Chapter 141: Empress Dowager Cixi cuts off the relationship
One day, Zeng Guofan received Li Hongzhang's 70,000 taels of salary. Guofan was delighted and said: "I have also received a favor to relieve my salary. I will give 40,000 taels to Anqing's troops and 30,000 to Wu and Lujiu Camp." If a girl is rich, her family will be fat, and if her leaves are abundant, her excrement will reach her roots. Shaoquan has a pure heart and a broad mind. Shen Baozhen, the governor of Jiangxi, cut off my 40,000 taels of silver, which was unkind and stingy.
Staff Ouyang Zhaoxiong said: Since the beginning of spring, Jiangxi has experienced continuous droughts and floods, and Shen Baozhen may have difficulties. Li Hongzhang was able to rule the country on horseback and secure the country on horseback. He was truly an all-rounder.
Zeng Guofan laughed and said: If you can escape in the face of battle, you are also talented. It is also a good idea to catch people from the tiger's mouth.
Ouyang Zhaoxiong also laughed and said, "The commander-in-chief is making fun of Li Hongzhang again. Where does this come from?"
Zeng Guofan said: Previously, the former governor of Liangjiang, He Guiqing, killed the gentry and civilians in vain and escaped from the battle; the late emperor ordered an investigation and escorted him to the capital. Because foreigners came to Beijing and the late emperor Yan Jia, He Guiqing was able to avoid trouble in the concession and lived at ease for two years. It was not until June this year that Li Shaoquan was arrested and brought to justice.
Ouyang Zhaoxiong said: Li Hongzhang is really good at recruiting people from the foreign concession.
Zeng Guofan said: The case has been postponed for two years, and the Ministry of Punishment has just tried it. He Guiqing issued a public notice signed by Xue Huan and others, saying that he retreated to Suzhou to protect his salary. This was a helpless move requested by others. This case is really difficult at this point, so the empress dowagers of the two palaces ordered me to investigate.
Ouyang Zhaoxiong said: There is no way to investigate whether this report was forged at the time or afterward. He Guiqing, Xue Huan and others are very talented. This is indeed a killer's trump card.
Zeng Guofan said: The empress dowagers of the two palaces have decrees. He Guiqing was once a high-ranking official, so he should be careful about the punishment. If you have any doubts, you may wish to state your opinions. Seventeen people including Qi Jianzao, a scholar of Tiren Pavilion, came to discuss rescue. However, hundreds of officials said: If we don't kill He Guiqing, how can we thank the millions of people in Jiangnan who died in the war?
Ouyang Zhaoxiong said: If the late emperor was still here, He Guiqing would have died long ago.
Zeng Guofan said: During the Daoguang period, Yu Buyun, the governor of Zhejiang Province, lost Dinghai, and Qinglin, the governor of Hubei Province, lost Wuchang during the Xianfeng period. When He Guiqing went to the city, he killed nineteen people who were holding incense, kneeling and leaving their elders behind. If this person is not punished, it will be intolerable to heaven.
On that day, Zeng Guofan wrote in a memorial: The officials in Xinjiang regard the defense of the city as a major priority, and should not rely on the words of their subordinates; the ministers should judge by their deeds and do not need to weigh the merits of the officials.
The Empress Dowager Cixi took up the report and said: "The case of He Guiqing needs no further discussion. It will be decided immediately at Caishikou!"
Prince Gong Yixin said: Zhenjiang guard Feng Zicai intercepted Li Xiucheng's top-secret document that "he wants to attack Anhui Province first and then relieve the siege of Jinling", but he doesn't know whether it is true or false.
Empress Dowager Cixi: Even if it is a top secret, the lies can also be true, and she immediately tells Zeng Guofan: A large group of rebels will cross from Jiufuzhou to the north, and plan to go to Lujiang, Hezhou, Jiangpu, and Liuhe in northern Anhui to invade the upper reaches, and plan to contain the Jinling army. , take advantage of the weakness and attack again, with Zeng Guofan's success in mind, he will be well prepared and make the thieves' plan useless.
Empress Dowager Ci'an said: On the southeast half, Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang and others fought together, and Guangdong Ni was defeated steadily. The bandits in Shaanxi have been in chaos for nearly two years. The victory of the East Road has been suppressed, but they cannot control the bandits. It is extremely hateful to have Miao Peilin and his troops go to Shaanxi.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: In August last year, Shengbao entered Shaanxi. There were occasional small victories. However, the Song Dynasty Jingshi Poetry Department revolted midway, and the overall situation in the northwest was out of control. Miao Peilin is a repeater, and he has already given orders before that Miao Lian is confined to Anhui and cannot use any troops rashly.
The political king Yi Xin said: The imperial minister Seng Gelinqin, the governor of Shanxi Yinggui, and the deputy commander of Xi'an Dexing'a also impeached Shengbao for being arrogant. Shengbao disobeyed the imperial edict, mobilized troops without authorization, and was arrogant. His faults will be investigated. Xue Huan, the Minister of Commerce and Industry, impeached Li Hongzhang for withholding Chang Sheng's military pay and silver without authorization, which led to military chaos. Li Hongzhang failed to coordinate properly, and his fault should be investigated.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: "What happened in Shanghai is a matter of relaxation and retreat. She quickly passed on Xue Chen's excerpts to Zeng Guofan, the imperial minister in Liangjiang, and ordered him to perform the concerto." Immediately pass the order, General Duolong'a of Jingzhou, supervises the military affairs of Shaanxi as the imperial minister. Shengbao must be severely punished for his arrogance, corruption, taking bribes, supporting troops and bandits, and deception!
Empress Dowager Ci'an said: Hubei Governor Yan Shusen also impeached Shengbao: Looking at his daily memorials, his disobedience can be seen at a glance. To the extent that he takes advantage of his merits, invades his salary, and harms the people through sexual intercourse, it is nothing more than other things. Hui Nian is a disease caused by ringworm and scabies, and the Cantonese invaders only suffer from the limbs, but it is a serious problem for the heart and soul. Is it rash to only punish the person severely but not punish the crime?
Empress Dowager Cixi said: During the time of Chief Xin, the victory was protected by his troops, but we could not cross the river and demolish the bridge. There is no need to make too much noise about the victory. After severely reprimanding him, he also sent a private notice to Zhang Jing, a military officer, asking him to choose between the Minister of War and the Minister of Internal Affairs.
Shengbao received the order and accepted the complaint, thinking that his military power was not guaranteed, so he wrote to Cao Yuying, the Minister of Military Aircraft: Those who want to bind Bao can immediately pay "Si Bai", why use words as bait? I only remember the affairs between the Xin chieftains. How could the princes be where they are today if they were not protected?
When the Empress Dowager Cixi heard this, she was furious and said: Shengbao is domineering and does not know what is good or bad. She immediately issued a secret edict to Duolonga to arrest and treat him cautiously and escort him to the capital to await trial.
Yi Xin said: Zeng Guofan said: "It is more than a few hundred miles from Jinling to Huizhou and Qimen. The area is too long and there are too many traitors." The area north of the Yangtze River, from Hezhou to Wuhan, except for the troops in Luzhou and Anqing, is empty for thousands of miles. It is really feared that they will be defeated and broken up, and their previous achievements will be used up.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: Zeng Guofan was cautious. After the war in Anqing, Guangdong was defeated thousands of miles away. However, the embankment of a thousand feet collapsed in an ant nest; an order was quickly sent to Du Xing'a, Li Zhaoshou and others to attack at the right time to prevent the thieves from retreating. As soon as the war in the south of the Yangtze River was extinguished, Zeng Chen, the vassal state, ordered Zeng Guoquan and Bao Chao to divide their troops and go north.
Zeng Guofan accepted the order and said: The two palaces also have knowledge.
Ouyang Zhaoxiong, an aide, said: "Commanders in northern Anhui and southern Anhui have already deployed their defenses, so why bother to go to Shu and make threatening remarks?"
Zeng Guofan said: Those who captured Hanshan, Chaoxian and Hezhou were the small vanguard of the Cantonese bandits. If the loyal chiefs arrive, how can I fend off the thieves without a general? The chieftain's attack on Jinzhu Pass also gained momentum. Zeng Guoquan listened to the seal but did not listen to the tune. He just cried out for help! When it comes to using troops, the whole army comes first, followed by protecting the city. Zeng Guoquan led his troops to fight a stupid battle. Without my full deployment of supplies, this army would have collapsed long ago. Last month, He Shaocai's 4th Battalion, Wu Tinghua's 2nd Battalion, and Wang Kesheng's 7th Battalion had all responded to the aid of southern Anhui. With the troops in Ning County extinguished, Bao Chunting could lead his army across the river.
Ouyang Zhaoxiong said: The nine commanders captured Ji'an, attacked Jingde, and conquered Anqing. They were brave enough to win the three armies. Their troops were stationed at the gate of Jinling City and they also contained a large number of bandits.
Zeng Guofan said: "Don't mention it again. If the attack on the city had not been successful, I would have disbanded Jiying." Send my order quickly. Peng Yulin's Neihu Navy quickly sailed up to assist the Lu Division in retaking the key passes of Yun Cao and Tongcheng Gate. The most important places on the north bank are Anqing, Luzhou, Wuwei, Tongcheng, Xiliang and Yuncao; the most important places on the south bank are Jinling, Ningguo, Wuhu and Jinzhu. Our army will guard these eleven places and also protect the food routes. We will win in the long run.
Ouyang Zhaoxiong said: The commander-in-chief asked Li Hongzhang to concurrently serve as Minister of Commerce and Commerce of the Five Kingdoms. The two palaces have not responded. Is it not allowed?
Zeng Guofan said: He Guiqing was punished for defying the law, and Xue Huan was very resentful. It was normal for him to take the opportunity to impeach Li Shaoquan. Whether the two palaces approve or not depends on Li Hongzhang's actions. Can Xue Huan's impeachment transcript be copied to Li Shaoquan?
Ouyang Zhaoxiong said: It was also sent half a month ago.
Zeng Guofan said: In southern Anhui, Jinling, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, etc., we have many soldiers and strong generals, so we have no worries for the time being. In northern Anhui, we have few soldiers and no generals. I will order Zeng Guoquan again and fly a strong army across the river to aid the north.
After Zeng Guoquan received the order, he immediately sent Liu Lianjie, the named inspector, to lead an army of two thousand to cross the river and visit the north.
The Taiping Army captured Hanshan, Chaoxian, and Hezhou and stationed troops for more than a month, but food supplies were gradually running out.
Zhang Wang Lin Shaozhang said: There are heavy troops in front and no way to retreat. The main army of King Zhong has not arrived yet, so this battle will be difficult to fight.
Wang Hongchunyuan said: If we don't start a war, we will sit back and wait for death. Time waits for us. Our troops will attack Wuwei Prefecture and open up the grain road.
On January 13, Hong Chunyuan led more than 10,000 troops to attack Wuwei Prefecture. After more than a month of campaigning, the city was not captured, but the key passes of Luck Cao and Tongcheng Gate were lost.
The attempt to steal the chickens failed and resulted in loss of grain and rice, so Hong Chunyuan stopped the attack and went to King Shutian: It is difficult for an army to move alone, and it is urgent for King Zhong to lead his army to cross the river.
