Zeng Guofan said: "Hongyi, do all the soldiers under your command practice target shooting with real guns and live ammunition?"
Li Zhen nodded and said: "Of course it is to use live ammunition. Only by training in this way will the soldiers not be in a hurry and not know what to do when they arrive on the battlefield, and they will not become a mess."
Zeng Guofan asked again: "How many soldiers are there in Hongyi's army?"
Li Zhen replied: "There are currently 10,000 people."
Zeng Guofan's mouth twitched slightly and he swallowed, frightened by the number Li Zhen said.
If it were an ordinary 10,000 soldiers, he could also supply them.
But according to Li Zhen’s training method, the consumption of 10,000 people is definitely a huge sum of money. Zeng Guofan slowly said: “It is already a huge expense to provide 10,000 people with salary and food. In addition, there are also There are also miscellaneous expenses to maintain the normal development of the army. After all these expenses are calculated, it is already a considerable amount of money."
After a pause, Zeng Guofan continued: "This amount of funds is relatively small compared to 10,000 soldiers using real guns and live ammunition for shooting practice. Hongyi, if you want to maintain the weapons needed by the soldiers in the army, you only rely on Guangdong's tax revenue." , or can it be sustained by the money donated by the gentry?"
Li Zhen shook his head and said: "Brother Bohan, I don't rely on taxes or funds raised by the gentry. If they are willing to give, it is the icing on the cake. I am happy to accept it. If you are not willing to give, I won't force it. Anyway, I have money."
Li Hongzhang asked: "Dare you ask Hongyi, how do you make money?"
Li Zhen said: "As long as you have a brain, you can make money anywhere. You can do business or find other ways. Business is only a small income. My income comes more from foreigners. Guangdong and Shanghai are both close to the sea. I often intercept foreign merchant ships and gain a lot. I don’t worry about money. Moreover, some foreign merchants have to pay money every month in order not to be intercepted, so there is a steady stream of money entering their pockets. Foreigners are so We are rich and it would be a pity not to draw blood from foreigners."
By saying this, Li Zhen was simply deceiving the two of them and did not reveal the way to make money.
After hearing this, Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang looked surprised.
This guy is so brave.
Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang could not learn this method. They could only keep this idea in their hearts, and they had to consider money from more aspects in order to have more money to ensure the supply of military weapons.
Zeng Guofan and others did not watch the soldiers' shooting drill for too long.
Soon, the group returned to the Chinese army's tent.
When the guests and hosts sat down, Zeng Guofan took the lead and said: "Hongyi, this viewing has opened my eyes. Judging from the training methods of the soldiers in your army, it is indeed second to none in the country. No one can practice with real guns and live ammunition. No one can have great masters like Yang Luchan and Dong Haichuan to train soldiers. More importantly, I have seen a quite thorough reform in your army, and your army can be called a new army."
Li Hongzhang nodded and said: "I agree with the teacher. Hongyi's military reform is very thorough. It is not only the change of names, but also the military positions and the soldiers' clothes. The new military uniforms are high-spirited and the soldiers appear more energetic." , Not only that, the atmosphere in Hongyi Xiandi's army has changed, and it is completely different from the rest of the army. After I go back, I will definitely learn from Hongyi Xiandi and strive to build a new army in a short time."
Li Zhen said: "Brother Bohan and Brother Shaoquan, you are ridiculous. I am just learning Western things. You can read more and learn more. I believe you can find more ways to strengthen the country and the army." In fact, Li What Li Zhen said was obviously incorrect. In order to guide the two of them, Li Zhen said to learn from Western people.
Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang nodded in agreement, taking Li Zhen's words into their hearts.
In the next few days, Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang both communicated with Li Zhen to discuss military training and the situation in the DPRK. Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang were veterans with rich experience, and Zeng Guofan was first-rate in both his conduct and knowledge. Li Zhen naturally would not miss this great opportunity.
After asking for advice, Li Zhen benefited a lot.
Moreover, Li Zhen, Li Hongzhang and Zeng Guofan were all Han ministers. We also talked about the current situation of the Han ministers. In fact, except for Li Zhen, a Han minister who had great military power, the other Han ministers in the court did not have this treatment. They were all The regiment training was ineffective. Historically, during the Xianfeng Dynasty, no Han ministers could control the local real power. They were all descendants of the Eight Banners.
Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, Peng Yulin, Zuo Zongtang and other powerful local officials were suppressed to death during the Xianfeng years and did not receive any real power. Just as Zeng Guofan got the official position of governor of Hubei because of his meritorious service, he was already a Zeng Guofan obtained real power, but seven days later, Zeng Guofan's power was deprived of his power, and he became a false title of Minister of War, without any real power.
The rise of Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang and others all occurred after Xianfeng's death.
Because Emperor Tongzhi, the son of Xianfeng, was young, there were fights in the court. Cixi, Prince Gong and others needed to build up their strength, and they also had to deal with the eight auxiliary ministers, and they also faced the threat of bandits, so Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang and others Only when a group of Han ministers had the opportunity to rise up could they quickly become important ministers in the late Qing Dynasty.
It has to be said that Li Zhen had better luck than the two of them and gained Xianfeng's trust. Of course, this was also related to Li Zhen's background in the military, because Li Zhen was a person without any noble background, a naked person without a family. With constraints, it was easier to obey Xianfeng's orders. In addition, Li Zhen was promoted by Xianfeng single-handedly, so he gained Xianfeng's respect.
Zeng Guofan and his party stayed in the Jiangbei camp for five days, and then said goodbye and left. In these few days, the relationship between Li Zhen, Zeng Guofan, and Li Hongzhang has developed by leaps and bounds, to the point where they are brothers. No matter what happens in the future, at least for this short period of time. During the time, Li Zhen gained the trust of both of them through his own efforts.
…
At the end of August in the fifth year of Xianfeng's reign, the temperature in Beijing had already cooled down.
Forbidden City, Chuxiu Palace.
On the bed in the backyard bedroom, a woman was half lying on the bed, closing her eyes and concentrating. This woman had an oval face, was petite and exquisite, and looked like a natural beauty. There was a faint smile on her rosy face. He reached out and touched the slightly pregnant woman. There was a kind look on her face, and if Li Zhen were here, he would recognize that this woman was the concubine who met him in the first place.
This woman was the Empress Dowager Cixi who controlled the Manchu Qing Dynasty for half a century.
At this time, Cixi was just a newly pregnant concubine. Because Cixi was favored by Xianfeng, her status in the palace steadily improved and she was already an important role in the palace. In addition, it had been five years since Xianfeng took the throne, but she did not have a son. Xianfeng almost moved to Chuxiu Palace after Cixi became pregnant.
