Chapter 139 Li Xiucheng besieged Yuhuatai (1)
The Empress Dowager Cixi was very pleased with the acquisition of Pudong and the acquisition of Qingpu. She said to the Empress Dowager Ci'an: "This Hanlin editor Li Hongzhang is really a talented person."
Empress Dowager Ci'an said: Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang, etc. can rely on the southeast half. After the Cantonese bandits fled from Henan and entered Shaanxi, there was great chaos in the northwest. The number of dead in Shaanxi reached four to five million. The victorious soldiers joined the Shaanxi governor's army, but they seemed unable to control them.
The Empress Dowager Cixi said: After Chief Xin, victory ensured arrogance, but during the sparse memorial, he actually regarded himself as a minister, and this servant refused to obey. The two Fu ministers in Shaanxi and Shanxi all said that Shengbao was domineering and used "Zha" to shout out official documents. If things go on like this, Nian Gengyao will be the second best.
Empress Dowager Ci'an said: In recent years, Shengbao and our sixth child have become very familiar.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: "Summon the political king and all the military aircraft quickly to discuss the matter together."
In less than half an hour, Yixin, Wenxiang, Cao Yuying and others all arrived.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: Shaanxi's Fu minister Ying Qi came to Shu, Guangdong invaded Shaanxi, and Shaanxi was in chaos, with more than 400,000 dead. When Shengbao entered Shaanxi, he was unable to suppress the bandits, but he said that if he wanted to make him focus on the northwest, he would have to have a lack of territory to gather troops.
Cao Yuying said: It is extremely hateful for the ministers of Shengbao and Qin to not only suppress bandits but to plot against the territory again.
Yi Xin said: He who won the victory, is arrogant about taking credit, talks nonsense, and hesitates before the battle, must be severely reprimanded! However, after ten years of suppressing bandits, he had neither merit nor hard work. The Shaanxi bandits are raging in the front, and Shengbao enters Shaanxi from behind. The consequences of the turmoil in Shaanxi do not need to be borne by Shengbao alone. General Duolong Abe of Jingzhou should fly into Shaanxi and join hands with Shengbu to wipe out the rebel bandits. After the Shaanxi Rebellion is determined, we will discuss the fault of Shengbao.
The Empress Dowager Cixi said: "Immediately pass the order, Duolong Abe, immediately enter Shaanxi, divide and suppress Weinan and protect the provincial capital; Shengbao specializes in suppressing Weibei, and the two departments go hand in hand to kill the rebel bandits." Li Qing followed Yi and Ding You returned to Hunan, and Yuan Qing's Jia San retired due to illness. The northern Anhui area, the north and south of the Yangtze River and Huaihe River were thousands of miles away, and there were no capable officials to protect him. He was awarded the title of Prince Gelinqin Boduole Gatai, a hereditary title, and was awarded the Imperial Envoy Guanfang. The monks and ministers speeded the Mongolian cavalry and galloped south to survey the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers. They had men and horses from the five provinces of Zhili, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, and Anhui. The monks and ministers were all Have the right to control deployment. Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang, Shen Baozhen, etc. must do their best to wipe out the Jinling rebels.
Zeng Guofan received the order and wrote to Zeng Guoquan: Brother Yuan just met, Xueqin intercepted the thieves' message, and said that the thieves wanted to attack in three directions. One of the false servants was dedicated to Jinling, and the servants were still in the Qu and Yan areas. This letter may not be accurate. However, the theory of a large army of thieves attacking an enemy is the same everywhere. There will be a war in my hometown in September. The great chaos in Shaanxi resulted in the death of four to five million people, which was greater than the disasters in the Three Rivers and Two Lakes. From this point of view, after Duo Gong enters the customs, he must not look back to Jinling.
My brother, Bao and Zhang's armies are so seriously plagued by the plague that I have asked them to intercept the troops from Shi Qingji's third battalion entering Shaanxi. I don't know if they will let them go. My younger brother, Wei Wei, used his existing troops and concentrated on holding on, not planning to go to war. He made arrangements early, so it might be possible.
My younger brother and Ji's younger brother Guobao commanded a total of 20,000 troops. If they were responsible for encircling or attacking the city, they really couldn't do it. If they were responsible for guarding the fortress, they seemed to have no excuse. The epidemic is God's will. My brother, Bao, Zhang and all the troops in Zhutang are all sick, and many troops are returning eastward. Who can keep him from getting seriously ill? My younger brother should work hard with all the camp officials to consolidate themselves. When you are in a desperate situation, the only way to survive is to survive in death. You must not only hope for a large number of troops. This will cause the general to slack off because of asking for help, and later become discouraged due to disappointment.
If I look for another way to protect the camp, there are only two ways to remedy the situation. First, fly to Hunan quickly to recruit new soldiers to fill the gap. 2. Tiao Zhuzhuang regiment defense camp and Zhou Wanzhuo guard Wuhu together, and free up Wang Kesheng's troops as active soldiers, who can help his brother or Bao in times of crisis. However, 20,000 people cannot defend the camp. How can King Tian Kesheng be able to defend the camp? It is extremely worrying.
Zeng Guoquan received the letter and replied: It has been more than three months since I have been dredging and building a fortification. The fortification is deep and strong, and the cannons are sufficient. The thieves will besiege and fight too many times, so don't worry about it.
Tan Shaoguang and Cai Yuanlong were defeated again, and Qingpu was not captured. Li Xiucheng was unable to take care of both, and ordered Chen Bingwen, Tan Shaoguang, Cai Yuanlong and others to stick to Jiading. Xiucheng himself accompanied Gao Yongkuan, Lu Deshun and other thirteen kings, and supervised 300,000 troops, known as 600,000, and set off from Suzhou. , marched westward with great force, and arrived at Yuhuatai in early October. From Fangshan to Banqiao, they set up camp for more than 200 people.
The assistant king Yang Fuqing and the protector king Chen Kunshu also followed the established strategy to attack Ningguo and Jinzhu Pass respectively.
Li Xiucheng inspected the battle situation, and ordered the blocking king Huang Wenjin and Xiao Wang Hu Dingwen to collect warships and densely deploy them in Gucheng and Nanyi Lake. They stationed in Shuiyang and Xinhezhuang, cut off the grain route of Ningguo Baoyao, and crossed Ningguo and Jinzhu. Guan Zhi's voice is angry.
When the Taiping Army pressed the territory, Zeng Guoquan urgently consulted Bao Chao, Peng Yulin, and Yang Zaifu: Since the summer and autumn, the epidemic has spread. In each camp of Yuhuatai, the number of unsick people can only be one or two in a team, but there are countless sick people, and they have died one after another. The combat power has been reduced, and it is difficult to control the thieves. ;Brother Bao and Tingbu are even worse. At this difficult time, it is not advisable to attack the Yuhuatai and Ningguo areas again, but to defend them firmly. The two brothers Xueqin and Hou'an have been stationed in the boat for a long time and are less likely to get sick. They may cooperate with the Lu Division to fight back with all their strength and reach Jinzhu Pass. thief.
When Zeng Guofan heard about it, he was heartbroken and said anxiously: Before the battle with Ni, Ting's army and Ji's army had already died heavily of illness. Chun Ting reported that more than 6,000 people in his unit were sick and more than a thousand died, including the powerful generals Huang Qing and Wu Huahan. Yuanfu said that there were less than 10,000 people in his unit who could fight. Such a trend would collapse at the first touch.
Zhao Liewen said: Ting and Ji will fight together, retreat to Wuhu, and rely on the navy to protect themselves?
Zeng Guofan said: "Absolutely not. If there is any slight disturbance, the army will retreat and collapse." As long as the existing troops are used to hold on and not fight, it may still be possible.
Zhao Liewen said: "How about Jinzhu Pass, the strategy of the nine commanders' siege by land and water?"
Zeng Guofan said: Yang Zaifu's Waijiang Navy, Peng Yulin's Neihu Navy, Jin Zhuguan, Zhu Nangui, and Luo Fengyuan's land divisions can win the battle if they attack together!
On October 6, 1862, King Protector Chen Kunshu led 40,000 troops and first attacked Jinzhu Pass.
Supervisor Peng Yulin led various land and water divisions to engage in five battles, trying to stifle Chen Kunshu's offensive.
On October 11, Du Wang Huang Wenjin and Xiao Wang Hu Dingwen gathered more than 300 boats, carried them across the East Dam, and densely covered Gucheng and Nanyi Lake.
Peng Yulin was unafraid and personally led the Neihu navy to attack.
Seeing an opportunity, Chen Kunshu ordered his army to move westward and attack from behind.
Peng Yulin was fighting on both sides and was gradually losing his support. He urgently consulted Yang Zaifu: Every time the thieves left the team, the flags were all over the ground, bright for ten or twenty miles, but our army could defend but not fight. It would not be a pity for the thieves to die. Second, I am afraid that if the stalemate lasts for a long time, our army's elite will be reduced day by day, and we are in urgent need of support from our brothers. If we fight fiercely and win several times, we will defeat the counterattack, and we can expect it to retreat.
When Yang Zaifu heard the news, he did not dare to neglect, and personally led the fifth battalion of navy to join the battle group at the Great Victory Pass.
The two armies fought fiercely, with neither victory nor defeat, and they dispersed at nightfall.
Zeng Guoquan was also afraid that the grain road would be blocked, so he told Peng Yulin and others: The success or failure of Jinzhu Pass is of paramount importance and has a huge bearing on the overall situation. We hope to persevere in guarding these bases to protect the overall situation of the south bank.
