Travel through the Qing Dynasty and become emperor

Chapter 120 Zuo Zongtang

After Guan Xuqing settled the situation with one word, he asked Prince Gong to draw up a decree and promulgate it, and announced on the spot that Feng Xianghua would be in charge of the reorganization of the army.

The early court ended hastily under such serious anger.At this time, Zuo Zongtang, who had a very high prestige in the Qing army, was dying, and he couldn't even go to the early court.

On De'anmen Street in Beijing, two horse teams drove over like flying.Those tall Mongolian steeds were all soldiers in navy blue military uniforms. Behind them was a carriage pulled by one, two or four horses with bridles. There were also soldiers on both sides and behind the carriage.When these soldiers arrived at the gate of a mansion, they all jumped off their horses and stood neatly on both sides.The bayonet-mounted Mauser rifles were placed across their chests, and as long as they were within three meters of them, they could feel the cold murderous aura.Pedestrians on the road hid on the side of the street.Curiously looking at this mighty division dressed in different styles.

Knowledgeable people recognized a few of them. They were Yanzi Li San, Huo Yuanjia, Huang Feihong, Du Xinwu, and Da Dao Wang Wu among the top ten masters in the late Qing Dynasty.The five of them spontaneously ran to the capital to serve as Guan Xuqing's bodyguards.However, Zhang Yu, the original personal bodyguard, was humiliated by Wang Feng's mock assassination and submitted his resignation.

As the army reformed just in time, Zhang Yu also received formal military training since he was a child.After staying with Guan Xuqing for more than ten years, he also learned a lot of military theory.So Guan Xuqing assigned Zhang Yuwai the post of teacher.

When Guan Xuqing got off the dragon chariot, he suddenly felt guilty. It was said that Zuo Zongtang's situation was not optimistic.It's all my own fault!Zuo Zongtang's health is not good.He is perfectly clear.He also tried his best to give Zuo Zongtang a chance to rest.However, the national revival has just taken the first step, and there are many places that need talents.In particular, there are some things that cannot be handled without a capable, upright and prestigious person like Zuo Zongtang.So I put all the heavy burden of the Ministry of War on him, and started to train the new army.From the overall planning and distribution of military supplies in the Sino-French war to the purchase of weapons and training of the army before the Sino-British Burma war, the heavy work destroyed Zuo Zongtang's health.His lung disease is getting worse.

But even so, he still marched to Burma with hundreds of thousands of troops.Chariots and horses are rustling, since the Han and Tang Dynasties.How many people traveled long distances and went to the absolute territory to make all nations surrender.Ancestral legacy.How can it be lost in the hands of our generation?At the moment of national peril.He took the case and stood up.In Chinese history, who is as invincible as Zuo Zongtang, who regained a large area of ​​land with an iron fist?Su Wu drank his blood and bare his hair, mighty and unyielding; Zhang Guanshan was thousands of miles away, communicating with the Western Regions; , It is the solemnity of looking up to the sky and screaming, it is the spirit of singing and crying, which makes future generations admire and sigh infinitely, and no one can compare with Zuo Zongtang to recover one-sixth of the great rivers and mountains for future generations, leaving behind the vastness of my gallop. battlefield.

Guan Xuqing still remembers the sacrificial oration Mr. Feng Weilin wrote for Zuo Zongtang.

"One early morning in July of the 11th year of Guangxu, Zuo Zongtang from Hunan stopped his last breath. He died at the imperial envoy Xingyuan Ren of Huanghuaguan, North Gate of Fuzhou. His death means that the last pillar of the Qing Dynasty fell. How long can this building last?
But now it is the 16th year of Guangxu, and it seems that Zuo Zongtang was pissed to death by Cixi in history.In the Sino-French War, Zuo Zongtang won successive victories in Vietnam, Fujian, Fujian, but the corrupt court still paid compensation and ceded land.He was so ill that he died in the palace of the imperial envoy in Fuzhou.

It was raining heavily in Fuzhou, and suddenly there was a thunderclap, and the city wall at the southeast corner was torn open a few feet wide, but the residents below the city were safe and sound.The common people said that Zuo Zongtang died, it was God's will to destroy our Great Wall.

The French breathed a sigh of relief.They are capturing the island, and their warships are still showing off their might in the East China Sea.Zuo Zongtang set up a decisive battle with them, and issued a mobilization order to "cross the sea and kill thieves".They have suffered a lot from Zuo Zongtang and know that he is a lion.When a lion leads a flock of sheep, all of them are lions; and when a flock of lions is led by a sheep, each of them becomes a sheep.Once Zuo Zongtang died, there would be no leader among the dragons.

The British breathed a sigh of relief.The British Consul erected a sign saying "Chinese and dogs are not allowed to enter" in the Shanghai Concession. When Zuo Zongtang found out, he ordered it to be destroyed immediately, the park was confiscated, and criminals were arrested.Zuo Zongtang, who was sitting among the eight people, was wearing a yellow mandarin jacket, a jeweled crown on his head, three-eyed flower feathers, and a goose fan in his hand. His face was plump and majestic.As soon as he entered the concession, the concession authorities immediately put on the Chinese dragon flag, and foreign soldiers and policemen cleared the way with whips.Zuo Zongtang is dead, so there is no need to be so respectful to the Chinese.

The Russians breathed a sigh of relief.Zuo Zongtang drove them away from Xinjiang, took back the Ili they had invaded, and even transported the coffin in military vehicles, and moved the Suzhou camp several hundred kilometers forward to Hami. Fight to the death with the Russian army.Once Zuo Zongtang dies, China will no longer have a strong bone.”

Of course, this history will not repeat itself.But now that Zuo Zongtang was seriously ill at home, Guan Xuqing was still heartbroken.After all, Daqing, a capable minister like Zuo Zongtang, couldn't find a second one.

In history, Zuo Zongtang died in the 11th year of Guangxu, but now it is the 16th year of Guangxu.It was a full five years late. It can be seen that Zuo Zongtang saw that the country was developing in a good place, and he was able to continue his life with a happy mood.

But now, he is really exhausted.

Someone from the mansion had already come out to greet him, including a few foreigners.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Kleiman, how is my Minister of Military Aircraft?"

"Your Majesty, it is my honor to meet you. You are more elegant than I imagined. Mr. Zuo's illness is caused by long-term fatigue. He looks very bad now. He needs a long period of rest and medical treatment. .”

Guan Xuqing was slightly relieved: "I'll leave it to you, I wonder if I can see the patient?"

"No problem," Kleiman said, "just don't talk for too long. You know, his lungs are not very good, and it's a little difficult to breathe."

Guan Xuqing nodded and walked in. While walking, he looked at the housekeeper next to him and said, "I asked you not to report. You didn't report, did you?"

After hearing this, the butler quickly bowed and replied: "How dare you not listen to the emperor's edict, the master is currently taking a nap in the room."

"Then let him continue to sleep, just take me to his room."

The butler nodded and led Fang Huai all the way into the inner house.

This is a very simple bedroom, except for a bed and an Eight Immortals table, there is only a pair of couplets hanging on the wall: "I don't have half an acre, and I worry about the world; I can read thousands of volumes, and I am a friend of the ancients."

Not far away, the gray-haired Zuo Zongtang was fast asleep with his eyes closed.

He dreamed of Lin Zexu, who was also his teacher and friend.He retired to the countryside by himself, but was invited to meet him by name.That night, under the excitement, he actually stepped on the air and fell into the water, and met this generation of famous ministers dressed in a soaked chicken.

When Xinjiang was occupied, Li Hongzhang said that there are thousands of miles of barren land, it is better to abandon it, but he does not know that the two roads north and south of Tianshan Mountain are rich in grain, melons and fruits, cattle and sheep are everywhere, and herds of horses.The reserves of coal, iron, gold, silver and jade are extremely rich.The so-called thousands of miles of desert is actually a pot of treasures.So [-] Huxiang children spilled blood on Tianshan Mountain.

However, in the war between China and France, some people once again said that the barriers should be abandoned in order to preserve the fertile land, and the court was full of voices of harmony.The so-called grief is greater than death. I can save this country for a while, but I can't keep him forever.At this time, a small figure finally stood up and loudly announced to the officials in the Golden Luan Hall: "China has the worry of Xiaoqiang, and all countries have nothing like fish in ponds! No more mountains and rivers, no more kings."

So the country has a backbone and a backbone.He finally waited for this moment, staying up all night, worrying about the world, China finally waited for such a monarch.

The scene after that kept changing. He seemed to have flown through the jungles of Burma again, and saw tens of thousands of soldiers marching loudly in the smoke against the cannonballs spewing from the fort after the Kipchak pass.The positions of the British army were fragmented, corpses were piled up like hills, and the broken flags of the British army fell down amidst the flames of war.

Zuo Zongtang woke up from his sleep, and only then did he remember that he was at home in the capital.

"Zongtang, are you awake?" Zuo Zongtang was startled a little by the voice, turned his head on the pillow with difficulty, and saw Guan Xuqing standing beside his bed.Watching him wake up, I don't know what kind of light is flashing in his eyes.

Zuo Zongtang hurriedly struggled to stand up, "When did your Majesty come, how can I delay your Majesty's time?"

Guan Xuqing quickly pressed him down: "Okay, now I will let you lie on the bed and not get up."

Although the "minister" Zuo Zongtang was informal by nature, he firmly adhered to the principle of monarch and minister, but at this moment he was really too weak, so he followed Guan Xuqing's hand and half leaned on the bed. "I'm ill, and my majesty's grand plans have been delayed. It's my fault!"

Guan Xuqing smiled slightly, pointed to the couplet on the wall and said, "Did you write this couplet?"

Zuo Zongtang glanced at it and said, "That was written when I got married at the age of 23, and it was just a self-deprecating one."

Guan Xuqing smiled lightly and said: "Who are working for the country, those people are the moths of the country, I feel like a mirror in my heart. What you have to do now is to recuperate in peace of mind, don't worry about other things. I still need Zongtang Assistant!"

Zuo Zongtang saw that Guan Xuqing's face was not good-looking, and encouraged him: "Your Majesty, you don't have to worry too much. I know the old minister's health. I am afraid that the old minister will not be able to assist the emperor to achieve eternal hegemony. I heard that the emperor reformed the military system, and the army was paid according to rank. It can increase the competitiveness of the troops and improve the combat capabilities of the troops together. Second, it can also save military expenses, and the troops with poor combat effectiveness can even be abolished. The minister thinks it is quite appropriate! In addition, the emperor can first choose what he can do. As the saying goes, "A penny a day. A thousand pennies a thousand days. A rope cuts a tree. A drop of water penetrates a stone." As long as the emperor does not lose his will to govern, he will eventually achieve great things."

Guan Xuqing nodded with tears in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)