The military meeting at the Military Aircraft Department lasted for more than two hours. Several important officials of the imperial court exchanged words with Li Hongzao. Weng Tonghe refuted Li Guolou's foolish and corrupt views. He stood at the height of the country and spoke far-sightedly to explain the situation in Annan and Burma in a clear and logical manner. Several other military ministers agreed with his proposal. Emperor Tongzhi made the final decision to support the armed independence movement in Annan and Burma, allowing Li Hongzhang to plan this secret front.
Weng Tonghe felt indignant because he did not get the command right, so he wanted to put a stumbling block on Li Hongzhang and said: "I would like to inform your Majesty that in Annan, the ethnic minorities on the border of Myanmar and the small ethnic groups in the country are relatives. Many of them are from the same ethnic group and can visit relatives by crossing the same river. What he is saying is that the Chinese minister believes that these ethnic minorities should be armed first and let them get close to the Qing Dynasty. Weapons and medicines are better than those in other places. The number of people and horses must be differentiated. Those ethnic minorities close to our border should be allowed to pass through. "Register of the Qing Dynasty"
At this time, the Qing Dynasty was in line with the world and allowed dual nationality or even multiple nationalities. Shanghai was open to the world and had no frozen harbor. Foreigners did not need a passport and only needed a ferry ticket to enter Shanghai. The Qing Dynasty was completely open to the outside world. Welcome foreign friends to do business in Daqing
Li Hongzhang said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, Weng Tonghe's opinions are pedantic and even more unbearable than Li Guolou's. The ethnic minorities on the border are all smugglers and drug dealers. How can we arm all such people indiscriminately? This will destroy the border." If there is chaos, we must distinguish which types of ethnic minorities can cooperate and which ethnic groups are harming the Qing Dynasty. We must not treat them as our own people just because they can speak Chinese. If you don’t understand the ethnic struggles in the southwestern frontier, don’t cause chaos in small Myanmar. With more than 500 ethnic groups, I can cause chaos in Myanmar without any effort. Not only the great chief of Myanmar, Meng Yunsi, died at the hands of the British, but the people of Myanmar will bear this hatred in their hearts. I resorted to fanning the flames and the British did not want to be the emperor in Myanmar. I want the British to be mired in the quagmire of the People’s War, covered in lice, and let Burma turn into a vampire to suck out the blood of the British.”
"Well, Li Hongzhang still has his own opinion. I leave this matter to you. I want money, money, and people. Let Zuo Zongtang transport the captured Russian-made weapons to Yunnan. I will make sure that the British can't figure out the numbers. Haha. Haha." Emperor Tongzhi was sitting on the couch like a child, dancing and going crazy. Several military ministers were accompanying him and laughing. Li Guolou also pretended to be laughing like crazy [
Weng Tong and San San Pianxiao stopped arguing with Li Hongzhang and looked at Li Guolou. He had guessed where Li Hongzhang's idea came from. Overnight, Li Hongzhang changed from a traitor who signed a treasonous treaty to a national fighter. If Li Hongzhang had already had this He will not hold his tail between his legs. This opinion makes him want to disagree and act. The national interest can only watch Li Hongzhang come back to life. Li Hongzhang is like an unkillable cockroach. A force is protecting Li Hongzhang.
It seems that Li Hongzhang cannot be brought down by Ma Jiali's case. He is almost trying to win over Li Guolou. Li Guolou is in his prime of life and has great momentum. He is sitting on the throne of the right capital censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Anyone dares to provoke Li Guolou. Right or wrong, even the upright Prince Qing only scolded Li Guolou in an upright manner and would not write a letter to impeach Li Guolou.
Li Guolou kept a concubine, kept a prostitute, did not repair the curtains, made friends, carelessly talked nonsense, and had a vulgar style. This has long been known to women and children. After entering the officialdom for so long, he did not impeach Li Guo for this reason. Li Guolou is a strange flower in the officialdom. He is the role of the exquisite tumbler of Tiger Balm. Weng Tonghe glared at Li Guolou fiercely. Li Guolou seemed to be engaged in the women's liberation movement to let women show their faces. But A few foreign women who did something unorthodox even he knew what their names were. Jelia turned into the Virgin Mary and was widely recited by the people of the Qing Dynasty. Two singers, Xie Xiuzhu and Zhen Yuhuan, were able to go in and out of the palace and mingle with the ladies.
Weng Tonghe can't think of a way to deal with Li Guolou. This is a national treasure of the Qing Dynasty. He can bring huge wealth to the Qing Dynasty and must be cherished.
"How did Li Guolou feel when he came to the military aircraft office today?" Weng Tonghe habitually stroked his beard with the air of an elder.
"The students have been taught a patriotism lesson here. The military culture is broad and profound. The students are superficial and almost made a joke. Go back and study more to fill in the missing pieces." Li Guolou did not dare to sit down and reply. He only stood up every time he spoke. Everyone else just sits and talks. He is not qualified enough and can only be a student. He can only listen to other people's opinions. Even if he puts forward opinions, he dare not speak to the point. He is not much better than Prince Chun. He has a good sense of proportion and does not let Emperor Tongzhi see how smart he is.
"Well, that's good. You have to live up to the emperor's kindness and run the mission seriously. First, take care of the affairs of the New Armed Forces, and then you can manage more military affairs in the future." Weng Tonghe did not expose Li Guolou's background. Everyone knows that Li Guolou is a dog leader of the Westernization faction. The Westernization Movement initiated by Military Advisor Prince Gong has undergone a qualitative leap since Li Guolou became his disciple. The image has also been greatly changed. Li Guolou's ability is beyond people's expectations. The national fiscal revenue is increased by 10% a year. This is not based on aggravating the common people. Instead of paying taxes, we rely on market operation capital operations to make money, and we still work hard in the foreign concessions to get money back.
"Li Guolou, I ask you how many more years the war in the Northwest will continue. Tell me the truth." Emperor Tongzhi was a little anxious. He hoped that the war in the Northwest would end soon. This is the largest expenditure allocated by the state and costs more than a year. Eighteen million taels of silver. This is the number on the books of the Ministry of War. In addition to local fiscal expenditures, half of the national revenue is spent on war. We still have to borrow money from foreigners. The so-called militarism means that the country keeps fighting.
"Your Majesty, I don't dare to make a judgment, but it will take at least two years. Because Zuo Zongtang's strategy is to advance slowly and make quick progress, that is, to take good control of an established place before moving on to the next goal. Although it is a little slow, it is not It will cause a complicated situation in which local forces surrender and then rebel. If the local forces surrender to the Qing Dynasty earlier, this war will end earlier. Zuo Zongtang is fighting a battle for the return of people's hearts. The Great Northwest has done a good job in winning over the people's hearts and minds. After they come back, the hearts of the Hui people in Xinjiang will also come back. Otherwise, more and more battles will be fought that will destroy thousands of miles of rivers and mountains." Li Guolou told the truth that he was forced to suppress the Hui people's uprising with the main force of persuading them to surrender. Force the Hui separatist forces to submit, otherwise the campaign to regain Xinjiang will be met with stubborn resistance from the Hui people.
"Oh, it still takes two years. I have to spend two years of hard life. I asked you to go to the northwest to practice. It's for your own good. You didn't make war fortune." Emperor Tongzhi was like a child and not like a king of a country.
"Your Majesty, even if you make some war money, you still can't make ends meet. The Ministry of War provides the New Armed Forces with just enough supplies to fill gaps in their teeth. It doesn't care about the cost of fighting in a year. We received four sets of military uniforms, which seems to be a lot. Other armies only receive them once a year." But the soldiers on the front line were dressed like beggars, and they didn’t have the same powerful guns as during the military parade in the capital. Not to mention that when the rainy season came, they all rusted and could only be used as fire sticks. It started with a salvo of artillery, and later turned into hand-to-hand combat in the cold weapon age. Soldiers are suffering and dedicating their lives to the motherland..." Li Guolou choked with sobs and could no longer speak. This was a sentimental statement. No need to pretend, he broke down in tears. The greatest ability of warlords is to cry for poverty. Li Guolou knows it deeply and cannot avoid it.
Warlords can generate revenue if they have territory. The general army is guarding the dangerous pass. The tax on this pass accumulates astronomically. No warlord has ever paid taxes to the court. The minister of military aircraft here has military power. No one will say that the warlord is rich. Hear Li The country is crying and the poor are all nodding in approval. It makes so much sense. The country is so poor that it has to be handed over to Britain. Russia and other Western powers cannot even pay war reparations to soldiers on a monthly basis.
"Hey, I thought Zuo Zongtang was wasting his time. Now I know that I won't choose to be a beauty in the palace for two years. I'm still young and want to save strength for the future." Emperor Tongzhi clenched his fists and made a vicious oath.
"The Emperor's Holy Ming" and a group of military ministers knelt on the ground to express their gratitude to Emperor Tongzhi for not reducing the military expenditures of the Ministry of War.
Li Hongzhang was quite satisfied with Li Guolou, allowing him to show off his skills in planning the blueprint of southern Xinjiang and jumping out of the gate in time. Gan, an ignorant layman, had him scold Li Guolou at the critical moment. As a junior, he knew how to advance and retreat, but he didn't take the credit for himself. It was a big deal. Even if he was respected by others, he would also give a thumbs up to the junior Li Hongzhang and asked: "Li Guolou, when you fought in the northwest, you were called General Yum, how did you do it?"
Li Guolou's face turned red. He had never heard of an officer with this familiar name calling him "General Thrust", as if he was praising his bravery and tenacity. There was a deep meaning in it. He realized that Li Hongzhang was derogatory in calling him that in front of the Minister of Military and Aircraft. He still praises him
Li Guolou bowed and saluted and said: "Master Fu Xiang praised me so much that I feel ashamed in front of the emperor. How can I compare with other ministers with this little military merit? If it weren't for Master Fu providing the best weapons and medicine to support Xinwu." Principal Jun Weng has done a good job in the ideological work of the Xinwu Army. Without the trees planted by our predecessors, how can future generations enjoy the shade?
If not for the care of Mr. Fu and the principal, Xiaguan could only go into battle naked and kill the enemy. Xiaguan is far from winning. Death is very close. Even the helmet he was wearing was "shot". Fortunately, Guan Gong protected him."
When Weng Tonghe heard Li Guolou praising his ideological work, he said happily: "Hey, Mr. Li Guolou, Prime Minister Fu, is asking you something. Please don't get involved with me. The new military army is singing a triumphant song all the way. I am happy for you. It's still early to talk about you." How did the war come about? Where did the name General Yum come from?"[
Li Guolou cannot refute the title "General Yum" given to him by Li Hongzhang and Weng Tonghe. He is a step above General Changsheng. He deserves this title.
Li Guolou said boldly: "Although I am not from the military, I am good at summarizing the experience of my predecessors. The most difficult thing in fighting is the ideological work of the soldiers rather than how many enemies there are. The sophisticated weapons and equipment are not absolute. Before the war, the soldiers were all He knows that he will die and is willing to dedicate his youth to the motherland. Even if you ask him to carry a birdcage in a teahouse, he will still dare to go to the battlefield for the sake of the king and father. This is the so-called morale. Morale is easy to build up and goes down equally quickly when eating and marching. , accommodation, and fatigue can easily break people's morale. No matter how hard and tiring the daily training is, there is still a nest to sleep in and there is nothing wrong with fighting outside. Therefore, the combat effectiveness of an army depends on long-term ideological work and precepts and deeds. The most important thing is In the army, I only do one thing, and that is to teach ideological work. In fact, I am a layman when fighting. He progresses while learning, comprehends the essence of Napoleon's tactics, understands the characteristics of thermal weapons, and formulates a practical combat model. Under this model, He won the title of a victorious general only after fighting. Even if he encounters the weak British army with 20,000 horses, he can compete with the same number of British army. Of course, it is limited to land. If cavalry tactics are used in conjunction with combat in plain areas, the chance of victory for the minister is more than 80%."
There was an exclamation in the office. Several military ministers who were drinking tea in the office could not sit still. Li Guolou boasted too much. Li Hongzhang couldn't lose face. Isn't this a slap in the face? He said anxiously: "Li Guolou, you are talking nonsense."
"How can the Qing Dynasty go to war with the British?"
Li Guolou smiled awkwardly and said: "Master Fu Xiang, I have 20,000 new armed forces. I am Han Xin. The more troops the better."
"Oh" everyone woke up from their dream. Li Guolou was building momentum for the New Armed Forces and wanted to expand the New Armed Forces. He was talking nonsense. It's no wonder that everyone showed their abilities. Whether the expansion can be expanded has to be approved at all levels. Even if the new Armed Forces is finally decided.
The military force has an establishment of 20,000 people. The money allocated by the Ministry of War is only enough to buy swords and spears. Among the 20,000 horses, 4,000 elite soldiers are trained. How is this different from other armies?
Emperor Tongzhi grew up surrounded by flattery, but he boasted that he was a more powerful soldier than the British army. Growing up, he also encountered someone in the court who said some big words and was scolded by several military ministers.
The official title is not guaranteed. Today, several military ministers are quite happy to prove that Li Guolou can really take on the important task. It is indeed a winning general. Emperor Tongzhi is in a happy mood. The Qing Dynasty finally has a "Wei Qing". He does not need to formulate strategies and admonishments for specific daily affairs.
Several ministers of military aircraft reviewed a few notes and then left the military aircraft department. Sure enough, there was a new atmosphere. Emperor Tongzhi had not left. The conversation was strong and mature. He sat firmly on the soft couch and said, "Li Guolou, you are too full of words."
The British army is the strongest army in the world. Our Qing army is only ranked sixth in the world, so there is still a gap."
Li Guolou looked serious and said slowly, like an awe-inspiring and inviolable loyal minister: "I dare not deceive the emperor. The establishment of the British Army is already under my control. I will report to the Emperor the British Army under my control."
Case"
Prince Gong couldn't bear to lose face. It was not easy for Li Guolou, who had been nodding his head, to start intelligence work. Isn't this taking away his credit? Li Guolou actually had a hidden skill and refused to report to him. How could the collective interests of the Westernization faction be tolerated?
He couldn't help but interject: "Li Guolou, don't mislead the emperor. The numbers written in the newspapers are more exaggerated than real. Don't just talk on paper."
Seeing Prince Gong's enthusiasm in attacking Li Guolou, Emperor Tongzhi became unhappy and waved his arms and shouted: "Li Guolou, you are guilty of speaking."
I almost forgot that Li Guolou glanced at Prince Gong apologetically, not because he did not report to his master, but because he had the basic responsibility. Moreover, the information about the British army he had was not a secret, but could be collected with a little effort.