Chapter 147 The strong melon
When Li Yi heard this, an unconcealable smile suddenly appeared on his face.
"Are you serious? What exactly happened?"
Li Liang nodded vigorously.
"How dare I deceive the king?"
"When our people found Zuo Zongtang, he was unemployed in his hometown of Xiangyin, farming and running a school. His good friend Guo Songtao was urging him to join Zeng Guofan, the newly appointed Hunan militia minister of the Qing Dynasty."
"Then, our people also arrested Zuo and Guo, and are now heading to Guangzhou."
Upon hearing this, Li Yi couldn't help but smile.
According to the original history, Zuo Zongtang was introduced by Guo Songtao and hired as an aide to Zhang Liangji, the governor of Hunan, and then entered the officialdom.
However, under Li Yi's strategy, Changsha City was captured by the Taiping Army. Zhang Liangji died in the city before he could recruit Zuo Zongtang.
Naturally, Zuo Zongtang is still unemployed at home.
This is also the reason why Li Yi sent people to look for Zuo Zongtang!
Although Zuo Zongtang may not be willing to surrender to the enemy, what does the saying go?
A forced melon may not be sweet, but it can quench your thirst.
As long as he could get the person here, Li Yi was confident that he could convince Zuo Zongtang to work for him.
Also, Li Yi originally thought that it would be good enough if Zuo Zongtang could be the one to force this time.
Unexpectedly, there was a buy one get one free promotion, and I brought Guo Songtao.
Although Guo Songtao's later reputation is not as great as that of famous officials such as Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang and Zhang Zhidong, he is one of the soul figures of the Hunan Army.
Historically, when Zeng Guofan was appointed Minister of Militia, Guo Songtao was his aide, and he then introduced Zuo Zongtang to Zeng Guofan.
Even the Hunan Navy, the main naval force of the Qing Dynasty during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period, was established at the suggestion of Guo Songtao.
Moreover, Guo Songtao was the first envoy stationed abroad in Chinese history and was quite talented in diplomacy.
It is no exaggeration to say that this is a talented person.
More importantly, like Zuo Zongtang, Guo Songtao now holds no official position and is just a staff member.
Such an identity meant that they did not necessarily have much sense of belonging to the Qing court.
They are different from people like Zeng Guofan who have passed the imperial examination, become an official, and are deeply trusted by the emperor.
You should know that when Zeng Guofan took the imperial examination, he was originally ranked third, but was favored by Emperor Daoguang and was personally promoted to the second place.
Then in the next ten years, he was promoted seven times and jumped ten levels to become a second-rank official.
The Qing court's reward to Zeng Guofan was as heavy as a mountain.
Under such circumstances, anyone could betray the Qing Dynasty, but not Zeng Guofan.
If Zeng Guofan betrayed the Qing Dynasty and defected to the Tang Dynasty, he would be a traitor and a double-faced official, and he would have to bear considerable psychological pressure and social condemnation.
But the situations of Zuo Zongtang and Guo Songtao were just the opposite. They were both the kind of literati and scholars who had failed in the imperial examinations many times and were frustrated.
They were not officials, had never held an official position, and had never received a salary. If they wanted to submit to the Tang Dynasty, they would not feel much psychological pressure.
In addition, Li Yi's slogan of "expelling the Tartars and restoring China" was very much to the taste of traditional literati.
In this case, as long as Li Yi respects and values them enough, they may be influenced.
It is precisely because of this that Li Yi is confident in recruiting the two people.
Li Yi pondered for a while, then said.
"Yes, the Military Intelligence Department did a great job this time. I am very satisfied."
"When you come back, let the relevant persons in charge claim the reward. I will reward them generously."
Li Liang nodded vigorously.
"Your Majesty is wise."
Afterwards, Li Yi took Li Liang and others and rushed to the Military Academy in Huangpu outside Guangzhou...
According to the plan, he will also attend the founding ceremony of the Military Academy, confer titles on a new batch of generals, attend the opening ceremony of Guangzhou University, inspect the mint, and participate in the marking of the imperial examinations.
……
Outside Nanyang City, Hong Xuanjiao clasped her fists and bowed to Shi Dakai.
"Thank you for your care during this period, Brother Yi Wang. Xuan Jiao is going back to Tianjing!"
"I bid you farewell. Take care, brother King Yi."
Shi Dakai returned the salute and then spoke.
"Take care, sisters of the Hong family. The road ahead is long, and we will meet again sooner or later."
Hong Xuanjiao nodded, then asked tentatively.
"Brother Yi Wang, have you really decided not to return to Tianjing?"
Thinking about Yang Xiuqing's instructions, she still wanted to try to win back Shi Dakai.
Shi Dakai shook his head and said.
"Sisters Hong, there is no need to persuade me any further. I think the King of the East does not want me to return to Tianjing."
"I won't go back and make myself miserable!"
Shi Dakai did not mention Hong Xiuquan.
Because it is clear that Hong Xiuquan is now just a puppet.
There is not much real power!
If Shi Dakai returned to Tianjing, he would not get any actual support except being involved in the dispute between the Eastern King and the Heavenly King and being used as a knife by the Heavenly King to check and balance the Eastern King.
Therefore, Shi Dakai was unwilling to return to Tianjing!
Hong Xuanjiao shook her head.
"Brother Yi Wang is wrong. Dong Wang also sent me a letter. He also hopes that you can return to Tianjing."
"The situation facing the Heavenly Kingdom is extremely critical. The Northern King led his army to the north and the army advanced deep into Shandong, but was blocked in Jinan and could not advance an inch."
"Moreover, the Jiangnan and Jiangbei camps of the Qing demons outside Tianjing are also eyeing Tianjing covetously, posing a huge threat."
"If Brother Yi Wang can lead his troops back to Heaven at this time, it will be a great help to both the Heavenly King and the Eastern King..."
Hong Xuanjiao was speaking from her heart, because Yang Xiuqing really wanted Shi Dakai to return to Heaven to share the pressure with him.
However, Shi Dakai finally shook his head and refused.
"Forget it!"
"My brothers and I have already decided where to go, so we won't go to Tianjing to join in the fun."
Hong Xuanjiao asked curiously.
"May I ask where Brother Yi Wang plans to march to next?"
Shi Dakai said with a smile.
"Go west! Go to Sichuan!"
"Sichuan is a land of abundance, densely populated and rich in resources. If we can conquer it, it will become a paradise on earth."
Upon seeing this, Hong Xuanjiao knew that Shi Dakai had made up his mind, so she stopped talking so as not to upset Shi Dakai.
Just spoke.
"I wish Brother Yi Wang all his wishes come true and that he can build a kingdom on earth in Sichuan and Shu..."
Upon hearing this, Shi Dakai clasped his fists and said.
"In that case, I will borrow the good words from the Hong sisters."
The two chatted for a while, and Hong Xuanjiao left, leading her troops southward, preparing to take the Yangtze River to Tianjing. After watching Hong Xuanjiao leave, Shi Dakai immediately ordered the army to prepare to march and enter Sichuan!
……
"Master Zeng, something happened."
"There's news from Xiangyin that your aide, Mr. Guo Songtao, and Mr. Zuo Zongtang from Xiangyin have been kidnapped..."
Changsha prefect Cai Bingwen rushed into the residence of the Hunan militia minister in a panic and asked to see Zeng Guofan.
Zeng Guofan, who was reviewing official documents, raised his head immediately when he heard this and asked with a look of surprise.
"What? What the hell is going on?"
"Who did it?"
"Why are you kidnapping my staff?"
Cai Bingwen wiped the sweat from his forehead and shook his head.
"To answer your question, according to the villagers in Xiangyin, the man who came here spoke Mandarin with a Guangxi accent, so he must be the Tang thief from the south."
It was no secret that Li Yi proclaimed himself king and established the system in Guangzhou, so when Cai Bingwen called Li Yi, he changed his name to "Tang thief".
Zeng Guofan couldn't help but frown when he heard this. When the Tang bandits in the south were mentioned, he couldn't help but feel frightened and had a bad premonition.
The reason was simple. Unlike the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which was very powerful but had a weak foundation, he really saw the potential for changing the dynasty in the Tang bandits in the south.
Although the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was causing a lot of trouble at the time, Zeng Guofan knew that it was actually very weak.
They founded their country on a Western evil cult and also burned books and destroyed temples in an effort to sever the Confucian orthodoxy, push the literati and gentry class to the opposite side, and cut themselves off from China.
Add to that the rapid corruption of its top leaders, several splits, and numerous internal conflicts, and it doesn't look like the party has the potential to fight for the world.
Even if they can be arrogant for a while, sooner or later they will not be able to escape the fate of being wiped out and liquidated by the Qing Dynasty.
But the Tang bandits in the south were a completely different story.
Have a clear political agenda.
The slogan of "expel the Tartars and restore China" has a strong appeal to both the common people and the gentry.
Although Zeng Guofan was unwilling to admit it, the Qing Dynasty was truly unpopular!
What's more important is that the Tang thieves also organized large-scale land distribution and land reform in Guangdong and Guangxi in order to win the hearts of ordinary people.
Then he started the imperial examination and made it very easy for the candidates to pass the examination, aiming to select nearly a thousand people at once in order to win over the hearts of the gentry.
They were also actively learning from the advanced aspects of the Western Yi countries, opening up to foreign trade while carrying out reforms, and vigorously promoting the development of industry and commerce.
More importantly, unlike the high-profile Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Tang bandits remained low-key from beginning to end.
The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was kept in the forefront throughout the process. After taking Guangzhou, they began to steadily expand while improving internal affairs with the Pearl River Delta as the core.
Instead of rushing for success and making a desperate attempt to capture important places such as Jiangning City without leaving any way out.
This is clearly an imitation of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, who advocated "storing up grain, building high walls, and slowly becoming king."
If the Tang bandits really continue with this development trend, it will be obvious that they are aiming to change the dynasty.
If it weren't for the fact that when he left Beijing, the emperor gave him the task of forming the Hunan Brave Army and then cooperating with the court's regular troops to quell the Taiping Rebellion.
After Zeng Guofan formed the Hunan Brave Army, his first choice was definitely to go south to fight against the Tang bandits.
In Zeng Guofan's eyes, the Tang bandits in the south, who were developing steadily and gradually encroaching on one and a half provinces of the Qing Dynasty, posed a much greater threat than the Taiping Army whose main force was trapped in Jiangning.
Taking a deep breath, Zeng Guofan began to speak.
"Send someone to investigate and track them down immediately."
"We must rescue Mr. Guo and Mr. Zuo from the hands of the Tang thief at all costs."
Zeng Guofan did not necessarily think much of Guo Songtao and Zuo Zongtang.
But he had just arrived in Hunan, and if he wanted to form a militia, he would need the help of his fellow Hunanese.
This is also the reason why he recruited Guo Songtao and Zuo Zongtang, who were well-known in Hunan, as his staff.
If something happened to Guo and Zuo, it would most likely affect Zeng Guofan's plan to form the Hunan Braves.
Upon hearing this, Cai Bingwen immediately bowed in agreement.
"Don't worry, Master Zeng. I will personally monitor this matter..."
But at this moment, footsteps were heard outside again.
Luo Bingzhang, the governor of Hunan Province, walked in from outside and spoke anxiously.
"Brother Disheng, something happened."
"People from Hubei have reported that the Changmao detachment stationed in Nanyang Prefecture is heading south, towards Hunan..."
Hong Xuanjiao's troops marched south, intending to take the Yangtze River route to reach Tianjing.
However, the Qing court certainly did not know this.
Seeing Hong Xuanjiao's troops heading south, they subconsciously thought that the long-haired bandits were heading for Hunan...
Zeng Guofan's mood, which was already extremely bad because of the abduction of Guo Songtao and Zuo Zongtang, now became even worse.
It’s not that Zeng Guofan was afraid of Hong Xiujiao, a woman!
But it is because Hunan really does not have many military forces now.
The main force of the Hunan Green Camp was led by Xiang Rong to the Jiangnan camp to block the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and the rest were almost all low-ranking soldiers who fled when they heard of the enemy.
The Hunan Brave Militia is still in the process of being organized, and has only just been set up, without much combat effectiveness.
In the vast Hunan province, the only Chuyong army that can be considered outstanding is Jiang Zhongyuan's.
Zeng Guofan believed that the Tang bandits in the south must be aware of such things.
But even so, the Tang bandits still controlled their sphere of influence in Guangdong and Guangxi, and did not take advantage of Hunan's lack of military strength to attack Hunan.
This was also one of the things that really made Zeng Guofan realize the horror of the Tang bandits.
Too stable.
It's so stable.
It is said that the false king of the Tang bandits is only in his early twenties this year, but such a young man can actually resist the opportunity to rashly send troops to Hunan and occupy Hunan when the military strength in Hunan is empty, but instead steadily build a solid foundation in Guangdong and Guangxi.
This was something Zeng Guofan could not imagine!
He couldn't tell for a moment whether this was a young man full of vigor or a shrewd old fox? !
Actually, it’s not that Li Yi didn’t want to send troops to Hunan, but the conditions did not allow it.
The Restoration Army has been promoting the land distribution work in Guangdong and Guangxi.
During this process, gentry often organized militias, or even entire clans rebelled collectively.
The main force of the Restoration Army was used to suppress the rebellion, so naturally they had no energy to use troops abroad.
Otherwise, even if Li Yi could restrain himself, his subordinates would probably be ready to make a move.
But it’s not a big problem. Li Yi believes that it will be fine after the Tang Dynasty’s imperial examination is over.
The wave of local rebellions in the Tang Dynasty should be suppressed.
One reason is that the imperial examination attracted a large number of gentry to the Tang Dynasty, which was like cutting off the source of the rebellion.
The second reason is that as time goes by, the troublemakers who dare to stand out are almost all being smoothed over.
The rest naturally won’t cause any waves!
Taking a deep breath, Zeng Guofan forced himself to calm down and then spoke.
"Immediately send someone to invite Jiang Zhongyuan, Jiang Zhongji, Tazibu, Zeng Guoquan, Zeng Guobao, Yang Yuebin, Hu Linyi, Peng Yulin and others to discuss the matter!"
"By the way, let's let the people below handle the task of rescuing Mr. Guo and Mr. Zuo. Magistrate Cai should also stay and discuss the matter together!"
I recommend my friends’ books “Anti-Qing, No Restoration of Ming”, “My Kind Father Zhu Yuanzhang” and “From Anxi to the Tang Dynasty”. They are all classified as history. You can take a look if you are interested.
(End of this chapter)