Chapter 161: Zuo Zongtang’s chaos
Liu Dian looked at Zongtang's essays and said: "I am reporting to Commander-in-Chief Zuo. Shouldn't we annihilate the two thieves Shi and Wang in Fujian?"
Zuo Zongtang said: No! The combined force of the two thieves is so powerful that it is difficult to digest the jujubes swallowed whole. They must drive them into Guangdong, then gather the whole army to kill the rebels.
Liu Diandao: Is Guo Yunxian angry about driving thieves into Guangdong?
Zuo Zongtang said: "Guo Yunxian is my best friend, and the Zuo and Guo families are also married. It can be said to be even better." However, Guo Yunxian wanted to seize control of the frontier and fought for months in central Fujian. Our army tried its best, but Guo Yunxian did not send the main force to suppress the enemy. As a result, the thieves fled and the good situation was lost.
Liu Diandao said: Guo Yunxian was appointed as acting governor, and all military information was delayed by Ruilin, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.
Zuo Zongtang said: In the past, Hu Runzhi also served as governor in Hubei. In the official system of the Qing Dynasty, governors and governors stood side by side to supervise each other; Guo Yunxian's corpse was not worth eating. If two brothers, Ke'an and Xiangquan, were appointed governors of Guangdong, the two chiefs, Shi and Wang, would have been killed long ago.
Liu Dian said: "Commander Zuo commends me, Ke'an feels ashamed; Ke'an has something to say, but I don't know whether I should talk about it or not?"
Zuo Zongtang said: But there is no harm in talking.
Liu Diandao: After the false young king was defeated, Zuo Shuai had already offended Shuai Shu; now Guo Yunxian was impeached, and the people in Hunan all said that Zuo Shuai was unkind.
Zuo Zongtang said: Soldiers are the key to survival in a land of life and death. If we fail to attack and suppress them, we may kill them for Shi and Wang. To benefit the country, no matter how close or distant you are. After passing on my military order, the Qi Department of Kang State quickly left Longyan; they attacked the Wang Department from Fuxi and drove them into Guangdong. Wang Kailin's troops quickly went to the border of Guangdong and Fujian to set up defenses, and joined Fang Zhaoxuan's army to stop the thieves from going south. Brother Ke'an led the main force and defended Shizhong Village in the southern border of Longyan. He firmly held Wang Ni and fled to Zhangzhou, and merged with Shi Ni. The remaining troops, including Gao Liansheng, Huang Shaochun, Wang Debang, Liu Mingzhen, Guo Songlin, Yang Dingxun, Liu Qingliang, etc., advanced one by one, encircled Zhangzhou and completely annihilated Li Shixian's army.
After receiving the order, Kang Guoqi immediately came out of Longyan, attacked Maoshe's back road from a small road, and defeated it with one blow.
Seeing this, Wang Haiyang rushed to Kuiyang, Meilin and Changxiao in the upper, middle and lower areas to dig strongholds to block the Chu army. He only left one road from Nanjing to Zhangzhou to communicate with the king. contacts.
On April 22, Governor Liu Dian arrived with the main force and ordered Taoist Zhang Hengxiang and deputy general Zhang Fuzhai to attack Kuiyang from the left; Kang Guoqi attacked Kuzhu and copied the Taiping army's rear route.
Zhang Hengxiang attacked from the front, and Zhang Fuzhai's surprise troops made a surprise attack and drove down Kuiyang's back. The Taiping army was defeated, and Wang Haiyang urgently ordered Kuiyang to rush for reinforcements. Liu Dian received the news and personally led the main force to encircle them. The Taiping army was defeated and both the lower and middle Kuiyang were lost. Wang Haiyang counterattacked from Shangkuiyang, Meilin, and Changxiao. They fought fiercely for a day, each suffered casualties, and the stalemate continued.
In the evening, Wang Kailin drove his troops to Kuzhu, joined the Kangguoqi Department, and attacked from both front and rear. The Taiping army held back the base and resisted. The marbles hit Wang Kailin's horse. The Chu army was frightened and their offensive suddenly slowed down.
After hearing the news, Wang Haiyang personally led two lines of reinforcements to attack Wang Kailin's army in two lines, killing and wounding more than 200 Chu troops. After Wang Kailin and Kang Guoqi suffered such a disastrous defeat, they no longer dared to attack by force.
In the spare time of the war, Wang Haiyang urgently summoned Wang Zong Wang Dali, Tianjiang Hu Yongxiang, Kai Wang Tan Tiyuan, Feng Wang Huang Penghou, You Wang Li Yuanji, etc. to discuss the way out.
Wang Haiyang said: "Li Dianyao'er, the offensive is very urgent. If we don't find a way out, we will definitely be defeated."
Heavenly General Hu Yongxiang said: In the direction of Zhangzhou, the demon army is gathering, making it difficult to attack; the rendezvous with the King Shi is far away. In the Bitter Bamboo Land, the demon army is thin and seems capable of a surprise attack.
Wang Haiyang said: "The demon on the left is vicious. This is to cut off the connection between me and my servants and drive me into Guangdong Er!" No matter what, we quickly attack and advance from Kuzhu, march to Tai Po, and cross the river into Guangdong.
King Tan Tiyuan said: "I have informed His Highness King Kang that I have made a temporary decision and will report it to the King of Attendants as soon as possible so that we can attack together."
Wang Haiyang said: "What's the difficulty? It's more than a hundred miles from Kuiyang to Zhangzhou. Elite soldiers will ride quickly and they will arrive in half a day. The demon army is blocking the way. Send a few more people to report to the king."
Wang Dali said: The military situation is extremely urgent, when will we break out of the encirclement?
Wang Haiyang said: Counterattack, the offensive is fierce, and the retreat is easy. Immediately pass on my order, Kuzhu and Daxi must hold fast, while the rest of the troops will rest for ten days and besiege Dapu.
Li Shixian was guarding Zhangzhou alone and was unable to support him. Hearing that Wang Haiyang attacked Dapu, Li Shixian did not neglect it. He immediately ordered all his troops to organize their troops and weapons in preparation for abandoning the city. He also sent an army to attack Changle and Chixi and advance to Dabu. , thinking that should be done beforehand.
Li Dian's army fought fiercely for half a month and defeated Wang Haiyang's front. Zuo Zongtang was overjoyed and said: "Li Ni Shixian was repeatedly defeated by the army and his army was running low. He planned to use the Zhangbei road to bypass Anxi and invade Anxi." The officers and soldiers retreated, but their plan failed; they also tried to collude with the Tong'an bandits to cause internal strife, but they were put down again. Li Ni's cunning plan was useless. When Wang Yi was defeated from Kuiyang and fled to Meilin, Li Nifu made another move. Each counterattack gathers in a corner, and it is difficult for them to maintain their position for a long time. They will still think of scurrying between vehicles as a way to survive.
The situation on the two southeastern routes in Zhangzhou has gradually stabilized. The strength of the northeastern route is slightly weaker, but I have made up for it recently. At the border between Fujian and Guangdong, along the West Road and Southwest Road, the distant defense divisions include Wang Kailin's new and old Zhejiang battalions with more than 7,000 troops stationed in Yongding; Fang Zhaoxuan's more than 5,000 troops stationed in Raoping and Dabu. The troops for close-in suppression must wait until the borders of Longyan and Yongding are cleared and Nanjing is conquered before they can move their troops forward and gradually close the long siege.
It is my wish that the Soviet troops of Guo Songlin and Yang Dingxun attack Zhangpu from Zhangzhou. From there, they can advance to Yunxiao and Zhao'an, contact the defenders of Huanggang in eastern Guangdong, and thwart their plan to enter the sea. My Zhejiang army is divided into Nanjing and Zhangzhou to pursue the thieves in order to achieve peace. It can contact the Raoping garrison in eastern Guangdong. It is closely connected to the Dapu area in eastern Guangdong, and was intercepted by General Wang Kailin, Yanjian Shao Daokang Guoqi, and Dusiguan Town Bangjie Yongding in the Fuxi, Hulei, and Shanghang areas.
The armies of Wang Haiyang and Li Shixian advanced towards Tai Po and gradually approached Guangdong. Ruilin, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, was frightened and reported quickly: Wang's rebel army has gathered at Guiyang, Kuzhu and other places in Dapu. The only way for the thieves to go is Guangdong. Tens of thousands of Zhangzhou rebel bandits fled to Pinghe and Couxi areas, and also reached Shang and Xiaping. They are bound to plan to circle Ping, Dabu and other counties, and gradually reach the hinterland of Guangdong. According to statistics, the Guangdong border troops have a total of more than 30,000 people, spanning hundreds of miles, setting up defenses everywhere, and the number of troops is almost impossible to support.
Guo Songtao, the governor of Guangdong, watched Zuo Zongtang's military use and said angrily: Zuo Zongtang's achievements today originated from me. Now he is controlling a hundred thousand people. Instead of completely annihilating the rebel bandits in Fujian, he is determined to drive the thieves into Guangdong. Why? thought? Impeachment must be reported immediately.
Empress Dowager Cixi took up the report and told Zuo Zongtang: The rebel army must turn in from the south road, and the Cantonese army is not strong enough to spread out. Zuo Chen Zongtang must allocate a strong force to go around the west road, and join the Cantonese army to intercept it head-on, preventing them from escaping. .
Zongtang received the order, remained unmoved, and quickly ordered all the armies. If Wang Haiyang's rebel army did not cross the river, they must attack to death. If they crossed the river, they could not be blocked by force. Except for Liu Dian's group, which was slightly restrained, the other armies advanced separately. Attack together and annihilate Li Shixian's army east of Tingjiang River.
