Above the hall of the Changsha Governor's Yamen, Zeng Guofan and other generals of the Hunan Army were slightly stunned after listening to Hu Linyi's words, thinking that although Hu Linyi was surrounded by a lonely city and finally had to surrender, he still handed over Xiangyang completely, even if the official position could not be compared with when he was in the Qing court, but it should not be without the slightest official position. In an instant, many generals of the Hunan Army who had secretly thought about surrendering to protect their wealth and nobility were all in their hearts, and the idea of surrendering was a little weaker.

Seeing everyone's stunned expressions, Hu Linyi smiled faintly and said: "Taiping still has his own set of rules for subduing and surrendering people, but anyone who has not killed the Taiping army or captured people, nor has he killed the ordinary people in the township, can be exempted from the crime of confronting the Taiping in battle." When I was in Hubei, although I did not order the killing of Taiping prisoners or the harm of the people, there were always a few regimental training generals under my command who did these things. After the surrender, these things were reported by subordinate officers and soldiers, and after all my unsuccessful subordinates were found out, I did not have the shame to continue to serve as the governor of Hubei Province given by Taiping, so I took the initiative to resign from my post. Later, the king of the West came with a letter in his own handwriting, persuading me not to act rashly, and allowing me to make meritorious deeds, so I also came here. ”

Zeng Guofan sighed and said: "It turned out that Zhensheng was ashamed that his subordinates had done some despicable things, so he took the initiative to take the blame, which is indeed a high wind and bright festival." ”

Hu Linyi smiled bitterly: "Gao Feng Liangjie didn't dare to bear it, I just wanted to use resignation as a threat, I wanted to save those subordinates who had been born and died with me, and wanted to earn a life for them." But then Taiping involved me in their public trial. It was only after hundreds of ordinary people in the vicinity of Xiangfan cried over the trial that I realized how wrong I was. In order to kill the good and take the merits, those subordinates did no less than ten cases of slaughtering the village and destroying the village. There are always tens of thousands of innocent people who died under their hands, and if they don't die, God has no eyes. So, my initial thought turned into shame, my own subordinates made mistakes, and I should also take responsibility, so I insisted on resigning. ”

Everyone suddenly came to their senses, and most of the generals of the Hunan Army were relaxed for a while. Unlike in history, the Hunan army at this time rarely went out of the province to fight because of the encirclement of the powerful Taiping army. In this province, the officers and soldiers of the Hunan army are all children of Hunan Province, and the people in the vicinity are all relatives and friends of the villagers, so there has never been a case of the Hunan army killing the people of Hunan Province. The article harming the people can be removed. Only a few generals were a little worried. Because they followed Rong Lu to Guangdong to assist the local Qing army, and they had killed the people who rebelled in the Heaven and Earth Society at that time, but those were all orders from Rong Lu, and I don't know if Taiping can forgive them for these sins.

As for the killing of prisoners, it is even less, when Changsha and Hengyang were conquered in the past, the Taiping army was all killed, and none of them were captured or surrendered, so it was not considered a prisoner killing. And because at this time, the Taiping army and the Hunan army were different from history. At this time, the Hunan army was on the defensive, and the Hunan army and the Taiping army fought all the year round. The few captured prisoners were also used to exchange the prisoners of the Hunan army with the Taiping army, how dare they kill a person in vain? It's just that a few people are worried about ambushing and killing this Taiping army halfway after letting go of the Taiping Army in Hengyang, which is also Rong Lu's idea, and I don't know how the Taiping Army will settle this old account.

Zeng Guofan hummed and said, "If you really do such an unreasonable thing, these people deserve to die." When the Qing army in other places was entrenched in Hunan land, there were many harmful actions to the people, and our Hunan army also fought a few battles with them because of the protection of the township, and our Hunan army was entrenched in Hunan land, and there were relatives and friends in the township on the left and right, but they had never done anything harmful to the people. As for the killing of prisoners, there is no such thing, for many years the Taiping and our Hunan army have been fighting, and we have won less and lost more, but those who have captured the Taiping army are used to exchange the prisoners of the Hunan army, and we dare not kill them at will. ”

Hu Linyi smiled bitterly, this Zeng Guofan obviously opened his eyes and said nonsense, Hengyang intercepted and killed the soldiers released by the Taiping, the Guangdong Hunan army slaughtered the Heaven and Earth Society, and the Changsha Taiping Army was completely wiped out by the Hunan army, but these things are all known to everyone, how could the Taiping Army ignore them? But Hu Linyi didn't refute it, but said: "Zeng Shuai, since this is the case, it sounds like Zeng Shuai still has the intention of surrendering, so let's talk about how the Hunan army plans to surrender." ”

Before Zeng Guofan could speak, Zeng Guoquan hurriedly said: "Big brother, do you really plan to surrender to Taiping?" Hengyang intercepted and killed the soldiers released by the Taiping, our Hunan army in Guangdong slaughtered the Heaven and Earth Society, and the Taiping army in Changsha was completely wiped out by our Hunan army, these few things can Taiping swallow this breath? Once we surrender, it will be fish and meat slaughtered on the chopping board, and there will be no room to turn over, big brother think twice! ”

Zeng Guofan glanced at Zeng Guoquan angrily, and Hu Linyi said: "Zeng Shuai, what the Ninth Master said still needs to be considered clearly, although Hu is a messenger of the Taiping, but in these few things, Hu Mou is not good to give any answer, these three tragic things Taiping may indeed not ignore them, and it is not difficult to ensure that the Taiping will not settle accounts in the future, and Zeng Shuai needs to be careful whether to descend or not." ”

Zeng Guofan looked at Hu Linyi and suddenly laughed and said: "Zhensheng, others are trying their best to persuade others as lobbyists, but you are good, you actually advised me to think carefully about it, you are a bit derelict in your duties." ”

Hu Linyi's face did not change and said: "I am the envoy of the Taiping Army, so I will definitely do what I need to do. Come to persuade Zeng Shuai to surrender you, if you don't say it thoroughly, he really has something to do in the future, wouldn't it make the Taiping New Dynasty lose its trust? In the public, I am telling the truth, whether the persuasion surrender is successful or not, the new dynasty must say a letter, and we can't deceive the Hunan people after surrendering, and then come to do repeated things. In private, everyone is Hu's fellow villagers, and Hu can't do anything to deceive the villagers in order to be guilty and make meritorious contributions. ”

Zeng Guofan snorted and laughed: "Zhensheng really deserves to be a high-spirited person, and he deserves the old man's evaluation." Then he groaned: "Zhensheng, if we refuse to surrender, do you think we have a chance of winning?" ”

Hu Linyi said with certainty: "There is no chance of winning. On top of the time, Taiping has achieved the general trend of the world, the great cause of opposing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Han Dynasty has been successful, and there is an edict in the hand of the Manchu Qing Dynasty to abdicate and let the country order the remnants of the Qing army to surrender, and the Hunan army has nothing, and it has lost the time of day. On the geographical advantage, the Taiping Sailor choked the Dongting Lake, the Hunan Army Sailor was trapped and within the Xiangjiang River, Liangguang, Sichuan, Jiangxi, and Hubei surrounded the Hunan land, which has become a dead place, and the geographical advantage is cut off. On top of the people, although the Hunan people have the idea of self-preservation, but the Hunan supply of the Hunan army and the Taiping war for several years, the elite of Hunan has gone to seven or eight out of ten, and the people in the province are tired of the war, and they are all looking forward to the husband of the son and son to return home as soon as possible. Zeng Shuai, what are you going to do with Taiping? ”

Zeng Guofan was silent, everyone in the hall was silent, and Hu Linyi continued: "I heard that Taiping will hold a ceremony to establish the country and enthrone the throne in two months, and the king of the west entered Beijing at the beginning of the year, and he has been preparing for nearly seven months, and he intends to establish the country in October. It is nothing more than preparing for a major event, I heard that this time the founding of the country is different, the king of the West will issue a "Decree on the Establishment of the Country" to the people of the whole country, which for the first time put forward the right of the country in the people, and everyone is equal before the law of the country. Zeng Shuai must not think that he can raise the flag and stand on his own, is he asking Zeng Shuai can have such a bold spirit, can he be like the king of the Taiping West, can he make such a promise to the people of the world? I thought that at that time, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom would definitely be supported by the people of the world, and would Hunan be able to block the whole country's hard work? ”

Zeng Guoquan was the first to jump up when he heard this: "I don't believe that the charcoal seller in Bauhinia Mountain can have such a large measure and give these things to the people of the world, so can he, the emperor, still do it?" ”

Hu Linyi smiled and said, "Hasn't the Ninth Master heard that the Empress of England did the same?" ”

When Zeng Guoquan was about to say more, Zeng Guofan raised his hand to stop his words, and then said: "Zhensheng, don't talk about other gossip." Since the Taiping cannot fully forgive our sins, it is even less able to guarantee the prosperity of our subordinates. The old man doesn't care about the wealth and power after the surrender of the individual, it's just that the Hunan army has followed the old man from birth to death for many years, and the old man can't leave them alone. Although Taiping occupies the right time and place, but the old lady is now fighting for herself, there are no eggs under the nest, if Taiping refuses to forgive us and other crimes, then come to a fish to die and break the net! ”

Zeng Guofan is worthy of a generation of heroes, his words have made the generals present who were still secretly surrendering in private sober up, there are no eggs under the nest, and now they are not fighting for the Qing court or the Zeng dynasty, but for their future survival, Zeng Guofan made this powerful relationship clear in a few words.

Hu Linyi seems to have expected that the Hunan army would not surrender so easily, and when he came, the king of the West also wrote to inform him that the surrender of the Hunan army was also handled according to the Qing army that surrendered in other places, and those who had committed great evils could not be let go, and the new dynasty of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom would not do those things that deceived people to surrender and then surrender, so everyone spread it out and said that it is best to solve the problem with a clear knife and a gun. At that moment, Hu Linyi got up and arched his hand: "Zeng Shuai's meaning Hu understands it, and he should go back and explain the words." It's just Zeng Shuai, although there are still more than 100,000 soldiers in the Hunan army, and Zeng Shuai can use these hundreds of thousands of soldiers in exchange for the future future, but Hu Mou will never give up their so-called principle issues for the sake of temporary tranquility. It will not work to kill people and set fire to be recruited in Taiping, and the Hunan army wants to change the future by taking advantage of the army, but in the end I am afraid that it will be empty. Hu Mou's words are all here, everyone cherishes them, and I will leave here. ”

After saying that, Hu Linyi saluted and turned to leave, Zeng Guoquan looked at Hu Linyi's back and said angrily: "What are you afraid of, even if the Taiping army wants to come to fight Xiangdi, prepare 300,000 coffins, 150,000 are our Hunan army, and 150,000 coffins are their Taiping army!" ”

Then the development of things was not as expected by the Hunan army, after Hu Linyi left, the Hunan army actively prepared for war, Xiangyin, Changsha and other places of the Hunan army in the pass, dangerous places to form a hard village waiting for the Taiping army to attack, Zeng Guofan planned to fight a battle, let the Taiping army know that the Hunan army is a hard bone to gnaw, so as to be able to accept the conditions of the Hunan army.

Five days later, the Taiping army really launched an offensive, but did not launch an offensive on land according to the Hunan army's plan, the Taiping army's Yangtze River water division launched a powerful offensive, launched a water offensive against the Xiang River, and completely sent the Hunan army water division to the bottom of the Xiang River within seven days. (To be continued......)