Chapter 8 Li Hongzhang presents detailed maps of eight prefectures and five prefectures in Anhui Province to his teacher

Just when the morale of the Jianchang barracks was depressed due to the Sanhe Incident, Ji'an City, which had been besieged for more than two years, was finally conquered by Zeng Guoquan's Jizi Battalion.Then, Bao Chao took advantage of Chen Yucheng's return to the vicinity of Tianjing and Li Xiucheng's resumption of operations in southern Jiangsu. He won several consecutive victories in southern Anhui and gained a firm foothold.Immediately afterwards, Li Yuandu's troops defeated the Taiping Army from Fujian.These victories revived morale.From Ji'an's victory, Zeng Guofan saw the stubborn and unyielding character of the ninth brother and his ability to fight bravely, and decided that he was a person who could be a great man.It just so happened that Kang Fu traveled from his hometown to Jianchang again at this time.Last year, not long after Zeng Guofan returned home, Kang Fu also asked for leave to return to Yuanjiang.The 300 mu of paddy fields awarded to him by Zeng Guofan were managed by Wang Ai's father for him.As soon as he got home, Father Wang made a fuss about marrying another wife for him.Kangfu divided the property into two halves.Half belonged to the name of his younger brother Kang Lu.Kang Fu didn't want to be a rich man for the rest of his life. He wanted to make contributions and honor the ancestors of the Kang family. After receiving Zeng Guofan's letter, he hurried over.Zeng Guofan sent him to Ji'an to reward Jiziying on his behalf.After Guoquan resettled Jiziying, he came to Jianchang with Kang Fu.

The trophy that Zeng Guoquan gave to his elder brother was a copy of "Ouyang Wenzhong's Official Collection".Zeng Guofan flipped through the yellowed and blackened anthology lightly, and asked pleasantly: "This was engraved in the Qingyuan period of the Southern Song Dynasty. It is the earliest engraved copy of Ouyangzi's anthology. How did you get it?" "Ji'an is the hometown of Ouyang Xiu. Didn't my elder brother ask me to pay attention to his left ink?" Zeng Guoquan said triumphantly, "After taking down Ji'an, I don't care whether he is a descendant of Ouyang Xiu or not. Anyone whose surname is Ouyang, I will arrest him and ask them to hand over their left ink, or they will be beheaded."

"How could you do this?" Zeng Guofan didn't expect the ninth brother to use this method to collect the leftover ink. If Ouyang Xiu Jiuquan knew about it, wouldn't he be extremely angry! "If you don't do this, how can you get it?" Zeng Guoquan pointed to the anthology in the elder brother's hand, "In this way, hundreds of people surnamed Ouyang discussed with each other, forcing those descendants of Ouyang Xiu to be helpless. They really couldn't find the left ink, so they used this All the Songs kept in the ancestral hall are used to fill the number."

"Yuanfu, send me back to Ji'an!" Zeng Guofan was angry, and ordered his younger brother with a straight face. "Brother, where can I find such a rare book? If you feel sorry, I will give them three hundred taels of silver." Zeng Guoquan was not convinced. "Ninth Brother!" Zeng Guofan said solemnly, "At the beginning of Xianfeng's three years of brave training, I told you that Chang Mao destroyed Confucius and Mencius and burned books, offending scholars all over the world. Fight for it. In "Discussing Cantonese Bandits", I will protect China's thousands of years of etiquette, human relations, poetry and books and classics to the world, and I also want to win the hearts of scholars. Over the years, the imperial court has lost power, and ordinary people are easy to be wooed by long hair. Only scholars are the strength we rely on. You used the method of beheading to force a generation of Wenzong's descendants to hand over their family treasures. If this matter spreads, won't it cool the hearts of scholars all over the world? Ninth Brother, you want Understand the pros and cons of this!"

The eldest brother's words were reasonable, and Zeng Guoquan fell silent.Zeng Guofan carefully flipped through the anthology and handed it back, Zeng Guoquan silently accepted it. "Yuanfu, take this good opportunity to attack Ji'an, go home once, recruit thousands of people, and expand the Jizi camp to 10,000 people. It seems that Wen Fu's unfinished business of recovering central Anhui is up to you burdened." Big brother's words are too much for Guoquan.This time, a large amount of gold and silver in Ji'an was about to be transported home to buy fields and start a house in preparation for the future. As for raising courage and expanding, it was his wish for many years.

"Brother, no matter for the country or the family, I will fight the long hair to the end!" Zeng Guoquan said impassionedly.After staying in Jianchang for a few days, I hurried back to Heyetang. Soon, Shi Dakai led his troops to leave Fujian and head west via Jiangxi and Hunan.The imperial court analyzed that Shi Dakai might enter Sichuan, and urgently dispatched Zeng Guofan to Sichuan to suppress the blockade.Once in Sichuan, stay away from Jiangning, and in the future can only watch others take it.This was something Zeng Guofan was extremely reluctant to do.He went up to the emperor and asked him to enter Anhui to avenge the Battle of Sanhe.Just after the memorial was sent out, Jing Qi sent a letter.It turned out that this letter was sent by Li Hongzhang from a county town five miles away.The letter said that after parting with his teacher in Beijing in June of the second year of Xianfeng, in the first month of the second year, he went back to his hometown with Lu Xianji, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, to organize a regiment training and fight against Changmao and Nianzi.Over the years, the governor Fuji didn't understand the reason, and the imperial envoy Shengbao was suspicious and excluded in many ways. He was very unhappy in Anhui and wanted to join his mentor. I wonder if he would take him in?

Zeng Guofan smiled slightly after reading it. He knew this Nian family son very well. In the 25th year of Daoguang, Li Hongzhang obeyed his father's order to advance to Beijing, defected to Zeng Guofan's family, and worshiped him as his teacher.Zeng Guofan was very happy to see Li Hongzhang's slender figure, handsome features, elegant speech and suave demeanor. He was also deeply appreciated by Zeng Guofan for Li Hongzhang's eccentricity and unforgettable memory.In the twenty-seventh year of Daoguang, Li Hongzhang and Guo Songtao were selected as Jinshi together and entered the CI library at the age of twenty-five.He is really a young Gaodi, proud of his spring breeze.Zeng Guofan regarded him, Guo Songtao, and Chen Nai and Shuai Yuanxie who entered Hanyuan in the same year as the four gentlemen of Ding Weinian.However, Li Hongzhang was arrogant, lazy, unrealistic, and careless in details. In these aspects, he did not match Zeng Guofan's temperament.Li Wen'an once told Zeng Guofan a story about his son's childhood: The Li family used to raise a tank of good goldfish.One day, Li Wen'an joked with his family that if goldfish gave birth to more babies this year, the disciples would learn more.It turned out that a lot of children were born this year. Li Wen'an counted with his fingers, counting that this one can go to school, and that can go to school, and said that the eldest son Hanzhang can also go to school this year.The next day, all the goldfish in the tank were dead.Wen An was surprised and asked his family members, Hong Zhang admitted it frankly.Wen An asked why he harmed the fish.Hong Zhang said: There are so many people entering school, but I am the only one who does not enter. This fish cannot be kept.Wen An laughed and said: You are only eleven years old this year, how can you go to school?Hong Zhang was silent.From this incident, Li Wen'an knew that although his son was ambitious, his mind was too narrow and his methods were too cruel.

In the past few years Li Hongzhang has won few battles in Anhui and lost many battles, Zeng Guofan also knows this.He even heard someone ridicule Li Hongzhang with the harsh words of "the Hanlin turns into a green forest".Zeng Guofan locked the letter in a cabinet and neither replied nor sent anyone to pass on the letter. He deliberately wanted to frustrate this student's edge. Ten days passed, and there was no movement. Zeng Guofan sent people to Jianchang Hotel quietly to check.The report said that Li Hongzhang was reading and writing in the hotel.Ten days later, Zeng Guofan sent someone to spy on Li Hongzhang again.The report said that Li Hongzhang was still reading and writing, and had no indication of returning to Anhui.On the same day, Zeng Guofan ordered Li Hongzhang to come to the barracks to meet him.

As soon as Li Hongzhang entered the barracks, he hurried forward, walked up to Zeng Guofan, and bowed down to his disciples.Zeng Guofan sat still and did not get up.After Li Hongzhang finished his ceremony, he was invited to sit down.I hadn't seen him for more than six years, and Li Hongzhang had entered middle age. His complexion was darkened due to the war, but his back seemed much tougher than when he was in the study. Recently, Zeng Guofan, who often felt itching in his right eye and lacked energy, saw this stern student in front of him, and he liked and envied him at the same time.

"Shaoquan, you have done a lot of great things over the years, you have become richer, and your officials have become bigger. Are you now a Taoist priest or an inspector?" Poetry and prose are the best for a time, so there are many students, but Li Hongzhang is the only student who has really been taught by him.For Li Hongzhang, he has a kind of affection between father and brother for children.He had been looking forward to Li Hongzhang's arrival for a long time, but he didn't come to join him until he could no longer get along in Anhui. Zeng Guofan was not very satisfied, and he ignored him for twenty days, which also had this reason.

"The teacher made fun of you! The student has long wanted to join the teacher's account, and asked his brother to convey this intention, but Fu Zhongcheng insisted on staying. Fu Zhongcheng is the teacher of the student, and the student is not good at disobedience. This time I don't care if he will He refused, so he made up his mind to leave him and follow his mentor. Although the student is rewarded with the holy grace and given the title of inspector, in front of the teacher, the student will always be just a primary school student." Li Hongzhang's words reminded Zeng Guofan.Indeed, Li Hanzhang once told him that his second child was going to defect, and he hadn't seen him for 20 days. Li Hongzhang didn't take it seriously, and was still so courteous, like a student of Xun Xun in Nian'er Hutong more than ten years ago.The trace of unhappiness in Zeng Guofan's heart disappeared. "Shaoquan, the situation here is narrow, and I am afraid of a giant ship, which is beyond the capacity of Asase. Since you are at odds with Shengbao, why don't you go back to serve in the Imperial Academy?" Zeng Guofan looked at Li Hongzhang and smiled, and the triangular eyes shot out Loving ray. "Teacher," Li Hongzhang said earnestly, "you have always taught your disciples that a man should not be in a high-ranking official and a rich salary, and should not be greedy for personal enjoyment. Instead, he should share the worries of the king and contribute to the country. At present, rebels are rampant and the world is full of turmoil. How can disciples Can you disobey your mentor's teachings, ignore the dangers of the country's refugees, and return to Hanyuan to enjoy the happiness?" It's really hard to change.Years of setbacks have not polished off his edges and corners, and he is still so loud when he speaks, but Zeng Guofan likes to listen.He secretly approved in his heart, but there was no special expression on his face. "In the past few years, my disciples have been bumping from east to west in their hometown. They followed Lu Shilang and Fu Zhongcheng back and forth, but they were at a loss. Like an enemy. After a long time of cold-eyed observation, no matter Fu Zhongcheng, He Zhitai, Hechun, Zhang Guoliang, or Zhang Guoliang, they are not talented in fighting chaos, let alone Shengbao. In fact, there is only one teacher, and teacher Wanwang takes in his disciples, so that in the future, he can follow his teacher Jiwei to honor his ancestors, this is also my father's last words when he was dying." Li Hongzhang was quite emotional when he said this. "Shaoquan, do you want to lead your own way or serve as a counselor when you come to my place?" Zeng Guofan stopped bending his horse and bowed his bow, and asked directly. "Although the student was born as a minister, he has personally experienced the battlefield dozens of times in the past few years, and he understands a little bit of the principles of warfare. The student wants to be a general under the tent of his mentor." Li Hongzhang answered straightforwardly. "Oh, you want to be brave, that's great!" Zeng Guofan said while thinking, paused for a while and said, "However, I am short of a clerical person by my side, so I am wronging you to help me, how about handling the secretary's copywriting for a few days?" ?” In Zeng Guofan's view, the regiment training in Anhui was a mess, and Li Hongzhang's style could not be brought to Xiangyong at all, and he had to learn from him for a period of time before talking. "Okay! This student is about to learn how to draft a memorial from his mentor!" The extremely clever Li Hongzhang hid his disappointment and pretended to be full of joy, "My brother once told me that Yunxian once drafted a memorial, and there was a The four characters of repeated battles and repeated defeats. After reading it, the teacher exchanged the positions of the two characters of "war" and "defeat" and changed them to "repeated defeats and repeated battles". My brother admired this and said that the change of positions is full of spirit. Change. When the student was in Anhui, he heard from Fu Zhongcheng that the teacher’s memorial is unparalleled today. In the past, the student didn’t pay attention when learning ancient Chinese from the teacher, but now he has to make up this lesson.” It was just right for Li Hongzhang to bring up this past event at this time.Zeng Guofan smiled happily and said, "Okay, you go back to the hotel to pay the bill today, and come to the barracks early tomorrow morning." After a few days, Li Hongzhang's work in the Jianchang barracks went smoothly.He carefully observed all the affairs of the shogunate, and felt that there was nothing out of the ordinary. He was competent in everything from inscriptions to paintings. The only thing that was difficult to adapt to was eating breakfast before dawn. Xiangyong's rules are that you have to eat breakfast before dawn, you have to fight a battle, and you don't practice without a battle, and you are not allowed to sleep late.The shogunate is like a military camp.Zeng Guofan set an example by himself and had breakfast with his staff every day.When eating, he talked about the past and the present, talking and laughing happily.At the dinner table, he is no longer a stern commander, but an easy-going friend of his staff. Li Hongzhang has the habit of sleeping late.Usually in his hometown, he would ask the group warriors to get up early in the morning to practice, but he himself would only wake up from his dream after three poles in the sun. In the early morning of the past few days, it was still pitch black, so the barracks set off cannons for dinner.After a while, the soldiers knocked on the door and woke him up. Li Hongzhang was sleeping soundly, so he didn't want to get out of bed!He can't afford an excuse.For three days in a row, Zeng Guofan watched and remained silent.Before dawn on the fourth day, the guards knocked on the door again.Li Hongzhang shouted irritably: "I'm sick, I don't want to eat!" After a while, a staff member came to knock, but Li Hongzhang still couldn't afford it.After a while, Kang Fu came: "Li Hanlin, please get up and have breakfast!" "Tell you I'm sick, why do you keep calling?" "Master Zeng said that you have to get up even if you are sick, and everyone will eat after you go." When Li Hongzhang heard this, his heart became furious. He quickly put on his clothes and staggered into the restaurant.Zeng Guofan glanced at Li Hongzhang, picked up his bowl to eat, and his staff followed suit.Zeng Guofan's face was stern and he didn't say a word.After eating, he put down the bowls and chopsticks, and said word by word: "Shaoquan, since you come to me, you must abide by my rules. The only word here is honesty!" After all, he got up and walked out of the restaurant without even looking at Li Hongzhang.Li Hongzhang was stunned on the bench, silent for a long time. From that day on, Li Hongzhang changed his arrogant and lazy literati habit and learned everything around him humbly. Only then did he realize that the Xiangyong taught by his mentor was indeed different from the regiment training he taught in the past, and he admired him even more from the bottom of his heart.That night, he said to Zeng Guofan: "The student brought a small thing to the mentor this time." After finishing speaking, he took out a roll of paper from the cloth bag, and Zeng Guofan recognized that it was a special tissue paper collected by Ouchi. "Teacher, please take a look." Li Hongzhang smiled and unfolded it, which turned out to be a whole map of Anhui Province.Zeng Guofan turned on the light and looked carefully.The large mountains and rivers in Anhui Province and the boundaries of prefectures and counties are drawn on the map, all of which are marked with names.The scale relationship between the map and the field is also indicated below the map.Although the drawing is exquisite, there is nothing special about it.Zeng Guofan had such a map at hand, but he smiled and said nothing. "Teacher, here are some maps of Anhui branch prefectures. Please have a look at them." Li Hongzhang took out another roll of paper from his cloth bag and opened the first one. The words "Fengyang Mansion" were marked on the top of the map.I saw that this map is very different from the one just now. The names of mountains, waters, counties, and towns are densely marked on the map, and even the names of larger villages and temples are written on it.Zeng Guofan was taken aback: "Shaoquan, do you have a detailed map of Luzhou Mansion?" "Yes. There are eight prefectures and five prefectures." Li Hongzhang unhurriedly found out the map of Luzhou prefecture. Zeng Guofan took the map, opened it hastily, moved his right index finger quickly on the map, and kept saying, "Sanhe, where is Sanhe?" "Here." Li Hongzhang immediately pointed out Sanhe Town. Zeng Guofan fixed his eyes on Sanhe.The situation and place names around Sanhe Town are clearly marked on the map: the town is built at the confluence of Mazha River and Jiehe River, Chaohu Lake is on the east, only forty-five miles away, Jinniu Ridge is on the west, Baishi Mountain is on the east, and a road runs through it. Jinniu Town goes directly to Sanhe Town.This is the first time Zeng Guofan has seen such a detailed map of the sub-fu.Looking at it, his eyes slowly moistened, and his voice hoarse: "Shaoquan, I saw your picture a few months ago, Di An, Wen Fu and Qiqian Xiangyong will not be in trouble." Zeng Guofan flipped through the maps of other prefectures, and found that, like Fengyang and Luzhou, mountains, rivers and towns were clearly marked one by one.This is the map he has dreamed of for many years, unexpectedly it was delivered to the door by Li Hongzhang today.Looking at these maps, Zeng Guofan seemed to see Xiangyong's battle flags being planted on each city, and there was a reliable guarantee for the recovery of Anhui Province and the capture of Anqing.He really wanted to stand up, hold Li Hongzhang's hand tightly, and say loudly: "Shaoquan, your gift is so good, I accept it!" But he quickly controlled his emotions.After all, Li Hongzhang was his junior disciple, how could he lose his composure in front of his junior disciples!He said with his usual expression: "Shaoquan, you have been here for several days, why did you just take out the map of Anhui Province today, do you still have a hand for me?" "Where, where!" Knowing the weight of these maps in Zeng Guofan's eyes, Li Hongzhang said excitedly, "Students are eager to dedicate everything to their teacher, so there is no reason to keep it. The reason why I didn't show it a few days ago is because I am afraid Lu Chou. In the past two days, I saw that my teacher is still using the map of Qianlong's inner palace here, so I dare to dedicate it." Zeng Guofan thought to himself: After all, a few years older, he is much more stable than before.He slowly smoothed his graying long beard, and said: "Maps are not as good as the map of Kangxi's inner mansion. They must be seen and drawn, and all star officials will go to various places to measure the distance according to the degrees of the heavens. Qianlong The map of the Neifu was expanded and expanded, and it is also very accurate. It was written by Feng Zongbo of Qi Ci. Recently, Dong Fangzheng Xiaolian of Yanghu corrected the errors based on these two maps and combined them into one book. Mr. Li Shenqi put them all together. , it is said to be the most accurate map at present. I have entrusted someone to buy it with a lot of money, but I haven’t got it yet. This batch of maps of the branch offices of Anhui Province is indeed much more detailed than the map of Qianlong’s inner government, how did you get it?” "Teacher." Li Hongzhang leaned forward and replied, "At the beginning of the third year of Xianfeng, I followed Lu Shilang to run a regiment training in my hometown. After fighting several battles, I suffered a lot. Most of these hardships came from my unfamiliarity with the terrain. Once, I and Changmao fought and was defeated. He couldn’t find a way to escape. As a result, dozens of brothers died. Fortunately, I was able to avoid death by hiding in the grass. After Changmao left, I asked the local people. They told me After passing through the pine forest, there is a big road. There are two small stone hills on the left and right of the intersection, which are natural fortresses. As long as a hundred archers lie in ambush on the stone hills, even a thousand people will die there. Hey, if I knew the topography of this place earlier, not only those dozens of brothers would not die, but maybe they could turn defeat into victory. So I made up my mind to draw a set of detailed maps, far better than the map of Qianlong's inner palace issued by the court. I learned from the regiment training We selected dozens of people who were literate, quick-witted, and reliable, and sent them to various prefectures to conduct on-the-spot investigations. After ten months, these fourteen maps were finally drawn." "Shaoquan, you have done a very good thing. If the eight provinces in the southeast have such a branch map, we will be invincible." "Master, thank you. Although this map is relatively detailed, it is still too simple for a war. If it is detailed enough to include every small hill, every creek port, and every small village, that would be great." .” "Okay, after the long hair is calmed down, you can do this! Eighteen provinces across the country, all provinces and provinces are drawn, that is really a great thing to benefit future generations." "That's great. Under the guidance of my mentor, I will definitely do much better than what I do now." Li Hongzhang said happily. "Shaoquan, if you give me the map, don't you lose it yourself?" "Yes, I still have another copy, which I drew as it is. I thought at the time, if one copy is lost or damaged, I can have a base to paint again." "It's much better than before." Zeng Guofan thought to himself.After a while, he said to Li Hongzhang: "Shaoquan, I will lead my troops into Sichuan soon, far away from your hometown, why don't you go home and settle down first, and we will meet at Wuhu Wharf." "No need, before the disciple came to Jianchang, the family affairs had already been arranged." Li Hongzhang said, "However, the disciple dared to tell his teacher that Sichuan is not allowed, and there is no need to go." "How do you say that?" Zeng Guofan leaned back in his chair, raised his right hand habitually, and combed his beard slowly.This expression obviously wanted Li Hongzhang to continue talking. "Tonight, there are only two mentors and disciples, and the disciples can speak up!" Li Hongzhang paused for a moment, and said some of his far-reaching thoughts in the Jianchang Hotel, "In the first month of the third year of Xianfeng, Jiangning fell, and the southeast half of the wall emerged. A rebellious country that is hostile to the imperial court, its power is particularly strong in southern Jiangsu, central Anhui, and Jiangxi. Since the rebellion in the sixth year of Xianfeng, Jiangxi has gradually been restored by Xiangyong under the leadership of his mentor. South and Central Anhui. According to the humble opinion of the students, there are only these two main battlefields for the decisive battle with Changmao. Changmao's arrogance is along the river from west to east, west of Jiangning, where Changmao's rear is located, and east of Jiangning , It’s just a long-haired facade. A few years ago, my mentor had understood the secret of this, from Wuchang to Huangzhou, from Huangzhou to Wuxue, from Wuxue to Jiujiang, from Jiujiang to Hukou, advancing step by step, Winning steadily. The disciples watched and thought carefully in Anhui, and saw that on both sides of the Yangtze River, every time the mentor built a city, the arrogance of the long-haired man disappeared. From the bottom of his heart, the disciples admired the mentor's high-level vision and foresight. The disciples have already understood in their hearts that Ping Juxie and Fu Jiangning must be mentors." The more Li Hongzhang spoke, the more vigorous he became, his eyes were bright and his spirit was full of energy, which surprised Zeng Guofan: Today's Li Shaoquan is no longer the old Amen under Wu.He casually picked up the jade ball presented by Mu Zhang'a, and slowly spun it in his hand.This situation reminded him of the one-night conversation with Mu Zhang'a twenty years ago.The fire is passed on after the salary is exhausted, isn't this talented, careful, and insightful disciple just his own fire passer? "The imperial court has cast a net against the traitors in Jiangning. How do you know that I am the only one who will go to Jiangning. Shaoquan, you are not allowed to talk about such a big event." Zeng Guofan interrupted Li Hongzhang, "You said Sichuan is not allowed to go, Can't go, what's the reason?" "Yes, the disciple said it was a slip of the tongue." Li Hongzhang knew that the teacher was cautious, and he just clicked on the meaning, and he immediately turned to the topic, "The reason why the disciple said that Sichuan is not allowed is exactly what I just said, teacher Years of bloody battles have forced Changmao to a corner in central Anhui and southern Jiangsu, but now he suddenly turned around and went thousands of miles away to stop the bandits and give up this ripe peach that can be picked by hand to others. Brother Xiangyong is also reluctant! Even if the disciples are on the side, they still feel wronged for the teacher." Zeng Guofan smiled slightly, and said in his heart: This clever second brother Li, his ability to speak is getting better and better, and his elder brother is far behind. "Besides, Sichuan governor Wang Qingyun has a narrow human resources situation. He has wanted to be the king of Shu for a long time. He will never be willing to let his mentor enter Sichuan. The disciple said that Sichuan does not need to go, which means that Shi Ni has become a bandit at present. The morale of the army is not stable. The morale is not strong. Going to Sichuan is likely to lead to a dead end. Sichuan's troops are strong enough to subdue him, and there is no need to use Xiangyong's sledgehammer. The disciples thought that the mentor should immediately explain to the emperor the reason for entering Sichuan and the need for entering Anhui. Shuaidai explained the reason why he could not leave the southeast. Guan Shuai and Hu Shuai cannot succeed without their mentor. In order to make the court understand the reason, the mentor can order Bao Chao's troops currently in Huizhou and Ningguo to withdraw from southern Anhui temporarily. In this way , Chang Mao will definitely take advantage of the opportunity to enter, and Weng Zhongcheng will rush to the court, and then all parties will submit orders to persuade him to stay, and the teacher will be spared the trouble of entering Sichuan." Zeng Guofan had to admire the insight of this disciple who was twelve years younger than him.Among the main generals of Xiangyong, there are Peng Yulin's loyalty, Yang Zaifu's simplicity, Bao Chao's bravery, Li Yuandu's plan, and Zeng Guoquan's tenacity, but none of them has Li Hongzhang's sober insight into the overall situation and his ingenuity. !Talent is rare!The Liangjiang area has always been a place where people gather together, so we should pay attention to visiting and recruiting.Thinking of this, Zeng Guofan suddenly remembered what Wen Fu said about Zhao Liewen's admonishment. "Shaoquan, you are from Luzhou, and Quanjiao is next to Luzhou. Have you heard of a Yanghu scholar Zhao Liewen who lives in Quanjiao?" "How does the mentor know Zhao Liewen? He is a good friend of the disciple." "That's a coincidence! The last time Di'an and Wen Fu attacked Sanhe by mistake, this person went to the barracks to remonstrate. It's a pity they didn't listen, otherwise there wouldn't be a change in Sanhe. I think this is a man of insight." "Zhao Liewen is indeed an extraordinary scholar. He is not happy to start a career, pays attention to state affairs, secretly studies the art of war, is familiar with geopolitics, and is especially good at planning. He is indeed a good military adviser." Yes, among the grasslands, there are often extraordinary talents. When I come to your hometown in the future, I will definitely visit him personally. " Zeng Guofan took out his diary while talking, and wrote down: "Zhao Liewen, courtesy name Huifu, from Yanghu, lives in Quanjiao, knows the place, and works for painting.Shaoquan strongly recommends it. " "Master He Lao will go in person, and I will write a letter to ask him to come." "No! I'd better go and see him." The teacher and the student kept talking in the barracks until the cock crowed the next day.The next day, Zeng Guofan wrote a letter to Guanwen and Hu Linyi, asking them to intercede with the emperor on their behalf.In order not to displease the emperor, Zeng Guofan set foot on the road to Sichuan with all his land and water troops in Jianchang.When Zeng Guofan was about to arrive in Wuchang, he received an imperial edict.The imperial decree ordered Zeng Guofan to temporarily station in Hubei, and with officials and Hu acquaintances to attack Anhui Province, the troops to aid Sichuan were selected from Hunan.Guan Wen and Hu Linyi congratulated Zeng Guofan on drinking wine in Wuchang.At the meeting, the official document proposed to send Fan Xie, the commander-in-chief of Yongzhou Town, to bring 2,000 people into Sichuan, and Zeng and Hu agreed unanimously.So the official document ordered Fan Xie to enter Sichuan immediately in the capacity of controlling the army.Unexpectedly, this paper order caused a major event that caused a sensation in the whole country.