Chapter 180 Zuo Zongtang quells the chaos in Shaanxi and Gansu (5)
Liu Songshan and Dong Fuxiang led their troops northward. People in the forts along the way waved flags, lined up to demonstrate, and even fired shots.
Liu Songshan was helpless and immediately announced: The army is here just to wipe out the Shaanxi bandits. People from Gan and Ning, please quickly tie a straw rope diagonally from your left shoulder to your right ribs for easy identification; people from Gan and Ning must stay safe and protect themselves, and do not cause trouble or get angry.
Dong Fuxiang had been dealing with Zhu Ma, Bai Yanhu and others for many years, and he knew the inside and out. He rushed into the Chinese army's tent and said sincerely: Mr. Liu arrived for the first time and didn't know about the situation. Shaanxi Bai Yanhu and others are the old religion, while Ganfen, Ma Hualong and others are the new religion. The purpose of the old and new religions is If they are not tolerated, they touch each other like water and fire; but when the officers and soldiers come, they join hands to reject each other, and there is no distinction between old and new. In addition, Bai Yanhu and others from Shaanxi Province have been on the battlefield for a long time, and Ma Hualong borrowed their power to deal with them. The forts in Guojiaqiao were not forced to occupy by Bai Yanhu and others. This was specially sent by Ma Hualong. Please pay attention to it.
Liu Songshan said: Ma Hualong returned last year and has become an official of the Qing Dynasty. If he doesn't make trouble, who dares to use force? Bai Yanhu, Ma Zhenghe, and Cui Wei are all Shaanxi bandits and must be wiped out.
On August 6, 1869, Governor Liu Songshan led the old Hunan army to sweep through the Shaanxi Hui people in Guojiaqiao, annihilating more than 20 forts, and marched all the way to Lingzhou City.
When I was riding horses in Songshan for a patrol, I could see the afterglow shining slantingly, the sunset swaying in the land of luxuriant grass, farmers working in the fields, and the heaven and earth being quiet and peaceful.
Songshan sighed and said, "Fortressing the south of the Yangtze River is a well-deserved reputation. Ma Zhankui is a humble gentleman. He does not kill recklessly, but also promotes peace. He is a true Peach Blossom Land man. It is difficult to find a quiet land here in Qinchuan and Longyuan for 800 miles." Pass on my military order, this city is based on Fu.
When Ma Hualong heard the news, he urgently ordered Ma Zhankui's troops to withdraw the city's defenses as a show of goodwill.
The next day, Ma Hualong went to the Hunan Army camp in person and told Liu Songshan: The people in Shaanxi have long wanted to surrender to the imperial court, and they have reported to the acting governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, Mr. Mu Tushan, for orders.
Liu Songshan said: "This matter is serious, so I will report it to Commander Zuo."
After Ma Hualong said goodbye, Dong Fuxiang said: "Both horses and Bai Yanhu are capricious, and this is a delaying strategy." Once Lingzhou is captured, two battalions of powerful troops must be sent to garrison it.
Liu Songshan said: "Our army is powerful and the thieves' courage has been broken. A single sentry horse can guard the Lingzhou city wall." ;
In the next three days, there were occasional sporadic conflicts between the two armies of Xiang Hui, but the overall situation was stable. On the fourth day, Ma Hualong arrived again and said: Shaan Hui's words and deeds are inconsistent and capricious. Those who ask for comfort will lead and stand by; those who are fierce will still jump into danger. It disturbs the ground of Ning, Ling and Zhongwei in the near distance, and reaches Enhe, Shikong and other fortresses in the distance.
Liu Songshan said: "No problem, I will lead the troops to clear it up."
The next day, Governor Liu Songshan led the main force out of the city and approached Wuzhong Fort.
Seeing this, Ma Hualong went to the front of the army and said: "All the people in Shaanxi are asking for help."
Liu Songshan was in a dilemma. While hesitating, more than a thousand anise cavalry raided the back road, killed the soldiers, grabbed silver, and reoccupied Lingzhou City. Ma Hualong also ordered Qin canals to be dug and flooded with water.
The Hunan army was stuck in a quagmire, unable to advance or retreat, and was almost in a desperate situation.
After Zuo Zongtang heard the news, he hurriedly ordered Lei Zhengwan, Zhou Lanting, Jin Yunchang and others to attack separately and rush to Jinji Fort to solve the dilemma; Zhang Yao and Jin Shun quickly moved south from Shizuishan to seize the Yellow River ferry. Pretending to cross the river.
General Ding'an of Suiyuan City and Mu Tushan, the governor of Shaanxi-Gansu Province, all used Liu Songshan to disrupt the peace situation and delay Qin Long, so they impeached Shangshu.
Ding'an Shu said: Liu Songshan's army was in the north of Lingzhou City. They killed the good and the bad without distinguishing between good and bad, so as to reduce the suspicion and fear of the people and trapped the city to plunder food. They swarmed around Shaanxi in the Shangbabao area and continued to harass them. The people in Changgui and other Baobao also rebelled. The people in Pingluo's Eighteen Baobao merged with Guichang, with the intention of occupying the Ningxia county first.
Mu Tushanshu said: "Suddenly after receiving a letter from Ma Hualong, Admiral Liu Songshan led his troops to Wuzhong Fort and shot him. He had the intention of not distinguishing between good and bad, which caused the surrendered people to become suspicious and gathered people to cause trouble. The gentry was helpless. Then he invited Hu Changhui to return to Jinjibao for business.
Hu Changhui was about to go there when he heard that the people of Shaanxi and Gansu were gathering at Jinji Fort, intending to engage in battle with the army. He didn't know what the overall situation was, so he asked for verification to come.
I asked Zuo Zongtang to send Liu Songshan's army to advance from the north. They were originally chasing Dong Zhiyuan's bandits to prevent them from spreading and causing harm.
Hu Chang, the commander-in-chief of the department, asked the leaders to surrender. Although it was hard to guarantee that they would be forced to surrender, they wanted to slow down our division. However, it was discovered that Ma Hualong, a gentry in Lingzhou, was in charge of the camp. He fell from the Ningxia county and was restrained by the rebel Ma Zhaoyuan. Threats led to the Fuxing Incident in Lingzhou. At that time, they knew to restrain the people of Jinjibao and were not allowed to go out to cause trouble. They asked Lei Zhengwan and Cao Kezhong for help in advance.
After the gentry paid the money and grain, Cao Kezhong led his troops into Zha Gunquan. The gentry feared that the people would be suspicious and fearful, so he complained to the emperor. Cao Kezhong and others refused to comply, causing the people of Shaanxi to resist desperately, which greatly reduced the military power. However, Ma Hualong still advised the people of this fort to be quiet and waited for treatment, and planned to kill Ma Zhaoyuan.
The pursuer was ordered to supervise the military affairs, and the gentry regained his talent and sincerity. For the first time, he donated 8,000 taels of silver and 150,000 jins of rice for canal repair, and also presented many pieces of equipment and horses. Later, the gentry secured the place, defended the people, persuaded the bandits to surrender to the city, captured and killed the rebellious Shaanxi bandits, and was rewarded with the title of admiral. This is Ma Hualong's profound understanding of righteousness and his determination to defeat him. It can be seen in summary what he has done before.
Today, the officers and soldiers arrived at Wuzhong Fort. If they were to lead the attack and kill them, both Jinji Fort and Lingzhou would be dead and their teeth would be cold. It would be inevitable for everyone to be panicked and take risks, which is inevitable.
I dare not say that the people who have surrendered in Ningbao are all good people. But on a day without incident, the good people live in peace, and the evil people hide themselves and are controlled by them. If the soldiers come from outside, things will be hasty, and the residents will not know their intentions, and the good people will It is unavoidable to be surprised and suspicious that evil people will also try to achieve their own goals. At that time, although the leaders such as Ma Hualong and others can be trusted with their determination and firmness, the passion of the people under their command will suddenly change, which will inevitably lead to the restraint of reason and force, and the two will tie their hands. The victory was as great as the sum of heaven and earth.
If the officers and soldiers are slightly unfavorable and the atmosphere of banditry spreads, the undecided Yan and Gu on the east route and Suzhou on the west route will all change.
I believe that Ma Hualong should be cared for rather than suppressed. Liu Songshan's attack on Wuzhong Fort was an indiscriminate killing of innocent people, provoking them to take risks, which may make it difficult to deal with them.
Zuo Zongtang's suppression and then pacification may not be able to consolidate the people's trust. Even though I was about to hand over the responsibility, I dared not say anything without knowing it. I ordered Commander Hu Chang and Ma Hualong to still act appropriately and fire missiles to suppress the local people, so as not to raise any suspicion, and to confirm the situation of the troops marching from the north and report separately. For this reason, Attached is a detailed description of the film.
