Chapter 100: Li Zhongtang's Sī Banquet

One of the important reasons for the unspeakable bitterness of the French minister Bao Hai regarding the Qing state's tough stance on the Vietnam issue was that he and the governor of Cochinchina, Lu Mei, had a relatively large disagreement on the diplomatic attitude towards the Qing state, and the governor of Lu Mei preferred to negotiate with the Qing state after the de facto occupation by force, and if possible, even push the occupied area directly to the Qing border.

And Baohai thinks that he understands more that the weak soul under the huge shell of this great Qing State only needs to use diplomatic means to pay attention to some details in the negotiations, and the ministers of the Qing State would rather give up some useless resources - such as vassal states and the like, rather than consume their own strength, this is already a real warlord system, and Beiyang's self-respect for troops is already an indisputable fact.

In fact, even in real history, the Sino-French treaty signed by Baohai did have a lot of deceptive content, first of all, it was to let the Qing government recognize the independent sovereignty of Vietnam, which was to completely put an end to the history of the vassal state, and in addition to retaining the great face of the Qing state in the text of the treaty, the French tried to easily let the Qing government give up the status of the suzerain, laying the groundwork for the subsequent comprehensive annexation of Vietnam.

But the bad effect of the French plundering great profits in Vietnam was that the other powers, who had always had a slight reverence for this vast empire, saw in the benefits of Gaul's tough actions the utterly incompetent bureaucracy of this great empire, and strengthened their idea of annexing and carving up China, after which the British, Japanese, Russian and other powers began to invade China in essence.

1. Qiē disputes all started from vassal states...... Qin Kai is now rare leisure, nothing to ponder, this time the French attacked Hue, although the city was broken and won, but they did not get the "Hue Treaty" they wanted in history, it is obvious that the defense of Hue City is fundamentally difficult to win, the French powerful fleet and artillery, destined to be like Hue, a city built along the river, but without a perfect defense system, is unable to resist.

However, Xue Chao handled this matter very well, successfully delayed the French invasion, evacuated the necessary personnel, and now controlled the government of Vietnam through Guò Lu Guo Gong Shun...... Although the state of Vietnam is already in danger, as long as the king of Vietnam is in his hands, he has sufficient legal basis......

"Supervisor, Lord Ding asked you to go to the front hall to see him, saying that there is something important!" Outside the courtyard, the captain of the pro-soldier Lu Shu took a head and said.

"Got it!" Ten minutes later, Qin Kai had already followed Ding Richang into the carriage and went straight to the governor's yamen.

"Gale Wind, Lord Zhongtang knows that you know about the situation in Vietnam, so today I will discuss the negotiation with the French, and I specially let you observe," Ding Richang looked calm and relaxed, indeed, the affairs of this vassal country Vietnam have nothing to do with him at all, Lao Ding can now win a big victory in the South China Sea, and the following negotiation matters, the imperial court can be handed over to the diplomatic professional Lord Li Zhongtang, "What do you think, about this stalemate in Vietnam?" ”

"My lord, I can't talk about opinions, but I judge that the French will not be able to fight for a while!"

"How?"

"This time the French in Hue City benefited, but the king of Vietnam was killed, which caused public anger, and the French attacked the soldiers and horses of Shanxi in Vietnam on the other way, and I also got the news that the number was not large, and they suffered a small loss and returned! I thought that the French had attacked Hue by surprise this time, and it was a ......"

"Huh?" Lao Ding stared at Qin Kai, "Gale Wind, be sharp, when did you learn to tell a story!" ”

Qin Kai laughed, "My lord, I also guess, I think the French soldiers are coming to the city, how can they do anything?" It's not for the alliance under the city! They must want to force the king of Vietnam to sign a peace treaty, and then use this to negotiate with our Qing Dynasty! ”

Ding Richang turned his head, rubbed the sun again, and the old fox smiled, "Gale Wind, my old man is old, my head hurts when I think about this, I'll talk about you later!" ”

"Understood, sir!"

In a blink of an eye, the carriage arrived at the governor's yamen, Zhou Fu was already waiting at the door, entered the inner courtyard, he led the two of them straight to the back, Lord Li Zhongtang was not in the main hall today, but set up a table of wine banquet in the side hall, there were few people in the house, except for Zhou Fu as a companion, there was also Ding Ruchang, the admiral of the navy, and another calm man who looked forty years old.

After Ding Richang came in, he was also stunned when he saw the man, and immediately smiled and said, "The eldest prince is here, but I haven't seen you for more than ten years!" ”,

The man got up and saluted back, and said with a smile: "Lord Ding, what a blessing! ”

After taking his seat, Qin Kai naturally noticed that this man obviously had a high status, sitting on the top of Li Zhongtang's left hand, which was the position of a distinguished guest, and today Lao Ding was also under this man! Who can afford such a high reception? Could it be the prince of the court? Even if he is a noble child, it seems that he doesn't have the ability to overpower Lao Ding......

He wanted to think about it, but his ears listened, Ding Richang was talking and laughing with the middle-aged man, and he could see that he was very familiar, and from time to time a few words floated past his ears, "Zeng Gong" ...... "Russia"......

Qin Kai suddenly remembered that there was indeed someone who could afford such a specification, and he couldn't help but look at this person a few more times, it was obvious that this man had also noticed him, after all, at his age, it was an extraordinary thing to be able to attend Lord Li Zhongtang's banquet!

"Gale Wind, I've come to see the first-class Yiyong Marquis and Zeng Shilang!" Ding Richang has already opened his mouth to introduce his favorite general.

"The subordinate Mawei Ship Supervisor Qin Kai has seen Lord Zeng!" Qin Kai got up and arched his hands, and sure enough, Zeng Jize, the eldest son of Zeng Guofan, the boss of the Hunan army, and a rare diplomatic cadre in modern China, attending this occasion today is very suitable for his identity.

When Zeng Jize heard the name Qin Kai, he sighed, looked him up and down with interest, nodded and smiled: "It turned out to be Senator Qin who made contributions in the South China Sea, and he is really a young talent!" ”

"Lord Zeng has a reputation, that is the merit of the soldiers' lives, how dare they take it alone, Lord Zeng pulled out his teeth and raised the prestige of our country to Russia, that is the real ability!" Qin Kai grinned again and again.

Zeng Jize was also surprised, Ding Richang didn't introduce himself, the other party guessed his identity at once, and he had just completed the negotiations with Russia, this Qin Kai was very well-informed, he couldn't help but look at him twice, nodded, and said with a smile: "Lord Ding, Senator Qin is really a capable person, this news is very well-informed!" ”

At this moment, Li Zhongtang also walked out from behind, arched his hand to everyone, motioned for everyone to sit down, and smiled at Zeng Jize first: "Eldest son, don't come to harm, I invite you to come today or let you give you a detailed reference to this Vietnamese matter!" Come, the weather is also cold, the old man did it first as a respect, and they all sat down and chatted slowly. ”

Zhou Fu started the topic first, "This time, when I signed the contract, the French raided Hue, Vietnam, the king of Vietnam was killed in battle, and the new king was just established. The French Minister Baohai has arrived in Tianjinwei and is ready to further discuss the matter! ”

Li Zhongtang nodded and pointed at Qin Kai, "Senator Qin, I heard that you are very well-informed, can you tell me about the situation in Vietnam?" ”

Qin Kai sweated, how could I be well-informed, my dream of wireless telegraphy is still flying in the sky, how can I be well-informed, he arched his hand, "Xia Guan has also just learned that the French navy has captured the capital of Vietnam Hue a few days ago, and the king of Vietnam died in the war, and he ordered the old Vietnamese minister to support Nguyen Phuc Minh as the new king, and now he is moving to the Quang Chi area above Hue for refuge!" As far as I know, the Vietnamese still have more than 10,000 troops in their hands, which is enough to protect themselves, and the small force of the French ** team invaded by Shanxi in Vietnam, after being attacked by the local Vietnamese army and the Black Flag Army, has retreated, and Lord Zhongtang has ordered a large army to enter Vietnam, it seems that the situation will soon be stabilized! ”

"Ladies and gentlemen, what do you think of the situation?" Li Zhongtang asked as he poured himself a drink, glancing at everyone.

Zeng Jize raised his glass to Li Zhongtang, who was the head of the company, drank it all, and said with a smile: "Lord Zhongtang, since this Frenchman has gained benefits in Hue, this is like a greedy person, after getting the benefits, he will naturally think of more benefits, but I don't know how the French lost in the battle of Hue?" ”

"It is said that the losses of the marines were not more than 20%, but they plundered a large amount of gold and silver," Qin Kai added beside him.

"Oh! Lord Zhongtang, I thought that we must take a tough attitude towards the French, and now that they have gained benefits, we should force them to retreat, since the French have suffered heavy casualties in the land battle, we can start with the land battle, and I just heard from Senator Qin that the French troops attacking Shanxi were also defeated! ”

"Jie Gang, but the labor expedition is not easy!" Li Zhongtang frowned, and looked at Ding Richang, "Brother Yusheng, what do you think?" ”

Ding Richang drank a little wine and ate the exquisite side dishes on the seat, but he was also very happy, and when he heard Li Hongzhang's question, he said with a smile: "Lord Zhongtang, I am not familiar with this Vietnamese matter, I heard it from Gale Wind, but I think ...... The French are not good, and even if we promise them benefits, aren't we afraid that they will come next year to ask for new benefits? ”,

As soon as Qin Kai heard Ding Richang's words, this was clearly to lead the fire to himself, so it was better to speak first, he arched his hand and said: "Lord Zhongtang, there is a little foolish opinion below, it can be said that the ministers have a detailed understanding of the current situation in Vietnam!" ”

"Oh...... Qin Kai, you don't hurt to say it. ”

"The French only got benefits in Vietnam, but there was no major damage, this is the fundamental reason why they dared to get an inch, in the next has personally been to Hue, Vietnam, the capital of the military equipment is also useless, not to mention other state cities, the whole of Vietnam, there are very few soldiers that can be used, but the Black Flag Army that escaped into the local people is always available soldiers and horses! If you recruit peace, it can be the forerunner, and the border army battalions can then come to the rescue! ”

"Zhao'an? Lord Qin, I thought this move was quite risky, these were all chaotic soldiers back then! Zhou Fu on the side had already taken over the conversation.

But obviously Li Zhongtang was quite interested in this mention, and was staring at the wine glass and thinking about it, thinking that he was quite interested in this idea, Zeng Jize looked at Qin Kai, and was secretly surprised in his heart, this young man is very knowledgeable, this trick, if it is on weekdays, it is impossible for Lord Zhongtang to use it, but today...... When Lord Zhongtang was worried about this salary, it was obvious that the local Black Flag Army was a clever move.

If the Black Flag army wins, as long as it is transferred back to China, it can be dismantled, and if it is defeated, it will be one less hidden danger, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

In a moment, Li Zhongtang made up his mind, "Senator Qin, how many people are in this Black Flag Army?" ”

"The exact number is not clear, it is estimated that there are about 1,000 people, all of whom are farmers who protect their families and soil!" Qin Kai looked contemptuous.

"How to recruit An? I've heard that the border army has been exterminating this group of heaven and earth for many years!" Li Zhongtang asked again and again.

"Speaking in righteousness, that's enough!!" Hearing Qin Kai's moment, Lao Ding also stopped drinking and glanced at Qin Kai twice, this is still the same Qin Liefeng who does things properly on weekdays, how can he talk like a nerd...... However, Lao Ding is Lao Ding in the end, thought about it, and continued to enjoy the food.

"Great righteousness ......" Qin Kai's answer was obviously very unexpected by Li Zhongtang, if he believed that righteousness was so effective, he Li Zhongtang would not be Zhongtang, he was still the scholar with higher ambitions than the sky back then, the old man smiled slightly, this Qin Liefeng is still a young man after all, "Qin Kai, if you are assigned to do this, are you sure?" ”

"Lord Zhongtang has an order, so I am naturally willing to go," Qin Kai looked very excited, pondered for a moment, and said: "This serves the country, that is our duty, but I want to ask the Lord for a name!" ”

"Say it! What name? ”

"Since it is to prevent the enemy from the outside, first, let the Black Flag Army serve the imperial court with all its might, and secondly, let the Vietnamese also fight bravely to kill the enemy, but if these people are allowed to take charge of the military, it will be difficult for the imperial court to control it at that time, so I think that the imperial court will give a name for the cultivation of Vietnamese protectors, and the officers will be selected from the army to train the local aborigines, and in time, the enemy can be resisted abroad!"

Li Zhongtang listened quite happily, although this Qin Kai proposed a good proposal, but it is difficult to implement the plan, this compilation of Vietnamese protection**...... As long as there is a name, what will Vietnam use to raise these soldiers when the time comes, no food, no salary, no foreign guns, no ammunition, what kind of soldiers can be trained!?

However, he also found some problems, this Ding Richang didn't seem to have any sense of the fatal problem in this plan, and he was still there taking sip after sip of wine, and he didn't express an opinion after listening to it...... Eccentric...... Eccentric!

Several adults on the side naturally saw the problem in this plan, and now they are going to Vietnam to train what kind of protection **, this French is about to fight, and when the time comes, can you fight with the French with a group of farmers? And to transfer officers from within the country to Vietnam? Who would want to go to that kind of place to endure hardships and fatigue, and it is not easy to be stationed in a town, to train a new army all day long, and to be ready to fight the French at all times!

It seems that the victory of the South China Sea in the Qin Senate is also somewhat lucky, why did Lao Ding find such a blessing in the future, but now it seems that it is really a little unscrupulous, if this matter is messed up, Ding Richang will have to lose face. Naturally, everyone present regarded Qin Kai as Ding Richang's subordinate, and Yiqiē's achievement was naturally the achievement of Ding Richang, the famous "cannon governor".

Zeng Jize pondered for a while, and still said: "Senator Qin's plan is still quite difficult to implement, I think it is necessary to refer to it in more detail, after all, this battle of Vietnam is very important, if it is defeated, then all the provinces on the border of the Qing Dynasty will be in danger!" ”,

This is clearly a ladder for Ding Richang, you hurry up and let your love general clean up this flawed plan, don't go back and make a mistake, Li Zhongtang also laughed, he just signed an offensive and defensive alliance with Lao Ding, naturally he will not give him a trap on this kind of thing, "Brother Yusheng, Senator Qin is really a hero and a tiger, this matter is very good, but it is like a chestnut in the fire, it is easy to hurt yourself, I think ......"

"Lord Zhongtang, Qin Kai is good at taking advantage of the fire, you might as well let him give it a try," Lao Ding didn't speak, and as soon as he opened his mouth, there was one less person in the room, and Qin Kai was still in a normal state. The others really didn't understand it.

What kind of person is Li Zhongtang, he immediately understood that this Qin Kai must have some killer features, Lao Ding knows, and his own people don't understand, perhaps, this is exactly what Ding Richang wants to do, just let Qin Kai speak, since this is the case, he will not save Lao Ding's face, "Brother Yusheng, it will take you to bother to operate, this nominal matter is not difficult, but you have to grasp the matter of food and salary!" ”

Speaking of Cheng Dù, who is so clear, it can be regarded as benevolence and righteousness, and Qin Kai next to him has already bowed down to give a salute, "Thank you, Lord Zhongtang, for accomplishing this matter!" "Vietnam itself lacks a name, and now with this name, it has no drastic measures.

Then we talked about diplomatic countermeasures, this is obviously Zeng Jize's field, Zeng Jize emphasized for a long time anyway, the issue of not losing Vietnam, the Qing Dynasty lost the Ryukyus, and now Japan covets Korea, France has taken the South Vietnam Plain, and now wants to annex all of Vietnam, which is a place that cannot be compromised.

If this continues, if the French occupy Vietnam, they will even look at the gold mines in Yunnan, and the other two vassal states of Korea and Burma will also be regarded as a meal on the plate.

Li Zhongtang naturally attaches great importance to Zeng Jize's construction, the French played a yīn trick with him, which made him very angry, this is definitely a provocation to the authority of Beiyang, it is necessary to teach the French a certain lesson, but ...... If you instigate the imperial court to send troops to meet the battle and win, it is just that Li Zhongtang's prestige is high, and the thing has failed, and now Qingliu Manjing, who is clamoring to take out he, the minister of Beiyang, can collect a small battalion in the capital!

He was now at the top of the courtier, and this was naturally a very different perspective from Zeng Jize, because he also received important news that the Englishman Hurd's agent in London, Kingengan, had sent a report on the situation in France, in which he asserted that the French cabinet was fighting against him, so the French army would not rush into a large-scale war in the Far East for the time being, and the French only wanted to get the benefit of opening the Red River route and Hanoi trade.

For this news, Li Hongzhang thought about it again and again, thinking that it was very accurate, what he wanted to ensure at present was not to suffer defeat, Qin Kai was willing to go to Vietnam to train that Vietnamese protector, that was the best thing, defeated Vietnamese soldiers, nothing to do with him, if he won, this is a big plan planned by his old Li.

After some discussion, Li Hongzhang got the information he wanted to know, got Zeng Jize's Jianyi, and Ding Richang came to take care of the mess for him in Vietnam, which was obviously a good deal.

In the entire banquet, the only one who did not speak was Admiral Ding Ruchang, who had been drinking wine with his head down, occasionally looking up at Qin Kai opposite.