Chapter 71 Zeng Guofan felt an emptiness like never before when the six towers died

Zeng Guofan's sudden death in his prime was something Zeng Guofan could never have imagined.It was Zeng Guofan who sent Taqibu to the garrison of the Fubiao Zhongying with the rank of the capital. After more than a year, he was quickly promoted to the admiral of Hunan Water and Land.It is also this Taqibu who knows his kindness and repays his kindness. He has won several big battles for Zeng Guofan with all his heart and soul, and has made a strong reputation for Xiangyong.Zeng Guofan needed Taqibu to lead troops to fight, and even more needed Taqibu to create an intimate image of Manchu and Han for him, so as to eliminate all kinds of suspicion, jealousy and all kinds of gossip inside and outside the court and the opposition.Now, when the war is in a dilemma and the situation is unclear, Taqibu died of vomiting blood because of Jiujiang's long-term attack. Zeng Guofan was saddened by this all night.

Early the next morning, Zeng Guofan rode away from Nankang to Zhulindian with a group of senior generals and staff.Weeping beside Taqibu's coffin, Zeng Guofan personally commanded and hung an elegiac couplet written last night on both sides of the mourning hall: "Brave but kind, similar to Cao Wuhui in terms of ancient times; sincerity and sincerity, Youzhang once recommended Guo Fenyang. " He also ordered two thousand taels of silver to be taken out from the Xiangyong Neiyin Money Office, and first sent someone to give it to Taqibu's old mother, and then sent deputy general Yushan with 300 soldiers to escort Taqibu's coffin to Nanchang. After the public sacrifice in Nanchang, Then he was escorted back to his hometown by the garrison in Changchun; he personally drafted a report for the imperial court, and played Mingta Qibu's achievements in creating Xiangyong and winning military exploits many times, and asked him to build a special temple for him in Changsha.In Taqibu's last words, he recommended Zhou Fengshan to lead 5,000 troops stationed in Zhulindian.Zeng Guofan thought that Zhou Fengshan, who was born in the green camp, could not take on this important task. Out of his feelings for Tazibu, he followed his last words.Zeng Guofan took care of Tazibu's funeral in such a thoughtful and meticulous way, and he respected and praised him after his death, which moved Xiangyong general Yong Ding very much.

Not long after Zeng Guofan returned to Nankang, Jiangxi officialdom underwent major changes.Emperor Xianfeng accepted Zeng Guofan's impeachment, removed the governors Chen Qimai and the governor Yun Guangchen from their official positions, promoted the former governor of Hubei Province Wen Jun to the governor of Jiangxi, and the former Jinan Gandao Zhou Yuheng was promoted to the governor of Jiangxi, and Lu Yuanlang remained his governor.Wen Jun is a bannerman, old in officialdom, and well versed in the world.As soon as he took office, he visited Zeng Guofan in Nankang and invited him to live in Nanchang.Zeng Guofan declined, Wen Jun was unhappy.Soon, he saw that Wei Deyinhangbu, the staff around Zeng Guofan, was different.Relying on his experience in the officialdom and the unique sense of smell of a bannerman, he knew that this person had an extraordinary background, so he devoted himself to making friends, and he and Deyin Hangbu recognized the world friendship and had close contacts.Zhou Yuheng was originally Chen Qimai's confidant, and he felt aggrieved by the dismissal of Chen and Yun.However, one was frightened by the imperial court's heavy reliance on Zeng Guofan, and the other was that it was because of this accident that he himself got the chance to be promoted, so he didn't say anything.Wen Jun did not dare to confront Zeng Guofan blatantly like Chen Qimai did, but he was not reconciled to the fact that all the silver in Jiangxi Baihuahua fell into the hands of Xiangyong. Where Yong set up a card, he also added a card, taking more than half of Xiangyong's tax.The people are even more miserable.Officials in Jiangxi, from Si Dao to the prefectures and counties, were dissatisfied with Zeng Guofan's practice of beating long hairs for nothing and collecting lijin hard work. Many prefectures and counties secretly encouraged people to beat Xiangyong Kading in order to squeeze them away and let their own lika dominate the territory .Xiangyong Lika's complaint letters were reported to Nankang one by one, and Zeng Guofan had nothing to do about it.

As for the Taiping Army, Shi Dakai led the main force into the battlefield in Hubei, and recovered several cities one after another in the east and south of Hubei.Lin Qirong and Bai Huihuai were still stationed in Jiujiang and Hukou respectively, Zhou Guoyu was stationed in Meijiazhou, and Luo Dagang was stationed in Xiaochikou. They all stayed on hold temporarily according to King Yi's deployment.The Jiangxi war appeared relatively calm. On this day, Luo Zenan rode alone from Yining to Nankang.Zeng Guofan felt very strange and asked, "Why did Luo Shan come to Nankang?" "There are important matters to discuss." After sitting down, Luo Zenan said to Zeng Guofan, "Jiangxi's military is quiet, and sooner or later there will be a war."

"What do you see?" "Shi Ni led his troops into Hubei to consolidate Wuchang. The purpose of consolidating Wuchang is to ensure the smooth flow of the Yangtze River waterway. Once Wuchang is consolidated, he will make a comeback to Jiangxi. At that time, he took advantage of the prestige of Hubei's victory and Jiujiang, where the troops were recuperating. , Hukou rebels unite, and there will be a fierce battle with our army." Zeng Guofan's eyes brightened immediately, and he said, "Luo Shan is worried." "If the thieves can't secure Wuchang, they won't have time to come to Jiangxi. Therefore, according to Zenan, we must fight against Shi Ni to fight for Wuchang."

Seeing Zeng Guofan nodding his head, Luo Zenan talked eloquently: "The Yangtze River is everywhere. One is Jingzhou, connecting Ba and Shu in the west, and Chang and Li in the south. It has been regarded as an important town since ancient times; the other is Yuezhou, the gateway to Hunan; the other is Wuchang, The waters of the Jianghan River converge, the place where the four Chong battles, and the key points of the southeast provinces; one is called Jiujiang, the gateway to Jiangxi. These four places are all places where the thieves and I are fighting to the death. Today Jiujiang is fighting with the thieves, and the thieves And according to Wuchang, the Yangtze River has lost two vital points. If you want to control the fate of Jiujiang, you must go down from Wuchang. Huangpi and Xiaogan are not the key points for controlling the bandits. In my opinion, reinforcements must be sent from Jiangxi to enter Hubei from Chongyang and Tongcheng. With the three-way pincer attack of Runzhi and Heren, Wuchang can recover. Simultaneously attacking Jiujiang and Hukou will bring about a turning point in the overall situation. If we do not take the initiative to attack and wait for Shi Ni to return from Hubei, the situation in Jiangxi will be even more dangerous."

After all, two eyes wearing sunglasses fixed on Zeng Guofan.Zeng Guofan thought to himself, Luo Zenan's words are good, but can Jiangxi get any troops right now? "My dear brother is right, but how can anyone enter Hubei?" Luo Zenan answered immediately: "This is the important matter I came to Nankang to discuss with you. After thinking about it, I can only lead the 3,000 troops in Yining to go." "Are you going?" Zeng Guofan said in surprise, "Ta Zhiting has just passed away, and Zhou Fengshan can't actually command the Jiujiang Army. The Qingping Jiangyong only had 2,000 men last time, and Wen Fu's battalions had just been recruited. It is my brother's team. If my dear brother leads them into Hubei, Jiangxi's forces will not only attack Jiujiang and Hukou, but even deal with Changmao. go!"

"Disheng, if you really want to regain Wuchang as soon as possible, you can't let Ciqing go. If Ciqing is defeated by Shi Ni, it will only increase the arrogance of the rebel. I have another concern, have you thought about it?" "Are you afraid that Runzhi and Heren are not Shi Ni's opponents?" "No. Runzhi is rich in strategy, and the He people are also brave and good at fighting. It is estimated that Shi Ni will not be able to win easily. I think that Shi Ni's forces have reached Xianning and Puqi, and they are likely to attack Hunan again." Luo Zenan saw the teacup in Zeng Guofan's hand move slightly.

"Disheng, if Shi Ni invades Hunan again, it will be difficult for Ji Gao and Pu Shan to stop them in a hurry. What can this group of bandits without fathers and kings do? Xiangyong has forged a blood feud with them in the past two years , Will they spare the relatives in the families of the soldiers?" Zeng Guofan shuddered in his heart.When Shi Da marched into Hunan, the first thing he would attack would be the lotus leaf pond, the first group he would kill would be his father and children, and the first group he would dig up would be his ancestral graves! "If there is a disturbance in Hunan," Luo Zenan said, "Xiang Yong will definitely shake the morale of the army. Therefore, when Zenan enters Hubei this time, he should divide his army into two groups, one to attack Wuchang, the other to strangle the city and Puqi, and never let Changmao have a soldier One pawn committed another crime in Hunan."

Zeng Guofan thought for a while, and said: "Three thousand troops cannot be further divided. Either concentrate on attacking Wuchang, or concentrate on southern Hubei. However, military plans change rapidly, so let's act accordingly after entering Hubei." Luo Zenan rushed back to Yining overnight.Taqibu died, and Luo Zenan was about to leave again. Zeng Guofan felt a emptiness in his heart that he had never felt before, and he was restless for several days.In the afternoon of that day, it was reported that Liu Rong was seriously ill and bedridden. Upon hearing the news, Zeng Guofan hurried to Liu Rong's side.I saw Liu Rong lying on the bed with her eyes closed, with a look of sorrow on her face.Zeng Guofan touched Liu Rong's forehead, his body temperature was normal, and he looked at the room, it was neatly furnished.Thinking of two days ago, when Liu Rong said that he would take a leave of absence and return to Xiangxiang to visit his mother, Zeng Guofan understood in his heart.The tower is dead, and the military plan is not going well. Zeng Guofan has to discuss major issues with Liu Rong almost every day. How can he leave?He was not happy with the idea of ​​his old friend at this moment.Zeng Guofan knew Liu Rong's character well, so he sat on the head of his bed, gently stroked Liu Rong's face, and said in a sincere and sad tone: "Mei Jiu, Mei Jiu, you must not go away. Are you willing to let me be Ouyang Zi?"

After saying it several times in a row, Liu Rong finally couldn't help laughing, lifted the quilt to sit up, and reprimanded: "Disheng, I'm so upset, you still have the heart to joke." It turns out that there is an allusion here, which no one knows except Zeng and Liu. That was when they met not long ago, and both of them were proud of their writing skills.Zeng Guofan joked once: We are like Ouyang Xiu and Mei Yaochen.Liu Rong said: Then who is Uncle Yong and who is Sheng Yu?Both of them want to be Ouyang Xiu, and they don't want to be Mei Yaochen.In the end, Zeng Guofan said: Ouyang Xiu died later, and Mei Yaochen died first.From now on, between the two of us, whoever dies later will be Ouyang Xiu, and Liu Rong agrees.Unexpectedly, twenty years later, Zeng Guofan still remembered this story, and he still had such a leisurely mood when the current military plan was not going well. "Meng Rong, your mind is chaotic. Do you know that my mind is more chaotic than yours? At this time, can you bear to leave me and go back to Xiangxiang to live a happy life?" Liu Rong's heart softened, but she didn't let go. She said, "You are an important minister of the court. You have responsibilities. I am your personal friend. I have no responsibilities. I can leave whenever I want. Without me, there will naturally be someone to do things for you." Zeng Guofan thought to himself, could it be that Liu Rong has objections to being an alternate magistrate, or has lost confidence in his future?He said: "It's a big deal for you to go home to visit your mother. How can I disagree, and it's not like I'm gone forever. It's just that I can't live without you for a moment. I will share the difficulties today and share the blessings in the future. Listen to If you want to leave, my position is already messed up, and I want to write a poem for you, but I find it difficult to write a sentence." "Okay then, just write me a poem. If it's good, I won't leave." "You must go home. Even if my poem is well written, you won't say it well. How do you judge it?" Liu Rong thought for a while and said, "It's easy to handle. It's good if I smile after watching it, but it's not good if I don't laugh." "Keep your word." "When have I ever said empty words?" Zeng Guofan paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. A quarter of an hour later, he walked to the desk, wrote a poem with a brush, and handed it to Liu Rong: "Look!" When Liu Rong read it, it was a pagoda poem, and she read softly: "Shrimp. Bean sprouts. Sesame cake. The food is not bad. Parents laugh haha. The new daughter-in-law returns to her mother's house. Relatives and friends sit around the table. My uncle is angry when he sees it." It exploded. Everyone looked at him in puzzlement. It turned out that the hunchback and thin neck were full of potholes." Liu Rong remained calm, while Zeng Guofan was a little anxious, holding his breath and not daring to make a sound.After a while, I saw Liu Rong nodding her head twice, and finally burst out laughing. "Okay, laugh, laugh!" Zeng Guofan laughed like a child. "Disheng, you are teasing me with your lotus leaf pond's slang for calling the new son-in-law!" "It doesn't matter if it's slang or village dialect, as long as you laugh!" "Let me add two more sentences for you!" Liu Rong picked up a pen and added two more sentences at the end: "It's really commendable that the talent of poetry has made great progress. Liu Rong gave up and stayed in the barracks to grow bamboo and flowers." "Wonderful, wonderful! Meng Rong, you are really a gentleman of integrity." After leaving Liu Rong and returning to the study, Zeng Guofan became deep in thought.From Liu Rong's leave, he finally understood Luo Zenan's real intention of leaving Jiangxi for Hubei.It turned out that they had lost confidence in the Jiangxi war situation. Luo Zenan, who had a high reputation, wanted to go to Hubei to make contributions, while Liu Rong, who was not very famous, wanted to get back to his hometown as soon as possible.Zeng Guofan was depressed and kept asking himself: Am I really in trouble in Jiangxi?