Chapter 185 Zeng Guofan decides the case at the opportunity (5)
When Li Rusong, secretary of the cabinet, heard about this, he angrily said: He taught bandits to abduct children, and then shot at officials because of their great achievements, causing our people to kill foreigners. The foreigners act as they please, but they don't know that our people in the Qing Dynasty know how to guard the officials but don't know how to fear the barbarians. They know how to be loyal to the country but don't know how to feel guilty and cruel. Wei Chen thought that it was difficult to go against the will of the people, so it was better to take this opportunity to destroy all the Jingyi Pavilions and kill all the Jingyi chiefs, so that they could be relieved once and for all.
Li Hongzhang, the governor of Huguang, said in a concert: With China's current strength, it is impossible to launch a sudden attack on the army, and the only way is to compromise and seek safety; quickly arresting the criminals involved may be able to calm down the foreigners.
When Zuo Zongtang heard that Zeng Guofan had captured the people of Tianjin to pay for his crimes, he sighed and said: Zeng Houxiang rarely pays attention to barbarian sentiments, how can he not be shaken! What do you think of those who show off their feelings, take things seriously, and demand compensation and compensation? Over the past few years, I have been talking about self-improvement in vain, and even if it becomes slightly abnormal, I can’t help but be shocked and worried!
After Zongtang sighed, he wrote in Shangshu: When countries in Europe and the West started quarreling with China, they all held high officials hostage to intimidate the Chinese people. Even if they went so far as to upset public opinion and offend the public, they would not dare to do so. Our people rallied to beat and kill the church members because of the legal person Feng Daye who was the first to shoot our Qing Dynasty official. The cause of the incident was France. If people's lives are demanded as compensation, then it is not appropriate to take what Yuan said lightly and cause chaos. If China is worried about Xiao Qiang, are all countries not only worried about fish in the pond?
Ding Richang, the governor of Jiangsu Province, received the order and immediately set off northward. On July 26, Ding Richang arrived in Tianjin and paid homage to Zeng Guofan, saying: "The barbarians are tortured, and it is difficult to be a commander-in-chief!"
Zeng Guofan said: Brother Chijing, please get up quickly. The Governor of Liangjiang, Ma Xinyi, is having a shooting parade at the school grounds, can you guys go and join in the fun?
Ding Richang said: "As soon as I received the imperial decree, I informed Ma Xinyi to cancel the shooting parade at the school."
Zeng Guofan said: Although Ma Xinyi dealt with the Anqing religious case with lowered eyebrows and lowered his eyes, he was still flawless. What is right and wrong in the Tianjin religious case has been defined; however, Li Rusong, secretary of the cabinet, Zuo Zongtang, governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and others all believe that the people of Tianjin are angry and cannot be investigated; the prefectures and counties are innocent and should not be investigated. They are all outsiders and ignorant. If you have a little knowledge of the matter, you will be fully aware of its fallacy.
Ding Richang said: "I am reporting to Commander-in-Chief. Richang believes that for such a major case, forty or fifty people must be arrested and executed separately to show the power of the imperial court to suppress the people and to appease the outside world."
Zeng Guofan said: "There were more than eighty prisoners, most of whom refused to vomit, and only seven or eight of them had confessions that could be used to rectify the law. The rest had no confessions or certificates. The generals who came with them would inevitably drive them away and kill them. There was no way to deal with the people, and there was no way to kill them." Thank you for clear discussion. However, the overseas power remains the same, how can China be so powerful at this time that it can provoke a provocation! We cannot allow the people to become angry once and cause endless disaster to the country. The only way to end the case is to punish the murderer to avenge his resentment and pay a huge sum of money to satisfy his desires.
Ding Richang said: There are five suspicious items in Di Shuai's memorial, which were cut off by the two palaces but not published; these are taken out of context and have other motives. Yixuan, Prince of Chun County, discussed with the Qing Dynasty officials, saying he was very hostile to the foreigners. They all threatened to burn churches, seize foreign goods, kill foreign merchants, and sink cargo ships. He even told the people clearly that all the proceeds from robbery should be divided among themselves, and the officials would not ask questions. If the foreigners protested, That is to say, they are vain and conceited, and they are slowed down in the name of investigation and handling. It can be imagined that the tens of thousands of resistances in the government and the public were all resisted by Commander Di.
Zeng Guofan said: The emperor and the empress dowager are both respected by thousands of people. An Ke is the target of public criticism. I will bear the blame! Immediately pass on my order: Anyone who commits the crime in a group fight, regardless of where he is injured, will be regarded as the culprit. If the offender has no confession, but two or three people can prove it, the case will be decided accordingly. If this is done, there will be many people who are rectifying the Dharma. This is not only enough for France, but also for all other countries. Without further ado, I will immediately ask the two palaces for their permission.
Empress Dowager Cixi received the order and sighed: In the Tianjin religious case, the people of Tianjin killed more than 40 people. The circumstances may be excusable, but the crime is inexcusable. According to Zeng Guofan's wishes, more than 20 criminals were quickly arrested, their identities were verified, and their heads were beheaded to show the power of the imperial court to suppress the people.
Empress Dowager Ci'an said: Such a verdict is very disappointing to the people. People in Beijing and Tianjin are furious and angry. There are loud voices of filth. Zeng Guofan was labeled a traitor. They all said that Zeng and his ministers were guilty of serious crimes. It would be perfect if they died three years earlier. people.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: It is the right way for the army and the people to work together to resist foreign humiliation. However, with the current strength of the imperial court, it is impossible to compete with foreign countries. Zeng Chen blocked the gun for the Qing Dynasty!
Prince Gong Yi Xin said: The Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager Sheng were guilty of killing people and selling goods. In the Qing Dynasty, they still paid with their lives. What's more, they killed more than 20 foreigners, which led to several provocations. Zeng Guofan succeeded in the trial, and all the ministers in the court There is no rival.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: Not only Zeng Chen, but also the imperial censor, Zuo Zongtang supervised military affairs during his tenure as governor of Fujian and Zhejiang and the current governor of Shaanxi and Gansu. Although he spent tens of millions in salary, he had no involvement at all. The money that comes from cheap salary may be used casually to provide for the urgent needs of the military and civilians; there is little to supplement the household income. Zuo Chen Zongtang is truly a perfect man! The decree was quickly passed on, and the civil and military officials of the dynasty were closed. The left officials were not allowed to be impeached for thirty years.
Cixi, Ci'an, and Yixin were discussing in full swing. Jiangning General Kuiyu rushed to Liubaili and secretly reported that Ma Xinyi, the governor of Liangjiang, was assassinated during a shooting parade on July 26 in the school field. He was ordered to die in an instant. He dictated the following: "The stolen minister Ma Xinyi In the 27th year of Daoguang's reign, he became a Jinshi and was immediately used as a county magistrate. He was distributed in Anhui. After arriving in the province, he successively served as Fanju. Three years after Xianfeng, he served as a military official. I was in the camp for defense and suppression, and accompanied the former Cao minister Yuan Jiasan and others to conquer Fengyang, Luzhou and other cities, and marched with the army for several decades.
In the first year of Tongzhi, he stayed in Mengcheng, relying on the power of the country to turn the crisis into peace. Emperor Wenzongxian of Xuanmeng, the Empress Dowager, and Emperor Teda knew him, and he was promoted to governor of Zhejiang and promoted to governor of Fujian and Zhejiang. In the sixth month of the seventh year of Tongzhi, I respectfully invited your Majesty to see you and knelt down to listen to the holy teachings. After leaving the capital, he arrived in Jining and was ordered by En to be transferred to the post of governor of Liangjiang. He took office in September.
Liangjiang has a vast land and rich resources, and the rule of the common people is complicated. After the restoration of Jiangning, the former governor Zeng Guofan and the former department governor Li Hongzhang carefully sorted it out. They followed suit, strictly abided by the rules, and made changes when encountering difficulties, always announcing that the emperor should rest and recuperate.
This year, the rain has come and gone, and people and things have gradually become more prosperous. The minister is sincere and fearful, he is cautious, he is thrifty to maintain his integrity, and he is diligent to make up for his weakness. He dare not exceed his limits, and he is always afraid of being short-sighted and incompetent.
In May, Tianjin taught the people to cause trouble and repeatedly issued edicts to inquire about the defense of Haikou. As soon as I heard about the threat from outsiders, I became angry and anxious. I took care of myself and returned to the frontier. I could only share my worries and fulfill my duties.
In the past two months, we have deployed various battalions on land and water and negotiated closely with ministers from Jiangxi, Anhui and Chuxi and Yangtze River governors. All official documents and correspondence were answered by hand, and even if they were deeply missed, they would not dare to write them by hand. A little bit of foolishness, but a bit of careful advice. Therefore, the land and water arrangements were recorded in detail on the 25th of this month.
On the 26th, in accordance with the regulations, I went to the Youjian Road of the Department at Mao Ke to review the martial arts classes. After the review was completed, I returned to the Department through the side door in the backyard of the Department. As he walked to the door, an unknown person suddenly stabbed the minister under the right rib with a sharp knife, which was several inches deep, causing serious injuries. When Wu Bian and others followed him, he was captured and handed over to the prefecture and county for severe torture and interrogation.
While I was being examined by a doctor, I found that the injury was right in the vital part. I fainted several times, but my mind was still clear, and I asked myself that I had no physiology at all. Fu Nianchen went through the formation and encountered repeated dangers, but he persisted with perseverance and was fortunately saved. Unexpectedly, he would remain in the army for the rest of his life. Suddenly, something unexpected happened, and his life was in danger.
This is actually caused by the minister's poor fortune and disaster, and he can no longer invite favors. But now that the frontier is not at peace and foreign threats are everywhere, it is impossible to make decisions to relieve the imperial court's worries about the west, but it is also unable to resist aggression and attack, causing invisible disasters at home. I will never rest in peace because of this.
I only hope that I, the Emperor, will respect the Queen Mother's teachings, be more diligent in learning classics, and give you a lot of health from time to time, build up your strength to ward off tired people, and stay far away to eliminate external provocations. Looking at the Yan Lian Que, my soul flies over.
I was just fifty years old and had no heirs, so my nephew Ma Yuzhen was the son of Ma Xinyou, the county magistrate of Henan Province. I spent the rest of my life and made many mistakes, so I dictated my legacy. I ordered my heir, Ma Yuzhen, to carefully copy it and hand it over to General Jiangning and Chen Kuiyu to present it on my behalf. There is no attachment, and the camp is over. Fu begged the Empress Dowager and the Emperor’s Holy Mirror. I would like to play.
