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Volume 1: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 590: Swinging in the Wind

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    Hengfu, the governor-general of the Qing Dynasty, has been restless these days. Hengfu is a member of the Xianghuang Banner among the Eight Banners of Mongolia. He is of the Eldet family. He is also a Mongolian like Seng Gelinqin, the commander of the Qing army in Jintang area.  However, unlike Seng Gelinqin who was poor since childhood, Hengfu came from a well-off family and read poetry and books. He has long lost the Mongolian unruliness and fierceness. At first glance, he is a complete scholar.

    Since the artillery fire of the British and French forces rang out in Beitang and other places, he has been frightened.  This lack of confidence stems from his lack of understanding of the Qing army's deployment. As the commander-in-chief of Jintang, Seng Gelinqin personally took charge of Tianjin to defend the defense. Although Hengfu also sat in Tianjin, he did not know Seng Gelinqin's deployment.  He didn't even know how many soldiers and horses Seng Gelinqin had.

    Senggelinqin kept all military deployments secret from Hengfu and other local officials. As the governor of Zhili, Hengfu only assisted Senggelinqin with trivial matters such as logistics and civilian requisition.  Hengfu was very depressed about this. In the Qing Dynasty, civilian officials had always had a higher status than military attach¨¦s, and civilian officials in the Qing Dynasty were often required to be able to command the troops and govern the people. In the past, he, the governor-general of Zhili, would not have been excluded in any way.  Outside of military strategy, Seng Gelinqin now treats him completely as an outsider.

    Hengfu didn't dare to say anything about this. Firstly, Senggelinqin was the iron-hatted king, and secondly, Senggelinqin had an imperial edict from the imperial court. The imperial edict contained the imperial seals of the emperor and the two palaces, ordering him, the governor of Zhili, to obey Senggelin on all matters.  Green Qin, so Hengfu could only do his own errands.

    Since the First Opium War, Hengfu has been extremely worried because of Senggelinqin's military secrecy.  Handling barbarian affairs became the most troublesome thing for Qing officials. War would result in loss of troops and territory, while peace would result in loss of official reputation.  Jintang is the gateway to Gyeonggi Province, and there is no confidence at all whether Hengfu can be defended here.

    In response to this, Hengfu Zengjin sent many slave spies to try to find out the news, but the news was discouraging. The monk king's army numbered tens of thousands (the exact number is unknown), and hundreds of barbarian ships gathered in the sea outside Jintang (the exact number is unknown).  Wanyi soldiers have landed in Beitang, and the elite firearms battalion of the capital guarding Beitang collapsed at the first touch.  The scattered soldiers retreated to Junliang City, while King Monk sent troops and horses to surround the Yi soldiers in Beitang, and also divided his troops to monitor the defeated troops in Junliang City.

    Hengfu, who has been in the officialdom for a long time, smelled something unusual.  Qiu Ba Hengfu from the Capital Firearms Camp had seen them perform before. The energy and weapons in their hands were not comparable to those of the ordinary Green Camp, and it was impossible for them to collapse at the first touch.  Moreover, the monk king did not send anyone to arrest the leader of the army afterwards, but sent troops to monitor him.  It can be seen that there are many unknown things in it.

    The leader of this capital firearms camp is another of his compatriots.  .  Heng Fu also knew this man. He was a former imperial guard. He had previously followed the former imperial man Ronglu in the fierce battle with Changmao in the south of the Yangtze River and had considerable military exploits. Later, he followed Ronglu to organize and train the new army in the capital. Later, he even overthrew two palaces.  The Eighth Minister's performance as an escort can be said to be of high military merit. He is also a fellow Senggelinqin, so he is highly trusted by Senggelinqin.  But here's the problem.  A man whom Seng Gelinqin trusted very much ran away without firing a single shot at Beitang Fort.  At that time, the monk king, who was known for his strict military discipline, did not immediately pursue the case. Instead, he sent troops to monitor him. What is fishy in this is worth pondering.

    Hengfu thought about it and vaguely felt that it was related to the current undercurrent in the court. According to the gossip, there was a discord between the two palaces. I didn't know if it was true before, but now it seems that there is such a sign.

    What is even more troublesome for Hengfu is that this morning, several gentry from Beitang escaped from Tianjin City. They brought Hengfu notes from the plenipotentiary envoys of the British and French forces, Sir Elgin and Baron Grotto.  In the note, the Chinese, British and French allied forces reiterated their harsh conditions and separately informed Hengfu that they were undoubtedly invading Hengfu's jurisdiction and that the purpose of bringing the troops ashore was to go to Beijing to meet His Majesty the Qing Emperor. As long as Hengfu could facilitate it, the British and French allied forces would pass through.  There will be no fault in the coming autumn.

    Hengfu was dumbfounded now. Who the hell gave this idea to the British and French devils?  The note was not given to the imperial court nor to Seng Gelinqin, the coach of the Jintang area, but to him, the governor of Zhili Province. If this note was known by the imperial censor, he would not be able to escape the charge of liaising with foreigners.

    So after Hengfu read the note, he ordered his subordinate Goshiha to quietly kill the few gentry who were still feasting and drinking in his house. Anyway, these few people had lost all their belongings and were almost as good as a lost dog. They would be dead.  People pursued the matter, and at the same time summoned several close aides to discuss how to deal with the matter.

    "It's easy to kill someone, and it's done in less than a quarter of an hour, but it's difficult to figure out how to do it.  Among the several staff members, some thought that since they had silenced themselves, they should burn the note and treat it as nothing happened, while others believed that the initiative to contact the British and French barbarians was an opportunity. The boss should not give up this opportunity. It would be fine if the Monk King won.  But if the army is defeated, Hengfu may even have his own escape route cut off.  If Hengfu can take this opportunity to reach an agreement with Britain and France and agree that after the Qing army is defeated, Hengfu will take the initiative to provide due convenience. I believe that Britain and France will not"To embarrass them, Britain and France also need people to govern the place, don't they?"  Furthermore, once the monk king is defeated, the court will no longer have any soldiers to resist, and it will inevitably have to focus on the Fu Bureau. By then, Hengfu will have contact with the British and French, and the court will reopen the Fu Bureau, then Hengfu will not be at fault but instead  He will be reused by the imperial court.

    Hengfu also felt that both sides were reasonable, but both had risks. When he was hesitating, the concierge came to report that a domestic slave from the capital had brought news.  Hengfu immediately ordered someone to bring him in. He needed to know the direction of the wind in the sky so that he could swing with the wind.

    The person who came was the old housekeeper of his family in Beijing. Two people followed him. He was wearing an ordinary felt hat with the brim lowered and his face could not be seen clearly. Hengfu was very unhappy. Could it be that the old housekeeper was old and comatose?  How could he lure two faceless people into his inner hall?

    Just when he was about to scold him, the old housekeeper rushed to report: "Sir, these two nobles from the capital are here to visit you."

    When Hengfu was slightly startled, one of them raised his head slightly and revealed his appearance. Hengfu was shocked when he saw him. He had seen this man before in the court, but none of his staff knew him. At that moment Hengfu waved  They retreated, leaving only those two people and the old housekeeper.

    After the left and right people retreated, Hengfu stepped forward and said hurriedly: "Why is it you, Lord Rong? Aren't you imprisoned at home by the Queen Mother and not allowed to leave the capital? You must know that it is a serious crime to leave the capital against the decree. I will arrange it while no one around you recognizes you."  Let¡¯s take you back to Beijing quickly with carriages and horses.¡±

    The person who raised his head was Ronglu, but when he saw him smiling slightly, he sat down calmly and said, "Master Zongxian, don't be in a hurry, you first need to see who this person is."

    Hengfu looked at the other person suspiciously. The person took off his felt hat and revealed a fair face. He laughed in the voice of a male duck and said: "Master Zongxian, do you still remember the villain? The villain is the queen mother and the empress dowager.  A young eunuch from my family, when the Queen Mother summoned you that year, I carried the berries and made tea for you."

    Hengfu immediately remembered this reminder and exclaimed: "You are the Eunuch Cen next to the Queen Mother!"

    Eunuch Cen bowed slightly and said, "I don't dare to take it seriously. You can just call me Cen Fudou or Xiao Cen Zi."

    Hengfu rolled his eyes and immediately understood that Ronglu's departure from the capital was not an easy matter. He immediately asked the two of them to sit down and asked the old housekeeper to serve hot tea. After the guests and hosts were seated, he asked why.

    Hearing Hengfu ask the reason, Ronglu smiled slightly and put down the tea bowl and said: "This trip is mainly to bring the Queen Mother's decree. Let Eunuch Cen read out this decree."

    Hengfu was startled. He stood up and knelt down to listen to the order. He glanced sideways and saw Cenfud taking out a piece of yellow cloth from his belt. Hengfu was even more shocked. He thought to himself, could this be a belt order from his mother, the Empress Dowager?

    Sure enough, this edict was issued by the Empress Dowager Ci'an alone. It listed how Cixi was domineering and how she bullied the Empress Dowager Ci'an and the young emperor. At the same time, it was said that Cixi opened the imperial borders and used Han ministers in important positions, and that Cixi's improper governance led to the invasion of Britain and France.  , has caused dissatisfaction among the Manchu and Mongolian dignitaries in the DPRK. A large number of Manchu and Mongolian ministers have contacted the Empress Dowager Ci'an and decided to bring order to the chaos and get rid of the party of Cixi and Prince Gong who were causing trouble to the country.  In the final decree, Hengfu was asked to cooperate with Ronglu to seize the military power from Seng Gelinqin, and so on.

    Heng Fu was already breaking out in a cold sweat after hearing only half of it. This matter was even more difficult than the British-French note. This kind of chaos in the court, if you stand on the wrong team, it will be a disaster for the nine tribes. If you win, you will skyrocket, if you lose, you will be doomed. But in  It's a big deal to bet on one's life.

    After he finished reading, Cenford said with a smile: "Master General Xian, please accept the order." Hengfu stretched out his hand tremblingly, and paused slightly with some hesitation. Finally, Cenford impatiently thrust the yellow cloth strip into his hand.

    Ronglu stepped forward to help Heng Fu, helped him back to his seat, and then said: "Master Zong Xian, don't be afraid. Although the Queen Mother of the West holds a lot of military power, the princes and ministers who are loyal to the Queen Mother of the East also have many old troops in the army.  As we wait for the deployment, at least half of the people in the capital will turn around anyway. The errand I came to do may seem difficult, but it is actually quite simple."

    Hengfu took out his sweat towel and wiped his sweat tremblingly and said: "How can it be easy? The Monk King's army is so powerful, and all of his troops are Mongolian cavalry. How can you win the military power?"

    Ronglu sat back slowly and said: "Seng Gelinqin is a brave man. Although he has many soldiers and horses under his command, he can't use his fingers like an arm. Among them, there are many of my old troops in the new army in the capital. I must have heard that you are guarding Beitang."  Regarding the sudden withdrawal of Zabdonak's troops, these soldiers and horses are our internal response. In addition, there are many generals in the monk king's army that we have contacted, and they are all willing to bring order to the chaos."

    Hengfu was surprised and said: "If the troops and horses in Jintang are all in chaos, who will resist the British and French barbarians?"

    Ronglu chuckled and said: "My lord, don't panic. The British and French barbarians have already been in contact with us. Once they defeat the Monk King and seize the Dagong Pass, and follow-up soldiers and horses come to the shore in a steady stream, they will fight."They use the banner of bringing order to chaos and support the mother-in-law and the empress dowager to monopolize power. They are here to help us and are our allies.  "

    Heng Fu opened his mouth wide and was stunned. One thought was running through his mind. These people actually did not hesitate to use foreign soldiers in order to bring down their political opponents?  What else are they afraid of doing?  But this thought just passed by in a flash, and Hengfu dared not say it out anyway (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature, the novel is better and updated faster!
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