The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 134 Xiangyin commoner, how precious it is! (asking for monthly ticket)

Zuo Zongtang was just a commoner from Xiangyin!

He is not a dog official of the Qing Dynasty!

Xianfeng was not his emperor and father either!
There is no loyalty and gratitude between him and his subjects. He can still serve as a good subject and choose his master!
At this moment, Bai Siwen, Wenxiang, Duolong'a, the Eight Banners descendants and the people "in heaven", finally realized the value of this Xiangyin commoner!
In the past, there was only one official shop in the world, the Qing Dynasty. If these Xianghu commoners wanted to become officials, they could only study the Four Books and Five Classics with all their energy and try to get a Jinshi or Juren. But even if they did, what would happen? Except for a very small number of outstanding people who could rank among the top in the joint examinations and palace examinations, no matter how many people succeeded in getting a Jinshi or a Juren and became officials, in the end, wouldn't they still be burdened with a lot of debts in Beijing and then work for the Eight Banners dignitaries in Beijing to get money?
They are the ones who have to bear the brunt of their greed for fame, but most of the money is taken by the gentlemen in Luoyang. How despicable they are!

But now, how valuable are the Xianghu commoners like Zuo Zongtang, Luo Zenan and Chen Qishu who command troops!
If they sided with the Qing Dynasty with all their strength, the Qing Dynasty would have a certain chance to block the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in Hunan. If they sided with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, not to mention Hunan, the four provinces of Hubei, Jiangxi, Guangdong and Guangxi would probably be swept away.

Even the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom could send thousands of boats to the south of the Yangtze River!

Now it is not that Zuo Zongtang and the Xianghu scholars need Qing officials, but that the Qing cannot do without Xianghu for a day, and Xianghu cannot do without Zuo Zongtang for a day.

Zuo Zongtang had finished reading Luo Yaoguo's letter at this time, and handed it to Chen Qishu beside him. After Chen Qishu finished reading it, the letter was passed to Zhang Dingxiang.

After Zhang Dingxiang finished reading the letter, he did not hand it to Bai Siwen, Wenxiang and Duolong'a who were waiting eagerly, but looked at Zuo Zongtang. After Zuo Zongtang nodded, the letter was handed to Wenxiang, the "confidant of Prince Gong".

Wen Xiang took the letter and started reading it. Halfway through, he couldn't help cursing, "What nonsense! That fake angel is a traitor himself. Why did he give you, Zuo Jigao, the title of prefect?"

Zuo Zongtang did not respond to him, but just stared at him, as if waiting for the words from this confidant of Prince Gong.

But Wenxiang was stuck there and couldn't continue.

Because Luo Yaoguo, the "false angel", could probably really get Zuo Zongtang a prefecture governor of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, but could Wenxiang, the confidant of Prince Gong, have such a great ability? Not to mention him, even Shengbao, the assistant military minister of the Qing Dynasty, might not be able to help Zuo Zongtang get a prefecture governor of the Qing Dynasty.

The Battle of Changsha was in such a bad state that Shengbao couldn't even save himself, so how could he still want to keep Zuo Zongtang as the prefect?

Even if he could be saved, he could only be a deputy prefect in another province. Han Chinese prefects in the Qing Dynasty could not serve in their own province. Even if they were to serve in another province, they would theoretically have to be 500 miles away from the province.

A provincial governor, who is still a candidate, who knows if he can fill the vacancy? It will cost a lot to fill the vacancy! Moreover, the Qing government has a term limit, three years for a governor!

What’s more crucial is that the prefects of the Qing Dynasty did not bring troops with them to take office!
Only governors and provincial governors have model soldiers, but prefects do not.

Without soldiers, how long could Zuo Zongtang remain the prefect? ​​Would he be harmed? What would he do with his soldiers? Should he dismiss them or give them to mediocre bannermen like "Bai Bao" to command?
But what the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom gave was a prefect of Hunan Province!

Zuo Zongtang could take up his post immediately with his troops - the prefect of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom could not take up his post without his troops! He must take up his troops, and the cost of raising troops could be collected and used by himself in the area under his jurisdiction, just like a local lord!
Of course, there is no term for a local lord. This prefecture belongs to Zuo Zongtang, and he can make as much money as he wants! And the soldiers and generals who follow him can also get promoted to a higher level. How great is that!

Zuo Zongtang was disappointed to see Wenxiang speechless, so he said to Jin Aduo in an imperative tone: "Aduo, please go see this Angel of Peace again and tell him that I, Zuo Zongtang, am willing to meet the Angel alone in the ruins of the rice market inside Chaozongmen. Only one person from each side can come, and no third person can be within a radius of 150 steps."

"Zuo Jigao!" "Mr. Zuo!"

“That’s long hair.”

Bai Siwen, Wenxiang and Duolong'a became anxious when they heard this.

Zuo Zongtang waved his hand to stop the three people from talking, and said with a smile: "It's just a commoner from Xiangyin meeting with the leader of the Taiping army. We just want to protect the safety of the several prefectures in Xianghu."

The safety of several prefectures in Xianghu Lake?
Several Manchus felt their hearts sink when they heard this!

One prefecture is not enough. This is to seize control of several prefectures in Xianghu!

Zuo Zongtang looked at these Manchus and said with a smile: "This area of ​​Xianghu and several prefectures cannot be protected by Zongtang alone. Luo Luoshan, Chen Bowen, Huang Ziying, Zhang Chuyi, Wang Pushan, Li Rujiu and others are not talents of Baili!"

Ah!
The "talents who are not Baili" mentioned by Zuo Zongtang are Luo Zenan, Chen Qishu, Huang Shijie, Zhang Dingxiang, Wang Qin, Li Xubin, and Zuo Zongtang himself, a total of seven people. Hunan has only 13 prefectures and direct-controlled prefectures. Now Yongzhou Prefecture, Hengzhou Prefecture, Chenzhou Prefecture, Guiyang Prefecture and three prefectures and one prefecture are estimated to be eaten up by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Changsha Prefecture has lost at least half, and Yuezhou Prefecture is also difficult to protect. There are still five prefectures and two prefectures left. Zuo Zongtang and his seven people are just right for one each!
Bai Siwen, Wenxiang and Duolong'a who were present were all intelligent people. Of course they knew that Zuo Zongtang was asking for a price!

One prefect or prefect of a Zhili Prefecture was not enough, he needed seven. And they all had to be prefects or prefects of Hunan!
It seems that what "Anti-Classic" said is true. Once Zuo Zongtang and his gang get the chance, they want to be the Li Siqi and Zhang Liangbi of the Qing Dynasty!
That's right. How could the Qing Dynasty's "officials work in vain" and "officials serve in vain" be as good as Li Siqi and Zhang Liangbi of the Yuan Dynasty?
Li Siqi was promoted to the position of Shaanxi Pingzhang and Sichuan Xingshumiyuanshi in the Yuan Dynasty, which was equivalent to the governor of Sichuan and Shaanxi! Later, he surrendered to the Ming Dynasty and became the Pingzhang Zhengshi of Jiangxi Province, which was also the level of governor. Later, he lost his arm and died while trying to persuade Wang Baobao to surrender, but he became a loyal hero of the Ming Dynasty. He was placed in the Jilongshan Temple of Meritorious Officials, and his son inherited the position of Jinwuwei Commander Tongzhi, which was not bad.

During the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Liangbi served as the Shaanxi Xuanwei Envoy, Vice Prime Minister, Huguang Vice Prime Minister, and Shaanxi Left Prime Minister. If converted into an official position in the Qing Dynasty, he would have been a governor. After his defeat, he was unwilling to surrender to Zhu Yuanzhang and fled, living in seclusion in the mountains, where he had a good end.

Li Siqi and Zhang Liangbi, one was a "governor" and the other was a "governor", both of which were impossible for Zuo Zongtang, a commoner from Xiangyin, to achieve by ordinary means. His path to the imperial examination would most likely end at the level of a juren, and what position could a juren get as an official? Don't even think about being a governor or a governor, and it's a luxury to be a prefect or a prefect. Even a county magistrate, no one knows how much it would cost to "rent" one!

Moreover, Li Siqi and Zhang Liangbi were the "lords", and they became "governors" and "provincial governors" because they respected Yuan Shundi, not because of Yuan Shundi's grace. Yuan Shundi could not dismiss them at all, and even if he dismissed them, the Guanzhong area would still be theirs.

As for the governors and governors-general of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Xianfeng could just issue an edict and "hand it over to the Ministry for discussion and handling"!

If you ask Emperor Shun of Yuan Dynasty to hand over Li Siqi and Zhang Liangbi to the Ministry, he might end up going to Luoyang with his sword in hand!
How happy is it to be such a "governor" or "governor"? Even if it is a little smaller, just the head of a prefecture, it is still a local overlord.

Not to mention Zuo Zongtang was tempted, didn’t Bai Siwen, Wenxiang, and Duolong’a also want to?
Zuo Zongtang waited for a while, and seeing that the three Manchus, Bai Siwen, Wenxiang, and Duolong'a, had nothing to say, he waved his hand and said to Jin Aduo: "Go, Aduo, go quickly!"

"Where are you going?" Jin Aduo was stunned and looked at Zuo Zongtang hesitantly.

Zuo Zongtang said sternly: "Go meet that long-haired angel. Go quickly!"

Seeing Zuo Zongtang's vicious behavior, Jin Aduo didn't want to go back to Changmao, so he had to turn his head and look for help to Bai Siwen, Wenxiang and Duolong'a. However, he found that these three were looking down at the ground with their heads down!
Now he had no choice but to limp around the fire scene, leaning on a stick and dragging his injured leg. After walking for a long time, he finally met Luo Yaoguo again, who had a sad face, in a spacious shop on the east side of Chaozong Street.

(End of this chapter)