Chapter 185 Zeng Guofan decides the case at the opportunity (6)
Empress Dowager Cixi looked at Ma Xinyi's legacy and said sadly: Isn't this strange?
Empress Dowager Ci'an said: This matter is very strange and must be investigated thoroughly!
Yi Xin said: Ma Xinyi was stabbed to death. The affairs of the people in Jiangnan are so complicated that Zeng Guofan cannot take charge of them.
The Empress Dowager Cixi said: "Issuing an edict immediately, asking Zeng Guofan to transfer the governor of Liangjiang. Before Zeng Chen takes office, the post of governor of Jiangning will be temporarily taken over by General Kuiyu of Jiangning. Kuiyu must supervise and supervise all the officials to ensure that he is properly informed." If true, punish with all possible means. Secretly ordered the governor of Anhui to pay close attention to the situation in the Yangtze River and Jinling to prepare for any eventuality.
Empress Dowager Ci'an said: Now that Zeng Chen has left, who can deal with the aftermath of Tianjin's teaching case?
Empress Dowager Cixi said: Zuo Zongtang forgets his own interests and controls his subordinates well; in Shaanxi, Gansu and Anhui, Zuo Chen can do it alone. It was superfluous for Li Hongzhang to station in Qinlong. As acting governor of Zhili, he immediately ordered General Bian of the Jianghuai River to go to Tianjin and carefully handle the Tianjin religious case. Zeng Guofan must not slack off when delivering the edict again, and must rush to Jinling to take charge.
When Zeng Guofan heard that Ma Xinyi had been assassinated, he couldn't calm down. He fell asleep and woke up in the dusk. He said sadly: "I am almost rushing to the underworld with the light of a lamp." Although my heart is clear, foreign troubles add to internal troubles, and this goes on and on. I thought there was nothing I could do! I can no longer serve as an official because of my eye disease, so I can retire now, why bother to go to the south of the Yangtze River to add unnecessary fuss.
The next day, Ding Richang came to visit.
Zeng Guofan said: "It is indeed bold to kill people during the monthly military service. There is a rift between you and Ma Xinyi. Did you know beforehand?"
Ding Richang said: "Qi is a handsome man, but his rebellious son often causes trouble and harms one party. Ma Xinyi handles it impartially. No matter how narrow-minded I am, I will never dare to kill myself for this." Richang was incompetent and had no way of teaching his son, so he asked the commander-in-chief to reprimand him.
Zhao Liewen, the guest behind the curtain, said: "I have sent this message to Di Shuai. Now that the imperial edict has arrived, it is time for Di Shuai to take this opportunity to withdraw and sit in the south of the Yangtze River."
Zeng Guofan said: For the religious case in Tianjin, I have been guilty of the gods internally, and offended the Qing Dynasty externally. I have been reviled by people near and far, but the overall situation is still not complete. The worst consequence of Jiang Ma's assassination was that nine members of my Zeng family were killed. How could the life and death of one family cause chaos in the south of the Yangtze River again? My eyes are blind and I cannot see the way, and my energy is too weak to make it on the road. I immediately thank you and transfer me to the governor of Jiang. Due to illness, I will have my ears opened and broken, and I will be tortured here until death!
Zeng Guofan refused to take care of his illness, leaving Empress Dowager Cixi helpless.
At the beginning of July, Li Hongzhang was ordered to enter Zhizhi, and the two palaces issued an edict: Liu Ming was in charge of supervising the useful troops, leaving them in idle positions to waste money. It would be a pity if they were suddenly abolished with the strength of hundreds of battles.
Li Hongzhang wrote: "The Yangtze River and the Huaihe River are heading north. It is better for the Huai army to be on the northern road, but the courage of the Hunan and Chu forces may be slightly inferior." In the land of Shaanxi and Gansu, there was Yang Yuebin in front of him, and Shen Yi was the first general of the navy. However, the situation was a little biased, so he ordered the army to command the army from the south to the north, which was contrary to his talents. It was also the time when Guangdong and Guangdong were not in peace, and it was difficult to distinguish between pay and power. Many armies were defeated, so Shaanxi and Gansu were ravaged. And Yang Yuebin was also angry that he would never make this mistake again.
Liu Rong and Liu Dian both led the Chu army and served successively as governor of Shaanxi; Zuo Zongtang succeeded him as governor. Commentators always said that the Chu army should be in the south rather than in the northwest; Zeng Guofan should also say this.
However, every time Zuo Zongtang wanted to use the Chu army to suppress the bandits, due to frequent changes in recent events, he mixed it with Lei Zhengwan, Huang Ding, Jin Yunchang, etc., but he still couldn't get enough of it.
The left army is now besieging Jinji Fort and is about to succeed. If Ma Hualong can be wiped out, Gan's affairs will gradually improve. If the Gan army is slightly stronger, the situation in Shaanxi will also be relaxed, and there seems to be no need to deploy a separate army, which may cause Zuo Zongtang to become suspicious.
When I went to Shaanxi, I planned to ask the people to evacuate back after the autumn. This is why. It is hereby decreed that since the military strength of Shaanxi Province is empty and there is a serious fear of the bandit's sudden attack, Liu Mingchuan is to be ordered to supervise the military affairs of Shaanxi Province so as to prepare for any unexpected events.
Chen Cha Liu Ming Chuan is known for his bravery and talent. He has achieved great success in the military and has been recognized by the Holy Ming Cave for a long time. He runs the army based on practicing discipline, loving the people and eliminating harm. He has an open-minded mind, a straightforward temperament, and is able to control. The officers and soldiers are ordered to do their best, and they can make decisions in a short period of time and adapt to various situations. In recent years, he has resigned from office and returned home, studying at all costs. He has a great sense of justice. He no longer wants to think of himself as a military man and is willing to serve the country to the death.
After Hongzhang finished, he wrote to Liu Mingchuan saying: It seems that the road to Ningling is not stable. There are scattered bandits in Beishan that are not worthy of being suppressed by a large army. It is better to send out one or two small branches to attack in all directions, and always recruit good officials. General Kenliang suppressed and pacified, and gradually put Jinggen to death. Dingjing is not a place where heavy troops are stationed, so this proposal can be postponed.
When my brother entered the Qin Dynasty, he felt that he was chewing wax. At present, the general has no place to fight. When the northwest is cleared, he plans to withdraw his defense. The wording is firm and compliant, but his inner thoughts are always suspicious of the false victory. He is not very relieved. He may not be able to get great relief. Fortunately, he can be patient and wait for the time!
The Empress Dowager Cixi took up the play and said: The Ganlong War has been dragging on for a long time, and the traitors have invaded and occupied Xinjiang for more than five years. According to Liu Ming's legend, the Jianghuai warriors cannot stay in a quiet place for a long time. When the time is right, they must beat the drums and boring them. Actively use troops.
In late August, Kui Yu, the governor of Liangjiang and Jiangning general, said: Zhang Wenxiang, the murderer of the assassination, was captured and his confession was mixed at first, but when asked about the reason for the assassination, it was still cunning.
After hearing about the incident, Wang Shurui reported: The governor was killed, and everyone in the border area was in danger. If there are any doubts, trusted ministers should be sent to investigate thoroughly and not hide anything.
The Empress Dowager Cixi was very angry and said: "Only because I am an important minister and supervise the key areas of the office, some lawless criminals sneak into the office and carry out assassinations in the daytime. It is definitely not a single person who is responsible for carrying out the murder. It is obvious." There is currently no confirmed confession from the criminal, and a thorough investigation is urgently needed. He took Zhang Zhiwanchi to Jiangning, and together with Supervisor Kuiyu, he ordered all the members of the department to try to put the prisoner through trial. The details must be accurately investigated and dealt with clearly, without any ambiguity.
In the afternoon, the two palaces issued another edict: Zhang Wenxiang's assassination of the governor was definitely not a crime committed by one person out of anger, and the case must be thoroughly investigated, the mastermind investigated strictly, and punished to the full extent of the law. Kuiyu did not mention the current trial situation in this report. An edict has been issued before, ordering Zhang Zhiwanchi to go to Jiangning to jointly review and handle the case. That is to say, the governor of Cao quickly went to trial without any delay. Kuiyu should also supervise the Sidao and other officials to interrogate in detail to ensure that the confession is confirmed. He should not relax a little by saying that he is waiting for Zhang Zhiwan. The case is serious and he must not try to turn the big into the small. It's too sloppy.
Kui Yu then read the order again: The slave supervisor ordered Si Dao to study the case day and night. Zhang was extremely cunning. He knew that he had committed a heinous crime and would be punished with the death penalty. All the confessions he made were completely inconsistent with each other. When asked about the reason for his assassination, he insisted that he had worked hard and was willing to be chopped into pieces. A slave named Fusi was involved in the assassination of Jiang Governor Ma Xinyi. The case was serious, the punishment was too long, and he was afraid that the murderer would die in a hurry.
The Empress Dowager Cixi took over and said, "This confession is so flashy that it may be restrictive and suffocating." Kui Yu's skills stop here, Zhang Zhiwan has been waiting for more than a month after receiving the order, why has he been delayed? Please urge us more strictly!
Zhang Zhiwan, the governor of water transportation, arrived in Jinling after more than a month of wandering and was interrogated for ten days. He wrote in the book: The prisoner knew that he was seriously ill and was extremely cunning. He was interrogated for days and refused to tell the truth. During the torture, he was willing to die quickly. , there was no words left after the trial. His children were kneeling in front of him and being tortured on their sides, and they closed their eyes again. Moreover, they often used slanderous words and arbitrary slanderous words, which were particularly heinous. The minister also sent more officials from the Taoist government and selected pastoral orders who were good at listening to judgments. They stayed up for questioning day and night to find out the true feelings and make them trustworthy.
Liu Binghou disagreed with the matter and said: "It took several months for the interrogators to be appointed, but they still had no clue, so they used the prisoner's confession to make a vague conclusion."
Empress Dowager Cixi was also angry and reprimanded: It has been four months and the trial has not revealed the true facts. This case is of great importance, so how can it be delayed for so long?
Prince Gong Yixin said: "To report to the Empress Dowager, I think Kuiyu, Zhang Zhiwan and others are throwing a rat into a trap, so they dare not let go." If a severe punishment is imposed and criminal Zhang talks nonsense, it will be even more difficult to clean up the mess.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: What if he was really a general from Xiangchu, or Zeng Guofan issued the order to assassinate him?
Yi Xin said: "To inform the Empress Dowager, Duke Zeng Guofan is loyal to the country and would never do such a dirty thing. If he had been the master, he would have escaped long ago. He has been stagnant for three months, waiting to die?"
Empress Dowager Ci'an said: Zeng Guofan was stranded in Zhili, and the grass in Hunan and Chu was so vast that he did not dare to cause trouble.
The Empress Dowager Cixi said: "I am sending you an edict as soon as possible. If Zeng Guofan is still physically able to cope, he must come to Beijing to see you." In addition, Zhang Zhiwan must go through the trial himself to ensure that the true facts are revealed to the world.
