Chapter 38 Chapter 6 The fiasco of Jinggang One In order to raise the military salary, he had to play for the corrupt officials and invite him to the Xiangxian Temple

Jiang Zhongyuan and Wu Wenrong were defeated and died successively, which greatly stimulated Zeng Guofan.Jiang Zhongyuan had known Zeng Guofan for more than ten years, and Zeng Guofan appreciated and recommended him.Jiang Zhongyuan lived up to expectations. Since the rise of the army, he has built a brave army in Chu, defended the city, and made military exploits repeatedly. In two or three years, he was promoted from acting county magistrate to governor.In order to thank Zeng Guofan for his kindness, Jiang Zhongyuan reported Zeng Guofan's achievements in practicing bravery in Hengzhou to the court many times, and won him the legal status of expanding bravery.In the years to come, whether on the battlefield or in the officialdom, Jiang Zhongyuan will be Zeng Guofan's reliable friend.I don't want to think that when his fame is rising, he suddenly fulfilled his prophecy of "death with festivals".As if a pillar in his heart was broken, Zeng Guofan felt empty in his heart.Wu Wenrong was the test teacher of Zeng Guofan's 1898 Annual Meeting, and he was a person who had great kindness to Zeng Guofan.Wu Wenrong was transferred from the governor of Guizhou to the governor of Huguang. When passing through Changsha, Zeng Guofan came to meet with the governor.Zeng Guofan left because of his military affairs.After Wu Wenrong arrived in Wuchang, he repeatedly asked Zeng Guofan to send his bravery to help, and he also asked the imperial court to order the dispatch.Because Zeng Guofan was not sure that Xiangyong would go out to fight in the province, he would rather risk disobedience from his mentor and court orders than send a single soldier to the north.He wrote to his mentor, asking him to stick to Wuchang and wait for a few months for Xiangyong to train before sending troops.However, the severe reprimand of the imperial court and the ridicule of civil and military personnel in Hubei forced Wu Wenrong to go to the front line to supervise the soldiers.Two days before his death in battle, he also wrote a letter to Zeng Guofan, saying that he was forced to come to the front line, and he would surely die. Looking around the four provinces of Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan, the only one who could fight Hong Yang was a team from Hengzhou , Zeng Guofan should take care of himself.The death of Wu Wenrong made Zeng Guofan feel deeply guilty.

Suddenly, it was reported that the Taiping Army besieging Wuchang was divided into two. One was led by Wei Jun, the younger brother of the Northern King, and continued to attack Wuchang City. , Jin Yizheng, General Luo Gang and others commanded the Hunan Army under the name of conquering Hunan, and marched into Hunan to open up the road from Tianjing to Guangdong and Guangxi. When the news reached Changsha, Luo Bingzhang rushed to the court.Emperor Xianfeng ordered Zeng Guofan to send troops from Hengzhou as soon as possible to block the southward march of the Xiang army, and then go northward to rescue Wuhan.

After receiving the emperor's decree, Zeng Guofan still stood still.There are several reasons for this. One is that only 80 foreign guns have been ordered from Guangdong, and most of them have not arrived;In the past few months, the navy was recruited and the shipyard was opened, relying on the two hundred thousand taels of silver raised by Guo Songtao.The national treasury is empty, and the money allocated by the court is far from enough.The Hunan vassal treasury only paid the original 1,000 people's salary, and there was no increase in one tael of silver.The soldiers and horses have not moved, the food and grass go first, there is no money, how can the food and grass come first?Even the enthusiasm of the Yongdings in training has been greatly reduced recently.There is another reason that Zeng Guofan can't tell anyone: he intends to send out troops slowly, watch the fire from the other side, and see the embarrassment of Luo Bingzhang and Bao Qibao losing the city and land in front of Changmao, and then he will clean up the mess by himself, and feel proud. it is good?

The foreign guns will come later, Zeng Guofan is not in a hurry.But the lack of silver was what troubled him most.It has been five or six days since the donation notices have been issued to several big gentlemen and big business houses in Hengzhou City, and there is no news at all.Zeng Guofan was very anxious about this matter. "My lord, there has been some progress in the matter of donating wages." Peng Yulin walked into the Zhao family ancestral hall and said to Zeng Guofan with a happy face. "Huh? Sit down and talk." Like hearing a thunderclap during a long drought, Zeng Guofan's eyes shone with excitement.

"Yesterday afternoon, Yang Jian's grandson, Yang Jiang, sent someone to invite me to his home." Yang Jiang is a candidate for the household department, Wailang, who lost his mother two months ago and returned to Hengzhou. His grandfather, Yang Jian, became the governor of Hubei.The Yang family is the richest among the gentlemen in Hengzhou.Zeng Guofan was very interested in Yang Jiang's invitation.Quickly asked: "Are you familiar with Yang Jiang?" "More than ten years ago, Beizhi and him were classmates at Dongzhou Academy and got along well with each other. Immediately, I crossed the river and arrived at the Yang Mansion on the east bank of the river. Yang Jiang said that he had received a letter from his lord, asking him to train Qin Wangzhi in Hengzhou. Master admires him very much, and is willing to do his best to help. In the past few days, several gentry merchants in Hengzhou City have also discussed with him about payment donations."

"Yang Yuanwailang is eager for public service and righteousness. He is really a loyal minister of the country." Just now, he only heard the sound of thunder in the distance, but now it is really going to rain, Zeng Guofan is very happy. "The Yang family is the most influential gentry in Hengzhou City. As long as the Yang family takes the lead, it is not difficult to get tens of thousands of salaries. However, Yang Jiang said that he can donate money, but there is a small request." "What request does he have?" Zeng Guofan's gaze became sharp, and Peng Yulin was slightly taken aback.

"Yang Jiang said, please ask your lord to act on his behalf to the emperor, and allow him to build a virtuous temple in his hometown for his grandfather." Zeng Guofan stroked his thick beard on his chest and pondered for a moment. He knew Yang Jian's situation well.Yang Jian is a native of Hengyang. During the Jiaqing period, he was a Jinshi. He was appointed as the head of the household department.Ou Yangguang, a Beijing official from Hengzhou, invited him to worship in the Xiangxian Temple. Emperor Daoguang severely reprimanded Yang Jian for accepting bribes when he was the governor of Hubei, and his official voice was bad.Zeng Guofan, who was then the concubine of Youchunfang in Zhan Shifu, also ridiculed Ou Yangguang's Meng Lang.

Now he has to come forward and apply for the corrupt official Yang Jian.Ou Yangguang has made the same mistakes before, shouldn't he make the same mistakes?However, time has passed, Emperor Daoguang has been replaced by Emperor Xianfeng, and the military situation is urgent now, and money is hard to come by, the emperor may be considerate. "The matter of Yang Jian's enshrining in the Xiangxian Temple has been refuted. Do you know?" Zeng Guofan asked Peng Yulin. "I've heard about this matter before. Yang Zhongcheng's official position is indeed incorruptible, but he has passed away for eight or nine years. People who have passed away can't bear to criticize too much. I will also help him collect a lot of money while he is alive. If He is a man who takes care of the moon, no matter how ambitious his grandson is, it will be empty."

Zeng Guofan smiled faintly and remained silent.Peng Yulin continued: "We are in urgent need of money right now, as long as he is willing to take it out. Your Excellency may as well write a memorial for him, whether it is the emperor's business. If the emperor refuses to allow it, Yang Jiang can't blame it." "How much did he promise to donate?" "He said to donate 20,000 taels." "The Yang family has at least 200,000 silver in their reserves. It's too stingy to donate 20,000." "Yang Jiang said that he will donate another 50,000 yuan after his lord reports to the court and the emperor approves."

"Cunning!" Zeng Guofan cursed in his heart. "Yang Jiang donated 20,000 yuan, which is a bit low. However, as soon as he took the lead, other gentry and merchants would donate some. The total amount would probably not be less than 70,000 to 80,000 yuan. It's just that they all hope that the court can reward them." "That's natural. I will make a statement to the court and invite rewards for them." "It seems that my lord has agreed to play for Yang Jiang." Zeng Guofan nodded and said, "One piece of paper is exchanged for 70,000 to 80,000 taels of silver, even though you have to take some risks, it is worth it."

"I don't think there will be much risk. The big deal is that Ouyang Yang used to reprimand him. What's more, what your lord has done today is a contingency change purely for the country. The emperor will understand." Zeng Guofan agreed with Peng Yulin's analysis, stroked his beard silently, and kept silent. He was thinking about how to word this memorial properly.