Chapter 40 Six, let's go our separate ways

What Li Hongzhang said was right.On the land of China, Gordon sued Li Hongzhang for killing Jiang, but there was really no way to sue him.He quarreled around for a while, and the reactions from all parties were indifferent, and he himself felt bored. In the end, he threatened to resign as the leader of the Ever Victorious Army on the grounds that his reputation had been damaged.Li Hongzhang also relied on Gordon's foreign gun team to regain Wuxi and Changzhou, so he could not offend him too much, so on the one hand, he sent a statement to the diplomatic missions of the United States, Britain, France and other countries in Shanghai, explaining that Gordon's original intention was to pardon the surrendered general. He was not present at the time of the surrender, which was decided by the Chinese themselves and had nothing to do with Gordon; on the other hand, a reward of 60,000 yuan was given to the Ever Victorious Army, of which 10,000 went to Gordon himself.Gordon not only protected his reputation, but also received generous rewards, so he never sued or resigned.

Li Hongzhang used both soft and hard methods to control Gordon's wrist, and won unanimous praise from the officialdom. Zeng Guofan was deeply satisfied with this.At a breakfast meeting, he happily said to his staff: "Shaoquan has been through experience. There is no other trick for controlling foreigners. It is to use both soft and hard hands alternately, and use them well. Last year, the Prime Minister's office sent a letter saying that Hart suggested Buy a well-equipped fleet from the UK and ask me if I can adopt it. I replied that it is very good. Hurd and the British government are nothing more than trying to make a fortune from this. Is this money for him? We benefited even more. Later, Hurd entrusted Li Taitai to buy them. Li Taitai bought seven ships and one barge with two million taels of silver. Not wanting Li Taitai to hide his ambitions and want to control the fleet, he secretly negotiated with them. The British Navy Captain Aspen signed a four-year contract, stating that Aspen only obeyed the orders of the Chinese emperor conveyed by him, Li Taitai, and no one else would interfere. Aspen recruited 600 sailors in the UK without authorization. The Prime Minister’s Office First he refused, and declared that he could only obey the restraint of Chinese officials. Then Aspen threatened that if he was not allowed to command, he would take the fleet back to England and disband it. Everyone, how arrogant this Aspen is! We bought it with money. What qualifications does he have to disband the fleet? But the Prime Minister’s Yamen compromised with Aspen and recognized his command. I was really confused. After I learned about this, I immediately wrote to Prince Gong, preferring to throw away two million taels of silver for nothing. Even if I went into the sea, I couldn’t accept Aspen’s unreasonable demands. Later, King Gong accepted my opinion and withdrew the ship. Although he only got back the original price of 500,000 taels, he finally fought back. There are two stages in this matter In the previous stage, knowing that foreigners wanted to profit from it, I turned a blind eye and let him make money. This is softness. In the later stage, if foreigners want to ride on my head, then I absolutely cannot agree, which is hard.

Shaoquan has learned his skills, and it seems that he will be able to deal with foreigners in the future without suffering a big loss. " The staff all praised together: "This is all well cultivated by Mr. Zhongtang!" Zeng Guofan was not only happy that his disciple had acquired the true meaning, but also worried about his younger brother because of the aggressive aura of this rising star.It should be said that Li Hongzhang regained Suzhou and created an excellent situation for the siege of Jinling. Why couldn't Lao Jiu seize this great opportunity and take Jinling in one go?If Li Hongzhang regained the whole of southern Jiangsu, even if Lao Jiu wanted to take the first victory in Jinling, the court would probably not agree.We must try our best to promote his early success!It just so happened that Kang Fu came back from northern Jiangxi recently, and Zeng Guofan ordered him and Zhao Liewen to go to Jinling with 200,000 taels of silver to try their best to help Lao Jiu.

Zeng Guoquan has always respected Kang Fu and Zhao Liewen.With their help, the deployment of the siege was adjusted.At this moment, Li Chendian and Xiao Fusi came with 30,000 new brave recruits from Hunan. The Jizi camp expanded to 50,000, and with the addition of 20,000 Yangtze River Navy, the total number of land and water troops was 70,000. Surrounded like barrels, but the main passage is completely under control. The details of the intrusion into the city continued to deliver important information: Although Li Xiucheng was named a loyal military advisor and stayed in the city to dispatch the kings, at the same time Hong Xiuquan sealed more than 2,700 kings, large and small.The number of crowned kings is unprecedented!In the Hong family, even the cooks and porters were crowned kings, and the villains who were good at drilling camps could get the title of king by bribing Hong Renfa, Hong Renda and others with dozens of taels or hundreds of taels of silver, but many hardworking people were not crowned kings. When he arrived at the king, people were very dissatisfied.Later, Hong Xiuquan also knew that there were too many kings, so he changed the titles of those who had no military exploits to Xiaowang, and the two characters were connected to write "dust".Those who have been dusted off are not happy either.In the entire city of Tianjing, the political chaos reached the point where it couldn't be worse.Li Xiucheng was helpless in the face of this chaotic situation.A few days later, it was reported that Hong Xiuquan had named Chu Tianyi and Kang Lu the King of Chu, and was in charge of the general deployment of the thirteen defenses.After hearing this, Kang Fu thought to himself: This Chu king Kang Lu is probably his younger brother.The failure of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is a foregone conclusion, and the fall of Jinling City is only a matter of time. As an elder brother, how can he sit idly by while his younger brother is facing destruction?I should go to the city and persuade my brother to rein in the precipice.However, Kang Fu is also well aware of his brother's temperament, so he does not have high hopes for this trip.So, without telling Zeng Guoquan and Zhao Liewen, he disguised himself as an ordinary citizen and sneaked into the city from Tongjimen.

Tianjing City has turned into a military camp, and all you can see everywhere are soldiers who are starving and exhausted due to lack of food.Most of the people went out to look for food, and there were not many left.The shops were closed, the horses were galloping, and the air was filled with the choking smell of gunpowder smoke.This beautiful ancient capital of the Six Dynasties has once again been reduced to a bloody battlefield. The newly-appointed king of Chu, Kang Lu, is well known to everyone, and Kang Fu found out easily.Kang Fu waited until midnight outside his palace, a very ordinary private house, before he saw two lanterns leading the way, and a young man in battle robe riding over.The three of them entered the room together, only to hear a few brief conversations in the darkness: "What else does your lord want?"

"Go and rest, and wake me up at five o'clock." "Then we're leaving." "Let's go!" Two lantern bearers came out of the house, closed the door, and went into a smaller room next to it.Kang Fu knew that the young man on the horse was the king of Chu.He gently pushed the door open, and saw that the man was sitting at the table, staring at a dim oil lamp with his back in a daze. "Who?" Hearing footsteps, the man turned his head abruptly and found a stranger standing in the room.It really is my brother!Taking advantage of the moment the man turned his head, Kang Fu saw clearly.Ten years have passed since the two brothers had a hasty face-to-face meeting on the eve of the collapse of the city of Wuhan.

"Brother, I'm your brother!" Kang Fu walked over excitedly, stretching out his hands to hug his brother. "Brother?" The man instinctively took a step back, his right hand already clenched the hilt of the sword at his waist. "Brother, I am your elder brother Kang Fu, don't you recognize me?" "Brother!" Kang Lu finally recognized him, and rushed towards his brother.The two brothers hugged each other for a long time, speechless. "Brother, how have you been all these years?" After a long time, Kang Fu let go of his hand, and the two brothers sat opposite each other under the oil lamp, telling each other about the past ten years.Kang Fu told his younger brother that he lived in his hometown for two years, got married and gave birth to a son, and renovated his parents' cemetery.Kang Lu didn't seem to have much to talk about with his brother.In the past ten years, he has moved from east to west, and there is no quiet day. He always puts the matter of marrying a wife and starting a family behind every day. "The Huns are not destroyed, and there is nothing to do with family", this sentence that his father said when he was very young left a deep impression on Kang Lu's heart.After eliminating the Qing Yao, he would start a family, he kept telling himself this way.However, the Qing Yao has not been wiped out, and the heaven that he has dedicated his blood to serve is in jeopardy.

"Brother, are you still working under Zeng Guofan?" Kang Lu asked.Kang Fu nodded. "What is the official position?" Kang Fu smiled and shook his head. "Not an official?" Kang Lu was a little surprised. "It is said that my younger brother has been named the king of Chu, but unfortunately I cannot congratulate you, elder brother." "Don't congratulate." Kang Lu said flatly, "I didn't mean to show off what kind of king I was when I asked just now. There are kings everywhere in Tianjing City, and kings have become worthless. What I mean is , my brother worked hard for Zeng Guofan from birth to death, and Zeng Guofan did not reward my brother with an official position, did he not treat his brother too harshly?"

"You can't say that." Kang Fu said frankly, "There are many people without official positions in Mr. Zeng's tent. Mr. Zeng is much more polite to these people than to those who have official positions. He often tells people that those who have official positions I treat people with the same courtesy as subordinates; those without official positions, I treat them with the courtesy of friends. Therefore, in Mr. Zeng’s tent, people without official positions have a higher status than those with official positions.” The elder brother's words made the younger brother very fresh. He had never heard of such a governor's office.

"Has Zeng Guofan himself come to Tianjing?" Kang Lu became alert. "No. He is still in Anqing, and he probably won't come until Jinling is captured." "Oh!" Kang Lu breathed a sigh of relief, "Brother, we are brothers and sisters, tell me the truth, what is the purpose of sneaking into Tianjing this time?" "Let me tell you the truth. Brother, I'm here to rescue you from the sea of ​​suffering." Kang Fu moved his body towards his younger brother. In the light, he saw his younger brother's expressionless face. "Bitter sea?" After a moment of silence, Kang Lu asked coldly, "How can I save it?"

"Brother, you may not understand the current situation." Looking at his younger brother's expression, Kang Fu was extremely anxious, "Two days ago, Hangzhou was recovered by the Chu army, and Wuxi and Changzhou were also captured by the Huai army. Southern Jiangsu has been restored. In your so-called Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, there is only Jinling, an isolated city. Although Jinling is big, it is only a city after all. How long can it last? Brother, you are powerful and talented, but the situation is gone. How can one person save it? The destiny is so, how can human beings resist it?" Kang Fu said something terrible, but Kang Lu remained indifferent and unmoved by it. Kang Fu continued solemnly: "Brother, as your elder brother, how can I see death come to you and not save you? My brother has planned two ways out for you." "Which two?" The question was still calm. "Brother, you can use your current status to contact your comrades, kill Hong Ni, and surrender the city. With such a great contribution as a brother, the court will definitely be extra lenient and reward the deputy general, just like Wei Jun and Cheng Xueqi. This is The first way out." "Brother wants me to be Gao Yun's official?" Kang Lu's words clearly contained strong anger. "No, no!" Kang Fu argued hastily, "The matter of Gao Yunguan is rare, and I don't know if there are other reasons. But I can make it clear to my brother that he surrendered to Mr. Zeng. My lord once said to me personally that as long as brothers abandon the dark and turn to the bright, they will be reused." "Is there another way out?" Kang Lu didn't seem interested in this way. "If brother thinks the previous way out is not good, there is another way. Brother will go out of the city tonight, brother will take you out, shave your hair and change clothes, rest for a few days, and then escort you back to your hometown in Yuanjiang. After Jinling is captured, brother I also went back to Xiahe Bridge. Our brothers guarded the graveyard of our parents. From now on, we only care about world affairs, and we will always guard my family tradition of farming and studying in the Kang family. " Kang Lu didn't make a sound.Kang Fu could see that this way out had moved him.In order for his younger brother to think calmly, Kang Fu stopped talking. With the help of the dim light, he carefully looked at the layout of the room: there was nothing shiny in the room, and it was as simple as a low-grade inn.Who would believe that this is the Chu Palace, one of the most powerful in Jinling City right now.Kang Fu couldn't help feeling a kind of respect.It is said that long-haired senior officials have a bad habit of amassing money. Judging from the furnishings in my brother's room, there must be many honest and upright officials among long-haired officials. "Brother, brother, thank you for your kindness, but in this life, it is impossible for me to be an ordinary person guarding my parents' tomb." Kang Lu finally gave his brother a clear answer. "Why is that?" Kang Fu asked in surprise. "Brother, the ancients said that once the sea was difficult for water, brother, I have developed a character of hating evil and hating evil after going through these storms. There are so many injustices in the world. If I have to suffer as I did in the past, I would rather die than do it. Besides , I have been feuding with the imperial court for more than ten years. I have personally killed more than a hundred court officials. Enemies, I can't defend against them." Kang Lu said calmly, "I voted for the Taiping Army with the goal of pursuing equality for everyone. Although I didn't see the ideal equality in the Taiping Army, which disappointed me, but I have no regrets. Tianjing is about to fall, and the kingdom of heaven is about to be destroyed. I see this very clearly. A few months ago, I also had this idea: to leave Tianjing and live in seclusion in an ancient temple in a remote mountain with few people. Calmly think about and summarize the reasons for the failure of the Kingdom of Heaven. Later, the King Zhong trusted me, and the King of Heaven named me king. I was grateful for the trust of the King of Heaven and the King of Zhong, so I decided not to leave the city and vowed to live and die with Tianjing.” "Brother, have you ever thought about it recently, the path you are taking is wrong." Kang Fu understands his brother's loyalty to the kingdom of heaven. "A scholar dies for his confidant", this is the common code of conduct for their brothers.However, this is not the same thing as choosing the right path. "Brother, do you think that the failure of the kingdom of heaven proves that my path is wrong? No! The path I chose is not wrong. Yes, the destiny of the kingdom of heaven is likely to last more than ten years, but of course you understand, brother. No, what a vigorous and splendid decade it has been!" Kang Lu's dark and thin face showed a sincere smile, and he fell into fond memories, "I once represented the wishes of the poor people, and the public trial More than a dozen county magistrates who committed many crimes killed dozens of local bullies and evil gentry who were extremely angry. I also distributed millions of catties of grain with my own hands. Looking at those ragged, gray-haired old people and skinny, When a child on the verge of starvation received life-saving food from me, brother, do you know how happy I was at that time? I also distributed tens of thousands of acres of land to farmers without land and land. I have shared with them the greatest happiness of a farmer. I have galloped thousands of times on the battlefield, killing the officers and soldiers, screaming and screaming, and fleeing with their heads in their hands. The brothers all gave me a thumbs up and praised me as a hero. I have been a general for many years, and now I am Sitting on the throne, commanding thousands of troops, stomping the mountain and shaking the ground, drinking a drink to change the color of the situation. Brother, think about it, has farming at home been so happy? Like my brother, relying on Zeng Guofan, I will have this kind of Are you happy? People live in this world, not in the length of their lifespan. Some people live a mediocre life of a hundred years, and some people don’t live long, but they are vigorous. In my opinion, ten years of vigorous life is far away. More than a mediocre hundred years old. In this life, I have obtained the joy and happiness that many people can't get, and all of these are because I defected to the Taiping Army. I am a hero in life, and I am a ghost in death. Live vividly , Die majesticly, this is the meaning of a man's life. Over the past ten years, I have lived a splendid life, truly like a human being, and I feel the meaning of life. Maybe Tianjing will fall tomorrow, so tomorrow I will die To die majestically will never stain my life." Kang Lu stopped here.He stood up, opened the window, and looked out at the night sky.Kang Fu seemed to be nailed to the stool, and his whole body lost the strength to move.Hearing his brother's impassioned words, he seemed to feel that there was an invisible change of positions between the brothers. The younger brother became the elder brother in life, and the elder brother became the younger brother who listened to the teachings. That's right, even if Jinling City is restored immediately, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is over in an instant, from Hong Xiuquan down to every little long hair, who can deny it, in the long river of Chinese history, they once set off a huge wave that shook the world !Who can deny it, in the annals of Chinese civilization, they once established a brand-new dynasty with an extraordinary system!Who can deny it, they are all heroes who control their own destiny and dare to fight against powerful forces!In contrast, Kang Fu found himself somewhat petty and humble. What can I count?Over the years, strictly speaking, he was just a loyal domestic slave serving Zeng Guofan.The consolation is that this house slave is highly regarded by the master, and the master is not an idle person.However, no matter how capable a master thinks highly of a house slave, he is still a slave, far from a hero! Relying on Kang Fu's conscience, although he disagrees with the path his brother is taking, he still admires his spirit of never turning back, as a human being should be!He remembered that Wei Jun had successfully plotted Wei Jun's betrayal a few years ago. At that time, he thought Wei Jun was a person who knew current affairs.After listening to my brother's comments tonight, I realized that my brother's soul seems to be brighter than that of Wei Jun.Kang Fu was not depressed because this persuasion was ineffective, on the contrary, he had a vague sense of pride for having such a younger brother.Kang Fu couldn't sort out such complicated feelings for a while, and couldn't explain them clearly. After Kang Lu looked at the night sky for a while, he turned to his brother and said, "It's five o'clock, and I'm going to patrol the city gate. Now, I won't persuade my brother like I did in Heyetang last time. I have joined the Taiping Army. However, my brother will never try to persuade me to leave Tianjing City. Let's go to the end along the path we have chosen!" Kang Fu looked at his younger brother's proud and upright figure, with respect, pity, sadness, and sighs, all kinds of emotions were mixed together, and he couldn't say a word anymore.The two brothers walked out together, and they hugged each other tightly again, knowing that this might be the last time they saw each other.The few morning stars shone on the upright faces of the Kang brothers, and their bright eyes were filled with crystal tears.After staring at each other for a long time, Kang Fu said something that surprised even himself: "Brother, you are a real hero, brother, I admire you!" Kang Lu also said affectionately: "Brother, after the war is over, you'd better disarm and return to the fields. Every year when you burn incense on your parents' graves on Ching Ming Festival, remember to order one for me." Tears fell from both eyes at the same time, and both hands finally let go at the same time. They each walked in opposite directions, and soon disappeared into the vast night.