Zhou Fu couldn't help but admire it and said, "The lord is wise! At this level, I didn't expect it at the time - I came out of King Xuan's Mansion, and on the way back to the mansion, I suddenly realized! ”

Li Hongzhang said: "The Yangtze River Navy Division set up its own checkpoints, drew values to levy money, collected money with his left hand, and put his right hand into his own pocket, which was completely no more than the hands of the local and household departments. Now that there is no war, they are still doing this, how can the 'above' tolerate it? Not to mention the various evil forms and evil things they used to extort money from merchants in the name of patrolling the river, anti-smuggling, and arresting thieves! ”

After a pause, he continued: "If you talk about the 'old evils' on the Yangtze River, Huang Changqi's Yangtze River Sailor has to be ranked first!" ”

"However," Li Hongzhang's face was solemn, "It's difficult!" ”

Zhou Fu knows that the "difficulty" in the mouth of the prime minister refers to the difficulty of "clearing the cheats".

"My teacher," Li Hongzhang showed a hint of ridicule on his face, "The Hunan army on land has been cut to seventy-seven, eighty-eight, only this Yangtze River sailor has not plucked a single hair, hehe!" ”

The Yangtze River Sailor single-handedly planned and founded Zeng Guofan, and Huang Yisheng was a close confidant of Zeng Guofan. Huang's wife recognized Zeng Guofan's wife as her stepmother, and Zeng Guofan once took concubines, all of which were handled by Huang Yisheng. It can be said that in Zeng Guofan, although Huang Yisheng does not have the name of "righteous son", he has the reality of "righteous son".

However, the shortcomings of the Yangtze River Naval Division are difficult to clarify, not only because of this army and Huang Yisheng's close relationship with Zeng Guofan.

The water in it is so deep that you can't see the bottom, and it's not a word. can make it clear.

Li Hongzhang's words. The language involves Zeng Guofan. Zhou Fu didn't dare to take it lightly, and was groaning, Li Hongzhang said: "King Xuan asked about Huang Changqi, what do you say?" ”

Zhou Fu said: "I think, it's not good to say bad things about others behind your back, but in front of the prince in charge of the country, it is even more difficult to tell lies. This is a political matter, not a private matter. ”

Li Hongzhang smiled slightly: "Exactly!" ”

Zhou Fu also smiled and said: "I said, Huang Changqi can fight, and his subordinates are gracious, which is his strength." However, he treated his subordinates a little too thickly, and he was not lenient in governing the army - this is not a secret. ”

"It's very proper!" Li Hongzhang nodded. "I'm from Zeng Xiangxiang, words. That's all I can say. ”

"Yes!"

Zhou Fu smiled and said, "However, I am soft-spoken, and what I say can only be in private...... For the sake of the counselors of the Taoists. ”

These two sentences are very interesting.

Li Hongzhang glanced at Zhou Fu and said with a smile: "Yushan, your words have not been thoroughly explained yet-what is not to say in my place?" Please finish your word! ”

Zhou Fu said: "Yes, the lord sent me as a confidant, and I was presumptuous." Well, I think that although King Xuan didn't say it explicitly, there is such a meaning in and out of his words: when the prime minister comes out to speak, the prime minister wants to come out to speak. ”

Li Hongzhang didn't answer immediately, raised his head, and closed his eyes slightly.

Zhou Fu is a little short-sighted, if his eyesight is a little better, he can see that Li Hongzhang's eyelids are slightly closed, trembling slightly-this is blinking gently. This subconscious small action indicates that Li Hongzhang is thinking intensely and is about to make a heavy decision.

After a long while, Li Hongzhang opened his eyes and his eyes were bright.

"This is natural," he said slowly, "I am the minister of state, who supervises both Huguang and Jingchu, and who is responsible for everything involved, and cannot be confined to the door and keep his mouth shut." ”

After speaking, a strange smile appeared on his face.

Zhou Fu nodded again and again: "The lord is sincere, and he is a grand duke!" ”

Under the high-sounding sound, Li Hongzhang's true thoughts, Zhou Fu can implicitly, because this is also his own thoughts:

If we want to run the "new pass of bamboo and wood," we must first straighten out the Yangtze River Naval Division, or at the very least, we must remove the hand of the Yangtze River Naval Division from the local administration and finance along the Yangtze River, and force it to be honest and subordinate to the military and public security.

Also, the Admiral of the Yangtze River Navy Division is the most special Admiral in the world. The other governors are all under the control of the governors and governors, but only the commanders of the Yangtze River Naval Division are responsible for the river defense of the five provinces of Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Jiangxi, and have their own pattern, and the governors of Huguang and Liangjiang cannot be directly controlled without special orders, and the governors of Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Jiangxi provinces are not to mention.

Of course, before, the governor of Liangjiang was Zeng Guofan, and the Yangtze River Naval Division was under Zeng Xiangxiang's door, which was almost Zeng's "private army", and what Zeng Disheng said was more effective than the Holy Decree in the Yangtze River Naval Division-However, this is not on the table after all. The current governor of Jiang has replaced Zhao Jingxian's acting -- Zhao Cripple is absolutely in command of the Yangtze River Naval Division.

Zhao Zhusheng can't come to the Yangtze River Water Division, and he Li Shaoquan can't do the same. In this situation, Li Hongzhang has long been itching. If, after the "rectification," the Yangtze River sailors actually returned to their own moderation -- or, the lake is wide and the two rivers are half on one side, wouldn't it be wonderful?

As for how to "rectify," to tell the truth, Li Hongzhang doesn't know either. However, this is not something he is worried about.

Li Shaoquan would never take the lead in doing this kind of thing, but if he just wanted him to beat the side drum and wave the flag and shout a few words, he was both responsible and willing to do it.

Li Hongzhang also has a deeper layer of thought, which has not been fully seen by confidants such as Zhou Fu.

The imperial court suppressed the "Hunan system", Li Hongzhang watched coldly, and he had already realized, what he was thinking was: Can he take advantage of the trend and go to the next level?

If so, don't say "can't be confined to the door", just trample the teacher under your feet, what?

The Yangtze River Naval Division is the place where the "Hunan system" is the most powerful, and the real prohibition of the "Hunan system" is almost to the point where the needle cannot be inserted and the water cannot be splashed. This smelly and hard roadblock, if it can really be moved, will become the best stepping stone.

It's worth a try!

Thinking about this layer clearly, Li Hongzhang is in a good mood, although the "Bamboo and Wood Xinguan" can't be done for the time being, but his heart has been put back in his stomach steadily.

"Yushan," Li Hongzhang said, "the 'court mail' I received yesterday, the edict in it, is about the prohibition of women's foot binding--this matter, Jingli Bian'er, do you have anything to say?" ”

Zhou Fu couldn't help but feel slightly strange.

He originally thought that after discussing the matter of "Zhumu Xinguan", the prime minister would definitely ask about the major event that caused a sensation in the whole country at the moment and Beijing was even more boiling.

It turned out that Li Hongzhang thought that Zhou Fu returned to Wuchang last night, and the joke that came from his mother's big feet, nine times out of ten, Zhou Fu had not heard of it, and he happened to calmly discuss with him the edict of "strictly prohibiting flag girls from binding their feet". Otherwise, if it drags on for a day or two, Zhou Fu will also hear about this joke, and if he mentions relevant topics, he will inevitably embarrass each other.

Zhou Fu thought for a while and said: "This matter, among the banner people in Beijing, there is still a lot of discussion. ”

*(To be continued......) R1292