Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 44 Secret Discussion
After paying a huge price, the Wang and Zheng families of the Weiyang salt merchants finally met the two young masters who had been imprisoned for several months, and they really had a lot to say.

But we only had time to meet for two incense sticks, and we had to say goodbye with tears.

The personal guards took away Wang Xuemao, the second son of the Wang family, and Zheng Yulan, the eldest son of the Zheng family, in a tough manner. The two will then be secretly transferred to Chongming Island and continue to be imprisoned.

It is the safest and most secret place. The two young masters will not be released and allowed to come and go freely until the two salt merchants pay off their debts and offer 100,000 taels of silver as a ransom.

Those being escorted will be masked with black scarves and are not allowed to leave the prison without permission, so there is no need to worry about secrets being leaked.

It’s terrifying to think about it. Isn’t this what kidnappers do?
You can't say that.
The government was inherently in the right when it stepped in. At least they took the trouble to fabricate charges, stuffing 10,000 dan of contraband salt into the case, and confirmed the crime of "smuggling salt" in full view of the public.

If it were kidnappers, there wouldn't be so much trouble.

This is the difference between the government and the kidnappers. No matter how they operate, at least they have to make sense on the surface.

mid-March
Zheng Guohui ended his trip back home to visit his relatives, and returned to Jinmi with his men on more than a dozen thousand-stone ships, docking at the pier on the Qinhuai River.

This time, he not only brought back more than 300 young men from his hometown who were determined to follow him, but also escorted 26,000 stones of private salt, which he transported directly into the military camp's warehouse.

More than 300 children from Tongzhou were arranged to enter the second phase of the Jinling Military Academy and began to receive a six-month comprehensive British military training. The training was divided into four subjects: senator, infantry, cavalry and artillery, and was taught by hired retired British officers.

Since the destruction of the heavy forces of spear-wielding bandits in Tianjing City and Gusu City, the foreign rifle corps led by the English officer Major Gordon were successively dismissed from their employment by the court.

Considering the great contributions made by the foreign rifle team in suppressing the rebellion, Emperor Tongzhi ordered Gordon to be awarded the title of admiral, wear a yellow jacket and a peacock feather, and become a prominent figure in Shanghai.

Jiangnan Governor's Office

A huge rosewood cloud couch was placed in the luxurious side hall. In the middle of the cloud couch was a small rosewood sofa with exquisite carvings. A man and a woman were lying on either side of the sofa.

The man was Fuzhu Hong'a. He was wearing a brocade gown with cloud brocade sleeves and swastika pattern. After not seeing him for a few months, Fuzhu Hong'a had gained a lot of weight. He had a soft brocade cushion behind him and held a large, exquisitely crafted pipe in his hand.

The mouthpieces of the big pipes are all made of emerald green jade, and the long pipe stems are inlaid with gold and jade, making them look extremely valuable.

The woman looked young and charming, about seventeen or eighteen years old. She wore a moon-white brocade cheongsam, and her graceful figure was outlined like mountains. It was hard not to have fantasies about her.

When Zheng Guohui arrived here, the woman was serving Fuzhu Hong'a a cup of hot tea and fed it directly to his mouth for him to drink two sips.

Fuzhu Hong Ahun didn't care about this eye-catching scene, but instead looked like he was enjoying it very much.

Zheng Guohui was unhappy but he couldn't express it out loud.

He could only clasp his hands together and bow without revealing any expression, saying, "Your Excellency the Admiral knows how to enjoy yourself. I am far inferior to you."

After saying that, he sat down on a chair beside him without waiting for Fuzhu Hong'a to call him.

"Would you like a puff? This is a fine Indian cigarette. Taking a puff is like being in heaven."

"Thank you, Admiral. I'm a military officer, and I need to lead troops on horseback and with my sword in hand. I can't absorb this stuff."

"That's true. General, you've been so devoted to your duties as a court official that you've neglected many pleasures. It's truly rare!"

"It's my duty, and I dare not make even the slightest mistake."

"You're still young, and you don't know the many wonderful things about eating, drinking, and having fun in this world. Take, for example, riding a falcon and entertaining birds. That's a lot of work..."

Fuzhu Hong'a had just smoked opium and was in high spirits. His face was flushed as he talked about his favorite things. He was eloquent and talked incessantly.

Listened patiently for a while
Zheng Guohui followed his words and led the topic to the capital, saying;

"To play with things like falconry and horse racing, one needs to be rich and have free time. No wonder only the sons of princes and nobles can do it. The threshold is too high.

To keep an eagle, you need a falconer and he has to serve the eagle carefully day and night.

Make it bad
This precious thing is going to die. I remember falcons in the wild were very fierce, how come they are so delicate in human hands? "

"Haha, you don't understand?" This question touched a sore spot for Bok Joo Hong Ah, who laughed heartily and explained in a condescending manner.

"It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality. This is true for both humans and birds.

Speaking of this
Now Elong is like a drowned dog, hiding in Zhanyuan for more than half a month without coming out. Seeing his humiliated look, I feel really happy.

Ha ha ha ha……"

Zheng Guohui didn't want to talk about such a sensitive matter in front of a woman, so he coughed twice as a reminder and didn't respond.

After laughing, Bok Joo Hong Ah realized that Zheng Guohui was acting unusually. Seeing his eyes glance at the woman serving on the side, even if she was slow-witted, she understood what was going on.

He waved his hand nonchalantly and ordered, "Alright, go down, we don't need you to serve here anymore."

"As you command, my lord. I will take my leave."

The woman in the moon-white shirt stepped back from the cloud couch respectfully and bowed.

She turned around and glared at Zheng Guohui fiercely, then retreated lightly, her slender waist swaying particularly vigorously.

How could Zheng Guohui indulge her?
He asked directly, "Commander-in-Chief, this girl..." "Oh, this is the one I redeemed from Cuiyun Tower. Her name is Xiao Moli. You have good taste. This little girl is good at playing various instruments and singing, and her figure is also first-class. If you like her..."

"Sir, you misunderstood. I asked this question because I saw that this girl seemed to have some complaints. It involves important matters in the court, so we have to be cautious." Zheng Guohui was not kind either, and he directly gave the prostitute a cold shoulder.

Bok Joo Hong Anai is a playboy who has been in the pleasure world for a long time. It is wishful thinking to expect him to fall in love with any woman.

Hearing what Zheng Guohui said, Fuzhu Hong'a's face suddenly darkened.

After a moment of thought
Then he raised his voice and ordered, "Someone come!"

"Please give me your orders."

"Little Jasmine's frivolous behavior has damaged the prestige of our Governor's Office. She will be imprisoned immediately. Tell someone to find a matchmaker to sell her off. It doesn't matter how much. This matter must be handled immediately."

"Yes, my lord."

The footsteps outside the side hall faded away, and the tragic end of a prostitute was already doomed.

Fuzhu Hong'a's expression changed faster than turning the pages of a book. After giving the order, he smiled again and said, "General Zheng, your promotion and reward have been submitted to the Ministry of War. It only awaits the approval of the two Empress Dowagers. I would like to congratulate you on your appointment as Deputy General of Jiangnan!"

"What merit or ability have I achieved? I have only made a small contribution. It is all thanks to the support of the ministers and the help of the generals that I was able to bring honor to the family. How can I not be grateful?" Zheng Guohui said with an excited look on his face.

Although Fuzhu Hong'a was arrogant and extravagant, he was not stupid because he was a member of the royal family and was naturally sensitive to promotion in officialdom.

A deputy general of the second rank can be called "General" if he is flattered. He is only one level lower than the admiral or general.

Whether they are generals or deputy generals, they are all important military officials who hold real power in the court and must not be neglected.

So the poor "Little Jasmine" was treated roughly, which shows that the attitude is taken seriously.

this aspect

The royal family members have their own way of winning people's hearts, especially Zheng Guohui, who can be said to be the most powerful general in Fuzhu Hong'a's hands.

It would be strange if he wasn't taken seriously since he has both the ability and the money to make.

The two talked privately for a while, mainly about three things.

First, Zheng Guohui is facing promotion, so he must go to the capital in the near future, visit the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites, and submit visiting cards to several military ministers. This is all natural.

The more gifts you give, the better. At least it leaves a good impression.

As for whether the Grand Councilor is interested in meeting him, that is another matter.

Secondly, this trip would take another two or three months, so Zheng Guohui arranged two deputies to take over the camp troops, one was the new garrison commander Zheng Jiabao, and the other was the new garrison commander He Rulin.

There is also a staff member, Dong Huanzhang, who handles trivial matters. Any matters issued by the Jiangnan Governor's Office can be handled by Dong Huanzhang.

There are three newly promoted garrisons, in addition to the two mentioned above, there is also the new garrison commander Zheng Shouye (fourth uncle).

With this official position, the new garrison commander Zheng Shouye (fourth uncle) found it very convenient to smuggle salt and enter and exit the military camp, and he could also lead the army naturally.

To promote a few garrison officers, one only needs to appoint them through the Jiangnan Governor's Office, report them to the Ministry of War of the imperial court for filing, and issue official badges and certificates. The procedure is relatively simple.

The third is Jiangning Governor Elong. The court received more than a dozen impeachment memorials against him. It must have been the Minister of Rites Fuzhu Shoushan who put in the effort, as no one else had such strength.

But it's not that simple.

Elong was also born into a royal family. In the court, no force could lose control of a provincial governor's office.

Especially for Jiangnan Province, that would mean a huge failure.

So behind the scenes, there is a fierce competition among several forces, and our side can only be said to have a slight advantage.

In the court, some people wanted to kick the can down the river, some wanted to fish in the chaos, some watched the fire from the other side, ready to make a move, while some tried to put out the fire in an emergency, which played out a turbulent scene in the court.

The final outcome of the matter
It has already escaped the control of the Minister of Rites, Fuzhu Shoushan. It depends on the considerations of the two Empress Dowagers and the ministers of the Grand Council. There are too many unpredictable factors.

but no matter

The fall of the Governor Elong was quite serious. Even if he could finally get through it successfully, it would be enough to cause him serious injuries, especially in terms of money.

In other words, there is nothing in the current imperial court that cannot be solved with money.

If so, it means that not enough money is spent.

The Empress Dowager has wanted to build a garden for a long time, but she has always been short of money. If anyone can offer her a lot of money, everything can be solved.

The seemingly complicated court affairs are actually that simple.

After everything was agreed upon, Zheng Guohui said goodbye and left.

(End of this chapter)