The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 358: Only when everything is given up can it be clean
Gu Hongming was very clear about what Zhang Zhidong had been thinking all along.

Zhang Zhidong admired Zuo Zongtang very much. He had always wanted to train an army stronger than Li Hongzhang's Beiyang army. Stimulated by the defeat in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Zhang Zhidong became even more eager to train troops.

What Gu Hongming knew better was that training a strong army was not only Zhang Zhidong's way of proving that he was as talented in military affairs as Li Hongzhang, but most importantly, he wanted to personally lead his army in a bloody battle with foreign enemies.

In order to build a strong army, Zhang Zhidong put in a lot of effort.

The Huguang New Army organized by Zhang Zhidong should be more precisely called the Hubei New Army. It was expanded on the basis of the two battalions of the Self-Strengthening Army that Zhang Zhidong brought back from Liangjiang. It now has a total of more than 5,000 people.

Even Zhang Zhidong, who always believed in Chinese learning as the basis and Western learning as the application, used completely Westernized extreme methods in training troops. His new army required soldiers to be literate and to know some arithmetic. In addition to various equipment training, there were also Western training methods such as crossing trenches and climbing hills.

The most important thing is that Zhang Zhidong required that military camps and barracks must be clean, which is somewhat similar to Teng Yuzhao's requirements.

However, this new army now made Zhang Zhidong somewhat disappointed. It did not perform well during the expedition against the Self-Reliance Army, and compared with the foreign soldiers in the Hankou Concession, it seemed to lack some spirit.

As for where the difference lies, no one can tell for sure.

Now, due to the appearance of Teng Yuzhao, Zhang Zhidong should have completely given up the idea of ​​training a strong army. This required a lot of determination for someone like Zhang Zhidong who was always competitive and unwilling to submit to others.

Gu Hongming sighed secretly, "Xiang Marshal, what about our new army?"

It was as if he wanted to give away something he loved the most as soon as possible, but was worried that he would regret it the next moment and would not be willing to give it to the other person. Zhang Zhidong waved his hand and said with a hint of reluctance.

"The new army will not be established. Teng Xingfu can take the soldiers if he likes them, and dismiss them if he doesn't. As for the officers, the same goes for them. If he doesn't want them, I will arrange for them to be replaced."

Zhang Zhidong said to himself, "All the officers we trained were trained in Japan. Now it seems that the Japanese have no good intentions. All those in the Self-Reliance Army went to Japan."

"The people Teng Xingfu used were all graduates of the Beiyang Military Academy and Nie Gongting's Front Army School. They were all taught by the Germans. Not only are these people more reassuring, but the Germans are also stronger than the Japanese militarily."

"The Germans were able to defeat even the arrogant French. Only by employing those who have received German military education can we train an army that does not belong to the great powers."

Although Gu Hongming also thought that Zhang Zhidong was right, he even admitted that the Germans were the strongest among the world powers in terms of military, but he disagreed with Zhang Zhidong's theory that "a good teacher should definitely teach good students."

Gu Hongming could not help but refute in a somewhat mocking tone, "Xiang Marshal, don't forget that this time, Teng Xingfu burned more than 10,000 German troops in less than an hour outside the Qihua Gate of the capital. Does this mean that the Germans are not necessarily very strong?"

Zhang Zhidong said nonchalantly, "Don't forget that Teng Xingfu killed more than 20,000 Japanese in one battle. The Japanese were even worse. Besides, you must have heard the saying that the disciple is better than the master."

Few people could get a good deal in front of Zhang Zhidong by showing off their eloquence, but Gu Hongming didn't mind. He understood Zhang Zhidong's mood at the time and couldn't help but smile and said.

"Marshal Xiang, in my opinion, why not keep our new troops and let them see how the vanguard army trains. In this way, our new troops can also quickly improve their combat effectiveness. As for those officers who studied in Japan, we should be more cautious now and replace them when there is a chance in the future."

"No need."

Zhang Zhidong smiled bitterly and said, "Hongming, it seems that you need to ponder the word 'willing to give up' more! Willing to give up, only by giving up can you gain. Only by giving up everything can you be clean and pure."

Gu Hongming already understood what Zhang Zhidong meant by "get", so he asked tentatively, "Does Xiangshuai mean that the Empress Dowager will settle the score later?"

Gu Hongming said in disbelief, "But there are so many people who signed the Southeast Mutual Protection Agreement, and each of them is a powerful official. How can she touch them?" Zhang Zhidong smiled bitterly, "Hongming, although you were born in Southeast Asia and raised in the West, you are also a person who is familiar with classics and history. Confucius said in the Analects of Confucius, 'Only women and villains are difficult to raise. If you get close to them, they will be disrespectful. If you keep them away, they will complain.' You must remember it."

"Not only was the Queen Mother driven out of the capital by the foreigners, she almost lost her life at the hands of the foreigners. It was only because of Wu Ziyu, a student of Teng Xingfu, who risked his life to save her, and Teng Xingfu's soldiers who came to the rescue in time that the Queen Mother and the Emperor were able to escape. How miserable they were!"

"You think the Queen Mother will forget all this!"

"Fortunately, she is a person who knows how to endure. It won't be a problem now, but it's hard to say what will happen in the future."

"Although we formed this Southeast Mutual Protection Agreement, or alliance, because the imperial court condoned the Boxers and believed that they were a rebellion, in order to prevent Jiangnan from being affected by the war, to preserve the vitality of the Qing Dynasty, and to clean up the mess in the future."

"But this demarcation of territory for self-protection is always a violation of the greater good, unless we establish ourselves outside the imperial court."

Seeing that Gu Hongming seemed to be moved after he mentioned "be independent outside", Zhang Zhidong stopped talking.

"This is also the reason why Li Shaoquan got rid of the matter early. At this moment, I am also on the right side of the court. Although Liu Kunyi is still holding on, he is old and sick, and I am afraid he will not live long. The Queen Mother should not embarrass him anymore."

Although Gu Hongming was somewhat disappointed to see that Zhang Zhidong had stopped talking, he could do nothing about it as he was, after all, just an aide.

Gu Hongming nodded slightly and said, "Marshal Xiang means that the two people, Yuan Shikai, the governor of Shandong, and Wang Zhichun of Anhui, will be in trouble in the future?"

Zhang Zhidong shook his head and said, "Yuan Shikai should not be in trouble. I think only Wang Zhichun will suffer some grievances in the future."

Zhang Zhidong's words surprised Gu Hongming, who spoke in confusion.

"Marshal Xiang, Yuan Shikai has a large army and is very close to the capital, but he sits there and watches the capital in danger without doing anything. He even ignores the imperial edict to send troops from all over the country to the capital. Logically, shouldn't the Queen Mother hate him the most? With Teng Xingfu around, is there any fear that he will cause trouble?"

Zhang Zhidong shook his head and said, "Hongming, you don't understand. It is precisely because Yuan Shikai has a large army that the Queen Mother will not easily do anything to him. Whether Teng Xingfu is there or not, she will not do anything to Yuan Shikai."

"Now that he has Teng Xingfu, Yuan Shikai can rest assured."

Zhang Zhidong's words were very puzzling, and Gu Hongming was even more confused.

Zhang Zhidong sighed slightly and said quietly, "This is the art of political intrigue and the way of the emperor. Although the empress dowager is a woman, she has grasped the essence of it!"

Zhang Zhidong looked at the couplet he had written again and recited it silently.

"Teng Xingfu, I have done everything I can. I have tried my best. I hope you will not let me down!"

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(End of this chapter)