C617 Core interests

Weng Tonghe was shocked, he could not believe that Ceng Guofan would actually say such harsh words, and actually speak out for Xiao Letian. Could it be that the five hundred thousand Xiang Army s had caused Ceng Guofan to have crooked thoughts as well?

A chill ran up his spine, and at that moment Weng Tonghe felt despair.

Although he could scold Xiao Letian in anger, but he definitely wouldn't dare to scold Great Marshal Zeng. The Xiang Army had long spread throughout the imperial court and the imperial government was doing everything in their power to pacify Ceng Guofan.

The attitude of the imperial government towards Ceng Guofan was very uniform. It was to hold him as a moral gentleman and use good words to push him into a crowd of loyal officials. His mouth was filled with the words of a saint.

In the real history, Qing Dynasty and Qing Liu had used such a moral rope to tie Ceng Guofan up to death. His letters to his family, his ice charms, and his poetry were all praised by the imperial court.

It was not that the generals of the Xiang Army had not been prepared for the addition of their yellow robes, especially Jiu Shuai. According to the records of wild history, he had already prepared to raise the flag.

To be honest, the imperial government could not think of any methods to deal with Ceng Guofan, no matter how hard they tried. There was no one who could buy the imperial government with money, not even Jiang Nan Fu.

In the end, they still had to find ropes from the Confucian school. Thinking back and forth, kidnapping was still the most useful, using the power of public opinion of the whole country to make Ceng Guofan into a saint gentleman.

As the Qingliu Leader, he was too clear about Weng Tonghe's strategy, so he could angrily rebuke Xiao Letian. However, he did not dare to say even a single bad thing about the Great Marshal Zeng, even if Ceng Guofan dared to say something against the emperor's will in front of him, he would have to listen obediently.

"Marshal!" If you think so, then the kingdom is finished. Xiao Letian has the money and now he wants to buy people's hearts, is this the sign of rebellion? Could it be that the peace that has been won by several hundred thousand Xiang Army s will be given to Xiao Letian in the end? "

"It is not easy to pacify the empire with a few incidents of chaos. The people of this world are in a state of extreme tranquility. They need to recuperate!" How can we tolerate Xiao Letian ruining this hard-won peace at this time … "

"Enough! You're saying that you want peace, that you want to rest with the citizens, and on the other hand, you're even instigating me to fight with Xiao Letian, don't you feel that there's a conflict between the two of us? "

"The Ryukyu is the Subordinate States of the Great Qing, and Xiao Letian's identity as the Prime Minister was bestowed by Shang Tai Wang Qin. Even if he is the one leading the troops, it is also the internal affairs of the Ryukyu.

"Speaking of Tanggu District, the imperial government had agreed to it in the first place. The new army's status as the guard of the Special Administrative Region has also been confirmed by the imperial government. Do you think that everyone in the world is blind?! "

After being scolded, Weng Tonghe began to sweat profusely. The commander of a million strong army had a mighty aura about him, and he only knew that he was no match for him.

"Marshal …" Was the marshal about to abandon the emperor? "Marshal, you can't …" Weng Tonghe was so anxious that she was about to cry.

Ceng Guofan was secretly pleased, I told you to keep it, you want to fall out with me, and you even want to play around with me? But since Weng Tonghe gave in, Ceng Guofan had achieved his goal.

He snorted lightly, "Hmph …" How can the imperial government produce so many idiots who don't dare to do anything but cause trouble and won't be cured? "If I had abandoned the emperor, I would have led my troops to the capital two years ago …"

"You have to remember, being loyal to a king is not as loyal as you are. It is also not as natural as you scholars think!"

When Weng Tonghe heard the marshal's words, he immediately gave a start and said, "Yes yes, teacher is right, this disciple has been taught a lesson …"

After dispelling the tense atmosphere and the harmonious atmosphere in the room, Ceng Guofan then began to formally instruct this future official who was nineteen years younger than him.

"What exactly is government? "It's not justice or righteousness that you're talking about. It's just that the political powers in the court are fighting against each other to achieve a balance …"

"Don't even talk about how the people of the world are beautiful, they are all just trying to scare people, will you, Weng Tonghe, not act according to the government and have the people become the animals? "Who came up with the plan to drive the citizens out of the battle, not to mention the distance?"

With just a sentence, Weng Tonghe's face turned purple, and his lips moved a few times, not daring to open his mouth.

"Hmph …" I don't need to mention this matter, but in the Grand Commission three days from now, if you are still as foolish as you are today, then you will definitely suffer a crushing defeat! "

"Teacher, please teach me …" This time, Weng Tonghe was finally convinced.

"Negotiations are business. There has to be a bargain, isn't there? You can't take all the limelight, but you can't give all the benefits to you, and you can't leave no one else alive. "

"I can't pull telegraph line s, but you guys still said I can't do it. I can't promote Western learning, and I can't sell some cheap rice in the capital. I can't do it, I can't do it, so let me ask you guys, is this an attitude that a negotiation should have?"

"It was all because of your aggressiveness that stopped all the negotiations. In the end, the things that others could not get through their mouths, they could only use their fists and the Gun s to snatch! It's already this late, are you all still not coming to your senses? "

Saying that, Ceng Guofan smashed the wine cup with a loud sound, "Why did the British and French combined forces lead their troops to attack the Beijing six years ago? And why did he burn the Yuan Ming Yuan? It was clearly a problem that could be solved through diplomatic negotiations. Why did you all have to bring about such a military disaster? "

"I am not trying to excuse the foreigners. The foreigners want to preach and they want to open a port. I am opposed to that in my heart. It's better than an army fighting, isn't it? "

"It's also a treaty. How can it be the same as being forced out by the enemy with a bayonet? Even if we bow our heads to the foreigners in the end, we don't need to fight in that war that we have to lose, how can we lose our capital and our Yuan Ming Yuan? "

At that moment, Weng Tonghe felt dizzy, he never thought that Ceng Guofan would say such a thing.

Yes, if the Beijing Treaty and the Tianjin Treaty had been signed at the negotiating table, the terms would not have been so harsh, would they? At least the war reparations weren't needed, and the Yuan Ming Yuan wouldn't be burnt either.

It was still that tiny bit of dignity he had had since ancient times. He didn't even know how to write the word 'die' until the coffin was propped against the door. There was no wisdom to being brainless or conceited. Even though they had written and written poems every day, which could be passed on to the world, they were all smart people without great wisdom.

Scholars like Ceng Guofan, Hu Lin Yi, Zuo Zongtang, including Li Hongzhang, Zhang Zhi Dong were the ones who truly possessed great wisdom. Dismount from the horse can settle the people, mount the horse can control the army, know what is not pedantic, know what is flexible and flexible.

If the war six years ago had been fought by Ceng Guofan, Da Qing wouldn't have lost so badly. The top foreigners would have taken away some of the rights to preach and conduct business at the port.

Weng Tonghe's lips trembled as he said, "That year... In the past, the pressure from the imperial government was just too great. Anyone who attempted to negotiate with the foreigners in the Beijing was called a traitor, and at that time, all the members of the imperial court were talking about the same thing … We cannot lose face in the Empire of Heaven! "

"Look …" This was a nationalistic act! You only wish to have a good mouth for a moment. You must know that in this world, strength reigns supreme, yet you do not have the power to defeat them, and instead instigate the Imperial Court to go to war? "

"Hehe, anyway, you won't be the ones to die in the end. When the time comes, you can shrink back into a turtle and live to deny what you've said. You can push the blame to the imperial court and the army, and you'll become a gentleman who worries about the country and the people!"

"Shu Ping, it's true that you are a recognized leader of Qing Liu, but you better not be bewitched by those nationalistic youths!" You have to have a rule in your heart! "

"In the Grand Commission three days later, what are your core interests? "What do you mean by 'secondary can give up'? Don't always think that all of the benefits are yours. Be careful or else you might want everything and end up losing everything …"

"Core interests? Interests that can be abandoned... " These words were stuck in Weng Tonghe's mouth like a thousand kilograms of olives.

"What we cannot give up on is the emperor, the mountains and rivers of the Great Qing Dynasty!" The old man mumbled to himself as if he was in a dream.

"Tsk …" Ceng Guofan sneered: "Think about it carefully, is your core interest really the Emperor?"

It was already late at night, and in the end, Weng Tonghe did not manage to find out what the core benefits were either.

After sending off Weng Tonghe, Jiu Shuai looked at the person who came to his brother's side and said disdainfully, "Big brother, why are you wasting your breath on these people? "He doesn't have any abilities other than his mouth. Even if he is kind, it's just a material for doing bad things …"

"Ai …" "After all, his father and I do have some intimate feelings for each other. If he can give us some pointers, he should give us some pointers. As for whether or not he can comprehend anything, that will depend on them …"

While they were talking, a burst of northwest wind s blew over from the garden, with the sound of leaves falling, Jiu Shuai quickly took a Silver Fox Cloak from his personal guard and placed it on his brother's body.

"Big Brother, the night wind is too cold, let's go inside the house!"

"It's better if it's colder, it will clear up a person's mind if it's colder. Hopefully, the cold wind brought about by Xiao Letian will help the imperial government wake up a little … Do you know that there is a jade ruyi in the west wing? It was delivered by Empress Dowager Ci Xi yesterday! "

"Heh heh, Ruyi. As per my will, you've started throwing olive branches at me now. You're really giving your all to keep this woman in control of the imperial government!"

"Oh? What kind of conditions did the old demoness offer … If I said I would eat their bait and not do anything for them in the end, when he killed Su Shun six years ago, who would care about how we felt? "It's been used on us now. We know to give her the ruyi, but we won't let her have the ruyi today …"

Mentioning Su Shun, Ceng Guofan became silent. This Qing Dynasty Grand Scholar who had saved Zuo Zongtang's life, had protected his life, was the descendant of the Love New Desire Luo, was the son of Prince Zheng Lun Harang's seventh grandson, the son of Prince Zheng Zhen, Uriah, the head of the who loved Chinese Officer but hated her people and would never be able to return.

"Yu Ting, you are the one with the most importance in the entire Manchu royal family, you are also the one with the most open-minded. If you were still alive, then maybe the Great Qing's foreign affairs movement and industrialization wouldn't be so difficult? "It's a pity that you left early …"

Thinking back to the little bits and pieces of his benefactor, Zeng Family Elder Brother had only left two old tears.