Chapter 180 Zuo Zongtang put an end to the chaos in Shaanxi and Gansu (2)
Taoist priest Zhu Xijin said: Reporting to Commander Zuo, the guerrilla Ding Taiyang Department has been found. There are 500 soldiers under it, but there are more than 140 soldiers missing. I respectfully request Commander Zuo to make a decision.
Zuo Zongtang said: Ding Taiyang tried to fraudulently sell money and food, so he should be executed according to the law.
Liu Diandao: Report to Commander Zuo that beheading generals before a battle is a taboo for soldiers. Back then, Ding Taiyang defected in front of the formation and shot Wang Haiyang, a rebel bandit, which was a great achievement.
Zuo Zongtang said: Those who have merit have been rewarded, and those who have made mistakes must be punished. They are cunning thieves and scoundrels, and they are the black sheep of the herd. Zuo discarded them like worn-out shoes.
Liu Diandao: In the third year of Xianfeng, Commander-in-Chief Zeng recruited brave soldiers. Those who were simple and rustic were preferred. Those who were oily, market-minded, and yamen-style were not accepted. In the tenth year of Xianfeng, Commander Zuo first recruited soldiers. Bian, the old general of Xiangchu, also regarded bravery and simplicity as his motto. However, after years of fighting, there were many dead and injured, and the number of hard-working soldiers was almost exhausted. After that, the only recruits were not the scoundrels of the market, but the gangsters of Ge Lao, Tiandi, Bai Lian and other members of the congregation. These people are ruthless and know profit but not righteousness. They can still form an army if they are paid enough, but if they are not, they will fight to show off their strength and openly resist. The generals had no choice but to falsely report the number of soldiers, which was actually a real shortage of food and pay. Zeng Yuanfu's city was broken by the big rope, and Bao Chunting's was as broken as Xiang Yu's. Why? Seize ill-gotten gains just to boost military morale!
Zuo Zongtang said: If the military spirit is evil, if the body's righteousness is insufficient, evil energy will take advantage of the weakness to enter, and dangerous diseases will arise and change without any reason. However, once the true energy is filled, all the problems will disappear. The same is true for evil spirits and ghosts who cannot prevail in the clear sky and white sun. Those who lead the army can only work hard to cultivate themselves and rectify themselves as the foundation of rectifying others. I will immediately go to Shu and respectfully request the Holy Judge Ding Taiyang to counterfeit money and food.
After Zongtang finished speaking, he immediately said: The Hualing under my command carried out a guerrilla attack on Ding Taiyang. After surrendering in Tingzhou, Fujian Province, he used his military merits to conquer Fujian and Guangdong, and accumulated meritorious service to be promoted to the capital.
The year before last, my ministers passed through Jiujiang, and Ding Taiyang asked him to join the camp and serve. Last year, I accompanied my ministers to Shaanxi. Seeing his bravery in battle, I ordered him to recruit and lead a battalion. He followed his ministers to Zhili and Shandong to suppress bandits and retained his current post.
This member of the army was still careful at first, but after turning to the west, he gradually became arrogant and did not abide by the camp rules. After Zhangde joined the team, he noticed along the way that the team was not in order and there seemed to be gaps. Because the road was traveling at dawn and at night, it was inconvenient to check.
When they arrived in Xi'an and set up camp outside Xiguan, they secretly ordered Taoist priests Zhu Xi and Li Yaonan of the Prime Minister's Camp Affairs Office to inspect the tents, but there was a shortage of more than 140 people.
Bi mobilized the battalion to personally review the roll call and Xiaocao, which was undeniable. The officers of the battalion were evacuated and handed over to the custody of the Xi'an Prefecture, waiting for assistance. The number of soldiers in the battalion was also replenished and personnel were assigned to take charge.
Fu Nian Hualing guerrillas Ding Taiyang, from surrendering to guerrillas and serving as a guerrilla officer, but not knowing how to repay his efforts, he dared to lack more than 140 soldiers in an attempt to fraudulently sell money and food.
Although the monthly salary will only be paid until May of this year, the fraudulent salary has not yet been paid to me, but the corruption and fraud have been exposed. If we are not punished severely, why should we enforce strict military discipline and follow the example of the police? You should ask for the order to show up in front of the French army and give a clear warning.
Fu begged for holy scriptures and gave instructions for implementation. I would like to play.
That night, Zongtang summoned Gao Liansheng and Huang Ding again to discuss the matter of the elder brother's meeting privately.
Zuo Zongtang said: The Ge Lao Hui bandit originated in Sichuan and Guizhou and flourished in the two lakes. Since the army has been prosperous for a long time, if people from generation to generation spread their names among Wu Fu, they can lurk and instigate each other, saying that if you don't join their meeting, you will be robbed and killed by them if you leave the camp. The brave men we have recruited are not scoundrels from the market, but they are gangsters from the public. They form gangs, are greedy and ruthless, and disrupt discipline. They cannot be defended and cannot be defeated in battle. My brother must treat them with caution.
Huang Ding said: "Commander Zuo, I am suffering from a lot of troubles. It is difficult to send military orders."
Gao Liansheng said: "I am reporting to Commander Zuo that most of the brave men in the final camp are from the Ge Lao Association, and there are only a few who are not present."
Zongtang sighed and said: "The enemy is here, let's take control of it. We will destroy Hui Ni and be dismissed together."
After receiving Zuo Zongtang's memorial, the Empress Dowager Cixi immediately issued an edict: Zuo Zongtang's piece of memorial to the guerrilla Ding Taiyang's unit had a lot of vacancies for brave soldiers, and he intended to take advantage of his pay. He immediately rectified the law in front of the army to suppress military discipline. This is known from the Six Hundred Miles Edict.
Zuo Zongtang accepted the order and beheaded Ding Taiyang in public, and then ordered Liu Songshan and Zhang Yao: Brother Lao will gather bandits and hide in the ranks. It is impossible to guard against them and cannot be ignored. It is still important to pay attention to them. From Suide to Yijun, and from Yijun to Baoji, they are both six hundred miles away. It is difficult for the three armies to keep pace with each other. The importance of military speed is speed. Liu and Zhang must hide invisibly and enter the Qin Dynasty on the ice. Liu goes to Suide and Zhang goes to Yulin. They attack together to encircle and annihilate Dong Ni. The situation is unavoidable. The south and middle roads are full of fanfare and mighty. When walking, it echoes from a distance.
Liu Songshan, the admiral of the Guangdong land route, received the order and left three thousand troops to guard the east coast. Songshan personally led the Laoxiang camp and crossed the Yellow River from Yongning. On the 6th of December, he just arrived in Suide. Failure to pay, openly mutinied. Liu Songshan remained calm and composed, and he quickly captured more than a hundred rebels and executed them in front of the army. General Suide and Taoist official Cheng Dingkang was shocked.
Liu Songshan disagreed and said: "The soldiers collapsed, Commander Zuo had already given instructions, this is not worth mentioning." Brother Diquan led the Chengxin Army to the west and marched westward to the Dali River, heading from south to north. I led my headquarters and marched north to the Xiaoli River, heading from the north to the south via Chabagou. Taking advantage of its unpreparedness, we joined forces and attacked from a pincer, destroying Dali River first. , Xiaolichuan rebelled against the army's fortress, and then took advantage of the victory to attack its home base of Jingbao.
Cheng Dingkang said: Dong Ni was unprepared and was bound to overflow. The Yulin area in the northeast was very empty.
Liu Songshan said: Zhang Yao sent a letter, and the next day, the general commander led the main force of the Songwu Army to cross the ice from the river meander into the Qin Dynasty to aid Yulin. We will organize our troops and weapons, take a short rest, and start the attack at the next watch.
On January 10, 1869, Liu Songshan and Cheng Dingkang's troops ceased their activities and quietly arrived at the fort. Dong's army was unprepared and collapsed at the first touch. The two armies of Liu and Cheng advanced from the north to the south and took advantage of the situation to cover up the enemy. In one battle, they defeated more than 30,000 men and intercepted more than 3,000 mules and horses.
After days of fighting, food and supplies were exhausted, so Liu Songshan immediately ordered the slaughter of mules and horses to relieve the famine. Liu and Cheng's armies were well fed and drank, and marched quickly at starry night. At midnight on the 15th, they attacked Longyao Town, one step away from Zhenjingbao.
Liu Songshan came to the battle in person, supervised all the ministries, and fired with guns and artillery. In half a day, more than ten fortresses on the periphery were defeated; Longyao Town was in danger.
The Qing army surged five hundred miles in half a month and broke through two lines of defense. Dong Fuxiang was frightened and told his generals Li Shuangliang and Gao Wanquan: Although the Zhenjing Fort is extremely strong, the Qing Yaohua cannon is more powerful, and we will break it if we hold on to it; our soldiers will break it. Divide into two groups, run east and west, and attack the enemy on the move in order to protect the town of Jingbao and the Jingbian city wall.
After Dong Fuxiang finished speaking, he fled out of Zhenjingbao overnight. His father, Dong Shiyou, was old and frail and had difficulty walking. He could not respond to every call, so he led the rest of the people to kneel down.
After hearing the news, Liu Songshan came to appease him personally.
Dong Shiyou begged and said: "Every group of disciples was intercepted in large numbers. Those who were afraid of being executed would rush to Yulin, Mizhi, or Yanchang." Dong Fuxiang had three to four thousand people with him, but it was unknown where he was heading. Someone has been sent to call him back, and he is kindly given a few days of grace.
Dong Fuxiang marched eastward to Yulin, and was attacked by the two armies of Cheng Dingkang and Zhang Yao on the way. He suffered heavy losses and was about to collapse. Stay in position.
Dong Fuxiang said: This place is less than ten miles away from the Yellow River. The Fenzhou area usually produces rice, so there is grain to harvest. The ice bridge has been completed. Going from Qin to Jin is like walking on flat ground.
Zhang Jun, the guest of the curtain, advised: "I would like to inform you, Commander Dong, that my regiment was forced by thieves, suffered from drought every year, and ended up living here. Why did I disturb the people again? Who can forgive me in future generations?"
When Dong Fuxiang was hesitant, Fengxi Juren Bai Zijun was entrusted by Liu Songshan to persuade him to surrender.
Bai Zijun said: General Dong's father and Li Shuangliang's troops have surrendered, and General Dong's wife, children, and children have also been treated well. If General Dong continues to be stubborn, he will soon reach the end of his road.
Dong Fuxiang said: "Building fortresses to ensure that the people live in peace, setting up bureaus to reduce the labor of the people, relocating the people, opening schools to recruit scholars, etc. were all proposed by Mr. Bai, and were adopted by Commander Zuo, which is what I have been thinking about. Now that things have come to this, husband What more could you ask for!
