Chapter 183 Li Hongzhang prepares for a rainy day
When Liu Songshan died in the battle, Ma Hualong was surprised and happy. He said: Life and death are the two armies' battles. What can Zuo Zongtang do to me?
Ma Yuandao: To inform the leader, Liu Songshan did not die in battle, but I pretended to surrender, tricked him into a jar, and killed him with one cannon.
Ma Hualong paused and sighed, saying: I have spent all my money and food, and have repeatedly promised to make peace, but now I have lost people's lives! Benevolence and righteousness have been lost, and there is no room for improvement. When the fortress is broken, we can only pay for it with our lives. The people from Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia were originally from the same clan. They rushed to Hezhou and joined Ma Zhenghe and Cui Wei to cut off Lei Zhengwan's retreat.
Yu Xiaohu said: "To the leader of the church, I, Shaanxi, swear to live and die with Jinjibao."
Ma Hualong said: The war continues in the outer edge, but Jinji Fort is safe. Your troops rushed out, joined up with Ma Yanhu's troops, and galloped northward, trying to stop Jin Shun's and Zhang Yao's armies. If Jinjibao is doomed, you Shaanxi people must find a way to survive on your own and save the fireworks for our people.
After Ma Yuan and Yu Xiaohu left, Ma Yaobang said: Shaanxi and Hui are all gone, can we bear the blame?
Ma Hualong said: No! Liu Songshan was killed by Shaan Hui, and Bai Yanhu and others fled in fear of crime! I heard that from Lingning to Xining in the west and to Hedi in the south, all the people are looking up to me. Now that Liu Songshan is dead and the left army is in decline, we should give it a go. Immediately pass on my order, Ma Zhenggang and Ma Chaoyuan will quickly leave Jinjibao, split up, and attack Qin. The people in Hezhou, Didao, Miragou, Tongchangbao, and Tongguibao should also join forces to compete in order to build momentum. .
Ma Yaobang said: Bai Yanhu has repeatedly disobeyed orders, so the north road cannot be counted on; Ma Zhenghe only obeys orders, and the south road is safe.
Ma Hualong said: "We have three commanders, Ma Zhenghe, Yang Wenzhi, and Bai Yanhu, but Bai Yanhu looks the same as us. His family members and baggage have also been moved to Hezhou. He is a cunning man who lives in the morning and evening, and we cannot be together."
Ma Yaobang said, "Both Ma Zhenggang and Ma Chaoyuan are the main generals. The two troops are pouring out, and the Jinji Fort is empty."
Ma Hualong said: "You can only make peace if you fight to the death." You led the cavalry, carrying more guns, cannons, and supplies, and galloped through Yongning Cave. Together with Ma Wu, Ma Qi, and Ma BaTiao, they recovered Wuzhong Fort and Ma Wuzhai and looked for opportunities to encircle and annihilate the remnants of Liu Songshan.
Ma Hualong gave an order, and all the soldiers from Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia came out to fight fiercely.
In late February 1870, Bai Yanhu and Yu Xiaohu joined forces with Ganhui from Tongchangbao and Tongguibao to attack Wang Jiameng. Jin Shun and Zhang Yao were defeated and retreated.
On the middle road, Governor Ma Zhenggang led a thousand elite cavalry, entered Shaanxi from Sanshui, and attacked Pu, Fu, Tong, and Chao to the east; they cut off the grain roads of Liu Jintang and Jin Shunchang; Ma Yaobang then entered Yongning Cave and recaptured Ma Wuzhai in one fell swoop. Ma Hualong ordered again to dig the Qin canal and release water for irrigation.
On the south road, Ma Chaoyuan also led his cavalry out of Jinjibao, headed south to Ningtiao Liang, and galloped through Luzhou, Ganquan, Hancheng, and Heyang. Ma Zhenghe and Cui Wei also went south to attack after receiving orders.
Zhou Lanting and Zhang Fuqi's troops had their grain routes blocked and had to retreat to Mingshazhou; Lei Zhengwan was stationed alone at the mouth of the gorge, surrounded by enemies on all sides. The reinforcements sent by Zuo Zongtang were also blocked by Ma Zhan'ao at the foot of Niushou Mountain.
The Fen army counterattacked; Zongtang was fearless and hurriedly ordered Liu Duanmian and Li Huiwu to return to Zai to assist Liu Dian and protect the Qin territory. Huang Ding marched north into Guyuan and opened up the alliance between Lei Zhengwan and Zhou Lanting; Wu Shimai followed up quickly to protect the Shu army's retreat. Jin Shun and Zhang Yao quickly raised food supplies from Ningxia to ensure the supply of Liu Jintang and Jin Yunchang in the middle.
The left army was in decline, and the Fen army was harassing the Qin Dynasty. Yuan Baoheng, a scholar of the Liangtai camp and a lecturer at the Hanlin Academy, waited for the opportunity to report: The thieves were rampant on the northern Shaanxi road. The old Hunan army and Zhuosheng camp on the left were hungry and exhausted, and only ten of them remained. 56: Shaanxi, Gansu and Kongji, these two battalions should be disbanded and merged, and the remaining military pay should be transferred to the Huai and Anhui armies for continued deployment.
After Yuan Baoheng stopped, he immediately wrote to Li Hongzhang: Liu Songshan died suddenly, the Hunan and Henan armies were less than five or six in ten, and changes in Shaanxi-Gansu were imminent, so Li Shuai should not go to Guizhou for the time being.
Li Hongzhang received the letter and said that Zhou Sheng had preached: Xiao Wu could not attack the Jinji Fort for a long time, and the fennel cavalry came out in all directions, disturbing the Qin Dynasty. He was afraid that they would take advantage of the weakness and flee far away, so he kept silent and asked me to slow down the advance.
Zhou Sheng preached: Report to Li Shuai, the opportunity must not be missed and it will never come again. Liu Shengsan and I can charge into the battle again!
Li Hongzhang said: Be calm and don't be impatient, only when the water falls will the rocks be revealed.
On that day, Li Hongzhang sent a message saying: Yuan Baoheng has been unable to attack the Jinji Fort for a long time, and the fennel cavalry is coming out in all directions, disturbing the Qin Dynasty. He is afraid that he will take advantage of the weakness and flee far away, so he keeps silent and asks our army to slow down the advance. Liu Shouqing died after attacking Ma Wubao. It is a pity that the loss of this good general made the situation in Longxi almost unstoppable. Who will take over the Laoxiang camp and whether it will avoid retreat? The army will be discouraged and the thieves will be bold.
Li Hongzhang stopped and immediately wrote to Yinghan, the governor of Anhui: After the death of Shou Qingxing, Commander Zuo sent Liu Jintang and Huang Wanyou to act as generals to temporarily restore people's support. How could the powerful generals be easily mobilized? In addition, the food transportation was long-term. He only relied on the Golden Guards to transport tens of thousands of food to the Hunan and Zhuo armies from a corner of Ningxia. There was no order to withdraw the troops and get food. Commander Zuo was headstrong and unreasonable, fearing that he would Defeat.
After a while, Hongzhang wrote another letter to Ma Xinyi, the governor of Liangjiang: Shaanhui fled to the east and harassed Beishan and Banfeng West Road. Jinjibao, Xiangzhuo and other troops retreated for several miles. The grain road was still blocked, Lei Weitang broke out, and only a few hundred people were left. The large forces of Hedi came back to cause trouble, Ji Souzongtang was worried and sick due to overwork, and there was a risk of corruption in the Qin Dynasty.
Not long after, Hongzhang told Wu Tang, the governor of Sichuan: Gan Shi had died in the battle, Lei Weitang had retreated, and Fen's power had resumed. The commander-in-chief of the Zuo Shang Mianluo is afraid that one day he will suffer a bad day.
Hongzhang wrote three letters a day, but he was not satisfied. The next day, he wrote again to Zeng Guofan: After the death of Shou Qingxing, Commander Zuo ordered Liu Jintang and Admiral Huang Wanyou to take over the Xiangying camp. It was already the end of the crossbow period. The grain road has been blocked for a long time, and only a corner of Ningxia is not enough for the armies to search the southeast. Lei Weitang, Zhou Lanting and others were repeatedly defeated. In the first month of the year, Zhou had already collapsed. Lei Shang was surrounded. Huang Ding led ten thousand people to come to the rescue. I don't know if the entire army could And retreat. Jin Ti's army was victorious over the whole camp, and more than ten thousand Hunan troops were left alone. It seemed that they should move their troops to get food in order to revive. Zuo Gong's plan was not up to this point, so he only ordered his good ministers to go forward with supplies. He was afraid that there was no way to remedy the situation, and Long would not be able to succeed, and Qin would not be able to support it.
Liu Songshan died in the battle. Zeng Guofan was filled with sorrow and quickly said: Liu Songshan, the Admiral of the Guangdong land route, has been proclaiming his power for the longest time. He was loyal and brave to Myron. He attacked Huizhai and died of injuries. I would like to recount his deeds and please publish them in the history museum. A special temple was established in this place.
Zhao Liewen, the guest behind the scenes, said: "Commander Qi, if the general is lost in front of the battle, the morale of the army will be shaken. Liu Jintang is young, can he turn the tide?"
Zeng Guofan said: The army is marching to the west, and Zuo Gong is the commander-in-chief. If Zuo Commander-in-Chief does not decline, the overall situation will not be compromised. Liu Songshan was a man of first-class intelligence and intelligence, and he knew how to recognize people. As the saying goes, he did not avoid relatives in internal promotions. Liu Jintang may be better than his predecessors, and those who come after him will take over.
Zhao Liewen said: "Zuo Gong's army is very short of pay. Commander Di must come forward to show his strength."
Zeng Guofan said, "Time waits for me. I trouble Huifu to rush to Liangjiang to raise food supplies for Mr. Zuo." The year before last, the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau purchased four Krupp steel cannons from Germany. The cannons had a net weight of four pounds and could hit far distances. They were strong and light, and could be pulled by horses and move like flying. Huifu must use my name to dispatch two of them and send people who are familiar with artillery to send them to Shaanxi and Gansu for Commander Zuo to bombard Jinji Fort.
When the Empress Dowager Cixi heard that Liu Songshan had died in the battle, and that Kongji from Shaanxi and Gansu had been killed, she immediately sent an order: Li Hongzhang, Governor of Huguang, should not go to Guizhou to quell the rebellion for the time being, but would immediately go to Shaanxi to supervise the troops to suppress the Fen bandits.
Li Hongzhang received the order and ordered Liu Shengchuan, the commander of the Sheng and Chuan 2nd Battalions, to go to Shaanxi first. He also ordered Liu Mingchuan to rush to Beijing to take over Ming's army and then go to Shaanxi.
