When the Second Division advanced from Jiangxi, a huge fleet on the Yangtze River passed through Hubei and entered Dongting Lake under the cover of the Yangtze River Navy.
Peng Yulin was on the gunboat of the Yangtze River Navy, looking at the familiar scenery of Dongting eight hundred miles away. Many scenes from the past jumped into his memory.
Dongting Lake is really beautiful. The water is clear and the lake surface is calm. It is as quiet as a mirror, blending perfectly with the blue sky. It reflects the mountains on both sides, as if strangely shaped mountains are growing out of the water, as if fish are swimming in them.
The sky is high and birds are flying in the water.
There is also a small and beautiful mountain lying in the middle of the lake, which is Junshan. From a distance, it looks like a small and exquisite green snail embedded in a huge silver plate.
The green grass and big trees on Junshan Mountain make Junshan Mountain more beautiful.
The colors, whether thick or light, bright or dark, are like someone putting an unpredictable garment on Junshan.
In early spring, there are lush green trees around the lake shore, and many willow trees stand like maids. They gently caress the lake surface with their long willow branches, which are covered with tender green buds.
Yuezhou, Lizhou, and Changsha on the shore of Dongting are the essence of Hunan. They have complete water conservancy facilities and are major grain-producing areas. The so-called "Huguang is ripe and the world is rich." Half of the credit is due to Dongting Lake.
The surrounding fertile fields.
Just one day ago, in the name of the Hubei Army, Peng Yulin captured Yuezhou without any bloodshed, and now he has handed over Yuezhou to Hubei.
Only in this way can he enter Dongting Lake smoothly. The channel connecting Dongting Lake and the Yangtze River is under the control of Yuezhou.
Fortunately, Zuo Zongtang's identity has not been exposed. With the cooperation of the Hubei army, Peng Yulin took Yuezhou immediately with superior troops.
This is also thanks to the fact that Yuezhou borders Hubei and Zeng Guofan did not place heavy troops there.
Now Peng Yulin is just one step away from besieging Changsha. As for the Five Battalions of the Navy established by the Hunan Army in Xiangyin, Peng Yulin has not paid much attention to it yet.
…
On March 1, Shandong announced a change of flag. Although the roads in and out of Shandong have been blocked, it is impossible to cover such a big news. Shandong is a hilly terrain, and its borders with Zhili and Henan are intertwined.
It will definitely not be sealed!
It is normal for the message to be sent out.
Besides, in addition to the overt power of the Qing court in Shandong, there must also be covert power.
In Beijing, Qianqing Palace, Emperor Xianfeng received the news of the general rebellion in Shandong. For a moment, it was like five thunders hitting the top, and the sky was dark and the earth was dark.
The piece of paper fell on the dragon case, his whole body shook, and he almost fainted to the ground.
"Long live Lord, please take care of yourself! You deserve to be damned. You can't worry about Long live Lord." Ande Hai quickly bent down to help Xianfeng.
Ever since a serious illness, Xianfeng's body has been unhappy, his complexion is always pale, his steps are sluggish, and he cannot even have sex with the harem.
But now he has no heirs, so he can only persist in sowing. There is still hope for sowing, but if he doesn't sow, he will really have no harvest.
"Damn Guizhongxing, he has disgraced the ancestors of Manchuria. Andehai, hurry up and ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to arrest all Guizhongxing's family members. Go quickly, and then go find the military ministers, Prince Zheng and Sushun.
.”
Andehai quickly agreed to go out on errands.
Another young eunuch brought a cup of tea to Xianfeng. After drinking it, Xianfeng felt a little calmer.
His previous plan was to gather all the strength of the country to attack the Huaihai pirates after the spring plowing this year.
The Military Aircraft Department and himself agreed with the memorial submitted by Zeng Guofan before.
It is true that when various places launch an attack on the Huai Hai Pirates, they should not act too hastily. It is best to prepare their strength to destroy them in one go.
The Huaihai pirates are different from the Fa bandits. They are not rogue bandits. As long as the Huaihai navy's base camp, Jiangsu, is captured, the Huaihai pirates will not be able to survive for a few days.
It just so happens that the north is now stable, and a year of cultivation can be enough to accumulate enough strength.
What I never expected was that the Huaihai pirates rebelled first. The fact that Shandong suddenly fell over to the Huaihai pirates meant that they had already laid out their plans in Shandong.
Xianfeng was not a fool. Thinking back to the time when Guizhongxing was the prefect of Xuzhou, Xuzhou was under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu.
There is also the sudden meritorious service of Guizhong Bank.
How could a prefect who had been mediocre for many years suddenly achieve meritorious service?
Now it seems that everything can be explained clearly.
Guizhong Bank had defected to the Huaihai Pirates at that time, and the Shandong New Army must have been placed in Shandong by the Huaihai Pirates early on.
At first, because Guizhongxing was a bannerman, neither Xianfeng nor the important officials in the court had doubts about Guizhongxing.
Why do you think the bannermen betrayed the Qing Dynasty and turned to the Han people?
Thinking about it now, Xianfeng was horrified to think about it. Is there anyone else in the court who is the secret agent of the Huaihai pirates?
After Hermione's death, Xianfeng had no secret generals. The previous supervisors at Sticky Rod were not as good as Hermione.
Xianfeng pinched his forehead hard to prevent himself from thinking about this matter. If he searched for spies internally at this time, it would inevitably cause panic.
What he needs to think about most now is how to stop the rebels coming from Shandong. From Shandong to Zhili, there is no danger at all.
The Huaihai pirates will soon be able to reach the capital, as well as Tianjin, and the forts at Dagukou will also need to strengthen their positions. The Huaihai pirates landed from Shandong last time.
There is also the Tianjin New City, which was built by the Huaihai pirates in collusion with those profiteers. They simply captured it and collected the contents inside for military supplies.
Emperor Xianfeng's brain was calculating rapidly.
Unconsciously, a long time has passed.
"Your Majesty, all the servants have been arranged, and the adults will be here soon." At this time, Ande Hai finished his errands and hurried back.
"Well, An Dehai, do you think I am not blessed? Why can't the Qing Dynasty settle down even though I work so hard?"
When Andehai heard what Xianfeng said, he was so frightened that he quickly knelt on the ground and replied: "Your Majesty, you are the emperor, and you must be a rich and powerful person. Those traitors who intend to cause chaos are just acting against nature, and they will surely suffer in the end."
When punished by heaven, he will be like the traitor Hong Yang."
Speaking of Hong Xiuquan and Yang Xiuqing, Xianfeng seemed to think of it again. It seemed that Hong Xiuquan died in the hands of Dong Shuheng. God's punishment was not included.
However, Xianfeng knew what An Dehai meant and had no intention of pursuing this matter with him.
The top priority now is to resolve the Huaihai pirate rebellion first.
First of all, the matter must be reported to various places through newspapers.
Secondly, all parts of the south must do a good job in defense.
Finally, we must find a way to stop the rebels from moving northward from Shandong.
After two cups of tea, all the ministers who had been summoned hurried over.
Xianfeng circulated the secret information of the spies to all the important ministers.
The first thing everyone felt after seeing it was fear. Huai Haijun unknowingly planted such a nail in the north.
Obviously you are all smart people, and you can tell at a glance that this is the layout of the Huai Navy.
"Your Majesty, please also ask Monk King to lead his army south to Shandong to wipe out the rebels." Ruilin came out and reported.
Everyone knew that Sengelinqin had assembled 40,000 cavalry in Zhangjiakou.
However, after hearing Ruilin's suggestion, everyone shook their heads in their hearts. Can 40,000 cavalry really stop the Huaihai pirates?
The 10,000 elite cavalry that guaranteed victory that year were completely wiped out in one battle in Tianjin. Everyone still remembers this in their hearts.
In fact, everyone has one idea in mind - to negotiate with the Huaihai Pirates.
Since ancient times, money and silk have attracted people's hearts. It is better to test Dong Shuheng's requirements. If the court can accept it, the worst thing is to satisfy him first.
Using money and silk to kill his fighting spirit gave the court time to accumulate strength, and it would not be too late to deal with him in a few years.
However, no one dares to say this suggestion at this time. Everyone knows that there is no chance of winning, but no one is willing to point it out.
This is the helplessness of the imperial system. Only the emperor is the master of the country, and everyone else can remain neutral in the survival of the country.
"Does anyone else have any suggestions?" Xianfeng glanced down and his eyes fell on Sushun. He felt that Sushun was resourceful and decisive. In the past six months, Sushun had become a popular figure in front of the emperor, and was compared by Xianfeng to "
Fang Xuanling".
Sushun noticed the emperor's gaze. He was shocked after hearing the news just now. He believed that the Huaihai pirates had other back-ups, but he couldn't remember it for the moment.
"Your Majesty, I feel that the Huaihai pirates have now moved the chess piece of Shandong, which means that they have completely overthrown the imperial court. At this time, the Huaihai pirates have probably started their attacks in three directions: north, west and south.
"
"The news may be on the way. Matters in the south can only be left to the local governors to handle. The imperial court can order nearby provinces to provide support. At the same time, the local governors will be given greater power." Sushun analyzed.
"As for the imperial court, for now, the main thing is to deal with matters in the north."
"To solve Shandong's problems, we must rely on Henan and Zhili. The two provinces just suppress Shandong from both sides."
"Your Majesty, ministers, I think the Huaihai pirates may attack Henan and Zhili at the same time. Otherwise, if they all go north, their backs will always be threatened by Henan."
Sushun's analysis was clear and everyone nodded.
"Yuting, you know that the imperial court only has so much power now. What do you think the imperial court should do?" Xianfeng even shouted out the word Sushun, obviously very satisfied with Sushun at this time.
"Your Majesty, I think the army should be sent out and the capital must be defended, but Zhili and Henan are more important. It is best to recover Shandong."
"Wei Chen boldly suggested that your majesty let King Monk lead troops to Henan. With King Monk's cavalry threatening the flanks, the Huaihai pirates will definitely not dare to attack Zhili with all their strength."
Everyone nodded, and Xianfeng also nodded slightly.
"The other thing is to strengthen the defense of Tianjin. As long as Tianjin is defended, the Huaihai pirates will not be able to attack the capital from the south or the sea." Sushun said his second suggestion.
"Your Majesty, I have one last thought, I don't know whether to talk about it or not," Sushun said seriously.
"I love you, but it doesn't matter, I forgive you." Xianfeng waved his hand.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. The Huaihai pirates are very powerful and they only rely on foreign guns and cannons. I suggest that you send a senior minister south to negotiate with foreigners and seek help from foreigners to buy foreign guns and cannons. At the very least, we should prevent them from buying foreign guns and cannons."
Support the Huaihai pirates." Sushun said seriously.
"In addition, you can also ask foreigners to contain the Huaihai pirates from the sea."
This suggestion is indeed not in line with the Qing government's long-standing policy. Everyone took a breath after hearing it.
The Qing court was generally unwilling to deal with foreigners, but now Sushun actually said that he wanted help from foreigners. This was a disgrace to the court.
"Your Majesty, you must not do it. How can I go to foreigners to ask for help in suppressing bandits? Isn't this a joke?" Peng Yunzhang immediately stood up to dissuade him.
Everyone in the imperial court was very resistant to dealing with foreigners. Because they didn't understand it, they would reject such contact.
He agreed with Sushun's previous suggestions, but this one was too shocking and, in Peng Yunzhang's view, violated etiquette.
Xianfeng glanced at Sushun, then at the other ministers, and finally said: "We will discuss this later."
Xianfeng said this as a tactful rejection of Sushun. He and several other ministers generally had some resistance to this matter. Besides, Xianfeng felt that it was not yet a life-or-death situation.
At this time, the Manchu Qing Dynasty had not yet reached the stage of "measuring China's material resources and gaining the favor of the country" as it did in the later period.
Xianfeng asked other people's opinions, but Prince Gong, who had always been a dull gourd, said nothing.
Du Han suggested sending an important minister to Shaanxi to transfer the Green Battalion from Shaanxi and Gansu to Henan to participate in the encirclement and suppression of the Huai Navy.
In the end, Xianfeng weighed the pros and cons and appointed Ruilin as General of Xi'an to take on the task of dispatching troops. Xianfeng was now surrounded by soldiers, and he felt that everyone was like an internal agent of the Huai Navy.
The reason why Ruilin was sent was because Ruilin was an old man from the Military Aircraft Department and a bannerman. With such an identity, he should not be bribed by the Huai Navy.
Over in Tianjin, Xianfeng was preparing to send troops from the Fengtai camp rebuilt by Prince Zheng, but he really had no troops left.
Finally, Xianfeng also issued an order to let three generals from outside the Pass lead troops into the Pass to Zhili to participate in the battle. It would be fine if only some people were left to watch the Yalu River. Now Lin Fengxiang is unlikely to be able to fight back in North Korea for a while. If he issues another order, let him
It would be great if the King of Korea stepped up his efforts to send troops to exterminate the bandits.
Everyone thought for a long time about where there were any omissions. After confirming that there was no problem, they went back to do their errands.
Sushun is going to prepare money and food for the army.
Duan Hua is going to Fengtai camp to prepare for the expedition.
Prince Gong stepped up the rectification of the Beijing camp.
Ruilin had to go to Shaanxi to take up his post immediately, and he had to work quickly.
The Military Aircraft Department should draft imperial edicts to be sent to various places and step up the deployment of troops and generals.
The entire officialdom of the capital began to operate with unusually high efficiency.
The news spread, causing a stir in the capital, and all kinds of rumors were flying everywhere. Some even said that the Huaihai pirates had reached the south of Tianjin.
There are also some rumors that the Huaihai Navy never robbed the people, there was no corvee in the Huaihai Navy, and taxes were low.
…
During the Qing Dynasty, the capital city definitely ranked first in the country in terms of the speed of news dissemination.
This is also the birthplace of melon-eating culture. It has the largest group of melon-eating people in the Qing Dynasty.
Nancheng, Beijing, is a concentrated area of poor Han people with three religions and nine streams. When the Qing army entered the customs, they drove all the Han people in Beijing out of the city, forming the slum area of Nancheng.
At this time, in an inconspicuous courtyard house in the slums, a middle-aged man was writing a piece of information, using code words.
This middle-aged man is Xu Yuanhong, the head of the Beijing Station of the Ministry of Intelligence who has not been seen for a long time. At this time, the situation in Beijing has been spread to everyone.
There is no confidentiality in the affairs of the imperial court. In the capital city, if you just want to know which noble the emperor slept with last night, you can get accurate information the next morning.
Some news can only be obtained for a small amount of money, and some news can spread by itself. As long as you spend a few pennies to go to a teahouse and make a pot of tea, you will naturally hear the news you want to know.
Xu Yuanhong has now sorted it out and is preparing to spread it out, which are the countermeasures discussed by the ministers yesterday.
Naturally, this news was not heard by the teahouse, but bought by him at a large price. Not surprisingly, this information was able to reach the ears of the president today.