Chapter 17 Nine Li Hongzhang's small idea freed his mentor from the predicament

For half a month, Zeng Guofan was in a state of extreme anxiety and tension, relying on his tenacious will to hold on, and now he suddenly learned that the danger was over, he was overjoyed, like a tensioned string suddenly loosened, he couldn't control it for a while, and fell down , After a while, he returned to normal.Bao Chao beamed at the story of the battle, saying that he had never fought such a smooth battle in his life. He won a complete victory in less than an hour and killed the long-haired leader Luo Dagang, but it was a pity that the bandit leader of Savage Mountain escaped.Zeng Guofan remembered the line of "Huixu" and thought to himself: This is probably the number of days.While everyone was chatting, laughing and congratulating each other on their narrow escape, a fast horse galloped far away on the Guanma Avenue to the south.In the blink of an eye, the horse ran in front of the crowd, with scorching heat coming out of its two blasted nostrils. Yuan Xunzheng of Jiangxi Governor's Yamen rolled down from the horse's back, and angrily handed over a hundred thousand urgent letter to the crowd. Zeng Guofan.The imperial decree ordered Zeng Guofan to send Bao Chao to lead 5,000 troops to rescue him in Beijing.Zeng Guofan was shocked after seeing it: such an unexpected change happened in the capital!

As early as the fourth year of Xianfeng, Britain proposed to revise the treaty concluded in the 22nd year of Daoguang in an attempt to expand its privileges in China, but was rejected by the Qing court. Since then, Britain and France have joined forces and repeatedly provoked wars along the coast.Two months ago, they landed from Beitang, defeated Seng Gelinqin's cavalry, captured Tianjin, and later defeated Shengbao's troops, approaching the city of Beijing.Emperor Xianfeng fled to Rehe with a group of ministers and concubines in a hurry, leaving Prince Gong Yixin in the capital to negotiate with Britain and France.Emperor Xianfeng accepted Shengbao's request, and on the way to Rehe, he issued a series of edicts, ordering governors and generals from all over the country to quickly bring troops to King Jingqin.The first edict was sent to Zeng Guofan, commander of Xiangyong and governor of Liangjiang.Zeng Guofan received this edict, on the one hand, he was worried about the emperor's dust, and on the other hand, he was in trouble for sending Bao Chao to rescue him.

Zeng Guofan didn't want Bao Chao to stay away.Over the years, Bao Chao's Tingzi Battalion has been the most capable of fighting in Xiangyong.Despite the loss of Ningguo last month, Bao Chao's bravery still made the Taiping army fearful.Inside Xiangyong, there was even a case of pretending to be Tingziying under the banner of Bao Chao to scare off the Taiping Army.If Bao Chao hadn't arrived in time this time, the Qimen old camp would have been completely ruined.Zeng Guofan valued Bao Chao and was grateful to Bao Chao.The situation in southern Anhui is still unclear, and the road leading to Jiangning still needs to be cleared by Bao Chao and Ting Ziying.At this time, how can Bao Chaoyuan go to the capital!Moreover, Zeng Guofan also saw that Shengbao's sinister intentions were buried in it.Zeng Guofan knew the details of Shengbao.

This young man, who was born in Manchuria with a white flag, took advantage of the emperor's special care for the Manchus. In the 20th year of Daoguang's examination, he was awarded the professor of Shuntianfu, and was soon promoted to Jijiu.Shengbao repeatedly wrote letters and made statements. The emperor appreciated his literary talents, praised him as a talented man among the Manchus, and promoted him to a cabinet bachelor.At that time, Zeng Guofan worked in the Imperial Academy, met Shengbao a few times, and read his memorials.Zeng Guofan's view of Shengbao was completely opposite to that of the emperor.He believes that Shengbao has no real talents and learning, and his memorials are only rhetoric and grandstanding, with no real solution to the problem, and he is too arrogant, with a dark evil spirit between his brows.According to Zeng Guofan's matchmaking skills, he concluded that Shengbao would not have a good ending.Unexpectedly, when the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom happened, Shengbao would have good luck.

In the fourth year of Xianfeng, Shengbao defeated Lin Fengxiang's Northern Expeditionary Army in Zhili. Therefore, the emperor granted him an imperial envoy, and specially gave him a divine sparrow sword. Under the deputy general, he had the right to kill.Soon after, Shengbao besieged Li Kaifang in Gaotang, and failed for several months, which angered Emperor Xianfeng, cut his post, and sent him to Xinjiang.In the sixth year of Xianfeng, he was called back and sent to the Anhui military camp for dispatch.In the seventh year, he was given the title of deputy capital to assist in Henan military affairs.

Sheng Bao himself had no army, so he used heavy bait to recruit a leader named Li Zhaoshou of the Nian Army, renamed him Li Shizhong, and recruited Miao Peilin, the leader of the Fengtai regiment in northern Anhui, to protect him as a registered Taoist.Shengbao attempted to use Li Shizhong and Miao Peilin's men as his own army. Li Shizhong was born a bandit, and he always robbed his family and houses, and did a lot of evil. Miao Peilin was ambitious and wanted to be the king of northern Anhui.As soon as Zeng Guofan arrived in Anhui, he regarded the two men as dead from all kinds of intelligence, so he was extremely wary of Shengbao.

Now, Shengbao wants to lead Baochao's Wuqiantingzi Battalion. His ambition is getting bigger and bigger, and he dares to play Xiangyong's idea.How could Zeng Guofan let his abacus turn smoothly!Don't send?This is the imperial decree.The crime of resisting the decree is not light, not to mention that at this time of great change and when the emperor is in trouble, if you resist the decree and do not send troops, you Zeng Guofan always advertises that you are loyal to the emperor and patriotic, isn't it all lies?If the emperor doesn't protect you, what do you want to do with your tens of thousands of Xiangyongs?If Shengbao questioned him like this, the emperor would definitely be furious, and the whole world would share the responsibility. If he hadn't waited for the beheading and extermination of the family, his reputation would have already been ruined, and he would have died without guilt.Zeng Guofan really is not advancing or retreating, he is in a dilemma!

But Bao Chao, a reckless man, didn't know the secrets. He thought that leading his troops to the north to serve the king was a good time to please the emperor and receive rewards for his meritorious deeds. He screamed in anger, scolding his mother's foreign turtle son for being blind, wishing he could fly to the capital to protect the emperor. Master Zeng, saving soldiers is like putting out a fire, what else do you want? Order now!" Facing this simple-minded Admiral Bao, Zeng Guofan couldn't laugh or cry.He wanted to say that the war situation in Anhui Province could not leave him, but he was also afraid that he would get dizzy and take credit for it.Ting Ziying was domineering and arrogant relying on the capital of often winning battles, and did not take other battalions seriously. If he cocked his tail again, he might not even listen to the words of his commander-in-chief.He wanted to tell him that Shengbao wanted to take advantage of Xiangyong's strength to strengthen his own personal power, but he was also afraid that this straight man who couldn't hide his words would spread the words, and he would have an insoluble grudge with Shengbao in the future.Helpless, he had no choice but to use a few words to perfunctory Bao Chao. He was so anxious that he was on fire, wandering around the room all day long, unable to make up his mind.

On this day, Kang Fu reminded: "Hu Zhongcheng has recently stationed in Huangmei, not far from Qimen, why not send someone to discuss with him; Zuo Zongtang is known as Jinliang, you can also ask him." Zeng Guofan felt that it made sense, and immediately sent people to Huangmei and Fuliang respectively to ask Hu and Zuo for their opinions.A few days later, the reply came.Hu Linyi said: "Jiangnan officials fight for help, and courtiers call for help. They can't be corrected; scholars and women complain about it, publish it as a ballad, gossip about barnyard history, and frame it as a book. I'm afraid of this." Zuo Zongtang said: "The thieves in the south of the Yangtze River are very powerful. , is the mainstay of the Hunan Army, and the Tingzi Battalion cannot go north." Hu and Zuo have a clear attitude, Xiangyong should do his best to deal with the Taiping Army, and cannot go north to Qinwang.But not going, what is the legal excuse?At this point, neither of them had a good idea.

Zeng Guofan decided to solicit the opinions of his staff extensively, and ordered each of them to write a statement on the matter.The report was sent, and most people's opinions advocated that it is urgent to save the emperor and father, and immediately send troops according to the order; there are also several reports that it is reasonable to be the king, and to take advantage of the situation to suppress bandits, and it is reasonable to take the situation and let the army be dictatorial.After reading dozens of articles, Zeng Guofan was deeply disappointed. "Master, I didn't write a note." Li Hongzhang came in, and seeing a large stack of papers scattered on the table, he knew that Zeng Guofan was still worrying about this matter.Only then did Zeng Guofan remember that everyone had signed up for the report, but Li Hongzhang was the only one who didn't.

"Why didn't you write?" "Some words are inconvenient to write on paper, I want to have an interview with my mentor." Li Hongzhang replied. "Okay, sit down and talk slowly." Zeng Guofan has always liked talking with people.For a person whom he meets for the first time, in the process of observing words and demeanor, he has a basic understanding of the person, and this understanding has been proved to be mostly correct later on.Therefore, he has the reputation of "knowing people".In conversations with friends and staff, he can get various inspirations and knowledge from the other party's speech.Although the time was lost in small talk, on the whole, the gains outweighed the losses. "Master, this student has been thinking about this for a long time." Li Hongzhang sat down opposite Zeng Guofan, with his palms clasped between his legs.This scene reminded Zeng Guofan of the past in Nian'er Hutong in the capital, where teachers and students often sat and discussed learning like this. At that time, the age of the teacher happened to be the age of the students today. "How time flies!" Zeng Guofan sighed softly in his heart. "Students think that the matter of going to Beijing to serve the king is really empty talk, and it will not benefit the emperor at all." Li Hongzhang was ambitious at a young age, showing his sharpness, and he never knew taboo in speaking and doing things. This point is quite different from Zeng Guofan. "Shaoquan, where did you say that!" Zeng Guofan seemed a little displeased. "Master, the foreigner has already arrived in the capital. If he intends to harm the emperor, he can use the power of foreign guns and cannons to chase Rehe. Whether he can stop it or not, it will only be within three to five days." Seeing what is known, how can there be any reason to deploy troops from thousands of miles away? Either the emperor was stunned by the sudden change, or someone wants to take away Xiangyong's five thousand elites." Li Hongzhang's words were sharp , hit the nail on the head, Zeng Guofan was very happy after hearing this. "Do you think foreigners have the intention of harming the emperor?" The student was no longer the childish scholar of the past, and the teacher unconsciously let go of his airs. "The disciples thought that the actions of the foreigners had no intention of harming the emperor. They were just forcing the emperor to agree with them to revise the contract in order to take advantage of our Qing Dynasty. In the history of foreign invasions, those who want the country will inevitably fight with swords and soldiers, and want gold. Silk children are easy to deal with. Prince Gong is young, but he is very capable of handling affairs. He has always been very respectful to foreigners. According to the students, foreigners can get everything they want from Prince Gong, and there will be no major disturbances in the capital. gone." "Shaoquan, what you said is certainly reasonable, but the northern aid is related to the righteousness of the monarch and his ministers, and the duty of the general. How can the courtiers stand by and watch when the father is in trouble? Even if the foreigners don't go further north, I, Xiangyong soldiers, should be ordered to go to Beijing!" After all, the dignity of the teacher must be maintained, and Zeng Guofan can no longer ask Li Hongzhang in the tone just now.Obviously, he hoped that the students would come up with a way to get the best of both worlds, but the teacher spoke in a lecturing tone.Li Hongzhang was familiar with the teacher's character, so he hurriedly replied: "What the teacher taught is that it is the obligatory duty of the courtiers to save the king's father. The teacher and Hu Zhonghan, who are the governors, should take Xiangyong there in person. Bao Chao is A general in battle is not a one-sided talent, and he is under the command of Shengbao, and I am afraid that the two will be difficult to coordinate. According to the disciples, the teacher can make another memorial based on this, and ask the emperor to appoint one of Zeng and Hu to lead the army Go north to protect the capital. When the imperial decree is issued, send troops immediately." Having said this, Li Hongzhang lowered his voice, "From Qimen to the capital, the memorial will take half a month at the fastest. In half a month, Prince Gong has already met the foreigners An agreement has been reached. By that time, the matter of the Northern Aid to King Qin will have passed through the hills." Clever!Zeng Guofan couldn't help saying in his heart that he had fully understood the beauty of Li Hongzhang's strategy of "according to the order of the soldiers", and a problem that had puzzled him for seven or eight days was finally solved.Zeng Guofan was relieved for a while, and said with a smile: "Shaoquan, then please draw up a note!" On the second day after the memorial was issued, Li Yuandu, a Daoist from southern Anhui who had lost Huizhou Prefecture, came to Qimen with a listless head.When he learned that Qimen had just survived the crisis, he felt extremely guilty.He wanted to plead guilty to Zeng Guofan, but he was afraid that his former classmates would not allow him, so he asked Li Hongzhang to test him out.As expected, Zeng Guofan became furious when he heard it, and said loudly to Li Hongzhang: "He still has the face to see me, but I don't even have the face to see him! Ask him, do you remember the military order that you personally made?" Seeing that the teacher was in a rage, Li Hongzhang couldn't say more, so he had to withdraw gently. As soon as he reached the threshold, Zeng Guofan called out again: "Shaoquan, hurry up and draw up a note for me to participate in the impeachment of Li Yuandu." Li Hongzhang was taken aback, promised a few words obediently, and quickly withdrew. Small in stature, wearing highly myopic glasses, Wannan Daotai, who is known as "God to Li", is a very popular person, and all the staff have complained about him.Because of yesterday's great contribution, Li Hongzhang felt that his status in the eyes of everyone had been greatly improved, so he said in a leader's tone: "Let's go to Master Zeng together and intercede for Li Jianan!" Everyone agrees. When a group of staff members appeared at the door, Zeng Guofan didn't know what happened.Li Hongzhang walked out of the team, bowed to Zeng Guofan, and said: "Everyone says that Li Ciqing's loss of Huizhou Mansion is justifiable, so let's forgive him this time and give him a chance to make meritorious deeds!" It turned out that he had incited his staff to sway his decision-making. Zeng Guofan was so angry that he lifted his triangular eyes and asked sharply: "Li Yuandu lost the city and land, and failed the governor's expectations of him. What's the excuse, you say? " Li Hongzhang felt ashamed to scold him so viciously in front of everyone.He thought to himself: Although I am your student, I am thirty-seven or eighteen years old, and I am also a fourth-rank official appointed by the imperial court. I just helped you through the difficulties yesterday, why don’t I remember today?Besides, Li Yuandu is your good friend, impeaching him would be disgraceful to your face. Thinking of this, Li Hongzhang felt a sense of grievance in his heart, and bravely argued: "It is true that Li Yuandu made a big mistake, but my disciples heard that the main reason for this fall was that Xu Zhong, the deputy general of the green battalion, colluded with Chang Mao. , was able to get the support of the officers and soldiers of the green battalion, and because the salary was not paid for five months. Li Ciqing has only been in Huizhou for nine days, and the main responsibility for the investigation lies with Zhang Fuxian." "Zhang Fuxian has guarded Huizhou for six years and has not lost it. Go find him!" Zeng Guofan sneered. "If you want to talk about losing the city, you have to participate in impeachment. Admiral Bao lost Ningguo Mansion first. It is precisely because of the loss of Ningguo Mansion that Huizhou Mansion was hit. If you want to participate in impeachment, you must first participate in Baochao." "Bao Chao was guilty of throwing Ningguo, and he also saved Qimen. Li Yuandu has been lost in Huizhou for more than 20 days, and he didn't show his face. Where did he go? You haven't heard that there are people who say 'scholars should not lose their yuan, why do you think so? Do you scold him for the couplet of 'Wang Qi Du'?" Zeng Guofan looked at Li Hongzhang fiercely, and all the staff saw that the situation was not good, and they dared not make a sound. "Men." Li Hongzhang saw that Zeng Guofan still refused to give in, so he had to sacrifice the last magic weapon, "Li Yuandu followed you from Xianfeng for four years, and he has made a lot of military achievements in the past six or seven years. My mentor has said to others many times that Yu Li Ciqing has 'Three Do Not Forget' '. Why do you care so much about his mistake today? Wouldn't the hearts of Xiangyong generals be chilled!" Li Hongzhang did not expect that it was precisely these few words that drove his mentor to the edge of the cliff.Embarrassed and angry, Zeng Guofan stood up from his chair angrily, and shouted: "Li Shaoquan, do you want me to bend the law for personal gain? Li Yuandu doesn't participate, what is the law of heaven? What is the law of the country?" "The mentor must participate in Li Ciqing, and the disciples dare not draft." Li Hongzhang also became angry, and stubbornly responded.The disciple's words caught Zeng Guofan by surprise. He wanted to rush forward and reprimand him severely, but he suddenly remembered what the ugly Taoist Chen Fu said about "combining the techniques of the old and the old", and tried his best to suppress his anger. : "Okay! You don't need to draw it up, I will write it myself." Li Hongzhang is an extremely astute person. He knew that setting up the old camp in Qimen was a huge military mistake, and the Taiping Army would never be reconciled to this failure. If there is another north-south siege, Qimen will be ruined .Li Hongzhang has his own lofty ambitions, he can only rely on his teacher to go to Qingyun, he does not want to perish with the teacher, and now he is taking this opportunity to leave Qimen: "The mentor does not need students, so the students will leave." Zeng Guofan was startled for a moment, then said coldly: "Please do what you want!" Seeing that the situation was so tense, all the staff members slipped away in twos and threes.Li Hongzhang was about to move away, but he couldn't bear it: "Men, Qimen can't stay here for a long time. After the students leave, please quickly move the old camp to Dongliu." Zeng Guofan turned his face sideways, waved his hand without even looking, and said, "Go, don't disturb my military spirit." Li Hongzhang felt sad, bowed respectfully to his teacher, then slowly withdrew, packed his luggage quietly, and left Qimen in a small boat with Li Yuandu overnight. Soon, Zeng Guoquan sent a letter from the front line in Anqing, almost begging his elder brother to move to the east of the camp quickly.Zeng Guofan was greatly moved after reading it, and thought that Li Hongzhang was really thinking about him, which also eased his condemnation of Li Yuandu.In the winter of this year, Zeng Guofan finally moved the Liangjiang governor's office from Qimen to Dongliu on the Yangtze River. Now, he will fully support the ninth brother to attack Anqing.