Chapter 198 Liu Jintang regains northern Xinjiang
Before Liu Jintang left, Zongtang summoned him again and warned earnestly: The soldiers and horses are ruthless, and the guns and artillery have no eyes. They are the first to be in the battle, and they must be cautious in order to guard against unforeseen disasters and destabilize the morale of the army.
Liu Jintang said: "If you tell the commander-in-chief Zuo that if you don't act bravely, your troops will become weak." The subordinates have already told me that if there is any danger, Dong Fuxiang will take charge. After Dong Fuxiang, Huang Wanpeng will take charge. Commander Zuo leads the entire army, and we attack in front of the formation without any hesitation.
Zongtang let out a short breath and said excitedly: Wang Changling of the Tang Dynasty said, Qinghai is covered with long clouds and dark snow-capped mountains, and the lonely city looks at Yumen Pass in the distance. Yellow sand can wear golden armor in a hundred battles, and Loulan will never be returned until it is broken. Loulan is gone, and Yizhai regains the western frontier, which is a comfort to his life.
On July 21, 1876, Liu Jintang of Xining Road and the 25th Battalion of Mabu arrived at Guchengzi, set up camp, and after surveying the terrain, Jintang flew to Jimusa to discuss the siege of Urumqi with Jin Shun, the assistant minister of Xinjiang.
After being polite, Jin Shun said: Commander Zuo will station Xu Zhanbiao in Barkol to protect the army's food route; Zhang Yao will guard Hami to control the Turpan bandits in southern Xinjiang; you and I will be the attacking army and compete in northern Xinjiang. I would like to ask General Liu if he has any good strategy to defeat the enemy?
Jintang said: "For your information, General, Urumqi is surrounded by mountains on three sides to the east, south and southwest. It is impeccable. The ancient pasture land forty miles to the north is in a dangerous terrain. If you want to defeat Urumqi, you must attack the ancient pasture land first."
Jin Shundao: General Liu, thank you very much. You and I will immediately organize our army to march westward and besiege the ancient pastureland.
Jintang said: Guchengzi and Jimusa are both three hundred miles away from the ancient pastoral land. The army is attacking from a long distance, and the end of the powerful crossbow cannot penetrate Lu's silk. Thirty miles northeast of the ancient pastoral land, there was a small town called Fukang. There were not many bandits. They quickly occupied it to make a foothold.
On July 25, Liu Jintang's army arrived in Fukang. After waiting for three days, Jin Shun's army was nowhere to be seen. Jin Tang sighed and said: The bandits are harvesting wheat and beans, and they have food to eat. Although the rear troops have not yet arrived, the division should not delay any longer.
As he spoke, the Jinshun Eight Banners Army also arrived.
Jintang said happily: From Fukang to the ancient pasture land, the main road passes through the Gobi Desert. There is only one water source in the middle, which can provide a hundred people with drinking water in a day; I want General Jin to guard Fukang. I will show my presence on the road and attack Huangtian at night. If I attack him unprepared, I will win the battle.
Jin Shundao: General Liu has come all the way, how can our Eight Banners army just watch? The trail is narrow, covered with wormwood and thorns, which is not conducive to the deployment of the army. In the past, Cao Mengde retreated from Chibi and also took the Huarong Trail. I begged General Liu to think twice.
Liu Jintang said: The ancient pasture land is the key point of Wucheng. The rebels dare not abandon the main road and let us drive straight in. We are advancing rapidly on the road and attacking the Huangtian water source. We are controlling from above and there is no way we can go.
Jin Shundao: Can you please order Yili General Rongquan and Urumqi Counselor Xilun to besiege Manas as a containment.
Jintang said: "It can be used as a auxiliary attack. This is a two-pronged approach."
Liu Jintang's and Jin Shun's armies pressed forward, and the Urumqi defenders and Haohan troops were impatient and rushed to the front of the formation to inquire about the opportunity.
Fenmu Baiyanhu said: My powerful troops are stationed in Huangtian to protect the water source and wait for opportunities. Liu Jintang's demon army was digging a well in the main road to collect water. When they were tired, they suddenly attacked.
The horseman learned: Three thousand cavalry troops from Dabancheng in southern Xinjiang will arrive in the near future. By then, if the inside and outside are coordinated, the battle will be won. The gains and losses of Huangtian are related to the survival of the ancient pasture land; the survival of the ancient pasture land is related to the city defense of Urumqi. General Bai's army all reinforced Huangtian; Urumqi's army immediately reinforced Gumudi. General Bai, don't be careless, I will return to the city to mobilize reinforcements.
After the horse people said goodbye, Bai Yanhu gathered more people and horses to support Huangtian.
His sister-in-law couldn't bear the trouble and said: Ma Rende and Agubai are both from the Haohan country. They robbed my property, killed my people, humiliated my mother and daughter, and slaughtered my children. You turned a blind eye and didn't hear anything. I feel really sad.
Many people echoed, and one person said: Ningxia Imam has successfully obtained a member of my tribe, and his old tribe is Ji Manas. Why don't we transfer to Macheng? On the one hand, we can avoid the sharp edge of Liu Jintang's demon army, and on the other hand, we can use our brothers to cut through gold.
When Bai Yanhu heard this, he drew his sword and beheaded his sister-in-law immediately, saying: The enemy is at hand, and those who disrupt the morale of the army will die! After passing on our military order, Yu Xiaohu speeded up his headquarters and retreated to Manas.
Yu Xiaohu said: "The battle is about to begin. If you retreat suddenly, you will be defeated. I beg Commander Tiger to allow me to kill the demon here."
Bai Yanhu said: There is a saying in the art of war that a perfect combination leads to a surprise victory. Liu Jintang's combat power is superior. If he fights head-on, he has little chance of winning. Your tribe retreats to find a way out for our clan.
On August 9, Liu Jintang sent back 3,000 elite soldiers, lined up on the road, and paraded through the city. At three o'clock the next day, Dong Fuxiang led Dong Zi's third battalion, Liu Jintang, and Jin Shun each with 6,000 horses and infantry. The troops were divided into five groups and raided Huangtian from the trail. At dawn, they captured the enemy with one blow.
Bai Yanhu was frightened, so he broke up with his troops and retreated to the ancient pasture land. Liu Jintang and Jin Shunxun led their armies and surrounded them on all sides.
Jin Shun wanted to attack the city on a ladder, but Jintang refused, saying: "The bandit soldiers are also good at guns and artillery. If they attack the city on a ladder, there will be many casualties." The city wall of the ancient pastureland is more than three feet long. I can build forts as high as the city. Krupp field cannons and flowering cannons can fire volleys to frighten the enemy. The advantage of garrisoning troops under a fortified city is to move quickly, but it is especially necessary to intercept them tightly to stop them from running away in order to gather and annihilate them.
On August 13, Atuo Aidu from Kokand came fiercely with 3,000 war horses. The people of Haokand assessed the situation and were not in a hurry to attack. They only ordered the cavalry to camp at the southern pass of the ancient pasture city as a horn.
Not wanting to give in too much, Liu Jintang ordered Hanzhong Town General Tan Shanglian and named Admiral Tan Heyi to coordinate with infantry and artillery to launch a strong frontal attack. Yu Huen, Huang Wanpeng, Saling'a, and Shakdu Linzabu's cavalry surrounded them on both sides and attacked in a roundabout way.
A Tuoai was attacked from both sides and collapsed in battle.
The armies of Liu Jintang and Jin Shun surrounded them for three times, and the defenders of the ancient pastureland remained as silent as cicadas. In the early morning of the 17th, Jintang gave an order, and the Krupp breech-loading cannon, flowering cannon, and frog cannon were fired with rumbling sound and thunderous force. In an instant, the walls of the ancient Mudi City collapsed and smoke filled the air.
More than 10,000 Qing troops swarmed in, and the cavalry, infantry, and small frog artillery teams fought bravely to be the first. For a moment, the needle fired rapidly, the gun fired seven times, and the mountain-splitting cannon fired like rain.
The defenders were frightened and made some resistance. Some abandoned their weapons and surrendered, or they fled wildly.
Jintang captured the ancient pastoral land and found a letter from a large number of people. It said: All the best troops from Urumqi have been sent. Now the defense of the three cities is lacking. The troops from southern Xinjiang cannot arrive quickly. You can stay on guard, otherwise You can also retreat to Wucheng and strengthen your defense.
Jintang was overjoyed and left two battalions to guard the ancient pasture land. The large group of troops marched quickly on a starry night. At dawn, they arrived at the outer city of Wuyuan and set up artillery to bombard them.
Bai Yanhu and the horsemen were so frightened that they neither engaged in battle nor defended the city.
