Zhao Liewen said: "The middle strategy is to avoid the enemy's edge, lead the Hunan army to withdraw from Hubei, Jiangxi, and Hunan, and find a place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack, such as Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu.

"Then, concentrate on military training, set up industry and commerce, improve guns and artillery, and improve the Hunan Army's combat effectiveness. This strategy can be summarized as exchanging space for time. Try to strive for three to five years to train the Hunan Army into an army that can rival the revolutionary army.

"In the end, the Hunan Army waited for work, took advantage of the terrain, and fought a decisive battle with the revolutionary army in its own base area. There may be hope of victory."

After hearing this, Zeng Guofan and Liu Rong felt that this method was good. However, after thinking about it for a while, they found that this method was completely unfeasible.

Liu Rong sighed: "This method has merits, but it is not feasible. First, the emperor will never allow it, and the commander-in-chief cannot be killed first and then reported. Second, the Hunan army is all soldiers from Hunan. If they leave their hometown and leave Hunan, the soldiers will definitely not follow.

.”

Zhao Liewen looked at Zeng Guofan, but Zeng Guofan didn't say anything and said, "Huifu, please go on and tell me what to do."

Zhao Liewen pondered for a moment and said: "The next step is to join forces with Commander Kuang. The two Hunan armies combined have nearly one hundred thousand troops. In addition, the Green Camp under the control of Commander Kuang and Commander Kuang, and the regiment training, there are two to three hundred thousand people."

Soldiers and horses may be able to fight the revolutionary army."

Zeng Guofan, nicknamed Di Sheng, founded the Hunan Army, and his reputation as Commander Di was already quite famous.

Hu Linyi's courtesy name was Kuansheng and his nickname was Runzhi. His status was equal to that of Zeng Guofan, so he was respectfully called Kuanshuai.

Zhao Liewen's top and middle strategies were both unfeasible, and only the bottom strategy was somewhat feasible. Zeng Guofan went to Hubei to meet Hu Linyi because he wanted to join forces with him.

By then, they will gather soldiers and horses from the four provinces of Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, and Jiangxi, and pool the resources of the four provinces, hoping to achieve a local advantage on the battlefield and break the current deadlock.

Zeng Guofan nodded, indicating that he recognized Zhao Liewen's policy, but turned to ask: "If Commander Kuang is unwilling to join forces, the next strategy will not be feasible, but how about the plan?"

Zhao Liewen was very pessimistic and said: "This is the way to defeat that Liewen cannot bear to talk about."

Liu Rong on the side comforted her: "There is no need to worry, Di Shuai. Kuang Shuai knows the general situation best and has been supported by Di Shuai. When Di Shuai meets Kuang Shuai in person, Kuang Shuai will not fail to give him face."

Zeng Guofan was one year older than Hu Linyi, but became a Jinshi two years later than Hu Linyi.

Zeng Guofan was born a country bumpkin, and his ancestors were all farmers in the mountains. Hu Linyi, on the other hand, was born into an official family, and his father was also a Jinshi and a third-level scholar.

Zeng Guofan was a dull man, who cut down on food and clothing when he was a child. After becoming a Beijing official, he remained frugal, simple and self-disciplined. Hu Linyi grew up with fine clothes and fine food, and was proud of the examination room. After becoming a Beijing official, his behavior was extremely disorderly and he wandered around Fireworks Alley all day long.

Zeng Guofan was clumsy since he was a child, while Hu Linyi was smart since he was a child. When Hu Linyi was eight years old, Tao Shu, a famous minister of the Daoguang Dynasty, returned to his hometown to visit relatives. When he saw Hu Linyi, he was shocked by his greatness and said: "I have a son-in-law", so he ordered a baby

He betrothed his five-year-old daughter to him.

(This Tao Shuhui was very discerning. When he was the governor of Liangjiang, he admired Zuo Zongtang very much. At that time, Zuo Zongtang was just a commoner and had no official position. However, Tao Shu believed that Zuo Zongtang would achieve more than him in the future.

, actually became in-laws with them.)

It can be said that although Zeng Guofan and Hu Linyi are from the same hometown, they are very at odds with each other and dislike each other.

However, Zeng Guofan was a strict self-discipline as a Beijing official, and was highly appreciated by the powerful minister Mu Zhang'a. He had a good reputation in the court, and after seven years of moving there, he was soon promoted to the second rank of minister, becoming a senior official from Hunan.

Hu Linyi resigned himself to depravity, until one time when he was visiting prostitutes, the slaves were patrolling at night, and Hu Linyi was deeply humiliated. He learned from the painful experience, spent a lot of money to donate to the prefect, and took the initiative to go to the most remote Guizhou to experience.

Hu Linyi quickly stood out in Guizhou, and Zeng Guofan also organized team training and founded the Hunan Army.

The Qing government believed that Hu Linyi was good at military training and ordered him to return to Hunan to resist the Taiping Army. The two met again in Hunan.

Zeng Guofan, who was stiff and dull back then, has become the commander-in-chief of the Hunan Army. He has become serious and courageous, and he has vigorously supported Hu Linyi. Hu Linyi, who was once frivolous and dissolute, has been tempered and has become resolute and steady, and he is sincerely convinced by Zeng Guofan.

The two quickly settled their differences and forged a deep friendship during the battle with the Taiping Army.

Because of their outstanding achievements and Sushun's strong support, Zeng Guofan and Hu Linyi were reused one after another, and each controlled the military affairs of the three provinces.

But now, the two of them are guarding their own territory, and they seem to have established a sect. Liu Rong said that Hu Linyi knew the general situation and would definitely obey Zeng Guofan, but Zeng Guofan did not believe it.

He has been in officialdom for many years, what has he never seen? How could Hu Linyi give in easily in the face of interests? Even if Hu Linyi is willing to obey Zeng Guofan, will his subordinates be willing?

There is a saying in later generations that one should learn from Zeng Guofan to be an official, and to learn from Hu Xueyan to do business. This means that Zeng Guofan is the best at being an official and the most sophisticated in human relations.

But in fact, before Zeng Guofan became the governor of Liangjiang, he was an out-and-out official in the officialdom. He once offended all the officials in the city and could hardly survive in Beijing.

When he served as the commander-in-chief of the Hunan Army, Zeng Guofan repeatedly clashed with governors from various places, including his subordinate generals. Many staff members also felt that Zeng Guofan was too harsh and chose to leave him.

On the contrary, Hu Linyi was highly intelligent, quick to respond, and flexible in handling matters. He showed extremely outstanding talents in controlling subordinates, coordinating generals, and coordinating officialdom.

So much so that Zeng Guofan had to sigh: "Runzhi (Hu Linyi) is ten times more talented than me."

(However, why is Hu Linyi’s reputation in later generations far inferior to that of Zeng Guofan? In Zeng Guofan’s words, it’s because he had bad luck.

(Zeng Guofan made countless achievements, but believed that the biggest factor in his success was luck. Hu Linyi was highly talented and well-born, but he was dissolute in his early years, which delayed his future and contracted serious illnesses.

(For this reason, Hu Linyi died very early, in 1861. Despite this, he was still rated by later generations as the four famous officials of the Zhongxing Dynasty in the late Qing Dynasty [Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, Hu Linyi, and Peng Yulin]).

Zeng Guofan thought about it again and again, remembering his acquaintance with Hu Linyi, and couldn't help but sigh: "My talents are not as good as Kuansheng's. But as Huifu said, if the two armies do not unite, they will destroy themselves."

"When I go to Hubei this time, I must persuade Kuansheng to join the army with him. At worst, I will hand over the power of commanding the troops to him and let him have full command of the Hunan Army."

Zhao Liewen was deeply touched and said: "The handsome man is loyal to the country and upright. Liewen is sincerely convinced!"

Liu Rong, however, remained calm and asked: "Commander Di, the two armies joining together is a big deal and should not be taken lightly. Even if Commander Di is loyal to the country and is willing to give up military power, we must also consider the wishes of the imperial court."

Liu Rong is still experienced and thoughtful. He is a good friend of Zeng Guofan and can be regarded as a direct descendant of Zeng Guofan. If Zeng Guofan is willing to succumb to Hu Lin's wing, Liu Rong's status will also decline. This is subtle, and Liu Rong has to express it.

Zeng Guofan was shocked, thought for a long time, and said: "I will be outside, and I will not accept your orders. I am loyal to the country, and naturally I don't care about the amount of military power, nor do I care about the gossip in the court. I believe that the wise emperor can also understand my difficulties."

Zhao Liewen said: "Xiang Rong presided over the Jiangnan camp, with more than 100,000 soldiers and horses. The food and salary supply was excessive, but the teachers and seniors were ineffective. There were many reasons for this. The imperial court had control over everything, which was also an important reason for Xiang Rong's defeat.

"Commander Di was not afraid of gossip and created the Hunan Army through regiment training. The Hunan Army is not a green camp. Although it is guided by the imperial court, it is not controlled remotely by the central government. The Hunan Army is monolithic from top to bottom, and neither outsiders nor the imperial court can have a hand in it.
Chapter completed!