The ninth commander-in-chief was usually very kind to these Hunan Army generals. Sometimes when his elder brother was low in energy, the brothers would help with some affairs. Therefore, in the Hunan Army group, Zeng Guoquan was often the spokesperson of Zeng Guofan.
The generals respected the Ninth Commander, and Zeng Guoquan was also very friendly to the generals. It was rare for him to show off his expression, but today the Ninth Commander's face was so gloomy that it was about to drip.
"Hey... what else can happen! I don't know what happened to my brother. He actually ordered a blockade of private property transfer transactions. All large industries such as fields, real estate, factories, and workshops were banned in the Jiangnan area within two months. Transfer transaction!”
ah! Everyone in the meeting hall was in an uproar. "How can this be done? Let's not talk about whether this decree is right or wrong. Such a huge responsibility is not something we can bear? Without the nod of the court, how can we dare to issue such a decree? This is a crime. It’s a big taboo!”
Zeng Guoquan rubbed his temples painfully, "Do you think I don't know? As the governor of Liangjiang and the assistant in charge of the military and political power of Jiangnan, my brother has been criticized by many people in the court for being the king of Jiangnan. Now he is going to issue such a decree. This Aren’t you deliberately giving excuses to your political opponents?”
"The damned people in Forty-nine City are looking at us with displeasure. As soon as this decree comes out, the Forbidden City will be blown to pieces! But I can't stop it..."
Bao Chao, a fierce general of the Hunan Army, moved a chair close to the Ninth Commander and whispered, "You have to persuade even if you can't help it! Now it's not just a political dispute in the court, it's also a money dispute! Destroying people's wealth is like killing their parents. , How can the commander-in-chief cut off someone’s wealth?”
"Now that Jiangnan's banknotes have collapsed, many workshops have no cash to start work. Now is the time to make a fortune. You can buy countless industries with just a little money!"
"As far as I know, the foreign businessmen in Shanghai have already taken action, and the high-ranking Manchu officials sent by the imperial court have also started to take action... Ma Xinyi, who was previously sent to take over as the governor of Liangjiang, I heard that he has done nothing else in the past few days, except carrying his hand. The servant is inspecting Jiangnan's industry, what do you think he wants to do?"
Bao Chao's words were recognized by everyone, and everyone said, "That's right, there are countless people who want to eat this piece of fat meat in Jiangnan. Now whoever has silver in their hands is the ancestor. One tael of silver can be used as the usual ten taels of silver. At this time You wouldn’t be a fool if you don’t take advantage of the opportunity to gain some wealth…”
"Nine Marshals! Don't fool you, brothers. In this financial crisis, our Nanping also suffered heavy losses. We are just waiting to spend some money to absorb the loss of industrial subsidies... The commander-in-chief did this, brother Our lives will not be easy!"
Zeng Guoquan was upset by all the talk. He scolded in a low voice, "What's the use of forcing me? Brother is obsessed now and just listens to Xiao Letian. Who do you think came up with this bad idea?" It wasn’t after a secret message came from Ryukyu that Big Brother started making trouble!”
"Holy shit! It's this bastard again! Our Hunan Army owes him a lot, so why does it keep coming over and over again? Not many good things are spread out, and the whole responsibility of wiping the butt is left to us..."
"No, Ninth Commander, you have to take the lead and tell Commander-in-Chief that we can't sink with Ryukyu's ship! Why do you want to lose your job?"
In fact, Zeng Guoquan's desire to rebel has faded away. Since the last time he had a heart-to-heart with his eldest brother, he knows that the good time for the Zeng family to rebel has already passed, or has never come at all.
When you get older, even if you want to rebel, you don't have the time anymore, right?
But not rebelling does not mean not doing anything. Since there is no hope for the dragon throne, let's invest unlimited money in the great cause of making money. We must leave some family property for future generations and the old brothers of the Hunan Army!
Thinking of this, Zeng Guoquan sighed, "Hey... I actually admire Xiao Letian. He has built such a big industry with his bare hands. He is better than me anyway! But I am not optimistic about Xiao Letian this time. I have read the information about foreigners many times." Well, the Russian fleet is excellent both in terms of quantity and quality, and it also has a large number of people..."
"Not only are they warships, they are accompanied by dozens of troop transport ships. The army and navy combined have more than 30,000 people. How do you think this fight will happen? So Xiao Letian will definitely lose, so we can't sink this line. A bet has been placed on the ship!"
"No matter what, I will definitely give my brother a clear-cut advice later. Do you want to reconsider?"
"I didn't say anything! What to do with the Ninth Commander, we will definitely follow... Xiao Letian can't win this time even if he is beaten to death, we can't put our bets on him.
Just when there was a lot of discussion, an energetic voice came from the back hall: "The commander-in-chief has arrived! All the generals will kneel to welcome you!" Just hearing a bang, more than 30 senior generals in the hall stood up collectively, everyone's eyes were on They all turned to the white tiger screen in front of them.
Steady footsteps sounded, and when Zeng Guofan, with a rosy face and a smile, appeared in front of everyone, the generals all fell to the ground with a roar, "See you, Marshal!"
"Get up! Hahaha, it's windy and cold this winter, and I haven't been in good health. Don't be surprised if I don't get together with the big guys more! Is everyone here..."
The generals stood up and looked up at the Marshal. At that time, everyone was stunned. No one expected that the Marshal was so strong, spoke so energetically, and had a rosy face. He was not bedridden for a long time as rumored before. ah?
At that time, a veteran's eyes were red: "Commander... we thought you were sick before! When I see you are in such good health today, I feel relieved! I haven't seen the commander all winter, and I miss me so much..." …”
This is really not flattery. After all, Zeng Guofan is the founder of the Hunan Army. Most of the generals were promoted by him single-handedly. Their feelings for the commander are very simple.
Zeng Guofan was also moved and said with a smile, "Thank you for thinking about me. I'm fine... Okay, let's roll your name first!"
The old farmer stood next to the commander, holding a roster in his hand and began to call the names one by one. Three minutes later, the old farmer turned to the commander and said, "The thirty-three generals summoned by the commander, except for the new governor of Liangjiang, Ma Xinyi, and the other two who are far away have not yet arrived. In addition, all the remaining thirty people are here!"
Zeng Guofan nodded, "Ma Xinyi is running errands for the court in the south of the Yangtze River. It is understandable that she is slow for a while. The remaining two boys are late for no reason. Remember the fine for half a year!"
"Okay, now let's discuss things. Let's talk about how our Hunan Army should behave after I leave Jiangnan!"
Just as everyone in the Marshal's Mansion was starting a meeting, on the official road at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain in Nanjing, a group of cavalry was speeding forward. The leading civil servant on horseback was Ma Xinyi, the newly appointed Governor of Liangjiang to succeed Zeng Guofan.
