Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 535: The front door drives out the Jiangnan tiger, and the back door lets in the Guizhou wolf~
"Report! The Wu army has followed the Wushui River upstream, and the vanguard has passed Wuxi Town."

"How many troops are there?"

"The team is endless, with over 10,000 soldiers."

Zeng Di's triangular eyes flashed with cold light:

"They're finally here."

"If an enemy comes, we will fight him; if a flood comes, we will block it with earth. Pass the order down, gather the leaders of all tribes and prepare for battle."

"Xiangxi is not a place where anyone can come and go as they please. Since they have barged in rashly, they must leave their lives behind."

"Whoo."

The entire Phoenix city was in an uproar.

Countless people were ready to slaughter the Wu army that had come from afar in the mountains.

……

Inside the former military headquarters of Phoenix City,
Zeng Di and the chieftain of Fenghuang sat at the top, with dozens of leaders sitting below them.

It was noisy, like a bandit meeting.

Zeng Di tried his best to suppress his anger and pressed his right hand to signal:

"Everyone, be quiet. Be quiet."

"This is a great opportunity. If the Wu army wants to attack our Phoenix City, they can only march along the Wushui and Tuojiang Rivers."

A village leader asked:

"Futai, what if they leave from the mountains?"

Zeng Di smiled:

"A small group of locals can cross the mountains. How can the army, with its baggage, mules, horses, and artillery, cross the mountains?"

Everyone laughed.

"So, I conclude that they must be marching along the river valley."

……

"Defeat them, seize their clothes, baggage, and guns, then go down the river and plunder Changde Prefecture."

The crowd cheered.

That's what they want to hear.

Fight and rob at the same time.

Zeng Di then smiled and assigned tasks to each department.

When the government office was empty, Fenghuang Tusi quietly asked:
"My dear son-in-law, I have a bold idea."

"Old Taishan, I also have a bold idea."

The two looked at each other and smiled, thinking that they had the same idea.

Write down your thoughts.

The note from Fenghuang Tusi read: "Borrowing the foreign soldiers outside the wall."

Zeng Di wrote: "Water flooded seven armies."

……

Both were shocked by each other.

The two strategies are more vicious than each other.

The wall refers to the Xiangxi Great Wall, also known as the Southern Border Wall.

The total length is 400 li, mostly built in dangerous places, and its structure is similar to the Great Wall in the north. Its military significance is to isolate the savages from the cultivated ones.

The so-called civilized aborigines were the tribes that lived inside the wall (in the south), were conquered militarily, accepted Han culture, and were registered as citizens.

The so-called savages lived outside the wall (in the north) and referred to tribes that had never been conquered militarily, refused to be assimilated by the Han people, and often rebelled.

The Shengfan tribes are mainly distributed in two areas:
The Laer Mountain area at the junction of Sichuan, Guizhou and Hunan provinces and the Leigong Mountain area in southeastern Guizhou.

Tongren Prefecture is a typical example.

Wang Shenglie spent most of his life fighting with the surrounding savage tribes.

Although they had the upper hand, they were unable to achieve a decisive victory.

The mountains are the best guerrilla base for unruly savages.

……

Zeng Di thought about it and shook his head:
"The Wu bandits are tigers, and the wild people are wolves. You must never drive the tiger out the front door and let the wolf in through the back door."

"No, no, no."

Phoenix Toast thought about it and sighed.

He was also worried that his fellow tribesmen outside the wall would regard him as a traitor and a scum. A chieftain who wrote Chinese characters, spoke Chinese, learned to enjoy life like the Han people, and even married a Han official~
Zeng Di added:
"Don't support those people outside the wall. Once they start making trouble, we will be attacked from all sides."

"it is good."

Zeng Di was still awake.

If these savage tribes were incited to cause unrest, Xiangxi would become an isolated island.

The Wu army regarded themselves as enemies, and those savages regarded themselves as enemies even more.

The taste of the sandwich is unpleasant.

……

"Has the caravan I sent to Tongren to buy food, arrows, and gunpowder returned?"

"Reporting to the Governor, not yet. It should be soon."

Zeng Di stood high above Phoenix City with his hands behind his back.

Family hatred and personal ambition made him full of murderous intent towards the approaching Wu army.

far away,

Hundreds of people are busy building a river dam.

Now that the rain is getting heavier day by day, he wants to give the Wu army marching along the river valley a shock from nature.

……

On both sides of the valley, clouds and mist linger ~
The endless Wu army was trudging forward.

The vanguard light infantry were equipped with a large number of rifles, and they advanced carefully on the rocks on the river beach.

The atmosphere was depressing.

When you look up, you can see the endless green forest shrouded in mist.

A warrant officer muttered:

"Damn it, why do I feel like there are people watching me everywhere?"

A senior non-commissioned officer next to him sighed:
"Don't watch it, or you'll scare yourself to death. From Jiangsu to Guangdong, from Jiangxi to Hunan, this is the first time I've fought such a disgusting battle."

Everyone was silent.

Take a short break on the river beach.

Tobacco became a hot commodity on the front lines.

Soldiers flocked to it because it did not add any weight.

……

This time, the Wu army dispatched 13000 people.

Lin Huaisheng went to the front line in person despite the officers' dissuasion.

He was not riding a horse, nor was he wearing a striking gold-embroidered military uniform. He was dressed just like an ordinary officer.

Prevent being sniped by the Zhengan troops in the dense forest.

Never underestimate the skills of mountain hunters, just like you shouldn't use your hobbies to challenge other people's meals.

The march was slow but steady.

The camping site was forced to be divided into several parts because the river beach was not wide enough.

……

The first 4 days went extremely smoothly.

Starting from the 5th day, it seemed like I had stirred up a hornet's nest.

The attacks were everywhere.

There were arrows and gunshots, falling stones, small groups of Zhengan troops rushing out, local chieftain soldiers on night patrol, and insects everywhere.

Lin Huaisheng recalled that when he was a member of the Northwest Horse Racing Gang in his early years, he saw a healthy horse surrounded by wasps and was also so frantic and helpless.

Finally, the horse galloped away in front of everyone's gaze and disappeared.

Set up camp in the evening.

"How much damage is there today?"

"The total number of casualties is 492."

"What's the catch?"

"I don't know. I think there are less than a hundred people."

……

On the 6th day, it was still the same.

The frenzied Wu army stopped again and again, setting up artillery to bombard the dense forest.

The sound of gunfire echoed back and forth in the valley.

Everyone's face was filled with ferocity, madness and fear.

Not to mention the boatmen and trackers, the soldiers had already killed dozens of people who had escaped without permission.

Camping that night,

There was also a camp howl.

A new recruit who was under too much pressure suddenly felt an itch on his face while he was sleeping. He reached out and grabbed a snake. His nerves instantly collapsed and he started yelling out of control.

Hundreds of people were affected.

The officers worked for half an hour to suppress the situation.

This campfire caused more than 40 casualties, more than 30 people missing, and countless tents and weapons were destroyed.

……

More terrible things happened one after another.

The next day we marched.

The boatman shouted:

"Stranded, stranded."

After working for a long time, the trackers were surprised to find that the water level of Tuojiang River had inexplicably dropped.

Everyone felt something was wrong at once.

A staff officer from southern Zhejiang took off his boots and military pants, and walked down to the river leaning on a wooden stick.

After a while, he hurried ashore.

"Marshal Lin, we are in big trouble. The Zhengan Army must have built a dam upstream."

"you sure?"

"Sure, I'm from Quzhou, and the geography there is similar to that of Xiangxi. It rains a lot at this time of year, so the rivers in the mountainous areas can only swell but not dry up."

The staff officer's words were very certain, because they came from his life experience.

……

The entire fleet was stranded.

Lin Huaisheng looked at the team that had come to a standstill and knew that he could not hesitate any longer.

Otherwise, if the upstream people dig up the dam, the battle will be lost.

"Where is ahead?"

"Muziping."

"Unload the cargo, control the high ground, and set up camp in the col."

Another day wasted on this busy work.

Everyone worked together to pull the boat ashore and run it aground, moving the supplies across the hills and storing them in the valley.

The scouts of the Zhengan Army who had been spying were so angry that their teeth were itching.

It could have flooded the seven armies.

The news reached Phoenix.
Zeng Diqi laughed: "All the efforts were in vain."

……

Zhao Zhuangwen also has the same feeling.

He had already lost all his cards, and could only lead the remaining 100 men to cross mountains and ridges on the north bank of Tuojiang River, with their destination - Guizhou.

Although he was on the run, he did not forget to observe the war.

The Zhengan Army and the Wu Army were concentrated on the south bank of the Tuo River, so they could not hinder him.

A ridiculous thought suddenly occurred to him:

"If I hadn't met Wang Jie in Wuchang, where would I be now? Would I have been able to become a sensation?"

For a long time,

He smiled bitterly, shook his head and continued his trek.

There was no place for him to stay in Hunan, so he decided to try his luck with Agui in Yunnan via Guizhou.

A real man should be at home all the time and should never be willing to sit at a desk and be a clerk.

……

There was continuous drizzle and fog filled the mountains and forests.

Lin Huaisheng stretched out his hand and grasped a handful of air, feeling the dampness that was about to overflow.

One staff officer complained:

"Marshal Lin, it's too humid. The food is spoiled, the gunpowder is damp, and the soldiers' uniforms are always wet."

Lin Huaisheng carried his military uniform closer to the bonfire and whispered:
"Come on, come on."

This place is not far from Phoenix.

It’s almost there.

However, it was no longer possible to march along the river valley.

The water enclosed by the upstream dam is like a sword hanging over your head.

……

"How many days will the food and grass last?"

"If we don't count the transportation from the rear, the army only has enough food to last for eight days."

"That's enough." Lin Huaisheng put on his dried clothes again, "Issue an order to the entire army to leave behind the wounded, the baggage camp, and the civilians. Reduce the daily food quota by 4%, and just hold on to Muziping."

"The main force will follow the Tuojiang River, with elite light infantry taking the ridgeline, and the main force will follow the mountainside to hold out and take Phoenix City in one go."

"Marshal Lin, what about the cannons?"

"The mortars should be carried, and the heavy artillery should be carried through the river valley. If it is impossible, the artillerymen are allowed to abandon the cannons."

suddenly,

The staff officer from southern Zhejiang made a bold suggestion:
"Why not wait another two days?"

"Ok?"

Everyone's eyes turned to him.

……

This person whispered:
“I don’t think the dam upstream will hold out for much longer.”

"The water level keeps rising, so the dam has to be built higher. The river in the mountainous area rises very quickly at this time of year, and the dam cannot be raised indefinitely, otherwise it will collapse."

Lin Huaisheng was silent for a long time and decided to give it a try.

……

Morning of the 3rd day.

"My Lord, the dam is about to collapse."

Zeng Di's triangular eyes flashed with coldness, and he gritted his teeth and said:

"Hold on! Hold on!"

However, the highest point of the levee, several miles downstream from Phoenix, is almost level with the water level.

Floods have entered Phoenix.

With waves of emergency scouts coming one after another, Zeng Di finally gave the order helplessly:
"withdraw."

No need to blow up the levee.

The water will gradually overflow and the dam will slowly disintegrate.

Eventually, the flood, mixed with tree trunks and rocks, rushed down like a wild horse, broke free from the constraints of the river channel, and destroyed the forests along the way like a tornado.

Looking at the rolling flood under his feet, the Wu army downstream silently breathed a sigh of relief.

……

That day, Zeng Di received another piece of bad news.

Wang Shenglie, the general of Zhenyuan, suddenly announced his surrender to Wu. He surrounded the government office with his personal soldiers and ordered all officers above the rank of Qianzong in Zhenyuan Town to cut their queues on the spot. The 11 officers who refused to comply were beheaded on the spot.

after that,

Open the treasury and reward the troops.

Civil servants in Qiandong prefectures and counties were arrested and screened in the presence of Wu court envoys, and then either killed or imprisoned.

He then sent troops to block the Hunan-Guizhou border and put all the Xiangxi merchant caravans into prison.

Zeng Di was stunned and cursed:
"Wang Shenglie is a wimp and a bastard."

No matter how much you curse, it won't help.

He responded hastily:
"Dispatch 1000 Zhengan troops to the Great Wall in western Hunan, and another 2000 blue-clad soldiers to the southwest to guard Xinchang Town to prevent Wang Shenglie from attacking from behind. The Guizhou Army is not very good at fighting, but they are first-rate at attacking from behind."

"Whoo."

……

Zeng Di was very depressed and even cursed Agui for not taking down Wang Shenglie, the traitor, earlier.

What do you mean by sending troops to support Xiangxi?
Pooh.

The situation in Qiandong changed overnight and Guiyang was in danger.

Phoenix Toast was also panicked:
"My dear son-in-law, what should I do?"

"First, stop Wu's army and turn Tuojiang River into Chijiang River. When Wu's army withdraws from Xiangxi, we will turn around and fight Wang Shenglie and open up the passage to Guiyang."

"well."

Zeng Di walked around the room.

Suddenly he opened the window and shouted towards Tuojiang River:

"Wang Shenglie, you wimp, just wait for me."

……

Just as he expected, the Guizhou Army might not be good at fighting, but they were very good at sneak attacks.

Wang Shenglie stood under a military flag embroidered with the Chinese character "Wu". He looked energetic and his short hair looked free and easy.
Point forward:

"Brothers, be loyal to your majesty and restore our Han people's kingdom. Charge into western Hunan and cut off Zeng Di's retreat."

The soldiers all had short hair cut to their ears and were still wearing Green Camp uniforms.

Wu Ting's envoys noticed that the Guizhou Army's equipment was really poor.

The 1500 men in the front were carrying muskets, and the 2000 men behind were the core, carrying swords, spears, and axes.

The weapons at the back are varied and the clothes are colorful.

The only thing they have in common is,
Everyone was wearing straw sandals and was in high spirits.

……

When they encountered the first small town and defeated dozens of soldiers stationed there, the soldiers of Zhenyuan Town cleaned up the battlefield meticulously.

The messenger walked over and stopped a Green Camp soldier who was stripping half of the uniform off a corpse and stuffing it into his bag.

ask:

"It's just a piece of rag. What are you going to do with it?"

"Your Excellency, it can be used after washing it."

Turning my head,

He also saw someone carrying out a bundle of rusty spears from the warehouse and chopping them with an axe.

"What's this for?"

"My Lord, the spearhead is made of iron. Take it back and melt it down to make a hoe."

……

The soldiers in Zhenyuan Town tied up the men in the town and took them back to be used as slaves.

The woman was put on a donkey cart and taken back to be his wife.

A group of old and weak soldiers from the baggage camp walked back with octagonal tables on their heads, chairs on their shoulders, and livestock in their hands.

Even the door panels were not spared, and he said he would take them back to ask a carpenter to make a thin-skinned coffin with mixed colors.

The envoy was stunned, and suddenly realized that this was the normal life in the world, and that the abundance of his own military supplies was actually abnormal.

Wang Shenglie came closer with his hands behind his back.
whispered:
"I'm sorry to make the angel laugh. There's nothing I can do. A poor man has low aspirations, and a thin horse has long hair."

"The Xiangxi Zhengan Army fights fiercely. The further you advance, the more dangerous it is. Angels are precious, so why don't you stay with me in the rear camp for a while? If the battle goes badly, there will be a way out."

(End of this chapter)