On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, sporadic firecrackers are still ringing, and the atmosphere of the New Year has not disappeared. At this time, Deng Zixuan led the fleet to dock at Dongguan Baishitan Wharf. "Brother Pei!" "Lord!" Both sides hugged each other. On the dock, Pei Gejin only led one guard to greet him. Without superfluous words, he walked into a delicate courtyard house and entered the main room Pei Gejin personally painted tea for Deng Zixuan and said: "Lord, the journey is tiring, you take a rest first, I'm reporting to you!" ”

"I'm a little tired, but I'm not sleepy, tell me about your situation here?" Deng Zixuan waved his hand to indicate that it was okay. Pei Ge said solemnly: "I received Leng Yifei's report and immediately sent you a telegram. I received information that it has been 20 days since the French landed in Saigon, and now a month has passed. In addition, during the festival, our factory has no holiday and is still in production. Deng Qiang, this kid is very capable, at present, the first brigade of Hainan Island has been reequipped, but Leng Yifei's 2nd brigade has not had time to redress, in order to solve their predicament, I sent them 10,000 grenades, first to solve the urgent need. ”

Deng Zixuan said: "The situation is unclear now, so we have to wait and see. If the French did go on the offensive, it looked like they would face a bloody battle. "At present, I have ordered the secret detachment to transfer to Guangzhou City in batches to deal with changes at any time." "What is the strength of your secret detachment?" "Three regiments, about 3,500 troops! At present, there are more than 600 students enrolled in the military academy, and the total strength will reach more than 4,000 by then. Once there is a change, there is no problem in quickly controlling the city of Guangzhou. “

"How's the situation with the fortress battery?" Deng Zixuan asked. "The Dongguan secret fort is all our people, with a total of 30 fortress cannons and 500 soldiers. The Humen Fort and the Qing Army Fort along the coast are basically under control, and as long as the situation changes, we will immediately take over it in an all-round way. Pei Gejin thought very clearly. Deng Zixuan said decisively: "I think the rifles produced now are equipped with secret detachments first, and the cold flying department can slow down the hunting suits, so let them confuse the French first!" ”

"Lord, I see what you mean to stay in Guangzhou!" Chen Jinyu was puzzled. "Yes, Zhang Zhidong has been appointed as the governor of Liangguang, so I naturally want to catch up with him. In the future, if I want him to work for me, I will naturally probe his truth and truth. Deng Zixuan said with a smile. Is it difficult for Zhang Zhidong to comply? "When the time comes, he won't want to give in, and I won't be able to help him, I will force him to comply, and then I will have a clever plan to make him have no way out." Deng Zixuan was mysterious, and Pei Ge was inconvenient to ask again.

"Are you going to tell Qin Fan? He seems to be aware of it! Pei Gejin said worriedly. Don't tell him yet, after all, he is a businessman, so that he will not be afraid. You and I will enter the city tonight, and we will visit Zhang Zhidong tomorrow. On that day, Deng Zixuan couldn't help but be tired and inspected the arsenal, steel mill and clothing factory, and Zuihou checked the fort and personally summoned the officers of the secret fort. These officers were all assigned by the Shanghai Military Academy, and with the arrival of Deng Zixuan, they naturally knew what was going on. When dusk came, Deng Zixuan went to Guangzhou City and stayed at Qin Fan's mansion.

Qin Fan was taken aback when he greeted Deng Zixuan in front of the door, he didn't expect Deng Zixuan to come to Guangzhou without any warning, and he didn't notify himself to greet him. After entering the inner court, Deng Zixuan looked at Qin Fan's worried expression and said with relief: "Brother Qin, you are too worried, I came to Guangzhou this time because the Governor asked me to come, and it was about speeding up the construction of the railway. Deng Zixuan had to lie, the reason was very good, and Qin Fan was relieved.

"Mr. Deng, what you ordered last year and the year before last, your subordinates dare not slack off. We have now doubled our estates in Liangguang, and we have now stockpiled a large amount of grain. According to your orders, cotton, iron ore, etc., are also hoarded in large quantities, and this is the detailed rules of the accounts. Qin Fan took the account book and looked at it carefully, and said with satisfaction: "Brother Qin! You've done a good job, and I'm very satisfied. Qin Fan said cautiously: "Mr. Deng, I don't know something, what are you doing hoarding these things in large quantities?" ”

"In the future, you will understand that we are businessmen, so naturally we are making money." Deng Zixuan said with a smile. "Is it trading with foreigners or monopolizing the market?" Deng Zixuan smiled and didn't answer, Qin Fan didn't want to ask again. But Qin Fan couldn't figure out what the use of Deng Zixuan's hoarding of grain, cotton, iron ore, and coal was, and he couldn't sleep this night. He seemed to be a little uneasy in his heart, he had long thought that Deng Zixuan didn't seem to be like a businessman, the key was that Deng Zixuan spent a lot of money, and he didn't know where a lot of silver was going, Qin Fan's worries deepened.

The residence of the governor of Liangguang, Zhang Zhidong, is located in the center of the city, which is not a commercial district, but an important place for the government yamen. Zhang Zhidong came to Guangzhou at the beginning of the year to take office, so he ordered Feng Zicai, who was idle at home, to serve as the governor of Guangxi from Xinshan, commanding the Qing army to guard the border, and at the same time mobilizing eight battalions of the Yunnan Army and the Gui Army to be placed under the command of Feng Zicai, plus Feng Zicai's original team, his total strength swelled to 10,000 horses.

On the surface, Zhang Zhidong is Li Hongzhang's person, but in fact, it is not such a moment. It should be said that Zhang Zhidong belongs to the Western-style Shaozhuang faction and has its own shili range. The imperial court made Zhang Zhidong the governor of Liangguang this time, firstly, to stabilize the situation in the border areas, and secondly, to suppress Li Hongzhang. Zhang Zhidong was ordered to use force against the French to attack. However, as a high-ranking official, he was well aware of the open and secret battles in the court, so he warned Feng Zicai not to provoke the French without authorization.

At this time, Zhang Zhidong took the recital feedback from Feng Zicai to check and understand the situation in Annan. Feng Zicai didn't know that the French army had increased in Annam, let alone that the French had launched a military front. "It seems that the French are fake tigers and deliberately scare the court. Now there is no change in Annan, which means that Annan is safe. "Zhang Zhidong is in a good mood." It was the tiger power of the adults that suppressed the French! "One of his subordinates slapped his horse.

Zhang Zhidong frowned, obviously disgusted by his subordinates' unrealistic flattery. His subordinate Bing Xue cleverly changed the topic and said, "My lord, you agree with Zuo Zongtang's proposition, is Lord Li unfavorable to you?" "No, it is the intention of the imperial court to stabilize Annam, and Lord Li advocates a negotiated settlement, and if a negotiated solution can be resolved to avoid war, I will also stand on Lord Li's position to add fuel to the fire." But the French had no sincerity at all. I judge that the war in Annam will break out sooner or later, and we must make preparations with both hands. ”

One of his subordinates hurriedly entered and said, "My lord, there is a businessman outside who claims to be Deng Zixuan asking to see you!" Hearing this, Zhang Zhidong hurriedly stood up and said, "Quickly let the guests in." “haha！ It was Zixuan's elder brother, Zhang Zhidong made an exception to greet him at the middle gate. Seeing that Deng Zixuan was about to make a big salute, Zhang Zhidong hurriedly caught it and said: "It's all your own family, you don't have to be formal!" "Congratulations on your appointment as Governor of Liangguang, my brother came to Guangzhou to check on business, and I heard that my lord is here!"

"Brother Zixuan, you are a rare guest, 4 years have passed since Wuhan was separated, don't say that I often think of you. I heard that you helped Sheng Huaixuan build the railway from Fuzhou to Shanghai, and I am anxious to burn the fire, please! "Enter the living room and sit down, and a cup of fragrant Tieguanyin of the best will appear in front of Deng Zixuan." Brother Zixuan, preparing for the construction of the railway line is something I dream of, this opportunity has come, I want to speed up the speed of the railway line from Guangzhou to Wuhan, and I hope that Brother Zixuan will help. Zhang Zhidong did not hide it.

"My lord, I can't hide it, I'm going to return to Shanghai as soon as possible, and I'll let my lord down. But I'll arrange for my subordinates to serve the adults! "It seems that I am not blessed, it's just that even if I keep people, I won't keep my heart." "Your Excellency, I'll be back soon, don't curse me when the time comes." Deng Zixuan made a pun. “haha！ Brother Zixuan, this is to blame for my brother, stumped my stomach is so small? Don't worry, I won't be embarrassed for you. Zhang Zhidong misunderstood.

The lobby is very well lit, bright and not dazzling, and it seems that the designer was fully conceived and original when building the house. Deng Zixuan looked at the radiant Zhang Zhidong and knew that he had misunderstood. Deng Zixuan changed the topic and asked, "My lord! Hearing that Annan was unstable and the French repeatedly provoked, it seemed that war in Annan was inevitable. ”

Zhang Zhidong was stunned and smiled: "Brother Zixuan, you are a businessman, you didn't expect to care about national affairs, it's rare!" "My lord, the ancients are humble, they dare not forget the worries of the country, the rise and fall of the country is the responsibility of the husband, and the rise and fall of the Qing Dynasty is closely related to the grass people." "It seems that you are a patriotic businessman, and the rise and fall of the country is the responsibility of the husband! That's great. ”

Zhang Zhidong pondered for a while and continued: "The French are deceiving me and being cowardly, and it is inconvenient for me to say much about the decisions of the imperial court. But rest assured, we are prepared in Annam. Of course, avoiding war is the best outcome, and we can't afford to lose a war with foreigners. Brother Zixuan, it is rare to come here as a guest, to express the friendship of the landlord for the brother, please! At this time, the people began to put dishes and chopsticks on the table.

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Deng Zixuan gradually became excited, and his fair face appeared red, which seemed to contrast with his black beard. Zhang Zhidong is also in high spirits and talks extraordinary. "My lord, I think it's good that you just talked about the Restoration, the elimination of evils, and the absorption of ideas from Western countries. However, the key to learning from Western countries is to change the habitual way of thinking. How to effectively integrate traditional concepts with Western theories is a practical strategy. But I feel that this road is full of thorns, and it will be nipped in the bud at any time. ”

Zhang Zhidong sighed and said, "Brother Zixuan, I didn't expect you to be very thoughtful. There are some things that we can't control, we can only take one step at a time. Brother Fang Cai Zixuan said that the rise and fall of the country is the responsibility of the husband, and it seems that it can only start with me, let the majority of people change their minds, and then influence the government to reach a consensus, and adopt gentle social changes to achieve Zhongxing. ”

Deng Zixuan knew in his heart that it was impossible for Zhang Zhidong to discuss sensitive topics with him. Then he knocked on the side and said: "What the adults said is very good, and the grass people suddenly realized." It seems that to change people's minds, we should vigorously advocate reform, open new schools, and let more people receive modern ideological education, which may be a matter of course. Zhang Zhidong's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Talking to you, it is refreshing." Yes, I am ready to vigorously advocate for new learning, and to put it bluntly, it is to open a new school. There may be some resistance, but I'm not going to give up. ”

Deng Zixuan was just about to make a grand statement about the opening of a new-style school, when suddenly a subordinate hurriedly entered, and immediately handed a piece of music to Zhang Zhidong. Zhang Zhidong's face changed greatly after reading it: "Brother Zixuan, I'm really sorry, I have urgent business to do!" "My lord, in that case, I will take my leave. Next time, we'll talk about the past and the present. ”

Deng Zixuan said goodbye to Zhang Zhidong, walked out of the Governor's Mansion and immediately returned to the Qin Mansion. "Lord, I'm back so soon, it's so difficult to talk to Lord Zhang unpleasantly!" Pei Ge, who was waiting in the Qin Mansion, asked. "Zhang Zhidong's face changed greatly when he received a piece of music, I guess the French attacked!" As soon as the words fell, a subordinate came in and announced: "Report, Annan Leng flew a letter!" ”

Deng Zixuan unfolded the letter and checked it, and then handed it to Pei Gejin and said: "Sure enough, Leng Yifei informed that the French army launched an attack on Hanoi, and first broke out a fierce battle with Liu Yongfu's Black Flag Army. At present, Leng Yifei has led his troops to reinforce Liu Yongfu, you immediately inform Leng Yifei that you must not fight with the French army. The 2nd Brigade had no hunting weapons and ordered him to cover Liu Yongfu's retreat, resist and paralyze the French army. ”

Deng Zixuan continued: "I will immediately leave for Hainan Island to reorganize the army. After I am gone, you will stay in the city of Canton, and remember, you must act according to the strategy we have drawn up. The date cannot be determined, but the day I am exposed to Annam is the day you take control of the city of Canton. "Don't worry, my lord! Remember! "I'm leaving!" Deng Zixuan solemnly held Pei Gejin's hand. "My lord! Bon voyage! ”