The other four who came together came one after another, two from the third grade, one from the fourth grade, and one from the seventh grade, and from their conversations with the members of the Ministry of Officials, it could be heard that one of them was about to go to Henan to act as an inspector, and one was about to return to his hometown to run a group training, that is, the minister of group training that had only been set up in the past two years, and one was about to be released to the acting prefect of Guangdong, and the one who was the seventh product was going to Guizhou to be the magistrate.

They are all from Jinshi, and as long as they are Jinshi, they can have a little relationship, whose seat teacher is also whose room teacher, who is who's student, and after a while, they will be called brothers and brothers.

Han Xiufeng came from a humble background, so naturally he couldn't talk to them. Just waited stupidly on the side for nearly an hour, the official Shangshu Bai Ye came out of it, and everyone was about to come forward to pay a visit, and another eunuch from the performance office came out, and announced that Han Xiufeng and others were meeting in a frustrated manner.

The secretary of the ministry and the pen post hurriedly let everyone arrange their shifts, and as soon as Han Xiufeng and the others found their respective positions, the two guards came up and said that they were offended and began to search their bodies.

After confirming that everyone was not carrying the murder weapon, Bai Ye took a steady official step and led everyone into the Old Summer Palace. Before coming, the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Officials had already explained that they were not allowed to look around in the royal garden, so everyone followed without saying a word with their heads bowed, until they came to the East Warm Pavilion of the heavily guarded Qinzheng Palace.

The official Shangshu Bai Ye stopped, waited at the door for a while, and waited until a eunuch announced that everyone was coming, and then his old man led everyone into the Dongnuan Pavilion, dusted off the horseshoe sleeves, knelt down to worship the emperor, and respectfully invited Sheng'an.

Several people could only speak by the leader when they met together, Han Xiufeng didn't dare to squeak, and walked to the white felt mat spread in front of the wooden kang where the emperor was sitting and bowed like the others. Although he knew that he couldn't peek, let alone look directly at the emperor, he couldn't help but take a peek.

I don't know if I don't see it, I was surprised when I saw it, it turned out that the emperor was as young as him, and he didn't seem to have a good body, he was very thin and haggard.

The emperor asked while looking at the resume, and asked who replied, but the questions asked were a little surprising, whether you recognized anyone, and there were rumors about what happened to that person, whether it was true or not. And the two in front of them were obviously prepared, not only did they say all good things, but they also replied in a few words every time, which was simple and understandable, and there was no need for the emperor to ask again.

Han Xiufeng knelt in front of the wooden kang and was thinking about how to play it when it was his turn, when the emperor suddenly asked, "You are Han Xiufeng who killed four hundred thieves outside Yangzhou City?" ”

"Minister Han Xiufeng respectfully invites Saint Ann!" Han Xiufeng hurriedly bowed again.

"I'm there." The civil and military officials who are usually summoned are older than the other, and it is rare to have someone as old as Han Si, so Xianfeng has been quietly observing Han Si, a person who is a donor and a fellow of the five products, and when Han Si finishes kowtowing, he puts down his resume and asks: "Are you from a donation background?" ”

"The three generations of the minister's family are all tenants for others, and if they want to turn over and serve the court, they can only donate."

"It's not the same as studying hard to get a reputation for fame, and it's not the same to be able to enter the imperial examination?"

"Back to the emperor, even if the minister reads the sage books, he will not be able to gain fame."

"Why can't I get it?"

"The bad habits in the local area, such as the minister, belong to the cold nationality, and no one is willing to protect the minister."

Xianfeng really didn't know this, and after a moment of silence, he asked, "You are from Ba County, do you recognize Xiang Rong." ”

Han Xiufeng hurriedly said: "The minister doesn't recognize it, the minister only knew that Lord Xiang and the minister were fellow villagers when he was in Taizhou." ”

"What military books have you read?"

"The minister has never read a few military books."

"I haven't read a few military books, so how did you lead the soldiers to kill the thieves?"

"The minister has never read a few military books, and he doesn't understand military affairs, but he only knows that if he wants the soldiers to use his life, he can't deduct the soldiers' food and salary, so he has to do what he says, and the rewards and punishments are clear, and the soldiers must not be greedy for life and afraid of death when they encounter thieves."

Xianfeng was the same as Peng Yunzhang summoning Han Si a few days ago, how could he not expect Han Si to answer like this, he thought about it and asked: "Every time the thieves are based, they will support the wooden city, have you seen it?" ”

"I've seen it."

"When you encounter a wooden city supported by thieves, how do you plan to attack it?"

"If the minister has artillery, he will use artillery to bombard, if there is no artillery, then dig a hole in the ground and blow it up with gunpowder, if there is neither artillery nor gunpowder, or the thieves and soldiers cannot dig a hole in the ground according to the river, then the minister can only surround him to the death and cut off his food, oil and military resources. If the place is extremely critical and must be recovered quickly, and the minister has enough soldiers, the minister can only fight with his life. ”

Xianfeng has not been born in peace since he ascended the throne, and in order to suppress the Taiping Army, he successively sent Lin Zexu, Li Xingyuan, Zhou Tianjue, Sai Shang'a, Xu Guangjin, Lu Jianying, Qi Shan, Xiang Rong and Xianghou and other nine ministers. As a result, Lin Zexu died on the way to his post, Zhou Tianjue was appointed as a minister for only six days, and Jiangning General Xianghou did not receive an edict because Jiangning was besieged, and died after the city was broken......

These messengers sent are the choice of the moment in terms of qualifications and ability, and most of them have the experience of quelling the chaos, but they are older than the other, almost without exception, old and decrepit. For example, Lin Zexu and Xu Guangjin are sixty-five, and the youngest Li Xingyuan is also fifty-four years old. Xiang Rong went to Guangxi to participate in the war when he was sixty, the deputy capital of Da Hong'a was over sixty years old, because of the heat cold and hernia attack, only two months into Guizhou please be transferred home to recuperate, stationed in Yuezhou Hubei Governor Bole Gongwu seventy-six!

The civil and military officials on the side of the imperial court are not physically strong, and it is difficult to fight again; Second, in the twilight of life, they were pushed to the forefront, lacking sharpness, and most of them only sought self-preservation; The third is that the official spirit is heavy, relying on the old and selling the old, and it is easy to do things.

In contrast, the leaders of the Taiping bandits are younger than the other, it is said that Hong Xiuquan was thirty-seven years old, Yang Xiuqing was twenty-eight years old, Xiao Chaogui was twenty-nine years old, Feng Yunshan was thirty-six, Wei Changhui was twenty-five, and Shi Dakai was only twenty years old when they were in rebellion in Guangxi!

This is a march to fight, not a splendid article, even if it is an article, the old and frail are not as talented as the new science and technology scholars. Xianfeng had long felt that the civil and military officials sent out were too heavy, and he had always wanted to appoint some young officials with very different spirits, but he really couldn't find a few in the court.

Seeing that Han Si was not only young but also had trained soldiers and fought in battles, and Guo Peilin, Xu Naizhao and even Peng Yunzhang Baoju, he didn't look like a treacherous and slippery person, and his depressed mood suddenly improved because of the defeat of Huangzhou, and he asked in a ghostly manner: "How many people are in your room?" ”

Han Xiufeng never thought that the dignified Ninety-Five Emperor would ask this, so he hurriedly said: "The minister has married a wife and had children, and he has not taken a concubine, and the minister's wife is far away in his hometown in Ba County, so there is no one in the minister's room." ”

"Not even a maid to serve?"

"The minister was busy investigating smugglers in the Hai'an patrol office, and later the acting state was to train the township to intercept the thieves, and the acting two Huaiyun deputies were to recruit young people to rebuild the salt fishing camp, and then went to Shanghai to run grain and encountered the party rebellion, almost all of them were on the march in the past two years, and the minister wanted to let the soldiers use their lives to be an example for the soldiers, and naturally could not bring women around."

Xianfeng secretly sighed that this was the errand for the imperial court, secretly thinking that Guo Peilin, Xu Naizhao and Peng Yunzhang really did not recommend the wrong person, and then thought of Yang Nengge's excerpt, and asked: "Someone is involved in your collusion with foreigners, but is there such a thing?" ”

"The minister is wronged, although the minister has not read a few books, but the courtesy, righteousness and shame of the minister still knows, how can he do such a thing as sorry for the court, sorry for the people, and sorry for the ancestors and ancestors."

"Shanghai County can't be attacked for a long time, is Xu Naizhao cowardly?"

"Back to the emperor, before the minister set off to return to Beijing, Lord Xu supervised the battle in front of the battle almost every day, and the soldiers attacked the city almost every day. The reason why it could not be attacked for a long time was that the chaotic party was defending the city, and the county seat of Shanghai was high and thick. Second, the rebel party used all the looted people's fat and ointment to buy foreign guns and artillery, and the firearms were sharper than those of the officers and soldiers. Because of this, the minister served as the governor of Songjiang Prefecture and the governor of the Jiangjiang Customs, and went to negotiate with the foreigners almost every day. ”

"What do foreigners say?"

"Foreigners don't see ministers."

"Why not?"

"The foreigners say that their consuls are of the same quality as the Taoist of our Qing Dynasty, and the vice consuls and interpreters are of the same quality as the prefects, and they think that the minister's official position is low, and they do not want to see the minister."

The war in Shanghai has a direct bearing not only on whether or not tariffs can be withdrawn, but also on whether or not this year's grain can be shipped on time, and even on the suppression of bandits and the suppression of chaos. Because whether it is Xu Naizhao or Xiang Rong, and even Qi Shan and Shengbao have reported more than once that the thieves have purchased a large number of foreign guns and cannons, and the firearms are far sharper than the officers and soldiers.

Thinking of this, Xianfeng couldn't help asking: "Did Yang Nengge go to negotiate with foreigners?" ”

How could Han Xiufeng miss this opportunity, and said without thinking: "Lord Yang has written to the foreigner consul more than once, and each time it was handed over by the minister. ”

"I asked you if Yang Nengge went in person?"

"Lord Yang is loyal to the imperial court and does not dare to insult the national body, so he does not want to see foreigners."

"What about Xu Naizhao?"

"Lord Xu wants to supervise the siege of the city, and he really can't get out, not to mention negotiating with foreigners, it is Su Songtaidao's responsibility."

Xianfeng's lungs were about to be blown up, and he finally figured out why the person in front of him was impeached, to put it bluntly, the young Zhengwupin Tongzhi in front of him was a group of rotten Confucian scapegoats, and he was silent for a while before he whispered: "I'll be here today, and you will hand over the sign tomorrow." ”

"Obey."

……

Xianfeng then asked the remaining two, Han Xiufeng knelt down and listened, until Xianfeng said to the jinshi who was about to become the county master, "Kneel down", Han Xiufeng relieved himself and got up with everyone to get back the green head card and bow down to exit the Dongnuan Pavilion.

The whole audience did not end there, and the five were led by the leading officials and "escorted" by the officials at the end of the class

Walking out of the Old Summer Palace from the left gate and waiting for about two incense sticks, Bai Ye, a scholar of Wenyuan Pavilion and a scholar of the Ministry of Officials, who led them to meet, folded out a stack of resumes.

Everyone was about to go up to inquire what the emperor was talking about, but Bai Ye waved his hand and motioned for Han Xiufeng to come over and speak.

Han Xiufeng didn't know if there was anything wrong with the performance just now, so he nervously walked over and bowed: "The lower official greets Lord Zhongtang!" ”

Bai Ye glanced back, turned his back to the other four, showed his resume and smiled: "Brother Han, take a look at the emperor's comments." ”

I don't know if I don't see it, I was really flattered when I saw Han Xiufeng, the emperor actually wrote the words "honest, usable" on the resume fold with a royal pen, and the other few were either "honest, talented, like mother-in-law and mother-in-law", or "it seems to be honest and not like honest, it is difficult to determine". That said, "Honest, usable" is a very good review.

"Lord Xie Zhongtang is carrying, and the official ......"

"This is not the place to talk, let's go back first, remember to hand over the sign tomorrow morning."

"The subordinate obeys."