When Emperor Xianfeng heard the memorial, he was angry and depressed. He looked up to the sky and sighed: The soldiers of the Pu camp were brave, but they were all broken up. Dexing'a and others barely had a brigade of troops. Nanying sent 5,000 reinforcements, which was not a small number. Why did they collapse in one battle? Zhang Lexing led the bandits down Huaidong, to Huaiyuan, Linhuaiguan and Fengyang in the south, to Xuzhou in the north, and to disturb Shandong. If Guangdong crosses the Huaihe River and joins forces with Nien to attack the north, the Qing Dynasty will be in danger! As Li Qing continues to be a guest, he must immediately conquer Taihu Lake, clear out Tong and Shu, and head towards Luzhou as quickly as possible, hoping to conquer and stop the northward movement.
Within ten days, Li Xubin carried out the seven orders in succession, and without fear of danger, Hui Duolong'a and Bao Chao's army rushed to attack Taihu Lake.
When both pontoons were lost, Li Zhaoshou became anxious and impetuous, and secretly reported to the enemy: Taihu Lake was exhausted, so we must attack quickly to capture it. The victory will be rewarded, and the guests will be reunited as soon as possible.
When Li Xubin learned of this, he used all his troops to attack all night long. At midnight, Duolonga and Bao Chao broke through the Dongshantou camp.
Seeing that the situation was over, Ye Yunlai led his soldiers to break out from the east and south gates.
When Taihu City was defeated, Li Xubin and Du Xing'a divided their forces, attacking Qianshan and the stone monument, and they were immediately defeated.
Du Xing'a and Li Xubin said: Qian Shandong is one hundred miles away from Anqing and one hundred and twenty miles away from Tongcheng in the northeast. The thieves in northern Anhui have been moving around for many years. They all use Anqing as their home base and Tongcheng as their horn. They have tens of thousands of rebels in each place, which is almost an unstoppable foundation for disaster. And Tongcheng is adjacent to Shucheng, which is the only way for the Chu army to go north. It is planned to use one army to contact the navy to attack Anqing and one army to attack Tongcheng. After Anqing and Tongcheng were defeated, the commander went northward and launched a campaign to suppress the enemy.
Emperor Xianfeng's happy edict: Li Qing, Xu Bin and others worked together to defeat three cities; their loyalty and bravery are commendable, and they are the heroes of the country.
The emperor's relatives and guests are very excited. In half a month, they conquered Tongcheng and Shucheng, and Luzhou was within easy reach.
On the southern route, Duolong'a and Bao Chao also captured Songyang, and combined with Navy Yang Zaifu's troops to encircle Anqing.
When the official heard that Li Xubin and Du Xing'a were dividing their troops, they were worried. They immediately ordered Du and Li: "The troops cannot be separated. The capital is thousands of miles away. You know the war in this area. You don't have to hesitate. It's my fault."
Luzhou and Anqing were both in emergency. Chen Yucheng was in Liuhe and was extremely anxious. He immediately requested that he and Li Xiucheng's troops return to Anhui to aid.
Hong Xiuquan hesitated and said, "The monsters in the north of the Yangtze River have been eliminated. Li Shixian's troops also conquered Lishui and marched to Moling Pass. 20% of them crossed the river and went south. Why worry about the monsters being destroyed?" First destroy the demon and then head west. I have been ordered by heaven to command millions of enemy soldiers, and the bullets are raining down on me, what will happen to me! Kuang Hechun is not our enemy. The generals treat him like a child, offering him special entertainment for a while. How can he be ridiculed?
Meng En said: Anhui is the important land of the Kingdom of Heaven, and it is of great importance; Chen will be successful, his blood is strong, and he will be invincible.
Gu Yiyi goes along with it.
Xiuquan said: After all these years, one word can resist Jiuding! Nowadays, the years are passing by contentedly, what a shame! Immediately pass on my order: Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng join forces to occupy Liuhe and Yangzhou, and then drive out Luzhou; Wei Jun gathers troops to quickly aid Anqing; Li Shixian, the soldier who gathered in Wuhu and Taiping, quickly attacks Deng Shaoliangyao and forces peace. Chun Yao'er withdrew the encirclement and divided his troops; the Chinese army general Yang Fuqing quickly left Wuyuan and Jingdezhen to respond to Wei and Li.
Wei Jun accepted the order and organized eight thousand troops to cross from Chizhou to Songyang to assist Anqing. Duxing Aqian's deputy generals Chen Jin'ao and Wang Mingshan attacked by land and water. Wei Jun was defeated and retreated in defeat.
Gu Longxian said to Wei Jundao: "You can run away at a touch, which is not my brother's fighting power."
Wei Jun said: "Who am I fighting for?" My brother is a traitor to the North, and I am no longer the emperor of the country. If Xiucheng had not fought tooth and nail to protect me, my head would have disappeared long ago.
Yang Fuqing received Hong Xiuquan's military order and left Wuyuan in the east to attack Zhou Tianshou; he moved to Jingdezhen in the west and harassed Liu Yuchun. He traveled back and forth and was locked in a stalemate.
Li Shixian received the order and immediately led 1,000 troops. On November 1, 1858, he left Wuhu and attacked Yashan. Deng Shaoliang sent troops to help and drove Li back.
Li Shixian's small knife test, played by Hong Xiuquan: Ningwu Deng Shaoliang and Zheng Kuishi Yaoyong only have five out of ten thousand; Deng Yaowanjun's camp has only more than a thousand soldiers, and the surrounding camps in Yashan, Gushanba, Shiyang, and Fangcun have a total of six thousand. I will gather 30,000 troops, divide them into divisions, and completely annihilate Deng Yao.
When Li Shixian used troops, Deng Shaoliang was surprised and hurriedly summarized: In the area of Ning and Wu, at the beginning of the fortification, the key passes in the five counties of Xuancheng, Nanling, Jingxian, Taiping and Wuhu were more than 300 miles away, and the bravery of the soldiers was only ten thousand and seventy. The military strength is not thick. Recently, although the 6,000 troops aiding Zhejiang were successively withdrawn, bandits and bandits were invading Huizhou, Wuyuan, Chongjue Temple and other places, and the minister Zhang Fu intercepted 3,000 troops to assist in the suppression. In the past few months, the effort to regain Kuitan and repel the bandits in Jingnan was all about moving slowly and then hastily, and the soldiers were already exhausted from running for their lives.
Li Xubin and Du Xing'a divided their troops. Zeng Guofan was in southern Jiangxi. He was worried and wrote to Hu Linyi: If you want to hear your Excellency's instructions and observe the etiquette, I will serve Peng Yang and Er Li, who have lost their support. When the army enters Anhui, there will be difficulties, and it will be safe if Duke Run cannot help him. The number of soldiers in Hubei is increasing day by day, but the source of salary is decreasing day by day. If the army is not strong enough, it may not be able to help in the end.
Hu Linyi replied: "Two Shu and Ding are worried about the final system, but my emperor will not agree to it, and it cannot be repeated." The official document is temporarily signed with Fuzhuan, and the emperor may have intended it. Holy Cong Dingtian, how can we know the inner meaning? If the war is urgent, I will go out immediately. I can attack thieves, but not submit to officials.
Zeng Guofan wrote again: The only person who is appointed to punish thieves today is not as reliable as a local official. However, if we are separated from the land and people and serve as envoys, we will be separated from the mountains and lose water, and we may not be able to achieve greatness. The situation in Hubei is getting bigger and bigger day by day. Unless Mr. Xiang is strong enough, it will eventually be destroyed. It doesn't matter whether you live in the office or not, and whether you receive the seal script or not. The dispute is whether Jian Renxin Fu Er! However, with Rungong's prestige and talent, once his wings are fully formed, he cannot be controlled by others.
After the letter from the vassal state was over, and he was worried about himself, Li Hongzhang held the disciple ceremony and asked to see him.
Guofan said: "If you have nothing to do in Jiangxi, you can come to my place."
On that side, Hu Linyi wrote to Li Xubin again: Every time a city is conquered, thousands of people are injured. Attacking fortresses is the worst strategy, which has violated the deep taboo of military strategists. In publicizing, cultivating, and boosting, we must put wisdom and planning first; go forward in a straight line, and go beyond dangers; accept when you see good things, and the future will be long.
Li Xubin sighed after receiving the letter; in order to boost morale, he sent troops to rob.
My colleague Ding Ruiyi advised me: If a brave man has private gains, he will have no fighting spirit! We have been tired from marching for a long time now, and we are proud of our repeated victories. Conquering the city and leaving a garrison is not enough to provide support; if you don't leave an army, the rear path will be empty and blocked, which is a sure way to defeat. It is better to return to Tongcheng and join the capital army to attack Anqing. If the waterway, horse and foot complement each other, and the famous generals and soldiers are gathered within a hundred miles, the success will be achieved.
Zeng Guohua also said: The front of the army cannot be stopped, but the army cannot always win, and the battle will be dull for a long time; once Luzhou is gained, it is urgent to take a break.
Xu Bin said: On the 32nd day of the march, at a depth of four to five hundred miles, the enemy's fortress collapsed in the wind. The capital troops attacked Anqing, not on the tenth day of the year; if they wanted to make a surprise, they went to Luzhou and fell into the trap of the invaders. I immediately sent a letter to Hubei to ask for reinforcements. I sent five thousand troops to attack Sanhe and win decisively at Luzhou.
The official received the request for help, looked at it coldly, showed it to everyone, and was silent. Suddenly he said: Li Gong's soldiers are entering Luzhou. However, Li Gong is like a god in his military use, and he is unstoppable. Now that the army's power has been strengthened, why can't we attack it? How can I be missing?
The battle ahead was urgent, and the official was worried. He invited his staff to eat together and said: There is a popular rumor that Hu Linyi is the most important person in the two lakes. The administration, finance and military affairs are all handled by Lin. I only know how to grow flowers and grass, eat, drink and have fun, and make promises. . Not only Li Xubin, but also Du Xing'a, Duolong'a and others didn't look at me directly. Why? Not my confidant! Fan Xie, the commander-in-chief of Yongzhou Town, has devoted himself to me. After his four-year term has expired, I have petitioned the Holy One to order him to act as the admiral of Hunan. In due time, I will transfer flowers and trees and transfer them to Wuchang to serve as my personal guard.
The staff member said: There are rumors that the governor's residence in Huguang has concubines, servants, and chefs. This is all idle talk, Gong Bao need not mind. As the saying goes: the people are noble, the officials are light, the palace guards enjoy themselves with the people, they are just polite to the virtuous and corporal.
Guan Wen chuckled and said: Over the past few years, Hubei Province has had enough food and soldiers, and the overall situation in the southeast has also been centered on Hubei. If I don't interfere, I can still get here. If I interfere...hehe! Furthermore, if I were not a big concubine, how could I have such a happy life! The chef is not big, how can you and I drink so freely? This is nothing, I am from the same clan as the Holy One! Immediately pass on my order to Fan Xie, the commander-in-chief of Yongzhou Town, to go to Sichuan to suppress the bandits.
Fan Xie received the official transfer order and led his troops northward. Passing by Changsha, he paid a courtesy visit to Luo Bingzhang, the governor of Hunan, as usual. He said goodbye without being polite to Zuo Zongtang.
Zuo Zongtang was angry at his actions over the past four years and said angrily: Officials from Xiang Province, including Mr. Futai and below, no matter how big or small, all want to greet me when they see me. Why don't you do the same?
Fan Xie was also angry and said: In the Qing Dynasty system, there was no case where a military attache met his master to ask for his regards. How can I, a high-ranking official of the second rank, worship you as a first master?
Zuo Zongtang became furious and shouted: You bastard, get out! After shouting fiercely, Zongtang jumped up and slapped Fan Xie several times.
Luo Bingzhang saw something happening and shouted to stop it.
After Fan Xie "rolled out", Zuo Zongtang said: Your Excellency, you have come to the capital, do you want to see the emperor for the impeachment memorial?
Luo Bingzhang said: "I only mentioned it verbally, and the Holy One may have forgotten it."
Zuo Zongtang said: If there is no proof, he will be impeached by memorial. This guy violates the rules and serves as a private soldier. He plays military affairs for his own purposes. If it is enough, he will open a vacancy and hand it over to the Ministry for discussion. This is not enough to save my life. Looking at my words and deeds, there must be corruption. I will investigate carefully.
Zongtang personally went to Yongzhou and found that Fan Xie had used more than 900 taels of silver, more than 3,300 strings of public money, and used rice to convert silver taels.
Emperor Xianfeng was furious when he heard about it and issued an order to escort Fan Xie to Hunan as soon as possible and await investigation.
Fan Xie was about to be imprisoned, and his resentment was overwhelming. He drafted two petitions, one to the Beijing Metropolitan Procuratorate and the other to the Huguang Governor's Office, accusing Zuo Zongtang of mishandling the government.
The official text said: Hunan vassal Wenge has long stated that Hunan has one seal and two officials, and the government affairs are controlled by the bad minister Zuo Zongtang. However, Luo Bingzhang suppressed the local bandits at home, cooperated with neighboring armies externally, and recruited troops from the east. There was a steady flow of wages and silver to support all directions. The military affairs are extremely urgent at the moment and the ground will not be moved for the time being. Don't be in a hurry when it comes to things like this. Stew the meat over low heat and cook it slowly.
