Listening to Zuo Zongtang, he mentioned twice in a row that the Taiping Army had the potential to sweep the world, Jiang Zhongyuan couldn't help frowning, and said, "I don't dare to agree with Ji Gao's words. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info"

Zuo Zongtang raised his eyebrows, glanced at him, and said, "Oh? What is Minqiao's opinion? ”

Seeing the provocation on Zuo Zongtang's face, Jiang Zhongyuan suddenly hesitated a little about the other party's temperament, he naturally knew that today was to catch the wind for him, he didn't want to argue with it, seeing this situation, Zeng Guofan picked up the wine jug and filled the wine for the two of them, and said slowly: "Minqiao pursued Changmao from Guangxi to Hubei, and there were countless battles of all sizes, and he knew the situation of Changmao, the Eight Banners Green Battalion, the Eight Banners New Army, and the Marine Corps in various provinces. ”

After taking a sip of wine, Jiang Zhongyuan said slowly: "There are no outsiders today, and I don't hide it, the long hair is indeed extraordinary, from Guangxi to Hunan, tens of thousands of troops are surrounded and intercepted, and countless battles are fought in countless battles, although they have been defeated repeatedly, they can repeatedly break through, and the more they fight, the stronger they become, after Yiyang gets rid of the pursuing soldiers, Xiayuezhou, Kewuchang, Jingshan, and Jingzhou, the strength has swelled sharply, and the current elite troops have reached more than 100,000, and it is said that it is the White Lotus Sect, even Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others are difficult to match.

As for the Eight Banners Green Camp, there is no need to say more, four words - unbearable! Relying on the Eight Banners Green Camp to exterminate the long hair, that is tantamount to a fool's dream.

But the Eight Banners New Army is different, the combat power of the Eight Banners New Army is far from being comparable to Long Hair, if it was in Guangxi, the imperial court would transfer the Eight Banners New Army to Gui, and Long Hair would have been wiped out long ago.

The Eight Banners New Army raised its prestige in Hunan, regained Changsha in a war, pursued Changmao all the way to Yiyang, and beat the long-haired like a lost dog, even if it was besieged by more than 100,000 long-haired people in Jingshan, and encountered a strong attack by Long-haired for three days and nights, it was still able to hold its position, and severely damaged Long-haired, killing nearly 40,000 enemies, and killing long-haired corpses all over the field.

It's a pity that the Eight Banners New Army is too small, if the imperial court transferred 30,000 Eight Banners New Army to the south at the beginning, the first battle of Changsha would be enough to wipe out Long Mao, and now only 20,000 new troops are transferred south, it is undoubtedly a little late, it can be said that the imperial court missed two opportunities to exterminate Long Mao, but it is not too late to make amends, and more than 20,000 Eight Banners New Army can definitely curb Long Mao to the greatest extent.

Finally, let's talk about the Nanyang Navy, in recent years, the navy has actively expanded to the outside world, conquering Annam, Wa, Luzon, and Java, which can be said to be invincible and invincible, but we have no way to see it, and we can't really understand the real combat power of the navy.

In the battle of recovering Wuchang, Disheng also saw it, it can be said that it is completely devastating, thousands of cannons are roaring, and a charge can easily destroy Changmao's position in the east of the city, and 20,000 Changmao will be killed in less than two quarters of an hour. ”

Zuo Zongtang pursed his lips and said, "There are thousands of artillery, even the green battalion can kill the long-haired ones who lose their armor and lose their armor and collapse the army." ”

"Ji Gao's words are wrong." Zeng Guofan said: "The navy's orders are strict, the military discipline is strict, no one can match, and Wuchang City can be said to have a good reputation." ”

"That's what Disheng said." Jiang Zhongyuan said: "The navy is not only well-equipped, well-disciplined, but also very good, and it travels more than 100 miles a day with ease, and it is especially commendable that it has no offense against the people. ”

Speaking of this, he took a sip of wine, looked at Zuo Zongtang, and said: "Although Changmao is currently powerful, there are eight banners new army and navy, if you want to sweep the world, it is impossible at all, once the twenty thousand eight banners new army arrives, it will definitely be able to trap Changmao in a corner and gradually annihilate." ”

Zuo Zongtang sneered: "It's not like Long Mao hasn't been besieged....... What if the 20,000-Eight Banners New Army arrives? It is difficult for the Navy and the Eight Banners New Army to work together, and in the face of more than 100,000 long hairs, it is still difficult to say who will kill the deer. ”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhongyuan did not refute it, what the other party said was the truth, the imperial court wanted to suppress and use the navy, Yi Zhizhi was dissatisfied, the navy not only did not try its best to encircle and suppress, but also planned to retreat, only relying on more than 20,000 Eight Banners New Army to encircle and suppress, this outcome is really difficult to say.

"As the so-called authorities are obsessed, we are all in the game now, it is difficult to investigate, and it is useless to fight more." Zeng Guofan turned his head as he spoke, "How do the Eight Banners New Army and Navy compare to Chu Yong in Minqiao?" ”

Chu Yong was recruited by Jiang Zhongyuan in his hometown to form the Xiang Yong, and his combat power is far from being comparable to the Eight Banners Green Battalion, but compared with the Eight Banners New Army and the Navy, it is far inferior, and he immediately said without thinking: "The world is different, let alone the navy, even the Eight Banners New Army is far inferior." ”

Zuo Zongtang glanced at him and said, "What if it's equipped with the same firearms?" ”

"It's hard to say." Jiang Zhongyuan said with a smile: "Ji Gao knows how much silver it takes to train a naval recruit for a year?" As he spoke, he stretched out two fingers and said, "A soldier with a piece of equipment, including silver, is about two hundred silver dollars a year." ”

Two hundred silver dollars! Zuo Zongtang couldn't help but gasp, and said in shock: "Impossible, right? ”

"A Mini gun costs a hundred oceans." Jiang Zhongyuan smiled leisurely: "Plus military uniforms, food, live-ammunition training, and miscellaneous gadgets..... In addition, each of their battalions is also equipped with an artillery company, if Ji Gao is interested, he can go to the naval camp to go around, and take a look to understand that the navy is definitely a young master soldier, not a wealthy master like Yuan Qi, and he definitely can't afford to raise it. ”

Smiling, he continued: "Ji Gao has no intention of going to the northwest but rushed to Wuchang, but he plans to purchase arms from Yuan Qi to form a regimental training?" If this is the case, don't open your mouth, you can't buy Minnie guns with silver, and the New Army of the Eight Banners has not been able to fully equip Minnie guns now. ”

Hearing him say this, Zuo Zongtang was speechless for a while, poured himself a drink, Zeng Guofan smiled and said: "The northwest is a rare place to show your strength, Ji Gao is unintentional, don't blame me for recommending myself." ”

Zuo Zongtang looked at Zeng Guofan and then at Jiang Zhongyuan, and said, "You two sing and harmonize, shouldn't you work together to trick me into going to the northwest?" ”

Zeng Guofan smiled when he heard this, "What does the northwest have to do with us?" For us, as long as Ji Gao is willing to go out of the mountain, it will be the same everywhere. ”

The Yellow Crane Tower is located at the top of the Snake Mountain, climb the building by the railing, you can take in the whole Wuchang in the near distance, you can overlook the Yanbo Yangtze River in the distance, it is a famous spot in the south of the Yangtze River since ancient times, but all the gentry who come to Wuchang, all of them do not come to visit, have breakfast, easy to be content, and carry Lin Meilian to accompany Bao Shichen to climb the Snake Mountain with great interest.

Lin Meilian is the first time to come, climb the Yellow Crane Tower, a happy face, turn in a circle to enjoy the beautiful scenery around, Yi Zhizhi accompanied Bao Shichen to sit by the window, while pouring tea and said: "Mr. has been to the Yellow Crane Tower before, right?" ”

"It's been more than 20 years, and the years are urging people to get old." Bao Shichen sighed with emotion, and then looked into the distance, as if he was reminiscing, Yi Zhizhi did not disturb him, slowly sipped tea, and looked at the boats coming and going on the river under the mountain.

After a while, Lin Meilian stepped forward and said softly: "The shopkeeper asked, do you have a few plates of dim sum and dried fruits?" ”

"No, you don't." Yi Zhishu said and raised his wrist to look at the time, and said, "They should be almost there." ”

Lin Meilian, who was waiting, left, and Bao Shichen said slowly: "Thousands of miles away in the northwest, Zuo Ji is arrogant and arrogant, and his ambition is not in the northwest, I'm afraid it will not be easy to recruit." ”

Yi Zhizhi smiled contentedly, and said slowly: "The article is two Simas of the Western Han Dynasty; Economic Nanyang a Wolong. has no money, and worries about the world; Read through 10,000 volumes, and God handed over to the ancients. These two couplets were written by Zuo Jigao when he lived in seclusion in Xiangyin, this person thinks very highly of himself, his eyes are empty, he compares himself to Zhuge Kongming, he has been waiting for an opportunity, and it will not be too difficult to solicit him. ”

The two spoke unscrupulously, because the Yellow Crane Tower had been completely covered, and the shopkeeper couldn't go upstairs without greeting, and even there were personal soldiers patrolling up and down the mountain, so there was no need to scruple at all.

After a slight sigh, Bao Shichen said: "After all, he is just a person, and the northwest is not Nanyang, so I am afraid that it will not be good to recommend ......." ”

"Sipinfu Dao is enough to impress him, right?" Yi Zhixiang said in a relaxed tone: "Although the northwest is not as good as the South Sea, Feng Renxuan has already gained a foothold in the northwest, and his strength has been expanded to two brigades, and the imperial court does not allow it, I don't mind letting the northwest also be chaotic." ”

This is extremely domineering, but Yi Zhicontent does have this confidence now, one is that the Taiping army has turned Huguang upside down and become the number one enemy of the imperial court, and secondly, with the navy stationed in Ili, the imperial court has abolished the general army of Yili Town, transferred troops to Tianjin, and strengthened the defense of Tianjin.

At this juncture, the imperial court definitely doesn't want any chaos in the northwest, and it is easy to recommend officials, not to mention government officials, even counselors, and the imperial court has to pinch its nose and admit it!

Hearing this, Bao Shichen smiled and said, "Hou Ye won't only recommend Zuo Jigao, right?" ”

"You can't be in a hurry, let's test the reaction of the imperial court first." Yi Zhizhi said: "However, it will not be delayed for too long, time waits for ......." ”

While the two were talking, Lin Meilian came up to report: "Master Hou, the guest is here." ”

"Ask them to come up." Yi Zhishu said and stood up, and soon, Zeng Guofan, Jiang Zhongyuan, and Zuo Zongtang came upstairs, Yi Zhishu glanced at Zuo Zongtang, and saw that he was of medium stature, with good facial features, a firm nose, narrow eyes, and eyes like paint, so he couldn't help but nod.

After a period of greetings, the five people sat down, Lin Meilian stepped forward to pour tea for the three of them and then retreated with interest, Yi Zhizu reached out to ask for tea, and said with a smile: "The three are all handsome men in Hunan for a while, today I use this Yellow Crane Tower to guide you to the country, inspire words, and you can talk freely." ”

Zuo Zongtang was unceremonious, and said straightforwardly: "Now that the long hair is in chaos, I don't know what the Hou Ye thinks?" ”

Yi Zhizhi smiled contentedly, and said lightly: "Jumping beam clown, it's not enough." ”

This tone is not ordinary madness, Jiang Zhongyuan and Zeng Guofan are all the same, Zuo Zongtang laughed and said: "Master Hou is in Wuchang, he should know everything about long hair?" ”

Listening to his sarcastic words, Yi Zhishu didn't care at all, and said unhurriedly: "It's not Ben Hou's boasting, just a long hair, Ben Hou really didn't pay attention to it, exterminating long hair, for the navy, although it is not easy, but it is not a difficult thing." Saying that, he smiled, "Brother Disheng and Brother Minqiao have both witnessed the navy's assistance in recovering Wuchang, so it should be clear that Ben Hou is not lying in vain. ”

Jiang Zhongyuan immediately bowed his head and said: "The strength of the Nanyang Navy is really unheard of, if you go all out to encircle and suppress Long Mao, it will indeed not be difficult. ”

"It's not difficult, why doesn't Master Hou go all out to encircle and suppress it?" Zuo Zongtang asked bluntly: "Hou Ye went out of the mountain with affection, and was ordered to lead the navy into Chu to encircle and suppress, and he disobeyed the yang and the yin, so he didn't worry about being impeached?" ”

"There are many people who impeach Ben Hou, and Ben Hou has long been accustomed to it." Yi Zhixiang said with a smile: "The navy must guard against the navies of Western countries sending troops to the South Seas, and the troops dare not enter Chu. ”

Jiang Zhongyuan and the three of them are not clear about the situation in Western countries, but the navy has only seized the South Seas from Spain and the Netherlands, which is true, because no one knows whether this is true or false, but Jiang Zhongyuan is very clear, Yi Zhizhi has resentment in his heart, and he is not active in encircling and suppressing the Taiping Army at all, but he is not easy to say.

The three people who saw it didn't say a word, Yi Zhishu took out a cigar and lit it slowly, slowly spewing out a cloud of smoke, and then said slowly: "Everything has advantages and disadvantages, and there are disadvantages and advantages, and it is also ..... to have long hairs and mess up." ”

Hearing this, Zeng Guofan smiled and said, "I would like to hear the Hou Ye Gao." ”

Glancing at the three of them, Yi Zhizhi said unhurriedly: "All along, Ben Hou has believed that external worries outweigh internal troubles, and in the current great changes unseen in three thousand years, this is even more so.

Perhaps you will think that a few years ago in the war with England, we fought equally, and the Qing Dynasty no longer had external worries, Ben Hou clearly told you today that we lost that war, and we lost it completely, otherwise we would not have signed those treaties that lost power and humiliated the country.

Moreover, the external worries of the Qing Dynasty are also from the beginning of that war, the Qing Dynasty is more dangerous than a few years ago, don't look at the navy in the nearby sea in recent years, in fact, the Nanyang Navy and the British, French Navy is too far away, can not be compared at all.

This is not alarmist, and Benhou does not need to be alarmist now, compared to Western countries, what is long hair? It's really not worth mentioning, Long Hair is just a group of rabble, a group of bandits under the banner of religion.

However, the long-haired rebellion, in Ben Hou's view, is not without benefits, and there are many benefits, the Eight Banners Green Battalion, the Eight Banners New Army can take the opportunity to encircle and suppress the long-haired army to practice actual combat, some generals will stand out, will prompt the imperial court to realize the importance of firearms in the war, feel the pain of firearms completely dependent on imports, so as to prompt the imperial court to pay attention to the development of its own military industry, and even promote the imperial court to carry out military system innovation ....... ”