Looking at the relieved Zuo Zongtang, Li Yunzhong said solemnly: "I appoint you as the governor of Zhejiang and the general of the Southern Expedition. You will command the First Army, the Fifth Army, the Qianyang Gun Corps, the Shanghai and Suzhou Garrison, and you can recruit militiamen on the spot.

Join the war, so that we can gather about 60,000 to 70,000 people and attack Zhejiang and Fujian with all our strength!"

Ever since he saw the power of the foreign gun corps, Zuo Zongtang has always wanted to form a large-scale foreign gun corps. He endured the excitement in his heart and tried: "If the foreigners sell guns and cannons to Wei Chen, will Wei Chen want it or not..."

"Okay! Granting you the right to form a foreign gun team is just to get money on the spot! You can buy as many guns as you can! But you have to report it to the Ministry of War and the General Staff afterwards!" Li Yunzhong pursed his lips and saw Lin Daji and Zhang Suimou.

Stunned, I added a little.

Lin Daji and Zhang Suimou were in a state of agitation. Not to mention that the Governor of Zhejiang Province was already in the second rank and was on the same level as their six brothers. He was a very popular minister and a general in the southern expedition! His Highness had never heard him mention it. Just hearing the name was amazing. How many people in the south were there?

Provinces, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan are all Zuo Zongtang’s sphere of influence!

"Your Highness, think twice...this...this Zhejiang Qingyao already...has more than 50,000 people. I am afraid that the left will not have the energy to take care of the southern provinces, so it would be better to postpone the appointment of the southern general." Zhang Suimou said in a hurry.

I can't think of any good way to stop this, except to take down the post of General Zhengnan first.

Lin Daji also reacted and was worried that the power of the Hunan people would overpower the Guangxi people. He advised: "Since His Highness plans to capture the southern provinces, I am afraid that Mr. Zuo will not be able to handle it alone. It is better to send a few more people, such as Li Xiucheng and Li Desheng.

If Luo Gang and others can fight well, they will surely win a great victory and present it to His Highness!"

Seeing that the two of them were only competing for power, Li Yunzhong waved his hand and said: "Okay, this matter will be discussed at the court meeting and military meeting. You don't need to persuade me now!"

Lu Mansion

Lu Jianying, Minister of Rites, Chang Dachun, Minister of Household Affairs, Zuo Zongtang, Minister of War, Zhao Liewen, Minister of Criminal Affairs, Wang Qinglu, deputy censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Yang Jinlong, the prefect of Nanjing, Li Shiqi, the same magistrate of Nanjing, and others gathered together.

Lu Jianying smiled with satisfaction. These people were attracted by him and acquiesced in his position as the leader. Zuo Zongtang's reputation among scholars was still too shallow. It was okay to lead the Hunan people. Compared with him in Jiangnan, he was not even a little bit worse.

.

Chang Dachun looked at Zuo Zongtang with admiration. He didn't expect that he was usually taciturn, but at the critical moment, he was so valued by the King of Han. He was the governor of Zhejiang and the general of the Southern Conquest! He was a very popular minister!

Chang Dachun raised his tea cup and said, "Everyone! Today is a victory for our scholars. Ji Gao can serve as the governor of Zhejiang and the general of the Southern Conquest. This shows that the King of Han still values ​​​​students very much."

Zuo Zongtang said humbly: "Thanks to His Highness's respect, Ji Gao can only do his best and die!"

"Tomorrow is the day that determines success or failure. Those Guangxi people will not easily agree to Ji Gao taking such an important position. Moreover, there are six brothers who are sworn brothers to the King of Han. They have a great influence on the King of Han. If they all come together

If you object, the King of Han will have to think twice before proceeding!" Lu Jianying was savvy and planned tomorrow's court meeting. "Tomorrow we must fully support Ji Gao's southern expedition. Even if we give up some interests in other aspects, we can consider it."

Although Wang Qinglu didn't stay in Li Yunzhong for a long time, he had the ability to see into people's hearts and knew that the King of Han had long been interested in Zuo Zongtang's southern expedition.

Previously, Meng Shengsheng was transferred from Suzhou, and Li Xiucheng was promoted to the governor of Jiangsu, asking him to perform meritorious deeds because he did not want the two factions to fight each other again and affect the Southern Expedition!

"Since the King of Han has made a decision, he will not change it easily. If we have too much quarrel with the Gui people tomorrow, it may be counterproductive. Why don't we stop with silence!" Wang Qinglu looked at everyone's reactions.

Lu Jianying nodded slowly, "The King of Han is not a fatuous lord. He does not need a balance between the two factions to control the situation. If we push too hard, it may be counterproductive. We must pay attention to this in the future."

…………

Mongolian Mansion

Meng Shengsheng, the Minister of the Ministry of Finance, Ling Shiba, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Zhang Weikun, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Lin Daji, the Minister of the Ministry of War, Chen Chengrong, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry, Hu Yihuang, the Governor of Anhui, Li Xiucheng, the Governor of Jiangsu, Zhang Suimou, the Chief of Staff of the Han Army, Lin Shaozhang, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and others.

While discussing the contents of tomorrow's court meeting, they were clearly divided into two groups.

Meng Shengsheng didn't understand what Hu Yihuang, Li Xiucheng, and Ling Shiba were thinking. They actually didn't care that Zuo Zongtang got such a high position and was above their old brothers. He could only persuade him again with earnest words.

Said: "Second brother! How can this Zuo Zongtang be so virtuous? When we were the commander of the army, he was still a white man! Now he was promoted to minister in less than a year, and that's not all. Now he's on our shoulders.

Shit, you don’t care at all?”

Although Hu Yihuang was angry, he was not opposed for the sake of opposition. He replied: "Brother, now that you are the minister, why do you care about Zuo Zongtang? Besides, we all know your highness's surname. Once you make up your mind, what will happen?"

Will change his mind easily!"

Meng Shengsheng did not care about Zuo Zongtang alone. He paid attention to those people behind Zuo Zongtang. He retorted: "Zuo Zongtang, I believe him, but those scholars have ulterior motives. They always confuse the King of Han to remove us and replace us."

They! If things continue like this, there will be no place for us to stand in the court!"

'Bang', Ling Shiba slammed the table and said angrily: "When we followed His Highness to raise troops to fight against the Qing Dynasty, was it just for glory and wealth, high officials and generous salaries? Now, as ministers, we only care about fighting for power and profit, excluding dissidents and those from the Manchu Qing Dynasty

What's the difference between ministers? This violates our original oath."

Li Xiucheng hesitated several times. It wasn't that he didn't want to oppose Zuo Zongtang's southern expedition, but he wanted to be punished, and he didn't want to be the first person again. He advised Meng Sheng, who had the same problem, "Master Meng, Master Hu."

It makes sense to talk to Lord Ling. If we force His Highness, we can remove Zuo Zongtang, but what will His Highness think of us in the future?"

Lin Daji sighed and asked in his heart, "Is there a way to get the best of both worlds? His Highness blindly re-employs Hunan personnel. Isn't this a good sign?"

Ling Shiba said angrily: "Everyone is working for His Highness, expelling the Tartars and restoring China. Now the Hunan and Gui factions are fighting each other for power and profit. Can't we get along well with each other?"

Seeing that Ling Shiba was so naive, everyone didn't know what to say. They lowered their heads in shame and thought about their own thoughts.

"If you want us to suppress the Hunan faction forever, is there no way?" Chen Chengrong was confident and believed that the fight between the two factions could be resolved once and for all.

"Come quickly"

"Master Chen no longer has to litigate..."

"Hey old Chen, I've been working with you for so long, why didn't I find out..."

…………

Chen Chengrong saw that he had offended the public and did not dare to delay any more. He replied: "We Guangxi people have followed His Highness the longest and have made the most contributions. If His Highness is invited to ascend the throne as emperor, the meritorious officials will be greatly rewarded. The Hunan faction personnel have little qualifications."

, and they are all literati, how can they compare with us?"

When everyone heard that he wanted to invite the King of Han to proclaim himself emperor, everyone had mixed reactions.

Meng Shengsheng laughed heartily and was very interested in this proposal. Remembering that he had been crowned a duke, his blood rushed to the roof of his mouth. He said excitedly: "Yes, although Liu Bang and Zhu Yuanzhang both rewarded each other based on their merits after the founding of the country and proclaimed themselves emperors, Hong Xiuquan of Sichuan had already served in Yong'an.

Just grant the kings a great title. Since we no longer have any contact with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, we might as well support His Highness as emperor together!"

Hu Yihuang was not at ease either. He abandoned his family business and followed His Highness in rebellion in spite of his brother's objections just to be granted the title of Marquis and Prime Minister! In the past, Hong Xiuquan in Yong'an appointed him as Ding Tianhou. Although he refused to grant the title because of Li Yunzhong's relationship, he still felt sad in his heart.

I was yearning for it, and now I saw Chen Chengrong proposing to support Li Yunzhong to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor.

He agreed: "Now that the Han Dynasty has a solid foundation and the Qing Yao has been defeated repeatedly, I believe that His Highness ascending the throne and proclaiming himself emperor can inspire the morale of the army, and it is impossible to defeat the Qing Yao with just one sentence."

After Li Xiucheng got over his excitement, he worried: "If you want His Highness to ascend the throne, you must get the support of His Highness and the Hunan faction. Your Highness will definitely disagree, let alone the people of the Hunan faction..."

When everyone heard this, it was as if a basin of cold water was poured over their heads, and their passion quickly cooled down. If they thought about it carefully, it was indeed true! If the people of the Hunan faction did not agree, the matter of proclaiming the emperor would really not be successful.
Chapter completed!