Chapter 185 Zeng Guofan decides the case at the opportunity (1)
Zuo Zongtang arrived in Beijing with a memorial, and the empress dowagers of the two palaces urgently summoned Prince Gong to discuss the matter. Empress Dowager Cixi said: After Zuo Zongtang arrived in Gansu, although he repeatedly reported victory, he never wiped out the atmosphere of thieves. gram. The fat and oil of several southeastern provinces are exhausted to support the Western Expeditionary Army. It seems like this year after year. How can this huge amount of money be supported for a long time? The minister asked himself, why should he treat the imperial court?
Prince Gong Yixin said: "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother, I think that the war is ever-changing and the imperial court cannot control it remotely." Soldiers are deceitful; but who can win in heaven and earth? Which law is right? Which of the soldiers is stronger? The so-called chance of victory or defeat. Zuo Zongtang has been in the army for many years and has repeatedly defeated powerful enemies. He is truly a talented general. If the general is not accepted by the emperor, he rushes him too hastily, which is counterproductive.
Empress Dowager Ci'an said: "It's not because of the rush. Since the Animation bandit troubles occurred in Shaanxi and Gansu, the imperial court launched a large-scale campaign and appointed Zuo Zongtang as the Imperial Envoy to supervise the troops to suppress the bandits. They allocate no less than eight million taels of salary every year." At a time of frequent disasters, Shaanxi and Gansu are at peace. It will be a blessing to the country if this huge amount of money is used in areas of urgent need.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: Jinji Fort is three thousand miles away from the capital. Zuo Zongtang just stopped moving forward. What can be done?
Yi Xin said: Recently, some imperial officials have impeached Zuo Zongtang for using power for personal gain, retaining official money and enriching his own pockets. This fierce battle between Shaanxi and Gansu is urgent, and whether to investigate or not is indeed a tricky matter.
Empress Dowager Ci'an said: The bad official rules of the Qing Dynasty, which were given by the Qing Dynasty, have become a common practice and will never go away. Zuo Zongtang can hardly stand alone.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: Zuo Zongtang is skilled in strategy and has a long history of prestige. As the saying goes, praise will come, and slander will follow. The imperial court had no intention of remotely controlling the Shaanxi-Gansu war, and the strict decree was to encourage him to advance; however, if he sluggishly stagnates, the imperial court can rely on bad rules and order Li Hongzhang to lead Huaiyong to replace him.
Empress Dowager Ci'an said: To the east of the Qing Dynasty, the Tianjin religious case is pending, and the barbarian warships are once again approaching the mouth of Dagong; to the west of the Qing Dynasty, Aqubai, a member of the Kokand Khanate, has invaded the southern border, and the British and Russian barbarians are also ready to make a move. In troubled times, orders and prohibitions must be carried out, but the mission must be achieved.
Yi Xin said: Shaanxi and Gansu are not at peace, and the Hexi Corridor is blocked. It is very difficult to establish an army in Xinjiang. The murder case at the Tianjin Catholic Mercy Church has wide implications. What is right and what is wrong must be investigated clearly. In the past, the French ministers were very irritable when encountering minor incidents in various provinces. If they were not too anxious this time, it seemed that Iraq had already made a plan. If the matter was not handled properly, the consequences would be unbearable.
Empress Dowager Ci'an said: Hundreds of children disappeared in Tianjin this spring. It is said that these children were abducted by French missionaries and Chinese Catholics. For each child, the abductor could receive five taels of silver, while the legal person could receive a child. Children's eyes, heart and liver, etc., and Western medicines are prepared.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: "People's opinions are accumulated and their bones are destroyed. Such fallacies cannot be allowed to be spread freely." Wu Lanzhen, the kidnapper in the Tianjin religious case, claimed to be the instigator of Wang San, a religious person. The right and wrong can be known by careful inspection. However, the Tianjin Taoist priests, prefects, and county magistrates handled the case too hastily and failed to prevent it in advance, so the fatal crime occurred. Zeng Guofan, the governor of Zhili, went to Tianjin quickly to find out everything. If it was really a stupid person who was using trouble to cause trouble, Zeng Chen must endure the humiliation and eliminate the trouble.
Empress Dowager Ci'an said: Zeng Guofan came to report recently and said that he was suffering from old illness, blindness in his right eye, dizziness in his left eye, and difficulty getting up from bed. In this state, Zeng Chen might not be able to go to Tianjin; even if he managed to do so, he might not be able to do what he wanted and would be coerced by foreigners.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: Whenever there was a major event, Zeng Guofan always retreated due to illness; however, if the religious case in Tianjin was not handled properly, the national crisis was imminent. Chonghou requested that the officials in Tianjin must be dismissed from their posts in order to please the foreigners. However, the matter of confusing and killing the young children had not yet been clarified, so he first belittled himself, worshiped Hou, and was incompetent. This important case cannot be solved except by Zeng Guofan. If Zeng Chen is still physically able to cope with it, he must overcome all difficulties and rush to Tianjin.
After the three people discussed it, they quickly issued an edict: the corporate church was involved in the abduction case, and there were some clues in the interrogation, but the evidence could not be confirmed yet. The cause of this case was the abduction of a child. The most important thing is whether there is any solid evidence. It must be thoroughly investigated. Only when the facts are clear can we find solutions.
The foreigners injured and killed many people, and the circumstances were serious. If the culprits who initiated the trouble were not punished, it would be difficult to end the matter. Tianjin Taoist Zhou Jiaxun, magistrate Zhang Guangzao, and county magistrate Liu Jie first handed it over to the department for separate settlement. After arriving in Tianjin, Zeng Guofan was still asked to find out the exact details, discuss with Chonghou carefully, understand the situation, and handle it properly, with a view to completing the case as soon as possible. , to avoid future troubles. Admire this.
Zeng Guofan received the order and said to Zhao Liewen, the secret agent: "Military planes are sent to the court. There is an emergency. 16 foreigners and more than 30 Chinese believers were all killed by the people of Tianjin. How to deal with this major case?" The kidnapping of a child by bandits in Tianjin was originally a trivial case; the officials in Tianjin mishandled it improperly and were unable to suppress it, which led to this change; however, the legal person Feng Daye openly shot the official of the Qing Dynasty, which was actually the trigger of the case. also.
Zhao Liewen said: Qi Dishuai, the incident in Jin County was caused by confusion, and the people came together to make trouble. Although there was no evidence for the confusion, where did the hundreds of virgin corpses of young children come from? Although Wang San, one of the disciples, did not accept the offer, Wu Lanzhen was still there, so it cannot be said that there was no one else and nothing to do. The French consul Feng Daye used a foreign gun to imitate the Minister of Chong and the Tianjin Order, but the servant was injured. At that time, he wanted to suppress him, but there was no way to suppress him. After that, the people started killing people and setting fires. Although the incident happened in a hurry, it may have been the result of private instructions from the lawsuit.
Zeng Guofan said: Foreign countries have a fierce temperament, Tianjin officials act recklessly, and the people's habits are arrogant. In the future, resentments and troops will be raised, which may lead to great changes. I have been thinking over and over again about this trip, but there is no good plan. When negotiating with foreigners, you should be resourceful and resourceful. You cannot be strong.
Zhao Liewen said: "The meaning of the West Palace is to report to the commander-in-chief. If it is true that our people are in trouble with the foreigners and the people, the two palaces have the intention of suppressing the soldiers and people in order to comfort all countries."
Zeng Guofan said: Since I recruited bravery in the third year of Xianfeng, I have sworn to serve on the battlefield. Now that I am old and sick, and in times of danger, I will never be willing to die to show my original intention. However, the people in Tianjin are fierce, and it is impossible to accuse them of crimes. Otherwise, they cannot hand in the paper. Is there a perfect way to make the imperial court worthy of the emperor, the common people down below, and able to deal with foreigners in the middle?
Zhao Liewen said: The foreigners have strong ships and powerful guns, and they want to fight for three points unreasonably. This matter is extremely difficult to solve!
Zeng Guofan said: When dealing with such major cases, we must uphold the public spirit, make it public, and be proactive, especially the soldiers and the people.
