Xiao Yungui looked at the people kneeling in the hall, and thought of the group of people who buried the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom with their own hands in the history of later generations, but now they surrendered at their feet, and he felt an indescribable sense of pleasure in his heart. But soon he saw Zeng Guofan's slightly rickety body and gray hair, but he was a little sad. From the beginning when historical figures were trampled under his feet, Xiao Yungui had an indescribable pride, but as more and more people fell, he began to become numb.

Originally, Xiao Yungui would not meet these people in person, because they all had a final destination if they couldn't see them, since the start of the Northern Expedition, Xiao Yungui did not use any privilege to interfere with anyone's fate, (Xingzhen is a special case, because of her special status, in the end, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Criminal Department (now changed to the Ministry of Justice) finally pardoned her and Zaichun's sins,) but in the end he decided to meet, just to hear what Zeng Guofan had to say.

Xiao Yungui asked them to stand up, Zeng Guofan stood up tremblingly under Guo Songtao's support, Xiao Yungui looked at this slightly old figure and asked: "When the public issued the document to raise the army, did you ever think that there would be today?" ”

Zeng Guofan leaned on his body and smiled miserably: "Yes, if Luo Bingzhang's ability to protect the provincial city was not lost, or he could retain the foundation of restoring the world, when your ministry attacked the provincial capital, the old man knew that he might have today's end, but later Hong Yang and the two went out of the provincial capital and governed indiscriminately, and the old man saw hope again." If this Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had been ruled by Hong Yang and the others, the old man would not have come to this point. ”

Xiao Yungui nodded and asked, "I heard that after the Qing court abdicated and gave way to the country, some people advised you to be self-reliant, why didn't you become self-reliant?" ”

Zeng Guofan replied: "For the glory and wealth of my family." It is really unwise and unkind to take the lives of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Hunan Province. ”

Xiao Yungui praised: "Although Wen Zhenggong was defeated, he is also a generation of heroes. It's a pity that when you fought against my heavenly kingdom, the Hunan army under your command was the most vicious one. When Hengyang was broken back then, you and Tao Enpei agreed to release our Taiping soldiers, but later you betrayed your word and attacked and killed our soldiers. Later, he sent troops into Guangzhou and killed tens of thousands of Tiandihui rebels and civilians. But these wickedness are sins that cannot be pardoned, and what can you say? ”

Zeng Guofan shook his head and said: "Becoming a king or defeating a king, there is nothing to say." But then he took a deep look and said: "But I implore you to see that we and other Hunan army cadres still have the merit of taking the initiative to surrender, and forgive the sins of our family members." ”

Xiao Yungui nodded and said, "Don't worry about this, my Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has always acted according to the law. I don't sit with my family. Among the Hunan army, we will not kill a single person indiscriminately, nor will we spare any guilty person. Speaking of this, he paused and said, "I heard that Rong Lu and your eldest daughter got married and had a son?" ”

Zeng Guofan twitched the corners of his mouth slightly: "Although Rong Lu has committed a big crime, he is innocent, please raise your hand today." ”

Xiao Yungui smiled slightly and said: "You don't have to panic, I won't do anything to a child, I heard that this son has been smart since he was a child, and I want to take him into the capital to take care of him." ”

Zeng Guofan smiled bitterly and said: "Today's grace, Zeng has received it." ”

Xiao Yungui turned his head to look at Guo Songtao and said, "Mr. Guo and I met in Changsha City back then. I haven't seen you for many years, but the style is still the same. ”

Guo Songtao shook his head and said, "The people under the steps, how can you talk about style?" Xiao Yungui asked: "Back then, Zuo Zongtang once had a conversation with you in prison, and he said that he was not a thief but a dragon. What do you think, sir, that this has come true? ”

Guo Songtao smiled bitterly: "Ji Gao's vision is more vicious than Guo's, I have nothing to say." Xiao Yungui hummed and said, "It's a pity that Mr. is one of the leaders of the Hunan Army." can only obey the law of the country, otherwise with the ability of the gentleman. But I can still do something for the country and the people. ”

Guo Songtao smiled miserably and said: "The dynasty has always changed, and the ministers of the previous dynasty will die more." But my death was to save the people of Hunan Land, and it was worth it. ”

Xiao Yungui praised: "In the end, Mr. still has a good conscience in his heart, and he is worthy of being a famous man in Hunan Province." Finally, he looked at the rest of the people and waited: "Okay, I just want to see Zhu Gong today, Zhu Gong has been an enemy of my heavenly kingdom for many years, although he has done many wrong things, but the Hunan army has become an army of its own, and it has been able to resist my heavenly army alone in Jiangnan for several years, and it is indeed outstanding. ”

Everyone in the Hunan army knew their fate, and they were all very angry, and in the end, no one begged to let them go, and after everyone thanked them, they were taken back to the cell by the guards.

Later, after several months of trial, the crimes of the generals of the Hunan army were ascertained one by one, and Zeng Guofan was sentenced to death, but in the end, because of the circumstances of voluntary surrender, he was sentenced to life imprisonment, and died of illness in prison in the third year of the kingdom of heaven. Guo Songtao was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but he eventually behaved well in prison and was released five years later, after which Guo Songtao took the Heavenly Kingdom Civil Service Examination at the age of 60, and served in the Ministry of Education until he died peacefully in his 80s. Zeng Guohua and others were also sentenced to life imprisonment or fixed-term imprisonment, and after several years of prison reform, most of them were released and returned home, some of them became officials like Guo Songtao, and some of them went home to die of old age. And those who were unwilling to surrender and abandoned their officials and went into hiding, they were gradually arrested and brought to justice in the past few years, and most of these people were sentenced to death, because they did not have the voluntary surrender of Zeng Guohua and Guo Songtao.

Among the more than 100,000 Hunan troops, half of the soldiers were sent home, most of them were unwilling to serve as soldiers again, and the other half were selected and filled into the armies of various places. Most of the Hunan troops who continued to serve as soldiers later fought against the British and French forces in Fujian, Guangzhou and other places, and these Hunan troops fought bravely, especially in the first battle of Guangzhou, 3,000 Hunan soldiers defended the Humen Fort, and finally all of them were martyred, but they bought time for the large army to gather and annihilate the enemy who landed on the shore, so that the battle of Guangzhou was a complete victory. Later, when the Kingdom of Heaven was established for ten years, a Hunan army also participated in the war to intervene in the fall of Japan, and after capturing Osaka, the base camp of the Shogunate faction, this Hunan army burned and looted there for three days, which is very historically the style of the Hunan army after breaking through Tianjing. Since then, the prestige of the Hunan army has terrified both Chinese and foreign armies.

After dealing with the generals of the Hunan army, Xiao Yungui returned to the Dongnuan Pavilion, and Hong Yun'er kept standing behind the curtain to peek. After seeing him come in, he sighed: "I can't imagine that a generation of heroes will be disposed of by us like this." ”

Xiao Yungui shook his head and said, "They are going against the trend and are bringing about their own destruction. Hong Yun'er hummed and said, "What are you going to do with Ronglu's child?" Xiao Yungui said: "Although Sixuan is dead. But this child is still left by him, and we should take good care of their mother and son. ”

Hong Yun'er touched her nose and said, "Aren't you afraid that the child will come to you for revenge when he grows up?" Xiao Yungui smiled: "Since the beginning of the army." How many people did I kill? There are so many people who want to take revenge on me, and I will be afraid of a child? And don't you think he's pitiful? ”

Hong Yun'er nodded and said: "Yes, this child is also very pitiful, he has no father since he was a child, and Rong Lu's crime is known to the world, this child will have to bear the reputation of a traitor's son in the future, it is indeed pitiful." Only if we take their mother and son to the capital to take care of them, can we take good care of them and teach them well......"

Rong Lu's son was later taken to the capital to live with his mother, and Xiao Yungui later recognized him as his righteous son. Named Xiao Youyi. Xiao Youyi was admitted to the palace by Xiao Yungui since he was a child to go to school with his own children, and after his father's deeds were sensible, Xiao Yungui did not hide him, and analyzed them with him one by one. After Xiao Youyi learned of his father's treasonous trip that year, he cried for three days, and then traveled to various countries in Western Europe, returned to China as an adult, and has been holding important positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He spent his whole life in peace. And Zeng Jijing did not remarry in the end, and returned to his hometown in Xiangdi in his later years.

The couple was discussing the affairs of Ronglu's children in the house, Zuo Zongtang and Li Kaifang said together, although Xiao Yungui delegated power to the cabinet. But when encountering major matters, Zuo Zongtang will still take the initiative to come to ask for instructions, which is habitual.

Zuo Zongtang entered the house and said happily: "Your Majesty." Nebuchu was victorious, and 30,000 Russian Cossack cavalry were completely annihilated on the west bank of the Shilka River, west of Nebuchu! ”

Xiao Yungui took the official document with surprise and joy: "Why is it so fast? Didn't the news come yesterday that the army had besieged Nebuchu? Muravyov was cautious. How can you be easily fooled? Can't he see such an obvious siege and reinforcements? ”

Zuo Zongtang twisted his beard and said with a smile: "The Russians themselves can only be blamed, their emperor did not let Muravyov fully command this elite Cossack cavalry corps. Rather, it was commanded by a general named Bettov, who was known to have led 18,000 Russian troops to annihilate 60,000 Ottoman troops in the previous Crimean War with Britain and France, so the Russian emperor appointed him to command this army. ”

Xiao Yungui sighed and looked at the official document and said: "It turns out that Tan Shaoguang captured Bebutov, no wonder he knows it so clearly." ”

Tan Shaoguang's official document clearly stated that after the 30,000 Cossack cavalry was sent to the eastern battlefield, they had been operating in Chita and other places, and they sometimes went south to attack Mongolia. Bebutov commanded 18,000 Russian troops to defeat the Turkish 60,000 army, and the weak Mongolian cavalry also gave Bebutov a false impression that the combat effectiveness of the army in the east would not be much stronger than that of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, so he advanced lightly and led 30,000 Cossack troops directly to Nebuchu, hoping to annihilate the Taiping army under the city.

But Bebutov didn't expect that the Taiping army had been prepared, Tan Shaoguang with 10,000 troops supplemented by tens of thousands of Qing troops, Korean and Japanese servant troops besieged the city, and 40,000 elite infantry cavalry troops were all set up in ambushes in the area west of the Shilka River. When Bebutov's Cossack cavalry began to cross the Shilka River, the Taiping army carried out a surprise attack on this Russian army. As a result, 30,000 Russian cavalry were squeezed on the banks of the narrow Shilka River, unable to exert their speed skills, and tragically surrounded, shot and annihilated, and Bebutov himself was wounded and captured. It is worth mentioning that the Cossack cavalry was very fierce, more than 24,000 of the 30,000 were killed, and less than 6,000 were wounded and captured and surrendered. And before Muravyov could send any reminder to Bebutov, this Russian army was annihilated.

After reading the battle report, Xiao Yungui stroked his palms and laughed: "After the annihilation of this nasty cavalry, the end of Muravyov will come." Li Kaifang said: "Your Majesty, there is another bad news, the main fleet of the British and French forces has passed through the ...... of the Strait of Malacca seven days ago" (to be continued......