During the Xian and Tong dynasties, Zeng Guofan was a great god that no one could avoid. Countless people admired his legendary rise. The Hongyang Rebellion was the root cause of the rise of Han warlords.
It was from Zeng Guofan that the power of Han governors began to expand rapidly. Han governors with money and soldiers quickly transformed into warlords. Within the next few decades, they had emptied the local rule of the Qing Dynasty.
In fact, by the time of Guangxu, the Manchus' effective rule over the Qing Dynasty was already very weak. The wicker border outside the customs was gradually opened, and the governors of Jiangnan and the emerging Han capitalists colluded to form a certain sense of independence.
The Manchus of that era actually only had the right to rule over various places in the name of justice. In fact, they were no longer able to interfere in the internal affairs of local governors.
Senior officials at the governor level pay the money and food to the court every year according to their own mood. It is nothing more than maintaining a scene. On the surface, it seems that the national treasury can still bring in tens of millions of taels every year. In fact, this money is intercepted by the local government. Ten times.
The imperial court could not restrain the governors from training their own troops. The governors could negotiate arms sales with foreigners on their own, and the court could not scold them. Even starting from the Guangxu Dynasty, the Manchus no longer dared to kill Han governors. As long as these Han people rebelled without knowing it, they would not care. No matter how corrupt, no matter how personal, no matter how disrespectful, no one wants to deal with it.
The beginning of all this started with the Hongyang Rebellion and Zeng Guofan. The previous assassination case was the provocation of the Hunan Army Group against the Manchu Chi Guoguo. It was extremely bloody and bold.
"Don't be confused by the Qing Dynasty. You can't get involved in this place in Jiangnan. If you give face, then hello, me, everyone! If you don't give face to our Hunan Army, then I'm sorry! No matter what you send We will kill as many officials as there are..."
"You don't accept it? You don't want to send troops to attack us? Do it! Do you dare to do it?"
Of course, no one would say this to the Manchus openly, but almost all senior Manchu officials heard the collective ridicule of the Southern Hunan Army Group in their imagination.
I am very helpless. The end of the dynasty has arisen. If you kill your court officials, you will not be able to do anything in the end. This shows how domineering the Hunan Army Group was at that time.
In order to resolve this huge behemoth, the Manchu Qing Dynasty could be said to have exhausted all means. They used the Qing Dynasty to force Zeng Guofan to lean towards the loyal ministers and filial sons, and then repeatedly invited Zeng Guofan to serve as an official in the capital.
The Governor of Zhili is known as the best governor in the world. Zeng Guofan did not need to be stationed in Baoding when he came to take office. He could manage that area by living directly in the capital.
I believe that Zeng Guofan must have been very comfortable in Sijiucheng. Those princes, ministers, queen mothers and the like would definitely treat him to banquets and theater performances from time to time. If his body could still withstand it, he would definitely have to send beautiful women as well.
All I want is for you, Zeng Guofan, to enjoy the blessings in the capital. If you enjoy the blessings and stop bothering, the Qing Dynasty will be saved!
But Zeng Guofan was so cunning that the Manchus could not imagine. Just to invite the commander-in-chief to go north, he went back and forth for three or four years.
From the moment Tianjing City was breached, the imperial court was interested in letting the general go north, but Zeng Guofan used the matter of going north as a trump card to trick the imperial court.
Whenever something done by the court dissatisfied him, he would say that the long-haired remnants were causing trouble somewhere again, and he would have to lead troops to put down the rebellion. He would play this game again and again, making the court miserable. Word.
Even after Zeng Guofan and Xiao Letian reached some kind of secret alliance, his every move even secretly created a lot of momentum for Xiao Letian.
When Xiao Letian conquered the Forty-Nine City, it was Zeng Guofan who was the first to state that this was not a rebellion, but just an act of diligence. He was the first to set a tone for Xiao Letian's behavior. As a result, all the Han governors in the world responded, and in the end, the foreigners were unable to do anything. .
This is the fundamental reason why Xiao Letian has been the regent in the capital for several months. If Zeng Guofan was undecided at that time and instead said that Xiao Letian was rebellious, then he would have waited for a war with King Qin's army, and maybe foreign mercenaries would also have to come. .
Zeng Guofan also contributed greatly to the Jiangnan money ticket crisis and the establishment of the Suzhou Stock Market. Even though his health was failing, he also supported Xiao Letian on the platform. It can be said that the rapid expansion of Jiangnan Chinese power is inseparable from the contribution of Marshal Zeng. .
The candle was about to be extinguished, and the waning old man knew that he would not survive this year. Now he was completely dependent on precious medicinal materials, opium smoke to relieve the pain, and of course the old farmer and a group of internal energy masters helped him clear his meridians. Only then did he let him Have a little energy to deal with this complicated national affairs.
All changes in the Forty-Nine City cannot escape those wise eyes. After Xiao Letian brutally killed Molière, the commander immediately realized that there would be big changes in the capital.
A war in the Far East has turned Tsarist Russia into a life-or-death enemy, and with the furious French preparing for revenge, the intervention of foreign devils will definitely break the political balance between North Korea and China.
Who will take advantage of this conflict? Zeng Guofan thinks he is also the Sixth Japanese!
"We cannot allow Guizi Liu to expand. Before His Majesty takes charge, we must not allow him to carry out a general purge of court officials! We must keep officials who are loyal to the Emperor... Prepare ships and go to Beijing!"
Marshal Zhongzhong set off, and just as Xiao Letian and Zai Chun were about to set sail for Europe, Zeng Guofan of Jiangning officially went north to stabilize the situation in the court.
One thousand two hundred personal guards, plus twenty warships, sailed down the river from Jiangning, passed through Yangzhou, Yizheng, and Dantu, and headed north to Yangzhou to enter the Grand Canal.
After passing through Gaoyou, Xinghua, and Baoying, we went straight to Shanyang and entered the Huaihe River... Along the way, the soldiers and civilians were all awe-inspiring. The camp heads of the Hunan Army in various places and the local soldiers stationed there were all shocked when they heard that the general had passed through.
There was an endless stream of express delivery on both sides of the Grand Canal, the telegraph office was open 24 hours a day and night, and the Marshal's whereabouts were spread out in all directions at any time and at any time.
"The commander-in-chief has arrived in Gaoyou. The Minzi Battalion of the Zuo Army has already climbed up the river embankment. The whole battalion kneels to welcome the commander-in-chief..."
"The commander's warship will pass Baoying Lake at noon tomorrow. The officers and soldiers along the way will be cleaning up the places and preparing to receive..."
"Baoying City will have 10,000 civilians, repair and repair the canal embankment, and lay down three inches of loess..."
The entire Grand Canal has completely stopped shipping. The garrisons and local officials from various places stopped all boats on the canal. Some were dispersed into the surrounding lakes, while others were moved along both sides of the river to make way for the commander's warships.
There are arbors everywhere on the river embankment. The officials waiting in advance are so hot that they are covered with oil. Bowl after bowl of herbal tea is poured down. Along the embankment are soldiers with chests and bellies raised, and guards like javelins. to the Grand Canal.
In Jiangnan at this moment, all the soldiers who could fight were from the Hunan Army. After the war, these soldiers were divided into various provinces and state capitals, and they were broken into pieces and became local garrison.
Many generals have not seen the commander-in-chief for several years. This time Zeng Guofan passed by his jurisdiction, and they were all very excited. The veterans of many battles also lost their usual slovenly appearance, and they were all as clean as groomsmen. .
They stood with guns in hand, waiting for the general's review, just like they were in Tianjing City, accepting the general's military review!
"Here it comes! The commander's warship is here...fire the cannons! Sound the gongs and drums!"
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