Chapter 6 Six heroes cannot cut their own wings

At the same time, Zeng Guofan reported the news of the withdrawal of the Hunan Army to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor at the same speed as the news of the conquest of Jinling. At present, the abolition of the Hunan Army is proceeding smoothly. It will be completed by the end of December. There will be only 10,000 people left in the 150,000 Hunan Army, both land and water. . Soon, in view of the increasingly violent disturbances among the Hui people in the northwest, the imperial court appointed Yang Yuebin as the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and he will take up his post soon.On the eve of leaving Jiangning, he came here to bid farewell to Zeng Guofan.

"Hou'an, you changed from a military position to a civilian position this time, which is really unusual." This subordinate who was single-handedly promoted by him, led the Yangtze River Navy for more than ten years, and made great contributions to the Hunan Army's final capture of Jiangning, is actually able to be here today. He became governor of one party just after his forties, and Zeng Guofan was happy that Yang Yuebin's official career went smoothly, and he was also pleased with his eyesight to recognize heroes in the wind and dust.He looked closely at the mole between Yang Yuebin's eyebrows.The mole was round and plump, and based on Zeng Guofan's theory of matching people, he believed that the young governor was in luck.

"Old Zhongtang, if it weren't for your guidance, I wouldn't be where I am today. Everything I have is the result of your cultivation." Yang Yuebin didn't read much, and he was a person with a solid personality.He has always been deeply grateful for Zeng Guofan's trust and respect for him over the years.He commanded the Waijiang navy and fought desperately with the Taiping army. It is not so much his loyalty to the king as his personal gratitude to Zeng Guofan.And this point, Zeng Guofan had already seen the clues as early as the establishment of the Navy, so he recommended Yang Yuebin favorably in all previous battles, and because of this, he is what he is today.

"The Taizu created the world with martial arts, and the disciples of the Eight Banners always judged the good and the bad with the sword and horse kung fu. After entering the customs, he adopted Fan Wencheng's suggestion, praised Confucius and Mencius, opened a course to recruit scholars, and educated scholars and people with arts and culture.Since then, civil service has been higher than military service.It is extremely rare to change a military position to a civilian position. Before you, there were only three cases. Zeng Guofan combed the long beard hanging on his chest slowly with his right hand, and looked at Yang Yuebin with loving eyes, "One example is that Xu Zhanen was changed from a bodyguard to a doctor in the Shunzhi Dynasty, another was changed from an admiral to a governor by Huang Tinggui in the Qianlong Dynasty, and Yang Yuchun was changed from an admiral to a governor in the Jiaqing Dynasty. Change the governor.Over the past two hundred years, you are the fourth case of people who have changed from a military position to a civilian position.Hou'an, you have to take care of yourself. "

Zeng Guofan's paternal care made Yang Yuebin very excited: "Humble job must keep in mind the teachings of Lao Zhongtang and live up to the grace of the saints." Then, he opened the bag he brought with him, took out a cloth bag from it, and said emotionally, "This humble job Going to Shaanxi and Gansu, the journey is thousands of miles, I don’t know when we will meet again. Here is a protective vest for Lao Zhongtang, it is a small gift when parting from a humble position.” "Hou'an, what are you doing?" Zeng Guofan stopped stroking his beard, but he didn't reach out to pick up the cloth bag handed over by Yang Yuebin.

"Old Zhongtang, I know that you have always been disrespectful and don't like people who give gifts, so I have received great kindness for more than ten years, but I have not given a single gift, but this time is different, please accept it with respect." Seeing Yang Yuebin speak sincerely, Zeng Guofan took over the burden.When he opened the cloth bag to look, he saw that the buckskin vest was covered with thin steel sheets like fish scales, and the silvery white light made him almost unable to open his eyes. "Hou'an, although you have changed your job, you are a military commander after all. Now you go to Shaanxi and Gansu, and you still have to lead troops to fight. Such a good protective vest is very useful for you, so what's the use of giving it to me! You are still yourself Keep it." Zeng Guofan wrapped his vest and handed it back.

"Old Zhongtang, please listen to the explanation of the humble officer." Yang Yuebin quickly stopped him with his hand and said, "The humble officer also has two protective vests, which can be used for self-defense on the battlefield. The reason why this is given to the lord is that it is light and soft. My lord is weak, so a heavy waistcoat is not suitable; secondly, this waistcoat was left by my father, so it has a special meaning. My lord, although you don't always go to the battlefield, you still have to beware of assassins." Zeng Guofan recalled the past of being assassinated several times, and felt that Yang Yuebin's words made sense, so he no longer refused: "This is your father's relic, and I feel ashamed to accept it."

"Actually, it doesn't belong to my father. When my father gave me this vest, he talked about its origin." "What is its origin?" Zeng Guofan asked with great interest. "This vest originally belonged to a platoon guard." Yang Yuebin said slowly, "Thirty or forty years ago, there was a very famous platoon guard on the Xiangjiang River. He is a good apprentice. The bodyguard was hired by the richest platoon leader on the Xiangjiang River. He has traveled between Hengzhou, Changsha and Hankou for many years without any accidents. The robbers along the way are afraid of him. Later, the old platoon leader He is dead, and the young platoon leader is at the helm. He doesn't like the straightforward temper of the bodyguard, and the bodyguard is also old. He wants to fire him several times, but he sees that his apprentices are all good men. The bodyguard himself did not see this. He felt that the apprentices had been following him for a long time and could not stand on their own. They had little prospect, so he recommended them all out. After a few years, all the apprentices around him disappeared, and the young platoon master also disappeared. So he was fired. Less than a month after the bodyguard returned home, he was killed by his enemies. Before he died, my father went to see him. He gave my father this protective vest and said sadly: "A hero should not cut himself off. wing! "

Zeng Guofan was taken aback suddenly, and looked straight at Yang Yuebin.He always regarded Yang Yuebin as a simple and uneducated Zhou Bo-style figure.Yang Yuebin is not good at words, and he doesn't like words, and occasionally he has something to say, but it must be something he thinks deeply and has to say.Zeng Guofan likes this kind of personality. He hates people who talk too much without real insight, and advocates being slow in words but quick in action.Yang Yuebin can be described as a typical example in this regard.Therefore, every time Yang Yuebin said, Zeng Guofan attached great importance to it.The words "A hero should not cut his own wings" just now caused him a strong shock.Although he heard people say this sentence from time to time after the decision to disarm, but it was far less important than what Yang Yuebin said.

"Hou'an, it seems that there is something else hidden behind the waistcoat you gave me." Zeng Guofan came to his senses, and unconsciously stroked his beard again. "Old Zhongtang." Yang Yuebin leaned his upper body over, and said solemnly, "At present, the Hui people in Shaanxi and Gansu are in riots, and the purpose of the imperial court's sending a low-ranking official there is to quell the chaos. The Shaanxi-Gansu Green Battalion cannot take up this important task, and the low-ranking official will also ask to bring a Hunan army with him. ;If the imperial court allows it, it will be transferred from the navy. The officers and officers of the navy have fought many battles bravely, and they are low-ranking old subordinates. Brothers who have come here with swords and blood can be trusted, so please don't disband the Yangtze River Navy for now Master. Your Excellency wants to withdraw the Hunan Army. This is of course a very wise decision. The great battle in the south of the Yangtze River has ended. It is not a good thing to raise more than 100,000 troops. It will waste food and pay, increase the burden on the people, and make the court worry. What's more, the war has been going on for a long time, the barracks are very stagnant, and corruption is rife. If it is not abolished, there will be insufficient achievements and more failures. Therefore, the humble official fully supports the disarmament. However, to be honest, it is said that the adults want to lay off all the Hunan Army I think it's not appropriate to think about the imperial court or the adults. I have thought about this matter for a long time, please forgive me for my recklessness, and listen to my heart."

"Speak, Hou'an." Zeng Guofan said emotionally, "For many years, I have wanted to hear more from you, but you always speak very little, and it will be even harder to hear you in the future. You will have a meal with me today. The light meal is also my farewell for you, so you will sit with me for a while." "Thank you, Lao Zhongtang, and I won't be polite." Yang Yuebin said, "From the point of view of defending the court, although Changmao has collapsed, there are still a lot of troops. In the north, the Nian army is also getting bigger and bigger. Although there is a Huai army, it is not as experienced as the Hunan army. If the Hunan army is completely withdrawn, how can we deal with it in a hurry? Since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, there has never been a single army that has controlled three thousand miles The navy of the Yangtze River; some of them are the Yangtze River Navy created by the adults. Because of the weakness of the navy in the Qing Dynasty, the coastal areas have been bullied by foreigners for more than 20 years. The court should learn this painful lesson and vigorously develop the navy. , To defend our seas for thousands of miles. As long as the Yangtze River Navy is rectified a little and equipped with more ship guns, it can become the first navy of the Qing Dynasty." "Hou'an, you are right!" Zeng Guofan strongly agreed with Yang Yuebin's idea of ​​developing the Yangtze River Navy into the first navy. "Old Zhongtang, this is for the sake of the imperial court. As for Lao Zhongtang, you are thinking of yourself," Yang Yuebin said firmly after a short pause, "The last words of the old bodyguard expressed a common truth: if you don't want to be a hero , as a hero, you can't cut your own wings. Since the founding of the Hunan Army, Lao Zhongtang has wiped out the rebels and offended many dignitaries. Please forgive the humble position and speak frankly. The situation of Lao Zhongtang today is exactly in his twenties. What you said in the elegiac couplet you gave Tang Peng years ago: Fame spreads all over the world, so does slander. Envious people, haters, and dissatisfied people spread all over the government and the public. Lao Zhongtang has been a hero for more than ten years. Now, we must be heroes to the end. If the entire Hunan Army is disbanded at this time, the consequences will be disastrous." "Tell me about the consequences." Yang Yuebin's words obviously touched Zeng Guofan's heart. "Based on my humble opinion, there is still a possibility of a big battle. If the queen mother and the emperor ask Lao Zhongtang to lead the troops to the battlefield again in two years, but Lao Zhongtang has no elite soldiers and can't fight well, what will the queen mother and the emperor think of it?" What about Lao Zhongtang? How will the ruling and opposition officials treat Lao Zhongtang?" Zeng Guofan nodded. "There is another point. I am a little worried. I am afraid that there will be no soldiers under Lao Zhongtang in the future. Some people will accuse Lao Zhongtang of accusations. They will not mention the achievements of the Hunan Army and expose the scars of the Hunan Army. At that time, the emperor had grown up. , the Empress Dowager returned to him, he didn't know the hardships of the past, he only saw the peace in front of him, he listened to the slander, and alienated the old Zhongtang." Zeng Guofan was taken aback again.He was amazed that the commander of the navy with little literary talent actually thought more deeply than himself.Yes, in the past two or three years, Zeng Guofan has barely spared time to think about the matter of the emperor growing up and governing himself. He always thinks that is still far away.After being reminded by Yang Yuebin, he suddenly realized that the emperor is already nine years old this year, and he is only a few years away from being in charge.Really, if by that time he has no strength and the young emperor who has never experienced hardships, wouldn't he be like the young platoon leader, easily dismissing himself as an old, useless and grudge-laden "guardian"? "Hou'an, tell me, how many people should the Hunan Army keep?" To be honest, Zeng Guofan didn't want to lay off all the Hunan Army, he envisioned keeping 10,000 elites.It now appears that this number is less. "According to the humble position, we need to keep 30,000 to 40,000 people, at least 30,000 people, and no less." Yang Yuebin replied without thinking, "All the Zhengzi battalion and the Ting army are all dismissed, leaving only Bao Chao and A group of generals including Song Guoyong, Laoxiang Camp and Guozi Camp retained 3,000 men each, and Jizi Camp retained 4,000 people, making a total of 10,000 people. The Taihu, Huaiyang, and Ningguo naval forces were all withdrawn, and the Yangtze River Navy 20,000 people stayed. Old Zhongtang, " Yang Yuebin looked very excited when he said this. He stood up and said loudly, "Although the Yangtze River Navy has been contaminated with military camp habits in recent years, opium smoking, prostitution, gambling and other phenomena are inevitable. As the commander of this army for ten years As a long-time general, one thing can be guaranteed, that is, the Yangtze River Navy created by Lao Zhongtang himself, there is no doubt about his loyalty to Lao Zhongtang, it will always be an unbreakable vest to protect Lao Zhongtang." Zeng Guofan was deeply moved by Yang Yuebin's passionate words, and he gently waved his hand in greeting: "Hou'an, I have always regarded the Yangtze River Navy led by you and Xueqin as my lifeblood, and I love it more than Yuan Yuan. Fu's Jizi camp." Yang Yuebin sat down and continued: "I originally wanted to take this opportunity of abolition to rectify the Yangtze River Navy, but unfortunately it can't do it now. Please call Xueqin back as soon as possible and let him do this. Xueqin has a strong character and hates evil like revenge. It is better to use him to rectify the Yangtze River Navy than me." "Yes, I want to invite Xueqin back soon." In Zeng Guofan's heart, he had fully accepted Yang Yuebin's suggestion: at least 30,000 people should be left behind. The cook served the supper.At the dinner table, Yang Yuebin asked Zeng Guofan how to deal with complicated civil and military affairs after going to Shaanxi and Gansu.Zeng Guofan gave detailed answers one by one with all his life's knowledge. After Yang Yuebin left, the lights in Zeng Guofan's bedroom were turned on most of the night.The scheming governor of Liangjiang is thinking hard about how to do the abolition of the Hunan Army in a glamorous way without harming himself; how to be a hero who is both selfless and elite.