Qing Dynasty Secret History

Chapter 61 Toasting the Moon
It is said that Yuqian, the imperial envoy, was depressed after receiving the good news from the former army, and all the civil and military personnel were very puzzled.Envoy Yu Qin said: "Dinghai hangs alone overseas, if it is to be regarded as the Great Wall, it is nothing but God's blessing."

After hearing this, everyone refused to believe it.But it is said that Ge, Wang and Zheng, the three townspeople, arrived in Dinghai to discuss defense strategies.Wang Zhentai said: "The three of us are familiar with military tactics and strategies, so Ge ​​Ge should be counted. Dinghai is Ge Ge's old rule. The British invaded last year. Ge Ge once planned to capture the British military officer Yan No one is stronger than Ge Ge. As long as Ge Ge gives orders, I will never disobey."

Zheng Zhentai: "That's right. We all listened to Brother Ge's instructions."

Ge Zhentai said: "I'm very ashamed, you two have won the award. As for the situation in Dinghai, there are only two mountains on the left and right of Daotou Street, which can still be guarded. Yizhongtang came here last year, and my brother once went to Haiphong Ten The second strategy, Yi Zhongtang refused to listen. Now that there are many alarming reports, it is too late to build a city, so we have to build an earthen city near the mountains and the sea, and we will be stationed separately. Brother Zheng guarded the Zhushan Gate, and Brother Wang guarded Xiaofengling , the area around Bantang will be defended by brothers."

Zheng and Wang are in charge of the platform, and they all say it's wonderful.So the governor led his troops to build the earthen city, working day and night, and the construction was completed in only three days and nights.That night, the three guards, riding together on horseback, walked along the Tucheng to inspect the situation.I saw half a bright moon in the east corner, and the light had already shone on the head of the banner. The autumn wind was rustling, and the banner at the head of the camp was blowing, and it kept flying back and forth.It's exactly: a thousand miles of color, a mid-autumn moon, and a hundred thousand miles of sound. In the middle of the night, Chao Ge Zhentai saw the moonlight, and he felt something in his heart, and said to Zheng and Wang: "Yunfei is a martial artist, and he uses the word "difficult and dangerous" As expected, I never dared to avoid it. I only hated that before this matter happened, the civil and military officials were indifferent. Once the provocation was started, there was no way to deal with it, and it was delayed for a long time. Private plans, neither the key points of the theory, nor the heart of public loyalty to the country, suddenly suppressed and caressed, until there is no consensus, resulting in the current situation. It is difficult to control and win, and there is no surety in defense. As a last resort, I have no choice but to do my best.”

Zheng and Wang were both very sad after hearing this discussion.Ge Zhentai untied two precious sabers from his body, handed them to them and said: "Look, you two, the words chiseled on these two sabers are Ge's will.

"The two of them received it in their hands, and when they took advantage of the moonlight to look at them, they saw two precious knives about one foot long, with names chiseled on the handles. One was marked with the word Cheng Zhong, and the other was marked with the word Zhao Yong. The two couldn't help but Everyone was in awe. Ge Zhentai said: "Ge has a matter that I want to entrust to the two of you. I wonder if you will promise me? "

The two asked what was going on.Ge Zhentai said: "Ge enjoys writing and ink in his spare time in military affairs. Over the past few years, he has accumulated several drafts, but none of them have been published yet. They are the four volumes of "The Essentials of Making Weapons" and the second volume of "The Essentials of Pharmaceutical Medicine". , [-] volumes of "Advisory Views on Naval Apprehension", [-] volumes of "Illustrations of Dangerous Points in Zhejiang Province", and several volumes of poems are all in the camp. If Ge dies, send this manuscript to my home for me, and give it to me My sister, Ge Ju, accepts it, so I can't thank the two of you enough."

Wang Zhentai said: "Brother Ge, you and I are in the same situation as officials. We fight against the power of the country and try our best to kill the foreigners in one battle. Just look at the heroic spirit of the ten-li company. The morale is soaring, how does it look like a defeated battle? In case of failure, we will die later, Brother Ge, don't worry, your business is our business."

The three of them talked passionately for a while.The shadow of the moon moved westward, listening to the bang in the camp, it was already three drums.When you look at the moon, it becomes brighter and clearer.On the spur of the moment, Ge Zhentai said to the two brothers: "You two elder brothers, I have a little skill at the end of the day. Take advantage of this moonlight, and present it to the two elder brothers for appreciation."

After finishing speaking, he got off his horse, tied it to a poplar tree, got up with his clothes on, and drew out the two swords of Chengzhong and Zhaoyong, swishing and dancing, turning the left wheel to the right, like a jade python wrapped around him, silver Dragon Bodyguard.Seeing Zheng and Wang standing on the stage, they can't stop drinking.After the dance for a while, Zheng Zhentai said: "Brother Ge has such abilities, why worry about the injustice of foreigners."

Ge Zhentai said: "Foreigners specialize in firearms. What's the use of my short knife?"

Zheng Zhentai said: "We also have firearms. When we start a war with foreigners, we simply carry cannons and blunderbusses, and donate all the knives, spears, bows and arrows."

Wang Zhentai said: "That can't be neglected. Street fighting still needs to use short guys."

Go back to the camp to rest, and have nothing to say all night.

The next day, the three guards gathered their soldiers, and they washed the cannons and tested the bombs on the Tucheng, and practiced for a whole day.From then on, the drums and horns made noise, and the cannon system shook the ground, and there was no day without practice.On the day of the [-]th, at night and early in the morning, the general sent a special report to Yuantai, saying: "I can see three or four foreign ships with drums on the ocean. The first one has a mast. It's three or five feet high.

"Ge Zhentai is an emergency for defense. He sleeps with his clothes on every night. When he heard the alarm, he got up and rode his horse to Tucheng. He saw that Wang and Zheng had arrived early. Ge Zhentai walked up From the lookout tower, in the turbulent waves, three or five steamer warships were approaching like angry whales, and their arrows were as fast as arrows. Ge Zhentai couldn't help being furious, and ordered to fire the cannon. Paobian and others, hearing the military order, were all enthusiastic and shook the ground Like a blast from the sky, dozens of cannons were fired. The wind blew away the smoke, and on the ocean, the mast-masted ship had already broken its mast and collapsed its chimney and retreated. Seven or eight cannons were fired, and I dared not go up. At this time, the sun was rising, and the sun was shining on the sea, and the mirage and mist had all disappeared. It was very clear, and I saw the blue sky sinking, and a foreign ship was also on the ground. No. Ge Zhentai stayed on until noon, and then came down to eat. The day was safe and sound.

The next day, the ocean-going ships of the big countries joined the masts and flew into the pan, and the bullets and cannons flew like raindrops. Compared with yesterday, the benefits and harms were ten times greater.The three guards, with the same hatred against the enemy, led the soldiers, carried guns and blunderbuss, and fired continuously.The British soldiers were also very powerful, and they fought desperately, without any attitude of retreating.Ge Zhentai was anxious, so he fired seven or eight cannons with his own hands before repelling the British soldiers.The situation in Dinghai, the important places are all in the southeast and southwest.There is a mountain on Southeast Road, named Guanshan, also known as Dongshan. It is said that it is a very important place to go.This place is only half a mile away from the city, and opposite to Hong Kong is Wukui Mountain.If the foreign soldiers go from south to west and east, they will inevitably have to eat tight. The place where the Southwest Road is located is called Zhushanmen, and it is five miles away from Toudao Street.The earthen city newly built by the three townspeople is here.At present, the British soldiers attacked Zhushan Gate twice, seeing that the entrance was tightly guarded and could not gain advantage, so they changed their strategy and marched towards Guanshan.Unexpectedly, a strong man would have a strong man, Ge Zhentai had already predicted it, and sent a general Zhang Yuheng to guard there.Seeing that he was prepared, the British generals did not dare to attack, but only occupied Wukui Mountain facing Hong Kong.Zhang Yuheng reported to Ge Zhentai, and Ge Zhentai smiled and said to the left and right: "Song Taizu said, how can you allow others to snore and sleep on the side of the couch? This Englishman is too overconfident."

Follow orders: "Prepare the horse, wait for me to kiss there, and take a look for a while."

Walking to Guanshan, I saw the British soldiers in Wukui Mountain, busy setting up camp.

Ge Zhentai smiled and said, "I have a plan to defeat the enemy."

When you call, invite Zheng and Wang to come to the platform, and they will arrive in no time.Ge Zhentai said: "Foreigners occupying Wukui, they just want to attack Guanshan. The wind is blowing on the sea. There will be heavy fog tonight. To strike first, it is better to cross the port and kill him for a while. Please Brother Zheng help me, follow Wang Brother, when the fog rises, quietly cross to the other side and set fire to the camp, you will definitely win a big victory. You two see this plan, is it feasible?"

The two said it was wonderful.

That night, as expected, there was a thick fog in the sky. Ge and Wang took over the platform and led three thousand soldiers to sneak across Hong Kong. The British didn't notice it at all.Ge Zhentai ordered the sergeant to throw gunpowder bags and set fire to it, and suddenly flames flew up, and all directions were on fire. Three thousand soldiers shouted to kill in unison, interspersed with the sound of wind and fire. .The British all woke up from their sleep, grabbed their weapons, and rushed out.In the dense fog, the enemy could not hold back, and it is unknown how many lives were lost in vain.Because of Ge Zhentai's orders, the Chinese soldiers just shouted and didn't do anything. They waited until dawn and the fog cleared before rushing in together, so very few people were injured.In this battle, the two generals Ge and Wang won a complete victory. They captured two British generals and wiped out thousands of British soldiers.So the special commissioner went to Zhenhai Daying to report the victory.It's not as good as the British's ability, they are strong and persistent, and it doesn't matter if they see corpses wrapped in horseskin and bones on the battlefield.Although the general is brave, a strong enemy is hard to destroy, and the situation is also due to luck.Since the British suffered a great injury that day, their strategy has changed again. They only sent a small amount of navy, day and night, rushing east and west, turning rounds and attacking. , I was overwhelmed, and after seven days and nights of fighting, I was exhausted physically and mentally.

On the day of the [-]th, there was no support anymore, and the three town halls were together, discussing ways to fortify the wall.Suddenly received a shocking report, saying that the British divided their troops into three groups and attacked desperately. Xiaofengling and Zhushanmen were very tight.The three guards were shocked.Ge Zhentai said: "We have exhausted all our efforts. Before the rescuers arrived, a strong enemy came again. Today's pass may not be easy."

Wang Zhentai said: "Brother Ge, have you forgotten? When we went out to defend, Commander Yu Jie gave each of us a kit, saying that there is a clever plan to defeat the enemy hidden in it, and we can't open our eyes unless it is a last resort. It's like this today It's urgent, can you open your eyes?"

Zheng Zhentai said: "Ah, if you don't mention it, I almost forgot about it."

Immediately, the three of them took out the secret letter, opened the envelope, and read it intently.I just wondered what kind of secret plan it was, which could save the poor and those who were in danger, but there were only a few people on it, but they were written by Shuai Yu Jie himself.
The three guards, after looking at the kit, are all pale.So each led his headquarters to meet the enemy separately.Wang Zhentai galloped to Xiaofengling, Zheng Zhentai galloped to Zhushan Gate, and Ge Zhentai's governors guarded Bantang.The arrival of the British soldiers on this day was extraordinarily turbulent compared to the previous few days, but during the meal time, bad news came, saying that the British had crossed the mountain with sampans and boats, Xiaofengling fell, Wang Zhentai was shot and killed, Wang The Shouchun soldiers under Zhentai are still fighting to the death.Ge Zhentai was very sad when he heard the news, and he said to the soldiers: "Our brothers are Dinghai Town, we can't fight to the death, let alone the country, we are also very sorry to Wang Zhentai."

All the soldiers said: "I am willing to die in battle!"

Ge Zhentai said: "It's best to die in battle. If you don't die, you won't be ashamed to see others."

While talking, the surprise report came again. It was reported that the Zhushan Gate had been breached by the British soldiers.Zhengetai became more and more sad, looking around with his sword, it seemed like King Xiang's generous elegy.

All the soldiers shouted: "The foreign soldiers are coming!"

When I looked up, I saw a large group of British soldiers approaching like a tidal wave in the Qiantang River. Ge Zhentai quickly ordered to shoot at the enemy, how could they resist the enemy for a while!At this time, the bullets and rockets of the two armies shot at each other like raindrops, killing corpses all over the field, blood flowing into canals, Ge Zhentai was shot more than forty times in his body, and stood there desperately supervising the battle.General Ying hated him, took advantage of his unpreparedness, flew over, raised his spear high, swung it with all his strength, cut off half of his head, and finally died, but his loyal body was still standing upright among the cliffs with fists and claws.Seeing that the town tower was killed by the enemy, the general Zhang Yuheng was filled with loyalty and indignation. He raised his knife and rushed forward desperately. He was also chopped into meat by the British soldiers.So the whole island of Dinghai raised the British flag, and the remnants of the soldiers surrendered and walked away. In a flash, the fog cleared and the smoke disappeared, and all of them were expelled.Since the British won Dinghai, they rested for a few days, and then they commanded the victorious army to set off from Jiaomen Island to attack Zhenhai.

However, Yuqian, the imperial envoy, followed the shocking report of Dinghai's fall, and said to all the friends: "Now the reliable soldiers in Zhenhai are only a thousand soldiers from Xuzhou, and the soldiers who will be dispatched to respond have not yet arrived. Thinking of my great-grandfather, Lord Yilie, who died in the martyrdom The date is August 21th, 25st year of Qianlong, and this meeting coincides with August 21st year of Daoguang, so it may not be a good omen to meet such a strong enemy."

All the friends comforted me with kind words, and Envoy Yu said, "I'm not afraid of death, I'm just worried that the foreigner will not be able to rule this time, and the country will be troubled from now on."

Then Zhu approved the edict, manuscripts, documents, etc., checked and sealed, and sent a member of Wu Bian to the Jiaxing hotel.After the deployment was completed, he said to all the friends: "Scholars, you have the right to go if there is an enemy. If the foreign soldiers come, I have to supervise the troops. You can go out of the city quickly to find out the news. If you win the battle, what will you do for me?" I will replace Cao Lubu; if the battle is defeated, Feishen will take care of the funeral for me."

After hearing this, all the behind-the-scenes friends were all miserable.Envoy Yu Qin said: "I don't have a son, so I can take care of mine. There is only one nephew and two girls. The older one is married, and the younger one is still in infancy. A concubine can still keep festivals, and she must be asked to share joys and sorrows." , My wife and I maintain each other, and it is better to listen to my wife every sentence.

As for the funeral expenses in the future, apart from the cheap salary and office silver in the office, there are still a lot of savings in the military camp over the years, which can be perfunctory.If there is any surplus, it can be handed over to my wife for use.The real estate in my family is barely enough to make ends meet, and it is all managed by my brother. Every year, it is taken in to take care of the family.I will ask you to print the remaining manuscripts on your behalf, and hand them over to my brother together with the previous "Mianyizhai Occasionally Preserved Manuscripts", and ask him to store them in the ancestral hall.If the facts are investigated according to the order, these two books can be submitted to the National History Museum. "

When all the friends heard what imperial envoy Yu said, they all burst into tears.Imperial envoy Yu suddenly remembered something again, so he called his family members together, and said: "I have a word to tell you. After I die, I must not go to the funeral immediately. I know that when I mention Taiwan, I must use me as an excuse to get rid of foreigners. Here, there is absolutely no reason to occupy the power for a long time, you will know it when you look at it."

I have nothing to say at the moment.

A few days later, there was a military report saying that the British ship had arrived outside the mouth, and Xie Zhentai was on Jinji Mountain, and it was bombarded.Imperial envoy Yu hurriedly ordered the closed city to stand firm, while dressing up in his luggage, he went to the city to supervise the battle in person.When I arrived at the city, I suddenly reported that Yu Buyun asked to see me.Envoy Yu Qin said, "Let's meet here at the military gate."

For a while, Yu Titai, who was brilliant and well-dressed, came up, and when they met, he bowed his head and said, "Buyun has a very confidential saying to return to Jieshuai, please avoid everyone, so that I can say it face-to-face. .”

Envoy Yu said: "Brothers here, we are all of one mind. The military sect has great opinions, so you might as well ask for your advice."

Yu Titai paused for a moment, then said: "The foreign soldiers are powerful, and Chief Jie knows it too."

Envoy Yu Qin said, "What if you are powerful?"

Yu Titai said: "Zheng, Ge, and Wang are such heroes that even the entire army was wiped out. Moreover, Zhenhai is a prosperous area, and there are hundreds of thousands of people in He County. Originally, this sentence should not be Our military attache said that because the safety of these millions of lives is in the hands of Jie Shuai, we have no choice but to make a plea to Jie Shuai."

Envoy Yuqin said: "The military sect's idea, what do you want a brother for?"

Yu Titai said: "I implore the Commander-in-Chief to look at these one million souls, and temporarily send Chen Zhigang, the foreign commissioner, to go to the foreign ship to take care of them."

Envoy Yu Qin said: "That kind of day-to-day business is very important to the state, and my brother is not capable of it.

" Yu Titai was bored, and went down to the city. After a while, Yu Qin came up again, and without waiting for him to speak, he said: "Master Junmen, you and I are top officials.The imperial court handed over this Zhejiang Province to you and me. When foreigners come, they just talk about confinement, and I am sorry for the kindness of heaven.

" Yu Titai said: "Buyun has received great kindness, and it is appropriate to serve the country with his death.But there are more than [-] wives and children in the family who are very poor, and Buyun's girl is out of the cabinet today, especially Wang Jie Shuai Tween. "

Speaking of this, Yu Titai burst into tears and couldn't help crying bitterly.Envoy Yu Qin said: "Children love each other, heroes are inevitable, so I can't blame you.

But loyalty is a big deal, and this ambition is absolutely invincible. "

Yu Titai had no choice but to hide his tears and leave the city.Imperial envoy Yu sighed: "The matter is in the hands of the army. In the battle of Dinghai, Ge, Zheng, and Wang fought bloody battles for seven days and nights. If the army sent a brigade to rescue them early, what would happen? Even if something happens, it won’t be broken so quickly.”

Before the words were finished, the army went to report that the foreigners had already set off to attack Zhaobaoshan.At one time, it was reported that foreigners invaded the back mountain from the northwest corner, and all the officers and soldiers fled. Weiyuan City fell, and a major event happened.

Seeing the soldiers who raised the bid and protect the seal staggered towards him, they shouted: "Master Junmen, there is no whereabouts now!

Envoy Yu was shocked. Then he reported that the British attacked Jinji Mountain, and Xie Zhentai fired artillery to resist. He was fighting fiercely.

Seeing the fall of Weiyuan City, Xie Jun was flustered. Xie Zhentai was bombarded into the sea by foreign artillery because he was fighting to protect the fort, and his body was not found.Now the foreign soldiers are rushing towards Zhenhai.Suddenly it was reported that there was a fire in the city, and there must be traitors.Then the foreign soldiers have arrived at the city.The imperial envoy Yu knew that there was nothing to be done, so he went down to the city, ran to the school palace, looked at the tower, knelt down three times and kowtowed nine times, jumped into the Panchi, imitating Qu Zi who threw himself into the river, made Suiyang a martyr, and drank Three or five saliva, already unconscious.

Family members Yu Sheng and Lu Xi were busy calling for help. Deputy General Feng Shentai and Chief Qian Ma Ruipeng rushed to help salvage.When Qi was rescued, fortunately Xixi hadn't lost his breath yet, so he packed into a sedan chair and escorted him out of the city.He rushed to Ningbo Mansion and went through Zheng Tingcai, the magistrate, to change him into dry clothes.Suddenly hearing that the foreigners offered a reward of [-] gold for the body of imperial envoy Yu, Yu Sheng and others did not dare to stay, so they hired a boat to go to Yuyao in the starry night.This is all for later.

Now that Zhenhai has fallen, all civil and military personnel have abandoned the city and fled.Yu Buyun fled back to Ningbo Tiguan.Ning Shaotai Dao Lu Zechang fled to Cixi, and lied about jumping into the city river to die. When he was in a coma, he was rescued by soldiers bravely.Only Li Xiangyang, the county magistrate, named Danya and named Kuicun, wrote poems calmly and hanged himself above the lobby of this office.There are a total of two poems of seven unique poems, one of which is: there are mountains, it is difficult to overwhelm the sea, and it is difficult to defend, and all the people in the land are like dogs and sheep.

Purge clothes and hats and pay homage to the north, and live and die with the city of Suiyang.

The second way:
The isolated city has been in a hurry to defend, and there is no plan to keep soldiers, only to hurt yourself.

If you can call the emperor's seat here, you will not listen to the death of the city.

At this time, the wind is rumbling, and the grass and trees are all soldiers.Ningbo received the shocking report from Zhenhai, and the merchants moved away one after another. The magistrate Zheng Tingcai and others all rushed to Shangyu, and Yu Buyun, who raised Taitai, rode out of Nanguan alone.

Therefore, on the 29th, eight British warships approached the Lingqiao Gate of the Fucheng City and fired cannons, but no one paid attention to it.The British general Guo Shili was very surprised. He left his boat and went ashore. He supervised and led the soldiers, lined up the team, and went on guard.When I arrived at Ningbo Fucheng, I saw that the city gate was open, but there was no soldier in sight.Guo Shili was afraid that it was a trick to lure the enemy, so he fired three rows of foreign guns, but still no one responded, so he boldly broke into the city, ran up the tower, and hoisted a British flag high.When the British soldiers saw them, they chanted long live in unison, so the three cities in eastern Zhejiang fell within ten days.If you want to know what happened next, let's listen to the next chapter.

(End of this chapter)