Chapter 182 Liu Songshan’s Death in Ma Wuzhai (2)
After Zuo Zongtang finished speaking, he sent a letter to Wei Guangtao on the Jinggu Road in Pingliang. Your troops surveyed the route from Huanxian County to Huamachi and set up postal services. They promoted two new battalions and went out to Maling in Fucheng to protect the people's autumn harvest. The arrangements were very good.
I believe that our troops will also be stationed at Zhangjiabao, thirty miles north of Qingcheng, and as soon as the food shipments are slightly replenished, they will join the army and march into Huan County to form a liaison camp. Liu Songshan, who looked up to Shang, quickly followed the instructions, broke out of camp and advanced, communicating with the Hunan army outside and guarding the gate of Qingjun inside.
In addition, 41 official mules from Zhang Congjiu's office and 21 civilian mules from He Dinggui's office have been transferred to Ningzhou to transfer grain to Xihuachi. Vehicles from Zhang Xuesheng's office have been sent to the camp to wait for transfer. If the mule transport in Xihuachi is insufficient, additional supplies should be dispatched on a later date.
Yesterday, due to the urgent need for transportation, Ningzhou was notified and more civilians were hired to transport grain to Xihuachi. He transported grain from Xihuachi to Qingyang; he also visited Anhua and Heshui counties, and hired porters among the refugees who had returned to work to help him transport the goods. This is the record of knowing what to do. Follow the road to check and supervise.
After the grain road was finished, Zuo Zongtang gave Liu Songshan another order: When dealing with major matters, you must not be hasty, slow, lenient, or violent. You must be able to adapt to changes, do not involve arrogance, and do not be negligent. You must be a master.
After Liu Songshan heard the news, he urgently summoned Liu Jintang, Dong Fuxiang, Yu Huen, Shuangshou, He Zuolin, Xiao Zhangkai and others for discussion.
Liu Songshan said: Ma Hualong's thieves went against the Yin Stallion and secretly dug the Qin Canal, which flooded our army; we dredged the ditch and dug the moat, and stored water to form a river to protect the fortress. The position was stable and we could not retreat. Around Wuzhong Fort, there are many small forts and large villages, row upon row. My idea is to select seven or eight forts nearby, surround them and bombard them to frighten the enemy, and then return to besiege Lingzhou City.
Dong Fuxiang said: "My cannons and breech-loaded cannons are invincible. They can destroy the small villages and forts with just one blast. When the cannons are fired, my troops attack first."
Liu Songshan said: "You need to use a bull's knife to kill a chicken. After the cannon blast, Dong Fuxiang, Liu Jintang, Bing Shuangshou, and Yu En's tiger and horse teams all rushed out to seize the stronghold and seize the fort."
At the third watch of October 16, 1869, Liu Songshan ordered an attack. In one day, he captured seven forts, killed 3,000 Fen soldiers, and captured more than 220 alive.
Ma Hualong was frightened and eager to ask for help.
His son Ma Yaobang said: If you fight, you will fight, if you die, you will die. Why waver! With a shout, the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians of Jinji Fort came out to fight, and it was all over.
Ma Hualong said: There is no guarantee of victory, but if you lose, your clan will be destroyed! It is absolutely impossible to fight with all the troops.
Lingzhou Muma Zhankui said: Report to the leader, the leader is so ambiguous, it is easy to miss good opportunities. Zuo Zongtang was a Confucian commander. When he entered Qinlong, he did not send troops to kill. Although Dong Fuxiang was our generation, he was also recruited. If the leader sincerely wants to be healed, he must put his swords and guns in his treasury and his horses on the south mountain.
Ma Hualong said: "I don't want to, but for more than ten years, the Han Dynasty has been fighting, and more than a million people have died. The grievances are too deep, and it is difficult to resolve them. If I put down my sword and gun, wouldn't I let others slaughter me!" It's okay not to sign the alliance under the city. For the time being, we bowed our heads and waited for the reinforcements from Mazhan'ao, Hezhou.
The secret agent Ma Yuandao said: The only way forward is to promote peace through war; gather all our strength to encircle and annihilate Liu Songshan's army. Zuo Zongtang retreated when he saw the difficulty, and his affairs took care of themselves.
Ma Hualong said to Ma Yuandao: All the fennels in Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia belong to the same clan. If you are defeated, I will provide you with horses and equipment. If you are poor, I will help you with military rations. I will try my best to find a way to protect the clan. Bai Yanhu and others understand my intention, so why do they want to stay far away? Are you leaving me?
Ma Yuandao: The leader is uncertain in war and peace. In war, he will use Shaanxi fennel as a spear; in peace, he will use Shaanxi fennel as a shield. No matter in war or peace, Shaanxi fennel will be used as bait! I have followed Bai Yanhu for many years and am familiar with his character; what he did is also normal.
Ma Hualong sighed and said: We knew this, why did we kill people like hemp in the first place! Lien Zhan is unable to do anything, and fortresses are lost one after another. He must seek help. After months of fighting, Liu Songshan must be short of food and rice, so he quickly sent me an order to send 100,000 catties of food and more than 100 cattle and sheep to promote peace.
Both Ma Yaobang and Ma Yuan said: This is to support the enemy and is absolutely impossible.
Ma Hualong said: This is a military order and must be carried out! In the past, I sent Shaanxi governor Mu Tushan eight thousand taels of silver and one hundred thousand catties of grain in exchange for the autonomy of Ning and Ling. Now I can do this again.
Liu Songshan was overjoyed to receive the grain supplies, and immediately ordered Ma Hualong: "Submit the war horses and equipment, and the war will begin."
Ma Hualong hesitated for three days, but finally did not dare to restrain himself.
Liu Songshan issued an order to attack again. At dawn on the 21st, Liu Jintang's troops captured Majiazhai and intercepted Ma Hualong's letter ordering the defenders to resist and wait for help.
Liu Jintang told Liu Songshan: Ma Hualong was named as the general in charge of military affairs in Lianghe and other places in Ning County. He ordered the rebels to resist. This letter was signed with Ma Hualong's personal seal. Ma Hualong is a man who hides a knife in his smile. You can't trust him anymore. .
Liu Songshan said: Report to Commander Zuo immediately for his decision.
Zuo Zongtang received the letter, and as if he had found a treasure, he rushed 600 miles away to deliver it to the capital.
When the Empress Dowager Cixi heard the news, she immediately issued an edict: Quickly sweep away Ma Hualong's rebellious tribe, and do not take care of him lightly if you receive benefits from him again.
Zuo Zongtang received the order and ordered Liu Songshan to shrink his troops and return to attack Lingzhou to consolidate his retreat; when reinforcements from the north and south routes arrived, he would then attack Jinji Fort.
Liu Songshan received the order and summoned the generals to return to Lingzhou and besiege Lingzhou.
Liu Songshan said: "Liu was incompetent and rebelled and retreated from Lingzhou. General Dong insisted on leaving several battalions to guard. He regretted not listening to General Dong's words and made a big mistake."
Dong Fuxiang said: "I am reporting to the Lord of the Military Sect that the rebels are capricious, so this change occurred." I immediately led my headquarters to attack the bandit base of Tuanyuan Temple and fight a bloody path for the army.
Liu Songshan said: Inside Lingzhou City, there are less than 2,000 rebels; outside Lingzhou City, there are 4,000 rebels, guarding the four forts of Tuanyuan Temple, Shilei, Buya Village, and Luojiaqiao. The city defense of the rebel army is heavy on the outside and light on the inside. The troops are dispersed and not like each other. I can gather our troops and defeat them one by one.
In early November 1869, Liu Jintang, Dong Fuxiang, Yu Huen, Shuangshou, Yi Delin, Xiao Zhangkai, etc. came out in full force and fought fiercely for a day to break through the fortress of Tuanyuan Temple and kill the rebels Ma Shengyuan, Ma Zhihe and Guo Li. Of the more than 1,500 people below, 241 were captured alive.
Hu Rudong, the guard of the stone barrier, was originally a general under Mu Tushan. He surrendered to Hu in a desperate situation. He had no choice but to do so. As soon as Tuanyuan Temple was destroyed, he immediately beheaded Hu Rudong and left the fort to surrender.
The next day, Liu Jintang and Dong Fuxiang attacked the remaining two villages and killed another 400 Fen soldiers.
Lingzhou Muma Zhankui was frightened, thought over and over again, and surrendered to Kaicheng.
Songshan entered the city, sorted out the good and bad, beheaded the rebels, dismissed the old and weak, recruited the strong, and reopened the commercial port, which was a busy time.
Dong Fuxiang asked Ma Zhankui where he was.
Liu Songshan said: After ten years of turmoil in the northwest, there is only one peachland left. He who takes the lead on horseback is a good man! Who dares to kill indiscriminately! He immediately returned Jinji Fort and persuaded Ma Hualong to surrender. After my military order was passed on, the army rested on the spot. Half a month later, when the day of pay came, they broke out of camp and set off to seize the fort and stronghold, and captured Wuzhong Fort in one fell swoop.
The named admiral Huang Wanyou said: Report to Liu Junmen, Commander Zuo has an order, wait until all the armies from the north and south arrive, and then besiege Jinji Fort.
Liu Songshan said: The remnants of the bandits in Xining on the north road have not been eliminated, and Zhang Yao and Jin Shun are unable to cross the river; on the south road, Lei Zhengwan, Zhou Lanting and others are fighting with Baiyanhu Shaanxi and are unable to advance northward; a gratifying thing, Jin Yunchang leads Zhuo Shengying As soon as it arrives, I will have strong support.
Liu Jintang said: Report to Liu Junmen and check under the sign. There are two dangerous places outside Jinji Fort. One is the entrance of Qingtong Gorge in the west of the fort, which is also the water intake of Han Canal; the second is Yongning Cave in the east of the fort. The two canals of Han and Han meet here and rejoin the Yellow River to the north. By occupying these two places, you can control the water potential and remotely control the Jinji Fort.
Liu Songshan said: "Why don't I know that outside Jinji Fort, there are more than a hundred large and small fortresses with stone barriers, and it will take time to eradicate them. I immediately sent a letter to Lei Zhengwan, asking him to send a unit to advance to the Qingtong Gorge entrance; we and others First pull out the fortifications around Wuzhong Fort, and then concentrate all your efforts to seize the key point of Yongning Cave.
