Chapter 182 Liu Songshan’s death in Ma Wuzhai (1)
When the Empress Dowager Cixi was watching Ding Baozhen's memorial, she suddenly recalled everything that happened during Ande Hai's lifetime. After sighing, she could not sleep at night, so she asked the eunuch in charge to find the memorial of Shaanxi-Gansu and grind it out one by one. In the morning of the next day, all the ministers discussed the war between Qin and Long. Cixi The Queen Mother said: "Mu Tushan and Ding'an have solid evidence for what they said, but the Zuo Army did commit wanton killings. What do you think?"
Minister of Military and Aircraft Shen Guifen said: Looking at the memorials of Shaanxi and Gansu, the chaos in the northwest is all behind the scenes of Zhehe Linye leader Ma Hualong. If the northwest wants to be peaceful, the Jinji Fort must be leveled. The key to the Jinji Fort lies in Horses cannot be handled except by Zuo Zongtang.
Prince Gong Yi Xin said: Mu Tushan and Ding'an have been stationed in Qinlong for eight years, and they are also diligent. However, after ten years of chaos, millions of people were killed and injured. If the mastermind is not killed, there will be future troubles. The current plan cannot be used to calm the situation. Speak lightly.
Minister of Military and Aircraft Wen Xiang also attached.
Empress Dowager Ci'an said: The Qinlong rebel bandits are deeply entangled and will not be destroyed in ten years; Yingqi, Shengbao, Duolong'a, Yang Yuebin, Liu Rong, Qiao Songnian and others came one after another, but they were all unable to stop them; after Zuo Zongtang's repeated victories, It is normal to encounter setbacks occasionally.
Empress Dowager Cixi said: It is better to dissolve grudges than to settle them, and the words of Mu Tushan and Ding'an are also well-founded. Six hundred miles of horse speed sent instructions to Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang, etc., and they immediately played Mu Tushan and Fufenzhe.
Zeng Guofan accepted the order and said: If Zuo Zongtang gives up the responsibility of the Western Frontier at this time, I will not be able to succeed him. Even if Duke Wenzhong Hu is brought to Jiuyuan, I may not be able to succeed him!
In these troubled times, it is necessary to prepare for a rainy day. Liu Mingchuan has an army to protect the capital and cannot withdraw suddenly. The admiral returned home due to a vacancy, and his general Liu Shengzao led his army on his behalf. He was still competent, so there was no need to send another commander.
Zuo Zongtang saw that Mu Tu was good at caressing the fennel, and he was so angry that he immediately sent a message: Ma Hualong is insidious and cunning, and the world knows it. From Lingzhou and Ningxia to Xining in the west, and to Hezhou and Didao in the south, all the people of Anhui Province look up to him. Han and Fen people live together in Gansu. Previously, there were more Han than Fen, but now there are more Fen than Han. In Ningxia and Lingzhou, there are almost no Han people for hundreds of miles around; in Lingzhou city, there are only a few Han households, and their properties and women are all owned by Jinjibao. The old and weak die, and the strong men are used as servants. The Han people are so heartbroken, why is it so surprising! The minister received the report from the gentry and people of Lingzhou, and was alarmed and uneasy.
Liu Songshan was a man of loyalty, bravery and clear strategy, which was truly unparalleled among the generals at that time. Even in such a great victory, it can be seen that the right and wrong are used repeatedly, and others have achieved a miracle if they get one of them, and the words of the battle statement are realistic and rarely arrogant.
The minister and Zeng Guofan sometimes had disagreements in their discussions. As for Liu Songshan, he was the most trustworthy among all the people. His loyalty to the country and his knowledge of people were beyond the reach of the minister. He had brought him to court last year.
Li Hongzhang received the order and made his usual remarks, saying a few words without comment.
On that day, Zhou Sheng came to visit, and Li Hongzhang said: "In the corner of Qinlong, the war between various officials is uncertain, and Ma Hualong is doing his best, Zuo Zongtang may be powerless."
Zhou Sheng preached: I dare to ask Commander Li, if my Huai tribe comes out, can I have a secret method to defeat the enemy?
Li Hongzhang said: Hui Ni is fighting on his own, and the sand is scattered. Our Huai tribe has strong soldiers, good pay and artillery, and it will be decided in a few battles.
After Hongzhang finished speaking, he wrote to Liu Mingchuan: I received a letter on the fifth day of March, but there has been no trace for a long time. Where is the trace? Rumor has it that he and Li Liangchen and others were drinking Zhang Le and having fun in Panhengliuhuo area, trying to imitate Mr. Xinling's drunken wife's self-pleasure? Hongzhang believes that it is advisable to read more ancient books and meditate on the world's affairs, so as to collect energy and increase concentration. I hope that our party will encourage this.
For example, the talent, knowledge and reputation of the public will definitely not last forever, and this leisure Taorong root will depend on the support of the world for the next ten years. Fortunately, I pray that I will not let myself go.
Commander Zuo was stationed in Jingzhou from Qianfang. The Gansu army was so redundant and in chaos that it was almost impossible to control it. How could we destroy the bandits before we managed the army? I had no choice but to temporarily subordinate him because of his old age.
Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang spoke earnestly, but the Empress Dowager Cixi was helpless, so she issued an edict: "Liu Songshan's troops are brave, and there was a collapse in Suide before. This time the advance has been radical, and because there is no food to eat, If the thieves and soldiers are all alone and repeat the old mistakes, how can the overall situation of the North Road be imagined?
Zuo Zongtang quickly raised money and funds, and allocated them one after another to calm the morale of the troops. He also identified the situation of the provocation and documented it, and was not allowed to get involved in the defense. When Guo Baochang's first army arrived, he repeatedly asked Zuo Zongtang to consider the situation and sent him to the Huading area to join forces with Liu Songshan to advance.
Seeing that Lingzhou had been lost and Huading and other places were in a tight situation, Liu Songshan's army might not have enough to rely on. Zuo Zongtang quickly ordered Guo Baochang to move the army to the west of Yulin to strengthen the troops on the northern road.
In order to submit to Longyang, Ma Hua manipulated his party members to cause trouble and had ulterior motives. The cause of the incident should be found out by Mu Tushan and reported accordingly.
Zuo Zongtang received the order and played again: On July 28th, the army of Zha Wing Commander Liu Songshan marched westward from Huamachi. They encountered a group of gangsters named Ganhuisu who had been kidnapped from the border and returned south. They chased him to Tianchizi and killed him. There were more than two hundred thieves, and twenty-one were captured alive.
They arrived at the porcelain kiln on the first day of August and arrived at Tianshui River on the second day of the eighth month. They met more than a thousand Shaanxi fennel, killed 200 of them and captured 19 alive. The army advanced to the north of Lingzhou City.
On the same day, Gan Hui and Zhou Bin's army had been appeased. Shaan Hui was defeated and fled to Lingjing, occupying Gan Hui's village. Gan Hui was afraid of his power and led the army to suppress it.
On the third day of the lunar month, Liu Song's troops returned to the mountain for twenty miles and reported that the Ganhui Fort Village was as secure as before. As they approached Guojiaqiao, Shaanxi Yu Yanlong, Ma Zhenggang, Ma Changshun and others blew their horns and came out of their nests. When the fierce battle ended, the officers and soldiers destroyed more than twenty places in the thieves' nest, chased them to the lower bridge, and closed their troops near Wuzhong Fort.
On the fourth day of the lunar month, all the villages in Ganhui sent out their troops, but Liu Songshan stayed put. On the fifth day of the lunar month, Gan Hui still lined up to attack the camp. On the sixth day of the lunar month, more fennel attacked the camp, and Liu Songshan began to send out troops to attack them.
Since then, Shaanxi and Ganhui have resisted the army. How could the army not suppress them? Since Gan Hui and Sha Hui joined forces to resist the government troops and jointly sought suppression, and the government troops suppressed them, how could they blame the officials and troops for the sudden change?
Moreover, Ma Hualong's third request for support from Shaanxi was sent on August 4. At that time, Liu Songshan's troops were close to Wuzhong Fort and only thirty miles away from Jinji Fort. Why didn't he hear anything about it?
According to Ma Hualong's report, he received orders from Liu Songshan on the second day of the lunar month to provide food supplies. Didn't he know that the entire army of Lao Xiang had arrived? Why didn't he spread the news that the people of Hunan were in peace and self-defense, and even resisted the officers and soldiers, but were killed?
Liu Songshan accompanied his ministers on expeditions, and he was well known for the strict discipline and deep intentions of his troops, and he would never use his power to show off his power and kill arbitrarily. Even if the jade was not separated for a while, Gan Hui might have died in vain, because Ma Hualong took the order but did not know about Gan Hui's forts, so he was punished. The blame was Ma Hualong for trapping Gan Hui to death.
After Zongtang finished, he quickly summoned Liu Dian, the governor of Shaanxi, and said: "I have urgently ordered Liu Songshan to temporarily leave Wuzhong Fort, gather the main force, return to attack Lingzhou City, and open up a retreat." Lei Zhengwan and Zhou Lanting's troops continued to encircle and suppress Bai Yanhu, Ma Zhenghe and the bandits as a response. Guo Baochang's gunshot wound was not healed, so Jin Yunchang commanded Zhuosheng Camp and marched westward from Huadingchi to Lingzhou to open up the grain route for the Old Hunan Army. Wei Guangtao's troops should also move forward to guard the back roads of Zhuosheng Camp. On the north road, Zhang Yao and Jin Shun quickly detach one unit and swim across the Yellow River to provide support; on the south road, Huang Ding, quickly ordered the two units of Xu Zhanbiao and Yang Shijun to rush to Dingxi and cut off the alliance between Ma Hualong and Ma Zhan'ao. I will lead the central army. Stationed in Pingliang, coordinating food and wages, and controlling the battle situation; Brother Ke'an firmly controlled the Three Qin Dynasties and protected the army's retreat.
Liu Dian said, "The army is all out. What should we do if the bandits overflow and attack Qin?"
Zuo Zongtang said: Ma Hualong used war to promote peace, and then resumed war. The peace of the war was uncertain. His mind was in chaos and he had no intention of counterattacking Shaanxi. Even if there was overflow, he would be a small group of stragglers, so there was nothing to worry about.
