Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 4: The worst that can happen is that everyone is dead (Please recommend, please vote, please support.)
"Master Jiushuai, you don't have to sneer at me. Although Zheng is still young, he has been in the army for four years and has killed countless people. He no longer knows what fear is."

Since they had fallen out, Zheng Guohui didn't need to pretend to be a pitiful quail. He simply spoke frankly, "Everyone is here. Since the Ninth Marshal is determined to punish me, please clearly state the charges and let me die with a clear conscience."

Zeng Guoquan was so angry that his face turned blue. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted loudly;

"I will make you die with a clear conscience. You have committed three major capital crimes.

First, direct criticism in the military offends superiors, which is a crime of great disrespect and punishable by death.

Second, they openly disobeyed military orders, recruited bandits for their own use, harbored evil, and killed without mercy.

Third, he excluded his colleagues and colluded with his cronies with ill intentions. Even a thousand deaths would not be enough to atone for his crime; he should be put to death without mercy."

Zheng Guohui laughed and shook his head and said;

"If you want to accuse someone of a crime, you will always find a pretext.

I led the Tongzhou militia through hard battles, and my loyalty is known to the world. It is not the one-sided words of the Ninth Marshal that can slander me. I would like to ask all the superiors to bear witness to this.

The so-called exclusion of colleagues and collusion with cliques is simply a joke. Our Tongzhou militia is originally a civilian group. After the war, we should return to our hometown and enjoy a peaceful life.

If militias visit each other a few times, does that mean they are forming cliques?
Zheng is unwilling to associate with a scumbag like Miao Peilin. Does that mean he is excluding his colleagues?

You said that I recruited bandit troops for my own use. You and your Hunan Army did this a lot. Otherwise, after more than two years of hard fighting, you would have been lucky to have only 8000 soldiers left out of your Ji Battalion of more than . Where did you get the tens of thousands of troops you have now?
Coming out of the ground?
Which of the militia units participating in the war did not recruit new blood?

Regarding this matter, I can submit a list to the court. Tongzhou militia will recruit clean-cut new recruits to serve the court, not for personal gain."

"How dare you! Catch this lunatic for me." Zeng Guoquan, the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, saw that he couldn't win the argument, so he slammed the table and shouted in anger.

Immediately, several Hunan Army generals rushed up and wanted to capture Zheng Guohui.

Zheng Guohui sneered, resting one hand on the hilt of his knife, and said in a cold voice, "Don't blame me for not warning you. If you dare to come within three feet of me, I will take your head off."

Zheng Guohui's reputation for bravery was well-deserved. Upon hearing this, the Hunan Army generals hesitated, as no one wanted to test the sword on their own bodies.

"Rebellion, rebellion, Governor, Governor, and all the gentlemen, this guy is openly rebelling!" Zeng Guoquan, the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, slammed the table. Who dared to offend him like this?
Now we have this mere fifth-rank garrison commander.

Zheng Guohui clasped his fists and saluted with dignity, saying, "Your Excellency, Governor, and all your Excellencies.

Zheng is not a rebellious person, but even if he has to die, he wants to die with dignity, instead of being framed by treacherous officials and dying in grief and injustice.

I dare to speak frankly to you all
Zeng Guoquan, the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, committed seven capital crimes, which caused widespread public outrage. The soldiers in the army had long been dissatisfied, but they dared not speak out.

The first crime was that Zeng Guoquan deceived the emperor and openly took advantage of the gathering of a large army to enrich himself. There was both witnesses and evidence, and he could not be slandered.

Zeng Guoquan reported to the court: "We did not find any hidden gold in the Heavenly King's Palace. Apart from two "fake jade seals" and one "gold seal", we found nothing else."

These are all nonsense, and are crimes of deceiving the emperor and deceiving superiors. The person must be put to death.

The second crime was burning the palace without authorization with the intention of destroying evidence.

After the Hunan Army's "Ji Battalion" was the first to break into the city, the main force of the soldiers rushed directly to the Heavenly King's Palace and searched and seized countless gold, silver and valuables. We witnessed it with our own eyes and it cannot be denied.

There is an emerald watermelon in the gold cellar, which came from the palace. It has a crack on it, black spots like seeds, and red flesh like pulp. It is bright and smooth, and all of it is natural.

This treasure fell into the hands of Zeng Guoquan. Another rumor:

"The wife of Zeng Zhongtang (referring to Zeng Guofan), the palace guard, returned to her hometown (Hunan) from Nanjing in early March. She was escorted by about two hundred ships, stretching for dozens of miles."

Are so many people escorting the hidden gold or other important military affairs?

In order to destroy the evidence, the people of Ji Camp openly set fire to the Heavenly King's palace. This is an act that harms the country and they must be killed.

The third crime is that Zeng Guoquan and others formed a clique for personal gain, expanded their faction, suppressed dissidents, and became a force that was difficult to eradicate.

The Hunan Army had more than 300 battalions, and the "Ji Battalion" alone had tens of thousands of soldiers, which was still insufficient. They suppressed dissidents and killed loyal officials all the time.

After the city was broken
The Hunan Army took in a large number of remnants of the Taiping Rebellion, and the number of people in various mountain strongholds increased with each battle. Are they all Hunan Army soldiers, or are they all harvested from the fields?

This thief has ulterior motives..."

Since you've turned the table, let's just show no mercy and fight to the death.

"Shut up, shut up! This is complete nonsense!" Zeng Guoquan was almost mad with rage.

What Zheng Guohui said, especially the third one, was the most serious, and was also mentioned repeatedly in the letters from my elder brother Zeng Guofan;

In the event of a great victory, one is required to be as low-key and humble as possible, and to unite with colleagues so as not to arouse suspicion from the court.

In just three or four years

The Hunan Army grew to more than 300 battalions, with a total of more than people. In addition, there were tens of thousands of casualties over the years. It is impossible that all of them were from Hunan.

So, where did so many soldiers come from?
Anyone with a discerning eye can see it, but the imperial court now relies on the Huai Army and the Xiang Army, so it turns a blind eye.

How could the person sitting on the dragon throne in the capital not be worried?

the answer is negative.

Not only the person sitting on the dragon throne in the capital, but all the Manchu officials were worried. It can be said that they couldn't sleep all night long, fearing that these important officials would turn against them.

The Qing Dynasty, which was riddled with holes, could not withstand the turmoil, and the severely damaged Manchu officials could not withstand the turmoil either.

The Taiping Rebellion and the Nian Rebellion that ravaged dozens of provinces in the southeast dealt a heavy blow to the ruling foundation of the entire imperial court. The number of Manchus who died in the war alone is conservatively estimated to be over 50, accounting for one-third of the total number of Manchus who entered the Central Plains.

In particular, Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan clearly expressed this position at the very beginning of his religion:

"The followers of our religion are determined to fight Manchuria as an enemy."

In the "Fengtian Taohu Edict," he openly declared: "I vow to wipe out the Eight Banners and bring peace to the world."

After capturing a city, the Taiping rebels would often search and kill Manchu officials and their families without mercy. In February of the third year of the Xianfeng reign, when the Taiping Army besieged Jiujiang and Wuhu, Manchu officials fought desperately but were brutally massacred after the city was captured.

According to historical records

"In Manchuria, the slaughter was unprecedented. No one, young or old, man or woman was spared."

After conquering Jiangning Prefecture, all the Manchus, totaling more than 4 people and 4000 children in the city, were slaughtered, leaving few survivors.

After the capture of Nanjing, the city was littered with corpses. Nearly 6 Manchus were killed, and only one in ten survived.

After taking Anqing...

Two years ago

Prince Zhong Li Xiucheng led an army of 40 to defeat the Jiangnan camp for the second time. The imperial envoy He Chun and the fierce general Zhang Guoliang were all killed. The Green Camp and Eight Banners soldiers from several provinces including Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Anhui, and Huguang were wiped out in one battle and have not recovered until now.

Emperor Xianfeng no longer had any regular troops available, so he could only entrust the task of suppressing the bandits to the local militia.

Think about it
If Zheng Guohui's remarks were to reach the capital, would the person sitting on the throne still be able to sit still?
How big is that heart?

After hearing Zheng Guohui's impeachment, Jiangning General Xianghou, Jiangnan Admiral Fuzhu Hong'a, Jiangning Deputy Governor Huo Longwu, Provincial Governor Elong, Anhui Governor Cao Wenqing, Provincial Governor Zhang Shunde, Jiangxi General Chen Yongshan, Deputy General Duolong'a and other first and second rank local officials all changed color and could no longer pretend to be bystanders.

The impeachment charges are extremely serious and well-documented, which is troublesome.

The current imperial court's secret memorial system is very powerful. Whatever is said in the court today will soon be transmitted to the Grand Council without missing a word, and even reach the emperor's ears.

If the ministers remain indifferent in the face of such a serious impeachment, then everyone will be guilty.

Zheng Guohui's public impeachment has dragged everyone into this matter, and no one can stay out of it.

General Jiangning's face looked as if he were constipated, and he had no choice but to speak out, "Please calm down, Governor. We need to consider this matter carefully. We must not let anger lead to trouble, arouse the resentment of the militia, and cause the favorable situation to suddenly change."

"Yes, Your Excellency the Governor, please calm down your anger for a while and act according to the circumstances." Zhang Shunde, the governor of Anhui Province, also took the opportunity to persuade him.

The governor of Jiangsu Province, Elong, was much more direct. He was a first-rank Manchu minister and had long been fed up with Zeng Guoquan's arrogance. When he saw him being confronted in person, he felt as refreshed as eating a popsicle in the hottest days of summer.

Elong said;

"Your Excellency, I believe this matter deserves discussion and should be handled with caution. We should not discourage the officers and soldiers.

It's better like this
Let's just forget about this beating for now and allow them to atone for their sins. After all, they are all meritorious officials of the court. It's best to appease and help them.

Master Bok Joo, what do you think?"

This specifically calls out Jiangnan Governor Fu Zhuhong'a and prevents him from trying to smooth things over. After all, Fu Zhuhong'a is the highest military commander of Su Province and Zheng Guohui's superior.

Although Zeng Guoquan, the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, was a high-ranking official in charge of the military and political affairs of the two provinces, there was still a layer of separation.

The handling and transfer of military officers requires a direct order from the Jiangnan Governor-General Fu Zhuhong'a. Although Zeng Guoquan, the Governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, can also do so, it is inevitable that he will be suspected of overreaching.

Especially in the military field, the way they eat is so ugly.

These first and second rank officials all spoke up to persuade him, and even with Zeng Guoquan's domineering attitude, they had to consider giving in.

In this situation, continuing to insist on one's own opinion is tantamount to risking one's career.

Is it so great to be the Prince's Grand Tutor of the first rank?
After all, they are still Han officials, just lackeys of the Qing royal family.

There are so many princes, beile, beizi and other super yellow belts in the capital, what is the first-class Wei Yibo?
Even his eldest brother Zeng Guofan had to behave himself and appear loyal at all times, for fear of arousing suspicion from the court.

Zeng Guoquan quickly weighed the pros and cons, regained consciousness from his anger, and forced an ugly smile on his face, saying;
"Everyone, I was also irritated by this little bastard and was careless for a moment. I am sorry to have made you laugh.

This is not a big deal in the first place. The priority is to re-appeal to military law and rectify discipline.

As for the young boy's offense, considering his young age and ignorance, I will just give him a warning and let it go. I will not bother with him."

He found a way out for himself and quietly let the matter go.

After saying this, he stood up, flicked his sleeves, and walked straight to the back hall with a frustrated look on his face, leaving a message in the distance: "Everyone, disperse! If anyone dares to violate military law again, I will not show mercy."

After being hit by Zheng Guohui, this stubborn and stubborn person, Zeng Guoquan probably won't be able to sleep well all night.

Zheng Guohui was very happy in his heart, because he had made the right bet.

Manchu ministers such as Jiangnan Governor Fuzhuhong'a, Provincial Governor Elong, and Deputy General Duolong'a looked at him with extremely gentle eyes, and their intention to win him over was beyond words.

Those in power are good at checks and balances. What the Manchu ministers in the court are most worried about is... that the current Hunan Army and Huai Army have no checks and balances.

Anyone who dared to contradict the Governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Zeng Guoquan, in person was a thorn in the eyes and flesh of the Zeng brothers, and they were determined to get rid of him as soon as possible.

Then in the eyes of the Manchu ministers
This small fifth-grade weapon is really a hot commodity. We must vigorously cultivate it, we must vigorously support it, and we must vigorously win it over. That is the way to check and balance it.

I estimate that tonight, the secret report sent urgently over 600 miles will be sent to the capital, directly to the meeting room of the Grand Council, and then presented to the emperor. This will be a blessing rather than a curse for me!

Zheng Guohui is familiar with history

He knew that the brothers Zeng Guofan and Zeng Guoquan had always been suspected by the court. Zeng Guoquan soon resigned from his post as governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang due to criticism and returned to his hometown.

Despite his hard work and great achievements, Zeng Guofan was only awarded the first-class Marquis of Weiyi, and his highest official position was Governor-General of Liangjiang. He never entered the central government as a Grand Councilor, let alone the position of Prime Minister.

Zeng Guofan’s “Zhongtang” is called Wei, which is still very watery!
Openly breaking with the Zeng brothers is a blessing rather than a curse for himself, and it is also a self-protection measure that he has to take in times of crisis.

Otherwise, if the 30th Army hits him with a stick, his mother's butt will be broken, so how can he talk about finding a new way to start a business?

If you fall into the hands of the Hunan Army, don't expect anything good to happen to you.

(End of this chapter)