Chapter 116 Zeng Guofan turns danger into good fortune
When the report of the battle in Songyang reached Qimen, Zeng Guofan said: "Chen, the traitor Yucheng, has been defeated in consecutive battles. Or should he abandon Songyang and cross the river to attack me?"
Zhao Liewen said: "It's absolutely impossible. Yang Peng has blocked the river. The thieves have no navy and can't fight."
Zeng Guofan said: "Zuo Gong Zongtang is worthy of today's glory. With the courage of five thousand new recruits, he wisely retreated from Li Xiucheng's army and resisted Huang Wenjin's 20,000 fierce bandits. His bravery was no less than that of Lao Bao, and his wisdom was far superior to Lao Bao's. I once advised Bao Chao and Zhang Yunlan: The Qimen area is dangerous and is surrounded by thieves on all sides. The two generals must do their best to cripple Liu Guanfang's rebel bandits and annihilate them completely. They will never allow a defeat to defeat the thieves and allow the thieves to revive. Machine; has Bao Zhang ever done it?"
Zhao Liewen said: "Commander Qi, I personally went to the battlefield. The rebel bandits were defeated miserably and fled to Shidai. Within a month, I will be unable to fight again."
Zeng Guofan smiled and said: "It's been more than a month. According to Hui Fu, won't Liu bandit come to our door soon?"
Zhao Liewen also smiled and said: "Wang Kaiyun came from the capital and said he had something important to discuss."
Zeng Guofan said: "Xiangqi is the think tank of Sutang. Please come quickly."
Wang Kaiyun came in and looked around to talk to him. Zeng Guofan retreated to the left and right.
Wang Kaiyunfang said: "Sutang highly appreciates Commander Di's knowledge and talents. I haven't seen him for many years, and I regret not meeting him in person."
Zeng Guofan said: "In Sutang, one person is subordinate to ten thousand people, and everything is entrusted to him. The government orders and palace prohibitions are governed by the three flags. All the affairs of the government are related to officials, households, etiquette, soldiers, punishments, and work. With all the hands in hand, I have no time to patrol the south of the Yangtze River. The war is very urgent, so Xiangqi has something to say directly."
Wang Kaiyun straightened his body and bent towards the vassal state, and said in a low voice: "My Emperor Rehe is seriously ill, and Concubine Yi is monopolizing power, so Sutang restrained him. Sutang asked Commander Di and Commander Run if they have any plans?"
Zeng Guofan pondered for a long time and said: "Shuai Run came for consultation yesterday and said that his heart and lungs are blurred. This is the most serious disease. However, I would like to spend my whole life in the army and have no other thoughts. There are thieves on all sides in Qimen. Zeng's face is not guaranteed. Runshuai and I are unable to take care of the affairs of the palace. This dispute is a matter of life and death. Xiangqi is young, so the best choice is to stay away from her. She is frivolous and arrogant, and life is unpredictable."
The lords of the state talked endlessly, but Wang Kaiyun listened without any intention. He held an ancient scroll in his hand and his bright eyes were half-closed, as if he was tired.
The imperial vassal was speaking to himself, and reported that Liu Guanfang and Gu Longxian's bandits had conquered Dahongling and Dachiling, and the vanguard had entered Likou, which was less than forty miles away.
Zeng Guofan was shocked and exclaimed: "Since November, there have been many dangers and turmoils. The lack of access to documents and reports lasted for five days, and the lack of access to wages and salaries for more than twenty days. Thanks to the bravery of Bao Chao and Zhang Yunlan, Zeng was rescued from danger many times. .Now that Bao Zhang is not here, could it be that God wants to kill me?"
Zhao Liewen said: "Jiang Changgui, the governor of Hubei, was ordered to help with military affairs in Zhejiang. He was passing by Qimen. Commander Di quickly ordered him to intercept him."
Zeng Guofan said: "Quickly pass on my order to Hubei Admiral Jiang Changgui. He will not go to Hangzhou for the time being. He will rush to Likou to fight against Yue Ni."
Jiang Changgui took the order and ordered the entire army to fight against Liu Guanfang. In just one round, Liu Jun was defeated.
Zeng Guofan sighed and said: "In the past, Zhang Fu led Wannan, and Jiang Changgui and Zhou Tianshou were all under his command, but he was still able to hold on with difficulty. As soon as I arrived in Wannan, I lost Huizhou, causing Qimen to be in danger. Li Ciqing is particularly hateful!"
Zhao Liewen said: "I heard that Li Ciqing has served as the governor of Zhejiang for a long time and returned to Pingjiang to recruit bravery."
Zeng Guofan said: "If Li Ciqing dares to go back on his word and change the court, I will definitely impeach him!"
The next day, while Zeng Guofan was still dreaming, Gu Longxian had already led his troops to capture Shimen Bridge, which was less than twenty miles away from Qimen Camp.
Zeng Guofan was frightened and ordered his deputy general Tang Yixun to fight.
Zhao Liewen said: "Shuai Di is the governor of the two rivers, and the land of the two rivers is public land. That means retreating to the east, taking care of both the north and south banks. Why should it be shameful to retreat? Marshal Di, hurry up. I have found a path. I can escape by climbing over the mountain." .”
Zeng Guofan said: "When He Guiqing retreated from Changzhou, there may be people saying this. My army collapsed and I couldn't stop it. If I die, I will die. Why run away. If the soldiers in front of the tent are attacked by thieves, there is no need to worry about Zeng. Fight on your own, fight your way out, rely on Zuo Zongtang, and then fight against the rebels."
When the guests, clerks, and pen officials heard this, they turned pale with astonishment and rushed to disperse. Only Ouyang Zhaoxiong couldn't bear to leave.
Zeng Guofan smiled and said to Ouyang Zhaoxiong: "This place is lush with green trees and surrounded by mountains. It is a good place to die!" Suddenly he waved his big hand and said to his staff: "Qimen has no generals. Those who are willing to leave, lead three The monthly salary is silver; when the war subsides, you can return."
Tang Yixun led the order but did not attack. He divided his troops into three groups and set up ambushes at selected points. He killed a hundred people under Lintian and Yugu Dejin.
Gu Longxian went deep into the army alone and did not dare to fight, so he retreated to Shidai.
Qimen was attacked repeatedly. Zuo Zongtang sighed endlessly and said to Bao Chao: "Commander Zeng Di risked his life and sacrificed himself for others. This behavior will be stopped by high mountains."
Bao Chao said: "Don't be surprised, Mr. Zuo. Bao is a rough man. He followed Commander Run and gained great knowledge. Before three months, Marshal Di was supervising the department. Commander Run immediately advised that Hui and Ning should be completed, and the layout should be rough and set, and drums should be played. Then, with the divisions of Huai and Tong, they will meet at Dangtu, and then the Huzhou army will march out of Su and Chang, and the horses of Yangzhou will drink in Jiangpu. May I ask Zuo Gong, is there a good plan? Now, both Hui and Ning are lost, and Qimen is in danger. ; The commander and the soldiers are all in uniform, but they are short of strategy and strategy."
Zuo Zongtang said: "The knowledge of the commander-in-chief is ahead of the others, but if there is a hundred dense and sparse, the previous achievements may be abandoned. It is also a good strategy for the commander-in-chief to seize Anqing, encircle the points for reinforcements, and build a camp step by step; however, if he is stationed in Qimen, the military strategist What a shame! Today, Pengze, Duchang, Poyang, and Jiande have all fallen into the hands of thieves. You and I can only unite our forces and go out to kill the enemy and eliminate Huang Ni. Only then will there be hope for life!"
Bao Chao said: Tomorrow Mr. Zuo will rest his sword for a while, and we will wait and see if he can kill the thief with his chicken spear.
Zuo Zongtang smiled and said: In the past half month, I have repeatedly used your banner to blackmail the enemy. In the battle tomorrow, Huang Ni will definitely be self-defeating. Brother Bao killed more than half, and I immediately rushed out with all my troops.
On February 18, 1861, Dingnan generals Huang Wenjin and Yingtianyi Li Yuanji gathered their entire army to attack Jingdezhen again.
Bao Chao held a big flag and swaggered out.
Bao Chaoting arrived in person, and Huang Wenjin took a breath. However, the arrow was on the string and had to be fired. Wenjin inspected the terrain and ordered Li Yuan to station at Xiejiatan and move with his camera. Huang Wenjin personally led the main force, quietly crossed Yangtang, crossed the Zhangtian River, and made a flanking attack on Bao Chao and Zuo Zongtang's camp.
Zuo Zongtang asked Bao Chao to attack, but Bao Chao did not hesitate to give in and led his troops to attack. Bao and Huang were both ruthless men, and their troops were also fierce. Li Yuanji of Yingtianyi also fought for the lead and led his troops directly to Zuo Zongtang's camp.
Zongtang ordered a general attack, and Zuo Bao joined forces and fought fiercely for four hours, killing more than 4,000 Taiping soldiers. Huang Wenjin was seriously injured and did not dare to fight again, so he and Li Yuanji fled to Jiande.
Zuo Zongtang suffered from insufficient troops and asked Chen Dafu, the commander-in-chief of Wannan Town, to help him fight.
On March 7, Zuo Zongtang, Bao Chao, and Chen Dafu jointly attacked Jiande. Huang Wenjin and Li Yuanji were defeated and fled to Wuhu again.
Li Yuanji sighed and said: Our four armies besieged Qimen, but we couldn't win a single victory!
Huang Wenjin also lamented: During our bloody battle, Chen Yucheng sent his army into Hubei, Li Xiucheng invaded and harassed Jiangxi, and Li Shixian stayed in Huizhou. The group of dragons has no leader and each fights alone. How can we win?
Zuo Bao fought successively, and Zeng Guofan was happy to leave: Huang Wenjin, the rebel leader, was a famous and fierce bandit, and he attacked Jiande, Fuliang and other counties. At that time, I was in Qimen, surrounded by thieves on three sides, leaving only one line of road in Jingdezhen to provide relief. You should be willing to go against your desires. Thanks to Zuo Zongtang's plan and Bao Chao's courage, by keeping the enemy strong and fighting by fighting, they were able to defeat the fierce front and turn danger into safety.
After the vassal separation, Bao Chao's troops were sent into Jiangxi to chase Li Xiucheng's bandits; Zuo Zongtang and Chen Dafu jointly defended Jingdezhen; Zhang Yunlan attacked Huizhou again and completely annihilated Li Shixian's bandits.
