Chapter 155 Zeng Guoquan’s Massacre of the City in Jinling (1)
The Empress Dowager Cixi was overjoyed when she received the report and said: When Li Hongzhang arrived in the Soviet Union, he completely changed the old system and imitated the barbarian army. He replaced his guns with cannons, killed generals and beheaded troops, and captured cities and territories. He was omnipotent. Now he has also abolished the foreign gun corps from foreign barbarians. Li Chenhongzhang made great achievements in eliminating a hidden danger for the country.
Prince Gong Yi Xin said: Li Hongzhang is in Su and Zuo Zongtang is in Zhejiang. They are marching together and their offensive is fierce. The southeastern half will be captured in a day. Chief Fu Chen Decai, with hundreds of thousands of them, has spread for hundreds of miles, and has now reached the front lines of Huang'an, Macheng and Qishui in Hubei Province. If Seng Gelinqin cannot stop them, the thieves will reach Jinling within a month. In the land of Shaanxi and Gansu on the west route, after the death of Duo Gonglong'a, the offensive slowed down; it is appropriate to send a capable and senior officer to supervise it.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: "Seng Gelinqin, with a hundred thousand military governors, and more than ten thousand Xiang tribesmen from Tang Xunfang, can resist the rabble of the chieftains." This civil unrest in Shaanxi has caused huge casualties and has been suppressed for a long time. When will it be eradicated?
Yi Xin said: In the land of Shaanxi and Gansu, many people gather together, and when they encounter friction, sparks will arise, and the local officials will not handle it properly, which will lead to a prairie fire. On the sixth day of May in the first year of Tongzhi, Zhang Fu, the former governor of Jiangxi, failed to persuade him and was killed by Ren Wu on the beach of Weihe River. Chief Ren made wild remarks, deceived all living beings, and sent messages to kill people. Within one month, more than 100,000 people were killed. Shengbao was encircled and suppressed under the order, and lost more than he won. He did not feel ashamed, but relied on his previous achievements and became arrogant. He was complacent and pleased with himself. Duogong Long'a entered Shaanxi to suppress the bandits. Within two years, the chaos in Shaanxi was quelled. On the eve of entering Gansu, Duogong quickly attacked the Zhouzhi city wall, but unexpectedly he was killed by a stray bullet.
Empress Dowager Cixi sighed and said: Officials Guan Wen and Hu Linyi both said that many ministers are simple, honest, loyal and courageous, and champions of wisdom and strategy, and are admired by everyone. After the death of many ministers, the war between Shaanxi and Gansu was in vain. God is jealous of talented people, so what can I do? The edict was quickly passed on, and he was given the title of "Zengcheng Prince Taibao". He was given the title of first-class light chariot captain and was enshrined in the Zhaozhong Temple in the capital. A special temple was built for his meritorious service, and he was given the posthumous title of Zhongyong. Before the death of many ministers, they recommended Mu Tushan as the deputy governor of the capital. Many ministers know people well and are responsible for their duties. They will appoint Mu Tushan to act as the minister of the Imperial Guard and to handle Shaanxi affairs together with Liu Rong, the governor of Shaanxi.
Yi Xin said: Mu Tushan and Liu Rong are both young and may not be able to control Lei Zhengwan, Cao Kezhong and others.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: "No problem, let's watch Mu Tushan march and set up his formation. If there are branches outside the festival, Du Xing'a and Yang Yuebin can take their place." In the first year of Tongzhi, Mu, Lei and Cao attached themselves to Xing'a, the capital. Yang Yuebin, the admiral of Fujian, has fought thousands of miles and is invincible. He has excellent strategies. When Jinling is restored and Guangdong is pacified, he can also go to the west.
Yi Xin said: The empress dowager is so wise that I admire her so much. Can you immediately order Du Xing'a to rush to the northwest to prepare for a rainy day?
The Empress Dowager Cixi said: In the remote corner of Shaanxi and Gansu, the unruly people are stubborn and want haste. Jinling has been restored, Guangdong's rebellion has been eradicated, and the overall situation has been decided. The order is quickly passed on: Li Hongzhang's troops bravely attacked the city and captured the pass, and they achieved great success in their direction. The artillery team made great achievements. Deli. Now that the Jinling Gong is about to be completed, and he is deliberately heading eastward, he may delay the whole situation. How can Li Hongzhang sit back and watch? Immediately, thousands of powerful troops and powerful artillery teams were mobilized to Jinling to join Zeng Guoquan's encirclement division. They took advantage of the situation and quickly performed skin skills. If Li Hongzhang could personally supervise all the armies, he would be able to discuss business opportunities with Zeng Guoquan and be particularly effective in suppressing them. He should consider the situation carefully and deal with it quickly while hearing the report. Admire this.
Li Hongzhang accepted the order and hesitated.
Li Hezhang said: How difficult is this! Zuo Jigao besieged Huzhou for forty days, but failed repeatedly and suffered heavy losses. Please ask for help from our troops by land and water, please help?
Li Hongzhang said: Last month, Zuo Jigao accused me of crossing the border to take credit, and now he lowers his eyebrows and asks for help. What's the point?
Li Hezhang said: This moment is the same as that moment.
Li Hongzhang said: It doesn't matter, it's cheaper than Zuo Jigao. Immediately passing on my order, Guo Songlin, Yang Dingxun, Liu Shiqi, Wang Yongsheng and others led 30 battalions of brave soldiers, together with Li Chaobin's navy, to advance in separate directions, besiege Changxing, and completely cut off the foreign aid route to Huzhou.
On that day, Li Hongzhang wrote: After conquering Changzhou, I did not dare to suddenly negotiate an alliance to annihilate Jinling. Because my soldiers had been fighting hard for many years, were sick and tired, and had no time to recuperate. If I were to go far away suddenly, I was afraid that I would be in decline again. Three exhaustions are of no benefit to the overall situation; one is that Zeng Guoquan's entire army besieged it for two years, and even one siege was not completed. They repeatedly received letters, saying that the few in Jinling were not in the army but in pay. More than ten tunnels were opened, and there were about several places. In May and June It can be done in time. If it can be blasted away early, there will be no need for assistance. He also asked Zeng Guofan to consult and keep silent, and ordered him to send troops to guard Jurong, Dongba, Lishui, and Gaochun. He also asked Zuo Zongtang to consult and send troops to Changxing to control the Huzhou bandits. Since the atmosphere of banditry in Hu County is still strong and it is a real concern for Su Province, I should first send a strong force to Guichangxing to help capture Hu County. After Huzhou is recovered and the gate is stabilized, I can then divide my troops to attack Jinling without any worries.
After Li Hongzhang finished his remarks, he wrote to Zeng Guofan again: Yuanfu has worked hard for two years and is about to be finished. Although there is an edict, our army will never attack Jinling.
Zeng Guofan received the letter and sighed: "I am a foolish brother with a thin face, but I rely on Li Shaoquan for success."
The vassal of the country sighed and wrote to Zeng Guoquan again: On the 13th, I received my younger brother and on the 10th day of the lunar month, I wrote everything. At that time, I had just heard the news that Changzhou had been restored on the sixth day of the lunar month and that Danyang had been restored on the eighth day of the lunar month. I was very pleased. But there was something in my brother's letter that said: The liver disease has become severe and the chronic disease has become serious. He is often angry when meeting people and worried about things. I can't bear to read it. anxiety.
Since this year, there have been many cities in Suzhou and Zhejiang, but Jinling has not been able to secure it for a long time, and its salary and money are extremely poor. Unsatisfactory events and unpleasant words have come one after another. I am still depressed and ill. How about my brother's hard work, which is a hundred times more than my brother's? Since spring, I have often been afraid that my brother will develop liver disease, and every time I say something vague, these four sentences reveal the truth. This disease cannot be cured by medicine and bait. You must look down on everything and avoid being annoyed or angry, so that it can be gradually alleviated. If the viper stings the hand, the strong man will cut off his hand, so he will survive. My brother, if you want to live your life to the fullest, you should also regard anger as a viper, and you must be brave to get rid of it.
In the past few years, I have been ashamed of my brother, but removing Cheng Xueqi as a general would be detrimental to my brother. Although it is harmful to the family, it is beneficial to the country. The younger brother does not need to be too depressed, and the older brother does not need to regret it. Suddenly I saw Shaoquan asking for Cheng Xueqi's sympathy and sincerity, so I sent it to my brother to read, and asked him to copy it and send it back.
Li Zhaoshou's affairs will be concluded on the 12th, and I would like to consult my younger brother. If Li Zhaoshou sees this memorial, he may be able to send 300,000 strings quickly. I also asked my brother to copy it and consult with Li Chu. I have already consulted him, fearing that his arrival will be delayed.
In addition, in case of insufficient military pay, I will also make a copy of the memorial for my brother-in-law, which will serve as a copy for my brother's retirement in the future. My sick leave expired on April 25th, and I wanted to ask for an extension, but my friends and colleagues advised me not to take my leave. What do you think?
From the Huaibei salt tax and tolls, a total of 800,000 strings can be obtained every year, which is planned to be used to support my brother's army. This is a huge sum of money, but the local people still think it is not much, and it is unworthy of being loyal to Wan, and it is also a big mistake. During the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th years of Xianfeng's reign, I never earned more than 800,000 yuan a year. I will never be able to raise such a huge sum of money again.
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