Drinking and selling mare's milk is also an ancestral rule of the Qing Dynasty, so that future generations will never forget that the Manchus conquered the world on horseback. This mare's milk is fermented and brewed from mare's milk. The mare's milk is packed in leather buckets made of cowhide. Put the aged milk wine koji into it, place it in a warm place, and let it ferment. Stir it several times a day with the juice of a wooden pestle. After a few days, it will become a slightly salty and sour horse milk, with a slight aroma of wine, cool and delicious, and refreshing.
After drinking the mare's milk, Prince Gong Yixin first presented a memorial and said: "Your Majesty, this is the 800-mile emergency submitted by Zuo Zongtang. It is about the security of food routes. Please send someone from the imperial court to supervise it." Build roads and bridges to trap the Nien army in the Shaanxi-Gansu area."
Emperor Tongzhi Zai Chun's thoughts turned around in confusion, only to realize that he was still in the midst of tens of thousands of official correspondence, and he couldn't help but do whatever he wanted. He took the memorial and looked through Zuo Zongtang's memorial that had been transferred from the military plane. . He frowned and focused on the suppression of the Nian Army and the Hui rebellion. He pondered for a moment and couldn't figure out why Zuo Zongtang didn't mention the progress of the war and rushed an eight-hundred-mile journey. He talked about the security of food routes. . It was already the beginning of spring, and even the most difficult winter for the Qing army was over. There was no shortage of food now, and he knew this very well.
"Prince Gong, didn't Zuo Zongtang propose to advance slowly, encircle, divide and disintegrate the various rebel bandits, and then attack again in summer and autumn? After such a long preparation, do you still need to rush 800 miles away?"
Prince Gong Yixin Xunxun taught: "Your Majesty, Zuo Zongtang's memorial has profound meaning. Now the Qing army in the Shaanxi-Gansu region has pressed against the East Nian in three directions for a decisive battle. The strategy of Nian first and then back has not been formulated by the imperial court. Change. Food road protection, road construction and bridge construction are not only to eliminate the Eastern Nun and the rebellion, but more importantly, to enter Xinjiang to fight. This transportation line is the lifeline. Now, although Zuo Zongtang has occupied the Hexi Corridor, it is now being returned to Xinjiang. The population was devastated by the war, and the total grain production dropped sharply. Without food and population, the Qing army could not hire senior men for each battalion, and the soldiers had no combat effectiveness. How could they continue to advance."
Emperor Tongzhi Zai Chun did not wait for Prince Gong Yixin to continue, cut off the topic, and asked: "Prince Gong, when the army fights, it fights. What do you care about the elder husband? Why are the people joining in the fun? We Eight Banners disciples are indeed heroes."
Prince Gong Yixin was very dissatisfied with Li Hongzao in his heart. He should not be the one to explain this kind of thing. In addition to letting Zaichun read the books of sages, Yixin should also understand the new organization of the Qing army. The organization of the Eight Banners Army of the Qing Dynasty had already been established. It would have fallen behind, otherwise we would not have lost consecutive battles and entrusted the command of the encirclement and suppression forces to the Han "Zuo Zongtang".
Although Emperor Tongzhi Zaichun is still mentioning the sunset, talking about the glorious history of the Eight Banners disciples, and hoping that the Eight Banners disciples will return to their peak, it will have to wait until the day lily is cold. Things have to come one by one, Prince Gong Yixin still Patiently, he said: "Your Majesty, Ke Jingbo is now in Lanzhou and is reorganizing various armies. According to the military regulations "Chu Army Battalion System" that he used to train the Chu army, he has reorganized the troops into twenty battalions, infantry There are 500 men in each battalion, 200 captains, and 250 cavalrymen in each battalion, 100 captains, and 250 horses. The soldiers and captains need 45 kilograms of rations per month, and the war horses need 150 kilograms of grain and 360 kilograms of fodder per month. There is not enough fodder. It is supplemented by food. Cavalry accounts for a quarter of it. Now it is necessary to prepare 20 million kilograms of food and grass, prepare 3 months of combat rations and 3 months of reserve rations, so as to launch the summer and autumn offensive. The chief officer in an army is the transportation Soldiers, orderly soldiers and labor soldiers, thousands of miles away, soldiers wear many hats. How can they only think about fighting? These are soldiers who are proficient in all kinds of martial arts. In the past, when we, Eight Banners disciples, rode on war horses, we could travel thousands of miles at a time. Sweeping across the vast northwest, but now towns, high walls, mountains, rivers, and ravines have long blocked the cavalry path. It is impossible to advance the front with captured enemy grain and grass. Our Qing army is righteous Every time we regain a place, we must provide relief to the victims and stabilize the local people's sentiments. Therefore, Zuo Zongtang's ideas on building roads and bridges are very necessary. When the roads are smooth, the flow of materials will be smooth, and the people will have enough food. With this guarantee, livelihoods can be maintained, and this is a long-term solution. On the contrary, once our Qing army leaves, the people have no food or water, and will rebel again, and the local government will collapse. Our army has spent so much money The places we conquered were in vain, and people's hearts were lost. Who would expect our troops to fight back?"
"Oh;;;;;;I kind of understand." Zai Chun listened with gusto, which was much more interesting than listening to Confucius's quotations from saints. He glanced at Prince Gong Yixin who was drinking tea to quench his thirst, and asked: "Prince Gong , then who do you think will be sent to take charge of Shaanxi-Gansu affairs?"
Prince Gong Yixin put down his tea cup and took out a memorial from the memorial to present it. He solemnly said: "Your Majesty, I suggest that Lin Shoutu be appointed as the Chief Envoy of Shaanxi, and also be in charge of military camp transfers, supervise the Qingyang grain station, and be responsible for it. Defense of the Northwest Army."
Emperor Tongzhi Zai Chun took a careful look at the majestic and stern Yi Xin, and swallowed what he wanted to say in his heart. Empress Cixi and Emperor Yi Xin launched the "Xinyou Coup", and Lin Shoutu participated in it with merit. , is a close confidant of E Niang. It seems that E Niang has known about this matter for a long time, and there is no need to discuss it at the military aircraft.
Emperor Tongzhi Zaichun obediently obeyed, sat in the upper study room, and wrote the edict appointing Lin Shoutu. After writing, he took a seal from the hand of the eunuch Liu Deyin, and stamped it with a bright red seal with his own hands. This was his The power also needs to be stamped with the "imperial reward" seal of Empress Dowager Ci'an and the seal of "Tongdaotang" of Empress Dowager Cixi before this edict can be officially issued.
Zai Chun asked: "Prince Gong, let me hear what you have to say. The military system of the Qing Dynasty can no longer meet the current situation. A new military system must be used in war. Li Hongzhang replaced the old army with regiment training. Now the Huai Army has been restructured. Finished. Zuo Zongtang is also rectifying military affairs in the northwest. Their army has abolished our Eight Banners military training system and turned it into elite soldiers and strong generals. The most capable Huai Army, Chu Army, and Hunan Army are all new armies. Then Can our other armies be like them?"
Prince Gong Yixin sighed: "The emperor can't do it. I also want to train all the soldiers and horses into elite soldiers and generals, but I have violated the ancestral rules. The Eight Banners disciple soldiers have formed an inherent pattern. I want to move the Eight Banners." Wouldn't it be a violation of heaven's rules? No one in the court would agree. Those armies are mainly Han people. The soldiers recruited in other places, such as the Zhili area, are mainly Manchus. They will be soldiers from birth. Soldiers can't do other things. The imperial court will allocate land to them and sell it. Taking history as a guide, generations of people have tried it. A man as ambitious as Sejong has no way to deal with those Eight Banners disciple soldiers. You If they are not allowed to serve as soldiers and the Han people are allowed to serve as soldiers, will this country still have the surname Aisin Gioro?"
Emperor Tongzhi Zai Chun said suspiciously: "Then Prince Zhaogong, if you say so, are the Manchus unwilling to fight for their lives? Have they all turned into cowards?"
Prince Gong Yixin smiled bitterly and said: "Your Majesty, the Manchus are still bloody and can still fight. But if something has advantages, there will always be disadvantages. The inheritance system is also prevalent in the army. Dragons give birth to dragons and phoenixes, and rats give birth to phoenixes. Their sons can drill holes. The positions of junior and mid-level officers have also been occupied by the descendants of Manchu officers. These people have not been tested by blood and fire. They can only brag about how capable their ancestors, Amma, are. If you can fight hard, it is too difficult to find generals among these people. The bad ones also start from the middle. What do you want the little soldier to become? It depends on the officers."
Prince Gong Yixin did not tell the real reason for the weakening of the army. Even if he knew it in his heart, he would not say it. There is still an essential difference between the Manchu and Han people. The Manchu people are unwilling to give up their privileges. They are unwilling to adapt and learn advanced mechanisms. Failure to recognize that the world has fundamentally changed is the key.
Emperor Tongzhi Zai Chun looked at Yi Xin without saying a word. He was already an adult and had mature thoughts. Death begins in the middle. It is an anecdote through the ages. This has never been said before. It sounded awkward. Prince Gong was confused. As long as the interests of certain people are not touched, the privileged class cannot be touched. The military restructuring is still far away, so we can only settle for the next best thing.
Emperor Tongzhi Zaichun suddenly had an idea and thought of an expedient plan and asked: "Prince Gong, since you said that the soldiers recruited in the Zhili area are mainly Manchus, no one can change this situation, and the bad habits in the old army There are quite a few. If you want to change it, people in the middle class won't agree. It's better to learn from Li Zhongtang's approach and start disarmament from the army in Zhili area, reorganize the army in Gyeonggi area, and some soldiers who have reached their service period will retire, and The sons and nephews they want to replace will find a way to rearrange their errands for them. Just use the vacant spots to train a new army. Start with a small scale pilot, and use a battalion as the Chu army. Do you think it is feasible? "
What can one battalion achieve? Yi Xin could only think that Zai Chun was trying to implement a new policy. The Royal Guards, like Shanpu Camp, trained a personal guard army to defend the capital. The empresses of the two palaces did not I would object to Zai Chun raising such a trivial matter.
Prince Gong Yixin did not forget to praise and nodded approvingly: "Well, this is a good idea. Only you, the emperor, can think of it."
Emperor Tongzhi Zai Chun couldn't tell that Yi Xin was fooling him, so he danced happily, thinking that he had accomplished a major event that would rejuvenate the country and bring peace to the country. He no longer wanted to leave the palace for a leisurely stroll, and his mind was full of who should he ask to handle this major event? Eunuch, Of course, the slave was immediately rejected by him and asked his classmates to do such a thing. It seemed that no one was willing to give in. He couldn't help but put his thoughts on the more than 200 people who had just passed the Jinshi examination, and thought to himself: Who can lift Xiang Yu's hand? That broken wheel in there?
Prince Gong Yixin saw Zai Chun's face changing from joy to worry at one time, with an uncertain look on his face, revealing an innocence, so he couldn't help but smile and said: "Your Majesty, I have something else to ask you. The questions in the imperial examination of this subject are very wrong. It is not the test questions on the Four Books and Five Classics that prevent many Jinshi from writing. This matter will make it impossible for the court to explain to those students. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Of course, Prince Gong Yixin could not first say that Emperor Tongzhi did something wrong. He first asked Zai Chun to give the reasons, so that he could analyze the truth of a matter to Zai Chun in a targeted manner.
Tongzhi Emperor Zaichun had known that this day would come. In the palace examination, he asked a question that was out of touch with the Four Books and Five Classics. One-third of the candidates were confused and criticized by many Jinshi. They complained and muttered behind their backs, but nothing good could be said about it.
Emperor Tongzhi Zai Chun was a little clever, thought of a good rhetoric, swung his fist and smashed the case, and said angrily: "Prince Gong, I hate it so much. Why is it that a talent like Gong Zizhen is not allowed to enter the Hanlin after becoming a Jinshi, and is idle in the cabinet? Zhongshu. It was a waste of twenty years that the capital could not be reused. Although Gong Zizhen was in dire straits and had no job, he still wrote repeatedly to criticize the shortcomings of the times. Unfortunately, it was not accepted by Emperor Xuanzong and was reused. How well said! "The anger of Kyushu depends on the wind and thunder, and thousands of horses are in silence." Sorry. I urge God to be brave and send talents of all kinds. Talents like Gong Zizhen are what I need, and the more the merrier. This dynasty is surrounded by enemies, and there is no need for such people. They can only recite poems and chant poems, but they don’t know the vast sea. Government nerds. I need those men who are still shrouded in horse leather, like Zhou Peigong and Shi Lang, who can conquer all directions for me. Those Jinshi who don't even know what the world is like, Prince Gong, you say they can change the backwardness and beatings of this dynasty. situation?"
Prince Gong Yixin couldn't help but sigh and felt sorry for Gong Zizhen. He had a bad fate, was born at the wrong time, and didn't know how to cultivate his moral character. Only those who can endure loneliness will be given important responsibilities. Just like Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang. After tempering and tempering his will at the bottom, he was tempered into steel. When he was in his forties, he was re-employed by his father. Gong Zizhen liked to talk loudly and thought Emperor Daoguang looked down on him. Little did he know that his father liked to hire mature and prudent people. Unfortunately, he died of illness in middle age. , and also made the father sigh with regret.