Chapter Sixty: The Game of Pai Gow

  "What makes you think you can fight?"

  "I still remember that in the first year of Tongzhi (1875), Zongtang recruited two thousand soldiers from Anhui to form an army. At that time, Jiangnan was in chaos and Shanghai was the place where customs duties and military expenses were concentrated. The rebels repeatedly attacked with the intention of capturing it. Shanghai had long been isolated and was in danger every day.

  At that time, the Huai Army wore simple clothes and people called Zongtang's soldiers 'big pants soldiers'. There were many discussions among the people, and some even asked Zongtang directly: 'Can such soldiers fight?' I remember that Zongtang replied with a sigh: 'Soldiers are not judged by their appearance, but by their ability to fight. Our army is newly formed and has spirit!'

  Indeed, in the Battle of Hongqiao, Zongtang's three thousand soldiers defeated an enemy force of one hundred thousand. Later, they fought in many places and Jiangnan was recovered. The whole country was impressed!"

  Tan Yanqing naturally couldn't discuss modern warfare with Li Hongzhang, and even if he did, it's unlikely to gain old Li's favor. Instead, using old Li's own words would solve the problem, which would quietly bring the two closer together by flattering him, although Tan Yanqing didn't feel entirely comfortable about it.

  As expected, Li Hongzhang was taken aback by Tan Yankai's response. He had not expected the young man in front of him to be so knowledgeable and have such a strong memory, recalling even the most triumphant events of his own life during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period decades ago with perfect clarity, and effortlessly bringing them up as a reply. Li Hongzhang was truly impressed by this talent.

  Li Hongzhang looked somewhat startled, and Tang Jiong replied with a smile: "My father has long admired Your Excellency's achievements in the past. These things are what I heard many times when I was young!"

  Li Hongzhang couldn't help but smile when he heard this, but what he didn't know was that Tan Zhonglin often told Tan Yanxian about Zuo Zongtang, not Li Hongzhang. Zuo Zongtang and Tan Zhonglin were fellow students from the same province. Their relationship was even closer, not only were they close friends, but also supported each other in politics. However, Tan Zhonglin knew that the relationship between Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang had deteriorated to an extreme degree - "Ten French generals are not as bad as one Li Hongzhang!" This was Zuo Zongtang's evaluation of Li Hongzhang. However, Tan Yanxian was deeply convinced by another sentence that Zuo Zongtang used to evaluate Li Hongzhang: "Li Hongzhang has wronged the people of the world and will be cursed for eternity."

  However, whether the relationship between Zuo Zongtang and the Xiang-Huai factions was really as incompatible as it seemed on the surface, Tan Zhonglin himself found it difficult to make a judgment. At least the feud between Zuo Zongtang and Zeng Guofan was for show in front of the Qing imperial court, while the grudges between Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang were mostly real. Tan Yankai believed that the old man's political instincts were sharp enough to avoid taking such a risk. For now, working under Li Hongzhang, wanting to use Li Hongzhang's hands to weaken the Japanese, he had to give Old Li some face.

  This flattery was well-deserved, and Li Hongzhang was most proud of his achievements during the war against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, especially the turning point that brought him to prominence - the defense of Shanghai. Tang Jiyao used an example from when Li first rose to power to answer his question, which in itself was a very fitting response. Li Hongzhang burst out laughing and added several points to his impression score for Tang Jiyao.

  April 10th. Originally, it was to declare war and announce to various countries, the Military Machinery Bureau had already prepared a draft of the declaration of war, but on that day's imperial court meeting, Yi Kuan believed in Eugene's words, thinking the situation was not as serious as rumored. At the same time, he saw Li Hongzhang's telegram, which stated that according to information from the British Foreign Office: "Japan's momentum has slightly loosened..." Judging the situation to have slightly eased, there is hope for a five-country united ultimatum to order Japan to apologize and stop the war. The declaration of war was temporarily put on hold, and only the General Affairs Administration sent Li Hongzhang a telegram inquiring about announcing to various countries: "Should we immediately issue it or wait until after announcing to various countries? This matter is reasonable and justifiable, can be detailed and proclaimed. How should we phrase it to make it more precise, please see the attached draft, and deliberate on sending it."

  On April 11, Li Hongzhang wired the Grand Council for the first time to clearly express his attitude of breaking with Japan: "Japan started the war and should inform all countries so that everyone knows that the trouble was not caused by us. It seems necessary to detail the case from start to finish, and draft a proposal to be signed after careful consideration. As for the internal affairs of Korea, when Korea made treaties with various countries, it declared its independence in advance, although other countries did not explicitly recognize it, they implicitly acquiesced. Can we lightly mention this in the document? Our dispatch of troops was not without reason, and later the mediation and settlement by various countries also had a hidden motive. The Japanese minister should be withdrawn, and the Japanese envoy to Beijing and consuls at each port should be advised to leave."

  Although Li Hongzhang was unwilling to fight, the Beiyang Fleet suffered a surprise attack by Japan, and the shells that were fired could not be taken back. Moreover, they had sunk one of Japan's main battleships. Would the Japanese yield to the pressure of the great powers? At least Li Hongzhang and his staff believed it was impossible for the time being. The best plan now was to raise a big banner, declaring themselves as "the righteous side", while also making clear that Japan bore complete responsibility for this conflict between China and Japan, and that the Beiyang Fleet had not initiated hostilities lightly.

  On April 11, the telegram to the Premier's office was not a sudden brainwave of Li Hongzhang who wanted to avoid war at all costs, but after an emergency meeting with his staff, he believed that Tang Shaoyi's internal and external linked strategy was the best choice for the Beiyang government. In Li Hongzhang's private heart, he also did not want his arch-nemesis Weng Tonghe to take advantage of him, just like water and fire cannot coexist, and with old rival Zuo

  It was Zhang Zhidong who confronted him, and they would not harm the court for personal gain. This old man is different from Weng Tonghe, as Tan Yankai said, this old fellow is a "troublemaker", as long as he can make himself suffer, I'm afraid he will do it even if the sky falls - these two are sworn enemies!

  As Tan Yankai said, unless China and Japan immediately decide on a victory or defeat that leaves Weng Tonghe no room to maneuver, then as long as this battle lasts a little longer, Weng Tonghe will inevitably become the master of the military machine as the emperor's teacher and Minister of Revenue. Li Hongzhang was very clear that his opponent, Japan, had already staked their lives on it and would absolutely not give up easily, which means that Weng Tonghe becoming the master of the military machine is an inevitable outcome.

  "This cheap trick can't let Weng Tonghe get away with it!" Li Hongzhang made up his mind that this time, no matter what, he wouldn't let Weng Tonghe off easy. Tan Yankai's plan was enough to make Weng Tonghe suffer even if he didn't die, and if Li couldn't get rid of this big trouble, then he would be finished by this old man!

  On the evening of April 9, after consulting with Tang Yanke, Li Hongzhang convened a meeting with Tang Baowen, Ding Ruchang and others to discuss military supplies in detail. Ding Ruchang, who had long hoped that Li Hongzhang would improve the Beiyang Fleet, immediately presented a long list of items, from speedy torpedo boats to quick-firing guns; Tang Baowen also proposed an emergency order for a series of munitions, including 320mm caliber shells, from foreign countries based on the production capacity of the Tianjin Machinery Bureau...

  Li Hongzhang saw this list, and coldly smiled in his heart: "Changshu, Changshu, aren't you the one who can talk standing up without getting a sore waist? This time, it's probably not just going to be a sore waist..."

  After Weng Tonghe visited Tan Yankai in Beijing, he received the news of the Battle of Weihaiwei within two days. At that time, Tan Yankai was still wandering around Liulichang. Thinking back to the letter Tan Zhonglin sent to him through Tan Yankai's visit the day before yesterday, Weng Tonghe smiled - Li Hongzhang is in trouble again! As an old opponent of Li Hongzhang, Weng Tonghe had a good grasp of his character and was certain that he would lean towards peace talks. Although a Japanese warship had been sunk, wasn't the Beiyang Fleet's ship also heavily damaged and on the verge of sinking?

  —

  Weng Tonghe did not understand the navy, and it was only after his guests had inquired that he knew that the Japanese warship that sank the Jiyuan was much more powerful than the Jiyuan, with a length of over twice that of the Jiyuan. The barrel of the gun is also much thicker. This simple comparison cannot accurately measure the combat effectiveness of both sides, but for Weng Tonghe, this is enough. He does not need these dry data, he only needs to see Li Hongzhang's misfortune - Li Hongzhang asks for peace and he demands war. Morally, he will occupy the high ground.

  Weng Tonghe summoned his trusted officials to a meeting at his mansion that night, and Zhang was the first to arrive. At this time, Zhang had already ranked tenth in the re-examination of the Ministry of Rites, originally he was eleventh, but his teacher Weng Tonghe intervened again in the examination results, making him tenth, just to get this "first-class" reputation. In another ten or so days, on the 24th, Zhang would enter the most critical palace exam, but by then he didn't have to worry - the officer in charge of collecting the papers for this palace exam was Huang Siyong, who was appointed by the president of the Hanlin Academy, Shen Zengji, and was closely related to Shen. He was also a student of Weng Tonghe.

  Zhang did not know that Ong Tonghe had already staked his reputation on him - the chief examiner for this imperial examination was none other than Ong Tonghe himself. This was still not enough; to prevent a repeat of the previous mistakes, even the officer in charge of collecting the papers was one of Ong's own students. As soon as Zhang finished writing, his paper would be sealed by Huang Siyong and handed directly to Ong for review. The outcome was far from certain. If even this did not secure the top place for Zhang, then Ong would have to take drastic measures - as long as he recognized the right paper, everything else would fall into place. Among the many examiners, apart from Ong himself, there were also Zhi Rui, Li Hongmao, Wang Minglang... Zhang's success in the imperial examination was absolutely assured!

  Originally, at this time, according to the rules, it was absolutely not allowed for Zhang to enter the mansion of the chief examiner Weng Tonghe. However, at this time, Weng Tonghe had become unscrupulous on this issue - the top scholar would eventually be Zhang's, and at this time, there was no need to worry about these "trivial matters"! He also wanted Zhang to intervene in this matter, laying the foundation for cultivating him as his own successor. In the eighth year of Guangxu (1882), a military coup occurred in Korea, and Japan took advantage of the situation by dispatching warships to Inchon. Wu Changqing was ordered to lead troops to support Korea in suppressing the rebellion and preventing Japan from launching an aggressive war. Zhang followed Wu's army from the sea to Hanseong, where he drafted the "Memorial on Korean Affairs" for Wu Changqing and wrote articles such as "A Brief Account of the Renwu Incident" and "Six Strategies for Dealing with the Aftermath", advocating resistance against aggression and a tough foreign policy. At this time, Weng Tonghe wanted to make Zhang one of his trusted subordinates, and only Zhang's draft memorials would be most reliable, just like when Zeng Guofan used Li Hongzhang in the past.

  Zhang arrived afterwards and then Sheng and Wen Tingshi came together, a moment later Zhi

  Wei Jun and Wang Bo Gong also came in one after another.

  "You guys must come up with a compromise, the situation can't wait any longer!" Weng Tonghe said straightforwardly as he saw that almost everyone had arrived.

  "Yes!" Sheng asked cautiously: "Is it a joint draft or..."

  "No! One by one, Ji Zhi is not convenient to come out now, so let Bo Xi draft a memorial. For now, just stir up the atmosphere of asking for war!"

  "What about us then?" An Wei Jun asked somewhat uneasily.

  Weng Tonghe smiled and said: "What? Are you guys still underestimating yourselves?! Xiaofeng, Bohui... don't belittle yourselves!"

  An Weijun, courtesy name Xiaofeng, and Sheng, courtesy name Bohui, were both successful candidates in the Hanlin examination of 1880. An Weijun and Zhi Rui were fellow graduates. They were both tested by Weng Tonghe, as were several other outstanding talents from the Qing government, who formed the foundation of Weng's clique.

  "The Beiyang Navy's equipment is outdated. I don't dare to provoke a war, and Li Hongzhang may not necessarily be willing to fight the Japanese. Moreover, once both sides cannot stop fighting and it becomes an all-out war, I'm afraid the Beiyang Navy may not be a match for Japan... After all, the navy has not added any new equipment since its establishment several years ago, while Japan is preparing for war day and night..." Wang Bogong said. As a student of Weng Tonghe, Wang Bogong naturally understood the grudges between his teacher and Li Hongzhang. His teacher had been making things difficult for Li Hongzhang for years, but he did not object to it. After all, in this officialdom, who doesn't have a few enemies? However, no matter how unbearable Li Hongzhang was, the Beiyang Navy was still the Qing dynasty's first line of defense. His teacher had been trying to get rid of Li Hongzhang, but the one who would ultimately suffer would be the Qing dynasty's safety.

  Weng Tonghe disdainfully said: "Hefei has been governing the military for decades, repeatedly pacifying the great, now the Beiyang army and navy are like wildfire. Can't they withstand one battle? Didn't they sink a Japanese warship just two days ago?! I was just about to test their mettle, in order to tidy up the place!"

  Wang Bogong felt a chill in his heart after hearing this. He remembered what Pan Zumeng had told him when he was still alive: "Although Weng Shuiping has become the emperor's teacher, he is cunning and clever in handling matters. You can't trust him completely." He also laughed and said: "Myself and him were both noble young masters at the same time, we knew each other since childhood. If he uses his cunning on me, you can imagine what he will do to others. In the future, he will surely be defeated by his own cunning, just wait and see." Later, he also said: "Weng Shuiping actually has no talent for knowing people, but he wants to gain a reputation as a noble and virtuous scholar-official, which is truly foolish and impossible to achieve."

  Wang Bogong saw the red glow on Weng Tonghe's face under the candlelight, but thinking of what Pan Zuyin had said before, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. Although he was Weng Tonghe's disciple, he admired Pan Zuyin more, and only when Pan Zuyin was alive could he keep up with Weng Tonghe... now Pan Zuyin had been gone for many years...

  After hearing Weng Tonghe's words, everyone except Wang Bogong and Zhang Zuo laughed and thought this was the best opportunity to rectify Li Hongzhang. However, no one noticed that Wang Bogong and Zhang were a bit abnormal, both of their hearts had sunk into an icy abyss...

  Indeed, as Weng Tonghe said, the power of these people was not small. By April 9th, the young Emperor Guangxu suddenly received seven or eight memorials from the main war faction, criticizing the Grand Council for being indecisive and timid, with the spearhead directly aimed at Li Hongzhang and the newly appointed Prince Qing Yikuang. Before Emperor Guangxu had even finished reading these memorials, a memorial from Zeng Guangquan, presented by the Hanlin Academy, arrived, advocating for holding out in Korea and annihilating Japan, with a very bold tone.

  On April 9th, Li Hongzhang didn't know about the events of that day until the 11th. However, this was after he had already sent out a telegram to withdraw Wang Fengzao and Japan's decision to break off relations. Nevertheless, upon hearing the news, the core figures of the Beiyang government couldn't help but think: "I didn't expect Weng Tonghe to arrive so quickly!"

  Li Hongzhang was even more furious and laughed, Weng Tonghe's little trick really hit the nail on the head, but this is also reasonable. What he was more pleased with in his heart was that he had already prepared a "big meal" for Weng Tonghe, hoping that he could swallow it down - as long as Weng Tonghe was willing to swallow this bill, everything else would be easy to handle. Even if Li Hongzhang really encountered any mishap, Weng Tonghe would still face the wrath of Empress Dowager Cixi, whether it was death or dismissal and returning home, that's not for Li Hongzhang to worry about!

  Because in Li Hongzhang's government, Li Hongzhang also held his own policy of "doubting people not using, using people not doubting" towards Tan Yankai. Except for particularly core meetings, Li Hongzhang was very good to him and did not hide any information he received from him, and also attached great importance to his opinions.

  However, after more than a decade, Tan Yankai and Zhang had a close relationship. When talking about that war and Weng Tonghe, he learned that Weng's words "I just want to test his good intentions, in order to rectify the government!" His heart couldn't help but feel some chill - under the banner of righteousness and morality, Weng's true purpose was to deal with political opponents. The cruel fact made him no longer regret "framing" Weng Tonghe, and even felt a little fortunate. However, at that time, it had already been a long time since Weng Tonghe and Li Hongzhang had passed away. Two old enemies opposed each other for a lifetime, accompanied by the great righteousness of the country and nation, using this as a bet to play political games. How much longer will this dangerous game continue?!