"Elder Sister, even if Miao Peilin is given an official title, it's not a big deal. If he continues like this, he will definitely fight with the Cantonese bandits. It would be a good thing for both sides to suffer. "Cixi said to Ci An submissively.
Right now there were two groups of people in the Manchu Qing imperial court. One group, at least verbally, believed that the legend 'Manchu men do not exceed ten thousand, more than ten thousand are no match' would reappear, and that the Manchu men would be able to sweep the world like they did when they entered the Pass. The other faction did not believe such nonsense. They hoped to use all the means available to encourage all the forces that would fight the Liberation Army and the Taiping Rebellion to the end to die. In their eyes, not only was Miao Peilin a target to be used, but the Xiang Army and the Huai army were also cannon fodder.
Ci An's expression was solemn. After thinking for a while, she said, "Grant Ceng Guofan and Jiang Zhongyuan dukes."
"Uh?" Kissing Prince Yi? He couldn't help but widen his eyes. Guarding against the Han people was the basic national policy of the Manchu Qing, because the number of Han people was a hundred times more than the Manchu, allowing the Manchu officials to have an absolute advantage was something that the Manchu Qing had been deliberately planning to do. The Qing Dynasty had finally solved the problem that had plagued the Manchu Qing for over a hundred years. Not only did they solve this problem, but they also solved the problem of having too many substitute officials.
The officials from the capital were fleeing, the local officials were fleeing. For the first time, the Manchu Qing imperial court discovered that there were more official vacancies than reserve officials. For the first time, the Manchu Qing imperial court discovered that the number of Han officials they could mobilize was less than the Manchu officials. After the Liberation Army seized the south of the Huai River, the national imperial examinations had ceased to exist in name only. Manchu Qing has been holding the Enke Festival every year for the past few years, but the number of Han who come to attend the Enke Festival in Manchu Qing's territory is decreasing. This was especially so for the Enke examination in 1866. There were a total of 300 applicants, but only 624 Hans participated in the examination. Many of them had stayed in Beijing all year round to take part in the imperial examinations but had never passed.
These people were unreliable. Their only goal in participating in the Enke Association was to fulfill a wish, and that was to pass the imperial examinations and gain some fame. In 1865, there were two Enke examinations, and a total of six hundred Jinshi were recruited. For the time being, none of the Manchu officials had fled, so there was no need to fill in the ranks of the Manchu officials. Of the 600 Enke candidates, 500 were Han. After they took office, they were faced with the problem of not having any benefits or even having their salaries delayed. In less than half a year, more than 300 people had left. There were three people in the First Rank: Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua. In the two competitions, Enke had a total of six participants, but all of them had disappeared without a trace.
Faced with the shortage of officials at all levels, the Manchu Qing had no choice but to enlist the High Scholars to make up the numbers. In places that were further away, the High Scholars did not respond to the summons from the Imperial Court. The local Juren of Zhili, on the other hand, refused to serve the Imperial Court on the grounds of their lack of virtue and talent. Unable to obtain the support of the local Han powers, the imperial court could only continue to issue envoys, and the people who were chosen to issue envoys became more and more dastardly.
The Manchu faction has already proposed to dismiss all the Han officials, and establish an imperial court composed entirely of Manchus. Empress Dowager Ci 'an firmly disagreed, and she worked hard to maintain the existence of the imperial examinations. Now, she actually wanted to confer the title of Duke to Ceng Guofan and Jiang Zhongyuan, which was only one step away from being conferred the title of King. Gong Qian Wang Yi? Looking suspiciously at his sister-in-law, he very much suspected that Ci 'an actually sincerely wanted to confer the title of Prince to Ceng Guofan and Jiang Zhongyuan.
"Jiejie, the ancestors have ancestral rules!" Cixi couldn't help but advise.
Hearing Cixi's suggestion, Ci 'an's phoenix eyes suddenly widened. She angrily said, "The most important thing right now is to protect the ancestral country! If the country is gone, what ancestral rules are there to speak of? "
Gong Qian Wang Yi? Cixi shivered. This was the first time he saw Ci 'an truly angry. Moreover, what Ci 'an said was the future that the few knowledgeable people left in the Imperial Court were truly worried about.
Ci 'an did not vent her anger. In a cold voice, she said, "The Eight Banners must go to war! Since the bandits have suffered heavy losses, the situation in Shandong has improved a lot. The Eight Banners will now send out troops to eliminate the bandits in Shandong. "
Without waiting for Gong Qian Wang Yi? Ci 'an continued, "If we can eliminate the bandits in Shandong, let the Eight Banners suppress Miao Peilin. Based on his two-track character, without the Eight Banners suppressing him, he will immediately defect to Wei Ni's side. "
Gong Qian Wang Yi? Originally wanted to ask how to deal with Miao Peilin. After hearing Ci 'an's suggestion, Gong Qian Wang Yi? Felt his eyes light up.
Ci 'an continued, "Send someone to Shengjing to take care of it. The ancestral land of the dragon can't be abandoned."
Gong Qian Wang Yi? With his nickname of the Sixth Devil, how could he not understand that this wasn't taking care of it at all. It was a plan to first prepare a path of retreat. Gong Qian Wang Yi? Mustering his courage, he asked, "Who should we send?"
"The Eight Banners Army has to leave the city to fight. Whoever fights the best will be sent." Ci 'an replied.
Gong Qian Wang Yi? Looking at Ci 'an's firm expression and her unhesitant tone, he greatly admired her. If they retreated outside the Great Wall, there would only be the Banners left. If the Banners were still as cowardly as they were now, the Great Wall would sooner or later fall. Ci 'an's intention was to dig out the Eight Banners Army that could still fight as soon as possible. Even if they were forced to flee outside the Great Wall, they would know who to put in important positions.
"Then make Ceng Guofan and Jiang Zhongyuan dukes …" She was testing Empress Dowager Ci 'an's intentions.
Ci 'an stared at Gong Qian Wang Yi? He asked loudly, "At this time, if we can't boost the morale and unite the hearts of the loyal officials, can the imperial court fight the rebels to the death?"
Gong Qian Wang Yi? Widened his eyes. He never thought that while Ci 'an was preparing a path of retreat, she was also preparing to fight with all her might. This was a very unyielding choice, but not a reckless one. Gong Qian Wang Yi? If they could destroy the Nian Army with all their might in the future, the imperial court would be able to determine who could fight. These people would naturally be the foundation of the future revival of the imperial court.
The Liberation Army was not moving now, not because they had lost the ability to fight. If Empress Dowager Ci 'an showed an attitude that Manchu Qing could face Vézé's army and turn defeat into victory, Gong Qian Wang Yi? Would only think that Ci 'an was also wishful thinking. Making full use of the opportunity to obtain victory, selecting talents, improving experience, and at the same time arranging a path of retreat was at least the best choice at this stage.
Facing Ci 'an, he had already done his best plan. Gong Qian Wang Yi? He couldn't help but complain, "Empress Dowager, this servant has urged many times, but the Eight Banners Princes always refuse …"
"Whoever refuses will be dismissed. How many Han officials are there in the imperial court now? If they don't dare to lead the troops, it's fine. Then let them take the empty positions! "Ci 'an said coldly.
This could be considered the best way to reduce conflict. Gong Qian Wang Yi? Sighed in his heart. He knelt down and said, "Then this servant will draw up a list for the Empress Dowager to deal with."
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