Zeng Guofan arrived in Jiangning by steamer from Anqing on the ninth day of the fifth month, and that day happened to be the day when his first excerpt was sent to the capital.

The matter of the Xuan Army's naval division firing at Jiangning, Zeng Guoquan had already reported it to him. His reaction was naturally not as violent as his younger brother's, but he seriously thought about Guan Zhuofan's intentions. And when you get on the steamer, there is nothing to do, and it is better to meditate.

He did not hesitate to risk offending the Hunan army and bombarded Jiangning, was it just to share the credit? Obviously promised himself that the Xuan army would not enter the city, but in the blink of an eye, the cannonballs entered the city, but he couldn't say that he had broken his promise.

Is there any meaning to demonstrate to the camp of Jizi?

Zeng Guofan pondered: This Guan Zhuofan is not simple!

This young upstart under his banner is very different from the flag man he has dealt with before. Not only does he not have the slickness and arrogance of ordinary flag people, but he also has a vigorous spirit, which is an extremely rare quality. The time I talked to myself about foreign affairs, the insight and calmness that were not commensurate with my age, I could see that this was a rare talent.

But his scheming ......

Zeng Guofan shook his head slowly, this is not a person who can be coaxed, let alone a person who can be controlled.

The uselessness of the banner people has long been a foregone conclusion, and it is precisely because of the uselessness of the banner people that they have the current status of themselves and the Hunan army. Today, this is no longer a matter of one person, nor is it just a matter of an army, the Hunan army has become a huge system, there are too many people, relying on this system to survive, what he has to consider. It's just too much.

Not to mention. The remnants of Hongyang will be leveled next. You also have to deal with the twisted army, and you have to do foreign affairs.

Zeng Guofan already had a deep understanding of the twilight of the Hunan army, and he knew that what once supported the Jizi camp was nothing more than breaking the temptation of Jiangning. Now it is true that he has fulfilled his wish, but as soon as this breath is released, the auspicious word camp will come to an end.

So. On behalf of the Hunan army, should it be the Xuan army or the Huai army?

The position of the governor of Jiangsu is too important, because the wealth of Jiangsu is directly related to his entire strategy in the next few years. One mountain and two tigers are not a long game, Guan Zhuofan is excellent, but if you have to choose between Guan Zhuofan and Li Hongzhang. Of course, Li Hongzhang's position can only be maintained!

As for Guan Zhuofan, he can choose a position of governor in Anhui, Hubei Province to him. Or use him to replace Shen Baozhen's Ganfu, and the concubines can be regarded as promotions, and they should also be able to explain to the Queen Mother of the Two Palaces and King Gong.

And in the final analysis, Guan Zhuofan is a flag man after all, and it won't take about a year or two to be transferred back to Beijing.

After considering it in this way, I felt that it was a feasible plan, so I put this matter aside and pondered about Jiangning's affairs.

His brother's report said that there was no money in Jiangning City, and Zeng Guofan didn't believe it at all—saying no, it was nothing more than being emptied by his Jizi camp. However, if you don't believe it, you still have to report it according to what he said, otherwise can you still let those soldiers spit out the goods they have arrived?

What worries him the most is that the pseudo-young master and Li Xiucheng have no real whereabouts, the so-called life to see people, death to see corpses, where can he use a fluttering sentence to prevaricate the past? This old nine is used to being wild, and he doesn't pay attention to the laws of the court, and if he goes on like this, he will suffer a big loss sooner or later.

Because of this layer of worry, he had to use a few "or clouds" in the excerpt to leave foreshadowing for his younger brother and himself. It was precisely because of this worry that he hurried to Jiangning, and he had to confirm it in person to rest assured.

What I didn't expect was that Zeng Guoquan, who had just docked in Jiangning and greeted him on the dock, ran on the boat, and the first thing he said when he saw him was: "Big brother, the young king and Li Xiucheng have been caught!" ”

Zeng Guofan looked at his younger brother who was black and thin, surprised and delighted, didn't care about greetings, and asked first, "How did you catch it?" Where did you catch it? ”

Zeng Guoquan couldn't help but look embarrassed, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and whispered: "It was Ding Shijie who sent it to the Jizi camp." ”

*

*

Ding Shijie sent people to prisoners, and the momentum was very large, 1,000 cavalry, 1,000 bravery, sandwiched by dozens of the most important prisoners, and sent to Zeng Guoquan's army in Xiaolingwei.

The prisoners were personally inspected by Zeng Guoquan, and the surrendered "Song King" Chen Defeng verified their identities one by one.

"Yes, it's Hong Tianguifu." Chen Defeng pointed at Hong Fuyu and said.

However, when he saw that Li Xiucheng was also escorted, Chen Defeng's face immediately changed color, his eyes were tearful, and he knelt down without hesitation.

"His Royal Highness Chung ......"

Zeng Guoquan, who has always been hostile to the Xuan Army and rejected people for thousands of miles, is happy, afraid, and embarrassed. Needless to say, what I am afraid of is that if these people escape, I don't know why I will face the criticism of the government and the opposition? The embarrassing thing is that this great credit was actually given by the "sworn enemy" Xuan Jun.

Zeng Guoquan felt that he had mistaken Guan Zhuofan - this great achievement was made by Xuan Jun, and Guan Zhuofan could have reported it directly to the imperial court. Sending people to the Hunan army now not only shows special respect for themselves, but also has a faint meaning, that is, the capture of these people can be regarded as the result of the joint efforts of the two armies. In other words, not only did he not take the opportunity to step on himself, but he also made up for this huge lack for himself.

Such kindness, even if he is as unruly as Zeng Guoquan, he has to put down his body and come forward to thank him in person.

"Admiral Ding, you tell your handsome for me, just say that I will personally come to his camp to thank you!"

The next day, Zeng Guoquan took people and four carts to the camp of the foreign gun regiment in Suoshu. Guan Zhuofan personally waited at the camp gate and welcomed Zeng Guoquan into the camp very warmly.

"Yixuan, great kindness, there is no way to repay it!" Except for his brother, the "Nine Shuai", who has never put anyone in the world in his eyes, tried his best to squeeze out a smile, "I brought something for you, it's a small heart." ”

"Don't dare to be." Guan Zhuofan smiled and looked at the commander of the Hunan army. Zeng Guoquan is thirteen years younger than his eldest brother Zeng Guofan, in his prime, although he is not tall, he has solid muscles and bones, and every move has a domineering momentum.

"Jiu Shuai is attacking the city with all his might, and these small things on the periphery should have been shared by us for Jiu Shuai." He said with a smile, as if he had mentioned it inadvertently, "Fortunately, it was the little brother's luck, otherwise Li Xiucheng and these people, if they fell into the hands of Zuo Jigao and Shen Youdan, those of us who were in Jiangning would be a little unable to lose face." ”

Zuo Jigao is Zuo Zongtang, the governor of Zhejiang. Shen Youdan is Shen Baozhen, the governor of Jiangxi. These two people were both from Zeng Guofan's background, and they were strongly recommended and promoted by Zeng Guofan, but today, they have gradually become the opponents of the Hunan army.

Needless to say, Zuo Zongtang is a man with a strong heart, who feels that his literary talent and martial arts are all stronger than Zeng Guofan, and he has felt wronged by helping him in military affairs.

Even if Zuo Zongtang rebelled, Shen Baozhen, a junior who was not obedient, was especially dissatisfied with the Zeng brothers. He set up a regiment in Jiangxi, repeatedly withheld the military salary of the Hunan army battalion, and even did not hesitate to stay and fight, no wonder Zeng Guofan would get up and wanted to reward Guan Zhuofan with his Jiangxi governor.

"To be honest, the outer city was broken at that time, but there were still tens of thousands of long-haired people guarding the inner city, and the brothers were eager to capture Hong Xiuquan, which inevitably gave the loyal chieftains a chance to escape." Zeng Guoquan said as if he was defending himself, "Yixuan, thanks to you, I was able to do my best." My eldest brother will arrive in two days, and I will definitely tell my eldest brother and give you a credit. ”

This is not such a simple thing as "remembering a meritorious work" - Guan Zhuofan thought to himself, this rough Zeng Laojiu may not be able to comprehend his deep meaning, but Zeng Guofan will definitely be able to understand it.

"Jiu Shuai's kindness, I understand it, but-" Guan Zhuofan picked up a list handed over by Zeng Guoquan, "Jiu Shuai, your brothers, have been fighting hard for more than 20 days in all difficulties, and the casualties will be heavy, and it is when you need to be compensated, I dare not accept these things." ”

"Nothing!" Zeng Guoquan has always believed that wealth moves people's hearts, let alone a banner man who is accustomed to being greedy for money and good goods? "Yixuan, I am in military affairs, and I will stay soon, these things, I will let Xiao Fusi and your Liu Xunjiao pay some money."

So he couldn't help but say, got up and said goodbye, Guan Zhuofan sent him out of the camp all the way before returning to the tent and sitting down, but ordered someone to call Liu Xunjiao, who was counting things outside.

"Xuan Shuai, it's all good things." Liu Xunjiao thought that Guan Zhuofan was going to ask this, and said with a smile, "In addition to gold and silver, there are also many rare things, including a coral, which is three feet tall!" All in all, I think it's worth at least seven or eight hundred thousand. ”

Guan Zhuofan flipped through the gift list in his hand and saw that it was written on yellow bamboo paper with a length of eight and five widths, one folded into two, and the seal of "Ji Zi Zhongying" was stamped at the middle seam.

"You can't take a tael of silver." He handed over the gift list and said calmly, "It's this gift list, you might as well keep it and keep it properly." ”

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