In the ninth year of Tongzhi, Jiangnan spurred horses! These eight words flashed through Guangxu's mind like lightning, making him feel exhausted for a moment, but his heart suddenly became clear -
"Twenty-one years have passed" Empress Dowager Cixi's voice sounded particularly cold and clear in the dusk, but her face was as calm as a child who had just woken up. "On July 26, the ninth year of Tongzhi, Ma Xinyi visited Liangjiang Governor-General I was assassinated by gangsters during my tenure, but four days later, I received a six hundred mile rush from Jiangning in the Yangxin Palace!"
Empress Dowager Cixi's face showed a faint green air, and she continued in a calm tone: "It has been so many years, but I still remember the scene when I first saw the urgent copy, and I hit it with a palm. On the imperial desk, the inkstone, pen holder, ink sticks, Hu brushes, cups, and brush holders were all jumping up and down, and even the stacks of memorials were trembling"
"At that time, I just had an ideasome people" Empress Dowager Cixi said with a livid face, gritted her teeth and sneered: "¡ª¡ªThis is the extreme level of boldness and arrogance!"
Guangxu seemed to understand something all of a sudden. His originally bloodless face was as pale as scraped bones, as if all the blood had been drained from his body - he already understood the meaning of Empress Dowager Cixi's words
The case of Zhang Wenxiang's horse stabbing in the ninth year of Tongzhi is one of the most famous unsolved cases in Tongzhi's reign! The majestic Governor-General of Liangjiang in the Qing Dynasty was actually stabbed by a fanatic on his way back to his official office from the martial arts performance hall on the west side of the Governor's Office after conducting the regular review of new recruits on the 25th of each month (Note 1) and died unexpectedly! What is even more bizarre is the Manchu and Qing court's attitude towards the "horse stabbing" case after Ma Xinyi's death. After Ma Xinyi's death, the Qing government transferred Zhili Governor Zeng Guofan, Minister of Punishment Zheng Dunjin, and others who were still in Tianjin to handle the religious case to Jiangning to investigate the case strictly. However, the final conclusion reported to the court was that Zhang Wenxiang "acted under the instructions of pirates" "And carried out the assassination with personal grudges" and "there is no other mastermind or knowing accomplice" and other vague words
The imperial court strictly ordered to investigate the horse stabbing case, but the minister was so arrogant This. What explanation should be given?
"Has the emperor already figured out who killed Ma Xinyi?" Empress Dowager Cixi looked at the emperor, whose eyes had become extremely gloomy, and asked slightly abruptly.
"If you go back to your father, my son understands." Guangxu replied in a hoarse voice - the sentence "there is no other mastermind or knowing accomplice" in Zeng Guofan's closing statement is simply unheard of here. Three hundred taels of silver! And what Empress Dowager Cixi had just said, "This is so bold and arrogant!" told him very straightforwardly who was the real mastermind behind the assassination!
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Can make Zeng Guofan take so much pains to cover up gaps for him; can plan so carefully that he can succeed with one blow; can make the central court feel that he is throwing a rat into a trap; and have enough reasons to kill Ma Xinyi
Except for the one who set off his troops to plunder and plunder after conquering Jinling. In addition to "Zeng Jiu Shuai" who looted the Tianwang Mansion to enrich his own pockets. Who else has this ability?
"As long as the emperor figures it out!" The Empress Dowager Cixi breathed a long sigh of relief, and there was a rare hint of sadness in her sharp falcon eyes: "Back then, your sixth uncle and I sent Ma Xinyi to take over Jiang Governor from Zeng Guofan. Of course, we valued his previous work as governor of Zhejiang and During his term as governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, he made great achievements in constructing water conservancy projects and rectifying water transportation, but what is even more rare is that he valued his integrity. He did not expect to have an official reputation that was neither social nor party-oriented. It was this integrity that cost his life!"
Guangxu's expression also darkened - Empress Dowager Cixi's words were straightforward enough. The so-called "no group, no party" refers to Ma Xinyi's early years when he was the magistrate of Hefei and led troops to suppress the Taiping Army with the Imperial Envoy Yuan Jiasan. Political achievements, and Yuan Jiasan and Zeng Guofan's master and apprentice Li Hongzhang "were loyal to each other" as early as the last years of Daoguang, but Ma Xinyi did not join the now powerful Huai clique because of this. As for being "upright and upright", Ma Xinyi also had two important responsibilities during his tenure in Liangjiang, in addition to daily civilian affairs and military affairs. One was to resettle the disbanded Hunan Army Huai Yong, and the other ulterior mission was to secretly investigate The reason why the Hunan Army was corrupt after the defeat of Tianjing City!
Ma Xinyi tried his best for this, but it was precisely because of this that he died in a foreign country!
For a moment, Empress Dowager Cixi and Guangxu, the mother and son of the Tian family, had their own thoughts, and the dragon boat suddenly became silent. Sitting on the boat, one could only see the thick autumn rain and haze swaying in the slightly cold breeze. , the autumn wind is blowing, raindrops are falling in the sea, water circles are densely packed, and the pond is full of sad ripples. It is a chilling and mesmerizing autumn scene! "Dad," after a long time, it was Guangxu who broke the silence in the dragon boat first, "My son still has some thoughts about the Liangjiang Horse Stabbing Case in the 9th year of Tongzhi and the current Wen Tingshi Case."
"Huh?" Empress Dowager Cixi looked at Guangxu in surprise and said, "What did the emperor think of? You might as well tell him."
"Yes!" Guangxu bowed to the Empress Dowager Cixi respectfully, and then said:He calmed down and thought for a moment before speaking: "My son studied government affairs with his father when he was a teenager. Over the years, he has carefully read the memorials of governors from various places since Tongguang Therefore, my son thought that Ma Xinyi Although it looks similar to Wen Tingshi's death, it is actually very different!"
"Oh?" Empress Dowager Cixi raised her eyebrows and said to Guangxu, "Go on!"
"Yes!" With the encouragement of the Empress Dowager Cixi, Guangxu's expression became more confident, and he continued: "When Ma Xinyi died, it was a delicate juncture between the imperial court and the local governor¡ª¡ª -Although Zeng Guofan's reputation was almost completely ruined because of the Tianjin religious case" When he said this, he couldn't help but look at the Empress Dowager Cixi with admiration - but he just deleted a few words from the excerpt handed over by Zeng Guofan. , let that famous official of ZTE be infamous. Even a man with such tricks would be ashamed of it, right?
"After all, the Hunan system has a big tree and deep roots. Regardless of other things, just look at the nine governors in the world at that time - Zeng Guofan, governor of Zhili. Even after taking charge of Liangjiang, it was his disciple Li Hongzhang who took over Zhili; apart from this division In addition to the two disciples, Yang Yuebin from Shaanxi and Gansu was also born in the Hunan Army Although others such as Zuo Zongtang were not compatible with Zeng, they might be able to join forces when the critical moment comes But now the situation is completely different." , Guangxu changed the topic. He continued: "Although Li Hongzhang has been in Zhili for a long time now, Zhang Zhidong in Huguang has been able to control him from a distance. In a word, Huaihe today is far less powerful than Hunan in the past. So my son thinks that Wen Ting Shi¡¯s death is actually a rare opportunity for the imperial court!¡±
The more Guangxu talked, the more excited he became. His eyes sparkled. There was also a flush on his face: "Li Hongzhang is already old after all. My son felt that taking advantage of Wen Tingshi's death, it was just right for the court to come and give Beiyang a little beating. So my son decided to award Ren with the Double Dragon Treasure." star, but without adding his title. In addition, his son also planned to issue an edict to praise Luo Fenglu, the director-general of the Beiyang Navy Battalion Office, Liu Buchan, the right-wing commander, and others Although it is now rumored that Ren is Li Hongzhang The chosen heir to the mantle. But Ren is a figure who almost appeared out of nowhere, and his foundation is shallow! Even if Li Hongzhang wants him to take over Beiyang, what can he do to suppress the old people in Beiyang? And what his son means is to By taking advantage of this, other people in the mainland of Beiyang can also see that the imperial court is actually dissatisfied with Ren! If you feel grievances and insistence, then you will naturally become contentious. And the imperial court can stay aside, Just let them do their own housework in Beiyang!"
Empress Dowager Cixi was shocked! She looked at Guangxu carefully as if he didn't know him, and smiled happily: "The emperor has really grown up! Yes, he is relaxed and civilized. The emperor can see this clearly. It is not only rare, but also valuable. Got it!"
"But" Guangxu just showed a little satisfaction on his face, but he heard that the Empress Dowager Cixi next to him had changed his tune: "The emperor is still a little worried about acting like this! It seems that the emperor still doesn't have the words to remember the days. Completely understood"
"Don't be dissatisfied!" She glanced at her emotions and continued: "If you can think of handling this matter like this, you already know what it means that a king can't do things to your liking, and you already know what it means to be stronger than others. . But your shortcoming lies in this¡ªyou still don¡¯t see the current situation clearly enough.¡±
"You are right. Today's Beiyang seems to be much worse than Zeng Guofan's Hunan clan" Empress Dowager Cixi took a breath of air from between her teeth, gritted her teeth and smiled, "You just told my old lady The situation is still the same as in the ninth year of Tongzhi, but since you have read so many excerpts, you should know that among the nine governors in the world in the early years of Tongzhi, Zeng Guofan himself was the governor of Liangjiang, and the remaining eight, except for one from Huguang According to official documents, Yang Yuebin from Shaanxi and Gansu and Liu Changyou from Zhili were both directly from the Hunan Army. Mao Hongbin from Guangdong and Guangxi was the same year as Zeng Guofan, Lao Chongguang from Yunnan and Guizhou was also an old friend of Zeng Guofan, and Luo Bingzhang from Sichuan also had a secret connection with the Hunan clique. , there is only one governor of Fujian and Zhejiang left, but he is also Zuo Zongtang from Hunan Even if it is official, it cannot be said that he has no contact with Zeng Guofan. After pulling back and forth, among the nine governors, only one can be completely trusted by the court. We are left with a water transport governor who wants no troops, no money, no money!"
"If the internal is light and the external is important, is the imperial court at that time as at a loss as when Li Hongzhang presented the "Repair of Palaces and Pavilions" a few days ago?" Empress Dowager Cixi stared at Guangxu with a burning gaze, and spoke quickly and urgently: "No! Why?"
Barely giving Guangxu time to think, the Empress Dowager Cixi had already continued talking on her own: "Because the Minister Wang who was the prime minister at that time was your sixth uncle, a member of our Aisin Gioro family! Apart from your sixth uncle, who is the boss, In addition to Minister Wang, our bannermen also have Wenxiang and Bao in the Military Aircraft Department. In the fourth year of Tongzhi, Ma Fool led the rebel bandits to besiege our Shengjing City in the Land of Longxing. Wenxiang, a household minister and a civil servant, could actually From the capital, we led the children of our bannermen to rush thousands of miles to Shengjing to quell the banditry At that time, weThere can still be a top pick among the people, but our bannermen are not as bad as they are today! "
"In the final analysis, we have to rely on our bannermen to defend our ancestors' power!" Empress Dowager Cixi's words were categorical and as cold as ice, but Guangxu felt as if the blood all over his body had suddenly been stimulated by ice water and turned into a cold one. It was so cold that it penetrated his bones, he couldn't feel the pain, and his face became even grayer - he had already figured out the meaning of Empress Dowager Cixi's words! The Banner Man is no longer" The Empress Dowager Cixi sighed, with a bit of confusion in her eyes, "The Great Ancestor was able to conquer the world by raising an army with thirteen suits of armor. This was naturally attributed to Taizu and Taizong's great wisdom, but how could they underestimate the contribution of the five founding ministers, Fei Yingdong, E Yidu, He Heli, An Feiyanggu, and Hu Erhan? But now, look at how many capable ministers there are in this court who are bannermen? You are looking at these four-nine cities. There are many Bannermen children who know how to tease crickets and how to set up cages to tease birds, but they must be allowed to mount their horses and shoot arrows. I'm afraid no one can draw the bowstring! "
"I heard that many bannermen can't even speak Manchu now!" Empress Dowager Cixi turned her eyes to the pale Guangxu and continued: "Emperor, you can't say bad about your idea of ??dividing and conquering Beiyang, but you want to Have you passed? Ren Lingyu, Luo Fenglu and Liu Buchan. They are all Han! Our ancestors said that Manchu and Han are one. In order to make the scholars among the Han people really useful to me From the time when Emperor Kangxi conquered the Three Feuds In the beginning, who among the emperors of the Qing Dynasty dared to let the Han people take sole control of the military again? Nian Gengyao had done so much for Emperor Yongzheng. Didn¡¯t he find a reason to kill him in the end? Was he really just for being domineering? But Since the Changmao Rebellion, the imperial court has no way to prevent Han people from taking charge of the army. Since the establishment of Western Affairs, financial power has been added. Emperor, you want to deal with Beiyang in this way because you are afraid that the power in the hands of our banner people will be handed over to the Han people. Isn¡¯t it fast enough?¡±
Guangxu shivered violently all over his body. He immediately stood up, knelt down in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi, and said in a trembling voice: "My son is comatose and almost made a big mistake. Please punish me by my own father."
"Get up quickly." Empress Dowager Cixi rarely had an attack, but there was a sense of desolation in her tone. She reached out and pulled Guangxu up from the deck. After Guangxu sat down, she still didn't let go.
"Emperor", Empress Dowager Cixi stared at Guangxu, who was full of shame, and continued: "I have only two sons in my life. Emperor Mu Zong passed away seventeen years ago. NowI only have you."
"Emperor's mother" Guangxu felt ashamed, nervous, anxious, and mixed with emotions. He even didn't realize that he called Cixi by the wrong name. "My son is wrong. How to deal with Wen Tingshi's case? Please ask the emperor." Please tell me, my mother-in-law."
"There has never been any Wen Ting-style case!" Cixi replied quickly. She glanced at Guangxu who raised his head in surprise, "Isn't it? Emperor?"
"My real father is right, there has never been any Wen Ting-type case." Guangxu suddenly realized, but he then continued with some worry: "But Master Weng, and Qingliu Moreover, Ren Lingyu is like this Audacious"
"You don't have to worry about that. I think it won't take a few days for your master to take care of himself!" Cixi sneered, "I have never lacked thoughtful people among the officials of the Qing Dynasty."
"As for the student who was talking about Li Hongzhang" Empress Dowager Cixi gritted her teeth fiercely, her pupils suddenly flashed, looking fierce, "Emperor, Li Hongzhang gave a discount a few days ago, asking you to order new orders for his student. Give the armored ship a name, have you thought about it?"
"Ah!?" Guangxu was startled, as if he still couldn't adapt to the way Empress Dowager Cixi changed her words so quickly, "My son hasn't thought about it yet.", he replied subconsciously.
"I have thought of a good name hereLi Lianying" Empress Dowager Cixi turned around and greeted: "Show the emperor the two words I wrote."
"Zha", Li Lianying, who had been standing at the stern of the boat, immediately stepped forward after hearing the words, respectfully handed a zhezi to Guangxu, and then tiptoed back.
"This is" Guangxu opened the folded folder that was temporarily used by the Empress Dowager Cixi as calligraphy paper with some slight differences, "Fuyuan?"
"Yes, that's the word Fuyuan." Empress Dowager Cixi nodded.
"This warship was purchased for my father, Shengshou" Guangxu speculated on these two calligraphy characters, which were almost useless in calligraphy except for their large size, and continued: "It is named Fuyuan, which means it is the same as the existing one in Beiyang. The eight great distances are connected, and coincide with my military position as General Fuyuan of the Qing Dynasty, so it is really good."
"Emperor", a smile suddenly appeared on the corner of the Empress Dowager Cixi's mouth, as if she remembered something interesting, "These two words can actually be taken apart to read."
"Ah?" Guangxu looked up in surprise, "Tear it apart?"
"Yes, it is just separated into the word "Fu" and the word "Yuan". Emperor, I want you to give Ren Lingyu the title of Imperial Envoy to the Right. The word "Fu" is the word "Fu". As for the word "Yuan"", Empress Dowager Cixi accepted He stopped talking and smiled.
"My son understands that tomorrow my son will prepare a decree from the Military Aircraft Department. In addition to being promoted to a certain right capital imperial envoy and being rewarded with Double Dragon Stars, there will also be an additional one that will allow him to purchase military ships no matter which country he purchases. We must supervise the construction on the spot until the ship is completed and returns home."
"That's right!" Empress Dowager Cixi nodded happily, and then said: "Didn't Xue Fucheng come here a few months ago to send a telegraph message saying that he wanted to negotiate with the British and foreigners to determine the border between Yunnan and Burma? He added a clause in the decree to let Ren Lingyu do it. Xue Fucheng¡¯s deputy will go talk about this matter.¡±
"Yes!" Guangxu's heart was already full of excitement - in this way, Ren Lingyu was afraid that he would stay overseas for several years and not be able to return. As long as he was no longer in the country, he would have great talents again. What kind of career can be achieved?
"You have a good idea of ??praising the people of Beiyang. Just find a suitable time and do it together." Empress Dowager Cixi suddenly added.
"Yes, but my biological father" Guangxu hesitated for a moment and then said it: "They are all Han."
"I know." The Empress Dowager Cixi seemed to be thinking about something. She first responded casually to Guangxu, and after a moment she suddenly asked: "Emperor, how old is King Chun this year?"
"Ah?" Guangxu was startled, and then he figured out that the "King Chun" mentioned by the Empress Dowager Cixi was not his biological father Aixinjueluo Yi, but his half-brother, who had just passed away recently. Aixinjueluo Zaifeng, who received the hereditary title of Prince Chun.
"He was born in the ninth year of Guangxu's reign, so he will be eight years old this year." Guangxu's mood was a little sad. If it hadn't been for the discussion about the prince, then the second-generation iron man who lived in Prince Chun's Mansion by Taiping Lake would have been Prince Hat Chun should have been his own.
"Eight years old? That's not bad, it's only one year away" Empress Dowager Cixi lowered her head, but said something that made Guangxu completely confused