Chapter 184 Zuo Zongtang is fearless in the face of danger (1)
When the Huai army entered Shaanxi, Zuo Zongtang was not happy. He wrote in Shangshu: "Li Hongzhang's Huai army was stationed in Qin. It was not necessary. The reason why I refused to mobilize him was because the Huai army had different commanders and divided them among themselves." In terms of military affairs, Huai is easy to use the masses, but Longyou is too difficult to find food. If there are many, they will collapse, so it is not suitable to use just one. In terms of pay, the Huai army is paid in full for nine months of the year, but the Chu army cannot get full pay for the first month of the year. If they are combined in one place, they will be incompatible with each other, and it will be difficult to comfort the two.
After Zongtang finished playing, his grievances were not gone, so he wrote a letter to Liu Dian, Mu Tushan, Huang Ding, Zhang Yao, Jin Shun, Liu Jintang, Lei Zhengwan, etc.: I have no help from within, and many old grudges from outside. Li Shaoquan's Huai army moved to Qinzhong, which was unnecessary.
The reason why I am unwilling to call upon those who have different commanders in the Huai army is to divide them among themselves. In terms of military affairs, Huai is easy to use the masses, but Longyou is too difficult to find food. If there are many, they will collapse, so it is not suitable to use just one.
In terms of pay, the Huai army is paid in full for nine months of the year, but the Chu army cannot get full pay for the first month of the year. If they are combined in one place, they will be incompatible with each other, and it will be difficult to comfort the two.
If it must be said that the Huai army was a surrogate to the Qin Dynasty, then Li Shaoquan did not need Qin pay at all. The troops he sent packed their own food to prepare for the response, so there was no harm to Shaanxi Gan. My comparison is based on my humble opinion, and I dare not comment too much. The gods of heaven and earth have learned from it.
To be fair, if the Huai army is placed in a useless place, the expenses will be huge! If we stop this waste and use it to pay our hungry army, it will not benefit both sides. Li Shaoquan refused to speak, and Li Shaoquan's party also did not speak. Wouldn't it be better to wait for the Chu army to be defeated by hunger and death?
Since ancient times, those who use armor from the northwest must use millet from the southeast. I traveled from southeast to northwest, and what I saw and heard was the same. When he was in the extremely difficult and dangerous place in the northwest, his actions were suddenly different. Li Shaoquan couldn't be cool with him, and others couldn't be cool with him. Even people who were in the same situation refused to tell the truth because they were ordered to do so. Oh, it's strange!
The armies were in arrears with their pay, and they were given seven out of ten. The soldiers were not without resentment. Anil bandits are overflowing and causing trouble, and alarms are heard everywhere; the battle between Gansu and Longxi is a critical one, and the situation may collapse overnight; the urgent task is to rely on the bravery of all the brothers to fight to the death, support the building before it collapses, and turn the tide before it is over. fall.
Huang Ding received the letter, rode lightly and followed, and went to Pingliang at night to meet with Zongtang. After the general saluted, Huang Ding said: "I am reporting to the commander-in-chief of the left. People from Gan and Shaanxi are coming out. I will take advantage of the opportunity and attack Jinji Fort. I will definitely win." Win the battle.
Zongtang said: "Shou Qing has recently passed away, the entrance to the Bronze Gorge has been lost, fennel has disturbed the Qin Dynasty, the grain road has been blocked again, the morale of the army is turbulent, and the soldiers in each camp have abandoned their armor and fled at night. How can we fight?"
Huang Ding said: "I report to Commander Zuo that I have been stationed in Jingzhou for more than a year. Under Commander Zuo's order, I ordered the soldiers and people to farm about 140,000 acres. This autumn, we have gained a lot. The people's warehouses are strong, and the army is getting rich. This is the biggest one." Rely on!
Zongtang sighed and said: In less than a year, I have suffered many casualties and lost many generals. Gao Gong Liansheng and Liu Gong Songshan were my right-hand men, but they died suddenly one after another.
Huang Ding said: "I tell you, Commander Zuo, that the way of attack and defense depends on the situation." Twenty miles south of the entrance of Qingtong Gorge, there is a mountain called Niushou Mountain. The gorge here is narrow and is the first gate of Jinji Fort. Horse thieves rely on the natural danger, so I attack and occupy it, strangle the snake seven inches, and control the overall situation.
Zongtang said: "Zuanwang City south of Niushou Mountain and Heichengzi on the outskirts of Guyuan have both been occupied by thieves. Is there any countermeasures for Yi Feng?"
Huang Ding said: "To report to Commander Zuo, I will immediately order Xu Zhanbiao's troops to attack Zhanwang City and advance towards Niushoushan. Ma Zhenghe will enter Heichengzi alone with no reinforcements in front and no response behind. I will gather the main force and take his life."
Zongtang said: Yi Feng's words are like enlightenment. My brother leads the South Road and will definitely do something. The thieves are easy to control and Liu Dian comes to report. There will be no alarm in Yan, Yu, Sui, Hancheng, Heyang, and Tongzhou; there will be no itching on the back road. , the overall situation is improving. .
Huang Ding said: "I have reported to Commander Zuo that Zhou Sheng has said that the Huai tribe has entered the Qin Dynasty. Commander Zuo may be able to send him to prepare for urgent needs."
Zongtang said, "Huai is Li Shaoquan's forbidden treasure. How can we allow others to interfere with it?" At the Battle of Yinlong River, Xiang and Huai have already broken apart. Li Huai is here to take my place and replace me. If our army does not decline, what can we do? I immediately ordered Liu Jintang and Jin Yunchang to immediately seize Yongning Cave, counterattack Wuzhong Fort, and attack Jinji Fort from east to west.
Liu Jintang received the order and urgently summoned Dong Fuxiang, Huang Wanyou, Jin Yunchang and others, saying: The three armies are alone, and they will collapse if they slack off; only by counterattack can they survive.
Huang Wanyou said: The army besieging Jinjibao originally consisted of three routes; the northern route was Jinshun and Zhang Yao, and the southern route was Lei Zhengwan and Zhou Lanting. They have been stagnant for more than a year and have been unable to move forward. Pingliang is six hundred miles away, and Zuo Shuai is stationed far away. , unable to supervise. There are redundant generals and different powers. Even if we capture Wuzhong Fort and Yongning Cave and advance to Jinji Fort, what can we do?
Liu Jintang said: "I am determined to attack for three reasons. One is to hold on or retreat. Half a month ago, Commander Zuo had ordered us to choose one. Now Commander Zuo has ordered us to counterattack. We cannot go against it." Second, the thieves have poured out of Jinji Fort and can take advantage of the situation. In the previous siege of Ma Wuzhai, the defeat was not caused by fighting, but it was three.
Huang Wanyou said: If the counterattack succeeds, everything will be fine; if there is a recurrence and the food road is cut off, the hungry soldiers will collapse.
Dong Fuxiang said: Last year, during the battle in Heichengzi, Huang Ding, Lei Zhengwan, Zhou Lanting, Jian Jinglin and others joined forces to capture and kill Yang Wenzhi, the rebel leader, to frighten the enemy; today Huang and others are fighting bloody battles in Heichengzi and Anticipation City. If I stand by and watch, , humans and gods are outraged!
Liu Jintang said: On the north road, Jin Shun and Zhang Yao's two armies entered Wangjiameng for the third time, and the grain road will be opened soon; on the south road, Huang Ding's reinforcements arrived, and Lei Zhengwan's siege was solved. Huang and Lei returned to Niushoushan and Zhanwang City. , Heichengzi, a fierce battle is going on. If we do not advance but retreat, we will miss the overall situation. Tomorrow, I will lead the Chinese army to attack the stronghold, seize the fort, and kill Ma Wu.
On March 5, 1870, Liu Jintang, Huang Wanyou, and Jin Yunchang advanced in three directions and took Ma Wuzhai directly. Dong Fuxiang and Tan Diocui attacked Ma Qi and Ma Ba Tiao two villages separately, but surrounded but did not attack them as a containment.
Ma Wudu ordered all the people to fight to the death. After a day of fierce fighting, both the people and the village were burned.
Ma Badiao trapped Liu Songshan to death, knowing that his life was difficult to save, so he killed himself to protect the people of the village. After Ma Badiao died, both Ma Qi and Ma Badiao villages raised white flags and bowed their heads to surrender.
Liu Jintang did not kill recklessly. He took out the heads of five and eight horses to pay homage to the soul of Liu Songshan. He immediately ordered each battalion to separate and attack together, sweep the stronghold and destroy the fort, and advance to Jinji Fort.
On the southern route, Huang Ding also supervised the troops, captured the city of Zuwang, beheaded Ma Zhenghe, and then reached the Qingtong Gorge entrance.
When Zuo Zongtang heard the news, he happily reported: There are no more alarms in Yan, Yu, Sui, Hancheng, Heyang, and Tongzhou. It seems that all the thieves in Shaanxi have actually moved westward. According to the current actual situation, what Yuan Baoheng said is not very consistent. After General Liu Songshan was killed in battle, he ordered Liu Jintang to take over, and the defensive line was eighty miles longer than before.
In addition, according to reports from various counties and counties in Shaanxi, there are no bandit troops in the territory. The newly arrived reinforcements from Anhui and Henan should rush to Pingliang, Gansu Province immediately; the Huai army and Anhui army that have not yet arrived should be withdrawn on the spot to save pay.
