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"We were born into poverty. If we can't make a name for ourselves in this world, then we can only be poor for the rest of our lives! So, I ask the brothers of the Zhu family to follow me and do this. " A middle-aged man spoke with a gloomy expression. Although his expression was gloomy, there was an uncontrollable passion in his voice, and this kind of passion undoubtedly stirred up the emotions of the people around him.
"If the Nian Army can conquer such territory, what should we do?" someone next to him asked.
The middle-aged man said passionately, "The Liberation Army hasn't gone north for years, but Zuo Zongtang was defeated and the Nian Army was about to attack Xuzhou, so the Liberation Army went north to seize Xuzhou. I have already sent my brothers to contact the Liberation Army. As long as the Liberation Army agrees to give Jining to us, we will rise up and rebel against the Qing Dynasty! Now that Xuzhou has been lost, the Nian Army is about to occupy Henan. The Qing Dynasty can't even take care of themselves, let alone us. Our tens of thousands of men can occupy the territory east of Weishan Lake. At that time, each of us can be a county magistrate, governor, or prefectural magistrate. We can also expand our territory and build a country. "
Although this blueprint for the future was very exciting, the middle-aged man's subordinates obviously didn't have such confidence. They asked worriedly, "Big Brother, are we also going to fight for the world?"
The middle-aged man smiled confidently and said, "Jining is between the Qing Dynasty and the Liberation Army. As long as we can hold the Liberation Army back and they don't attack us, we can be king here. In the future, if the Liberation Army can win, we can join them. No matter what, we can be meritorious officials and live well. If the Great Qing doesn't have much luck left and can pull through, then we'll continue to follow the Great Qing. But there is one thing. If we can't occupy Jining, then no one will take us seriously. As long as we can occupy Jining and the east of Weishan Lake, this prince can't run away! "
"How long do we have to wait to know the news from the Liberation Army?" the middle-aged man's subordinate asked.
"Soon, in a few days," the middle-aged man replied. "Let's speed up our preparations in the next few days. As soon as the news arrives, we'll take action."
Zuo Zongtang was not sure if he would join the Liberation Army. Kurosawa Tsuyoshi had made it clear that the purpose of his trip was not to persuade them to surrender, but to invite them. If Zuo Zongtang was willing to join the Liberation Army, then the Chu army would not have surrendered, but revolted. This respectful attitude was appreciated by Zuo Zongtang. This Jin Liang had an extraordinarily high level of self-esteem. He did not see himself as an ordinary person. Even if he were to witness the fate of the Manchu Qing's downfall, Zuo Zongtang did not think that dying along with the imperial court was more terrible than losing his reputation and integrity.
But Zuo Zongtang was very polite to Kurosawa Tsuyoshi. This poor man did not have an illustrious background, nor did he have unparalleled talent, but this man had a sense of righteousness that Zuo Zongtang could not help but admire. For two days, he talked with Zuo Zongtang about the world and the fate of China. Kurosawa Tsuyoshi's attitude remained the same. The idea of the country's system must be to allow the people to live a good life.
Zuo Zongtang originally looked down on the rebels, but after meeting Kurosawa Tsuyoshi, he finally changed his view. A person who could uphold the most normal idea, and implement this idea to the point where he could apply it to others. This in itself was a kind of justice. Moreover, this kind of justice did not require others to work for the Liberation Army, but called for people who had the same idea to move forward with the Liberation Army. This was completely different from the system of the Manchu Qing.
Kurosawa Tsuyoshi was not disappointed that he could not persuade Zuo Zongtang. He politely said goodbye to Zuo Zongtang and set out on the road back to Xuzhou. Before leaving, the last words that Kurosawa Tsuyoshi left for Zuo Zongtang were: "Mr. Zuo, the Manchu Qing cannot solve the current problems of China, this has been proven. If Mr. Zuo wants to solve the difficulties faced by the people of China, then please come to our side. "
Looking at Kurosawa Tsuyoshi's back, Zuo Zongtang suddenly had the urge to call out to Kurosawa Tsuyoshi. It was not because he wanted to go to Xuzhou with Kurosawa Tsuyoshi, but to ask Kurosawa Tsuyoshi if he was willing to seek refuge with Zuo Zongtang. Confucius once said that it was shameful to do one's own deeds. If one did not dishonor the emperor's orders, one could be called a scholar. Although it was not the Spring and Autumn Period, there were no feudal vassals under the emperor. However, even when this man was sent to the enemy camp, he was neither servile nor overbearing. He fully implemented his mission, ideas, and ideals in his actions. Such a talent was really admired by Zuo Zongtang.
But Zuo Zongtang did not do so, because he believed that since he was not willing to be a minister when the Manchu Qing was on the verge of collapse, then Kurosawa Tsuyoshi had no reason to seek refuge with Zuo Zongtang. Zuo Zongtang could see that Kurosawa Tsuyoshi's loyalty to Vézé was even greater than Zuo Zongtang's adherence to morality.
Only when Kurosawa Tsuyoshi's figure could no longer be seen did Zuo Zongtang return to the camp. This time, only a few officers of the Chu army knew of Kurosawa Tsuyoshi's arrival. But the Chu army had been driven out of Zhejiang and now lost Xuzhou. They were now completely alone. At first, some of the officers shouted that they wanted to kill Kurosawa Tsuyoshi to vent their anger. But arguing was just arguing. After they calmed down, some of the officers showed signs of surrendering. Even if they did not surrender, some felt that they could not continue to be loyal to the Manchu Qing.
Last year, a large number of Jiangnan landlords had fled to the north of the Huai River. They had joined the Liberation Army and carried out land reform, taking the landlords' land and distributing it to the people. The landlords' economic foundation had been uprooted, and this caused the officers who had been landlords to feel great hatred. But the officers and soldiers from ordinary families did not have as much conflict. If they did not fight with the Manchu Qing, and could still farm after they returned home, they could accept such a thing. Zuo Zongtang had strictly forbidden the news of the loss of Xuzhou to be leaked, but when Zuo Zongtang retreated to Jining in defeat, he had said that he would rest here for a few days and then take a ship back to Xuzhou. Now that he could not return to Xuzhou, if he stayed in Jining, there would be an explanation for this matter sooner or later. How to explain this matter to the Chu army was a great problem.
The garrison commander of Jining, Miao Peilin, did not allow Zuo Zongtang to set up camp in Jining. The Chu army could only set up camp outside the city. Because they did not bring any supplies, the Chu army could only sleep in the open. Right now, it was summer, and sleeping outside was acceptable. But what to do in the future?
When Zuo Zongtang returned to the camp, he saw many mule and horse porters were bringing in wine and food. The wine jars were not opened, but the fragrance of the donkey meat, a specialty of Shandong, could be smelled. In the past few days, Miao Peilin did not allow the Chu army to enter the city, so the Chu army could only go to the market outside the city to buy food. The Chu army did not want to spend money at this time, so there was great conflict with the local people. Zuo Zongtang thought, it seemed that this Miao Peilin's commander could not stand the complaints of the people. He prepared to appease the Chu army with some food and wine.
As expected, the leader respectfully said to Zuo Zongtang, "Official Zuo, my commander ordered us to send these food and wine to reward our brothers. I only hope that Daren can restrain the brothers of the Chu army a little. If this continues, everyone will lose face. "
While he knew that he would have to rely on Miao Peilin for a long time in the future, this was not the time to show weakness. Zuo Zongtang smiled coldly and said, "Then thank you, Official Miao."
After sending away Miao Peilin's people, Zuo Zongtang looked at the envious expressions of the soldiers and ordered, "Distribute the food and wine to everyone tonight."
This order caused cheers. The Chu army had not eaten meat and wine for a long time, and were in low spirits after their defeat. Now that they could finally enjoy it again, everyone was happy.
Zuo Zongtang had something on his mind, so he only ate some meat and drank some wine. The other people ate and drank freely. Two to four hours later, the entire army started to have diarrhea.
In the early hours of the second day, tens of thousands of Chu soldiers were killed outside the camp that did not even have walls. The Chu army was not a weak force, but a strong man could not stand up to diarrhea. At this time, the Chu army's limbs were weak, and they were ambushed. There was no way to fight back. The ambushing army slaughtered the Chu army like they were cutting vegetables.
When Zuo Zongtang learned that the army had diarrhea, he knew that there was something wrong with the food and wine Miao Peilin had sent. But he could only settle this with Miao Peilin in the morning. He had not expected to be ambushed at daybreak.
In this moment, Zuo Zongtang suddenly understood. "When disaster comes, everyone flies." Zuo Zongtang was willing to uphold his moral principles, that was Zuo Zongtang's matter. Other people did not have to die for the Qing in the face of such a choice.
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