Don't hit the smiling man. Zuo Zongtang is getting older. After years of fighting, he has vented all his anger. He has to give face to his old comrades no matter what.
Li Hongzhang was worse off than in real history. Since his defeat at the hands of Xiao Letian, his official career has stayed in Shandong, with his tens of thousands of Huai soldiers and some civil servants waiting hard for opportunities.
Zuo Zongtang's achievements at this moment are beyond his imagination, but it cannot be said that he has fallen out of favor. After all, a Huai army that has withstood the baptism of war and has actual combat experience is still relied upon by the court. Shandong is an important barrier to the capital. ’s south gate.
Moreover, the Shandong Peninsula protrudes from the ocean. In the future, foreign invaders will march from the ocean. Shandong is the place they must pass through, and it is as important as the Liaodong Peninsula!
Li Hongzhang had been dormant in the past few years, quietly waiting for opportunities. Unexpectedly, Zuo Zongtang summoned him when he returned to the capital.
The two of them sat down in the courtyard. Beautiful chrysanthemums were placed around the bluestone round table. People in the capital loved to enjoy chrysanthemums in autumn, and a good gardener could keep the chrysanthemums blooming until the New Year.
"Although chrysanthemums are good, they are the flowers of late autumn after all. The weather will be even colder the next day!" Li Hongzhang said a few polite words and talked about what happened when he conquered the Kingdom of Heaven. Then his voice changed and there was something interesting in his words.
Zuo Zongtang smiled and took a sip of tea. "If it gets cold, just put on some clothes. Just don't freeze!"
When Li Hongzhang saw that Zuo Zongtang was deliberately not answering, he simply pointed it out, "Hey, brother! The grudge between us two brothers before was not a personal grudge, but just a political disagreement. In our hearts, we are all for the good of the world!"
"Why are you so rejecting people thousands of miles away? The Qing Dynasty is in chaos every day, and you can't see it? I don't believe you can't see it. If we don't take action, what will happen in the future?"
"If we don't leave some seeds for future generations, we won't have any territory in the future!"
Zuo Zongtang then put down his tea bowl and said with a stern expression, "Shaoquan! If I remember correctly, am I right that I have grown up with you for 11 years?"
"Ah? That's right, brother, you are 11 years older than me, and you are only one year away from me!"
"Since you called me brother, let me say a few words as a brother... What did you just say? Leave some seeds for us? Who are we you are talking about? Why can't I understand!"
Li Hongzhang grimaced, "This...isn't this an obvious thing? After the Ping Chang Mao, our Hunan Army was completely dismantled. Those who went home to provide for the elderly, you took away what you took away, and I took part of it..."
"The Ninth Commander in Jiangning still has some veterans! But there are fewer and fewer of them. The Ninth Commander is also older and has less qualifications than the teacher. Many things cannot be controlled!"
"Nowadays, the court is turbulent and turbulent, and various factions are getting bigger and bigger, but what about us? But we are getting more and more miserable. In the future, our children may not even have a bite to eat!"
"We have to cultivate talents and prepare for the great changes in the future! So...I...I want to ask my brother to jointly submit a memorial with me to establish the Great Clear Water Division!"
"I want to fight for this position...not for myself, but for the brothers and future generations who follow us!"
"You want to train in the navy?" Zuo Zongtang was stunned. Training in the navy was naturally his dream, otherwise there would be no Mawei Shipyard and school.
But it was about to happen so soon, and he was a little surprised!
"It's not the navy! I thought about it, and rashly calling the navy would irritate Xiao Letian and the European powers. Let's start training with the navy first, and make it bigger and stronger little by little. Our Qing country must have coastal defense!"
Li Hongzhang began to talk about the benefits of establishing a navy. It would not only strengthen the country but also maintain the power of the Hunan Army. One after another, his mouth went dry.
And Zuo Zongtang was listening, listening quietly until Li Hongzhang couldn't speak anymore, and then he said, "Shao Quan! I don't object to you building a navy, but you want to turn the navy into a private army. This is absolutely not okay." !”
"Times have changed. In an era of great change that has not been seen in three thousand years, do you still want to do the same thing as in the past?"
"Why should I send 100,000 brothers to guard the Western Regions? I have personally fought against Rakshasa ghosts. I know how powerful Europeans are! Can our Hunan Army resist such an enemy on our own?"
"A single Tsarist Russia will make it difficult for us to resist. What if Britain and France come again in the future? Can the private army resist this?"
"Nowadays, the fate of the country can only be combined but not divided!"
Li Hongzhang frowned when he heard this, "Combined? How? Who? With Xiao Letian? Let him eat up our power in one bite?"
"Teacher, has all his life's hard work been in vain? Didn't I tell you, brother, that you were too close to him when we were in the Western Regions? How many rumors were there in the court?"
"If you hadn't left your brothers in the Western Regions to endure hardships, where would you have gotten the glory you have now? I'm afraid the memorials to impeach you would have filled the Hall of Supreme Harmony!"
Zuo Jigao smiled slightly, "They can say whatever they like. I have a clear conscience! I can't deliberately let my brothers fight with their lives against the enemy for the sake of my reputation!"
"The Chinese are no longer a thing, but at least they have enough cannons and foreign guns, as well as a lot of medicine and military rations. How many of my brothers have died? For the sake of human life, I will admit it!"
"You... you... want to take refuge with Xiao Letian?" Li Hongzhang stood up immediately, with a nervous look on his face.
Zuo Zongtang smiled coldly, "Sit down... I'm not that shameless. Who should I rely on at my age? If I change my master, I have to choose an older one!"
"I have no soldiers at the moment, and all my direct relatives are guarding the border. Although life is a bit harder, the land over there is vast and sparsely populated, so there is no problem in getting enough food and clothing!"
"The Central Plains may seem prosperous, but we cannot escape all kinds of reincarnations, wars, plagues, and famines. The land is a curse that we, China, cannot break for thousands of years!"
"I know you are all scolding me, attacking me, saying that the future of my 100,000 brothers is for your own official title, and blaming me for leaving them to suffer in the Western Regions!"
"Haha... you don't understand. You have never been there at all. I have a few manuscripts left by Lin Zexu, Master Lin. This Western Region is actually a treasure!"
"As long as those veterans are willing to work hard, eating meat every meal is not a problem, let alone eating enough! Do they have to come back and visit the smelly ponds in the Central Plains?"
"But...but our strength is already very weak, and you have divided out another hundred thousand brothers, how will we fight against those people in the future!"
Zuo Zongtang sighed, "Shaoquan! Let me make it clear, you did all this just because you disobey Xiao Letian! Don't you just want to fight him?"
"But if you open your eyes and look at the world, who among us still has the strength to compete with him? Who among us still has it?"
"Since he defeated France, no one in East Asia can suppress him. In this world, except the British, who do you think can control him?"
"We have to accept our fate! Even His Majesty is somewhat resigned to his fate now, why are you still so angry?"
When Li Hongzhang was told what he was worried about, his face turned red but he still said stubbornly, "Of course I am not his opponent, but he will definitely be able to succeed?"
"Are the British so good to him? If one day, the British turn against him, how will the Chinese resist him? Once defeated, who will clean up the mess? We have to fight for territory and interests in advance!"
Hiss... Zuo Zongtang took a breath, grabbed Shaoquan's hand and asked in a low voice, "You... do you know something?"
"Are the British going to attack Xiao Letian? Are the British going to go to war against the Chinese?"
"Shaoquan! Tell me the truth, tell me the truth!"
Note: I’m really busy and tired today, so I’ll have to update it tomorrow, sorry!
