Tang Jingsong was born in 1841, named Weiqing, from Guanyang, Guangxi. In the fourth year of Tongzhi (1865), he was a Jinshi, selected common people, and was awarded the title of candidate for the head of the official department.
After serving as a small official in Beijing for 16 years, he was depressed and frustrated. Hearing about the outbreak of war in the northern part of Annan, his ambition was repeatedly ignited. Therefore, he was reprimanded by the Qing court and sent to Annan. After that, he was completely disappointed with the Manchu government and decided to join the Nanyang Army and establish an army in Annan. A lot of achievements.
"The Manchu Qing government was cowardly and afraid of the enemy. It could not fight against the Western Baiyi externally and could not protect the country and the people internally. Although Tang was just a small official, he was unwilling to work for them anymore. Now that he has been demoted to Annan, he still hopes that Mei Your Excellency will not hesitate to take you in."
As soon as the two met, Tang Jingsong placed his position very low and humbly expressed his intention to defect to the Han Dynasty.
"The Manchu and Qing government was corrupt and incompetent. They knew Lord Tang had a strategic plan but did not appoint him. Losing Lord Tang was a heavy loss for the Manchu and Qing government. Our country of Han has now gained a wise minister and general. Mei is very happy!"
Mei Dongxing helped Tang Jingsong up with a smile and said, "The French are pressing forward step by step. I wonder what the local garrison troops in the southwest will do?"
"Before Tang left Beijing, the Qing government ordered the deployment of the fourth training battalion to the Red River border area in Yunnan, and ordered alternate Shen Shourong to go to Lin'an to select and recruit the eighth training battalion on the spot in preparation for deployment.
At the same time, he also sent an order to Sichuan to allocate 200,000 military pay every year to be used by the Yunnan frontier army. On the Guangdong and Guangxi sides, Xu Yanxu was appointed as the prime minister to defend against enemies, commanding the green camps and militia groups in Guangxi, with a total of more than 20,000 people, to deploy defenses along the Guangxi and Annan lines. …”
"The Qing army deployed large forces in the border areas and did not move. I am afraid that it is not only the French who are on guard."
"Your Excellency, it is clear that the Qing court was extremely wary of the Nanyang Army under Lord Mei. In 1872, after Guangxi Admiral Feng Zicai resigned from office and returned to his hometown, he reported to the court that the Chinese armed forces in Annan were strong and suggested that the Qing government send troops to annihilate them as soon as possible. It was only because Feng Zicai was in a humble position at the time and was not able to deal with Huang Guilan, the Admiral of Guangxi who took over, that Feng Zicai's suggestions were not adopted by the Qing court.
However, in the two years since His Majesty proclaimed himself emperor in South America, the Qing court has become increasingly suspicious of the Chinese armed forces at home and abroad. Many noble ministers of the Eight Banners have written to the Qing court, strongly demanding that the local Han people be deprived of their power to supervise and support local Han people. Empress Dowager Cixi stayed in China. Later, several Han generals in the southern coastal areas encouraged their soldiers to cause riots and looted the residences of several bannermen in the city. The matter became serious and spread to Beijing. Empress Dowager Cixi saw the local Han people supervising the situation. The Supreme Court explicitly refuted the submissions made by the noble officials of the Eight Banners, and this matter was temporarily suppressed."
“The greater the conflict between the Manchu Qing court and the local Han supervisory officials, the more beneficial it will be to the development of the Han Dynasty.”
Mei Dongxing nodded.
"As your Excellency has said, the Han governors and officials and generals in the southern coastal areas have taken control of local military training, militia and other armed forces. Over the years, they have used their armed forces to privately engage in smuggling of goods and weapons. , but having made a lot of money, can the Eight Banners nobles not be jealous when they see local Han officials making huge sums of money for their families?"
After the Second Opium War, the mainland was opened wide.
The southern and northern coastal areas were hit by Western industrial goods, and the local economy suffered heavy losses. However, those local officials and compradors who cooperated with foreigners made a lot of money.
They either collected taxes from commercial transactions between China and the West, or they took advantage of the government's monopoly to obtain cheap goods from Europe, America or the Han Dynasty, and then redistributed them to the forces that relied on them, indirectly conducting smuggling activities.
Arms, commodities, and activities such as secretly transporting refugees to the Han Dynasty have enriched the Han officials in the southern and northern coastal areas. After they have money, the officials or generals who have people in their hands will use part of the proceeds to use
At prices lower than the market price, various quantities of weapons were purchased from trading companies controlled by the Han government to strengthen the combat effectiveness of their subordinates.
In areas where Han officials dominate, activities such as commodity, arms smuggling, and refugee transportation have formed a complete industrial chain, from the highest-level governor of a province to the lowest-level patrol soldier.
, there are large or small benefits. The Eight Banners aristocratic officials only saw that a small number of local Han officials had a lot of benefits, but they did not know that hidden under them, there was a wide-ranging beneficiary class.
There are deep-seated reasons for destroying people's wealth, such as killing lives, the rejection of the suggestions of the Eight Banners noble ministers, and even the failure of the Manchu Qing government's vigorous and vigorous ban on overseas immigration two years ago, because the entire interest chain has formed a huge
In a community of interests, even if the Han officials above were forced by the Qing court to implement orders, they would still encounter opposition from the middle and lower classes with interests, and would eventually fail.
The Manchu Qing government's rule on the mainland had been riddled with holes by the European, American and Han powers. Tang Jingsong and some compradors who were sucking blood from the Manchu government saw the hopeless nature of the Manchu government.
, will choose other forces as a way to realize their ambitions or simply to get promoted and make a fortune.
The two chatted in the room for more than half an hour. From the mutual testing, Mei Dongxing concluded that the other party was not like a spy or traitor sent by the Qing court, so he temporarily put down his guard against him and introduced him to the main generals of the Nanyang Army.
know.
"Tang Jingsong, the former alternate chief of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Qing Dynasty, is now the temporary staff officer of the Nanyang Army of the Han Dynasty. After I clarify the situation to the mainland, I will give Brother Tang a formal position."
Mei Dongxing invited Tang Jingsong to sit down and said with a smile, "Brother Tang's family is leaving for the Annan area and will arrive soon. Considering that our army will launch an attack on the French army in the Beiban area in the near future, Brother Tang's family members and young ones will stay in Guangzhou."
Ninh Province is not very safe, why not transfer to Songkhla with the families of our brothers in the army, wait until the Annan war is over, and then take a boat to the South American mainland?"
"But I'll listen to Governor Mei's arrangements."
Tang Jingsong cupped his hands with a trace of hesitation on his face.
"Brother Tang, are you worried about the threat of French warships?"
"The Fa-Yi ships have strong guns and powerful guns. Tang is indeed a little worried."
"That's not necessary."
Mui Dongxing waved his hands and said with a relaxed expression, "The South Pacific Fleet was ordered by the mainland and set off a month ago. It will arrive at Halong Port in three to five days. By then, it will have the assistance of the South Pacific Squadron. Although it cannot be said to have defeated French Cochin China
fleet, but it is not difficult to gain at least one month of maritime superiority before the French expeditionary fleet arrives in Annan."
In order to relieve Tang Jingsong's concerns, Mei Dongxing gave him a rough introduction to the strength of the South Pacific Squadron and the number of regular troops of the Nanyang Army. However, he was not informed of the crucial military weapons and equipment and strategic and tactical arrangements for the time being.
