Ask for favorites, ask for recommendations

Lin Zexu only smiled bitterly when he heard this, he was a civilian official in charge of military affairs such as the governor of Huguang and the governor of Liangguang, and he had experienced the Opium War, and he had served in front of the Ili army. Among the civil officials of the Qing Dynasty, they were quite knowledgeable about the soldiers, and they also had a very deep impression of the decay of the Eight Banners and the Green Camp.

"But it's not completely hopeless, is it?" Lin Zexu was silent for a long time, and then said, "Among the children of the Eight Banners, there are still some brave men. ”

Zuo Zongtang smiled lightly, "It's not a question of whether you are strong or not, whether you are brave or not, but the corruption of the Eight Banners military system." The problem lies in their ancestral system of the Eight Banners. There is no distinction between the military and the people of the Eight Banners, and 200 years ago, it may be said that if you go out, you will be a soldier, and if you enter, you will be a people. Now there is no soldier as a soldier, there is no way to be a citizen, and the barracks are not a barracks. A group of uncles and soldiers who drag their families with their mouths, where do they have the heart to train for battle? You say that they are the people, but they don't produce, they live on the banner and the rice, and everyone is comfortable and travels all day long. As long as this Eight Banners system is still there, the Eight Banners New Army will not be able to train, and Mu Weng will not know this truth, right? And the expansion of the Eight Banners is probably not a good thing for us Han people, right? ”

Lin Zexu sighed when he heard this, what Zuo Zongtang said, above the temple, who doesn't know? But who will say it? Hanchen avoided the Manchu and Han issues in particular, and the Manchus regarded the Eight Banners as the foundation -- these Eight Banners were actually a shortcut to promotion and fortune for the bannermen! In the entire Eight Banners system, how many ministers, generals, commanders, deputy commanders, staff leaders, assistant leaders, leaders, commanders, and guards have errands? In addition, there is a large shortage of compost in the internal affairs system, which is also based on the three flags on the eight flags. All these official positions are all done by the banner people, and Hanchen has no chance at all. Through the Eight Banners and the Internal Affairs Office system, it is easy for the flag people to rise to a high position, and they can also easily become the cabinet department and governor, as for the local Taoists, prefects, county orders, etc., it is not a problem.

Where is like a Han scholar, who has studied hard for decades, he may not be able to have the title of the gold list. Asking for an official is really as difficult as ascending to an immortal! Even a great talent like Zuo Zongtang has no official status now. And the military attache of the Han people has a low status, not only to be angry with the civil ministers, but also to be oppressed by these Eight Banners masters, and if they want to change careers to become civil officials, it is basically the same as ascending to the sky, which is as noble as the military position of the Eight Banners, and can be transferred to the civilian position at any time? Now there are not many officials who can be given to Han people, and the imperial examination is on the right path, on average, there are only 100 a year, and after the expansion of the Eight Banners, will there be more military attachés of the Eight Banners who will compete with Han people to do it?

Lin Zexu sighed, waved his hand, and wanted to end today's topic, but Zuo Zongtang said unsatisfactorily: "Hasn't Mu Weng figured out what the way out of the dynasty is, and the key to the dispute between the Ming and Qing dynasties?" ”

Lin Zexu was stunned for a moment, "Brother Ji Gao, how can you say this?" ”

Zuo Zongtang smiled, stretched out three fingers, and said, "Fang is down today, it's already three points!" One is divided into eight banners, one is divided into Zhu Ming, and one is divided into the world's scholars. Although the Eight Banners are big, they have drawbacks, just like the Ming Dynasty before the Manchu Qing Dynasty entered the customs. Although Zhu Ming is small, he is capable and capable, just like the Houjin who rose outside the Guan, which is enough to compete with the Eight Banners. And the world's scholars, now is the key to deciding who is under heaven! This Zhu Ming played the banner of middle school-oriented, which is really a fairy move! And what kind of Eight Banners New Army is still being practiced by the national dynasty, it is really stupid!

If there are ten points of benefits in this world, they have already accounted for eight points, and now they want to expand their interests again, where do we Han people and doctors go? If there is no benefit, who will go and make them bannermen minions? It's better to go and share the world with Zhu Ming! ”

Lin Zexu thought for a while, clapped his hands, and said, "Gao Jian!" Takami! The things of this world are, to put it bluntly, a good word. Now is the time for the Eight Banners to give profits to the soldiers of the world, how can we expand the new army of the Eight Banners and compete for profits with the soldiers of the world? The Holy One is really confused for a while......"

Confused? Zuo Zongtang smiled secretly in his heart, when will this emperor Lao Tzu not be confused?

Speaking of which, it has come to an end, and the prescription to save the Qing Dynasty, Zuo Zongtang has already found it for Lin Zexu. But did Lin Zexu dare to tell Emperor Daoguang? The two were relatively speechless at the moment, and after a while, Zuo Zongtang said: "Mu Weng, I want to go to Hong Kong and meet Zhu Jishi." ”

"Ji Gao, you are going to ......"

Zuo Zongtang waved his hand and interrupted Lin Zexu and said: "Mu Weng, the so-called knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent will not be defeated in a hundred battles." I went to Hong Kong just to get to know him, and I heard that Zhu Jishi's Jishi University and Jishi Academy were recruiting Confucian students to teach, and I wanted to take this opportunity to find out. ”

……

In May 1846, all the 20,000 brown bass smoothbore guns commissioned by Rodli & Co. were shipped to Hong Kong. These foreign guns were not shipped from Calcutta, but directly from Lanfang, in the previous battle of Xindang, the Jishi army captured a large number of smoothbore guns, plus Zhu Jishi's previous purchase from Calcutta, enough to make up 20,000 yuan, just sold to the Qing Dynasty, a lot of money.

After the Spaniard Rodley personally inspected the goods, he hired a ship to transport them to Guangzhou, but a few days, he flew back from Guangzhou, and came back from Guangzhou with a letter of appointment with the seal of the Yamen of the Guangdong Customs, and said with a smile: "Sir, sir, I am about to become an official of the Qing Dynasty, and I want to make a fortune!" ”

This is to be a corrupt official! Zhu Jishi frowned, took the letter of appointment in Luo Li's hand and glanced at it, it turned out to be a consultant of the yamen of Guangdong Customs, and he was not an official at all.

"Bai Siwen has promised me that he will promote me to be an official official, at least at the prefect level, to Lin Zexu, the governor of Liangguang who will take office in Guangzhou." Rod's eyebrows fluttered and he said, "And Bai Siwen also gave me a new order, this time it is 30,000 brown bass smoothbore guns, 300 tons of black powder, 100 six-pounder field cannons, and the total value is as high as 1.3 million taels of silver!" ”

"1,300,000 taels?" Zhu Jishixin said, this Qing Dynasty is really rich! Compared with the Qing Dynasty, he is a poor egg.

"1,100,000 taels," Rodley said with a smile, "Sir, can you do it at this price?" ”

He meant to send the contract of 1.3 million taels to Jishixing at a price of 1.1 million taels, and the difference of 200,000 taels would naturally go into his pocket.

"Of course you can do it," Zhu Jishi nodded, this Luo Li was a spy who broke into the Qing Dynasty, and he should earn him more money. "But the issue of gun delivery will be delayed, how about before June next year?"

Zhu Jishi has just received a letter from Lan Fang that the construction of the iron plant managed by Bethemia is progressing extremely smoothly. Jishu personnel sent by Jishixing discovered coal and iron ore in Lan Fang, which are now being mined with indigenous prisoners of war. The reverberatory iron furnace and crucible furnace of the iron factory have been built, and the iron production has begun. However, the progress of the arsenal was not satisfactory, mainly because Lan Fang lacked jishu workers, and Bessema had already sent people to India to ask the Indian Asan of the Kolkata factory to be a master - the Kolkata arsenal was once the largest arsenal in the British Empire (now it has been replaced by Jishixing), and it has a large number of Indian jishu workers, and it is much more cost-effective to hire them than to hire people from Europe. Besemer assured that the arsenal would be ready for production at the beginning of next year. Therefore, Zhu Jishi wanted to sell the products of the Lanfang factory to the Qing Dynasty, as for the gunpowder, the Hong Kong factory had already been put into production, and he could let Luo Li pick up the goods immediately.

In addition, Bessemai also told Zhu Jishi in the letter a good news that the conical bottom expansion bomb has been successfully trial-produced. Besemer is also preparing to design a rifle specifically designed to fire these special bullets, which, if all goes well, will be ready by the end of the year, and if it works, it can be sold in Europe.

"Will it be delivered next June?" Luo Li pondered for a while, nodded and said, "There is no problem with this, but I have to subtract 100,000 taels from the price, so that I can also have an explanation from Bai Siwen." ”

"It's easy to talk about the price." Zhu Jishi smiled and said, "But you have to help me get the details of the Eight Banners New Army." ”

"No problem!" Rodli patted his chest and said, "The few French military advisers invited by Bai Swen to help the Eight Banners New Army are very familiar with each other, and I can't find out any news." ”