Chapter 171: Li Hongzhang’s extermination (1)
After the battle at Liushen Port, Lai Wenguang and Ren Zhu traveled thousands of miles to return to Zhongxiang Jiukou Town, hoping to cross the Han River into Sichuan. However, they failed repeatedly, so they headed north to Zaoyang and then entered Henan.
Li Hongzhang was stationed at Jiezhoukou. When he heard the news, he was furious and scolded Bao Chao for stationing in Xiangyang for not doing anything to intercept the enemy, causing the thieves to overflow again.
Pan Dingxin said: Reporting to Li Shuai, Bao Chunting was stabbed in the chest by a spear and stayed in Xiangyang to recover. Ting's army is now led by Song Guoyong.
Li Hongzhang said: The Ting Army Chrysostom mutinied a year ago, and the Song Dynasty was still unable to control it. Bao Chao had no plans and no knowledge of people, so I immediately sent a letter to Di Gong, asking him to transfer Lou Yunqingnan, the commander-in-chief of Zhengding Town, Zhili, to take over Tongting's army. From Baoding to Xiangyang, it is two thousand miles away, and Lou is coming soon, but it is too late to help. . Brother Qinxuan quickly joined Wu Yi's army and Song Qingyi's army to pursue and intercept them, and then entered Hubei. They joined the Ming, Sheng and Xun armies to encircle and suppress them.
Pan Dingxin said: Zuo Kejing's army of more than 10,000 people has already crossed the Yangtze River and is heading north. It can also be used as a support force.
Li Hongzhang said: "Sichen, I am so poor!" Qinxuan, don’t think so!
Zeng Guofan received Li Hongzhang's letter and quickly wrote back: Song Guoyong was cautious by nature and tended to be kind and gentle. In view of the changes in Chrysostom in the past, he did not dare to take over the throne after repeatedly asking for votes. Lou Yunqing was very strict in commanding the army, and the generals of the Ting army had long been afraid of Lou's strictness, and the public prosecutors were unwilling to serve under him. Yuanfu's old illness relapsed, and he was deeply worried. It is difficult to decide who will lead the fierce Ting army.
When Lai Wenguang and Ren Zhufu entered Nanyang, their foothold was not yet stable. Qing troops from all walks of life swarmed in. Lai and Ren left immediately after the battle. They quickly followed the way they came and returned to Jiukou to look for boats and rafts.
After Liu Mingchuan and Yang Dingxun heard the news, they joined forces and came out fiercely.
King Renzhu of Lu said: "We must fight to the death to get rid of Liu Yao, and then we can force the crossing; I will protect the army from crossing the river after cutting off the rear."
Wei King Li Yuntai, First King Fan Ruzeng, and Jing King Niu Hongsheng all said: There are pursuers behind, interceptors in front, and water monsters in the middle. If the army cannot swim across the river, it will be surrounded by the monster army.
Lai Wenguang said: If you fail to cross the river five times, the demon will understand the meaning of entering the river; once you fail to swim across the river, you will definitely be controlled by the demon. The monsters gather in Henan and Hubei, and the land of Lu will be empty. I will send the army back to the north of Gan, forcefully cross the canal, and enter the three states of Jiaodong, recruiting troops and horses, and raising food and funds.
Ren Zhudao: "What Zundian said is very true. To the east of Shandong, the three prefectures of Qingzhou, Laizhou and Dengzhou have not been invaded for a long time. The families have enough food, everyone has plenty of food, and every household has a cover and storage, which is enough for me." also.
After the kings discussed it, they gathered the whole army and pretended to attack Jingshan. They suddenly turned back to Zhongxiang, went north to Zaoyang, and drove straight in. In one month, they advanced to Shandong, crossed the canal at the border of Caozhou, entered Dongping, attacked Tai'an in the east, and marched north to Jinan. , with a false shot, he went straight to Jiaodong.
Li Hongzhang was caught off guard and angrily rebuked Ding Baozhen, the governor of Shandong, for neglecting transportation and defense, which caused the bandits to spread eastward. He urgently asked Liu Bingzhang's troops to rush to Jining to arrange transportation and defense. He also ordered all the troops to go to Shandong for encirclement and suppression. The imperial envoy also moved to Jining when he camped.
In early June 1867, Li Hongzhang and a group of private soldiers left Zhoukou. It was early summer, and the Huanghuai region was experiencing a drought unprecedented in decades; rice seeds could not be soaked, and all wheat dried to death. Hongzhang got off the sedan chair in the wind, looked at the loss of life, sighed at the growing chaos, and burst into tears.
All the guests advised: Don't be sad, sir. Jiaodong is bordered by the sea on three sides, and the bandits Lai and Ren are at the end of their rope and will be destroyed soon.
Li Hongzhang said: "It has nothing to do with banditry. The teacher wrote a letter saying that 20% of the foreign tax was granted by decree. This year's payment will be settled." This makes me cry with joy. The teacher also said that the situation is getting worse day by day, so we should join hands to resist the thieves, and do not impeach at every turn, which will lead to the collapse of the border wall. I tell you quickly that if Ding Baozhen is impeached, he must recover it.
In half a month, Hongzhang and his party arrived in Jining, Shandong Province; within ten months, the armies of Ming, Ding, Sheng, and Wuyi, as well as various tribes from Henan and Anhui, arrived one after another. Anhui Governor Yinghan heard the news and rushed there.
Li Hongzhang said: This time the bandits broke through Zaoyang and advanced northward, but Bao Chaoting's army failed to intercept them. I have consulted with Commander Di, and Tang Renlian's troops will be merged with Jianghuai, and Ting's troops will be dispatched immediately. The three prefectures of Jiaodong are bordered by the sea on three sides and block the river on one side. I will unite the armies of each province and besiege them on three and four sides.
Liu Ming preached: Li Shuai was informed that the canal can be used as the outer line, and the river defense can be defended backwards; the Jiao Lai River can be used as the inner circle, and heavy troops should be deployed to defend in sections; the north and south defenses of Liutang River and Yellow River should be handed over to the two governors of Zhili and Canyun to assist in defense. . They used guerrilla troops again to stalk and stir up the fighting.
Li Hongzhang said: This is also a river circle. Di Shuai was the first to create it, so I might as well explain it in detail.
Liu Ming preached: Report to Li Shuai, the horse is fast and can only be stopped by the river. At the end of the day, the general thought that our troops were limited and the territory was so vast that it was difficult to control them. We were galloping all year round and several provinces were under martial law. It was better to abandon a corner to lure them. All the twists and turns were to the east of the Jiao Lai River. We could squeeze into the corners of Deng and Lai Hai and hold them captive. The advantage of the land prevents their wandering cavalry from running around, and they gather together to annihilate their ears! The thieves overflowed, but they escaped to the west of the Jiaolai River, and then re-entered the intertwining of the four rivers. By then, all the pursuing and encircling troops from all provinces would arrive, and they would surely be able to destroy this remnant.
Li Hongzhang said: To suppress the bandits, we changed the power of the monk king to pursue and suppress them. We set up four towns to organize six groups, four towns to contain them, six groups to advance separately, and weaving continuously. Not long after, walls and fortifications were built along the river embankments, and everyone who heard about it laughed at it for being pedantic; I also have the Great Wall of thousands of miles in ancient times, and the wall of thousands of miles today, but the words of Qin Shihuang cannot be shaken. Now that I think about it, I feel very sad; without him, I would be following the old path of Dishuai!
Pan Dingxin said: Report to Li Shuai, Lai Ni is a good strategist. Every time he fights, he may use the old and the weak to seduce me, and the officers and soldiers will rush forward greedy for merit, so they are ambushed; or they may challenge with a small team, and others may use Renzhu's rebels and elite cavalry to bypass the rear. A sudden attack; once the general attack was carried out, they were all coordinated by horse and foot, with an overwhelming force and a mighty charge; in the past few years, they repeatedly harmed our elite soldiers and generals.
Li Hongzhang said: From now on, when all the armies are pursuing, they must search. First, they must search the horses, every village, and every forest, so as to prevent the thieves from ambushing them. When the armies engage in battle, each battalion must form a regimental formation and march in a regimented formation. It also follows the pattern of multiple formations, and it also relies on resistance from all sides without leakage. In each battle, among the ten battalions, only two or three battalions will fight, and the remaining seven or eight battalions will probably be used to prevent outflanking. If the thirty battalions are used, eight or nine battalions will fight, and the rest will be used as support to prevent outflanking by thieves and horses. If you win one or two battles, you cannot pursue them, lest they be lured into an ambush and suffer heavy losses.
Yinghan, the governor of Anhui, said: Mr. Li is meticulous in everything, and I admire him the most. Rumor has it among the thieves that Lai Ni is good at planning, and Ren Ni is good at fighting; Ren Zhu is a rebel bandit, and is particularly fierce. He leads a cavalry that is invincible, and repeatedly destroys our elite soldiers. A good general; if Ren Zhu is not dead, it is difficult to know the will of heaven, and he will never be able to catch up.
Li Hongzhang said: Ren Zhu has been in power for ten years and has thousands of horses. He has exhausted all the horsemen from the three eastern provinces and Mongolia in one battle, making him the first-class cavalry general today. This man is brave and good at fighting. He is Xiang Yu's concubine and a weirdo among people. We are unfortunate enough to encounter this man. My idea is that each army should place spies everywhere to recruit traitors and threaten the rebels, so that they can cause internal strife and massacre. If you can kill one of them, it will not be a pity even if you spend tens of thousands of gold.
Liu Ming preached: Report to Li Shuai, it should not be delayed. Our troops will swim across the river to pursue and suppress them. .
Li Hongzhang said: The thieves rushed to Jiaodong in reverse, plundering a lot of money, and their momentum was strong. The pursuit at this time caused many injuries. Please pass on my order quickly, and all armies will not pursue and suppress you for the time being. The four armies of Zhou Shengbo, Liu Bingzhang, Yang Dingxun, and Li Zhaoqing, together with Zhang Yao of the Henan Army, Huang Bingjun, and Cheng Wenbing of the Anhui Army, rushed to the canal and garrisoned briefly to defend the transportation. The total length of the Jiao Lai River is more than 260 miles. There are 46 battalions of Liu Mingchuan, Pan Dingxin, Dong Fenggao and Shen Hongfu, plus the 31st battalion of Ding Baozhen's Lu army. Each battalion has a defense area of three miles and should be fortified in sections quickly. The county officials of Lu Difu effectively contacted the local gentry, organized and trained the villagers, cleared the countryside, inspected the villages, and strengthened the walls to clear the fields to cut off the resources of the thieves; given time, the thieves were hungry and hungry, and they could be surrounded and annihilated again.
Yinghan said: Mr. Li coordinated the overall situation, and the Anhui army was the icing on the cake. I immediately ordered Huang Bingjun's troops to march into Suqian, Zhang Desheng's troops to guard Mao'erwo Beach in Pizhou, Yu Chengxian's navy entered the canal from Honghu Lake, and Cheng Wenbing's cavalry troops were cruising on standby; I immediately led Shi Nianzu in person. The troops rushed to the Jiaolai River to share the worries of the adults.
Li Hongzhang said: "Master Zhongcheng is taking the lead. Hongzhang is extremely grateful. Hongzhang prepares a little wine and has a cup of wine at noon."
When all the generals retired, Li Hongzhang said: "If Master Ding Baozhen and Master Ding are distracted by Master Zhongcheng, why should this Nian bandit be destroyed?"
Yinghan said with a smile: "The thieves have entered Qilu, Master Ding will protect the family!" We work together and vow to drive these traitors to an end. Only in this way can you sleep soundly.
Li Hongzhang also laughed and said: Kill his people, set his boat on fire, and bury his corpse. It can be said that he will kill them all!
Yinghan was stunned for a moment, then smiled again and said: Mr. Li is joking, killing someone is just a nod to the ground, and death is like a lamp going out, which is called absolute death!
Li Hongzhang said seriously: Last year, two British missionaries went upstream from Shanghai and were lost when they entered Anhui. They were two boats and more than forty people, and they were never seen again. The British consul repeatedly urged to find the person, and the emperor and the empress dowager also ordered a strict investigation. However, there is a huge sea of people, where to search?
Yinghan said: These two people may have returned to Shanghai privately. The foreigners are cunning, or they may have resumed extortion.
Li Hongzhang said: In the eleventh year of Xianfeng, since Dengzhou and Yantai were opened as ports, British and American companies have entered Shandong one after another. American missionaries were blocked from renting houses in Penglai, which led to disputes involving foreign affairs. Only by doing so can China and the United States live in harmony. The foreigners are not bandits, so they must not be killed recklessly; if you are not careful, the foreign army will be at the city in an instant.
After bidding farewell to Yinghan, Li Hongzhang was in a good mood and wrote to Zeng Guofan: The monthly salary of the former enemy's Huai army was managed by my division with 20% of the foreign tax. Hongzhang repeatedly intercepted it by the General Administration of Commerce last year. The edict was granted because of Tianjian's loyalty and his mentor's meticulous drafting. There should be no shortage of nine passes this year, but we hope to finish them early.
Zeng Guofan received the letter and told his staff Zhao Liewen: "Li Shaoquan understands human affairs very well, and his politeness is sometimes embarrassing." Just like Zuo Gong Zongtang, if he disagrees with his words or something goes wrong, he will laugh and curse. However, the shape of Zuo's big opening and closing is really true.
Zhao Liewen laughed and said: There is no other way for Li Shaoquan to suppress the enemy! But follow the old chapter of Di Shuai's painting of the river encirclement and the traveling division's advance and suppression. If Commander Di does not cut off all the Hunan troops, it is not yet known who will die.
Zeng Guofan said: Recently, people coming to the capital say that the weather in the capital is very bad. Cases of open fire fighting occur frequently, and there are swarms of beggars in the streets, and even women are naked. They have no pants to wear, and the people are afraid that they will be destitute and have all their money. Something unexpected happened, what can be done?
Zhao Liewen said: The world's public security has been unified for a long time, and it is bound to fall apart. However, the main virtue is strong and the atmosphere is not developed. If the axis is not broken, the situation will collapse. I have speculated over and over again that the disaster in the future will inevitably lead to the collapse of the state first, and the rear state will be left without a master and people will govern themselves, which will probably not last more than fifty years!
Zeng Guofan was depressed for a long time and asked, "Can I move south to avoid disaster?" Also like Zhao, Song and Eastern Jin.
Zhao Liewen said: Done directly! There is no possibility of partiality.
Zeng Guofan said: "Prince Gong is a smart man, but the Queen Mother of the West is decisive when things happen, and she may be in trouble."
Zhao Liewen said: The prince is wise and trustworthy, and he is also smart! The power of the Queen Mother of the West is more likely to be blinded by the current situation, and she will not change her situation. If she wants to take one or two measures, she should silently rely on heaven's heart, which may not be the case.
Zeng Guofan said: The kings in this dynasty are all upright, no matter what, the outcome will not be tragic.
Zhao Liewen said: The king is virtuous, but when the country is prosperous, the scholar-bureaucrats eat the king's salary and repay the king's kindness a lot. This dynasty is too easy to start a business, too heavy to kill, and too clever to conquer the world. It is difficult to know the way of heaven, good and evil do not hide each other, and the virtue of the queen is not enough to rely on.
Zeng Guofan said: Are you joking?
Zhao Liewen said: "Thank you, my mentor, although I am good at joking, why would I use this as a joke?"
Zeng Guofan sighed and said: "Listening to your words, I am worried about the fall of the ancestral temple. I look forward to death day and night."
Zhao Liewen said: "Master, don't worry about future generations. The world will be divided and reunited as long as it is united. Time flies, but in just a hundred years, our land of China will definitely have a different scene."
Zeng Guofan sighed again and said: Life is too short for a hundred years. Don't worry about the ancients or future generations, but think about the present. Whether Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang, Ding Baozhen, etc. can succeed in suppressing the war is crucial to the overall situation. We must raise funds again. To relieve time difficulties.
