In the far south, thousands of miles away, on the banks of the Yellow River, the mother river of the Chinese nation, two old men were walking in the night. The sky was full of stars above their heads, and the waves of the Yellow River were beneath their feet. The sound of wind and water kept intertwining in their ears, and there were several solitary lanterns in their sights. The reflected canoe floats in the Yellow River.
Zeng Guofan and Zeng Guoquan, these are the two most promising brothers of the Zeng family, the souls of the half-million Hunan army, and the actual rulers of the Jiangnan region at the moment.
Along the Yangtze River, almost all the places where Chang Mao fought have become areas controlled by the Hunan Army. They are the most powerful military group in the Yangtze River Basin, and even the imperial court does not dare to offend them now.
Today, due to the turmoil of the Nian Army, the battlefield of the Hunan Army began to move northward again, arriving in the Shandong area of Henan. By now, Hunan military officers and soldiers can be seen even on the banks of the Yellow River.
"Ninth brother, I really didn't expect that I would still have the opportunity to lead troops to station on the bank of the Yellow River. Our Hunan Army has been too popular in the past two years..." Zeng Guofan said calmly with his hands behind his back.
"Brother, why do you say this? Our Hunan Army defeated the Longmao Army and then the Nian Army. How can the reputation gained by sacrificing our lives be considered great?"
"You don't understand..." Zeng Guofan shook his head, "You have also read the Book of Changes, so why are you confused by the authorities? Since ancient times, when the reputation of ministers leading troops has reached my level, the only thing to consider is to retreat..."
"The reason why I urge Shaoquan to do meritorious service is not that we cannot defeat the Nian Army, but that I want to give Shaoquan more credit for pacifying the Nian Army...so that I can retreat."
The Ninth Commander didn't like hearing his brother say such depressing words: "Back off, back off... I think about these thoughts all day long. You and I can quit, but how can we quit with our brothers? We already have tens of millions of dollars, and what about brothers? We are carrying guns and cannons." Where is the big-headed soldier? Is the reward enough to buy an acre of land?"
"Brother, wake up. If we retreat now, our army will be completely dispersed..."
Zeng Guofan waved his hand, "If it's over, let's leave. There's no such thing as a banquet that lasts forever. Even our Zeng family may not be able to guarantee wealth for three generations. Why do we take it so seriously?"
Ninth Commander Zeng Guoquan's nose was so angry that he said, "Stop talking, stop talking... He called me to the edge of the Yellow River in the middle of the night to blow the wind, and said these irritating words... Eagle, let's go."
Behind the two old men are their most loyal guards. The Nine Marshals have Eagles under their command, and Zeng Guofan's guards are even more impressive. Although no one knows their names, Eagles have experienced them all.
"Hey, hey... Why are you so angry? Don't you want to know what Xiao Letian wants to do?"
"Xiao Letian." Upon hearing this name, Zeng Guoquan stopped and said, "This guy has written to you."
Zeng Guofan nodded, "He's here, and he also revealed some information... I'm afraid this guy is going to lead troops to Beijing."
"Ah, he is so courageous..." The Ninth Commander was furious. "He doesn't want his life. With his thousands of men, he can kill a few even with sharp firearms. Isn't he afraid of us leading troops to serve the king?"
"Hahaha... What is he afraid of? Xiao Letian has made it very clear. The people under his command are the ones protecting the Queen Mother Dong in his heart. Moreover, the internal and external intelligence transmission channel has been opened. Everyone knows what happened outside. "
"A dog will jump over the wall when it is anxious, but a rabbit will bite when it is anxious... This Ci'an already has a good impression of the Manchu reformists. This time she may have to ask Xiao Letian for help... How can you be so diligent when someone comes to Beijing with such an imperial edict? "
"Huh, it's Shaoquan, that official fanatic, who would take Cixi's bait..."
The Ninth Commander chuckled, "That's your apprentice too. Didn't you tell him a long time ago that he should be a good official? He is also adhering to his master's orders."
Zeng Guofan thought about it carefully and realized that he had really said this. He coughed twice in embarrassment, "I didn't give Xiao Letian too many words. He was a smart man. He could tell with just one point... I just said that we Han people can't rebel now. I think he can understand..."
Zeng Guoquan sighed, "Brother, you are thinking about your sweet dream again. Do you really think that if you don't rebel, this fertile land of the Qing Dynasty will become our Han people's. I remember the American ambassador once said, your land during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty With an area of 13 million square kilometers, it is the largest empire in the world..."
"It's a pity that Rakshasa ghosts robbed a large piece of it, but there are still 12 million square kilometers of land, which is still the largest in the world. If you manage it well, I'm afraid even Great Britain will not be your opponent..."
"Haha, brother, what Hua Ruohan said is really a layman among laymen, he knows nothing."
"Outside the Pass belongs to the Manchus, Mongolia belongs to the Mongolians, Tibet belongs to the Tibetans, and Xinjiang belongs to the Uyghurs... There are very few Han people in those places. How do we rule and how do we defend them."
"My good brother, don't be too idealistic. It's enough for us Han people to defend the territory of the Ming Dynasty... It's not that the Zhu family is not smart, but that they are too smart and know that in many places Han people cannot live at all. , so I won’t have such big ambitions..."
Ninth Marshal's words may have made Zeng Guofan angry, or it may be that the cold wind on the Yellow River embankment was too strong late at night, and Marshal Zeng suddenly coughed violently.
"Cough cough cough... I knew... cough cough cough... I knew you would say that..."
When Jiu Shuai saw that his brother was angry, he hurried over and stroked his back, "Okay, okay, brother, you are right, can't you support me as a brother?"
Zeng Guofan gasped, "I'm afraid you all think so... If you all think so, we Han people will have no future... Fortunately, fortunately, Xiao Letian understands, and he will definitely understand my painstaking efforts."
"He said something, this is a great change that has not happened in three thousand years. Yes, it is a great change... The British were able to colonize the whole world in just a few hundred years. Who would have thought that the vast sea would become their main road? Smooth road, who among us can understand..."
"How do you know that we Han people will not be able to rule such a large land in the future? Have you studied the power of science and technology that Xiao Letian mentioned..."
Looking at the confused eyes of the ninth commander, Zeng Guofan sighed, "That's it, that's all, there are some things that only the hidden dragon can see through."
At this moment, a sound of footsteps suddenly came from below the embankment, and the eagle rushed down after hearing it.
"Commander, the urgent information has been sent urgently from Babaili in Shanghai. It is from Mr. Hu Xueyan and Mr. Hu... The cover says that it is personally addressed by the Marshal. It is urgent." The panting soldier handed a package of oilcloth rolls to the Eagle. in hands.
At this time, the several guards behind the commander stretched out their cloaks to form a wind-blocking curtain. Then all the lanterns and torches were lit. The eagle unwrapped the oilcloth roll and knelt on the ground and raised it high. All the guards on the scene Don't dare to look up.
The eight hundred miles of urgent matter should be given by the commander himself. This kind of information is definitely not what the guards are qualified to pass. The Hunan Army is a place with rules. If you take a peek at this kind of important information, you will die.
The wind blew the torch and swayed left and right. The words and pictures on the roll of paper had completely shocked the two old men. What was sent from Shanghai was the newspaper that had just arrived from the Lion City. All the scenes of Xiao Letian's expedition to Europe were on it. Showed it.
"Impossible, this is impossible... How could it be like this? Three hundred people dared to fight the French, and they even won." Zeng Guoquan's brain was completely exhausted.
Zeng Guofan read the newspapers at a glance, and finally let the newspapers fly with the night wind. "What a coward. I was really a coward. Last year, I asked the court for permission to build a telegraph line running from north to south... But no one paid any attention to me. No one pays attention to me..."
"If we had such a telegraph line in hand, not only would the intelligence transmission be so slow, but if the imperial city had known such news earlier, how would Cixi have dared to cause civil strife, and how could she have dared to launch troops to attack Tanggu."
"You are harming the country. These cysts in the imperial court are all thieves who are harming the country. Wuwuwu..." Zeng Guofan angrily grabbed the newspapers and began to tear them up.
"Guangzhou has probably known this news for a long time, but it can't be sent over. What's the use if it can't be sent over? It will harm the country, and cysticercosis will harm the country..."
What Zeng Guofan said was not wrong at all. The palace change had only lasted for half a month, and the express news from the Lion City had already arrived in Guangzhou before the palace change began.
It is such a long distance from Guangzhou to Beijing. It has to climb countless mountains and cross countless waters. Such an inefficient way of transmitting information is actually the most critical reason for the tragedy.
The root cause of why Cixi was deceived by Kirigakure is the inefficiency of intelligence transmission. Cixi did not have the latest and most accurate sources of intelligence, so naturally someone with serious intentions would take advantage of her.
Zeng Guoquan winked at the eagle, and the eagle jumped up and flew like an eagle in the night sky, grabbing all the newspapers back.
Ninth Marshal gently stroked his brother's back and persuaded him softly, "Brother, don't think too much. Isn't it the Manchus who are in chaos? The weaker they are, the stronger the hope of us Han people will be."
"You...why do you still think about all this nonsense? Are you going to piss me off to death? Why are you not as good as Zuo Jigao...Look at Zuo Jigao. Now he has set his sights on the northwest. The imperial court intends to appoint him. When he went to pacify Huibu and Xinjiang, he prepared desperately. He is the Wei Qing and Huo Qubing among us Han people."
Zeng Guofan suddenly grabbed his brother's lapel and said sincerely, "Ninth brother, I beg you, don't rebel. Don't have this idea... Let us wait, keep waiting, until what Xiao Letian said After this unfavorable fate occurs, when we can protect these more than 10 million square kilometers, let's take action again, brother, I beg you...cough cough cough."
After a violent cough, Zeng Guofan's throat felt sweet, and he actually spit out a mouthful of blood.
"Brother, big brother, brother, I listen to you... Wuwuwu, brother, I listen to you... Damn Xiao Letian, what on earth did you say to my brother? What is that incredible luck?"
"Brother, what if we can't wait for that day? How old are we? My dear brother..."
At that moment, Zeng Guoquan hated Xiao Letian and itched his teeth.
