Chapter 165 Zeng Guofan painted a river circle (6)
Pan Dingxin, commander of Shandong's Nisi and Ding armies, took over Zeng Guofan's military orders and led the 12th battalion of Huaiyong, who moved from Tianjin to Jining and joined Li Zhaoqing and Wu Yi's army to fight against Zhang Zongyu's Nian army. Pan's and Li's armies joined forces to assist Yun, but their formation was not strict and they were defeated immediately after the battle.
Not long after, brothers Zhou Shengbo and Zhou Shengchuan led the Sheng army in pursuit.
Pan Dingxin said: The thief general Ren Zhu is as brave as Xiang Yu. Last year, it was rumored that my brother stood firm and could not move. After he sent out surprise troops to capture the thief, the thief initially retreated and then fled. It is widely said that my brother is brave and resourceful, and Dingxin feels inferior to him.
Li Zhaoqing also attached.
Zhou Shengbo said: "Brother Pan is new here and is not familiar with the tactics of bandits. Given time, he will definitely be invincible." Commander Di spoke highly of Brother Zhaoqing, who is both courageous and intelligent, capable of taking on big responsibilities, and has both civil and military talents. I see that Brother Zhaoqing is strict and thoughtful in the army, fights in accordance with the law, shares the joys and sorrows with the soldiers, and has won the hearts of the soldiers. Better than blue.
Li Zhaoqing said: "The Yi army has just been established, and there are many things waiting to be done. Brother Zhou has won the prize. Yuncheng has been in emergency many times. The first rescue can't be done, but can the second rescue be done?"
Zhou Sheng preached: The thieves have besieged Yuncheng and lured me to attack. They are actually besieging the city to provide reinforcements. The two bandits Lai and Ren have arrived. The thieves are huge and our troops are few. We will rest and wait for the time being. Liu Shengsan and Liu Songshan's troops have arrived. Have a decisive battle.
In early May 1866, Liu Mingchuan led the Ming army into Shandong, namely the Heding, Sheng and Yi armies, and fought with Lai Wenguang, Zhang Zongyu and Zhuni in Juye and Heze.
The Huai army had fast guns and powerful artillery, but the Nian army was unable to defeat them. They divided into two branches and dispersed.
Lai Wenguang and Ren Zhuxi entered Henan. Pan Dingxin led Ding's army to pursue and suppress them. Henan governor Li Henian also ordered Song Qing to lead Yijun, Zhang Yao to lead Songwu army, and Shanqing to lead cavalry to jointly intercept them. Lai Wenguang and others galloped around the Henan border, fighting and walking, waiting for opportunities.
Zhang Zongyu, together with Young Wo King Zhang Yujue, Jing King Niu Luohong and others, went south to Fengxian County and Dangshan Mountain in Jiangsu Province, and were attacked by Liu Mingchuan, Li Zhaoqing and Liu Songshan. Zhang Zongyu was defeated and returned to southern Shandong.
The Nian army overflowed again, and Zeng Guofan did not dare to neglect, and rushed from Xuzhou to Jining to coordinate the overall situation. Upon hearing this, Yan Jingming, the governor of Shandong, and Ding Baozhen, the chief secretary of Shandong, paid a visit to Zeng Guofan.
After not seeing each other for five years, Yan Jingming was not polite and said straightforwardly: Zhu Nian is immortal, Lu, Su, He, Anhui, and Hubei provinces have frequent changes, and the commander-in-chief has repeatedly dismissed Hunan and Yong. Is this like that? The sudden execution of the brave Ding Yi Qi Rongxin, why don't the commander-in-chief send all the brave soldiers from Hunan to kill this remnant?
Zeng Guofan was displeased and said: To destroy this remnant, Li Shaoquan's Huaiyong is enough!
Yan Jingming said: The ability of soldiers depends on the generals; the talents of the generals are also promoted. Li Hongzhang's Jianghuai general Bian can be used as a general, but he can get a lot of strength? Jin Guochen, Cheng Daji, Xiao Sifu, Liu Lianjie, Zhu Nangui, Wu Weishou, Xiao Qingyan, etc. are all strong generals. The commander-in-chief uses three or four of them, and who is not sharpening his sword?
Zeng Guofan said: The troops I have dismissed are all flamboyant; Zeng Guoquan has dispatched Peng Yuju to recruit Hunan brave men to aid Hubei, Bao Chaoting's army is driving north day and night, Guo Songlin's Songzi Battalion has arrived in northern Hubei, and Wu Changqing , Liu Bingzhang and Kuang Wenbang also arrived in Suqian. The troops are more valuable than the elite. If the three tribes of Bao, Peng, and Guo join forces with the Huai tribes, how can this mere remnant be destroyed?
Yan Jingming sighed and said: I am a northerner, and I am ashamed not to know the soldiers, which delays the military opportunity. After being in the army for a long time, I see the success and failure of the armies, and I must find out the reasons for it. I know well that I don't ask for generals but ask for soldiers, whether I have soldiers or not. . Lord Ding Baozhen knows the troops, and within a month I will go up to the army and let the wise men go.
Zeng Guofan said to Ding Baozhen: "Master Fantai used 500 taels of silver to dismiss 4,000 brave soldiers. Zeng admired him very much."
Ding Baozhen paid homage to the vassal state and said: "The trick of deceiving people is not worth mentioning. Zhang Zongyu made the bandits return to Lunan. Our troops are willing to be the vanguard, kill the enemy in front of the formation, and share the worries for the commander-in-chief."
Zeng Guofan said: The tribes in Hunan and Huai are all pursuing and suppressing troops. The feudal lords and Zhongcheng masters must guard the Yellow River and the canal to block the thieves' northward and eastward advance.
Yan Jingming said: "We are all in the national interest, and we are acquaintances. Commander, please do not call me sir again." Forgive me for being blunt, Huang and Yun are both thousands of miles long embankment. We do not have enough troops, so we will inevitably focus on one and miss the other. I ask Commander-in-Chief to think twice about river defense strategies.
Zeng Guofan said: "The bandits have more than ten thousand soldiers. When the wind blows, they immediately understand. The second brother relies on the river defense and delays a little to pursue and suppress the army."
Yan Jingming said: "Do your best in human affairs and obey the destiny, and follow the commander-in-chief's will. We will go to plan the fate and defense of Huang."
Zeng Guofan thought over and over again and said: Our horses are short of steps and have many steps, so it is difficult to control the twisting and galloping. I bet that the thieves will not cross the Yellow River. I have two brothers to help me quickly build a high wall along the canal and set up a wooden shed on the sand to protect the transportation. It is a perfect area in the east. The defense here is beyond my control. The Huang Defense and the River Defense are uneven, and it has nothing to do with the two brothers.
In early June 1866, Zhang Zongyu, Zhang Yujue, Niu Hongsheng and others besieged Caoxian County, but were jointly controlled by Liu Songshan and Li Zhaoqing. Zhang Zongyu and others returned to Feng County, Beibei, and headed east to Suqian, where they fought for two days with Liu Bingzhang, Wu Changqing, Kuang Wenbang and others, and were defeated again. Then he went west from Suining and met up with Lai Wenguang Renzhu in Xuzhou.
Zhang and Lai discussed with each other for a long time, but the day was divided again. Lai Wenguang and Ren Zhu returned to Henan and wandered for half a month. They were defeated by Pan Dingxin again. Lai and Ren had no choice but to forcefully cross the Jialu River and rest and wait.
Zhang Zongyu led his troops south to Dangshan and fought two battles with Song Qing and Ma Dezhao, but both were defeated. Zhang Zongyu did not dare to fight again, so he also fled into Henan. At the end of the month, he forcibly crossed the Shahe River and entered Shangcai. He sent troops to search and found out that Lai Wenguang was there. , Renzhu's two troops have entered Xiangcheng, Xuchang.
Henan Governor Li Henian heard this and urgently ordered Song Qing, the commander-in-chief of Nanyang Town, and Ma Dezhao, the Admiral of Guyuan, to jointly suppress the attack. Song and Ma were ordered to set up an ambush in Shao Town, Shangcai, and killed more than a thousand Nian cavalry. In early July, they fought again on Shangcai Honghe, and killed less than a hundred people under the white flag Nian Cheng Si Lao. Song and Ma also suffered heavy casualties.
