At the beginning of Zhang's friendship with Cen Chunxuan, Cen Chunxuan was a rich boy in Beijing. Tang Yongbin wrote "A New Talk about the Future" and said: "Spring is becoming more and more difficult, and it is arrogant to expect it. Gold is the guest, cars and horses are full, and the banquet is like this. I know what prestige I have in my spare time, and I know Zhang indirectly. Yan Ming's later career began between Han and Tan, and the world did not know it. " "Hantan" is the Hanjiatan in Beijing, where famous troupes gathered in the late Qing Dynasty. Cen Chunxuan and Zhang met in Hanjiatan.
Xuanzi is the son of Cen, the governor of Yunnan. Together with Ruicheng and Laoziqiao, it is known as the "Three Less Cities". During the Reform Movement of 1898, he was appreciated by Emperor Guangxu for advocating "striving for strength". Cenying was called to the DPRK, and Chen Yan turned over a new leaf. His words were eloquent and clear. In fact, these are all behind-the-scenes strategies of Zhang. Cen Guan awarded Guangdong Minister of State, so Zhang was highly valued by Cen and urged him to be a guest of Cen Fu. Zhang is eloquent, resourceful and extremely speculative in getting along with his boss. Cen said to people many times: "We are strong and white, but we are the same, but we can be friends for a long time." Soon, Cen changed his appointment to Gansu, accompanied by Zhang, and remained as chief of staff.
1899, Eight-Nation Alliance attacked Beijing, and Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu sought refuge in the west. Cen led his troops as a "diligent king", and was favored by the Western Empress Dowager and had a prosperous career.
In fact, all this was an unprecedented proposal for Cen Chunxuan planned by Zhang. Zhang believes that when Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu were miserable and down and out, many important people who fawned on Empress Dowager Cixi in the west were afraid to avoid it, and some were beyond their reach. This was a rare opportunity for Cen Chunxuan from heaven. So he urged Cen Chunxuan to be "diligent" immediately to show his loyalty to Lafayette; Waiting for the queen mother to come and wait on her in every way will naturally win her attention.
The story can be found in the ninth poem of Fangjiayuan by Wang Zhao. The poem says: "Let the mob know that it is a pheasant, and it will be the same after you sue me. The general wears a golden seal on his hand and is not allowed to go back to the west. " The note attached to this poem reads: "In Taiyuan for many days, I still sought independence and reconciliation, but the Queen Mother and her ministers insisted. In fact, in the early days, the amount of compensation can be very small. However, all the conditions for outsiders to claim insurance cannot be put forward by wisdom. The public opinion is obvious, and it is absolutely impossible to put it forward. The reason is obvious. However, nine out of ten people don't know this, because they know corruption, and when they know it, they pretend to be one out of ten. These eleven people are the Empress Dowager, Rong, Wang and Cenye. "
"Master Ling Xiao's Essay" said: "In the Battle of Gengzi, Cen Chunxuan led a diligent king and dispatched envoys with Gansu to escort the Western Expedition, so he specially invited the Western Empress Dowager to give him a reward and move to its frontier. According to legend, at the beginning of the Spring Proclamation, he intended to help the emperor restore political power, but he still put filial piety and interests first and dared not act rashly, but later he benefited from it. The commentator is too abnormal to be brave. However, after the frontier ministers and the generals of the whole army put on more clothes, the emperor will be in danger, and a little carelessness will lead to a strange disaster. In the spring, he wants to build an extraordinary career, and his strength is not enough. "
As far as this matter is concerned, Zhang's strategy is strange, but there are too many adventurous elements in it. But Zhang can draw this wonderful plan for Cen Chunxuan with his young staff, which shows that his views are very superb; And Cen Chunxuan curtain can have such an outstanding talent, which shows that Cen Chunxuan is good at employing people.
Zhang also won the favor of Cixi in this "Qin Wang". Cixi took refuge in Cen's residence and visited the study privately. In order to comfort the bitter silence, she met Zhang by chance. Seeing that Zhang was too thin, but her eyes were bright, smart and cultured, the Western Empress Dowager gave a pair of couplets: "Only female thieves are the hardest to raise." Zhang bowed to him and said, "A widower should be at home when he meets a widow." Everyone was silent. However, instead of being angry, the Western Empress Dowager smiled and said that she was brilliant. Hu Sijing's "National Daily" said: "Cen Chunxuan entered Qin, was the governor of Shaanxi, and was even loved. The above is for use, with a daily limit of 300 gold, which is regular in the order of placement and abroad. All the planning, adopt Zhang's plan. After that, he moved to Shanxi, Sichuan and Guangdong. When you go to Guilin, you should donate bimonthly Taoist priests, which I highly recommend. I was at ease and wanted to pass by, so I was promoted to the governor of Guangxi. I just turned 30 and have only seen it in the seal. "
Cen Chunxuan was promoted to the governor of Shaanxi, Shanxi and Sichuan. Zhang planned behind the scenes and was taken as a backup by CenBaoJu.
1in April, 903, Cen Chunxuan sent the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, with Zhang as the chief copywriter and in charge of the Academic Affairs Office of Guangdong and Guangxi. Soon, he was in charge of the training department, actively helping Cen Chunxuan to carry out the "New Deal" and was regarded as a person who knew current affairs. 1904 In May, due to the popular uprising in Guangxi, Cen Chunxuan entered Guangxi to clear up, and Premier Zhang worked in the Guangdong-Guangxi Economic and Trade Office. Li Jingxi, governor of Guangxi, belongs to Yi Kuang and Yuan Shikai, ministers of military control, and Cen Chunxuan is in cahoots with Qu Hongji, ministers of military control, but not with Yi Kuang and Yuan Shikai. In order to communicate with the Governor, Li Jingxi asked Cen Chunxuan to let Zhang be his staff. Zhang then frequented Fuya, Guangxi, and became a celebrity in Guilin. In the same year, Li Jingxi recommended Zhang to stop by for Guangxi Taiping Division; The following year, Cen Chunxuan recommended Zhang as the agent of Guangxi Commissioner. Cen Chunxuan called Zhang Zhi's talent "ten times better than the minister" in his secret performance to the court.
1906 10 The Qing court appointed Zhang as the deployment envoy of Guangxi to act as the governor of Guangxi. That year, Liuzhou, Qingyuan and other provinces in Guangxi were ravaged by lewd rain; Taiping county is suffering from drought. Twenty-four counties in the province were affected. Zhang Jishi visited various places and got the specific situation. He played: "Since the summer of this year, Liu and Qing have been disturbed by the obscene rain, and the price of rice has soared. After June, Taiping, Zhen 'an, Nanning, Si 'en and Baise all suffered from drought, withered seedlings and no late rice harvest. " The Qing court believed that the disaster situation in Guangxi was serious and the situation was true, so it reduced or exempted taxes according to law. Zhang also organized the masses to help themselves against disasters and set up disaster relief centers in the hardest hit areas.