Tuqing: My first love was Cixi

Chapter 114 Great victory in Yangzhou! The court was shocked!

The next day's court meeting was held in a gloomy atmosphere.

There is only one issue, what should Jiangbei Camp do? What should Jiangnan Daying do?

Both camps have been destroyed, the number of casualties is unknown, and the extent to which the situation has collapsed is also unknown.

If the worst happens, then no army in the entire northern Jiangsu can withstand the rebellious front, and neither southern Jiangsu nor even Zhejiang can stop the rebellion.

What will happen then.

Since the fall of Wuchang last year, the rebellious puppet king Shi Dakai has been fighting more and more fiercely. Jiangxi has been shocked three times a day. The Jiujiang Hunan Army has not yet captured it, and other prefectures and counties in Jiangxi have continued to fall.

Because of Zhang Yuzhao's death, the Hunan Army could not get an explanation, which made several Hunan Army bosses angry and very passive in fighting, making the entire southern war situation even more corrupt.

If this situation continues, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hubei, and even Zhejiang will be in danger.

The Lianghuai salt tax is gone, and so is the Jiangnan fiscal tax.

How much will the entire imperial court’s fiscal revenue decrease? Thirty percent? Four percent?

We are already stretched every year now. What will happen if the fiscal and tax rates are reduced to 30 to 40%?

Totally unimaginable.

The most important thing is that when facing the Hunan Army before, the imperial court still had some confidence. After all, there were tens of thousands of soldiers and horses in Jiangbei Camp and Jiangnan Camp.

Now that both camps have been destroyed, the entire southern war situation is completely dependent on the Hunan Army.

The emperor became even more passive.

"Let's talk about it and discuss it. What should we do about the current war situation in the south?" the emperor said.

The whole place was silent.

What else can be done? The imperial court no longer has an army, so it can't send Seng Gelinqin's army south, right?

This is the strongest armed force in the Qing Dynasty. It is to defend the capital and must not go south.

But should we just let the war situation in the south continue to fester?

Military aircraft foreman Wen Qing said: "Your Majesty, Hunan Governor Luo Bingzhang is loyal to the imperial court and has high talents. It is better to let him continue to recruit troops in Hunan to help defend Jiangnan."

The emperor couldn't help but frown.

Luo Bingzhang, isn’t that the Hunan Army again?

The Hunan Army now has tens of thousands of troops on hand, and they are all equipped with foreign guns and artillery. The soldiers and horses are so strong that they are already too big to lose, so they still need to recruit soldiers and horses?

Wen Qing said: "Luo Bingzhang's staff Zuo Zongtang is a man of great talent. I heard that some time ago, there was some unhappiness between him and Zeng Guofan."

It’s not unpleasant either.

Zuo Zongtang was arrogant and always regarded himself as the Zhuge Liang of this world, and no one looked down upon him, including Zeng Guofan.

However, the relationship between the two is still in the honeymoon stage at this time. They help each other and are friends.

It's just that during this period, Zeng Guofan's army was in hand, and his momentum was a bit domineering, which offended many people, and many people couldn't stand him.

Zuo Zongtang felt something was wrong, so he wrote a letter to advise Zeng Guofan to calm down.

Zeng Guofan was unhappy and did not reply, which made Zuo Zongtang very angry. Well, Zeng Disheng, you are leading an army of tens of thousands in a majestic manner outside, buying guns and cannons, building ships and recruiting troops. Who helped you do these things?

I, Zuo Zongtang, did it all. I worked hard for you in the rear area of ​​​​Hunan, and now the airs are being put on me?

So, he felt disgusted in his heart and criticized Zeng Guofan in front of other people. As a result, it was reported by outsiders that they were at odds with each other.

In fact, Zeng Guofan would not put on airs in front of Zuo Zongtang, but now he is on the block with everyone.

This has been the case in history, but in this world, after Zhang Yuzhao's death, his temperament became even more intense.

Wen Qing, the military aircraft foreman, understood very clearly that the Hunan Army could also be divided.

Zuo Zongtang was arrogant and unwilling to be the heir to others, so he was asked to train troops. Although he was from the Hunan faction, he might not be aligned with Zeng Guofan.

The emperor had already heard about Zuo Zongtang's reputation.

This person started working as Zhang Liangji's staff and was already well-known.

Later, after becoming Luo Bingzhang's staff, he became even more famous throughout the world. Because everyone knows that on the surface Luo Bingzhang is the governor of Hunan, but in fact Zuo Zongtang is doing all policies and everything.

The Hunan Army has tens of thousands of troops, and most of its military pay and food are supplied by Hunan Province. This shows how talented Zuo Zongtang is?

It is precisely with the stable rear area of ​​Hunan that the Hunan Army can recover quickly every time even if it suffers a heavy blow.

The emperor began to weigh Wen Qing's options.

This is much earlier than in history. Historically, it was not until a few years later that the second Jiangnan camp was broken that Zuo Zongtang was allowed to train troops to assist in the defense of Jiangnan.

In this world, the Jiangnan Camp and the Jiangbei Camp were broken later, but they were much more fierce. In an instant, they were defeated like a mountain, frightening the court and the emperor.

However, the emperor still needed to hesitate whether to let Zuo Zongtang train his troops.

He really didn't want the Hunan Army to increase its strength.

Apart from that, is there no other way? And even if Zuo Zongtang is allowed to train troops, how long will it take?

Far water cannot dissolve near fire.

We can't let foreigners help defend Sunan, right?

Because of the fierce rebellion and rampant pirates, the Qing government handed over customs to foreigners.

At this moment, another shouting came from outside.

"Six hundred miles to expedite, six hundred miles to expedite..."

Suddenly, the emperor's face turned pale.

All the civil and military officials in the court held their breath.

Again, again?

Is there no end?

What's the bad news this time?

After the messenger came in, the emperor first looked to see if there was a red band on his arm, but there was no!

Oops, another defeat.

The emperor closed his eyes in pain, preparing to receive another critical blow.

"The Imperial Envoy, Xiang Rong, the commander-in-chief of the Jiangnan Camp, led his troops to retreat to Danyang when the Jiangnan Camp was breached. He was pursued by the rebel army. They were defeated again and suffered heavy casualties. Xiang Rong vomited blood and died!"

The emperor's body shook, and severe pain struck him again.

I knew it was bad news, but it turned out to be such bad news.

Xiang Rong died.

It was reported that Gilhang'a died before, and now Xiang Rong died again.

This is a more important figure in the eyes of the emperor. This person is not very talented, but he is loyal and courageous and dares to fight.

It is said that Zeng Guofan was defeated and defeated again and again, but Xiang Rong was the real one who was defeated and defeated again and again.

Moreover, this person was the first person to fight with the Taiping Army, and he had been fighting with the Taiping Army since Guangxi. Wherever the Taiping Army went, he pursued Xiang Rong.

Regardless of whether he won or not, his resilience was still pretty good.

To some extent, Xiang Rongdu has become a landmark figure in the fight against the Taiping Army.

Now this man is dead, and the emperor has lost a hand in the south.

The emperor fell into great sorrow and great silence.

The court was silent.

What should be done about the war situation in the South? Should Zuo Zongtang be allowed to train troops?

I don’t want to talk about it anymore, and I don’t want to discuss it anymore.

At least for this moment, endless pain swept through his body.

The emperor once again closed his eyes and asked the sky, why?

In the past, there were frequent good news, but in less than a month, the results were reversed instantly.

The good news that comes are all small good news.

All the bad news that comes is big bad news.

Am I being unkind? Does God want to punish you like this?

His mind couldn't help but echo Su Yi's words again. From now on, the emperor would only listen to the news of victory and no longer hear the bad news of defeat.

The results of it?

At this critical moment, Su Yi, where are you? Where are your new troops?

And at this moment, loud shouts came from outside: "Six hundred miles urgent, six hundred miles urgent!"

at this time!

The faces of all the officials in the court changed dramatically.

Some people even want to jump up.

Again, again, again?

Is there no end?

Many people were really scared to breathe now.

What's going on here? Is this going to end?

In just a few days, four bad news-level battle reports have been received.

One is bigger than the other.

Now, another one coming?

But at this time, the emperor was already numb, as if he had reached his limit.

Eyes still closed.

Never mind, never mind.

What other bad news could there be? What other bad news could there be?

I will take over.

never mind.

The broken jar was broken.

Even if you tell me now that Suzhou has been captured, I won't be surprised.

Therefore, in this environment, many people did not even realize that this messenger was helping Hong Bu.

A few people were slightly shocked when they saw the red cloth.

Good news? In this case, what good news can there be?

Any good news is useless and cannot save the situation.

The messenger clearly felt an oppressive atmosphere in the court, and he suddenly felt uneasy.

But Lord Toming'a's instructions came out, so he stirred up his emotions and shouted loudly: "Your Majesty, a great victory in Yangzhou, a great victory in Yangzhou!"

"Su Yi, the wing commander of the new army, will lead the new army to recapture Yangzhou City ten days ago!"

"The commander of the Jiangbei camp, Tuo Ming'a, led the army to leave the Jiuhuashan camp, cross the river and head north, and has settled in Yangzhou City."

"Your Majesty, Su Yi has recaptured Yangzhou and the Jiangbei camp has been restored!"

For a moment, the whole place remained quiet, as if there was no reaction.

Even the emperor just opened his eyes.

The previous bad news was too big, and the critical blows it brought were too severe.

Now that I heard the good news, I couldn't relax.

Yangzhou was recaptured? This...this is a great joy.

Is this good news so big?

After a long while, the emperor trembled: "Is this true?"

The messenger said: "Your Majesty, it is absolutely true. Master Toming'a has led his army to Yangzhou City. Now Yangzhou can rest easy and the entire Jiangbei defense line is once again as stable as Mount Tai."

The emperor stretched out his hand and said: "Take it, take it, bring it up!"

Eunuch Zenglu hurried forward, took the good news, opened the box and took out the secret memorial inside.

At this time, the emperor's hands were even shaking.

Opened the secret music and read it over and over again.

Tomina's secret performance is still eloquent and exciting.

It is said that Yangzhou City was defended with two to three thousand rounds at that time. Su Yi only had 1,500 new troops and no artillery, but it still took less than two hours to capture Yangzhou City.

Not counting this, he then rebelled and launched a 16,000-strong army to attack Yangzhou crazily.

Su Yi's new army only had 1,500 men, and there was a tenfold difference in strength between the two sides.

Although Tuo Ming'a led his army to leave the Jiuhua Mountain camp and rushed to rescue, it was too late.

He thought that with such a disparity in military strength, Yangzhou City would be destroyed, and he was even ready to collect Su Yi's body.

Unexpectedly, by the time Tuo Ming'a led his army to Yangzhou City, the war was already over.

Su Yi's new army fought fiercely for a whole day with less than one-tenth of its strength, repelling countless attacks by the rebel army and wiping out three to four thousand rebels. Qin Rigang, the puppet king of rebel, was filled with hatred, but he could only He retreated angrily.

I don't know why, but when the emperor saw this secret report, he felt a bit like reading a book from heaven.

Read it again and again.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Mian Yu asked.

The emperor said: "You, you should also take a look."

Zenglu once again handed Tominga's secret note to Mianyu.

After Mian Yu read it, his eyes widened and he trembled: "This, this is impossible."

This secret memorial is indeed like a heavenly book.

First of all, the big city of Yangzhou was defended by two to three thousand counterattack troops at the beginning. Su Yi's fifteen hundred new troops were able to break through it in less than two hours.

The next battle was even more bizarre.

The rebels attacked the city with 16,000 soldiers, and Su Yi defended the city with 1,500 soldiers, but they still won the battle.

Also eliminated three or four thousand who were rebellious?

This...how is this possible?

Next, Mianyu passed on Tomin'a's secret music one by one.

Everyone saw it and had only one thought in their mind, this is impossible.

Including Ruilin, they also felt... it was too much.

Toming, you, a high-ranking official of the first rank, actually kneel down and lick Su Yi like this? Shameless.

The emperor is now in a very uneasy state.

Among a bunch of bad news, such a big good news suddenly came.

In fact, the weight of this good news exceeds the sum of all previous good news.

The recapture of Xincheng, the recapture of Liuhe, and the repulsion of the main force of rebellion, all together are not as good as Yangzhou.

The recapture of Yangzhou means that the Jiangbei camp is stable, it means that the salt tax and water transportation in the Huaihe River and Huaihe River are stable, and it also means that the entire northern Jiangsu is stable.

But he was hit too hard before, and now he can't believe the battle report in this secret report. However, he had great expectations in his heart that this was true.

"Everyone, tell me, this... this secret report, this victory report." The emperor suppressed his anxiety and said.

Wen Qing thought about his words for a while and said: "Your Majesty, it is probably true that Su Yi regained Yangzhou, and it should also be true that Toming'a's army stationed in Yangzhou."

Everyone nodded.

No one should dare to lie about such a big matter.

The emperor suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and was overjoyed.

As long as this matter is true, if Yangzhou City is recaptured, it at least means that the Jiangbei camp is stable.

Then, Wen Qing added: "However, the things in Toming'a's secret report are probably not true."

Many people present nodded again.

"Boyan Namohu captured Liuhe and Xincheng before. Tuoming Ami reported that he attacked the empty city by surprise and killed four or five thousand rebellious people. It was a completely false claim for military exploits."

"And this time, Su Yi captured Yangzhou with 1,500 men, and then defended Yangzhou, repelling 16,000 rebels. This... this is actually even more exaggerated."

Everyone nodded vigorously.

You guys on the front lines are having too much fun.

"According to my judgment, I probably rebelled and wanted to attack the Jiangnan camp. There was a serious shortage of troops, so I gave up Jiangbei and transferred the Yangzhou garrison to attack the Jiangnan camp. Su Yi's new army seized the opportunity and captured the empty city of Yangzhou. .”

"But no matter what, Yangzhou City has finally returned to the hands of the Qing Dynasty. Congratulations to the Emperor, congratulations to the Emperor!"

"It's just that in this way, Su Yi's military exploits are not as great as in the secret report."

Originally, everyone did not dare to be so sure, but Boyannamohu's lessons learned from the past made everyone understand and confirm the routine for frontline generals to report victory.

"Your Majesty, this trend must not rise! The frontline generals collude with each other, compete for power with each other, slander each other at every turn, and falsely claim ten times their military exploits at every turn."

"After finding out the truth, please ask the emperor to punish you severely!"

The emperor said: "The imperial minister Wo Ren has gone to investigate. I believe the truth will be revealed soon."

But now, the emperor just wants to be happy.

Yangzhou was recaptured, the Jiangbei camp was restored, and the desperate and depressing war situation in the entire south could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Finally saw a glimmer of light.

As for the merits and faults of Su Yi and Boyan, we will wait until Wo Ren investigates clearly.

................................................

A few days later!

The imperial minister Wo Ren came to the boundary of Yangzhou Prefecture.

The captain of the imperial guard immediately sent scouts to investigate.

After all, this was enemy territory, and because Wo Ren was on the boat all the way, he didn't know that Yangzhou had been recovered.

Therefore, in their concept, the entire Jiangbei Camp area and the entire Yang Mansion have fallen, and there are enemies and dangers everywhere.

The first time we landed was to look for the Qing army's camp.

Find Su Yi's new army camp, and then find Boyan's Xiaoqi camp.

Therefore, the group only dared to dress up like ordinary merchants and be cautious, hiding during the day and traveling at night.

Wo Ren is still not afraid of death. No one dares to do this job, but he is the only one who dares to do it.

He first sent people to the camp in Shao Bo Town.

The result is empty.

Then they sent people to the Fairy Temple camp, but... it was still empty.

Su Yi's new army was not there at all.

The entire Imperial Guard felt strange, this... what was going on?

Could it be that Su Yi's new army has also been completely destroyed, including the Fairy Temple camp and the Shao Bo Town camp.

However, there was no trace of reversal.

During the whole process, the entire Imperial Guard did not want to go to Yangzhou City to investigate.

Because in their perception, Yangzhou City must have fallen and is the most dangerous place.

After all, Wo Ren sent a few people to Yangzhou quietly to investigate.

Half a day later, the person who went to inquire came back, his voice stammering.

"Imperial Envoy, Yangzhou City is no longer in the hands of rebels. It has been recaptured by us."

Woren was stunned.

A few hours later, they stood at the foot of Yangzhou City and were surprised to find.

Really...

Yangzhou City has really been recaptured, and now the imperial flag is flying, and it is densely packed with soldiers from the Jiangbei Camp.

How is this going? When was it taken back? This Tomin'a suddenly became so brave?

The imperial guards suddenly breathed a long sigh of relief, and then they changed their shirts, set up a guard of honor, and entered the city in a big way.

However, he was stopped by the imperial minister Wo Ren.

"If you act like an imperial envoy, you won't be able to find out the truth, and you will be deceived. Divide yourself into several teams, still pretend to be merchants, and ask the common people and ordinary soldiers. You will definitely hear the truth."

"Send another group of people to look for Boyanna Mohu's Xiaoqi camp."

"Send another team to Xincheng and Liuhe!"

The entire imperial guard suddenly had a headache. Other imperial ministers came to show off their prestige and make a fortune.

As a result, once the Lord came, it became a complete chore.

But there was no other way. The Imperial Envoy gave the order and they had no choice but to follow it.

Even Wo Ren, the imperial minister, disguised himself as an old Juren. After entering Yangzhou City with a business introduction, he took the initiative to talk to Toming'a soldiers.

These low-level soldiers don't even need to use formulas, and they don't have any concept of keeping military information confidential. As long as you ask, he will talk endlessly.

"What? The battle at the Fairy Temple Camp? The battle on the south bank of the river in Shaobo Town. Su Yi's new army wiped out one or two thousand enemies. Old sir, who did you listen to? It's all nonsense." The soldier said disdainfully.

Woren sighed in his heart, it turned out that he was falsely claiming credit.

The soldier changed his tone and said, "Are you kidding me? Brother Su Yi's new army has wiped out at least four to five thousand Fa Ni."

what? !

Woren was almost knocked out of his reach.

Then the soldier spat.

"Old sir, you are asking the right person when you ask me. I saw it clearly at the time."

"At that time, we rebelled against an army of more than 20,000 people and attacked our camp in Shaobo Town. We had already broken through several lines of defense. We were about to lose. The coach, Mr. Tominga, was about to wipe his neck. Guess what?"

Damn, why don’t you answer it? Your praise is unqualified.

"Reinforcements are coming! Brother Su Yi's new army just won the battle at the Fairy Temple Camp and defeated three or four thousand counterattack divisions. They immediately ran for ten miles and directly attacked the counterattack army in Shao Bo Town and the South Bank."

"You didn't see that scene. It was so beautiful. I will never forget it in my life."

"The more than a thousand new troops stood neatly and raised their foreign guns and fired wildly at the rebellious army."

"The rebellious army sent people to rush across the stone bridge in waves, but they couldn't move forward. As many people were sent as many people died."

"Then he rebelled and deployed dozens of artillery pieces to bombard Brother Su Yi's new army. As a result... the formation of more than a thousand new troops was not disordered. Everyone remained motionless and held up the artillery pieces. Indiscriminate bombing and crazy shooting.”

"I was dumbfounded by this scene. Many of our brothers in the Jiangbei camp were almost crying. I have never seen such a fierce and fearless army. Is this still our Qing army?"

"In that battle, countless rebels were killed and injured, and the main force of the rebels fled, which saved our Shao Bo Town camp in one fell swoop."

"Otherwise, I tell you, in just one battle, the main force of our Jiangbei camp will be completely destroyed!"

Wo Ren was frightened, his scalp was numb, and his blood was boiling.

But... he also felt that the words of the soldier in front of him were too exaggerated.

So, I had to find someone else to talk to.

The soldier grabbed him and said, "Old sir, why are you leaving? I haven't finished talking yet. There are many more stories to come."

story?

Woren left quickly.

The soldier immediately clicked his tongue and complained in his heart. This kind of person is really annoying. He makes people unable to get up or down. Don't ask in the first place.

Next, Wo Ren worked tirelessly and chatted with several people in succession.

There are businessmen, soldiers, and ordinary people here.

Then, the more we talked, the more frightened I became.

The more we talked, the more silent we became.

The more we talked, the more shocked I became.

Through conversations with more than a dozen people, he was able to piece together the facts.

Even... to some extent it is no longer needed.

Because, he saw densely packed and countless corpses.

They were all rebellious corpses, arranged neatly.

This cannot be faked, because the characteristics of inverse hair are too obvious, with thick and long hair without braids.

After gathering together, they must all be cremated, firstly to respect their opponents, and secondly to avoid the plague.

............................................................

In a certain inn.

Several teams sent by the Imperial Envoy Wo Ren have returned.

Everyone was silent.

"Sir, now Xincheng and Liuhe have been taken back by us again."

"We also found out clearly that Boyan was indeed falsely reporting his military exploits. He was completely opportunistic. He took advantage of the rebellious main force to attack Shaobo Town, Daying and Fairy Temple Camp. He refused to save him. Instead, he took a detour to the back and captured Liuhe and The new city was completely empty when we captured it.”

"And after that, his cavalry battalion suffered consecutive defeats, unable to defeat the rebellious cavalry."

"Not only that, when Brother Su Yi attacked Yangzhou, Boyan also wanted to take advantage of Yangzhou, but he was blocked by the rebellious and defeated troops, and another one or two hundred were wiped out!"

"He was completely defeated again and again. Finally, in Liuhe, he was pursued by the rebel army and completely lost his trace. There may be less than a hundred elite knights around him."

Where is Boyannamohu now? totally no idea.

Imperial Envoy Minister Wo Ren said: "What about Su Yi's military exploits? How did you find out?"

The groups present were silent for a while.

After a long while, someone said: "I think Brother Su Yi also falsely reported his military exploits."

"But it's not that it's falsely reporting higher, it's that it's falsely reporting lower."

"His military exploits are not just what is shown in the battle report."

"Especially the battle to capture Yangzhou and the battle to defend Yangzhou were even more thrilling and unbelievable."

As soon as these words came out, everyone present nodded.

"I thought so too. Although I couldn't believe it at the time, I asked many people and they all said the same thing. Some people exaggerated, but the general facts are still there."

"So, Brother Su Yi's military exploits are not overestimated, but underestimated!"

"Sir, this brother Su Yi is truly a national scholar!"

Woren closed his eyes and nodded vigorously.

And for the past two or three days, he had been observing Su Yi's new army.

Then he wavered.

He had previously firmly opposed the training of the new army because he was also a conservative.

He couldn't see the combat power for the time being, but he could clearly see the mental outlook and discipline.

The main forces of Su Yi's new army and Tuoming'a's Jiangbei camp were completely different armies.

He even discovered that the troops in Tuoming'a Jiangbei Camp were infected by Su Yi's new army and were learning from them, so military discipline was much better than before.

Now the truth is out.

The result was completely different from what was expected.

Lord Woren was shocked like never before.

The captain of the imperial envoy's guard asked: "Sir, are we going to see Su Yi and Toming'a next?"

This is also the norm. Imperial envoys always have to meet with local officials and receive reports when they come on missions.

However, Wo Ren shook his head and said: "It's gone, go back to Beijing directly!"

The followers couldn't help but be shocked?

Wo Ren said: "No meeting, no handover, no communication, it seems fair and just. And now that the capital is full of controversy, the emperor is also extremely urgent for the truth. Returning to the capital as soon as possible to face the saint is the right way!"

The followers said bitterly: "Yes!"

Originally, this trip would definitely make a fortune. Even if Su Yi didn't give it, Toming'a would definitely give it to him.

As a result...this small windfall was wasted.

The next day, Imperial Envoy Minister Wo Ren directly led his team to board the ship heading north and returned to the capital.

He had a lot of things on his mind that he wanted to tell the emperor.

....................................

Note: The second update is here. Thank you for your monthly votes and support.

(End of this chapter)