Wang Qiang immediately ordered Yanlong to lead the guards overnight to secretly control all the people in the general rudder's office, and then asked Xiaoshanzi to pass Wang Jin and the officials of the secretary's office to the general rudder hall, and ordered to bring the registration book of the correspondence together.

The official of the bookstore quickly took the registration book to the lobby, Wang Qiang took it and read it carefully, the registration book recorded all the letters and reports of the general rudder and various places, the processing process and whereabouts of the report, Wang Qiang saw Tian Jingming's report on the shortage of military food and salaries and the official letter mentioned by Zhang Xiaodong about the nuisance of the local situation by the soldiers of the Taiping Army, and there are many reports that Wang Qiang has not seen, and the final destination column of these reports is all written with the approval of the sect leader! .

Wang Qiang called the hall official, pointed to the reports in the register and asked, "Why haven't I seen these reports?" ”

The sweat on the official's anxious head came down, and he said in a lost voice: "Huh? How is this—how is this possible? He fell to his knees and said, "Sect Master, according to the records in the registration book, these letters should have been archived after you reviewed and approved. These letters were handled by Lord Wang Jin, and you directly filed them after your approval, so I didn't see a reply. ”

Wang Qiang slapped the book case and shouted: "I haven't seen these letters at all, how can I approve them, it seems that someone within us is doing it to deceive the sect leader!" ”

At this time, Xiao Shanzi came back from outside and said, "Sect Master, Wang Jin just committed suicide by taking poison in his room!" ”

"What? He's dead! This spy is actually him! Wang Qiang patted the armrest of the chair regretfully and said angrily. This Wang Jin is a cadet of the Tashan Military Academy, these students are all carefully selected by Wang Qiang, and in the process of training to do a serious investigation and screening, Wang Qiang trusts these people very much, and regards them as the backbone of the anti-Qing Dynasty, if there are Qing court spies among these people, then Wang Qiang really doesn't know how many people around him are trustworthy. Wang Qiang felt a burst of sadness in his heart, leaned back in his chair, and waved everyone out.

Early the next morning, Wang Qiang arrived at the study, Xiao Shanzi stood at the door, holding a thick stack of documents in his hand, Xiao Shanzi entered the study, saluted Wang forcibly and said: "Sect Master, I have sorted out the documents seized by Wang Jin overnight, please take a look." ”

Wang Qiang smiled and said in his heart: "Anyway, Xiao Shanzi still believed it." He instructed: "Although Wang Jin is dead, this matter is not over, you send someone to secretly investigate, who else is in Wang Jin's party, who is usually in contact, and at the same time send people to secretly monitor the people in several key positions of the chief helm." ”

"General Li Gang and Mr. Gu, do they also want to be monitored?" Xiao Shanzi asked in a low voice.

Wang Qiang's heart was troubled, Jiang Yuquan suggested that he set up an organization similar to Dongchang to monitor his subordinates, he still didn't think so, now it seems that he can't do that, he nodded silently, and said: "This matter must be kept secret, I don't believe anyone, but we have to establish such a supervision mechanism to ensure the smooth progress of the great cause of resisting the Qing Dynasty." ”

"Yes, my subordinates understand." Xiao Shanzi said.

After Xiaoshanzi left, Wang Qiang concentrated on looking at the documents that had been sorted out, and the more he looked at them, the more frightened he became, these documents and letters basically reflected the problems exposed in the development of the Taiping Sect during this period of time, and there were different opinions on Wang Qiang's claim to be emperor.

In a report, Tian Jingming used a large amount of data analysis to show that due to the rapid expansion of the Taiping army in the past few months, the supply of food and wages has been very difficult. In the past few years, the Taiping Sect has hoarded a lot of materials, but it has cost a lot to develop Yunnan and buy guns and cannons, and according to the current development, it can only last for about half a year. There is an urgent need to open up new channels for raising food and wages. Tian Jingming also mentioned that at present, Yunnan has also encountered considerable resistance in governance, mainly in some areas where ethnic minorities are concentrated, the prestige of the local government is very poor, and the residents there only obey the orders of the leaders of the ethnic minorities, many policies are difficult to implement, and the reform is not going smoothly.

In a report, Li Gang pointed out the problems brought about by the excessively rapid development of the troops: First, the overall combat capability of the troops has declined, there are many new recruits, the degree of training is poor, and the number of officers and assistants at the middle and lower levels is in short supply; because the contingent has developed too rapidly, it can only pull out the seedlings to help them grow, and after the rapid promotion of some cadres, their overall quality is not good, and they have already shown a situation of incompetence. Second, the composition of the contingent is becoming more and more complex, the quality is uneven, the purpose of joining the army is also different, and the incidents of violating military discipline are gradually increasing. Third, due to the Qing army's voluntary retreat, the troops quickly occupied most of the state capitals in Henan and Hubei, and there was a general feeling of pride among the senior generals, who underestimated the combat capability of the Qing army and did not realize the existence of the crisis. Fourth, the existing combat area is too large, and the troops are somewhat scattered, making it difficult to concentrate troops and attack the Qing army in a mobile manner.

Zhang Xiaodong's official document Wang Qiang also saw it, Zhang Xiaodong reflected in the official document that there were five incidents of the Taiping army robbing merchants' goods in Wuchang City, and there was also an incident of molesting women on the street, the process of these incidents and the person responsible Zhang Xiaodong have been investigated clearly, in order not to destroy the relationship with the Taiping Sect, Zhang Xiaodong hopes that Wang Qiang can handle it as appropriate, and order his subordinates to strictly abide by military discipline.

On the issue of claiming to be emperor, many people also raised objections in the report. Tian Jingming proposed in a report that the current Taiping Sect

The foundation is still not stable, and many of the common people in the southern provinces regard themselves as subjects of the Ming Dynasty, hoping to restore the Ming Dynasty, and if they rush to become emperor, it will cause chaos and lose the support of many people.

Wang Qiang looked at this report and was puzzled, he clearly remembered that Tian Jingming completely supported himself in a report a few days ago, and this report was a suggestion that tended not to be the emperor, he looked at the date, this report was a month ago, the two reports were a month apart, but the attitude was diametrically opposite, why is this? Wang Qiang pondered for a while and figured it out, Lao Tian has always been cautious and cautious, and the first report was telling the truth, but he didn't reply for more than a month, and Lao Tian muttered, afraid of losing his trust, so he wrote a second report to show his loyalty to himself. Naturally, what is said in this second report is a high-sounding lie! Wang Qiang remembered Zhang Xiaoping's insincere compliment to himself yesterday, and it didn't seem to be from his heart.

Wang Qiang pondered for a long time, and said to himself: "The enemy's hand is so poisonous, they secretly withheld these documents and didn't let me see them, just to deceive me, make me think that the situation in the world is very good, and urge me to firmly believe in the idea of becoming an emperor." Lao Tian and I began to cooperate as soon as I debuted, we were a lifelong friendship, and now I am also suspicious of me, and began to say things against my will, Zhang Xiaodong and Zhang Xiaoping brothers also had a separation from me, and how many of those who supported me were false. It's worth it! ”

He hurriedly found a report by Li Gang, in which Li Gang analyzed in detail the pros and cons of Wang Qiang's current pros and cons of becoming emperor, and in the analysis of the disadvantages, Li Gang believed that if he became emperor now, it would definitely cause a split with the Southern Ming court, and even Lu Xiangsheng would not sincerely cooperate with the Taiping army. The provinces in the south of the Yangtze River still have a very superficial understanding of the Taiping Sect, and they will not really support Wang Qiang. Once Wang Qiang becomes emperor, the domestic situation will be more complicated, and the anti-Qing forces will inevitably be torn apart, and this situation will only be beneficial to the Qing court, and the Qing court will inevitably pull and fight against the various factions, and each will break down.

Wang Qiang read Li Gang's letter and came to his senses completely. All this is a trick of the Qing court! They just want to be the emperor themselves, muddy the waters, fish in troubled waters, and profit from them, and they almost fell for the Manchu Dynasty!

Wang Qiang watched in the house for a whole day and thought about it for a day. Through these documents, Wang Qiang realized that the Taiping Sect was also hiding a crisis under a prosperous situation. Many problems have been exposed in the current development of the Taiping Sect, and these problems are basically caused by their own improper handling, and if these problems are not solved, they will undoubtedly follow in the footsteps of Li Zicheng. And these problems are like a mess, he doesn't know where to start to solve them, he once again feels his powerlessness, Wang Jin's incident shows that he is not using people properly, and he doesn't know what to do, if he was sober-minded, these problems should have been aware of a long time ago, so as not to be carried away by some superficial phenomena, he is no different from a faint king! Wang Qiang felt that the great cause of resisting the Qing Dynasty was not something he could bear, and he couldn't help but have the idea of making Xian!

In order to adjust the strategy, resolve the crisis, and discuss major issues, Wang Qiang wrote a letter to summon Shang Dayong, Li Gang and Tian Jingming to return to Wuchang for a meeting.

In January of the second year of Hongguang, Li Gang, Tian Jingming and others returned to Wuchang from other places, Wang Qiang wanted to blow the wind with several main assistants in private before the formal meeting, and by the way to contact the feelings, so he set up a family banquet in his house and invited Li Gang, Shang Dayong, Tian Jingming, and Gu Yanwu's four cronies to drink.

At the wine table, Wang Qiang personally poured wine for a few people, raised his glass and said, "I'll tell you, we haven't had a good drink and chat together for a few days." To be honest, I really miss that time, when a few of us set up a market, set up a militia group, and drank a little wine together in our spare time, how comfortable and comfortable it was. Nowadays, everyone is carrying a big mess of things, and it is difficult to even meet each other, today we are easy to get together, we are all brothers regardless of size, and drink it well. ”

Li Gang and the others said, "Okay, just according to the sect leader's wishes." ”

Shang Dayong smiled: "Hey, I didn't say it, if you want to say that when you run a militia group, you drank a lot of wine and ate a lot of meat, which is really happy." But it's not bad now, it's nice to be able to let go of your hands and feet to kill the Tartars, and without the faint king being restrained from above. It's just that I can't be by the side of the master, and it's a lot less fun. ”

Tian Jingming said: "Yes, think about it or feel comfortable at that time, now I am pressed by a lot of things all day long, sometimes I really want to go back to the mountains and forests to be a Tao Weng, hehe." ”

Wang Qiang sighed and said: "Alas, who said no, I won't tell you, the bigger the official, the more things, the more troubles, and even more so when you become an emperor, what do you say about being an emperor, I feel tired and panicked when I am now the leader of this sect, when I saw Emperor Chongzhen's sad face all day long in the palace, I thought he was too stupid, now look, I am not as good as him, he can at least sit still." ”

Li Gang smiled: "That Chongzhen is too mediocre and incompetent. With the talent and mind of the sect leader, if he becomes the emperor, he will be a hundred times stronger than that Chongzhen. ”

Wang Qiang Zhengse said: "I say everyone, say something from the heart, don't talk about being the emperor, even I don't think I can stand this sect leader." I'm a lazy person, if I want to say an idea, think of a bad idea, then I'm good at it, and I want to take on such a big responsibility

I really can't care about such a big mess. There are so many big things and so many problems in the sect this time, the main responsibility lies with me, and I plan to abdicate and make way for Xian, what do you think? ”

In the hearts of everyone, Wang Qiang is the best candidate to lead the domestic anti-Qing forces, and his prestige and talent are unmatched, especially his judgment on the development of the domestic situation shows his farsightedness. Although everyone also thinks that Wang Qiang is a little inexperienced in handling government affairs, it is because Wang Qiang is still young, and he will gradually mature.

The atmosphere at the dinner table fell silent for a moment.

After a while, Shang Dayong said, "Sect Master, what you just said was just a joke, right?" Now that the Taiping Army is developing strongly, why are you retreating? At present, we have some problems, but this is mainly the responsibility of the Qing court, not the responsibility of the sect leader, if you want to talk about responsibility, we have several of them, and the sect leader does not have to blame himself too much. ”

Gu Yanwu continued: "Yes, the sect leader has made outstanding achievements, his prestige is like the sky, no one in the country can stand out, if the sect leader abdicates, no one can take over his position, it will inevitably bring great losses to the development of my sect." ”

Li Gang also persuaded: "If the sect leader thinks that the teaching affairs are complicated and hard, a few of us can share more work, and the idea of abdicating is absolutely impossible." ”

After listening to everyone's words, Wang Qiang also felt that it was a little inappropriate for him to abdicate now, and said with a smile: "You don't have to worry, I'm just complaining, but then again, I really feel powerless to manage such a big mess of things, this time I invite you to come back, just to discuss a solution, in short, everything is focused on the overall situation of resisting the Qing Dynasty, don't take care of your personal face." ”

When everyone heard Wang Qiang say this, they all calmed down, and the atmosphere on the wine table became active again.

Wang Qiang changed the topic, and Okita shrewdly asked: "By the way, Lao Tian, my wife Cai Ling'er, the concubine, and the prince are all in Yunnan, how are they now?" ”

"Don't worry, they are all fine, I built a palace for them in Jiuhua Mountain, and the sect master's wife and concubine live there. The supply of all necessary items is complete, and the security is also very tight, how dare I let them suffer the slightest grievance. Tian Jingming said.

Wang Qiang smiled: "I naturally believe you in doing things, even if the third prince is seven years old, are you still so naughty?" ”

"The third prince is smart and smart, and he should be naughty at this age. The prince should read some books at this age, the concubine Niangniang gave me the will, let me ask the prince to ask for a teacher, I asked Mr. Gu to recommend a friend of his in Jiangnan, named Zuo Wensheng, who is also a well-known Confucian family in Jiangnan, I don't know if this person is in line with the sect leader's wishes. ”

"Zuo Wensheng?" Wang Qiang muttered, he hadn't heard of this person, but since it was recommended by Gu Yanwu, it must be wrong, so he said: "Just this person, not only to learn literature, but also to practice martial arts, you have to be all-round in literature and martial arts." ”

Na Tian is a delicate person, he knows that Wang Qiang has been in the palace of Concubine Li, since Wang Qiang is a fake eunuch, and he takes such care of Concubine Li's mother and son, there is a bit of a way in this, but this kind of thing can only be known in his heart, he hugged his fist at Wang Qiang and said: "Rest assured, the sect leader should do his best to take care of the concubine and the prince." ”

Shang Dayong didn't know the details, and said a little disapprerovingly: "What are you doing with that effort!" I think that as long as they take care of their food and shelter, and take care of the kindness and righteousness of the former masters and servants, I don't think there are any good people cultivated among the children of the Zhu family. ”

Tian Jingming only smiled, his eyes narrowed, and the wrinkles on his face were piled together, and he said in his heart: "Lao Shang is really a fool, maybe he has offended the sect leader, you still don't know?" ”

Wang Qiang raised his cup and said: "We have this situation today, all relying on a few brothers to unite as one, jointly created, in the future I will have to rely on a few of you to help, we will do a career together, come, do this cup!" ”

"Dry", "Dry"!

The next day, Wang Qiang presided over a high-level meeting of the Taiping Sect to study and solve the problems it faced.

According to Wang Qiang's proposal, the Taiping Sect reorganized the management system in accordance with the regulations of the imperial court, and established a cabinet, with Li Gang, Shang Dayong, Tian Jingming, Gu Yanwu, and Leng Feng as cabinet members, and appointed Li Gang as the prime minister of the cabinet, responsible for assisting Wang Qiang in handling military affairs. Shang Dayong was appointed as a general and was responsible for coordinating the operational command of the Taiping Army. In addition to the six ministries, Wang Qiang also set up a Ministry of Internal Affairs, responsible for the safety and security of the helm, the transmission of instructions within the sect and other affairs, Xiaoshanzi served as the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with the same grade as the Shangshu of each ministry, and was only responsible for Wang Qiang alone.

The meeting also studied such issues as the reform of the military system, the collection of food and wages, the plan for the next step of operations, and the rectification of military discipline. After this adjustment, the Taiping Army straightened out the internal management system, Wang Qiang handed over all the daily affairs to the cabinet to handle, and he finally regained his detached status and began to have some leisure. Li Gang, Tian Jingming, and others were transferred back to the general helm to assist in handling the affairs of the sect, and the situation of the Taiping Army began to gradually improve.