Weng Tongyi was shocked, he couldn't imagine that Zeng Guofan would actually say such a heart-wrenching thing, and actually speak for Xiao Letian with a clear banner, is this still a courtier of the Qing Dynasty? Could it be that the 500,000 Hunan army made Zeng Guofan also think crookedly?

A chill rushed up from the back, and at that moment Weng Tongyi felt despair.

But he didn't dare to turn his face with Zeng Guofan, don't look at him, he could scold Xiao Letian angrily, but he definitely didn't dare to scold Zeng Dashuai. The power of the Hunan army has long been all over the government and the opposition, and the imperial court is now trying its best to appease Zeng Guofan, and they and Qingliu are only left with the rope of righteousness to bind the Hunan army.

The attitude of the imperial court towards Zeng Guofan is very unified, that is, holding him as a moral gentleman, pushing him into the pile of loyal ministers with good words, opening and closing his mouth is a saint who leaves a name in history.

In real history, this is how the Manchu Qing and Qingliu used moral ropes to tie Zeng Guofan, his family letters, his Bingjian, and his poetry quotations were collectively touted by the government and the opposition, and the posture at that time was to create a new saint.

The generals in the Hunan army have not been prepared for the yellow robe, especially the nine marshals Zeng Guofan, who is recorded in the wild history and is ready to raise the flag, and the mysterious disappearance of the so-called Heavenly Sacred Treasury is likely to become the capital reserve for the Hunan army's rebellion.

To be honest, the imperial court has no means to deal with Zeng Guofan, and he can't beat it, and he can't use money to buy the imperial court and no one is rich in Jiangnan, as for any assassination, don't even think about it, it's impossible.

In the end, there is no way, you have to find a rope from Confucianism, think about it or moral kidnapping is the most useful, and pour the power of national public opinion to shape you Zeng Guofan into a saint and gentleman, I think you will be shameless in the end.

As the leader of Qingliu, Weng Tongyi knows this strategy too well, so he can angrily reprimand Xiao Letian, but he doesn't dare to say half a bad word about Zeng Dashuai, even if Zeng Guofan says something disobedient to the court in front of him now, he Weng Shuping has to listen honestly.

"Dashuai! If you think so, then the dynasty is really over, he Xiao Lotian has soldiers and money, and now he has come to invite people to buy people's hearts, this is the precursor of rebellion? Could it be that the Taiping country that hundreds of thousands of Hunan troops have conquered will not be given to Xiao Lotian in the end?"

"It is really not easy for the dynasty to pacify a few major chaos, and the people of the world are extremely chaotic and quiet, and they need to recuperate! At this time, how can Xiao Letian be tolerated to destroy this hard-won peace......

"Enough! You Weng Tongyi is really stupid to read, you keep saying that you want peace and rest with the people, and on the other hand, you are still encouraging me to start a war with Xiao Letian, don't you feel that you are in contradiction left and right?"

"Ryukyu is a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty, and Xiao Letian's status as the prime minister of the vassal state was sealed by the king of Shangtai, so it is reasonable and legitimate, why should our dynasty say that he is a rebel? Even if he leads troops, it is also the internal affairs of Ryukyu, is there more than a few thousand soldiers in a dignified country?"

"Let's talk about the Tanggu Special Economic Zone, which was originally agreed by the imperial court, and the identity of the new army as the escort of the special administrative zone was also crossed by the imperial court.

After a reprimand, Weng Tonggong broke out in a cold sweat, the marshal who commanded millions of troops had his own majesty, and he only knew how to be his opponent in the books he was reading.

"Dashuai...... Is the big handsome going to abandon the emperor? The big handsome can't ......" Weng Tonggong was about to cry.

Zeng Guofan's heart was secretly cool, I let you pretend, drop the bookbag with me, and play with me, you are still very tender. However, since Weng Tong softened, Zeng Guofan also achieved his goal.

He snorted softly, "Huh...... Why did the imperial court come out of so many fools who dared to do what you dared to do, and would only cause trouble and not deal with the aftermath? If I wanted to abandon the emperor, I would have led troops into Beijing two years ago......"

"You have to remember that loyalty to the monarch is not your loyalty to the law, and the government is not a matter of course in your scholars' minds!"

Weng Tongyi heard that the handsome's tone was getting softer, and he hurriedly hit the snake with the stick, "Yes, yes, the teacher is right, the disciple has been taught......"

The tense atmosphere was lifted, and the room was harmonious again, and Zeng Guofan officially began to call this future minister who was nineteen years younger than him.

"What exactly is the government? It is not the justice and justice you are talking about, nor is it the righteousness you are talking about, the so-called government is actually the various forces that fall against each other and finally reach a balance......

"Don't say anything beautiful about the people of the world, it's all bluffing, you Weng Tonggong will not move the official as the shepherd, and the people as the sheep?

Weng Tongyi's face turned purple when he said this, and he didn't dare to open his mouth after his lips moved a few times.

"Hmph...... I won't mention this matter, but at the court meeting in three days' time, if you are still as stupid as you are today, what awaits you will definitely be a fiasco!"

"Please teach me ...... teacher" This time, Weng Tongyi was finally convinced.

"Negotiation is a deal, there has to be a bargain, you can't take the limelight, you can't give all the benefits to you, and no one else keeps anything. ”

"You say it's not okay to pull the telegraph line, you still say it's not okay to run a newspaper, it's not okay to promote Western studies, it's not okay to sell cheap rice in Beijing, it's not okay, it's always not okay, so let me ask you, is this attitude the attitude that negotiations should have?"

"It's just that you have been aggressive again and again, blocking all possibilities for negotiation, and as a result, what people can't get with their mouths, they can only use their fists and foreign guns to grab it!

Speaking of this, Zeng Guofan smashed his wine glass with a snap: "Six years ago, why did the British and French forces lead troops to attack the city of Beijing? And why did they burn down the Old Summer Palace? Why did you bother to cause such a military disaster when it was clear that diplomatic negotiations could solve the problem?"

"I'm not excusing foreigners, foreigners want to preach and open ports, and I am also against it in my heart, but opposition doesn't mean that the door to negotiation is closed? It's better to quarrel at the negotiation table than to go to war with a large army, right?"

"Is it the same treaty, negotiated at the negotiating table, the same as what the enemy forced with a bayonet? Even if the final result is still bowing to the foreigners, but we don't have to fight that war that we must lose, why should we lose the capital and the Old Summer Palace?"

This is really a deafening remark, Weng Tongyi's brain was dizzy at that time, he never expected Zeng Guofan to say such a truth.

Yes, if the "Beijing Treaty" and the "Tianjin Treaty" had been signed at the negotiating table, then the conditions would not have been so harsh, right? At least the war reparations would not have been used, and the Old Summer Palace would not have been burned.

It's still the face of the Celestial Empire since ancient times, and I don't know how to write dead words if I don't remember to eat or not, and if I don't hit the coffin on the door. Brainless arrogance has no wisdom at all, don't look at the calligraphy and painting of Qinqin, chess, calligraphy and painting, writing poems and essays can be passed on to the world, but they are all a group of little smart, no great wisdom.

Literati like Zeng Guofan, Hu Linyi, Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang, and Zhang Zhidong are the real talents with great wisdom. Dismounting can calm the people, getting on the horse can manage the army, knowing the times and not being pedantic, and knowing what it means to be flexible.

If the commander of the war six years ago was Zeng Guofan, the Qing Dynasty would never have lost so badly, and the foreigners took away some missionary rights and port business rights, and as for the war reparations, it would be a fantasy, because the war would not have happened at all.

Weng Tong trembled his lips and said, "Back then...... At that time, the pressure of the imperial court was too great, and everyone in Beijing who tried to negotiate with foreigners was labeled as a traitor, and at that time, the government and the opposition were the same voice...... The face of the Heavenly Empire cannot be lost!"

"Look...... This is the angry youth who misled the country! I just want to be refreshed for a while, you must know that the strength of this world is respected, and you have not defeated the power of others, and you still want to drum up the imperial court to fight?"

"Hehe, anyway, it's not you who die in the end, when the time comes, your head shrinks and you become a turtle, and when you live, you simply deny what you have said, and push the responsibility to the court and the army, you have become a gentleman who worries about the country and the people!"

"Shuping, it's true that you are the recognized leader of Qingliu, but don't really let those angry young people be bewitched!

"At the court meeting in three days, you should think carefully about what are your core interests? What is secondary and you can give up, don't always think that all the benefits are your own, be careful that you want everything, and in the end you lose everything......

The words "core interests, interests that can be given up......" were like a thousand catties of olives in Weng Tongxiao's mouth.

"What we can't give up is the emperor, it's the Qing Dynasty!" the old man muttered to himself like a dream.

"Cut ......," Zeng Guofan sneered, "Think about it, are your core interests really the emperor?"

It was already late at night, and in the end, Weng Tongyi didn't ask what his core interests were, maybe only he could give an answer to this kind of thing.

After sending Weng Tongyi away, Jiu Shuai looked at the side of the eldest brother and said disdainfully, "Why do you bother talking nonsense with these people, the eldest brother has no ability except for a mouth, even if he is kind, he is just material for doing bad things......

"Hey...... After all, his father and I still have a bit of incense, and if they can dial it, they still have to dial it, and as for whether he can realize something, it depends on their own......"

As he spoke, a northwest wind blew in the garden, rolling up the dead leaves on the ground, and Jiu Shuai hurriedly took a silver fox cloak from his own soldiers and put it on his eldest brother's body.

"Big brother, the night breeze is too cold, let's go into the house!"

"It's good to be cold, people's brains will be clearer when they are cold, I hope that this cold wind blowing by Xiao Lotian can make the court sober up...... Do you know that there is a jade Ruyi in the west wing, which was sent by the Empress Dowager Cixi yesterday!"

"Hehe, wishful thinking, as my heart, this began to throw an olive branch to me, in order to control the government, this woman is really open-minded!"

"Oh, what kind of conditions did the old witch offer...... If you want me to say that you will eat their bait, and finally don't give them anything to do, when he killed Su Shun six years ago, who cared about our feelings? Now that we are used, we know that we have sent Ruyi, and we will not let her be Ruyi today......

mentioned Su Shun, Zeng Guofan was silent, this Manchu scholar who saved Zuo Zongtang's life and tried his best to protect his own military training, the descendant of Aixin Jueluo, the seventh grandson of Prince Zheng Xian, the son of Prince Zheng Shen, Wuer Gong'a, the head of the eight ministers who were pro-Han and hated Manchu, could never come back.

"Yuting, you are the most important Hanchen in the Manchu royal family I have ever seen, and you are also the most open-minded, if you are still alive, maybe the Westernization movement and industrialization of the Qing Dynasty will not be so difficult, right? It's a pity that you left early......

Thinking back to the bits and pieces of his benefactor, the elder brother of the Zeng family left two old tears.