Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 118: A Good Strategy (rd day of -word update, please support with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets.)
Around 2 p.m.

Zheng Guohui arrived at Li Hongzhang's residence in the capital in advance. After being informed, he was led into the outer hall by the butler Li An to serve tea.

"The master is still in the study receiving guests. Lord Fang Congshan, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, has been in for a while. It must be almost time. The master has specifically instructed that you wait a moment."

"Good work."

"Sir, you are so polite. Do you think these snacks are to your liking? Sweet osmanthus glutinous rice cake is a specialty of northern Anhui. Several of the masters in the mansion love it. Please try it."

"Oh, I must try it."

Knowing that Zheng Guohui was of extraordinary status, the butler Li An was very attentive and revealed a lot of information between the lines.

Zheng Guohui changed his mind

I knew it must be about financial assistance. Since the relevant memorial was written by Li Hongzhang, we must understand the financial situation of each province and how much financial assistance each province can get. We must always come up with a detailed list of regulations.

We cannot simply say that 800 million taels of military aid will be provided, otherwise it will not be implemented in the provinces.

At that time, it is inevitable that people will shift credit and shirk responsibility, and the provinces will engage in verbal disputes, which will delay the task of suppressing bandits.

As expected, Li Hongzhang was a capable minister of the court and he did things in a very organized manner.

According to the court's "left inside and right outside" law

Fang Congshan, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, is very familiar with the finances of the southeastern provinces. No one in the court knows more than him, so he is the best candidate.

In the six ministries of the imperial court, namely the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Works, there are duties related to internal and external affairs, which are directly under the jurisdiction of the left and right vice ministers.

For example, the Ministry of Personnel is responsible for the selection and assessment of officials, among which the selection belongs to internal affairs and is under the responsibility of the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

The assessment of external officials falls under the category of external affairs and is the responsibility of the Right Vice Minister, and the same applies to the Ministry of Revenue.

Just one sentence can reveal so much information.

Zheng Guohui chatted with the housekeeper Li Anxian for a few words. At this time, a handsome young man walked in from outside.

He looked to be about ten years old. Butler Li An quickly introduced him, "New son-in-law, this is Master Li Jing'an, the master's adopted son."

Li Jing'an stepped forward, clasped his fists and bowed gracefully, then bowed to the ground. He said in a clear voice, "Jing'an greets you, brother. I wish you all your wishes come true and that you will soon find a happy marriage."

This kid is quite knowledgeable.

Zheng Guohui watched Li Jing'an's adult-like behavior with great interest, and returned the greeting with a bow. "Since you are my dear brother, please don't talk nonsense. Sit down and talk. Please ask Butler Li to have someone make another cup of hot tea."

"My son-in-law has ordered this, so I shall do so." Li An immediately went to make the arrangements.

Li Jing'an straightened his robe and then sat on the chair next to him. His every move was well-behaved, which was at least much better than Zheng Guohui's two younger brothers.

"I heard that you were coming to visit me, so I took the liberty to come and see you. I'm really curious. Your past is extremely legendary, and it has been widely talked about in the capital recently. I want to hear your explanation in person." Li Jing'an stated his intention directly and generously.

Zheng Guohui smiled and replied, "My dear brother, your question is very general. If I were to answer it one by one, I'm afraid it would take three days and three nights to finish. Is it about the Nanyang region?"

Li Jing'an's eyes lit up as he heard this, a clear look revealing a strong desire for knowledge. He bowed again and said, "The scenery in Southeast Asia is different from that in China. I'm sure it will be very interesting. If you don't mind my patience, I'm happy to listen."

"Okay, then I'll tell you about the Nanyang affairs." Zheng Guohui didn't put on airs. He was free anyway, so he just treated it as a joke to tease a child.

After a stick of incense
Zheng Guohui was talking incessantly when he felt a little thirsty. He picked up the hot tea and saw that the water in the teacup was all gone. He was about to ask the maid to refill it.

Looking around, he saw Li Hongzhang standing outside the door with a look of confusion on his face.

He quickly put down the teacup, stood up, took two steps, clasped his fists and bowed, saying, "My foolish nephew greets my second uncle. May my second uncle be blessed!"

Li Hongzhang did not treat him as a brother, but acted like an elder. He would give him advice if he saw something he did not like.

Li Jing'an only then noticed his father. He quickly stood up and walked over, bowing deeply to the ground. He politely said, "Father, please accept my respects. I've been pestering you to tell me some new and interesting stories from overseas. If there's any punishment, I'm willing to take it."

"Not really, not really. We are all brothers, just chatting for a while." Zheng Guohui interrupted in a familiar manner.

Li Hongzhang glared at him, then looked at Li Jing'an and said, "Go back and copy Volume 19 of Xunzi three times and show it to me tomorrow."

"I understand, father. I know I was wrong." Li Jing'an bowed politely and then bowed to Zheng Guohui before leaving in frustration.

Zheng Guohui himself didn't know what Volume 19 of "Xunzi" was about, but he couldn't show his fear, so he stood aside and laughed dryly twice without saying anything.

Li Hongzhang looked at the housekeeper Li An with a sullen face and asked, "Which maid is serving in the outer hall?"

"Master, this is..."

"Alright, no need to ask anymore. Let's sell this maid. The Li Mansion doesn't keep unruly servants."

"Yes, sir." Steward Li An did not dare to say a word and accepted the order respectfully.

Li Hongzhang then set his eyes on Zheng Guohui, took a deep look at him, and said, "Let's go to the study to talk."

"I will follow my second uncle's instructions." Zheng Guohui also became serious and followed behind in an orderly manner.

Arrived in the study
Naturally, there were pretty maids serving tea and exquisite pastries. The Li family had good aesthetic taste. If Zheng Guohui were to give these pretty maids a score, they would all be above 90 points. They all had fair skin, beautiful looks and long legs.

Unfortunately, in this evil feudal society, some beautiful maids were taken into the homes of the powerful and wealthy, and there were very few people who could appreciate them.

Li Hongzhang was speechless when he saw Zheng Guohui staring fiercely at the pretty maid.

If Zheng Guohui was a member of the Li family, he would have been beaten to a pulp long ago. He would definitely not be as reckless as he is now. He would probably be much calmer.

Li Hongzhang put aside the occasional thoughts and said;
"My dear nephew Jinghai, I know you have always had great ambitions. During this period of great turmoil in the world, this may be a way out.

What is even more rare is to have thorough planning and be able to resist temptation, which is extraordinary.

He Zhang also briefly mentioned things that could be mentioned in the letter, but his words were vague and often left people at a loss.

I called you over today
Brother Hanzhang asked me to ask more questions: when is the uprising planned to start and whether it will have an impact on the country?

This matter is sensitive, so it's only known to you and me, and to Brother Han Zhang, to prevent us from being caught off guard by the imperial court. This would result in the execution of the entire family, bringing disaster to the entire clan!"

As expected, they are all very insightful people, and they speak of rebellion in a calm tone.

I've seen and heard so many things over the years that it's no longer surprising.

Miao Peilin, a mere man in northern Anhui, rebelled four times, which shows how serious this evil trend is.

Almost every province in China was in flames, and rebels were apprehended in large numbers, but the impact was not significant.

Zheng Guohui did not hide anything and frankly revealed his plan. In about one or two years, he would march south with all his strength and occupy the current Luzon Islands and Cebu Islands of the Franks in one fell swoop.

There will definitely be opportunities to come back in the future, but not many.

As for whether to resign, I haven't considered it fully yet and would like to hear the opinions of the Li brothers.

Generally speaking
The impact on the domestic situation should not be significant. If it is done covertly, it can be said that there will be no impact and it will quietly disappear from the world.

After hearing this, Li Hongzhang's expression softened considerably. This was much better than he had imagined.

After thinking about it
Li Hongzhang said;
"If that's the case, great things can be accomplished!

In my opinion
The time to go south should be postponed to two years later. It will be beneficial to make more preparations, and it will also be possible to make early arrangements for the inland areas of China, which is a win-win situation.

With Jinghai's qualifications and accumulated military merits, it will be no problem for him to plan for the position of admiral in two years.

He is in charge of the military and political affairs of a province on a daily basis, and can command remotely from Southeast Asia. He only needs to show up occasionally in his spare time, and it won't cause too much trouble.

This is beneficial to the Zheng family's business, and it is convenient for both places. Don't forget the stone and fruit business, which can be done for a long time, and it would be a pity to lose it.

Governing a country and managing a family all rely on the same principle, and the two words "money and food" are indispensable.

Taking both places into consideration will be more beneficial for Jinghai and Xianhai to develop slowly, learn the strengths of the West to govern the country, develop the economy, strengthen the army and benefit the people. There are indeed many benefits.

one more

Now the imperial court's reputation has greatly declined, and the vassal states have different expressions, including Korea, Ryukyu, Tibet, Vietnam, and even the western border and Siam. This has made the imperial court deeply troubled and lost face.

When the time is ripe, if my nephew Jinghai can follow the example of Zheng Chenggong, driving out the Western devils first and then submitting a petition for a title, it will surely become a good story and greatly enhance the prestige of the court.

The mere reward from the foreign king is as easy as taking something out of a bag."

Li Hongzhang stood at the height of the imperial court and made a thorough analysis, even taking into account the imperial court's reaction, which was very comprehensive.

This is countless times better than Zheng Guohui figuring it out on his own.

Zheng Guohui has a life full of luck, but he has no experience in the ups and downs of officialdom in the capital. He only looks at the surface of many things and most needs a court minister to guide him.

Li Hongzhang is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.

Zheng Guohui's rebellion would inevitably implicate the Li family in northern Anhui. Among the nine clans implicated, the relatives of concubines were not considered relatives, but the family of the wife was on the list and there was no way they could escape.

Therefore, his cheap father-in-law Li Hanzhang wrote a letter specifically to ask Li Hongzhang to ask one more question, for he was afraid that Zheng Guohui would act rashly and harm the whole family.

After listening to Li Hongzhang's analysis, Zheng Guohui nodded solemnly and said;
"Second Uncle's heartfelt advice is truly valuable. Jinghai should take it as a motto and follow it with caution.

After the marriage, the Li and Zheng families became one and the same.

Jinghai shamelessly asked for help, and asked for more smart and capable subordinates to help me with my great task. No matter how many, Jinghai would accept and make use of them all.

At this time, we are desperate for talent, so please help me, uncle."

Zheng Guohui didn't have many talents in his pocket, and he had almost exhausted all the talents in Tongzhou. He also recruited talents from various prefectures in northern Jiangsu.

However, due to the limited upper limit, only some transactional talents can be recruited.

There is only one person like Li Hezhang who can take charge of the overall situation.

The Li family is different. Among the brothers of the Li family, except for the fourth brother Li Yunzhang who is blind and cannot be cured of eye disease in childhood, the remaining five are a governor, a governor, and three prefects. They are all outstanding people with great talent and ability.

As the saying goes: Dragons mate with dragons, phoenixes mate with phoenixes, and mice's friends dig holes.

Such a person must have good friends around him.

Zheng Guohui's move was a timely gesture to show goodwill to the Li family; since he thought this project was promising, he would invest more.

(End of this chapter)