all colors and colors were displayed.Chun Wang specially changed his official uniform and took a photo with Zuo Zongtang. After solemnly taking the photo, King Chun hosted a banquet for Zuo Zongtang at the Yishou Hall. Zuo Zongtang used to be a hero to deceive others. Seeing the support of King Chun, he was ready to do a big job.Originally, "Military Uniform Stations" had been set up in Tianjin and Baoding to receive and transport the ordnance purchased from Shanghai and transfer them to the Northwest. It was very inconvenient to hand it over, hands and feet tied, so I drew up a memorial by myself:

"The minister came to Beijing on the 27th of the first lunar month to see you. On the 29th, he received a decree: "Academician Zuo Zongtang manages the Ministry of War, walks on the Minister of Military Aircraft, and walks in the Prime Minister's Office of State Affairs. Qin hereby !' God's grace is generous, and the feeling is inexplicable. However, last year, I called out the horse-riding team, stationed in Zhangjiakou to listen to the tune, and set up Tianjin and Baoding military uniform stations respectively. Approval, all official business and letters to various places, it is difficult to stop. As for the payment of Gansu and Xinjiang, I hope that the provinces and customs will cooperate with each other. There are still unfinished matters to the manager. Although the duties are divided, It is still difficult to shirk thanks for the various consultation letters. Should the minister single title borrow the seal of the Ministry of War to deliver, so as to avoid delays, and wait for the empress dowager to implement the instructions of the emperor."

On the surface, this memorial is just a small matter of borrowing the seal of the Ministry of War. In fact, although the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu has been handed over, he still has to manage the affairs of Shaanxi and Gansu and has become the "superior governor".The Empress Dowager Ci'an didn't know what was going on, and when she summoned the military aircraft, she did as requested in front of Zuo Zongtang.So Zuo Zongtang used the seal of the Ministry of War to command Yang Changjun and Liu Jintang, as if he was still the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu. The Shenji Camp watched the exercise, but King Chun was quite serious, and repeatedly took care of the left and right wing commanders: "He is a famous general who has expanded the territory since Qianlong. He has led hundreds of thousands of soldiers. It is not easy to see him. Now invite him to watch the exercise. , don’t let him say that we are worthless, you must cheer up and put on a good show for him.”

Shocked by Zuo Zongtang's prestige, the left and right wing chiefs did not dare to be negligent, and ordered a pre-drill drill, inspecting clothing and firearms, which was more solemn than the emperor's grand parade in spring and autumn.Because the emperor only looked at the surface when watching exercises. As long as the front team had bright clothes and a majestic appearance, and selected some good archers and guns, and they could hit hearts, they could get rewards.Zuo Zongtang is a man who has led hundreds of thousands of soldiers, this trick can't be hidden from him, and King Chun has already said that Zuo Zongtang may personally inspect each battalion, and he must be careful everywhere, so he became more serious. The soldiers of Shenji Battalion were used to it, and they managed to attack Boyan Namo because he was stricter, and asked King Chun to come back.Not wanting to make such a fuss all of a sudden, he complained a lot: "Mouth-mouthed" to vent his anger by making fun of Zuo Zongtang. On the day of watching the exercises, Zuo Zongtang was accompanied by King Chun himself, and went to Nanyuan in a sedan chair.When he got out of the sedan chair to perform on the stage of martial arts, but seeing him wearing a pair of huge black crystal glasses, standing proudly, with a defiant demeanor, the soldiers of Shenji Battalion were even more dissatisfied. "Look at him," one whispered to his companion, "doesn't he look like a mule with a blindfold on? Just call him Zuo Mule. " Zuo Zongtang lingered in Nanyuan all day, watching formations, firearms, and school shooting.He intentionally tortured the soldiers of the Shenji Battalion, and his intention was to let King Chun know how hard the troops went out and marched, far from being able to compare with the Forbidden Army who lived in the capital. It was already dark after watching the closing of the team, Shenji Camp didn't plan to camp, but rushed back to the city, they couldn't do it, they temporarily camped and stayed, they were in a hurry and complained more and more.Wang Shizheng, the Prime Minister of the Camp Affairs Office who went with him to see the exercise, had a ten thousand taels of silver invoice on him, so he took a chance and asked quietly, "Master, should I reward you?" Zuo Zongtang, like Zeng Guoquan, spent money like water on the army.This time, from Lanzhou to the capital, all the soldiers who greeted and escorted the guards along the way were generously rewarded, especially once they entered the Zhili realm, the pro-army sent by Li Hongzhang to escort them was rewarded with thousands of silver.Logically speaking, being invited to watch exercises is not a small face, just out of respect for King Chun, it should be rewarded greatly.But Zuo Zongtang shook his head. "The Shenji Battalion is a forbidden army, and no one except the emperor dares to reward the army. No need, no need!" His idea is not bad, if it is really rewarded with silver, maybe there will be officials to participate in the impeachment, and ask: What is the intention of rewarding the imperial army with subordinates?This is the Yongzheng and Qianlong years, and it is very likely to cause great trouble.Helplessly, the soldiers of the Shenji Battalion did not understand these principles, and they only thought Zuo Zongtang was stingy, so they scolded Zuo Zongtang when he mentioned "Zuo Mule". Just because Shenjiying was deeply dissatisfied with Zuo Zongtang, King Chun's attitude also changed. On the day of Minister Wang's meeting, his expression was very indifferent, but Zuo Zongtang didn't see it, and he was still talking happily about training The charter of the Bannerman. "The Eight Banners also raise idle soldiers. I would like to invite the prince to preside over the selection of 5,000 people to form a battalion. I will pick a few hundred people to serve as supervisors and heads. The total period will be within one year to become a strong army." Zuo Zongtang said with emphasis: "This is something I am sure of." Everyone looked at King Chun, waiting for him to speak, but he didn't speak, so King Gong had no choice but to ask: "Lao Qi, what do you think?" "I'm afraid there aren't that many people to choose from." Zuo Zongtang said, "Just a little less." "It's not interesting any less." Zuo Zongtang was stunned, only then did he see that King Chun was not enthusiastic.Of course, Bao Yun had heard about it a long time ago. Banner soldiers do not welcome "left mules". At this time, he tactfully catered to King Chun, and asked Zuo Zongtang, "Ji Weng, if you train five thousand people, how can you get them?" How much money do you need a year, do you have a budget?" "I've calculated it." Zuo Zongtang replied: "Soldiers' equipment, equipment, tents, ammunition for drills, rewards for watching drills, and additional rations total 300,000 silver a year." "This is very difficult!" Bao Yun has always been in charge of the household department with a bachelor's degree. When it comes to money, he is the most "crying poor", so he reported the cost of preparing for the war since the Sino-Russian negotiations, and finally said: "Now that the new Sino-Russian treaty has been signed, the agreement will be followed immediately. I don't know where to pay the Russians for the huge military expenses? If the indemnity is not paid, the Russians will not withdraw. Ji Weng , do you think about it?" Zuo Zongtang didn't think to answer, he just sat there breathing heavily, as if he was depressed. Seeing this scene, Prince Gong felt that it was time to end, so he looked at Zuo Zongtang in a consulting tone and said, "I think we have to take a break for a while?" So what?Zuo Zongtang felt unwilling and had to agree, and then asked: "How about the construction of Jifu water conservancy?" "Naturally, we need to borrow a lot of energy." Prince Gong said to Bao Yun again: "This is a major issue related to people's livelihood, and the Ministry of Household Affairs has to find a way to raise a sum of money." "Yes. I will let them find a way to raise money." Bao Jun agreed. After some reassurance, Zuo Zongtang became interested again, "Let's talk about the same thing." He said, "Since the training of the flag soldiers is suspended, there is no need for so many people. The cavalry team is not suitable for river work, please show me the prince's instructions." , Are you withdrawing to Gansu?" "That's right! Back to Gansu." "You don't need to have so many infantry. There are two battalions on the left and right, and one battalion can be abolished. However, the battalion officers have to find ways to relocate the soldiers if they are sent bravely." "It depends on what you want." Prince Gong asked, "Ji Gao, which battalion do you want to lay off?" Zuo Zongtang thought for a moment and replied, "Caiyouying." "Isn't Liu Ao the right battalion supervisor?" "Yes." Zuo Zongtang said: "Liu Ao has been with me for many years and has made some military achievements. I want to ask the prince to give him a good job." "What is his identity?" "It is the ready-to-use dao of the second rank top wearer, and it is distributed in Gansu. But there is no shortage of dao in Gansu now." Prince Gong nodded and said, "I'll ask the officials to check it out. According to your wishes, just give him a good job." "I thank the lord for cultivation on behalf of Liu Ao." Zuo Zongtang turned to look at King Chun and said: "We have to invite the Seventh Prince to preside over the repair of Jifu water conservancy." King Jin knew that this was Zuo Zongtang using him as a shield to deal with the constraints that Li Hongzhang might have. "You go to do things, and come to me if you have trouble." "I dare not cause trouble for the Seventh Prince. It's just that doing things is easy but being a man is difficult. Jifu Water Conservancy is different from other places..." So Zuo Zongtang began to talk a lot again, saying that there are many "wangzhuang" in Kinki, dredging rivers and ditches, there will be disputes everywhere, and King Chun must come forward to avoid obstruction. "The dredging can only be carried out in the months after the thaw and before the freezing of the platform. If there is too much rain in summer and autumn, and the mountain torrents rise, and work has to be stopped, there are not many days available. If there are too many obstacles, there will be no day for completion. It’s not a big deal.” Zuo Zongtang said with emphasis: “So no matter what kind of obstruction there is, you have to rely on the great efforts of the Seventh Prince, and you must get through it.” Hearing what he said was serious, King Chun didn't dare to agree hastily, "Tell me," he asked: "Is there something obstructing it?" "Other obstacles are easy to deal with. The most troublesome thing is that some people talk about Feng Shui, and they should take a straight river, but they just ask for a detour." Zuo Zongtang paused and said: "In the past, Yu Chenglong, the governor of Zhili, , in order to protect his ancestral tomb, do not open waterways along the river, causing trouble to this day, can be a lesson for the past." When it comes to geomantic omen, Chun Wang can't help but think of the recent controversy caused by Liu Mingchuan's memorial.When negotiations between China and Russia were tense, the imperial court ordered the senior generals to be invited to the audience. Bao Chao was the first to arrive in Beijing, but Liu Mingchuan delayed his trip until last autumn when he began to go north.After passing through Baoting, I spent several days with Li Hongzhang, had a long talk, and believed that the key to self-improvement lies in the construction of railways.At that time, Li Hongzhang was planning to open the Beiyang Telegraph. He also felt that the construction of the railway and the telegraph would be more effective. In the memorial, it is first stated that "the benefits of the railway should not be discussed in water affairs, relief services, commerce, mining, donations, and travel, especially in the use of troops."Because first, China has a vast territory. "If you draw a border and defend it, you will be invincible, and if you drive to and fro, you will be beyond your reach. But once the railway is opened, the east, west, north, south, and breath are interlinked. The sun is coming, and millions of people will gather at one call." Secondly: "Combined forces are strong, and divisions are weak. Taking the eighteen provinces of China as an example, there are not many soldiers and insufficient salaries. , unable to undertake. If the railway is completed, the momentum will be connected, the blood will be connected, the troops will be cut and the wages will be reduced, and they will become a strong army, defending the border and the sea, and transporting guns and guns. The eight provinces are united into one Qi, and one soldier can be used by more than ten soldiers. In the future, the power of soldiers and pay will be in the imperial court, and the internal will be more important than the external, and will not be restrained by the border officials." Liu Mingchuan believes that there are two main roads in China, the north and the south, and the south road is divided into two: one is from Qingjiangpu via Shandong, and the other is from Hankou via Henan, both of which reach the capital.The northern road runs from the capital to Fengtian in the east and Gansu in the west. If it cannot be developed at the same time, you can borrow foreign debts to build the Qingjiangpu via Shandong to the capital first. This memorial is quite touching, especially the two sentences "The power of military power and salary belongs to the imperial court, and the inside is more important than the outside, and it is not restrained by the border officials." Although Li Hongzhang used Liu Mingchuan's mouth to shoot Zuo Zongtang coldly But in the imperial court, it really scratched the itch.Therefore, the imperial decree ordered Li Hongzhang, governor of Zhili, and Liu Kunyi, governor of Liangjiang, to "consult carefully and make proper arrangements." The opinions of Beiyang and Beiyang are very different. Liu Kunyi opposed it, but Li Hongzhang naturally agreed. He said that the construction of railways is important for national economy, military administration, capital city, people's livelihood, transshipment, postal services, mining, investment promotion, ships, travel, etc. There are great benefits.However, "Borrowing foreign debts, outsiders have to control and occupy the railways, and hinder the use of the country." Of course, this is a disguised attack on Zuo Zongtang's borrowing of foreign debts. Although Liu Mingchuan's original play and Li Hongzhang's replay made many claims that the construction of the railway is "very beneficial", it is difficult to find the same tune in Beijing.There are "three major disadvantages", "nine disadvantages", and "five harms". The main reason is that because of the opening of the railway, I have to dig up the ins and outs of countless ancestral graves. Feng Shui is a disaster Fu is tied, so I strongly oppose it. King Chun intended to come here, he was vigilant, and reluctantly agreed.Zuo Zongtang was quick in handling things, and quickly mobilized the Zuoying pro-army under Wang Debang's supervision, and started to fight first. The local officials knew that he was difficult to provoke, so they had to do their best to support him. Although Zuo Zongtang has learned everything about practical management of the world, he is not an expert in river management. He is called "self-examination and degree of opportunity". In fact, he has never studied it deeply. , he is almost empty and extravagant temperament, so the court officials ridiculed, can be heard everywhere. ※ ※ ※ Negotiations between China and Russia ended peacefully, Yili returned to its territory, and the DPRK and China saw peace again. However, the Empress Dowager Ci'an was physically and mentally exhausted and tired of looking at the DPRK. "I've been really tired for more than a year." She coughed slightly and said to Prince Gong and the Minister of Military Aircraft, "Now it's finally safe and sound. It's all thanks to everyone's concerted efforts to achieve such a result. It's really not easy!" "This is the benevolent virtue of the two empress dowagers entrusted to you." King Gong replied, "Although the Russian affairs have been settled, the aftermath of Xinjiang is still very troublesome. The ministers can only plan carefully and ask for the order to be implemented. The Holy Mother Empress Dowager bows Don’t hesitate, I’m still recuperating, the great government of the court depends entirely on the empress dowager to preside over it, so that the ministers can inherit it. The relationship between the saint and the emperor is very important, and it must be cherished.” "I know." The Empress Dowager Ci'an paused for a moment, trying to force herself to inquire about the aftermath of Xinjiang. "I'm not worried about anything else now. I'm only worried that the Russians will relapse. In the future, Yili will be handed over. How will we accept it?" "Naturally, troops will be sent to receive it. When the new agreement is finalized, there are still many details that will be negotiated with the Russian envoy by the Prime Minister's Office." "Send troops to take over, I'm afraid there will be accidents again, the rules must be clearly stated, so that the Russians have nothing to say." The Empress Dowager Ci'an said again, "Look, do you ask Liu Jintang to come to Beijing and ask them, but What’s the problem? Think of a solution for them in advance. Also, Zuo Zongtang said before that Xinjiang should set up provinces. I remember that it was stipulated at that time, and it will be discussed after Yili takes it back. What should we do now?” "Yes." Prince Gong replied, "It's still early. It won't be too late to discuss when Ili is taken back." "Then you have to ask Liu Jintang and the others." The Empress Dowager Ci'an ordered, "You go to discuss, should you talk to Liu Jintang or Zhang Yao to come to Beijing?" After returning to the Military Aircraft Department to discuss, it was decided to call Liu Jintang's deputy, Zhang Shu, who was the admiral of the Guangdong land route, to help Xinjiang military affairs, to Beijing. This was Zuo Zongtang's suggestion.Because in the future, it will be Zhang Yao who will lead the army to take over Yili. On the one hand, he will ask him what "difficulties" he has, and on the other hand, he will give instructions on the opportunity. It is also advisable to tell Zhang Yao directly. "There are many interesting legends about Zhang Langzhai's life." Bao Yun asked Zuo Zongtang with great interest, "Are those legends true or false?" "I don't know what kind of rumor it is?" Rumors say: Zhang Yao killed a young man and fled to Gushi, Henan.At that time, there was a riot in Henan, and the folks were mostly united to protect themselves. Zhang Yao was brave and able to control the crowd, and was promoted as the leader. Everyone called him "Brother Zhang". In the last years of Xianfeng, Zhang Zongyu of the Nian Army marched into Gushi, and the situation was critical.The county magistrate, surnamed Kuai, has a daughter who is both beautiful and talented, and she loves her very much.Mr. Kuai was thinking in his heart: Once the city is destroyed, he is a magistrate and has the responsibility to guard the land. Naturally, he will live and die with the city, and his family will not be spared.Rather than dying in vain like this, it is better to survive death and find a way out.So he wrote a notice with his own hand and posted it at the intersection.This announcement caused a sensation in the entire Gushi City, and they talked about it happily, as if they forgot that they were in a dangerous city and were in danger. The content of the notice is very simple, it only said that if anyone can defend Gushi City, the county magistrate will betroth his beloved daughter to this person as his wife.This reward is more important than a thousand pieces of gold, but there is no "brave man" who dares to follow Mao Sui's self-recommendation, and they all say: "This kind of beauty can only be enjoyed by Brother Zhang." Under the instigation of his brothers, Zhang Yao was eager to try.The magistrate of Kuai County also knew that there was such a person. When he met him, he had a strong appearance, so he had confidence first.When asked about the strategy of defeating the enemy, I think Zhang Yao's words are more reasonable. Zhang Yao thought that the enemy was outnumbered, and he could not win without surprise soldiers.He said that only 300 people are needed to perform the work, but all of these 300 people need to be strong and strong, and there must be no weak ones.The county magistrate Kuai asked him to pick 300 people, reward them with a big bowl of wine and a big piece of meat, and personally send them out of the city to fight the enemy. Zhang Yao chose a hidden place to ambush, and at the third watch, he made a surprise attack on the enemy camp, running like the wind, unstoppable.It was agreed a long time ago in the city that the county magistrate Kuai dispatched the defenders and civilians to prepare more drums, horns and cannons.Seeing that there was action ahead, there was a lot of momentum in the city, shouting and cheering.The Nian army reacted hastily, not knowing how many officers and soldiers there were, and they had no intention of fighting, so they retreated one after another. At that time, Seng Gelinqin led his famous Mongolian cavalry to help them in the starry night. A few miles away, he saw the officers and soldiers galloping back and forth in the light of the fire, and he was very surprised.When the Nian army was defeated, he rode his horse in person to inquire about what happened. Zhang Yao explained the story, and the monk king was very happy. Ms. Kuai is a veritable "Mrs. Palm Print".She is not only beautiful and talented, but also good at official affairs.Zhang Yao is illiterate, so all official documents are handled by his wife.Outsiders don't know it, and they all say "Master Zhang is a versatile man in both civil and military affairs".Shangguan also took Zhang Yao as a capable member, so his official career prospered and his career skyrocketed, and within a few years he became the Henan feudal secretary. So there was a censor, Liu Yunan, who couldn't get along with Zhang Yao for some reason?He was impeached for being "illiterate".Originally, the governor of Henan Province checked the facts and did not know a single word. How can he manage the civil affairs and finances of a province?As usual, he was changed from civil to military, and dispatched as the chief soldier of Nanyang Town. This is a very embarrassing thing, Zhang Yao is angry and angry, but he has no choice but to ask his wife to be his teacher, and start reading from the "recognition number" like Meng Tong.As he gets older, he naturally has a good understanding and a bad memory. If he can't recite memorization, the "teacher" will often be coquettish and angry, sometimes scolding people so much that they can't get off the stage, but Zhang Yao loves it. "I've seen his ruler letters." Speaking of this, Bao Jun gave an example: "The calligraphy is very impressive, with the bones of the face and the flesh of the rice. I think it is better than Peng Xueqin's blindness and boldness." "This is a reward from Pei Weng." Zuo Zongtang laughed, "It's good for Zhang Langzhai to be afraid of his internal affairs, but the rumors outside are untrue." "It is false, so I ask for advice." "Actually, I don't know much about it. I don't know his native place. First, he was in Shangyu, Zhejiang, then he was transferred to Daxing, and then to Hangzhou. He lived in Tongli Town, Wujiang for generations." Tongli is a well-known and prosperous land of fish and rice, where gambling is very popular. When Zhang Yao was young, he spent day and night in the casino to make a living. Once he played a rascal and criticized a relative of his surnamed Chen.Zhang Yao felt very remorseful, he was young and had a good face, this time he felt that he was ashamed to see others in his hometown, so he went away to Henan to join his uncle, Kuai Hesun, the magistrate of Gushi County. Kuai Hesun also knew that this nephew was a young rascal, unworthy of appointment, and illiterate and useless.However, every county government office in the world has this kind of "official relatives", and the way to deal with them is nothing more than two big pot meals a day and a few taels of silver a month for petty expenses. This is how Zhang Yao eats with his uncle. The trouble is that there is not enough food to eat.Zhang Yao was born burly, he had nothing to do in his free time, playing with stone locks, and being a fairy to train his physical strength, so he ate a lot, and the dinner table was like a storm, which caused others to eat plain rice, and the cook hated him even more.Zhang Yao felt bored, so he had to go on a diet, eat in the yamen, and then go to the food stalls outside to find supplements.As a result, a few liang of silver per month is naturally not enough for pocket expenses, not even money for a shave and a bath. Kuai Hesun scolded him when he saw his unkempt hair and shabby clothes. At that time, the Nian Army had just risen, but its momentum was very strong. The local gentry gathered to see Kuai Hesun, willing to pool money to recruit rural soldiers for self-protection.This is a common method everywhere, Kuai Hesun of course accepted it, and recruited 300 people.But to send a leader, but no one responded, because the number of people is small and there is no training, and it is absolutely impossible to resist the "twisting" and the tighter the "twisting" army. Zhang Yao was eager to try, but he knew that his uncle despised him, so he didn't dare to speak rashly.In the end, he really couldn't find anyone, so he bravely volunteered. Kuai Hesun had no choice, so he handed over three hundred people to him. In the evening of this day, a quick horse came to report that a large number of Nian troops had rushed to Gushi.Kuai Hesun panicked and had nothing to do, but Zhang Yao was very calm, thinking that the three hundred men would not be able to defend the city, but had to lie in ambush outside the city, teaching the Nian army not to know what was true and false, and to run away in surprise, so that they could keep Gu. beginning. Kuai Hesun felt that his words were also reasonable, so he asked him to lead the team out of the city.This night's surprise attack on the enemy's fortress, just as the rumors said, happened to meet the monk king, and under the great reward, with the authorization of the court, he acted cheaply and gave Zhang Yao a fifth-rank top belt.After Kuai Hesun was transferred, Zhang Yao took over his uncle's vacancy and became the county magistrate of Gushi.He started to study, indeed after he was changed from the Henan feudal official to the chief soldier of Nanyang Town, but he also had Yan Yanshi as his teacher, but he was not his wife's student. "There is one thing, you can really see Zhang Langzhai's temperament." Zuo Zongtang said: "Liu Yunan was impeached and dismissed from Fengying Road in Anhui, and returned to his hometown in Xiangfu, Henan. He was poor and bored, and he was so courteous to Zhang Langzhai. Guess Zhang Langzhai's attitude?" "Of course not." Bao Yun replied. "Otherwise." Li Hongzao said, "I will give you a thousand gold." "Yes." Zuo Zongtang nodded, "It's like this every year. The most wonderful thing is that every time I write a letter to Liu Yunan, there is a small seal with four words: 'Illiterate'." "It's not teasing." Li Hongzao admired greatly, "It's to thank Liu Yunan for the virtues he cultivated. Such a heart, really cute." "This is similar to what happened to Fan Xie." The Fan Xie that Bao Yun refers to is also a general soldier, who was severely impeached by Hunan governor Luo Bingzhang because of his ignorance, but it was Zuo Zongtang's idea behind Luo Bingzhang's screen.Fan Xie was dismissed from office and returned to his hometown in Enshi, Hubei. His anger could not be appeased. Teacher Yanming taught his son Fan Zengxiang to read, saying, "If you don't win the Jinshi, you are not my son." , lived up to my father's expectations. "It's my strength to say it. I just wonder if Fan Yunmen has Zhang Langzhai's generosity?" Zuo Zongtang raised his beard and laughed loudly. Because of Zhang Yao's legendary stories, people wanted to meet him, so he made a decision at that time, accepted Zuo Zongtang's opinion, and the military plane drafted an order to summon Zhang Yao to Beijing to accept the opportunity.Then they dispersed. At this time, Zuo Zongtang had already bought a house in the capital and brought in his family members.The first family friend was Pan Zuyin, who was kind to him, and he often had contacts. This day was also Pan Zuyin's treat, so he left the military plane and went to Pan's house for lunch.Pan Zuyin is rich in collections, especially the inscriptions of gold and stone steles. After the banquet, he gave Zuo Zongtang advice one by one.In fact, many Shang and Zhou Dingyi unearthed in Guanzhong were given to him by Zuo Zongtang. At this time, after listening to Pan Zuyin's detailed description of the origin, the textual research is clear and clear. It feels like giving a sword to a martyr, so the host is proud, and the guest is even more proud. Just when Xing Jin was about to leave, the servant came to report: "Lord Tu is here to pay respects!" "Master Tu" refers to Tu Zongying, Governor of Henan Province, from Liuhe, Anhui Province. Once visited, this second visit, you can disappear. "Block the drive!" "Returning to the master, Mr. Tu said goodbye, there is still something to talk about." Pan Zuyin was in a bit of a dilemma. He had a distinguished guest here and had to accompany him. If he invited Zuo Zongtang to meet with him, he was afraid that he would scold Zeng Guofan in front of Zeng Guofan's old department, which would be embarrassing. Zuo Zongtang saw his difficulty and was tired, so he said, "Tu Langxuan is also an old acquaintance. We just met a few days ago and talked about the past. I don't need to see him now." So Pan Zuyin ordered the servant to invite Tu Zongying to sit in the flower hall first, and then opened the middle door to see off the guests. After watching Zuo Zongtang get into the sedan chair, he came back to meet Tu Zongying. After exchanging greetings as usual, Tu Zongying explained why he came here to talk about a case.