Chapter 189 Zuo Zongtang pacifies Guanlong (4)
Zuo Zongtang received the order and was very relieved. He immediately ordered all the people in Hezhou to enter the city to negotiate for surrender.
The people in Hezhou received the order and did not dare to neglect. They all tied their arms and filed in. Ma Zhan'ao burst into tears and choked with sobs: "Ma has sinned deeply, and he has committed the crime himself. From now on, the stupid people will be loyal to the wholehearted and will never rebel."
Zuo Zongtang was also very moved and said: You guys can understand the righteousness, which is very comforting to people's hearts. Your Majesty is about to encircle Xining and attack Suzhou. You and others will organize three battalions of cavalry and merge them into Liu Jintang's Xiang camp on Xining Road to perform meritorious deeds.
Ma Zhan'ao said: Reporting to Commander Zuo, his subordinates found out that Ma Guiyuan, the prefect of Xining, asked for help but it was a lie. He was conspiring with the Baiyanhu bandit of Shaanxi Province to cause trouble.
Zuo Zongtang said: "I have something to say first. If the Xining Fen tribe does not submit all the horses and equipment, and if the bandits do not bundle up and present them all, there will be no need to discuss the bureau." Shaanxi Fenmu Baiyanhu is a cunning and cunning man. He started in Dongzhiyuan, broke into Jinjibao, and escaped to Hezhou Prefecture. Now he is colluding with Ma Guiyuan of Xining again, which is extremely hateful.
Ma Zhan'ao said: "To report to Commander Zuo, the winter before last year, Bai Yanhu's bandits escaped to Hezhou Prefecture. His subordinates saw that his intentions were not correct and they also reprimanded him."
Zuo Zongtang said: "You are not Bai, so don't compare them."
Ma Zhan'ao said: "Commander Zuo has been so kind to me, but I can't repay him, so I am very scared." The subordinates immediately led their troops to counterattack and repay Zuo Shuai's kindness.
Zuo Zongtang said: "That's very good. I, the noble minister, are waiting for the good news."
After Ma Zhan'ao left, it was almost dusk when Liu Jintang from Xining Road suddenly came to see him.
Zongtang said: Please come quickly.
Liu Jintang paid homage to Zongtang and said, "I'd like to report to Commander Zuo. The camp of Commander Zuo is solemn and solemn, but there is a flower by the pond that stands out. My subordinates saw it by chance, so I sincerely ask Commander Zuo to correct it."
Who will plant immortals in Yaotai? Luoxia Ruicai blooms alone. The shadows on the bright moon pool in the sky are not even accompanied by flowers.
After Zuo Zongtang finished reciting the poem, he pretended to be disdainful and said: "Yizhai is no longer a common man!"
Liu Jintang said: Thank you Commander Zuo for the compliment.
Zuo Zongtang said: A warrior is also a reckless man! Are the foreign guns in Jinjibao really belong to Fenmu’s private collection?
Liu Jintang was silent.
Zuo Zongtang said again: Only by reading more books of sages can you understand the true meaning. In battles on the battlefield, life and death matter; Dukes Fu Xianzong and Xu Wenxiu were also wrapped in horse leather, but I, the noble minister, treated Ma Zhan'ao like an old friend. Do you know what this means?
Liu Jintang hurriedly knelt down and said: "This subordinate is pretending to be a public servant for personal gain. I beg Commander Zuo to punish him!"
Zuo Zongtang said: In the first year of Tongzhi, rebellion invaded Shaanxi, and Guanlong was in chaos. In the land of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia, the fireworks are silent, and white bones and yellow thatch are everywhere. The left Li weeps and complains, and the disaster is so fierce that it has never been seen in ancient and modern times. The princes of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia all said that they would rebel against the enemy and kill the people and massacre the city. Heaven and earth would not tolerate it. We, the Han people, have always been one-minded, advancing but not retreating, suppressing but not appeasing. However, my ministers carefully investigated and found that the Han people were quarreling and causing catastrophe. The cause of the quarrel was actually the Han people. You and I are not demons. Killing to stop killing should be done with due restraint.
Liu Jintang said: "I will obey Commander Zuo's instructions."
Zuo Zongtang said: Ma Guiyuan, the magistrate of Xining, has a good appearance and is definitely not a good person. All the eight subordinate areas in Xining will follow his teachings. Those who do not follow his teachings will be killed. The so-called Marshal Tiger among the thieves is Bai Yanhu. He is fierce, cunning and cunning. He has gathered a large number of troops at Xiaoxiakou. If you want to destroy the city of Xining, you must kill this guy first.
Liu Jintang said: "My subordinates will immediately lead the 18th Battalion of Xiangyong to attack the mouths of large and small gorges and sweep away Shaanxi and Qingnihui."
Zuo Zongtang said: The general leads the three armies with the heart and strength of the soldiers. His anger is like a thousand-mile scorpion, and his power is like all things. Therefore, his reputation is violent compared to that of barbarians, and his majesty is even more powerful than that of neighboring countries. You are already a general and a minion of the country; do not be like Duke Liu Song and Duke Fu Xianzong, who only thought of leading the troops personally and made big mistakes.
Liu Jintang said: "I will obey Commander Zuo's instructions."
On July 26, 1872, Liu Jintang led his army to Nianbo.
Dong Fuxiang, the commander-in-chief of the Gan Army, said: To the east of Xining, the Huangshui River Valley stretches for more than eighty miles. There is a narrow road in it, which our army must pass through. On both sides of the valley, there are towering cliffs, thousands of meters tall. Ma Guiyuan and Bai Yanhu are equal to the size of Nanchuan and Nanchuan. In the dangerous places of the big and small gorges, heavy troops were deployed and more than fifty fortifications were built. This battle was destined to be difficult.
Liu Jintang said: Pingrongyi, Mayingwan and Sansanlipu are connected to the mouth of the Grand Gorge, and all three places are strategic points. I immediately led the Chinese army to set up camp at Pingrongyi and defend the enemy nearby; Tanshang company headquarters was stationed in Mayingwan. , He Zuolin's troops settled in Sansanlipu to protect the way back.
Dong Fuxiang said: Ma Guiyuan and Bai Yanhu have gathered heavy troops at the mouth of the small gorge, while Cui Wei and Bi Dacai are standing at the north and south of the mouth of the big gorge. General Liu must not put himself in danger. Under the bid, he led Dong Zi's third battalion to attack the enemy in advance.
Liu Jintang said: "The soldiers are marching in dangerous places, and the generals should not be at ease!" According to my military order, the officers and soldiers marched into Pingrong Post to suppress the mouths of the large and small gorges. Passing here, Tufen should not be frightened.
When Liu Jintang's army arrived at Pingrong Post, Shaanxi Fenmu Baiyanhu was very frightened. He said anxiously: "We caught him by surprise and attacked him unprepared. We cut off his food road and cut off his retreat. The demon army collapsed. I will lead the Shaanxi troops to copy Sanlipu and Mayingwan." Waiting for me to succeed, I immediately rushed out of the stronghold and took advantage of the situation to cover up and kill.
Ma Sanwa, the commander-in-chief of the Xining Army, and Ma Shou, the commander-in-chief of the Datong Army, both said: We are looking at the tiger commander and the horse head.
Bai Yanhu said: Soldiers are capricious and erratic. If the offensive encounters resistance, the army will rely on the mouth of the large gorge and fight fiercely for days. Then it will retreat to the south bank of the Huangshui River and rely on the key pass at the mouth of the small gorge to fight the monster to the death.
Cui Wei of Shaanxi Fenmu said: Maying Valley is surrounded by mountains and ravines, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack. Our troops climbed over the mountains and ridges and swaggered out, attracting the main force of the demon. The tiger commander took the opportunity to lead the main cavalry to attack Sanlipu. Commander Hu succeeds and once again flanks Maying Bay and connects with my momentum, great things can be accomplished.
On August 5, Cui Wei's army of more than a thousand troops advanced towards Maying Bay.
Liu Jintang heard the news and rushed back to help. Jintang observed the battle situation and said: The bandits are all over the mountains and plains, thunder is heavy and rain is light, they must be deceitful! Who are these people with thieves’ eyes?
Ma Zhan'ao said: General Liu, Thiemou is one of the four commanders of Shaanxi, Cui Wei is also.
Dong Fuxiang said: "I have informed General Liu that the thief Bai Yanhu will attack my 30th mile shop. I will lead my headquarters to respond quickly."
Liu Jintang said: He Junmen has eight camps on horseback and cannot get out of the strong wall, so he can deal with it on his own. Our troops are divided into three groups. Tao Shenglin's artillery team moves forward, Xiong Longming's horse and infantry are in the center, General Dong is on the left, and our troops are on the right. We coordinate with horse, infantry and artillery to annihilate the bandits approaching in front of us first.
Liu Jintang's offensive was fierce, but Cui Wei could not resist and fled in embarrassment.
In this area of Sanlipu, He Zuolin could not get out of the fortress. Far away, there were cannons and guns, and near, there were spears and sharp blades. Bai Yan's tiger and horse team rushed and attacked more than ten times, but to no avail.
Bai Yanhu, Cui Wei and others retreated, and all the generals were happy. However, Liu Jintang said: The bandits only suffered superficial injuries and will definitely counterattack. Yu Hu'en's troops quickly left Maying Bay and set up an ambush; Tao Shenglin's troops quickly circled to the west of the mouth of the Grand Gorge and attacked. The Beishan bandit army retreated; Tan Heyi's tribe should quickly swim across the Huangshui River and copy the Nanshan bandit army; Li Shuangliang and Zhang Jun's men went straight to the mouth of the Grand Gorge to attack their lair.
