The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 113 What bad intentions could Zuo Zongtang have?
Just as Jiao Hong, Boyong and the other two led a large group of brothers from the God Worshipping Society through layers of inspection and swaggered into Huangdao Gate, one of Changsha's nine old gates. On the Tianxin Pavilion fortress east of Huangdao Gate, four men in long gowns and jackets and melon-shaped hats stood on a high place with their hands behind their backs, looking at the refugees entering the city like a torrent from the direction of Huangdao Gate, frowning slightly and talking in low voices.

They were Zuo Zongtang, Huang Shijie, Guo Songtao and a short middle-aged man with big eyes, thick eyebrows and a thick mustache.

The middle-aged man asked Huang Shijie, "Among them, there must be some Changmao spies and Tiandihui rebels, right? Ziying, was Daozhou taken over by Changmao spies and Tiandihui rebels?"

Huang Shijie replied respectfully: "Teacher, that's exactly what you said. That's how Daozhou was lost!"

This middle-aged man turned out to be Huang Shijie's teacher, a fellow villager of Zeng Guofan. His surname was Luo, his given name was Zenan, his courtesy name was Zhongyue, and his pseudonym was Luoshan. His family was not wealthy. He failed the boy's examination at the age of 19, and then he started to teach. At the age of 33, he won the first place in Changsha Prefecture. However, his career in the imperial examination ended there. He was already 45 years old this year, and he had not made any progress.

Although he did not pass the imperial examination, Luo Zenan was recognized as a great sage among the scholars in Xianghu. He was proficient in the six arts, familiar with the art of war, and studied the science of practical application. He taught for 28 years and brought up a number of talented students who were both good at literature and martial arts, such as Wang Qin, Li Xubin, Li Xuyi, Li Xingchun, Jiang Yili, Zeng Guoquan, Zeng Guobao, etc. Huang Shijie, the master of Daozhou, was also his favorite student.

Luo Zenan looked back at Zuo Zongtang, who was known as "Jinliang" and whose fame and talent were superior to his. "Ji Gao, do you still want to let people into the city?"

Zuo Zongtang nodded and said, "Let them go! Why not? The spies and rebels who entered the city must not be as many as the Xianghu gentry who escaped! Luo Shan, if we Xianghu gentry want to protect our hometown and seek a future, we need to organize militia. If we want to organize militia, we must let the gentry of Sanxiang suffer more. Only when their families are broken up will they be of the same mind as us! And those who have not yet broken up their families will know what it means that water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it!"

Luo Zenan was shocked, turned around and looked at Zuo Zongtang, and said: "Ji Gao, are you going to ignore Ru Weng? He is the assistant governor of Hunan!"

"It's just nursing," Zuo Zongtang said coldly. "Assistant Minister of Military Affairs Shengbao, along with Xi'an Town General Fucheng, Second Class Guard Yuanbao, and Tongguan Assistant General Yin Lipei, have arrived in Changsha with 1,000 elite troops from Beijing and 3,000 from Gansu and Shaanxi. Shengbao has 4,000 soldiers and an imperial order. He is also a Manchu noble. How can he defend Changsha and do we have a say?
It is said that he brought a thousand magical Western bombs this time, specifically to blow up the Bull Demon King. This is nonsense! Ziying, have you ever seen the Bull Demon King? "

"No." Huang Shijie shook his head and sighed, "The Taiping rebels who invaded Daozhou didn't do much magic, but instead focused on equalizing the rich and the poor and dividing the land. They were especially good at inciting the farmers, miners, and coolies who had lost their livelihoods. I am the richest man in Daozhou, but I am unable to help the whole state, so the poor and helpless were all used by them, which led to great disasters. I am really ashamed."

"There are too many poor people and too little land to support them. This is the source of chaos in the world!" Luo Zenan sighed, his tone becoming increasingly heavy.

His family background was not good to begin with, and he could not compare to Huang Shijie, the richest and most noble young man.

Huang Shijie could feel that there were too many poor people and the world was about to "explode", and his heart was filled with a feeling of powerlessness. What's more, he had experienced poverty himself, Luo Zenan?

Zuo Zongtang was in an equally heavy mood. He also did not come from a wealthy family, but he became rich after passing the imperial examination and marrying a wealthy woman.

Therefore, he already knew where the stubborn problems of the world were. After reading "Anti-Scripture", he became even more aware that the enemies of the Qing Dynasty had already grasped the stubborn problems of the world and had also stirred up a huge storm.

The Qing Dynasty is doomed to fail if it faces such a clear-headed opponent!

"The world is going to be in chaos!" Zuo Zongtang turned around and said to Guo Songtao, "Yunxian, why don't you go to Xiangxiang again? See if you can invite him here. We have already done a lot of things with his help. If he doesn't come out, it will be embarrassing for everyone."

The situation in Changsha now is much more serious than in history!
The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had already become a "more powerful version". Luo Bingzhang, Zuo Zongtang and the Xianghu gentry all sensed the crisis of destruction, so they naturally redoubled their efforts to save themselves.

After all, the Hunan gentry of this era still had some ability and would not sit back and wait for destruction.

The way they worked hard was, of course, to organize militias. But Zeng Guofan, the minister who helped organize the Hunan militias, was still a filial son in Xiangxiang County!
If he doesn't come out, who will take care of the matters of "seeking an official position" and "raising funds"?

Although there are ready-made methods in the Anti-Classics and historical books, such as the ability to "mutually recommend" officials, self-appointed officials, and the ability to raise troops to seek appointments, and the ability to occupy a piece of land and collect food and wages by oneself.

But this way of doing things is really too ugly, and it is also undermining the court and slapping Emperor Xianfeng in the face. Therefore, Zuo Zongtang, Luo Zenan and others still hope that they can be more decent so that they can meet each other in the future!

"Ji Gao. Di Zhang is so stubborn! It's not easy to please him!"

Zuo Zongtang shook his head and said to Huang Shijie, "Ziying, why don't you accompany Guo Yunxian to Xiangxiang, bring a thousand militiamen, and be sure to invite Zeng Disheng to Changsha!"

Must you come? Or.Banded?

Huang Shijie turned his head and looked at his mentor Luo Zenan.

Luo Zenan nodded and sighed, "If Disheng doesn't come out, Xianghu will not be safe. If Xianghu is not safe, how can Disheng be saved? How can the eggs in an overturned nest remain intact? So no matter what method you use, you must invite Zeng Disheng out. Inviting him out is to save his life! Disheng is a smart man, he will thank us."

Huang Shijie bowed and said, "Student understands."

After arranging for Huang Shijie to "invite" Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang and Luo Zenan went to the Hunan Governor's office near Chaozongmen together.

Since Zeng Guofan had not yet come out of retirement, and Luo Bingzhang was a dismissed governor who was about to leave, it seemed inappropriate for him to recommend Zuo Zongtang and Luo Zenan to be officials, so both of them were still commoners. So Luo Bingzhang also made Luo Zenan a legal advisor in the governor's office, below Zuo Zongtang.

When the two returned to the governor's office, Luo Bingzhang was meeting guests in the third hall of the office. The guests were Shengbao, Fucheng, Yin Lipei, Tulama, Yuanbao, Wenxiang and others who had just arrived in Changsha a few days ago.

Shengbao and Luo Bingzhang naturally sat in the seats of honor, while Fucheng, Yin Lipei, Tulama, Yuanbao, Wenxiang and others sat on both sides. Luo Bingzhang also asked Tazibu and a few unlucky guys who were waiting for a vacancy in the governor's office to sit with them.

Luo Bingzhang was not in the mood to take care of things now, so he kept chatting with the guests. When he saw Zuo Zongtang and Luo Zenan come in, he bowed, sat down, and exchanged some pleasantries before smiling and saying to them, "Ji Gao, Zhong Yue, Ke Zhai just proposed a plan to lure the enemy deep into our territory, set up an ambush, and then destroy them with Western thunder magic."

Luo Bingzhang revealed all the brilliant plans that Shengbao had come up with on the way to Changsha to "Jinliang" Zuo Zongtang. After listening to Luo Bingzhang's words, Zuo Zongtang sneered in his heart: "What a crappy plan! You lure the enemy deep into our territory as if no one can stop them! You even set up an ambush. They have tens of thousands of people. Are they afraid of your thousands of ambushes? You even use Western thunder magic to destroy them. This is the only thing that is interesting!"
You must find a way to learn this Western thunder technique. Only after you learn it can you destroy others!"

Although Zuo Zongtang looked down on Shengbao's strategy in his heart, he still bowed respectfully on the surface and said: "Shengbao is indeed a Manchu hero. The strategy he used is very clever, even better than Zhuge Liang. Zongtang admires him very much. With Shengbao in charge of military affairs, Changsha will be safe!"

Shengbao was flattered by Zuo Zongtang and immediately took a liking to this seemingly rustic Han scholar. He thought to himself, "This man calls himself 'Jinliang'. He is indeed quite capable. Luo Bingzhang will not need him after he returns to Beijing. I might as well recruit him as my apprentice and make him a military advisor. I can then recommend him to be an official in the future, so that such a talent will not be delayed in the imperial examination."

Just when he was thinking about recruiting Zuo Zongtang, a sixth-rank "official who worked as an errand boy in the governor's office suddenly came in with a newly received report in his hand. He bowed to Luo Bingzhang and Sheng Bao and said, "Mr. Ru, Lord Sheng, we just received a report that there are thousands of red-headed bandits, suspected to be the vanguard of the Taiping Rebellion, who have already breached Zhuzhou Town two days ago!"

(End of this chapter)