Tuqing: My first love was Cixi

Chapter 144 Shen Baozhen surrenders to Su Yi! Zeng Guofan hits hard!

In the room!

Shen Baozhen was lying on the bed, his face pale and silent.

The chest was wrapped with gauze and stained with blood. There was a bowl on the table with a deformed bullet lying in it.

Li Xubin said: "We will lead the army to leave tomorrow and return to Wuchang."

"We contributed a lot in today's battle, and we also repaid Su Yi's favor."

"And I can see that Su Yi's new army is very powerful, but that's all."

Shen Baozhen was silent.

Li Xubin said: "Youdan, today's battle has opened up the situation for us. Now the situation is very clear. There are still more than 10,000 defenders in Nanchang, and Su Yi suffered a lot of casualties in today's battle. Even if Including the Taiping Army that surrendered in Jiujiang, he only has more than 5,000 people in his hands. With these more than 5,000 people, he still has to defend Jiujiang, and it is impossible to capture Nanchang."

This situation is very clear.

Nanchang is a big city, bigger than Jiujiang.

In today's battle, Yang Fuqing's casualties were staggering, at least more than half.

At this time, he had led the remaining army back to Nanchang.

At this time, there were still several thousand people in Nanchang. When Yang Fuqing returned to Nanchang, there were at least about 15,600 Nanchang defenders left.

In today's battle, Su Yi suffered hundreds of casualties.

The Hunan Army suffered between five and six hundred casualties.

The combined casualties on both sides exceeded 2,000.

Therefore, no matter how you look at it, Su Yi is unable to attack Nanchang again.

Li Xubin said: "Su Yi is unable to attack Nanchang, but we can. Originally there were more than 40,000 rebels in Nanchang City, but now there may be only 15,600 left. We only need to mobilize 20,000 to 30,000 people to attack Nanchang. .”

Mobilize twenty or thirty thousand people?

Then Wuchang won’t defend it?

Hubei is no longer defending?

Li Xubin said: "Originally, there were 40,000 rebels in Nanchang, so a force attack would definitely not work, so your strategy of recruiting troops to surrender was the best option. But now there are only 156,000 rebels left, so a strong attack would be the best option. Su Yi doesn't have this option. Troops, but we have them.”

"Of course, this will put Hubei in some danger, but as long as you are fast, you will be able to make it in time. Besides, Shi Dakai and Hong Xiuquan are having a great time fighting and have no intention of attacking Hubei."

"So, I think the risk is worth taking."

"Although the price is high, as long as we win Nanchang, we can still win this round. We can still get the governor of Jiangxi. We can still win this round with Su Yi."

"Youdan, did you hear what I said?" Li Xubin said.

At this time, Shen Baozhen was staring at the roof in a daze.

"Youdan." Li Xubin shouted again.

Shen Baozhen seemed to wake up, then shook his head and said, "Ke Hui will lead his army back to Wuchang tomorrow?"

Li Xubin said: "Yes, although your injury is not serious, it should not be a problem for you to take the boat all the way."

Shen Baozhen was silent for a while and said: "I am the prefect of Jiujiang and the inspector of Jiangxi. I have the responsibility of guarding the land."

As soon as these words came out, Li Xubin was completely shocked.

伱, what do you mean, Shen Baozhen?

Did you remember at this time that you have the responsibility to protect the land? You stayed in Hubei for a long time, why didn't you say you were responsible for protecting the country?

You, the prefect of Jiujiang, were appointed three years ago.

Li Xubin said: "Youdan, what do you mean? You mean, you want to stay in Jiujiang?"

Shen Baozhen said: "After this series of defeats, I have become disheartened. I will plead guilty to the emperor and resign from all official positions."

Li Xubin said tremblingly: "Youdan, don't be confused. Although the bullets in this shot were fired by our rifles, they may not be our people. It is possible that Su Yi wanted to kill someone with a borrowed knife. He hates you the most."

Shen Baozhen said: "In this battle, I failed repeatedly and lost ten or twenty thousand people. My sin is so great that I have no shame to go to see Duke Di. I will go and plead guilty another day."

Li Xubin hissed: "If you lose, you will lose. What will happen to you? If you really make a wrong choice, will your reputation in Shilin still be lost? You keep repeating this, People will laugh at you.”

Shen Baozhen closed his eyes and stopped talking.

He could see clearly that after losing so miserably this time, he had no chance to make a comeback in the Hunan Army.

Within the Hunan Army, many people were afraid of tearing him apart.

The key point is that this time he was too independent and had all the power, especially the incident of changing the flag in Nanchang, which vaguely pushed Hu Linyi out.

It would have been nice if he had won, as it would have earned Hu Linyi the governorship of Jiangxi, but he lost and lost so many troops.

Therefore, his future in the Hunan Army is over.

He thought about it and struggled again and again.

He found that there was only one path before him.

It was really hard to accept it at first, but after I opened my mind a little bit, I found that this is simply a broad road.

It's even easier to walk than the Hunan Army.

Because there is a shortage of high-level talents on Su Yi's side, or there are none at all.

Before I was blinded, I always felt that Su Yi was a lucky minister, but now I can see clearly after fighting hand to hand for more than a month.

Su Yi is amazingly talented and has a bright future.

As for Shen Baozhen, his personal ethics may be lacking.

But this person's talent is absolutely top-notch.

Whether it is domestic affairs or foreign affairs, there are actually few people in the world who can compare with him.

He is not a leader, but an absolute talent.

On the surface, he seems inferior to Li Hongzhang, but in terms of doing things, he has more advantages than Li Hongzhang.

Li Hongzhang is too smooth and too smart.

As for Shen Baozhen, his actions were more extreme than Li Hongzhang's.

Shen Baozhen's structure is not as good as Zuo Zongtang's, but he is more suitable than Zuo Zongtang for doing some things.

Zuo Zongtang needs to be driven by great righteousness.

As for Shen Baozhen, he must be driven by profit.

Li Xubin never expected that the other party would make such a choice.

"You Dan, this Su Yi is a bannerman. If you do this, your reputation will be ruined." Li Xubin almost roared: "If you do this, you will shame Master Lin Zexu underground."

Li Xubin directly revealed Shen Baozhen's inner plan and pierced the window paper, even though the other party didn't mention a word about it.

Shen Baozhen remained silent.

Extraordinary people do extraordinary things.

It's still too late now, but if it's later, it'll really be too late.

By the time the second Han elite defected, Shen Baozhen would be worthless.

How did Zhang Yuzhao die that day? He wants to take this as a warning.

Seeing Shen Baozhen close his eyes, Li Xubin said angrily: "I'm ashamed of you!"

Then, he directly pulled out the knife and cut off a corner of his clothes. This meant very clearly that he was cutting off his robes and breaking off the relationship.

Shen Baozhen still closed his eyes and allowed the other party to scold him, as if he was spitting on himself.

Can Han Xin endure the humiliation on his crotch? What's more?

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

next day!

Li Xubin left Jiujiang angrily with hundreds of Hunan troops and returned to Wuchang by boat.

But Shen Baozhen stayed.

He even didn't wait until the injury healed, so he held on to his injury and went outside the prefect's Yamen to seek treatment.

Su Yi was looking at the list of casualties and preparing to compensate him with money.

In yesterday's battle, the New Army and the newly returned Taiping Army together suffered more than 1,400 casualties.

It's extremely heartbreaking.

But the pension money must not be owed.

Pensions, disability benefits, etc. add up to two to three hundred thousand taels.

This money cannot be asked from the court. Because the court's pension standards were much lower, Su Yi had to pay out of his own pocket.

However, he really didn't have enough money.

To purchase new guns and cannons from foreigners, the city would spend tens of thousands of people.

Moreover, food and pay for the new army are huge expenses.

The one million taels of private money given by Princess Shouan has almost been spent before starting the factory.

Money is the courage of heroes.

The Jiujiang Economic Pilot Zone must be established as soon as possible. It must have a base and money.

Otherwise, if you ask the emperor for it, the military expenditure you will receive every year will be too small and not enough.

But in the eyes of the emperor and the court, this was already a lot.

Li Qi came in and said, "Sir, Shen Baozhen would like to see you."

Su Yi said: "Invite him in."

A moment later, a pale Shen Baozhen walked in, bowed to Su Yi and said, "Your Majesty, I would like to pay my respects to Mr. Su Yi."

"Student, meet Mr. Su Yi."

Hearing these next words, Su Yi's heart almost trembled.

This attitude is too low.

At this time, nothing needs to be said.

Su Yi stepped forward, offered support and said, "Mr. Youdan, please get up. You absolutely don't dare."

"How is your injury? Is there a fever? Is it recurring?"

Shen Baozhen said: "Thank you for your concern, sir. Thanks to your magic medicine, I had a severe fever yesterday, but it subsided quickly."

Su Yi said: "That's good, that's good."

Shen Baozhen said: "Brother is frowning, but what's bothering you? I wonder if I can share your worries with you?"

Su Yi said: "It's not a big deal."

Shen Baozhen took the initiative to come to the table and saw the dense list of the dead and said: "In the battle last night, your new army was unstoppable and defeated several times the enemy army. The dead are heavier than Mount Tai and should be heavily compensated. The disabled should also be compensated. The generous reward will make his life worry-free. Are you worried about the money, sir?"

Su Yi said: "Yes."

Shen Baozhen said: "How much silver is needed?"

Su Yi said: "Two hundred and sixty thousand taels."

Shen Baozhen said: "I am willing to donate my money to share your worries."

Su Yi was stunned and said, "Mr. Youdan, it doesn't have to be like this."

Shen Baozhen said: "These casualties and soldiers have been a life-saving grace for me, so I am willing to give this money to my subordinates."

Su Yi hesitated for a while, then refused.

Next, Shen Baozhen said: "Sir, although we defeated the Fa Ni army, there were only 156 of the original 40,000 Fa Ni army left. But Nanchang is a big city. Although my brother's new army is elite, after all, The other half are the newly surrendered Taiping Army, which has not yet officially formed an army, and they have to divide their forces to defend Jiujiang. It is really difficult to capture Nanchang."

"And be careful not to make a wedding dress for others. Regarding the capture of Nanchang, the lower official has a plan."

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Li Xubin took a boat to go north and soon arrived in Wuchang.

As a result, Hu Linyi was not in Wuchang City, but in Changsha. Li Xubin was immediately anxious. He was the registered envoy of Hubei Province and ranked very high among the Hunan Army.

He immediately summoned the Hunan Army generals in Wuchang City and reported what happened in Nanchang and Jiujiang, especially to his teacher Luo Zenan.

Suddenly, the generals of the Hunan Army were furious and cursed Shen Baozhen for being shameless.

"We can't just forget about this battle. It's okay if Shen Baozhen doesn't rebel. If he rebels, we should capture Nanchang and Jiangxi at all costs. This is related to the dignity of our Hunan Army."

"I will immediately gather an army here and be ready to go south at any time."

"Now that Nanchang City is officially at its weakest, we are fully capable of taking it down."

"Take the Yangtze River, enter Poyang Lake, and then land on the east side of Nanchang, which is faster."

"Let's assemble the troops here. You go to Changsha quickly, report to Marshal Zeng and Master Hu, and then rush back immediately." In this world, it was much easier for the Hunan Army to retake Wuchang for the second time, so Luo Zenan was not seriously injured. , still alive at this time.

At this time, like Li Xubin, he was a Taoist priest, and with the title of inspector, he was considered to be on the same level.

But Li Xubin was his disciple, so he was still the leader.

After hearing Li Xubin's words, Luo Zenan immediately made up his mind, and even blamed Hu Linyi in his heart. At this critical moment, what are you doing in Changsha? You should be in Wuchang to take charge of the overall situation. Isn't it a waste of time now?

Li Xubin did not stop, and immediately took a speedboat to the west of the Yangtze River. After arriving at Dongting Lake, he went south, and then along the Xiangjiang River to Changsha.

After getting off the boat, he still didn't make any stop and rushed directly to Zeng Guofan's hometown in Baiyangping.

As a result, Hu Linyi and Zeng Guofan were not at home, but at the Hunan Governor's Yamen in Changsha City.

Li Xubin galloped to the governor's Yamen again.

Then, he finally met Zeng Guofan and Hu Linyi.

Not only these two big guys, but also Luo Bingzhang.

Zuo Zongtang was not here, he had gone somewhere.

Seeing Li Xubin running in with a look of shock on his face, Hu Linyi trembled: "What's wrong? Could it be..."

Li Xubin said: "My three lords, Nanchang Yizhi has been defeated. Of the more than 10,000 troops we brought, there are less than 1,000 left."

As soon as these words came out, Zeng Guofan and others were struck by lightning.

Li Xubin said: "In Jiujiang, Shen Baozhen was attacked and killed from behind, and the bullets dug out were rifles from our Hunan Army. So... he rebelled and took refuge with Su Yi."

These words shocked Luo Bingzhang, Hu Linyi, and Zeng Guofan.

"Isn't he afraid of losing his reputation?"

"Isn't he afraid that he won't be able to behave as a human being among the officials?"

"He completely judged a gentleman with a villain's heart. Although he failed so miserably, he still had the courage to do things after all. Are we still going to punish him? Even if he is punished, it will be punished by the emperor."

Zeng Guofan, Hu Linyi, and Luo Bingzhang were furious.

Li Xubin said: "My three lords, now is not the time to pursue Shen Baozhen. The city of Nanchang is empty now, and Yang Fuqing has just suffered a big defeat, with only ten thousand people. Su Yi does not have the troops to take down Nanchang City, but we have this ability."

"It's just that because of Shen Baozhen, we lost 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers and horses, and our vitality was severely damaged. If we send another 20,000 to 30,000 troops to attack Nanchang, Hubei will be a little empty."

"Do you want to take the risk?"

The three giants Hu Linyi, Zeng Guofan, and Luo Bingzhang looked at each other.

Then, they nodded to each other.

In this situation, this risk must be taken.

Hu Linyi said: "I will return to Wuchang immediately, lead the army south, and attack Nanchang!"

Zeng Guofan said: "Since we want to fight, we should be more generous. Instead of having more than 20,000 people, we can directly lead an army of 30,000."

As a result, Hubei will really be empty.

Zeng Guofan said: "Now that the rebels and puppet Tianjing are still fighting, they are unable to attack us. Moreover, the main force of the Shida Kaishui Division has all returned to Tianjing. There will not be any harassment from the rebels along the way."

Luo Bingzhang said: "Yes, if you want to do it, then do it thoroughly!"

"Yes!" Hu Linyi cupped his hands and said, "Then I'll take my leave."

Then, without stopping at all, he immediately left the governor's office with Li Xubin, rode horseback to the dock, took a boat north along the Xiangjiang River, crossed Dongting Lake, entered the Yangtze River, and returned to Wuchang.

They are fast and very decisive.

Winning Nanchang was still a great victory for Hu Linyi.

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When we returned to Wuchang, the army was still gathering.

The entire surface of the Yangtze River is densely packed with trees, blocking out the sky and the sun.

Li Xubin suddenly said: "Master Hu, if we had directly sent 30,000 to 40,000 troops to attack Jiujiang, perhaps these things would not have happened."

God knows?

At that time, the Hunan Army had clearly surrounded Jiujiang and planned to let Su Yi's three thousand new troops die, but they stood by and watched.

Unexpectedly, the Tianjing Incident happened, and Shen Baozhen hurriedly took 10,000 to 20,000 people to attack Jiujiang.

Actually tell the truth.

Shen Baozhen is still very powerful. If he hadn't met the foresight Su Yi, his plan to change the flag in Nanchang would have been successful.

Nanchang has been captured without any bloodshed.

next day!

The Hunan Army's 30,000 troops were assembled and hundreds of large ships were installed.

Hu Linyi personally led the army and marched southward along the Yangtze River.

Soldiers are valuable and quick.

But this time, the Hunan Army showed unprecedented speed.

Now, it's their turn to race against time.

The original capture of Jiangxi was also for the strategic deployment of the Hunan Army.

But now it is not just about strategic deployment, but also about the dignity of the Hunan Army.

The army travels quickly by water. At this speed, it will not take a few days for these 30,000 troops to enter Poyang Lake along the Yangtze River, and then land in Jianchang County to the west of Poyang Lake.

Jianchang County is less than a hundred miles away from the provincial capital Nanchang.

In this way, at most four or five days, the army will be able to reach the gates of Nanchang City.

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

And here, Su Yi is also very fast.

He asked Wang Shiqing to guard the city, and he quickly went south with only 3,000 men.

March southward in a hurry!

But... three thousand people wanted to attack Nanchang City, which was defended by fifteen to six thousand people.

almost impossible.

At this time, Su Yi was not only racing against time, but also against the Hunan Army.

He judged that the Hunan Army would make a desperate attempt to attack Nanchang this time.

Su Yi deduced it again and again. This time the Hunan Army seemed to be in danger and Hubei was empty, but in fact nothing happened at all.

Today, the highest levels of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom are still fighting. Shi Dakai and Hong Xiuquan are on the verge of breaking up and are absolutely unable to attack Hubei.

And according to Su Yi's deduction, the Hunan Army only needs 23,000 to 4,000 men to capture Nanchang at this time.

Even, 20,000 people are enough.

Because at this time, the Nanchang Taiping Army was divided into two forces, and they were at odds with each other.

Su Yi even wanted to ask Shen Baozhen, at this time, you still have a chance to take over Nanchang City. Why don't you follow Li Xubin back and come to join me instead?

However, he did not ask this question,

Shen Baozhen is also a celebrity, but some of his words were so clear that he was insulted.

Keep some decency.

But Shen Baozhen himself has a clear answer.

He had repeatedly considered it. At this time, the Hunan Army did have the best chance of taking Nanchang, but what did that have to do with him, Shen Baozhen?

The one who came out to turn the tide was Hu Linyi, and he, Shen Baozhen, would only be thrown into the dust even more.

Could it be that in this battle, the military power would still be handed over to him, Shen Baozhen?

And whether the shot in his back was fired by the Hunan Army or not, this grudge cannot be eliminated.

Heroes, since you have to make a decision, you have to make a decision quickly!

By procrastinating, all opportunities are lost.

So this person really has the same temperament from beginning to end.

They rushed to attack Jiujiang that day and were very decisive.

Next, they persuaded Wei Jun and Yang Fuqing to surrender more decisively and quickly.

Now that he has turned around, he is still extremely decisive.

Still dozens of miles away from Nanchang City, Su Yi's three thousand troops stopped.

Then, in the familiar old place!

In a familiar courtyard.

Su Yi and Shen Baozhen waited quietly.

Su Yi poured tea for Shen Baozhen and said, "Mr. Youdan, you are injured, so you don't have to follow me around."

Shen Baozhen said: "If you don't have any merit, how can you waste your time?"

Su Yi said: "According to Mr. Youdan's speculation, will he come?"

Shen Baozhen said: "It should come."

Then, the two of them played Go quietly.

Soon, Su Yi lost.

The chess skills of both sides are too different.

Shen Baozhen was surprised. In his opinion, Su Ye was so smart and must be very good at chess, so he played very hard.

Unexpectedly, Su Yi was so... bad at chess.

After a while, Li Qi reported: "Sir, he is here!"

This time, a group of soldiers came in to clear the place first, and together with Su Yi's army, guarded various places.

Finally, Wei Jun walked in relieved.

It was still him, the founder of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the younger brother of Wei Changhui, and the former commander of the Nanchang Taiping Army.

His injury was still not healed, and his entire neck was wrapped tightly.

Wei Jun was completely shocked when he saw Su Yi and Shen Baozhen together.

what happened?

This...why are these two people sitting together?

"What's going on with you guys?" Wei Jun asked tremblingly.

Shen Baozhen said: "I have been subordinated to Brother Su Yi."

This was the first time he said these words directly. Even in front of Su Yi, he never said similar words.

But at this time, facing Wei Jun, a person from the other camp, he felt that he had to speak clearly.

Moreover, this was also a shock to Wei Jun.

Even I, Shen Baozhen, am loyal to Su Yi, let alone you?

And it feels more calm to say this in front of the opposite camp.

"I...I..." Wei Jun was speechless.

Su Yi said: "General Wei Jun, let's talk about your surrender and dedication of the city next."

Wei Jun exclaimed: "You are crazy, you are crazy. In this situation, who dares to surrender? How can you offer the city?"

"You are simply out of your mind. You have failed before. I was almost killed and your Hunan Army was almost destroyed. Now you still dare to come to me to persuade me to surrender."

"Whoever dares to surrender to the Taiping Army in Nanchang City will be torn to pieces immediately!"

Yes, Su Yi was also very surprised when Shen Baozhen proposed a plan to capture Nanchang.

Unexpectedly, after failing to persuade him to surrender, Shen Baozhen would dare to propose a plan to persuade him to surrender.

The key is that Shen Baozhen is very similar to what he thinks. It's just that he didn't know it in detail, so the plan wasn't that clear.

Then, Su Yi revealed his plan.

Then Shen Baozhen was also stunned, surprised by Su Ye's unconstrained plan.

Su Yi said: "If you do as I say, you will not be torn into pieces and you will still gain glory and wealth."

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Note: This is the first update. If my benefactor has a monthly ticket, remember to vote for me.

I'm going to bed, see you tonight.

(End of this chapter)