Chapter 59: The Poisonous Plan

  "Mr. Zhong, to be honest with you, when I left home, my father repeatedly instructed me to try to get along with you and Mr. Weng as much as possible. My father's letter was also handed over to Mr. Weng. However... You should be aware that due to the fact that my father and Mr. Weng were both from the same year and in the Hanlin Academy, their relationship is quite deep. The grudges between you and Mr. Weng were also mentioned in detail by my father. Although my father gets along with Mr. Weng, he is also a man who understands reason. In this matter, the Weng family was indeed at fault... " Tan Yanke said. It wasn't until the next day that he thought of Li Hongzhang entrusting Tang Bowen to hope that the old man could personally write a letter to Weng Tonghe to mediate the relationship between the two. This matter had not been settled with anyone, so he chose a leisure time to meet with Li Hongzhang alone, hoping to let him prepare."

  Li Hongzhang fell silent for a moment before saying: "Is it that Weng Shuping still wants to make things difficult for me at this time?!"

  Perhaps a lifelong old opponent, as the saying goes: "The person who understands himself best is his opponent." Li Hongzhang was very familiar with Weng Tonghe, and this imperial teacher of two dynasties actually had poor relationships. When discussing matters with others, he would often storm off or publicly scold them without giving them any face. When Pan Zuyin was alive, Old Weng could still listen to advice, but after Pan's death, Old Weng became like a wild horse that had broken free from its reins and became even more uncontrollable. Zhang Zhidong and Old Weng were fellow students and sworn brothers, but over a decade ago, Old Zhang was unexpectedly slapped by Old Weng while governing Guangzhou, almost losing his official position. It's easy to imagine the relationship between the two men afterwards. As for Xu Tong, he was originally a colleague of Old Weng's in the Hongde Hall, and their relationship should not have been shallow. However, now the two are like strangers; later, he became sworn brothers with Ronglu and stabbed him in the back at a critical moment. This made the young and promising Ronglu leave politics during his prime and has yet to return to the capital...

  Li Hongzhang carefully considered and finally set his sights on Tan Zhonglin, who was far away in Guangzhou. This may be the only option that could match Weng Tonghe's identity and relationship among many necessary options, and it was even more difficult to find someone like Tan Zhonglin who had a very friendly son with whom both sides could communicate. Li Hongzhang thought that he could finally reach some understanding with Weng Tonghe to some extent, and at this critical moment in the autumn of multiple events, he could let him off for the sake of the court's prosperity. However, Tan Yanke's reply made his heart sink to the bottom.

  Li Hongzhang knew that he had written the memorial on behalf of Zeng Guofan. Especially the sentence with a sharp edge and hidden murderous intent: "Your servant's duty is to impeach, and I dare not show favoritism because of Weng Tongshu's noble birth...". This statement was so upright and stern that even the emperor felt embarrassed to protect him, and sentenced Weng Tongshu to "beheading after imprisonment" - which meant death with a reprieve. Weng Tongshu's father died from anger upon hearing the news. Fortunately, the emperor took advantage of Weng's father's funeral to commute the sentence to exile in Xinjiang.

  To be honest, Li Hongzhang has been making efforts to ease his relationship with Weng Tonghe for decades. When Weng returned home to repair the family tomb, he attached great importance to it. Not only did he personally arrange a steamer, but when the ship arrived in Tianjin, he led a group of high-ranking officials, including the Governor-General of Zhili, the Tianjin Circuit Intendant, and the Tianjin Customs Commissioner, to welcome Weng at the Wu Chupu dock, with all the arrangements made according to the protocol for a special envoy. The scene was extremely grand.

  In the 11th year of Guangxu (1885), Weng Tonghe entrusted Liu Ruiyun and Zeng Guofan's brother-in-law Tang Jishang to find a staff position for him, but as soon as Li Hongzhang heard about it, he immediately recruited Tang into his own secretariat without saying another word...

  It can be said that after that fatal memorial, Li Hongzhang did everything he could do except for kowtowing and killing himself to make amends. But could these actions redeem his guilt in the eyes of Weng Tonghe? Li Hongzhang had no idea what Weng Tonghe was thinking, but the fact was that the Beiyang Navy's ships were not being added to, and even the ammunition had been cut off two years ago - things that had been agreed upon by the Empress Dowager were simply rejected by the Ministry of Revenue under Weng Tonghe with a blunt "no money!"

  "It's hard to say whether it's difficult or not, but from Master Weng's attitude after reading the letter, I don't think it's very good..."

  Li Hongzhang's face turned gloomy after hearing this, and at this moment, no one understood the ferocity of this old opponent better than he did. Li Hongzhang could hardly afford to divert some of his energy from resisting the Japanese to counter the subtle and ruthless moves made by his old friend - the Northern Navy, that gleaming but fragile vessel, was even more precarious in the face of an impending storm!

  "Don't worry too much about it, with or without Weng Tongshu's support, it's all the same..."

  Tan Yanqing saw the obvious insincerity on Li Hongzhang's face, and his heart was also filled with sympathy for this old man. Although later generations' history scolded him to the point of being covered in dog blood, almost digging up Li Hongzhang's ancestral grave... thinking about the chaotic decade that followed, it's possible that this old man's ancestral grave might have been taken care of too... although this old man had made countless mistakes throughout his life, some even extremely foolish, but considering the era and country he lived in, the old man had done his best. After all, becoming an official to this extent wasn't just for the sake of money, but also for one's own reputation.

  Tan Yankei thought for a moment and said: "Zhong Tang, I have something to say, but I don't know if it's suitable to say."

  Hong Zhang smiled and said, "This is not good, since you've already joined. I have always believed in the saying 'doubtful people are not used, used people are not doubted'. If there's anything that can't be said, even if it's wrong, it doesn't matter!"

  "My father once said something about Master Wong's image: 'Anything that involves Master Wong is like a game of cards. Putting aside the bigger picture, just looking at the event itself, Master Wong seems more like someone who disrupts the game. The most important thing he does is to destroy the setup. As long as his opponent's hand can't be played, it's as if Master Wong has won..." Tan Yanqing said with deep meaning."

  "Is it that if one's opponent is unable to defeat him, then he is as good as Wong Yuk-ping?!" Li Hongzhang thought for a moment before raising an eyebrow and smiling: "Your father is indeed a clever person!"

  "In the eyes of a later generation, Master Weng may have been a good person, a good scholar, and a good calligrapher, but he was absolutely not a qualified politician. Perhaps a hundred years from now, the only things that will be remembered about him are his learning, his calligraphy, and his illustrious family background...

  Zhang Zhidong is different. Establishing industries, building a navy - these are all things that have been proven by Western powers to be necessary for a strong country. This is the foundation of a strong nation. However, in my observation of Zhang and Weng over the past twenty years, I regret to say that future generations will absolutely mention Zhang more than Weng..."

  "Heh heh, what is there for me to boast about? A hundred years later when people comment on me, I'm afraid it will be half praise and half criticism. Or maybe even all infamy!" Li Hongzhang said with a self-mocking smile.

  "Setting aside opponents like Master Weng, and this dilapidated house with leaks everywhere, if Zhong Tang were in another Western country, he would be an extraordinary figure. No matter who comes to repair this house, it's probably all the same..."

  —

  Li Hongzhang smiled slightly as he looked at Tang Yankei. He waved his hand and said, "There's no need for you to flatter me anymore, Zong'an. I recall that during the reign of Emperor Song Zhezong in the Northern Song Dynasty, there was an official named Deng Wan who had a famous saying: 'Laughing at others is their business, being a good official is my own affair.' No matter how people outside view me, I am very clear about it in my heart. Even if a hundred years from now, later generations will still be scolding me, I accept that. The Qing dynasty's days are getting worse and worse by the day, and as a high-ranking official, I am inseparable from this situation. Being scolded a few times is enough to justify my position... Zong'an, since you think Weng Shuping is a troublemaker, how should we respond to the current situation?"

  Li Hongzhang's words, which were somewhat self-deprecating, actually made Tan Yankai feel a bit more affectionate towards this old man in his heart. In reality, in his eyes, Weng Tonghe was not the material for playing politics among the top officials he had seen so far. The old man, Li Hongzhang, was undoubtedly a political success. The old man was cautious and careful in politics and succeeded, but left no achievements to speak of, not much better than Weng Tonghe, just a master who would be forgotten by later generations; Li Hongzhang gave him the feeling of being a realist, also open-minded, with the greatest achievements in politics and governance. However, who could have thought that in the next few years, Old Li would sign two unprecedented humiliating treaties in modern Chinese history?

  If it weren't for the defeat of the Sino-Japanese War and those two treaties, at most because of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom issue being crowned with the name "butcher", Old Li might still be revered by later generations. Strictly speaking, Old Li and his teacher Zeng Guofan were both very qualified employees, but they had bad luck and got a terrible boss. The only difference is that Zeng Guofan died early and didn't have to suffer this fate, while Old Li was unlucky to the extreme.

  "Zhong Tang should have sent a telegram to the imperial court in these few days, strongly requesting to declare war..." Tan Yankai didn't have time to lament Li Hongzhang's fate and began to give advice to Old Li.

  "Isn't Zu An thinking that making peace is the best strategy? How..."

  "Does the Grand Councilor wish to negotiate a peace? Rather than allowing the Old Master to stir up trouble, wouldn't it be better for us to take the high ground of morality? If we advocate for peace, the Old Master will certainly advocate for war. And if we advocate for war, the Old Master would never dare to surrender and ask for peace! Is the Grand Councilor willing to give the Old Master the initiative, and add another stroke of bold color to his 'clear stream'?"

  Li Hongzhang remained silent for a moment before saying, "What if they really start fighting?"

  "To be blunt, Minister Zhong is now like a mouse in a bellows - squeezed from both ends. At the beginning of the domestic reaction, it will definitely be a chorus of shouting and beating, and this clamor will not stop until it hits the wall; On the Japanese side, they are investing heavily in building their navy, although they lost a main battleship, but the investment has already been made, do you think they would be willing to stop? Even if they stopped, who would fill this huge hole for Japan? Even if they sold the Emperor of Japan, it wouldn't be enough!"

  "Those powerful countries just sit and watch..."

  "Wait until tomorrow when Master Zhongtang sees the letter from Wan Sheng, and I reckon he'll change his mind. The powers are ultimately unreliable, and their empty words about benevolence, righteousness, and morality are nothing but scraps of paper in the face of national interests. Does Master Zhongtang want to tie the fate of Beiyang to the powers or keep it firmly in his own grasp?"

  “…………”

  In fact, for an opponent like Master Weng at the mahjong table, Zhong Tang had no way to deal with him, Sino-Japanese War...

  Victory or defeat, as the emperor's teacher, Minister of Revenue, and a high-ranking official in the imperial court, Weng Tonghe would definitely rise to an even higher position - the young emperor's self-esteem could not tolerate Japan's provocation, at least the emperor was pro-war, and if they were going to fight, they had to send someone he trusted. So as long as this war lasted a little longer, it was only a matter of time before Weng Tonghe took control of the military machine; even if they lost, it wouldn't be Weng Tonghe who went to the battlefield, and the humiliating treaty wouldn't be signed by him either. If Japan really gained the upper hand... The terms that would be imposed might... Later generations can guarantee that if things really reached that point, Weng Tonghe would still have to let Zhong Tang continue to fight desperately with the Japanese until the last bit of strength in the Beiyang Fleet was exhausted...

  Li Hongzhang's face turned pale with anger and he said, "These good people have all been taken by Weng Shuping, am I not a sinner..."

  "There are many benefits to being the main warlord. Firstly, it's gained the hearts of the people under heaven, and most importantly, it's also gained the favor of that person in the Shouxian Palace..." Tan Yanqing mysteriously pointed his finger at the sky: "War will sweep away that old man's enthusiasm for longevity, but Old Buddha has been oppressed by foreigners her whole life, so she might be hoping that Master Zhong can give her face now. Whether it's victory or defeat, as long as Master Zhong can gain Old Buddha's favor, he'll be unbeatable... The benefits that Master Weng gets from Master Zhong will greatly diminish... Secondly, we can also get the current funds from Beiyang, this sum of money must be obtained openly and with a clear conscience, even if Master Weng had three times the courage, he wouldn't dare not give it. If you want to get the money, there's only one way..."

  "Stop preparing for the celebration!" Li Hongzhang continued.

  Li Hongzhang saw Tan Yanqian nodding slowly, and his heart couldn't help but feel a thousand emotions: "If this young man were my son Li Hongzhang's, how good it would be!"

  Tan Yanqing's idea to Li Hongzhang cannot be said to be old and cunning, from a long-term perspective, this is also an opportunity for Li Hongzhang to get rid of his arch-nemesis Weng Tonghe. A thorough opportunity to defeat Weng Tonghe - "What a good way to kill someone with a borrowed knife!" Li Hongzhang thought in his heart. According to this method, if he advocates for war, he can ask for military expenses to prepare for battle, and these military expenses are the responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue. At this time, where is there still surplus grain on the account book of the Ministry of Revenue? The only way is to stop the preparation of the old lady's Wan Shou celebration, so Weng Tonghe will inevitably deeply offend the old lady.

  For the old lady, Li Hongzhang was very clear about the old lady's means. In those years, Su Wang, who was unscrupulous, Gong Wang, who was invincible, and Chun Wang, who was timid, did not last three rounds under the old lady's hands. One was killed, one retreated, and the last one died of illness, but whether he was poisoned to death or really died of illness, Li Hongzhang had a clear idea in his heart. Weng Tonghe's position as imperial teacher had already made the old lady cautious, and if she offended again at this time, it was conceivable what would happen to Weng Tonghe.

  "It was he who originally advocated for a grand celebration, and now it should be him to put an end to the festivities!" Li Hongzhang said with a faint cold smile.

  Tan Yankai was also very clear in his heart that this time, Weng Tonghe might end up losing big. Thinking of Old Weng as the teacher of Emperor Guangxu and one of the emperor's closest people, using the tactics of an old lady to deal with him might not be just a matter of losing his official position. Who knows what the final outcome will be?! Since Pandora's box has already been opened, in Tan Yankai's view, Weng Tonghe's fate is now up to heaven. The key now is how to get past this hurdle of the Sino-Japanese War; compared to that, whether Weng Tonghe can end well or not seems insignificant!

  "Master Zhong, this procurement of military supplies must be detailed and targeted at the current war situation and the difficulties that may arise in the future. There won't be many opportunities to ask Master Xiang for money, so I suggest making a detailed list, it must be reasonable and justified. Also, if the Sino-Japanese War really goes in the direction we least want to see, then the major powers of Europe and America may give us trouble..."

  "Can't they really tear their faces apart and go to war?!"

  "This possibility is unlikely, but they can impose an 'arms embargo', and even the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau in Shanghai cannot be relied upon, it's easy to be controlled by foreign powers. Therefore, if we want to purchase, we must do so immediately - the ammunition for the battleships of the Beiyang Fleet, especially the 300mm main gun shells for the two giant ships Dingyuan and Zhenyuan, must be stocked up in large quantities; Moreover, the Japanese will definitely fight with us in Korea, and the Western powers' Maxim machine guns and various artillery are also our targets. I once trained a guard unit at the Fujian-Zhejiang Governor's Office, which had ten Maxim machine guns, their power is indeed formidable, they can be called over for emergency use; I also have channels to purchase machine guns at a low price..."

  "Oh, so Zong'an has also trained troops? Does he know the way of using troops too?" When Tan Yanke said that he had trained a governor's guard battalion, this was something he had vaguely heard about, after all the weapons for the guard battalion had come through Beiyang.

  "The military books that Wu Jiang has read, I have also read; the foreign military books, I haven't read less of them either. However, they can't compare to Sir Zhong's experience in battle... these are just empty words on paper..." Tan Yanqian said humbly.