Chapter 134 Cixi makes a sudden decision
When Zeng Guofan received Li Hongzhang's consultation, he said happily: Li Shaoquan went to Shanghai to take care of him, and he followed the gourd and the gourd to draw the ladle, which was a good thing. Guo Yunxian had been in the capital for a long time, and it was difficult to deal with the nobles. He often got into trouble and wasted his years. He might have accomplished something in Shanghai. Laojiu and Xueqin conquered Jinzhu Pass, and Guobao regained Wuhu. Taiping Prefecture did not want to be in the city of Wuhu, especially in the pass of Jinzhu Pass. They attacked and captured this pass, and all the key passes in the city above and below were owned by them. From then on, There are opportunities to take advantage of every step you make. Military expediency and single-mindedness. However, Zuo Zongtang's troops were stagnant in Quzhou and there was no further progress; could Jiang Yili succeed in raising courage?
Zhao Liewen said: "Jiang Yili used his strength to seize the stone and made great achievements in aiding Guangxi. Lao Chongguang, the governor of Guangdong, provided him with wages and weapons. He has recruited 8,000 brave men in Xiangchu and will arrive next month."
Zeng Guofan laughed and said: "Jiang Yili is anxious, and I and Rungong are always dissatisfied with him; Ji Gao is stubborn and timid, and the two gentlemen get along well with each other."
Zhao Liewen sighed: With many dragons and tigers, he is invincible; after the death of Commander Run, he is no longer brave!
Zeng Guofan said: In the battle at Anqing, Duolong A was the best, Bao Chao was second, and Laojiu was third. However, Lao Jiu was rewarded with the title of Chief Envoy, who was given the title of inscription in case of a vacancy in the name of the Inspector, and was given the honor of wearing a yellow mantle; Dolonga was only rewarded with the rank of Yunqi Lieutenant; Bao Chao still held the rank of Admiral and served as the Ministry Yousu. Many people think that rewards and punishments are unfair, so don’t try your best! Otherwise, Bao Chaoting's army will attack the broken Ning Kingdom with all its strength, and Yang Nifu Qing will not be able to divide his troops! Duolong'a poured out his troops to besiege Chen Gou's isolated Luzhou, but he couldn't defeat it for half a year? The most important thing about Mr. Run is to give away a lot of money and property, but the most important thing is to treat each other with gentleness, courtesy and thrift, but Zeng can't do that! Zeng sat in Anqing and watched the actions of many dragons, Baohu and others.
The city of Anqing was broken, and the British king Chen Yucheng retreated to Luzhou. He ordered Yongtian Anma Ronghe to lead his army north, and Hui Wo Wang Zhang Lexing and Zuo Wang Miao Peilin jointly attacked Yingshang and entered the Central Plains of Tu.
Soon, Yucheng sent Fu Wang Chen Decai, Qi Wang Liang Chengfu, Zun Wang Lai Wenguang, and Hu Wang Lancheng to Henan and Shaanxi in the spring equinox to plan for Beijing.
King Zun Lai Wenguang knelt down and advised again: After the defeat of Anqing, the military morale declined greatly. If the troops were divided into four attacks, Luzhou would be weak and unable to resist the three demon armies of Duolong'a, Yuan Jiasan, and Li Xuyi.
Yucheng said disdainfully: "Brothers Li, they attacked Zhejiang and entered Jiangsu, and they became prosperous. I divided my troops to overlook Henan and Shaanxi, and planned the Central Plains. Why not!"
Duolong'a was overjoyed when the jade troops were divided into troops. He ordered the commander-in-chief Lei Zhengwan to march to Ershilipu, the deputy commander Wendelek to march to Dashu Mountain, and the commander-in-chief Shi Qingji to march to Shibaligang and march east of Luzhou. , south and west, surrounded by people.
Not long after, Yuan Jia's third supervisory department besieged the north of Luzhou. Within ten days, deputy general Xu Ji stationed in Hengdian and Gudui, capital commander Chu Kaitai captured Liangyuan, and general Zhang Desheng captured Dianbu.
Chen Yucheng was shocked and urgently ordered Chen Decai, Ma Ronghe, and Zhang Lexing to return to Lucheng to discuss military aircraft. However, despite repeated aid letters, not a single soldier was seen.
Yucheng was helpless and asked Tianjing for help.
Hong Xiuquan received the report and ordered Protector Chen Kunshu and Dui Wang Hong Chunyuan to lead 40,000 troops to cross the river to rescue.
Although the soldiers of King Chen and Hong crossed the river, they were defeated repeatedly in battles. Before their troops reached Lu, they had suffered more than 10,000 losses.
On May 1, 1862, Duolonga launched a general offensive, and in less than half a month, Luzhou was captured.
Yu Cheng panicked and fled to Dongjin Ferry in Shouzhou with more than 3,000 people including Wang Chen Dede and Dao Wang Chen Shirong.
Miao Peilin heard about it and invited Yucheng to the city to discuss it in detail.
Yucheng wants to go.
All the generals advised: Miao is capricious and has many tricks, so do not share them.
Yucheng said: I fought in Anqing, and the Miao surrounded Shouzhou, and they complemented each other; I was trapped in Luzhou, and the Miao attacked Yingshang, and both of them were defeated. Miao was helpless and surrendered to the Qingyao again. However, he was in Cao Ying, but his heart was with me. When you didn't see him, during the battle of Yingshang, Miao secretly released Wo Wang Zhang Lexing. I have made up my mind to enter Shouzhou, join a hundred thousand Miao army, and attack the capital from the north to achieve a great cause.
As soon as Yucheng entered the city wall, he was tied up.
Yucheng cursed: He is a bad guy, a scoundrel, a blade of grass on the wall, the wind blows on both sides, the dragon is better than the dragon, the tiger is better than the tiger, in the future he will not even be named a thief! I will die today and you will die tomorrow!
Miao Peilin said: So what, those who achieve great things don't stick to trivial matters! I have the power to borrow your head, and I will repeat it again!
When Zeng Guofan heard that Chen Yucheng had been bound, he burst into tears and immediately burned incense to pay homage to the ancients. When all the staff heard this, they also congratulated each other. Everyone was rejoicing and looking for news. Governor Zeng Guoquan led the Jizi Camp, and even defeated Moling Pass, Sancha River and Dasheng Pass, and entered Zhayuhuatai, which was less than four miles away from Jinling Thief City.
Zeng Guofan was shocked and asked urgently: Where are Peng Yulin and Zeng Guobao?
The spy reported again: Zeng Guobao's troops were stationed at Sancha River to Jiangdong Bridge, building forts along the water to protect the grain road; Peng Yulin's navy had arrived at the mouth of the Jinling moat, and had communicated with the mainland army.
Zeng Guofan said anxiously: "I have repeatedly advised you to wait until Bao's army has encircled Ning State and it is very stable, and many troops have advanced to Jiusuzhou, before we discuss the advance." Now Bao Chao is marching to the Ning Kingdom. Many troops are rushing to Luzhou, but Lao Jiu goes straight forward alone. This is ridiculous!
Not long after, Peng Yulin reported: There was a fierce battle at Jiangxin Island and the moat. The fire was fierce, the wind was fierce, and the crowd was loud. The thieves did not know how many officers and soldiers there were, and they were panicking. Fortunately, our army succeeded in breaking through the island sandwiched by more than thirty miles, otherwise it would not be easy to attack. .
Zeng Guofan murmured: The more we advance, the more dangerous it becomes. Zeng Guoquan, Peng Yulin, and Zeng Guobao quickly retreated and waited to fight again.
Zhao Liewen said: According to the nature of the Nine Commanders, there is absolutely no reason to shrink back.
Zeng Guofan said: "Quickly pass on my order. Zeng Guoquan and Zeng Guobao's tribe will quickly dig trenches and build fortifications. They are all tied with two layers. The front layer will resist the city bandits, and the back layer will defend against the aid bandits." Yang Zaifu's troops and various naval forces, carrying more gunpowder, food and pay, quickly linked up with Peng Yulin's navy to keep the waterway open. Bao Chaoting's troops must not delay any longer, quickly conquer the Ning Kingdom, and rush into Gaochun and Lishui as a sign of solidarity.
After the vassal order was over, the troops were sent back to the army: Zeng Guoquan, Peng Yulin, and Zeng Guobao, with only more than 10,000 soldiers, were stationed in a corner to the south. They were used to seeing Hong Ni and were not surprised. They seemed to have no fear. I plan to mobilize Duolong'a's army to go to the meeting and suppress it. Taking advantage of this time when the army's power is at its peak, they can attack fiercely from all sides and succeed. At this time, there were many troubles in the provinces, and soldiers were needed everywhere. The minister Yu said that it would be better to use all his strength to conquer the south of the Yangtze River and regain the rich area. However, if more than a million shi from Su Cao and millions of taels from Huai can be transferred to the capital every year, so that the Ministry of Household Affairs can make a small turnover of funds, and the capital has a strong base, then each province can carry out the campaign one by one.
When the Empress Dowager Cixi heard the memorial, she could not sleep at night. She asked Ci'an about it but could not decide. She then summoned the political king Yi Xin to discuss the matter.
Yixin said: "I think that Duolong Abe does not need to go to Jinling to aid." Emperor Daxing said that those who conquer Jinling can be crowned kings; after Wu Sangui rebelled against the bandits, the Han people would never have a king again; it would not be a good thing for Zeng Guofan to conquer Jinling. In the battle of Anqing, Duolong'a's efforts to stop Chen Yucheng's rebel bandit should be the first to take credit; by some mistake, the Zeng brothers gained the victory; Duolong'a must have complained and did not try his best even if he was ordered to come to help. The Guangdong bandit Chen Decai's troops entered Shaanxi, causing chaos in Shaanxi. The governor of Shaanxi, Ying Ji, was unable to control it, so he was in urgent need of capable officers to supervise the troops entering Shaanxi.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: What Mr. Liu said makes sense, and Aijia also means the same thing. That is, he ordered Jingzhou General Duolong'a to supervise and lead the headquarters from Yingshan to Macheng, via Wuchang, and then to Shaanxi along Xiangyang.
Empress Dowager Ci'an said: With all this trouble, it is difficult to reach March; why not go from Lu to Henan, and from Henan to Shaanxi.
The Empress Dowager Cixi said: The Senggelingqin tribe, after the Bali River battle, is brave and waiting for recovery; Shengbao only wants to appease, not to suppress the rebellion; among the eight banners' strong generals, Duolong'amou is brave and versatile, and his military strategy is refined, and many of them have been folded into Wuchang. There are three purposes. First, during the renovation period, we can enter Shaanxi from Xiangyang to quell the chaos; second, if the Zeng Guoquan and Hunan tribes are defeated, many of them will immediately turn back and enter the Soviet Union. Thousands of people, strangulating the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, are really a big danger. Victory Bao will take charge of the Fu, and Zeng Guofan and Li Xuyi will take the lead in suppressing them. If the Fu fails, armies will rise. Many troops will be stationed in Hubei and they can enter the Huaihe River at any time.
Yi Xin said: This Miao Peilin is indeed a grass on the wall, capricious. First for Nian, then for Shengbao and Zhao; before the emperor visited Tian, his servant falsely claimed to be the king, which was enough to punish nine of his tribes; and the Cantonese bandits surrounded Anqing, and in the name of being good at killing, they joined forces with the Cantonese bandits to besiege Shouzhou; Next, the Yue bandits and Nian bandits reunited and besieged Yingzhou. Yingzhou was unable to win, but the victory was guaranteed and the soldiers were begging for mercy. Such people must be eradicated.
The Empress Dowager Cixi laughed and said: Such a person actually tricked Chen Ni into entering the urn to eliminate a huge problem for me. For his meritorious service, he will be rewarded with a small reward. His crime will be temporarily pardoned and he will be given the title of Minister. He will only practice bravery around Fengtai. , roam around to fight against bandits, and trespass the territory without authorization, and will be severely punished.
Empress Dowager Ci'an said: Duolong Abe entered Shaanxi, and Zeng Guo's Quanxiang tribe fought alone. This Jinling Hong Ni is actually the leader of thieves.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: Li Hongzhang entered Shanghai and Zuo Zongtang entered Zhejiang, both of them were the arms of Zeng's tribe. Bao Chaoting's tribe must move their camps and advance, and quickly break out of the strong city. As soon as Ning County is recovered, they can advance from Guangde to Gaochun and Lishui, and join the army. They carried out raids and worked with Jinling's land and water armies to dig holes and seize canals.
