Jingshi, Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace, Xinuan Pavilion. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

Daoguang rubbed his temples that were faintly swollen and painful, looked at the stacks of folds at both ends of the imperial case and sighed, Yingyi's construction of the Beijing-Hangzhou Railway is a matter of great importance, and it involves too much, it is difficult for him to weigh the pros and cons, it is difficult to make a decision, and he initiates the court discussion.

Since the opening of the sea in the Qing Dynasty, whether it is a trade between four ports or a trade in Guangzhou, there are many strict restrictions on foreign business, which makes the opening of the sea for more than 100 years, once the Yingyi is allowed to undertake the construction of the Beijing-Hangzhou Railway, the Yingyi will inevitably pour into Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Henan, and Zhili, which will have a great impact on the political, economic, military, cultural and other aspects of the Qing Dynasty, and the world is only afraid that it will not be peaceful from now on.

But if it is not allowed, this war is very likely to continue, and it is possible to continue to expand the scale, England is both the hegemon of the sea and the hegemon of Europe, the expedition to the Qing Dynasty lost troops and returned with a crushing defeat, it will not give up, with the current embarrassing situation of the Qing Dynasty, how can it maintain a large-scale protracted war? What's more, the battlefield is in the south of the Yangtze River, which is the wealth of the Qing Dynasty, and if it is poisoned by the war, it will not be able to recover in three or five years.

Now it seems that the Battle of Jiangning is not only a trap for Yingyi, but also a trap for the Qing Dynasty! Daoguang sighed secretly in his heart, and faintly regretted in his heart, if he had garrisoned Wusong with heavy troops and blocked the Yingyi fleet from advancing westward, he would not have fallen into the current dilemma!

He was suffering from gains and losses in his heart, and Cao Jinxi, the chief eunuch of the close staff, walked in lightly and bowed down to report: "Your Majesty, Zaiquan, Pan Shien, and Mu Zhang'a are handing over signs outside to ask to see." ”

It is not unreasonable for him to rank Mu Zhang'a's name last, Mu Zhang'a, who was originally the chief minister of military aircraft, has been dismissed and retained because of the case of the deficit of the household treasury, although the prestige is still there, and the power is still there, but he has no dazzling title, and on official occasions, the ranking is naturally low.

Hearing the report that Zaiquan, Minister of Military Aircraft Pan Shien, and Mu Zhang'a asked to see each other, Daoguang estimated that Jiang Ning had moved, and immediately ordered lightly: "Let them in." ”

After Zaiquan, Pan Shien, and Mu Zhang'a entered the door to greet the salute, they knelt down in front of the white felt carpet in front of Daoguang in turn, and Pan Shien presented an excerpt with both hands and said: "Your Majesty, Jiangning urgently reported that Yuanqi's five thousand regiments had evacuated Jiangning without authorization and went to Jiangyin." ”

Yuanqi 5,000 regimental training evacuated Jiangning without authorization? Daoguang's heart tightened, and he hurriedly took the excerpt and looked at it, the excerpt was jointly played by Lin Zexu, Yishan, Seng Lingqin, and Yang Fang, and the content was very simple, just two points, one, Yi Zhizu led Yuanqi 5,000 regiments to practice and evacuate Jiangning without authorization. Second, Yingyi agreed to add a clause to publicly declare the crow in the name of the Queen of England. The piece trade was illegal, and English merchants were strictly forbidden to transport and sell crows to the Qing Dynasty. Slice.

Putting down the fold, Daoguang's face was gloomy and dripping water, and he said in a low voice: "What's the matter?" ”

As the leaders of the three major factions in the DPRK and China, Zaiquan, Pan Shien, and Mu Zhang'a know the situation in Jiangning, it can be said that they know everything well, and they all know every detail when they listen to Daoguang's question, and the three of them are a little afraid and they all lie on the ground and dare not speak rashly, and the three of them all know that this matter has touched the bottom line of Daoguang, to put it mildly, Yi Zhi's content move is to urge the imperial court to reply as soon as possible, to put it more seriously, Yi Zhixiang This is to coerce and force the imperial court to accept the "Jiangning Treaty", to put it bluntly, It is to coerce Daoguang!

Lin Zexu and the four of them pointed out that it was unauthorized to know that it was easy to know that it was arbitrary, but they didn't dare to get involved, and they took out the four of them, if it was explained that it was a decision made by five people after discussion, the consequences would be more serious, and the high-level people in Jiangning might be replaced collectively, which would stimulate Daoguang even more, causing the whole situation to be completely out of control.

However, since Daoguang opened his mouth to ask, it would not work if he didn't answer, and Zaiquan and Mu Zhang'a who saw him didn't open their mouths, and Pan Shien, who temporarily led the military plane, had to bite the bullet and say: "Back to the emperor, the dry period of the Yangtze River is approaching, and Yingyi can't afford to drag it out!" ”

During the dry period of the Yangtze River, Daoguang is naturally clear, and it is precisely because he clearly knows this that he is not in a hurry to make a decision, they can afford to drag it, the British army can't afford it, and it may be able to squeeze out more benefits if it is delayed, even if it can make Yingyi give up a few unimportant terms, it is good, he glanced at the three of them coldly, and he said in a deep voice: "Is it easy to be content?" ”

Pan Shien's nervous forehead was dripping with sweat, and he kowtowed lightly and said: "Back to the emperor, Yi Zhizhi did not listen to dissuasion, and insisted on going his own way." ”

Seeing that he took out Lin Zexu and the four of them with a word, Zaiquan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, Yishan and Monk Greenqin were all his people, and he was really worried about being implicated, this matter was not a trivial matter.

Jiangning's second and third counselors were not Mu Zhang'a's people, so he naturally had no scruples, and immediately kowtowed: "Yi Zhizhi is content to act arbitrarily, and he is not worthy of the master, Lin Zexu and Yishan have no way to control them, they are really incompetent, and I implore the emperor to punish them." ”

Daoguang glanced at him, but said nothing, the first battle of Jiangning was related to the national fortune, he didn't want to get involved in the party struggle, and in the current situation, it was also taboo to change generals in battle!

Seeing that Daoguang was silent, Mu Zhang'a did not give up, and said in a deep voice: "Yi Zhi, as a counselor and minister of military affairs, did not respect the order, and led the Yuanqi regiment to evacuate Jiangning without authorization, but to blackmail the imperial court and force the imperial court to accept the "Jiangning Treaty", which is really mad, and this move is ...... in collusion with Yingyi. ”

"Your Majesty." Pan Shien didn't wait for him to finish speaking, then took over his words and said: "Yi Zhizhi is content for Yuan Qi's selfish interests, ignoring the interests of the imperial court, colluding with Yingyi in private, withdrawing the army without authorization, it is no different from a traitor, and the crime should be punished. ”

Listening to Pan Shien's words, Mu Zhang'a was both surprised and depressed, his words were actually said by the other party first, and Zaiquan's heart also jumped, what is going on with Pan Shien? To put Yi to death! Even if you want to pick out Lin Zexu and the four of them, you don't have to fall into the well like this! As soon as he thought about it, he reacted that the other party was retreating as advancing.

If the Yi Zhisuff lock is brought into Beijing, Jiangning's peace talks will inevitably reach a stalemate, and if it is not good, it may force the anti-Yuanqi group to practice, and the situation in Jiangnan will inevitably fall into chaos, which is simply impossible!

However, this is a great opportunity to sell favors, he reacted very quickly, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the battle of Jiangning is the first initiative of Yi Zhicontent, Yuan Qi is also doing his best to assist in this battle, Wu Song, Zhenjiang two battles, Yuan Qi group training is to kill nearly 10,000 prisoners Yingyi, if Yi Zhicontent is a traitor, isn't it cold to the hearts of the people in the world?" ”

Daoguang was annoyed for a while, he was annoyed by Yi Zhicontent's boldness and decisiveness, but if he wanted to punish Yi Zhixiang, he really didn't think that the current situation in Jiangning could be separated from Yi Zhi's contentment Yuanqi group practice? It's impossible, even if you want to settle accounts, you can only settle accounts after the autumn, not at present, he doesn't want to be scolded as a faint king!

"Enough!" Whispering a reprimand, he slowed down his tone and said, "The top priority is that a decision must be made!" The battle of Jiangning should not be delayed without decision! ”

Hearing this, Zaiquan, Pan Shien, and Mu Zhang'a immediately became nervous, the "Jiangning Treaty" is actually limited to the treaty port, and they don't care very much, but the construction of the Beijing-Hangzhou Railway by England is not a trivial matter, a large project, spanning a wide area, and a huge amount of money, the significance and influence are even more extraordinary, and the time it takes may be several years or ten years, and it has a long-term impact on the rise and fall of the three major factions in the DPRK and China.

Among the three major factions, Mu Zhang'a is the leader of the Manchu official faction and a faction that is resolutely opposed, while Zaiquan is the leader of the royal clan faction, and he himself is also conservative and strongly opposes the construction of railways.

As the leader of the Han official faction, whether Pan Shien is in favor of building a railway or not, he has no choice, and must firmly support and end this war as soon as possible, otherwise Wang Ding, Lin Zexu, Liu Yunke and other Han officials of the main war faction will be in danger.

Slowly glanced at the three of them, Daoguang said expressionlessly: "Convey the decree, allow the "Jiangning Treaty" and the annex, and Lin Zexu, Yishan, and Yi Zhishu will negotiate the relevant rules with Yingyi as soon as possible. After speaking, he suddenly felt a lot more relaxed, for most of the month, this matter has been suppressed in his heart, and finally made a decision, he seems to have lifted a big stone in his heart.

"Your Majesty." Zaiquan and Pan Shien hurriedly bowed down and said, both of them were brisk in their hearts.

Mu Zhang'a was like a frosted eggplant, he was unwilling, kowtowed heavily, and said, "Your Majesty." ”

"No more talk." Daoguang said in a deep voice: "The lesser of two evils, the treasury is empty, the imperial court cannot support a protracted war at present, and it cannot tolerate the destruction of Jiangnan in the flames of war, I dare not take this risk." ”

Hearing him say this, Mu Zhang'a knew that there was no hope, and he didn't dare to twist his tongue, so he kowtowed and said, "The slave obeys the order." ”

Glancing at the three of them, Daoguang sighed secretly, after being entangled for more than half a month, he still didn't dare to be tough after all, the Eight Banners Green Camp was completely useless, even if he was unwilling, he was powerless, and he groaned slightly, he said: "Since peace talks with Yingyi mean the end of the war, how to arrange the Yuanqi regiment practice?" ”

Hearing this, Pan Shien's heart sank, Daoguang wanted to vent his dissatisfaction with Yuanqi's group practice? Thinking about it, the Yuanqi Regiment is strong in training, far better than the Eight Banners Green Battalion, and the scale is as high as more than 10,000, in the hands of the bold and reckless Yi Zhicontent, not to mention Daoguang, even he also has a feeling of restlessness.

After a slight mutter, he spoke: "Follow the example of the regiment, the war is over, and it should be disbanded." ”

"No." Mu Zhang'a said in a deep voice: "Yuanqi group training is not comparable to the group training formed by ordinary local gentry and businessmen, the group Yong of Yuanqi group training is all Yuanqi employees, and the big and small leaders all enjoy Yuanqi's shares, even if it is dissolved, Yuanqi can gather into an army with a word, Yuanqi not only has strong financial resources, but also can buy a large number of artillery muskets from foreign businessmen, if it is disbanded according to the rules, I am afraid that there will be endless troubles." ”

Zaiquan glanced at him and said, "It is a pity that the Yuanqi Regiment is strong in combat and disbanded, but if it is included in the imperial court system, the imperial court will not be able to support ......." ”

For the Yuanqi group training, Daoguang had a headache, originally planned to use the hands of Yingyi to weaken the strength of the Yuanqi group training, and did not want the Yuanqi group to practice so strong, Wusong and Zhenjiang fought two battles, killing and capturing thousands of British soldiers, but the loss of the Yuanqi group training was very small, and now that the war is about to end, if the Yuanqi group training cannot be properly solved, he must be unable to sleep.

How to properly solve the Yuanqi team training? Daoguang is at a loss for this, he is included in the division of the imperial court system, not to mention that he can't afford it, and it may cause dissatisfaction with the Eight Banners Green Battalion, disbandment, he also considered it, it doesn't work at all, for Yuanqi Tuanlian, disbanding or not disbanding, there is no difference,

After being quiet for a while, Pan Shien spoke: "Before the Yuanqi regimental training, Dinghai was victorious, and many regimental warriors have secured their official bodies, this time Wusong and Zhenjiang have won two great victories, and there must be more people who have been promoted to the official body. ”

"It's a good idea, killing two birds with one stone." Zaiquan pondered and said: "But serving in the northwest is like exile, and I'm afraid not many people are willing to accept it." ”

"It doesn't have to be too direct." Pan Shien said in a relaxed tone: "You can first work in the surrounding prosperous and wealthy places, and then transfer after half a year and a year." ”

Daoguang said in a sullen voice: "There are more than 10,000 people in the Yuanqi group, after all, there are only a few people with official bodies, and the general group is brave, how to arrange it?" ”

After being silent for a long time, Mu Zhang'a said: "If you want to effectively prevent the self-respect of the army, it is better to know the soldiers and the soldiers than to know the generals." If Yuanqi regimental training is not disbanded, it is feasible to assign those who have made meritorious military contributions to the provinces and assign them to various provinces, and to dispatch military attachés at all levels to lead Yuanqi's regimental training? ”

Zaiquan laughed and said, "The military attachés of the Green Battalion transferred from all over the country can lead the Yuanqi group training? The salary and silver of Yuanqi's group training are issued by Yuanqi, how can the military attache of the green battalion lead it? The training of Yuanqi regimental training adopts Western-style training, and the military attache of the green battalion knows nothing, how to manage it? ”

Mu Zhang'a said in a sullen voice: "The purpose of the imperial court is to weaken the strength of Yuan Qi's group training, can you control it, let Yuan Qi have a headache, let Yuan Qi group practice be a mess, and not just follow the will of the imperial court?" ”

Daoguang glanced at the three of them speechlessly, and said in a deep voice: "This time Yingyi attacked, all of them fought against Yuanqi's group training, so there is the current situation, so unscrupulous means to weaken Yuanqi's group training, if there is another war with the West, who will I rely on to resist?" After a slight pause, he said in a deep voice: "I am worried that the Yuanqi group practice will be in trouble, but I hope that the Yuanqi group practice will be used by the imperial court rather than destroy it!" ”

Hearing this, Zaiquan, Pan Shien, and Mu Zhang'a couldn't help but look at each other, and after a while, Pan Shien said: "This time, Xiamen, Ningbo, and Shanghai will be added as treaty ports, plus the original Guangzhou, if it is a four-port trade, the Yuanqi regiment will not be able to train more than 10,000 people, so that it will be stationed in four treaty ports. ”

Hearing this, Daoguang's face softened a little, this is a method, even if there are 3,000 people in a treaty port, it can't turn up any waves, but Yuanqi has a fleet and can quickly mobilize troops, which is reassuring after all. (To be continued.) )