Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 66: Granted Marriage (I’m asking for monthly tickets and recommendation tickets at the end of the month. It’s a pity if they expire, so please give them to me.)
Zheng Guohui said that he didn't want to marry a daughter of the royal family, which is also human nature.

During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, the Eighth Prince Yinsi was known throughout the court for being henpecked. He didn't even dare to have a concubine, which brought shame to the royal family.

This is also a big loss for the Eighth Prince Yinsi. He doesn’t even have a son. Who can he rely on in the future?

Later, Emperor Kangxi was furious and arranged a marriage for the Eighth Prince Yinsi with another daughter, which led to the birth of an older son. This is a story for another time.

Given Zheng Guohui's humble background, it was highly likely that he would not be able to suppress the domineering daughter of the royal family.

From a man's perspective
Being young and holding a high position, only a madman would seek to marry a woman with a strong background. Wouldn't that be putting shackles around his own neck?

Prince Gong Yixin thought for a moment, and suddenly his eyes lit up, and he blurted out, "I have it. I have an idea for a girl who is just right for you. Her status and family background are very compatible, so she is a perfect match for you."

"Everything is up to the Lord Zhongtang. Guohui has no objection." Zheng Guohui quietly changed "your humble official" to "Guohui", which was to treat him with the courtesy of a junior.

Who is Prince Gong Yixin?

Devil six!

The nickname "Guizi Liu" not only means that Prince Gong Yixin was close to foreigners and had a moderate attitude of embracing Western learning, but also shows that he was well-versed in both Chinese and Western culture and was shrewd and experienced.

He was an extremely talented man with outstanding literary and military talents, and had a broad mind. It was a great loss to the imperial court that he was unable to compete with the mediocre Emperor Xianfeng.

Prince Gong Yixin was sensitive to the change in Zheng Guohui's self-proclaimed name and asked casually, "Master Zheng, have you not chosen a name yet?"

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Master Zhongtang. Guohui has been tossing and turning in the military camp all these years and hasn't even taken a name."

"Oh...how about I choose a name for you?" Prince Gong Yixin immediately became interested.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Guohui immediately stood up, clasped his hands together, bowed deeply to the ground, and replied, "That's what I wish for. I dare not ask for it. I should treat it with the respect of a teacher."

"No thanks, I don't want to trouble you." Prince Gong Yixin simply shook his head and refused.

If he is interested, he can choose a character, but forget about "treat it with respect as a teacher", it's too troublesome.

How could the high and mighty Prince Gong Yixin still lack disciples?
As long as they are willing, most of the people in the court will probably join their ranks. That would be a clear case of forming a clique for personal gain and would give people a reason to criticize them.

Since he was unwilling, Zheng Guohui went down the ladder without mentioning it again. He himself did not want to have another "master" of Guizi Liu, which made him feel very uncomfortable.

That's all I have to say, just for show.

Prince Gong Yixin looked at Zheng Guohui carefully and saw that this man was tall, with a cold and solemn look between his brows. He sat still like a pine tree, but his body was surging with youthful vigor.

It seemed as if at a single command, he would immediately leave the camp, mount his warhorse, and chop off the enemy chief's head, his admiration growing even greater.
"Master Zheng is young and promising, brave and good at fighting.

This reminds me of what the ancients said: One person can split two carved bows, and the enemy's cavalry is like nothing.

Our dynasty is about to conquer the world, and we have always valued and cherished heroes. We will never bury a talented general.

But this king hopes that you will keep to your humble ways and achieve great things in your career. How about choosing the character "keeping to your humble ways"?

Being clumsy?

Zheng Guohui was stunned for a moment, then quickly clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "Your Excellency, my father's generation is in the "Shou" class, with the given name "Shou" (Shou) and the given name "Ren". The other uncles are Shouyi, Shouye, Shoudao, and Shoucheng, respectively. Only my eighth uncle is Shouzhuo..."

Prince Gong Yixin also laughed when he heard this. The word "keeping to one's own ways" definitely wouldn't work. Wouldn't that make him the same as his father's generation?
After thinking for a while, he said;

"It should be noted that Tongzhou has been a place of cultural fusion since ancient times. It was called Jinghai, Chongzhou, Chongchuan, and Zilan in ancient times. It was also known as Hailingdi in history. It is indeed a good place.

In this case, how about using the word "Jinghai"? I hope that no matter what position you hold, you will always keep your hometown in mind, which is the starting point. "

"Thank you, Lord Zhongtang, for the gift of the calligraphy. "Jinghai" is extremely grateful." Zheng Guohui bowed to the ground again, this time with sincerity.

Regardless of his historical reputation, Prince Gong Yixin was always the paperhanger of the mess of the Qing Dynasty, and it was not easy for him to survive the storm.

He was really nice to me, helping me choose a pen name and find a wife, which implied that he was protecting me.

The master helped with everything he could and could not do, and he just lacked a title.

This gift is truly what I deserve.

Prince Gong Yixin gave the name "Jinghai". Seeing Zheng Guohui's approval, he was satisfied and said the best candidate.
"I am considering the daughters of Li Hanzhang and Luo Bingzhang. Both are from prominent families and are important officials in the court. They are dignified and respectable, and would make good matches.

Luo Bingzhang has a little daughter who is in her prime. She is said to be both talented and beautiful, and is a good choice.

But this is all hearsay and cannot be trusted.

On the contrary, Li Hanzhang's daughter is a close friend of my eldest daughter. She often comes to the palace. She is a very beautiful woman with a gentle and polite personality. She could be a good match."

It turned out to be Prince Gong, who came up with two trump cards at once. The shocked Zheng Guohui felt a little dazed. Happiness came too quickly and too suddenly.

Fish and bear's paw, who knows which one tastes better?
What roles do Li Hanzhang and Luo Bingzhang play?
Luo Bingzhang, whose courtesy name was Yuemen and pseudonym was Ruzhai, was a native of Hualing Village, Hua County, Yangcheng Prefecture, Guangdong Province. He was one of the commanders of the Hunan Army and became a Jinshi in the 1832th year of the reign of Emperor Daoguang ().

He served as a Hanlin Academy Scholar, and was granted the title of Editor and Records Compiler. He later served as Imperial Lecturer, Censor, Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Hubei, Governor of Hunan, Governor-General of Sichuan, and Associate Grand Secretary. His fame rivaled that of Zeng Guofan, who was described as "the most important figure in the world, east and west." This demonstrates his immense influence.

Luo Bingzhang, the current Governor-General of Sichuan Province, held a frontier position and achieved remarkable success in commanding the army and suppressing the rebellion. After seven years in Sichuan, he crushed the Taiping Rebellion and was awarded the title of Prince Grand Tutor by the imperial court.

The only flaw of this man was that he was too honest. He was known as "the most honest official of the dynasty." However, despite being such a high-ranking official, his family was extremely poor.

Isn’t it good to be an honest official?
That's certainly not a good thing. Zheng Guohui himself is a corrupt official. He wants to make a lot of money to support his ambitions in Southeast Asia. How can he do that without money?

First of all, the two of them do not agree on the way of doing things. It should be noted that the family style of an honest official is extremely strict and does not allow any ambiguity, nor will it tolerate corrupt officials humiliating the family style.

Li Hanzhang was also a pillar of the imperial court. He had a second brother, Li Hongzhang, who was also very famous. His current official position was only comparable to Li Hanzhang's. Both were high-ranking officials in the imperial court, and neither had yet been promoted to the central government.

Li Hanzhang, also known by his courtesy name Xiaoquan and self-styled "Dunsou," was a native of Hefei County, Anhui Province. He was a disciple of Zeng Guofan and was assigned to Hunan.

In the first year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign (1851), he was appointed magistrate of Yongding County, and later of Shanhua County. He was awarded the sixth rank for his military merits.

When Zeng Guofan first established the Hunan Army, he immediately requested that Han Zhang be transferred to Nanchang, Jiangxi to manage grain and fodder. In 1854, he was appointed as the prefect of Hunan Zhili Prefecture for his meritorious service.

In the fifth year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign, Li Hanzhang was in charge of the food supply for the Hunan Army's rear route, captured Yining Prefecture, secured the prefect, and was awarded a top hat and a peacock feather.

During the tenth year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign, Li Hanzhang was transferred to serve as the governor of Jilin, Ganning, Jiangxi Province, where he assisted in the training of militia in Jiangxi, prepared food, wages, and soldiers for the Hunan Army, and worked together to suppress bandits.

In the first year of the Tongzhi reign, Zeng Guofan sent him to assist in the taxation of Guangdong, and transferred him to be the grain supervisor of Guangdong. In the second year of the Tongzhi reign, he was promoted to the provincial judge of Guangdong.

In 1864, he was promoted to the post of Governor of Guangdong. In 1865, he was promoted to the post of Governor of Huguang.

Li Hanzhang is now very popular in the court, and his official rank is promoted every year. He is now a second-rank official. It is natural for him to be appointed as a governor in the future.

This man had a successful career and, most importantly, lived a long life. I seem to have the impression that he passed away at the end of the century, and he had a glorious life of more than 30 years.

this point is very important

Once Zheng Guohui abandoned his hometown in Tongzhou and led hundreds of warships and tens of thousands of soldiers to cross to Southeast Asia, his hometown still needed someone to take care of it.

With such a powerful in-law, even if nothing needed to be said, those bureaucrats who were good at judging the situation did not dare to find fault, but instead flattered him.

It can be said to be a powerful combination, icing on the cake.

His father, Li Wen'an, was a Langzhong in the Ministry of Justice. He and Zeng Guofan were both Jinshi in the 1838th year of the reign of Emperor Daoguang ().

From this, it can be seen that the Li family in northern Anhui can be said to be a famous and wealthy family for generations, a family of scholars and courtesy.

Li Wen'an had six sons, Li Hanzhang was the eldest, Li Hongzhang was the second, followed by Li Hezhang, Li Yunzhang, Li Fengzhang and Li Zhaoqing.

This shows what?
This shows that the Li family is full of talented people and has a large population. The Li family is prosperous and its momentum is difficult to curb.

This is a great assist for Zheng Guohui.

"Jinghai, what do you think?" Prince Gong Yixin saw that Zheng Guohui was a little dazed, so he asked again in a friendly manner.

Zheng Guohui did not hide the look of great joy on his face, and bowed deeply to the ground again, and replied;

"How fortunate is Jinghai to have received the kindness of Lord Zhongtang?

First, he was given a name, and then he was given a marriage. This favor is as heavy as a mountain. All the major events in life are perfect. What else can I ask for?
From now on
I am willing to be commanded by the Lord Zhongtang, even if it means sacrificing my life, I will not look back, and I will not regret it even if I die.

I beg you to follow in my footsteps, I will be very lucky in this life."

This is the case of "hitting the snake while it is still under attack". Before anything was done, even the fate was not decided, but the words of granting marriage were spoken, indicating that Zheng Guohui was extremely satisfied with this marriage.

Prince Gong Yixin felt extremely comfortable after hearing this. Although he was only thirty-two years old, the feeling of being high and mighty and controlling the fate of others still intoxicated him.

Although the assertion of "granted marriage" was a bit abrupt, Prince Gong Yixin did not care at all. There were only a handful of people in the court who could make him care, and Li Hanzhang was not one of them.

Once the order is given, would Li Hanzhang dare to disobey?

This would be called political immaturity in later generations, and is now called "holding a wall and defying the will of superiors." You can imagine the consequences yourself.

No joke……

Prince Gong Yixin was the chief backer of a group of enlightened Han ministers. He had gathered under his command Luo Bingzhang, Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhidong, Li Hanzhang and other famous ministers of the late Qing Dynasty to support them.

Without Prince Gong Yixin's gentle attitude, how could we have mistakenly believed that the court's policies of opening ports to "use foreign things for China's benefit" and "learn the skills of foreigners" came about?

Only Prince Gong Yixin, who held the position of Prince Regent, received double salary, led the Grand Council, served in the Zongli Yamen of various countries, and was the Minister of the Imperial Clan, could fight against the huge rigid and conservative forces in the court and push for reform policies.

Everyone else is trash, not worth worrying about.

(End of this chapter)