"I am willing to serve the Great Qing. The fight the other day was my soldiers' reckless actions and should be punished. But the Xiang Army doesn't know etiquette and needs to be educated. If they are all punished, I'm afraid the morale of the army will be unstable! "Ceng Guofan knelt in front of the two Empress Dowagers, his thin and elegant face covered in tears.
Prince Yi? Sitting at the side, Prince Yi? There were also a few Manchu Qing princes and ministers. Prince Yi? The other princes all had malicious expressions. They looked at Ceng Guofan as if they were looking at an enemy with deep hatred. When Ceng Guofan finished speaking, Grand Council Minister Gua Erjia and Wen Xiang angrily said. "The morale of the Xiang Army is unstable? Is the Xiang Army going to be rebuilt?! The generals of the anti-Ba Banners are saying that if the Xiang Army is not severely punished, the disciples of the Eight Banners won't agree. The Manchu and Han are different, the Manchu people are noble! The Xiang Army beat the Eight Banners, what a scandal! "
After scolding Ceng Guofan, Wen Xiang got up and knelt in front of the two Empress Dowagers. "Empress Dowager! The Eight Banners are all clamoring, saying that if the Xiang Army is not severely punished, they won't send troops to fight! "
Ci An looked at the noisy Gua Erjia. Wen Xiang, her delicate face didn't show any anger. Being stared at by the Empress Dowager, Wen Xiang, who had made great contributions in the coup, couldn't help but lower his head.
Looking at Gua Erjia? Wen Xiang didn't dare to act rashly again. Ci An looked at the other Manchu princes and high-ranking officials. These people supported the coup and killed the eight ministers. Since they pushed Ci An to be the regent, it was clear that there was a master-servant relationship. Looking at the calm Ci An, this group of people also lowered their heads.
"Prince Gong, last time I asked you if the Eight Banners were ready to send troops. How is it going?" Ci An asked.
Prince Gong Yi? Hearing this, he lowered his head even more. He originally wanted to punish the Xiang Army, not because he really wanted to do anything to the Xiang Army, but because he was afraid that someone in the Eight Banners would take advantage of the situation and couldn't find a reason to send troops. The Eight Banners naturally didn't want to fight. I know this very well. However, if the Eight Banners continued to act like they did in the past, waiting for other armies to fight for them, the situation would only worsen.
However, what they were afraid of came true. At this time, the commanders of the Eight Banners, faced with the clamor of the Eight Banners Army demanding that the Xiang Army be severely punished, could only push the conflict to the Empress Dowager.
It was obvious that Empress Dowager Ci 'an had seen through this, so she asked about the Eight Banners sending troops. Empress Dowager Ci 'an understood what was going on. Then, life would be difficult. As a matter of fact, Prince Yu Yi? They knew very well that the Eight Banners Army didn't really want to do anything to the Xiang Army. They just wanted to drag it out. Even if they chopped the entire Xiang Army into eight pieces, even if they cut Ceng Guofan into a thousand pieces, the Eight Banners Army would still be able to find a new reason not to send their troops.
Looking at Prince Yi? Seeing that he did not dare to speak, Ci 'an did not press him too hard. She said, "Dealing with the Xiang Army is one thing, fighting the Eight Banners is another thing. If the Eight Banners Army can win the war, let the Xiang Army be dealt with by the Eight Banners Army. At this time, the Qing Dynasty does not have that many troops, so let the Xiang Army temporarily atone for their crimes. "
After listening to this high-sounding bluff, Prince Yi Qinghu His heart completely fell into his stomach. In fact, he had the same idea as the Empress Dowager of the East. The most urgent task at the moment was to let the Eight Banners Army win the war, and they could not force the Xiang Army to the point of rebellion. If the war could not be won and the Qing Army killed each other first, the Qing Dynasty would really come to an end.
Prince Yi? He quickly knelt down in front of Ci 'an and said loudly, "Empress Dowager is wise!"
Ci An also ignored Prince Yixin. She turned to the other princes and high-ranking officials and asked in a cold voice, "What do you think?"
Seeing that Ci 'an had grasped the crux of the problem, these people knew that Ci' an's opinion would not change, so they also knelt down and said, "We obey the Empress Dowager's decree."
Ci An first told the princes and ministers to go back and quickly reorganize the Eight Banners Army. After they all went out, Ci An asked Ceng Guofan to stand up and talk. Ceng Guofan was 54 years old this year. After kneeling for more than an hour, he tried to get up, but his legs refused to listen to him. Ci An signaled with his eyes, and two eunuchs hurriedly stepped forward to help Ceng Guofan up.
"Give him a seat!" Ci An ordered.
At this time, Ceng Guofan didn't know whether it was because he was wronged or because he was moved by Ci An's generosity. He tremblingly knelt down again and kowtowed to Ci An. He choked with sobs and said, "Thank you, Empress Dowager!"
As soon as Ceng Guofan sat down, Ci An said, "Ceng Guofan, you have always been loyal to the imperial court. You have also accounted for your fight with the Eight Banners, so there is no need to mention this matter again. What do you have to report about the war? "
"Empress Dowager!" At this time, Ceng Guofan had already dried his tears, "If the Eight Banners were to send out their troops, we cannot lack firearms. Big Saber and Spear could no longer win the battle. These firearms must be complete before we send out our troops. "
Ci An nodded her head after listening, she looked at Prince Gong Yi Xiang. "Do you have firearms ready?"
Dear Prince Yi? With difficulty he said, "Empress Dowager, your servant has already contacted the foreigners. The Westerners only said that they could sell twenty thousand guns to us, but each gun would cost twenty taels of silver, and they couldn't go any lower. He had money in one hand and a gun in the other. They will deliver the goods by sea. This servant is incompetent, I can't even delay him for a moment. "
Twenty thousand guns meant four hundred thousand taels of silver. This was not a small sum. By this time even Zhili had a large number of Nian Army activities, how could Manchu Qing still collect taxes? The Northeast had always been Manchu Qing's "private land" that only needed to be occupied. Although the Northeast region was vast, it was impossible to make money there. Ci An pondered for a moment and finally said, "Since that's the case, the palace will pay for it."
After listening to Ci An's words, Cixi's expression changed. However, she did not dare to speak and could only look at Ci An. Dear Prince Yi? Hearing the news, Cixi's heart finally returned to his stomach. He quickly kowtowed and said, "Your servant will do it immediately!"
Seeing that he had finally pushed the Eight Banners to send troops, Ci An turned around and asked Ceng Guofan about the cleansing of the Nian Army. Ceng Guofan still brought out his method of training the local troops and turning them into fortresses. After he finished, Ceng Guofan concluded, "Empress Dowager, the rebels come and go like the wind. Every time they come, they plunder without restraint. Then they rely on these provisions to move around. If the local troops can protect themselves, the rebels will have no provisions, so naturally it will be difficult for them to move. When the imperial troops pursue them, they will have information from the local troops and a place to camp, so fighting will be twice the result with half the effort. Although it may take a longer time, it will be possible to defeat the rebels. "
Ceng Guofan was about to continue his long speech when a eunuch unexpectedly came in with a document. Ceng Guofan closed his mouth and waited for Ci An to finish reading the memorial. Ci An carefully read the memorial several times, then asked with a smile, "Ceng Guofan, is there a general named Bao in the Xiang Army?"
Ceng Guofan immediately replied, "There is such a person. Bao is a valiant general! "
Ci An said with a smile, "Taqib and Bao jointly submitted a memorial. In Huoyang, they defeated a group of rebels and killed three thousand people. They won the battle. "
For Ceng Guofan, this news was tantamount to a long drought seeing rain. He quickly got up and knelt down, "Congratulations Empress Dowager!"
Prince Gong Yi? Coming out of the Imperial City, he immediately called for a meeting. The Grand Council was basically full of people. Hearing that the Empress Dowager was willing to buy firearms from the Palace, they were all overjoyed. Many of the Eight Banners Army still used broadswords and spears, or mounted archery. A few years ago, they fought against the British army and were beaten into a mess, so they knew the power of firearms. The Eight Banners Army was unwilling to send troops mainly because their weapons and equipment were not in place.
After confirming the deal, Prince Gong Yi? Went home. When he arrived at the gate of the Prince's mansion, he saw Prince Gong's carriage parked at the gate. When he entered the door, he said, "Prince Rui is waiting for you."
Prince Rui, Prince De Zhang, and Prince Gong Yi? Their relationship was not bad. Knowing that Prince Rui wanted to see Prince Gong Yi? Prince Gong Yi did not refuse. As soon as they met, Prince Rui said very straightforwardly, "I want to ask something of you, Prince Gong."
"What is it?" Seeing Prince Rui's expression, Prince Gong Yi? Prince Gong Yi's heart was a bit drumming.
Prince Rui said, "I heard that foreigners are selling grain on the sea, but I don't know if you can let me take the task of buying grain from them?"
Prince Gong Yi? He was stunned. The Manchurian Qing Dynasty had never avoided using princes, but this kind of important task that involved a lot of money was a very important matter. Did Prince Rui really want to work for them, or did he want to make a profit?
Prince Rui sternly said, "Prince Gong, at this time, the price of grain has risen to this point. There is a group of big profiteers who have already bought grain from the sea and sold it in the city. They have made a lot of money, but the Imperial Court has not the slightest profit. I think the current plan is to let the Imperial Court manage this grain trade. The money earned will give the Imperial Court an income, and the Eight Banners Army will have grain to eat. "
Right now, the national treasury was empty, but the expenditure for the Eight Banners Army could not be reduced. Empress Dowager Ci 'an gritted her teeth and took out 400,000 taels of silver to buy weapons for the war. Right now, he had to pay attention to all sources of income. Thinking of this, Prince Yi He said, "This matter still needs to be discussed again."
Looking at the disappointed look on Prince Rui's face, Prince Yi, Prince of Gong? He said encouragingly, "But if I really have a plan, I will not forget Prince Rui."
When Prince Rui returned home, many princes from the Imperial Plantation were already waiting for him at his house. After asking about the progress of the matter, the princes were all overjoyed. Recently, the price of grain had skyrocketed. Some of the Imperial Plantations' princes had earned quite a lot by selling grain. But after the grain from the sea began to enter Beijing, the price of grain began to fall. Prince Rui's family was the descendant of Dorgon. Because they slept with the empress dowager, they suppressed Old Fulin. In the past hundred years, he had slowly regained some of his status. But there was no Imperial Plantation. Therefore, it was more appropriate for him to do this. As long as they could cut off the private grain trade and maintain the grain price at a high level, the princes would be able to make a huge profit.
Of course, the princes would not talk about this without manners. Naturally, they still had to say some high-sounding words. After saying some words about plugging the loopholes and saving money for the Imperial Court and so on, the princes discussed how to deal with Prince Gong Yi. Finally, they were satisfied.
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