Chapter 142 Li Hongzhang leaves the old and embraces the new (1)
The loyal king Li Xiucheng returned to Suzhou in mid-January 1863 in the name of raising food supplies. As soon as he entered the city, he summoned Tan Shaoguang, Chen Bingwen, Cai Yuanlong and others to discuss offensive and defensive matters around Suzhou.
Li Xiucheng said: The King of Heaven ordered me to cross the river and attack Anhui to break the siege of Tianjing. I will help you with the war in Sufu Province.
Tan Shaoguang, the king of admiration, said: Li Hongzhang's demon army is a Hunan demon army, equipped with foreign guns and cannons, it is really difficult to defeat them.
Li Xiucheng said: After I leave, all departments in Changshu, Taicang, Kunshan and Suzhou must use defense as an offense and must not go out lightly; when I return, they will launch a counterattack. I quickly conveyed my order to the Ai Wang Huang Chongfa, Yang Wang Ji Qingyuan, Ji Wang Huang Ai, Wu Wang Wang Youwei, Shun Wang Li Chunfa, Xiang Wang Chen Panwu, etc., and immediately organized the army and weapons, raised food and funds, and half a month later, the army headed west. Cross the river to attack Anhui.
Qian Guiren, the commander-in-chief of Tiantian Army in Changshu, saw through the current situation and decided to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. After a long period of time, he asked his fellow soldier Cheng Xueqi to send a message to Li Hongzhang, begging to express his sincere intention to surrender.
Li Hongzhang received the report and ordered Qian Guiren to take action on January 19. Unexpectedly, before things happened, the loyal king Li Xiucheng returned to Suzhou.
Qian Guiren sighed: "Last year last year and now this day, great things are coming, could it be that God is against my will?"
Luo Guozhong, the general of the Ministry, said: "I'd like to report to His Highness King Bi. It all depends on people. Why not go to Suzhou in person, invite Li to inspect the defense of Shicheng, find an opportunity to kill him, and it will be over."
Qian Guiren said: This plan is very good!
Qian Guiren ordered President Luo Guozhong to defend Changshu, and he flew to Suzhou to invite Xiucheng to Chang Zhao's army.
Li Xiucheng wants to go.
Tan Shaoguang resisted and said: At this time last year, Suzhou Xiong Wanquan, Kunshan Li Wenbing and Changshu Qian Guiren conspired to rebel. Your Highness arrives at the right time and stops at the bud. This trip may be fraudulent. Your Highness Wan Wang hopes to think twice.
Li Xiucheng said: "If you don't have real evidence, you can't make assumptions. It's urgent to cross the river to attack Anhui, so it's okay for this army to ignore it."
When Qian Guiren stayed in Suzhou and refused to return, Luo Guozhong couldn't bear it anymore. He killed the Cantonese soldiers and Qian Guiren's family members and seized the Qian family's property. The next day, Fushan, an important pass along the river, was captured again.
When the job was done, Luo Guo gave Li Hongzhang a warning: We have 200,000 to 30,000 troops, and we have saved 200,000 in pay. We will surround and kill more than 500 Cantonese thieves, and the entire army has been tonsured. Please come quickly, and we will come via Changshu and Fushan.
Luo Guozhong rebelled. The loyal king Li Xiucheng was frightened and said in a hurry: Changshu and Fushan are all lost along the river. The north of Suzhou is no longer blocked. Send my order quickly. King Mu Wang Tan Shaoguang, King Ting Chen Bingwen, and Chao King Huang Zilong will attack Changshu. Hui Wang When Cai Yuanlong settled in Taicang, I took charge of the main army and followed up later. All units must do their best to put an end to the chaos and slay the monsters.
On January 20, Tan Shaoguang, Chen Bingwen and other governors with 100,000 troops marched northward to besiege Changshu and Fushan.
The Taiping army was strong, and Jiang Shenghai, the defender of Fushan, rebelled again, and Fushan was regained.
When Fushan was lost again, Li Hongzhang sighed and said: "The camp in Guangdong has been established, the generals are easy to replace, and Fushan is even more difficult to capture." From Fushan to Changshu, the bandit army camped for dozens of miles, with layers of barriers making it difficult to make any sound. Immediately pass on my order to Liu Bingzhang, the editor of the Hanlin Academy, and speed up the victorious army to join the Huang Yisheng navy, attack Fushan, and open up the common waterway. Cheng Xuequi and Li Hezhang, together with Guo Songlin's Songzi Camp and most of the Changsheng Army, quickly crossed the river along Wulitun and arrived at the foot of Taicang City to provide support from a distance. Luo Guozhong and others must not be careless in their actions, quickly consolidate the defense of Changshu and wait for reinforcements.
Cheng Xueqi said: When the loyal chieftain reaches Su, the bandit army is strong. Our army is scattered and may be defeated one by one.
Li Hongzhang said: The loyal chiefs are running east and west, and their situation is not as good as before. The thieves are in a hurry to attack Changshu. If they attack Taicang as early as possible, it will be enough to restrain the thieves. Changshu and Fushan can be saved, which will be of great benefit. If we miss this opportunity, it will be difficult to defend Taicang even if we defeat it.
Tan Shaoguang besieged the city for more than a month, but failed repeatedly.
Li Xiucheng personally came to Changshu to supervise the battle. The morale of the Taiping army was greatly boosted. They captured Yushan in one fell swoop, turned their guns and bombarded the whole city; Tan Shaoguang, Chen Bingwen and others also worked together to break through the north gate.
The city of Changshu was about to be destroyed, but edicts from the King of Heaven came one after another, asking Xiucheng when he would cross the river to attack Anhui?
Xiucheng murmured: The troops and horses are arrogant, and three months have passed in a flash; the western front of Chaohu has been in emergency many times, and we have to take care of it; if the King of England were here, why would he be so embarrassed!
Li Xiucheng's main army retreated immediately, and Tan Shaoguang failed to attack. He ordered all his troops to station themselves on the spot and besieged them for a long time.
When Li Xiucheng returned to Zaoxi, Li Hongzhang let out a sigh of relief and said: "As soon as the loyal chieftain left, Su Changkun and Taini bandits joined forces. We will cut off their branches and leaves to make a clear plan." In my opinion, Liu Mingchuan's Mingzi Camp and Pan Ding's Xindingzi Camp will rush to Liangyang Port, join Liu Bingzhang's troops, coordinate with the navy, and then attack Fushan and relieve the siege of Changshu.
Cheng Xueqi said: After Bai Qiwen and Songjiang caused trouble, the victorious army's combat effectiveness was not as good as before; Taicang city was vast and held by Hui Chief Cai Yuanlong, so it was difficult to defeat it for a while.
Li Hongzhang said: Bai Qiwen knew his crime and couldn't hide it. I immediately went to Ningbo to discuss the dismantling of the Ever Victorious Army with the British Army Admiral Sir Diverly. Since the opening of the Yangtze River to trade, China's power has been manipulated by outsiders, and there are many abuses that cannot be stopped. The ever-victorious armies of Britain, France and the United States are helping to prevent and suppress the enemy, which has been of little help in the past few days. We should quickly defeat this traitor, focus on military administration, and change the bad habits of hundreds of years of military camp. If I can strengthen myself, then the other tribe will not covet me in vain, otherwise the troubles in the future will be unimaginable.
At the end of February 1863, Li Hongzhang arrived in Ningbo and summoned the British Army Admiral Sir Diverly.
Li Hongzhang said: In November last year, I ordered Bai Qiwen to lead the ever-victorious army to support the battle in Jinling, but Bai Qiwen refused to go; in December, I ordered Bai Qiwen to attack Jiusuzhou in Jinling, but Bai Qiwen refused again. At the beginning of the establishment of the Evervictorious Army, China and Britain had agreed that all matters related to the Evervictorious Army must be handled through consultation between China and the United Kingdom. May I ask Mr. Admiral, how should Bai Qiwen deal with it?
Shidifo stood up and said: Your country's military order is like a mountain. Once this matter is found out, it will be investigated strictly.
Li Hongzhang continued: Not only did Bai Qiwen disobey military orders, on December 8 last year, Bai Qiwen beat Taoist priest Yang Fang and locked up the city to rob 40,000 treasuries. I would like to ask Mr. Admiral, where should we deal with this?
Stifford immediately said: This matter is not trivial. I must consult with Mr. He Bo before informing your country.
Li Hongzhang said: Mr. Admiral, I personally went to Ningbo to inform the ever-victorious army about Bai Qiwen's embarrassment, out of consideration for the eternal friendship between China and Britain. Bai Qiwen is a Chinese surname. He beat Taoist priests, robbed treasury money, and repeatedly disobeyed the orders of his army. In accordance with the laws of the Qing Dynasty, the Changsheng Army was immediately disbanded, and Bai Qiwen was executed!
Shidifo stood up and said: Before we clarify this matter, the army cannot be reduced and the people cannot be killed.
Li Hongzhang said: Xue Huan, the Minister of Commerce and Industry, impeached me for defaulting on my salary arrears, which led to a mutiny. My emperor may dismiss me as governor. Bai Qiwen's provocation is extremely urgent. Please make a decision as soon as possible, Mr. Admiral!
Shi Difu immediately said: If you resign, Songhu will be in chaos! The ever-victorious army will stay or go, what do you think?
Li Hongzhang said: Bai Qiwen has repeatedly disobeyed military orders and is good at robbing the treasury. He is no longer suitable to lead the Ever-victorious Army. Although the Ever-Victorious Army has five thousand people, they are all mixed up and confused, so it is better to reduce them to three thousand immediately.
Stifford stood up and said: Yes! The ever-victorious army cannot be without generals for a day, and the chief of staff of the ever-victorious army, Mr. Oren, can be the temporary commander.
Li Hongzhang said: Mr. Orun and Bai Qiwen are very familiar with each other, so there may be something wrong.
Stiffli said: Major Charles George Gordon has experienced many battles and is a model for our imperial army. Mr. Gordon will arrive next month and can command the victorious army.
Li Hongzhang said: The choice of Mr. Admiral must be a refined person, I have no objection. However, the cost of paying for the ever-victorious army is huge. From now on, we will have to send a manager to save a little on the salary needs.
Shi Difu said: Bai Qiwen is fine, the victorious army will not be dismantled, and everything can be negotiated.
