Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 24 Winning over
This fact has little to do with Zheng Guohui. It was a long-distance fight between Jiangnan Admiral Fu Zhuhong'a and Jiangning General Xianghou, and at most the new Governor-General of Liangjiang Li Hongzhang was involved.

They all have thick arms and legs. Zheng Guohui doesn't want to get close to them. What if he gets hurt?
In the court system

The governor was the highest commander of the Green Camp soldiers in a province, but the Manchu garrison generals in each province had higher authority. They not only had jurisdiction over the Eight Banners garrisons in the Manchu cities, but also had jurisdiction over the Green Camp soldiers.

The Huai Army troops under Commanders "Shu" (Zhang Shusheng) and "Qing" (Wu Changqing) were reorganized as a whole, which meant they had nearly 20,000 men, all of whom were brave and skilled in fighting.

Jiangning General Xianghou gained the allegiance of the Huai Army and now immediately took control of Gusu Prefecture, Changzhou Prefecture, northern Zhejiang, and northern Anhui, and his influence grew rapidly.

Even if it's Jiangning Prefecture, it's not impossible to think about it.

Fortunately, the other Huai Army troops were brought to Shandong Province by Zeng Guofan to encircle and suppress the increasingly rampant Nian Army from all sides, otherwise it would have been even more difficult to deal with.

Imagine what the scene would be like after the Huai Army, with a total strength of 80,000 to 90,000, was reorganized.
With the Hunan Army being drastically downsized, it is estimated that Nanzhili and the provinces of Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang would all fall into its hands, making it the most powerful province in the southeast.

Zheng Guohui's troops had just grown from more than 1 to more than 8, which was dwarfed by the Huai Army.

In just two or three years, the Huai Army grew from nothing to a huge military group of 80,000 to 90,000 people, able to influence the situation in several southeastern provinces. The key lay in its core leader, Li Hongzhang.

This man was a favorite of the court. He was given the title of Prince Taibao, was allowed to wear a yellow jacket, and served as the Minister of Trade for the Five Ports. He was recently promoted to the high position of Governor-General of Liangjiang, and was extremely powerful.

Arm wrestling with such a big shot, cough cough... I'd better give up.

Zheng Guohui looked at Fuzhu Hong'a's furious face, then said with a worried look on his face, "Sir, the best thing to do in this matter is to be patient. Li Hongzhang has just been appointed Governor-General of Liangjiang and is in the emperor's good graces. You must not act out of anger at this moment. It would be unwise to provoke a powerful enemy for nothing."

When this basin of cold water was poured on him, Jiangnan Admiral Fuzhu Hong'a was stunned for a moment. All his generals had lost their fighting spirit, and he also deflated like a punctured balloon.

He lowered his head to think carefully, then said with some discouragement;

"Thank you, Lord Zheng, for reminding me. I was too hasty. Li the thief, arrogating himself to the emperor's favor, is acting so recklessly that he will definitely not win the support of the people. Let's see how long he can keep laughing."

It's a bit like cursing on the street, saying to someone, "Just wait, I'll send someone back to kill you," and then disappearing without a trace...

After chatting for a while, Zheng Guohui tactfully said goodbye.

He led his army back but did not enter the mansion. Instead, he went to the Jiangnan Governor's Mansion to hand in the order and report for duty first. This highlighted his respect for the Jiangnan Governor Fuzhu Hong'a and made this royal family member feel honored.

As long as you are happy, everything is easy to talk about.

Just now, Jiangnan Governor Fuzhu Hong'a waved his hand and ordered to reward the army, ordering people to send twenty cows, one hundred pigs, one hundred sheep, more than a thousand jars of wine, and some gold, silver and cloth as rewards. It was really generous.

The Huai Army joined the Jiangning General Xianghou, which also reminded him that he must win over more subordinates.

Three and a half months of fighting
After a difficult journey back to Jinling City, the Du Biaoying army began a month-long rest after returning to the city. Wine and meat were distributed as rewards, and the ordinary soldiers who stayed behind received an extra month's salary, which was one and a half taels of silver per soldier.

Soldiers who participated in the battle were rewarded with double gongs, that is, three taels of silver per soldier.

The soldiers in the camp cheered. Although fighting outside was hard, they could at least earn some extra money, which was not without benefit.

During the campaign in Jiangnan
Every time we encircle and suppress the hideouts of bandits, we are always able to seize some gold, silver, brocade, food, cattle, horses and other supplies.

According to the rules of the camp, the officers above eat meat and drink soup, and the soldiers below can smell some meaty smell.

Being fair in his dealings is one of the reasons why the general is so popular.

After he came back, for several days in a row, local officials such as the Governor Elong, the Governor Zhang Shunde, and the Jinling Prefect Qi Suzhao sent him invitations to his house for a banquet and a chat.

The aftermath of the turmoil in the capital also spread to Jiangnan Province (note: actually Jiangsu Province, no change is made here), especially major events such as the reorganization of the Huai Army.

These local officials were worried that if the two tigers fought, one of them would be injured.

Everyone wanted to get the feel from Zheng Guohui. Everyone was really scared by the turmoil in recent years and was afraid that another fight would break out.

Regarding the reorganization of the Huai Army's "Shu" (Zhang Shusheng) and "Qing" (Wu Changqing) divisions, the court has not yet issued a specific decree, and everyone can only guess.

Although the Huai Army's "Shu" (Zhang Shusheng) and "Qing" (Wu Changqing) divisions had no more experience than Zheng Guohui, it had only been less than three years since the Huai Army officially entered the stage of investigating rebellions and suppressing bandits.

But he has a strong backer, outstanding military achievements, and a strong military force. This time, he is reorganizing nearly 20,000 elite troops, so he must at least be given a real title of general.

Of course, this is all speculation.

Zheng Guohui could only pretend to be polite and say some words to save his face.
It's nothing more than saying things like, "You must obey the orders of the court at any time, follow the dispatch of the Governor's Office, and have no regrets even if you die a hundred times in order to protect the peace and safety of the country." Just perfunctorily deal with it to save face.

Privately, he was also a little worried.

When meeting Admiral Fuzhu Hong'a, Zheng Guohui mentioned that "the Huai Army has many soldiers and generals, and it is not easy to fight against them."

What this means is that the Huai Army expanded too quickly, just like blowing air, which laid the foundation for Li Hongzhang's current position and in turn made the Huai Army's position more stable. The two complement each other.

I don’t know if that idiot Fuzhu Hong’a understood the hidden meaning.

If there is no news after a while
Zheng Guohui directly asked Fuzhou Hong'a to expand the army. Would it be okay to expand the army by a few thousand more people in most of Jiangnan Province?
Not to mention that Jiangnan Province cannot afford it, if Jiangnan Province cannot afford to support the soldiers, then the Green Camp soldiers in other provinces of the court will have nothing to lose.

Zheng Guohui was worried that the Huai Army would extend its influence to Jiangning Prefecture. It would be a headache for the court to appoint either Zhang Shusheng or Wu Changqing to the Huai Army.

The general is of the second rank, which is the same as the rank of Huo Longwu, the deputy governor of Jiangning. If he is given the title of "General of Jiangnan", he will have the right to command Zheng Guohui's troops.

If it were not for the prefix "Jiangnan", the situation would be better, and there would be no righteous authority to control Zheng Guohui's troops.

The Huai Army was equivalent to a field army stationed in Jiangnan Province, with a strength of about two divisions, called "townships."

The Du Biaoying is equivalent to the local garrison stationed in Jiangnan Province. It is only responsible for investigating rebellions and suppressing bandits within the province. Under normal circumstances, it will not be dispatched to fight outside the province, and the two sides are not subordinate to each other.

Although the Du Biao Battalion had a large force, due to the limitations of the official position of its commander, Zheng Guohui, even if he was promoted to deputy general due to his military merits, he could only be called an "assistant" at best.

In terms of level, it is one level lower.

Jinling, Zhanyuan

This is one of the four famous gardens in the south of the Yangtze River. It was originally the residence of Xu Da, a founding general of the Ming Dynasty. During the banditry period, it was occupied by Yang Xiuqing, the Eastern King.

Today, it is the Jiangnan Provincial Government Office.

There are front and back yards, palaces and pavilions here, especially the back garden landscape is elegant and the scenery of Qifeng Corridor is breathtaking.

In the waterside pavilion beside the rockery
The Governor Elong was wearing a light cotton robe and sitting opposite Zheng Guohui. On the round classical table in the middle were placed some exquisite snacks and a pot of tea.

"Hehehe... General, you must have endured many hardships during your months of expedition. Naturally, I must report the truth to the court and commend you for your achievements!"

"Thank you, sir. Guohui is truly honored."

"General, you are so modest. It's truly remarkable that you've achieved so much at your age. You also possess considerable insight into civil affairs, and even more remarkable is your composure and perseverance. I have high hopes for you."

"My contribution is so insignificant, it's not worth mentioning. I would like to thank you for your kindness and for helping me make a little money to make up for my limited financial situation. Thank you very much."

"Hahahaha... This is not the credit of me alone." After hearing this, the Governor Elong stroked his beard and laughed.

Both of them understood that the city of Jinling and the surrounding counties in the south of the Yangtze River had experienced a great war, and seven or eight out of ten people in the city had died, most of whom had unfortunately died.

Zheng Guohui launched the initiative of re-registering house deeds and land properties, and in one fell swoop took all these ownerless lands into his pocket, which were then divided among several high-ranking officials in Jiangnan.

Who wouldn't want a young general who can fight, make money, and holds real power?

some of

The governor Elong took 20% because he was a high-ranking civil official and the government had no choice but to let him go when re-registering the deeds and land.

Jiangnan Governor Fu Zhuhong'a took 30%, and he had to bear the pressure from the military and the court.

Money is a motivating factor, and the re-registration has a huge impact. Those landlords, wealthy businessmen, and high-ranking families hiding in Shanghai will not sit idly by and watch the fat pieces slip away, and they all want to get involved.

Behind these wealthy families, there are intricate ties with the court officials in the capital. It is easy to predict that they would submit memorials to impeach officials in Jiangnan Province for "excessive bribery, forced purchase of land, and deep-rooted corruption."

The officials in Jiangnan Province are in collusion with each other. Anyway, the Fuzhu family has a strong background, and there is still a huge mountain above them that others cannot carry with their narrow shoulders.

Zheng Guohui took 3%. In fact, other people transferred some real estate deeds to him at a value of only three cents. The payment for thousands of properties was only more than 8 taels of silver, accounting for % of the total.

Especially the Jiangnan Governor Fuzhu Hong'a, he didn't want those abandoned fields, the large tracts of land that were burned to the ground in the city, and the dilapidated houses and shops.

He only wanted cash, and Zheng Guohui gave him as much as 26,000 taels of cash. The rest was the share of real estate and land deeds that the governor Elong had transferred, which also amounted to nearly 10,000 taels.

The remaining 10% was shared by the Jinling prefect and his gang, including the Tongzhi and Tongpan, almost everyone got a share.

The only ones left out were Jiangning General Xianghou, Jiangning Deputy Governor Huo Longwu and others. Fuzhu Hong'a was determined not to allow them to share the profits, which invisibly offended these two people.

Governor Elong sat there, chatting with Zheng Guohui in a gentle manner about some recent events in the city, but his eyes kept drifting outside.

Not long

From the end of the rockery came the sound of women laughing and talking, and the sound was getting closer and closer.

Zheng Guohui was getting a little impatient, so he clasped his fists and bowed, saying, "Sir, it sounds like the concubines are coming. I'm afraid it's inappropriate for a man like me to be here rashly, so I can only excuse myself."

"Oh...it doesn't matter. We, the descendants of the Eight Banners royal family, used to fish and hunt in the white mountains and black waters outside the Great Wall. We didn't have so many rules. But after entering the Great Wall, the descendants of the royal family became more and more pretentious." The governor Elong had already made plans. Upon hearing this, he pretended to be indifferent and waved his hand, acting in a bold and unrestrained manner.

"This……"

"No problem, come! Have the ladies come over to see the general. This is a rare young talent in our dynasty! Like a pure lotus emerging from the mud, yet unstained, he embodies the spirit of the ancient sages."

"Yes, sir." The maidservant who was serving on the side slipped away nimbly and could not be stopped even if she was called.

To be honest

The descendants of the Eight Banners were good at riding hawks and flying birds, and there were many famous military generals. Senggelinxin, who just died in Zibo, was one of them. However, Kai Cohen's writing style was far worse.

I don’t know if it’s the genes from living outside the Great Wall for a long time, but my brain is numb from the cold.

These clan ministers are always a little bit lacking in governing the country, far inferior to Han ministers, but they are very good at winning people's hearts.

This time, the Governor Elong specially sent a letter to invite Zheng Guohui to his house for a chat and a banquet, but I'm afraid his real intention was not to go to the bar.

(End of this chapter)