Zeng Guofan's eyes were as sharp as a knife. He raised his voice and said loudly: "The moment I walked out of the door, I heard many people shouting 'Meet the negotiating team'. I heard shouting 'President put aside prejudice'. I also heard shouting 'President. The president's "lofty words" show China's big heart. I feel cold and very uncomfortable in response to your shouting. When you are shouting, who can still remember what it was like ten years ago and what you lived ten years ago? What kind of life is it?”
He spoke righteously, with endless edge in his tone.
The first words of the opening speech made many people present fall into reflection.
"Prime Minister Zeng, don't change the subject. We came to the Presidential Palace not to target the President, but to call on the President to abandon his prejudice against foreigners and meet with the negotiating team composed of foreign countries. We have not forgotten the situation ten years ago, and ten years ago It has nothing to do with the president's meeting with the negotiating team before. You are deceiving the people."
A rebuttal came from somewhere in the crowd.
"Premier Zeng cannot talk about past events, nor can he change the subject."
Immediately afterwards, someone else in the crowd responded.
"What the fuck, what is the identity of the Prime Minister? Do I need to talk in circles with you? Shut up. If anyone questions the Prime Minister again, I will destroy him."
Another loud shout came from the crowd supporting Li Zhen.
The two sides became tense and returned to the state of loud fighting at the beginning.
Zeng Guofan raised his hands and pressed them down. No one said anything. Zeng Guofan looked very calm and continued: "I, Zeng Guofan, will not change the subject, nor do I bother to change the subject, so please be patient." After a pause, Zeng Guofan He continued: "Many people have already forgotten what it was like ten years ago, but I remember it very clearly."
At this moment, Zeng Guofan raised his head slightly, with a look of nostalgia on his face.
"Ten years ago, Emperor Xianfeng had just ascended the throne, but disasters occurred one after another. The Taiping Army gathered troops to rebel, and even separatized half of the country; there was also the Nian Army in the north, causing rebellion in the northern hinterland of the Qing Dynasty; in addition, there were British and French troops. , the United States, Russia and other countries continued to force the Manchu Qing government to cede land and open ports, making the country increasingly poor and weak."
"Wars continued, and foreigners continued to dump opium into the country. Countless Chinese people smoked opium, and eventually became emaciated and emaciated, leading to the death of their families. At that time, the president was still in the Jiangbei camp and did not stand out. At that time, the emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty only knew about romance. At that time, the people of various countries The foreigners only wanted to make more money and seize China's land. At that time, the people could no longer survive, and every household was in a state of shabby condition. It was not easy to put on clothes or even fill their stomachs."
"1853 was undoubtedly a turning point."
"This year, the president rose like a comet and made his mark in China."
"The president led his army to conquer the east and west, defeated the Taiping Army, swept away the British and French forces, and defeated the invasion of armies from various countries. Gradually, the situation in China was stabilized, and China was finally established so that the Chinese people would no longer be subject to the influence of foreigners. Bully, so that Chinese people can stand upright and be a good person, and they will no longer see foreigners bowing down and nodding."
"Why I say this is because many people have healed their scars and forgotten the pain, the suffering they have suffered, and how foreigners bullied us. But now, some people have united with foreigners to question the president. This is what you should do Is it?"
"The president didn't meet with foreigners. Is he really making things difficult for foreigners?"
"Wrong, you are all wrong."
"Among those who oppose the president, who has ever thought about why the president does not receive foreigners?"
"No, no one thinks about the reasons. What you do is to blame the reasons and never consider the president. What kind of heart do you have? I am heartbroken. I am heartbroken. You have benefited greatly from the president's efforts in the past ten years. , live a happy life, but think that the president did something wrong."
"I'm not defending the president, this is just what I think."
"As a human being, you should have a grateful heart. As the old saying goes, a drop of kindness should be repaid by a spring. The president has not asked you to repay, and he has never thought of you. But when you encounter something, you directly besiege the presidential palace and kill the president. The palace is blocked and even the president is being yelled at. Who would have thought of electing a representative to negotiate with the presidential palace? No one is there."
Zeng Guofan smiled coldly, his eyes even more serious.
I feel sad for his misfortune and angry for his inability to fight.
These simple people didn't even know they were being taken advantage of. The people outside the Presidential Palace gradually became quiet. Many people lowered their heads and thought, and their eyes gradually became red and moist. Almost all the people present experienced what they had experienced ten years ago. There are even many people who have experienced the days twenty or thirty years ago and are very aware of the hard days.
When I heard Zeng Guofan's words, I felt in my heart that I had done something wrong.
regret,.
Very regretful.
Zeng Guofan successfully aroused the people's mentality of reflection, and immediately struck while the iron was hot, and continued: "You don't know the reason why the president did not receive him. Now, I will tell you."
"First, when you rushed towards the Presidential Palace, a war was going on in the Mongolian grasslands in the north. Maybe you always thought that there was no war in Beijing, but you were wrong. A month ago, the Mongolian cavalry quietly moved south and was approaching Beijing. , the President ordered Captain Huang Shi to lead troops to block the attack. After losing countless soldiers, he blocked the Mongolian cavalry heading south. So far, the war in the north has not ended. The President is worried about the war in the north and deals with news from the north every day. The war continues until Now, it is the third time that the President has stayed up late for three consecutive days. You can imagine how much pressure the President is under, because once Commander Huang fails, Beijing will bear the brunt of the Mongolian cavalry."
"Second, countries form a negotiating team and come to Beijing. What are their identities? According to the principle of equal status, the person negotiating with the president should be the queen, emperor, president, etc. of each country. Just send any little person here. You can talk to the president. What's the point? Should the president of China be despised and disrespected? How can the president condescend to him if his status is not equal? Some people say that the president should abandon his prejudices. I think It’s about letting people from all countries understand their identity.”
"Thirdly, because of the war in the north, the president has been working continuously and has become sick from exhaustion. Now he is working while sick. For the safety of the president, I discussed with other officials and therefore did not let the president come out. I am heartbroken. The second reason is that when the president was ill and needed comfort, not only did you not provide any comfort, but you actually made it worse, making the president feel uncomfortable."
Zeng Guofan recounted that there were choking and crying sounds outside the Presidential Palace.
"President, I misunderstood you. Please take care of yourself."
"President, please forgive me. What happened today will never happen again. You worked even though you were sick and worked hard for the country. But I misunderstood you, President. Damn it."
…
In the crowd, people began to examine themselves.
In the Presidential Palace, Li Zhen couldn't laugh or cry after learning what Zeng Guofan said. Zeng Guofan was really good at sensationalism and even played the pathos card, but there was no doubt that the effect was astonishing.
