Flags were fluttering, drums and trumpets were flying, and horseshoes trampled on the official road, making a dull sound. They were like a heavy rain in summer, pressing down from a distance without any edge.
If there are tens of thousands of people, there is no limit, let alone the crowd of 20,000 cavalry rolling forward. This is a gold-eating monster in Zeng Guofan's hands. This is the core strength of the Hunan Army. Not to mention that the world now has muskets ruling everything. In the military establishment of Western powers, cavalry is still the king. In an era before automobiles and tanks were invented, cavalry still controlled the rhythm of war.
"I, Zeng Guofan, am ashamed of my trust in the imperial court. There were many setbacks in the battle to annihilate the Nian Army. This time I go to Beijing to personally apologize to the Emperor and the Queen Mother... I also heard that there were rebellious officials and traitors in Tanggu who colluded with the foreign barbarians to cause chaos, and even almost the entire Qing Green Camp army After being destroyed, I heard the news that all the people inside and outside the country were burned. Now I will send 20,000 elite troops to the north. After entering the capital to report their duties, they will go straight to Tanggu to kill the bandits..."
Just in April this year in Heze, Shandong Province, the entire army of monk king Seng Gelinqin was wiped out. This battle shocked the world with the power of the Nian Army. Even foreigners exclaimed that although Seng Gelinqin rejected the West, he was the commander-in-chief on the battlefield. He is still qualified and competent. The death of such a brave general shows that the Qing Dynasty did not effectively stabilize the domestic political situation.
It was the death of the Monk King that caused the court to lose all face. Under the urging of several tough imperial edicts, the main force of Zeng Guofan's Hunan Army, as well as the main force of the Huai Army of Li Hongzhang, who had just emerged, all moved northward, from Henan to Shandong. Squeezing the scope of activities of the Nian Army, the flames of war burned all the way north.
But what is surprising is that the Baizhan Hunan Army, which was so popular in the Mietian Kingdom, was helpless when it encountered the Nian Army, and even let the still weak Huai Army in Li Hongzhang's hands steal the limelight. The profound meaning is worth pondering,
Xiao Letian has already analyzed the reason behind this. Zeng Guofan just wanted to support the bandits and respect himself. The way out for the 500,000 Hunan Army has not yet been figured out. If there is no banditry now, then the status of these armies will be embarrassing.
Another main reason is that Zeng Guofan also hopes that the Huai army, Li Hongzhang's apprentice, can rise up and make more military exploits to at least distinguish him from others in the court, so that the eyes of the royal family will not always be fixed on him.
It was based on this consideration that the entire Pingni Battle turned into a puddle of mud. The imperial court and the Hunan Army finally formed a situation where they were fighting against wolves.
Just when everyone thought that the four years of Tongzhi in 1865 were going to be spent in this extremely dull atmosphere, Xiao Letian, the Qing Dynasty's troublemaker, suddenly made a move and it was a killing move. The combination of punches came out, and the Zeng brothers were dazzled by the sight.
"What a devil, he deserves to be called a master of Western learning. This guy really didn't brag...Bring me some wine." When Zeng Guofan held the first People's Knowledge Newspaper and various versions of leaflets and posters in his hands, he was completely convinced. drunk,
Zeng Guofan and his most outstanding ninth brother Zeng Guoquan were the top politicians in the late Qing Dynasty. If they couldn't understand Xiao Letian's tricks, their lives would be in vain.
"Writing books to support his hopes, relying on foreign countries to protect himself, and infiltrating Ryukyu... these are not finished. Now he actually dares to train the new army privately and secretly print foreign newspapers. What does he want to do? Does he want to steal prestige from the imperial court? This Men’s ambitions are boundless…”
The Zeng brothers don't care at all about the pitiful army in Xiao Letian's hands. Even if the army of several hundred people is all Western-style training and equipped with foreign equipment, it only has a few hundred people. Counting Xiao Letian's self-defense guard, it is impossible to escape. What kind of waves?
But the newspaper run by Xiao Letian is a powerful weapon. People's hearts in the Qing Dynasty are already unstable. How can they stand up to him so much? Look at the smears and revelations in it. Every one of them is what the people are most concerned about and even the most. What I hate, this is like digging out all the silt from the smelly pond.
"Okay, okay, the city walls can't stop the luck coming now. With Xiao Letian interfering like this, we have room for maneuver... Laojiu, go and order 20,000 soldiers. This year we will be in Beijing. It’s Chinese New Year…”
The commander's tiger body shook, and the entire Qing Dynasty was shaken. In just three days, all the elite cavalry battalions of the Hunan Army gathered under the commander's banner. The moment the 20,000 cavalry set off northward, the Manchu and Qing official circles were like falling. Like a bomb, everyone was stunned and stunned.
"Zeng Shatou wants to rebel. Zeng Shatou has rebelled. He wants to lead his troops to force the palace. Who in Zhili can stop his 20,000 soldiers? The Green Camp or the Eight Banners. How can we expect the Tiger Spear Camp and Shanpu Camp in the capital?"
"Oh my God, what's going on in the Qing Dynasty? Life is just getting better, why don't people stop? Go to the Ancestral Temple, go to the Ancestral Temple to cry for your ancestors..."
"A traitor, this is a traitor. Zeng Guofan was also a scholar raised by Confucianism. How could he not know integrity and dare to rebel? How can you still be considered a human being if you don't care about loyalty and filial piety?"
Ninety percent of the people in the entire hinterland of the Central Plains who knew the news were crying and cursing, but what's the use? Who dared to stop Zeng Guofan's army, the local government almost fled with their seals.
Go north from Heze, pass through Liaocheng, Dezhou and then go to Cangzhou. When you get to Cangzhou, you have two choices. If you go west, you can go straight to the capital, or if you go east, you can go straight to Tanggu. Only then can you understand Zeng Guofan Whether his intention is to rebel or to suppress the rebellion really depends on how he chooses.
The cavalry always marches fast. When the capital received the news that Zeng Guofan was heading north, this group of 20,000 cavalry had already crossed the border of Texas. No officials dared to stop it along the way. If it went at the normal speed, it would have taken more than ten days. , Zeng Guofan’s army could see the city of Beijing,
"Hurry up and send an order to Zeng Guofan's troops to retreat. They are not allowed to enter Beijing without an order. Is he going to rebel? Notify the Eight Banners of Mongolia and immediately mobilize 30,000 Mongolian cavalry to Beijing and station them in Changping as a precaution... The Prime Minister's Yamen notified the West Envoys from various countries, ask them to express their stance immediately and put pressure on Zeng Guofan... I don't believe it, can the Qing Dynasty change?"
"How is Ermao's injury? Bring him here on a soft couch. I want to see him."
When the national crisis hit, Ci'an and Cixi gave up their usual sordid conflicts. The two sisters first reached an agreement. Various orders were issued from the Forbidden City. The Manchu state machinery began to operate crazily.
When Er Mao was carried out from the cell of the House of Internal Affairs, his buttocks were already rotten. Under the medical treatment at the Tai Hospital regardless of the cost, he was not disabled at all. When he saw the two queen mothers, Er Mao knelt on the soft couch regardless of the pain. "Queen Mother, Your Majesty, this slave is really unjust. I beat him to death without even thinking of betraying the Emperor..."
"Er Mao, you don't need to say anything. The Aijia already knows your thoughts. Now I just want to ask you, what does your godfather want? There are no outsiders in the palace, so you can say it with confidence..."
Er Mao rolled off the soft couch and knocked his head against the gold bricks. "Master, Master, please say something treasonous. Xiao Letian and even the foreigners are only suffering from scabies, but there are other people who are suffering from it."
"Xiao Letian is indeed daring and disrespectful to the imperial court in his actions, but this is because he grew up among foreigners and never learned the rules of the Qing Dynasty. He is not trying to rebel,"
"A slave can guess exactly what Xiao Letian wants. Needless to say, money and women. Anyone who grew up eating foreigners' beef has this problem. Xiao Letian really likes money and women. Take these two things seriously. After being satisfied, his ideal is to promote Western learning, and he is determined to become the great master of Western learning..."
"As for the foreign company raising so many guards, I can't say disrespectful words. They were really forced to come out. In the more than a year since my godfather returned to China, he has experienced so many assassinations and how many times he has faced the army in person. This time, he was really scared and he had to live."
Ci'an took a few deep breaths and said calmly, "Er Mao, hold on tight and go to Tanggu with Zhou Daoying to tell Xiao Letian that the court agreed to the first three points of his conditions. As for the third point he mentioned, the court only I can promise half of it...The Green Camp garrison in Tanggu cannot be withdrawn, and the status quo must be maintained..."
"However, I can give half of the security power in Tanggu City to the foreign security guards, and let the Tongzhi Yamen and the merchants discuss a deal together. From now on, they will be jointly responsible for the security of the Tanggu business district and industrial zone..."
The imperial court has now compromised to the bottom line. Green Camp Soldiers and Tongzhi Yamen represent the dignity of the imperial court, which cannot be revoked. The so-called joint management is actually transferring the greatest power to the businessmen. You must know Xiao Letian's iron-bloodedness has made the entire Tanggu officialdom, shopping malls and even the shopping malls fearful. Who dares to compete with him for this power?
Er Mao knew that Xiao Letian would definitely agree to this condition. He kowtowed heavily and promised, "Even if my slave is shattered to pieces, I still have to finish this job."
When there were only two empress dowagers and the young emperor left in the hall, Emperor Tongzhi said unwillingly, "Why don't we stop fighting now? Isn't the imperial court just admitting defeat?"
"Your Majesty, this is not admitting defeat, this is just a compromise, using compromise to buy time for the court... Do you know why Zeng Guofan dared to enter Beijing? It is not because Xiao Letian's methods have disturbed people's hearts. Since ancient times, careerists have always taken advantage of the situation. Come on, what is this momentum? The momentum is the change of people's hearts..."
"The people can follow it, but they cannot know it. The common people cannot understand too many truths. If every common people could discuss politics, wouldn't the world be in chaos?"
"Not to mention the distant ones. After the British and French barbarians entered Beijing five years ago, the country was shattered. As a last resort, the court signed a treaty with the great powers. In the end, the foreigners retreated and promised to support the court in jointly exterminating Changmao. Son, you have to know, it is The country spent countless real money and silver to gain this victory..."
"If there had been such a newspaper at that time and kept chattering among the people, and if all the traffickers and people were aware of the court's contract, the contract would not have been signed due to the turbulent public sentiment. By then, our country would have had a few more years of life,"
At this point, Emperor Tongzhi finally understood what politics was all about. It was no different from doing shady business. Successful businessmen use the interests of others to achieve their own goals, exchanging the blood of hundreds of millions of Han people for more powerful forces. Support, and finally protect your family forever,
The little emperor looked up at the eastern sky. His mind had drifted to the distant Tanggu. He kept asking in his heart, "Xiao Letian, are you also such a black-hearted businessman? You take advantage of the situation and take other people's money." Do your own business based on your own interests, no, no, no, you should not be such a person, because there is always an indescribable smell in your books. Although I don’t know what it is, you must be different from others..."
After all, the emperor is only ten years old. He has the unique sensitivity of children. He can understand Xiao Letian's heart, that innocent heart,
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