The sun never sets in America

Chapter 335 Qing Dynasty Affairs: Xianfeng’s Dream

The tenth year of Xianfeng was a year full of fog.

Two years ago, in the eighth year of Xianfeng's reign, the Jiangbei camp that had been painstakingly established was breached and suffered heavy losses. Finally, taking advantage of the Tianjing Rebellion, the encirclement failed and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was able to attack Jiangbei. Attacking everywhere, the Qing army was defeated and retreated.

If Zeng Guofan and other Han officials had not turned the tide and stabilized the situation, what would have happened now simply by relying on those bannermen who had their eyes set on the top! !

Also after the Jiangbei Camp was destroyed, the entire Qing Empire slowly entered the era of Hanchen.

No matter how stupid you are, you can understand that the Qing Dynasty cannot do without these Han people.

Although some people talk about the "law of the ancestors", "the Han Dynasty is prosperous and the flag is weak", and engage in so-called "impeachment".

One session impeached Zeng Guofan for "winging people's hearts" in Jiangnan and "embroidering dragon robes at home".

One meeting impeached Zeng Guofan and his brother Zeng Guoquan for "extorting" people's wealth in the south of the Yangtze River and sending him back to his hometown to build a "mansion". He had no law and his heart was worthy of death.

All in all, the current Zeng Guofan seems to have unlimited glory, but in fact there are "enemies" everywhere.

As Zeng Guofan himself said:

"The country should always think about it and admonish it!!"

As for what to think about and what to train, it is self-evident.

As for Emperor Xianfeng who was in the capital, he actually had no idea whether to use Hanchen or not. Especially in the era of regiment training everywhere and "military training" everywhere, he sometimes thought, Will this be another Yellow Turban Rebellion? At least the bandits' tactics are indeed no different from those of the Yellow Turban Army.

It's nothing more than one believing in God and the other engaging in "talking" and "witchcraft".

As Emperor Xianfeng himself said:

"Use Han to defend against Han. To defend against Han and use Han at the same time, it is extremely difficult!!"

But no matter what, the Qing Dynasty is indeed peaceful at present. After all, the foreigners have not been beaten for many years, right? !

Bandits are appearing in every area, but when the Qing Dynasty "regroups" and the children of the Eight Banners "work hard to govern", they can be defeated in one battle.

As for when the war will begin, who knows? !

…………

Suzhou City in March is full of "spring".

Beside the road, refugees help the old and the young. Along the way, you can see some children and women with straw in their hands.

A carriage passed by, and along the way victims blocked the road to beg.

"Go! Go! Go……"

"Get out of here quickly, you bumped into my family, and you will get some good results!!"

"Get out of here!!"

A guard with a simple knife jumped out of the carriage. He pulled out the knife and scared away the victims who were blocking the carriage. For a while, the child couldn't stop crying.

When the carriage left again, the victims began to block the vehicles behind them, and without exception, they were all beaten back.

They only stopped one car, but they gave some silver coins, asked people to buy some rice, cooked it into thick porridge, and distributed it.

On the carriage, Hu Linyi looked at the scene in front of him, sighed, and finally said:

"The bandits and cholera have spread throughout the world, and it is hard to escape the blame for their crimes..."

Finally, after the carriage left, the pots of thick porridge that had just been cooked were all eaten in less than a moment.

In the Suzhou Governor's Yamen, a large black and gold plaque hangs on it, and two large stone lions at the door look majestic.

Even outside, there were dozens of guards patrolling continuously with armor on their bodies, daggers hanging on their waists, and "British-made guns" on their backs.

When the carriage stopped in front of the Yamen, someone immediately checked. Just as he was about to enter and check, he was blocked by the coachman:

"Why don't you go in and report that this is Mr. Hu, the new chief envoy!!"

"Go quickly..."

The guard glanced at the gray curtain of the carriage, then unloaded his sword and gun and ran in.

Not long after, he ran out in a "hurry", shouting:

"Zeng Shuai invites you..."

Hu Linyi was wearing a black gown and a small hat. He didn't look like a political envoy, but more like a "literary man".

Hu Linyi looked up at the plaque above his head, and finally stepped directly into the door.

After walking a few steps in, I heard a cry:

"Brother Hu, you are polite. Zeng is welcome from a distance, but welcome from a distance!!"

Behind the rockery, a middle-aged man wearing an emerald melon cap, with a thin face and bright eyes walked out quickly.

"Zixiao is full of energy and moves as fast as flying. Now that he is a commander, it is different!!"

Hu Linyi looked at Zeng Guofan and called him by his first name.

"Uh...Brother Hu is joking. As a martial artist, how dare I pay Brother Hu such praise? I feel ashamed that I don't deserve it. I feel ashamed that I don't deserve it..."

Zeng Guofan almost called out Hu Linyi's cousin, but finally changed his mind. After all, Hu Linyi had been an official longer than him. He had already entered the official career when he was still farming in his hometown. It was really inappropriate to call him his cousin. .

The two chatted for a while, and Zeng Guofan asked people to prepare wine and food.

Hu Linyi looked at a table of Jiangnan delicacies, especially one of them, "West Lake Fish in Vinegar", and shouted: "Zixiao, in this time of national crisis, this is too much!!"

Zeng Guofan looked at the fish on the table and replied with a smile: "The national situation is difficult and all living beings are going through tribulation. Today, if this fish enters our belly, it can be considered as making the best use of it. It is also serving the country..."

Hu Linyi then started to move his chopsticks, and Zeng Guofan followed him by pouring wine, looking very "pleasant".

After drinking a few cups, Zeng Guofan let out a long sigh, and Hu Linyi put down his chopsticks and asked quickly:

"Why is Zixiao like this??"

Zeng Guofan sighed and said:

"I received a message the day before yesterday that the bandits are planning to raise a large army and attack Jiangnan again. Our troops lost money last year and only made up for it at the beginning of this year. If we fight again, how many Xiangjiang people will die!!"

After hearing this, Hu Linyi asked strangely: "What can the court do about such a thing?"

"Huh, what can I do? It's just the same thing. The country is in a difficult situation and all the gentlemen are of the same mind..."

Zeng Guofan was very dissatisfied with the situation in the DPRK. At the end of last year, he asked someone to ask for the position of governor of Liangjiang. Originally he thought that with his current power, a governor of Liangjiang was more than enough. However, he was dismissed by those Qingliu with "qualifications" "Not enough" and "there are other candidates" were sent away. He was so angry that he cursed in private that "the emperor is not enough and the plan is not enough".

"Brother Hu, do you know who will pay the money for our Hunan Army?"

After Zeng Guofan had a drink, he continued to lie.

Hu Linyi thought for a while:

"Chaozhong, or a place??"

“Hmph, it’s neither central nor local, it’s self-funded!!”

Zeng Guofan's face was full of resentment, and he seemed to be very dissatisfied with this situation. After all, although self-financing has the benefits of self-financing, as the number of Hunan troops expands, it becomes increasingly difficult to support the army.

"Ugh……"

Hu Linyi let out a long sigh, and then said to Zeng Guofan: "The imperial court has its own difficulties, and every place has its own difficulties. If a son is filial and raises his own money, it can be regarded as a second report to the court..."

Zeng Guofan nodded, acknowledging what he just said.

Hu Linyi then said:

"When I came here just now, I saw that the city was full of hungry people. I am a filial son. Why don't you provide disaster relief?"

Zeng Guofan's expression changed, and he answered after a long while: "The army is in short supply of food, and there is no food to send!!"

"But I just asked someone to buy food, and they were still able to buy it!!"

Hu Linyi didn't quite believe what Zeng Guofan said just now.

Zeng Guofan hesitated, and finally said hesitantly: "The wealthy households in the city are all local gentry, and many of them are famous. They raised money for our army last year. If we ask for it again, I am afraid that someone like me, Zeng, will be arrested." Called a bandit..."

Hu Lin finally swallowed the words that came to his lips. After all, what Zeng Guofan said was not a lie. This was indeed the case in the Qing Dynasty.

The wealthy gentry are everywhere, controlling all parties, and the common people are in dire straits. What can they do! !

Hu Linyi thought something in his mind, but said on his face: "Zixiao, just before entering the Yamen, I saw that all your soldiers were carrying muskets. Are these guns self-made, or..."

After all, Hu Linyi did not say the word "foreign gun". Since the rise of the Han Dynasty and the Opium War, "foreign" has been a taboo in the Qing Dynasty.

Zeng Guofan's face froze, and then he could only reply: "They are all purchasing English firearms!!"

Hu Linyi felt "clear" in his heart and then asked: "Is there... a Han gun!!"

Hu Linyi paused for a long time before saying the last two words.

Zeng Guofan's hand holding the vegetables shook, he put the piece of lotus root into his mouth, chewed it, and then said: "There are also Han guns, but not many. They are mainly captured from the hands of spontaneous bandits."

After saying that, Zeng Guofan invited Hu Linyi to eat, obviously not wanting to talk about this topic any more.

Hu Linyi also understood the meaning, so he simply "changed the cup and changed the cup" and talked about some "interesting things".

In the end, the two returned to the room drunk.

.............................................

Capital, Forbidden City.

"Your Majesty, it's time to eat."

Eunuch Fushun hunched over, leaning against Emperor Xianfeng who was still at work, like a "robot".

"Um!!"

Emperor Xianfeng responded casually, and then there was a sound of "passing the meal" outside the gate. With seven or eight dishes placed in front of him, Emperor Xianfeng said with an angry expression:

"Didn't I ask you to be frugal? Why do you still have so many dishes!!"

Seven or eight eunuchs serving the meal knelt on the ground in fear, making Emperor Xianfeng even more upset.

"Your Majesty, seven or eight dishes are already the lowest price. Any lower price will not be worth the fire money."

Fushun then "quibbled" about what fire means and how much it costs.

Emperor Xianfeng was confused after hearing this, and in the end he could only say: "Use less meat dishes and eat more vegetarian dishes."

Fushun then replied:

"Your Majesty, in the land of the capital, it's freezing cold. The price of vegetables is not cheap. Once you enter the palace, you have to pay for transportation. Vegetables are not much cheaper than meat."

"The slaves and others are thinking about the emperor's health and mixing meat and vegetables, but they have missed the emperor's important affairs..."

After saying that, the leader started crying.

Listening to the seven or eight eunuchs crying and talking about "for the emperor", Xianfeng could only say helplessly: "In this case, we will not reduce it, just keep it as it is."

Only then did Fushun and others shout "Holy Name".

After eating for a while, Xianfeng's appetite wasn't very good, so he ordered them to be withdrawn. But halfway through the withdrawal, he couldn't bear to part with the dishes, and finally gave the order:

"Heat it up tonight and bring it over."

Fushun was frightened again when he heard this, and said repeatedly: "The imperial doctor warned you not to eat food twice. If you eat it at the wrong time, you will get sick!!"

Xianfeng looked at the delicious dishes and then at Fushun, who was suffering. Then he waved his hand, but added:

"Give it to those guards!!"

Fushun agreed this time and didn't cry any more. After all, it was not them who had the final say whether to send it or not.

Xianfeng stood outside the window and looked at the drizzle. At this time, his mood was just like the drizzle outside, full of gloom.

Since he came to the throne, the first thing he faced was not those hard-working people in the history books, not "He Qing Haiyan", but a group of bandits who claimed to be the sons of God.

First, the bandits captured Jinling, proclaimed themselves king, and changed Jinling to Tianjing. Later, although the bandits caused civil strife, they finally seized the opportunity. The Jiangbei camp was destroyed two years ago, and good guys, the bandits are alive again.

Now it is said that a large army will be mobilized to invade Jiangnan and sweep the south.

Later, there was no choice but to reuse Han Chen. It was at that time that Zeng Guofan and others got up.

Now Xianfeng is like a "lonely" child, facing the road ahead, not knowing whether it is right or wrong.

"Ugh……"

While watching the rain from the window, Emperor Xianfeng sighed and described the current situation of the Qing Empire at this time.

Chaos and peace are just a matter of a thought! !

"Your Majesty, it's time to turn the tables."

Fushun's voice is as accurate as the "weather forecast", and he comes every time at this time.

Emperor Xianfeng looked at the plate in Fushun's hand with disgust, especially the brand on the plate, and pointed at one casually and said:

“That’s it!!”

Fushun took a closer look and said, "Concubine."

I wanted to say something, but finally shouted:

"Putting up the concubines!!"

In the concubine's palace, they were busy for a while. The young Yehenala looked at herself in the mirror, who was still pretty, and felt relieved. After all, she had eaten a little too much during the New Year period.

"emperor……"

The concubine knelt down to welcome Xianfeng, and could not see the style of the "Lafayette" in the future.

Xianfeng casually said "get up" and sat on the couch.

Then there was a brief "time".

Listening to Fushun's shouts outside, Xianfeng said nothing. After a few shouts from outside, he understood the meaning.

"Your Majesty, if you have something on your mind, please tell me and I may be able to solve it."

Young Yehenala is like a kitten, full of "fun".

Xianfeng took a look and finally sighed:

"The issue of banditry has still not been solved after so many years. I am ashamed of my ancestors!!"

A "painful" expression appeared on Xianfeng's face.

Yehenala took a look, and then said softly: "Your Majesty, no matter how powerful this bandit is, he will not be as powerful as our Qing cavalry. If they were really that powerful, they would have been able to do it a few years ago. If they start again now, they will not be as powerful." It’s just repeating the same old tricks.”

Listening to Yehenala's slightly wiser opinions, Xianfeng felt relieved, and then said: "Bringing bandits is a small matter, but Han bandits are a big deal!!"

"Your Majesty, these Han invaders are thousands of miles away, why is this such a big deal?"

The Yehenara family knew nothing about the Han Dynasty's march into Eastern Siberia. After all, Xianfeng had ordered this kind of news: "People are not allowed to spread rumors privately, and they will be killed if they spread it!!"

Of course, the real situation is that there are more and more people sneaking into Liaodong, and the same is true in the north, and there is no way to stop them.

"Oh, a few years ago, the Han invaders defeated Tsarist Russia and took control of the north of Liaodong!!"

Emperor Xianfeng's tone was as if his parents had died, and he was listless.

Yehenala was also startled and said quickly:

"Your Majesty, Liaodong is fighting with the Han invaders?"

When Xianfeng heard this, his expression suddenly changed, and then he laughed at himself:

"The land of Liaodong has long since become useless because of its scattered people and weapons..."

"Your Majesty, we will continue to immigrate in these years. This..."

Yehenala still didn't say the words "taking advantage of the Han invaders", although she understood that she might have been taken advantage of by the Han invaders long ago.

Emperor Xianfeng was not a fool. Of course he understood the meaning of Yehenala's words, but just like his reaction after learning that Han had defeated Tsarist Russia, he had "nothing to do"! !

After all, the Qing Dynasty at this time was not the Kangxi Dynasty, let alone the Qing Dynasty that could reach the plateau during the Qianlong period, but a complete mess. Xianfeng once lamented many times:

"The world is corrupt, and the fault does not lie with me, but with the former emperor!!"

Although he was a bit "rebellious", Xianfeng still said it. Although he was the only one who knew it, it can also be seen how resentful he was towards the previous emperors.

After all, the good Qing Dynasty was turned into such a mess by those guys, and he had to clean up the mess. If he couldn't clean up the mess, he would be labeled as a subjugated king and a coward.

Is it possible that when the time comes, let him learn from Chongzhen and use his hair to cover his face so as not to hurt the people? ?

By the way, he has no hair, so he can't do it even if he wants to.

Listening to Emperor Xianfeng's "complaints", Yehenala felt for the first time that entering the palace was not necessarily a good thing.

In the end, I could only comfort Emperor Xianfeng:

"Your Majesty, auspicious people have their own destiny. All the emperors of the Qing Dynasty will bless us."

Xianfeng nodded "reluctantly" and finally fell asleep.

In the dream, he transformed into a holy king, exterminated bandits, quelled civil strife, worked hard to govern, went on a cross-sea expedition to the Han Dynasty, and destroyed millions of Han invaders in one battle. Emperor Longwu, like Chongzhen, found a tree with a crooked neck and hung himself .

But the situation soon changed. Several huge armored warships broke into the North Sea. Along the way, there were sunken ships and floating corpses everywhere. Then, he was driven out of the capital.

Then, he died on the way to escape! !

"what!!"

Emperor Xianfeng sat up suddenly, sweating profusely, and his face was horrified.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

Yehenala quickly got up and comforted the "Emperor".

"Whoosh..."

Xianfeng's breathing was like a thunderstorm that wouldn't stop.

Finally, after the imperial doctor made a diagnosis, he informed:

"The Emperor is suffering from hysteria. I'm afraid he will need to recover for a while."

Yehenala asked anxiously:

"Is the Emperor okay now??"

In the end, the imperial physician could only answer:

“It’s nothing serious!!”

Yehenala obviously didn't believe it, but since she was just a concubine, she didn't dare to say anything and could only serve Emperor Xianfeng on the side.

After Xianfeng woke up, his first words shocked Yehenala:

"The Han invaders are coming, the Han invaders are coming, run away..."

In the quiet palace, the young Emperor Xianfeng and the even younger Yehenala clan were like lonely boats in the sea, not knowing where they were going.

In the south, as the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom regroups, a new chaos is coming.

　Monthly ticket rush, rush, rush

　　

　

(End of this chapter)