Qing Dynasty Secret History

Chapter 73
It is said that when the officers and soldiers closed their teams at the entrance, they saw the commander Peng Yulin, who had injured his finger with bullets, and his sleeves and skirts were covered with blood, talking to Yang Zaifu with a high spirit.When all the soldiers saw his expression, they all secretly admired him.From then on, the naval general Bian, who was called courageous and courageous, had to push Peng and Yang.By the time Zeng Guofan's second battalion navy arrived, the river had been cleared for a long time.When the good news arrived in Beijing, Wen Zong was very happy, and he made two orders, which were nothing more than asking him to take advantage of this prestige, go east quickly, and smash the thief's nest in Wuhan, hoping to wipe out the ugly people.Guofan received the letter from the court and said to his subordinates: "The holy will is anxious, and the imperial edict is pressing, we can't wait any longer."

As he said that, it was reported that the third navy had arrived, and Guofan was overjoyed.Then, Junbian threw it into Chen Huilong's handbook, and ordered to see him.Huilong entered the cabin, met Li, and asked: "Yuezhou Kefu, I heard that it is Peng and Yang Zhigong, Yang Gong has already met, General Peng is only famous, and has never met."

Guofan said: "Our General Peng was originally a scholar. If you want to meet him, brother can introduce him."

Then he said to the soldiers: "Master Peng, please.

"I invited you here at once, we met, and when we talked about the situation of the water battle, Chen Huilong was overwhelmed with face, but he didn't agree with it in his heart. When they returned to the base camp, everyone asked Peng Yulin how he was. Huilong smiled and said, "Is Chang Mao originally Even with his skill, it was his luck that Zhu Zi became famous.If our army is the leader, this great achievement will not be able to match the surname Peng. "

The crowd replied: "It's fortunate that we didn't have the top gang. If we were the top gang, we beat the long-haired boat without turning back, and it's not as famous as him. Peng Yulin is a scholar, and he leads the new army. Your old man is a veteran. We are all veterans, and we regard it as a common thing, but they will regard it as a miracle."

Huilong smiled and said: "That's right. Don't mention anything else, as far as warships are concerned, they are all small boats with three boards and iron cannons made of earth. We are a big ship with rudders and brass cannons. What a bright banner, How lively, strong and weak the sergeants are, we don’t need to tell them, they probably know it too.”

As he said, the three-board boat flew to report the military situation, saying that there were a large group of thief ships sailing up the river and had arrived at Chenglingji.Huilong said to his subordinates: "I'm going to see Zeng Shuai to ask for this job, and to breathe out for our Guangjun."

When everyone heard this, they all jumped up bravely.

Huilong immediately boarded the boat to see Guofan, and discussed the job face to face.When Guofan saw Huilong, he was full of spirits, with a bold and unrestrained expression, and he had a majestic spirit, and he felt quite disapproved.Sui Dao: "Our army has won many times, and the army has repeatedly lost. It is easy to be proud of every victory. It is easy to be proud of every defeat. What's more, the long hair is cunning and the waves are unpredictable. You should be careful in this battle. I have consulted the Tajunmen to attack the drums. Taiwan, to divide the thieves' power, don't underestimate the enemy, remember to remember!"

Chen Huilong reluctantly agreed, returned to the base camp, smiled and said to his subordinates: "Shuai Zeng is really timid, a few long hairs are worth the trouble."

Following the orders, three or five big boats with rudders set off with their tails in their tails. The flags covered the sun, the sound of guns shook the sky, and the ships were so tall and majestic that they looked like islands.All the generals of the Hunan Army took three boards to watch the battle. Seeing the appearance and momentum of the Guangdong Army, they were all disappointed.I saw the big ship with rudders, riding the wind and waves, driving slowly, hundreds of foreign-equipped bronze cannons, bombarded in a row, the sound vibrated the valley, resounded through the sky, the bullets were like meteors, and the light was like lightning.The pirate boats did not dare to reach the enemy, they hid left and right, and ran blindly.The Cantonese army cheered thunderously and was full of ambition. They thought that the Taiping army would be wiped out, and it would be just this moment.Chen Huilong chased with all his might, ten sails advancing side by side, hundreds of cannons bombarding at the same time, shaking Yueyang with power, swallowing clouds and dreams, regardless of the distance of the water, the depth of the river, the sudden waves and waves, he chased all the way.

Unexpectedly, the escape of the Taiping warship was all a trick to lure the enemy.The big ship with the rudder, sailed to the middle stream, was already stuck by the glue of the bottom of the river.The ten poles were raised together, and the hundred oars flew together, just like a dragonfly shaking a stone pillar, and the little ghost fell to the King Kong, without moving at all.When the Taiping army saw them, they gave a whistle, and all the warships galloped to gather, like tigers pouncing on food, like ants chasing good, scrambling towards the rudder.Chen Huilong was extremely anxious, he could neither meet nor evade, he repeatedly bombed the foreign cannons, but the enemy ships were like arrows, the bullets fired were not accurate in a hundred.Knowing that there was no hope, the sailors from Guangdong and Guangxi threw themselves into the river one after another.Chen Huilong held a plain knife in his hand, stood upright on the bow of the boat, and commanded to meet the enemy.Unexpectedly, a stray bullet flew over, cut off the bow of the ship right at the mouth of the center, alas, Chengren has gone.When Guerrilla Sha Zhenbang saw it, he was furious and jumped out with a loud cry.At this time, the Taiping warship had arrived, and the red scarf soldiers flocked onto the boat.

One person is hard to beat with four hands, Nie Sha Guerrilla has another brave idea, chops into three pieces with a burst of knives.The general of the Hunan Army, seeing the critical situation, hurried to rescue him.Suddenly the south wind was strong, the river was turbulent, and the Taiping warship was in the upper hand, flying cannons and stray bullets in the distance, and setting fire in the distance, with red light and smoke covering the river.The officers and soldiers were desperate, died of fire, died of water, died of gun bullets, countless, countless.Peng Yulin and Yang Zaifu broke through the siege, and Shan Ke escaped.Chu Ruhang and Xia Luan also lost their lives in this battle.Generals Peng and Yang reported to Zeng Shuai.Guofan sighed and said: "Chen Zhentai underestimated the enemy and lost his life. He lost his spirit. However, he lost his horse and knows that it is not a blessing? Gentlemen, please be careful not to be discouraged."

As he said that, he suddenly saw a crystal-topped military bill, and a corner of the document was sent in. Guofan opened it up and read it, and he couldn't feel his face beaming with joy.Everyone asked what was the matter, and Guofan said: "The Tajun Gate won a big victory in the Drum Arena, beheading Zeng Tianyang, a famous thief. A small defeat for the navy and a great victory for the army are truly a blessing for the country."

Call the screen friends to follow up on the news, ask for sympathy for those who died in battle, and guarantee promotion for those who are credited.

When the court mail arrived, Guofan read it as usual:
Read the play and win the resentment!Zeng Guofan was supervising the battle on the waterway, and when Chen Huilong left the team, he couldn't manage it carefully. It can be seen that the army on the water has no restraint.However, Zeng Guofan was dismissed before, so there is no need to submit strict discussions to the Ministry at this time. He is still ordered to supervise the navy generals and fight hard. After a setback, he must not stop watching.

This is it.Guofan said to his subordinates: "The bandits in Chenglingji are still in full swing. If you don't break this bandit, you will never be able to pass through the east road. The navy has suffered a new setback. I want to use the army to attack the bandits on the shore. If you succeed on the shore, it will not be difficult for the navy to go east. Now, what do you guys think?"

All the generals praised him well.Guofan then sent Xiao general Zhu Dianyuan to lead the four battalions of Xiangyong, and rushed to attack in the starry night.After receiving the order, all the Dianyuan pulled out their teams and drove to Chenglingji.Taqibu, Zhou Fengshan and Luo Zenan were also transferred to lead the army to support the palaces.It seems that this is an exhaustive strategy, and success can be achieved immediately.Unexpectedly, victory or defeat is impermanent, and the danger is instant.In the first military report, the officers and soldiers were defeated, and Zhu Dianyuan was killed in battle.In the second military report, the bandit chieftain gathered more than 2 thieves from Hubei, and came to kill them from Linhuai land.This group of Taiping troops are all elite thieves who have survived a hundred battles and are extremely powerful.Guofan said to himself: "Ta, Zhou and Luo will always support me, I wish you all the support." While sending inquiries and letters, he asked the three of them to be careful.

Since then, meteors have been scouting horses, and they can't stop flying to deliver military information.By the day of the 26th, the military report was even tighter, flying reports back and forth like a shuttle.The first report, a large number of Taiping troops have arrived, yellow flags, red scarves, pits and mountains are full.They fought desperately, and the officers and soldiers resisted desperately.The sound of cannons shook the ground, the sky was covered by smoke and dust, and the battle was in full swing.The second report said that the soldiers of Luo Ying were extremely brave, and their long hair had already been killed and retreated.The third report continued to the Taiping Army. After two generals Zhou Fengshan and Yang Mingsheng fought back bravely, seven or eight hundred Taiping Army soldiers were killed.Guofan said to all the friends: "There are so many thieves here, there must be many bloody battles. The overall situation in the southeast, whether it is fixed or uncertain, is all in these few days. I hope that as the blessings of heaven, the land route will be victorious, and the water route will also be successful. It's getting better."

All the friends said: "The country is blessed, my father is raising funds, and the soldiers will use their lives. There will always be nothing invincible."

The next day, the military report was normal, and there was no novelty in the war.As soon as the 28th, it will not be good.The Taiping army was so large that they waved their flags and shouted, and their momentum shook the sky.Thanks to Taqibu's loyalty and indignation, he fought with two swords on a horse, and his heroic vigor was enough to defeat thousands of people and win the hearts of all.Regardless of our own army or the enemy's, they were all horrified when they saw his bravery. They fought for five full hours from morning to night before the Taiping army retreated.Guofan received the military report and said happily: "The Tajunmen is so brave, the bandits are so popular."

At the moment of the 29th, the Taiping army came all over the mountains and plains with all their best.Taqibu said to Luo Zenan and Zhou Fengshan: "The thieves are so powerful that our army must split up to meet the enemy in order to be victorious."

Zenan said: "This plan is right. The three of us should be divided into three groups. The public will fight the middle road, Zhou Jun will fight the east road, and the thieves on the west road will be taken care of by brothers."

Zhou Fengshan said: "Very good, very good, let's leave the team like this."

So the applause team went out, the big banner team, the long spear team, the sword team, the foreign gun team, the blunderbuss team, and the horse team, all set off in a line, the dust was billowing, and the murderous spirit was full.

After a few miles, I saw the Yellow Banner Taiping Army, rushing towards the future like bees and ants.Luo Zenan ordered the sergeants to go up and kill them fiercely, and then ordered the supervising troops to mount their guns, and if the sergeants retreated, they shot them to death immediately.With this order, whoever dares to neglect, everyone is desperately trying to be the first.

The Taiping army couldn't kill them and was defeated.The Zenan Superintendent's team pursued and killed them, but within two miles, the Taiping Army held their ground, turned back and fought again, fighting with dragons and tigers.

He ran away again, chased and fought again, and killed three times in total, until he was exhausted, and he was really defeated.Falling down the rock and falling into the ravine, countless people died.Ta, Luo, and Wednesday's generals pursued the division until they were thirty miles away, but there was no trace of the enemy before they returned to the camp.Licao Lubu Zeng Shuai's camp was successful.Guofan was overjoyed, smiled and said to all the friends: "With this big victory, Master Lu will be six or seven points reliable."

All the friends said: "Since there are six or seven points reliable, why not take advantage of this prestige and go downstream to the east. No matter how successful the navy is, the military will be sure."

Guofan said: "This plan is very good."

Immediately, Li Mengqun, Yang Zaifu, Peng Yulin and other sailors were dispatched to supervise the navy and set sail.The wind was smooth and the water conservancy was smooth, as if being helped by a god, and it took only half a day to arrive at Chenglingji early.Seeing the masts and masts of the Taiping Army ships like a forest, the yellow flag fluttering, the military appearance is very clean.Li Mengqun was killed by the Taiping army because his father Li Qinggu was serving in the Hubei table. He was eager to revenge, and regardless of the interests, he led the navy, sailed and fired guns, rushed straight up, and the boat sailed like an arrow.Yang, Peng and a group of water generals continued to advance with drums and spears, and the tiger was full of vigor, and the mosquitoes and turtles were attacked by the front. The grass and trees were all soldiers, and the situation changed.At the beginning, the Taiping army fired artillery to resist, but later saw that the generals of the officers and soldiers stood upright on three boards, rushing forward with bullets, and no one fell down to avoid the artillery.The officers and soldiers became more and more powerful, and intercepted back and forth until it was dark before the team closed.

The next day, the team went out from Chenglingji to Luoshan, and from Luoshan to Jinkou, there was no Taiping warship or a Taiping army on the tens of miles of the river.Guofan got the news and ordered the army and land to take advantage of the victory to suppress and recover Wuhan.Since then, everything has been smooth sailing.Burn the torches and burn the iron locks, wash the soldiers and pour out the silver.Crossing Xiakou to withdraw the barriers, conquering Wuchang is like shaking and withering.But in five or seven days, from Xianghu Lake to Hanshui River, the sail shadows are already under the banner of Zengying.Wuchang and Hanyang were all restored.

When the good news arrived in Beijing, Wen Zong was overjoyed, smiled and said to the Minister of Military Aircraft: "Unexpectedly, Zeng Guofan, a scholar, can make such a miracle."

University scholar Qi Junzao said: "Zeng Guofan is just a registered servant. He has no power and power. He is almost an ordinary man. If an ordinary man is in the room, he will fall from his knees. More than ten thousand people will follow him. I am afraid it is not a blessing for the country."

Wenzong changed color silently.

The servant, Peng Yunzhang, originally had the same nostrils as Qi Junzao.Seeing Wen Zong's face change silently at that moment, he knew that the Sacred Heart had moved, and said along with him: "There are too many Hunan troops, and I am afraid that there will be a big danger in the future.

" Wen Zong pondered for a long time, and said resolutely: "Zeng Guofan is very good at Neo Confucianism. With such Confucianism, don't you know the righteousness of monarchs and ministers? That's never happened! "

University scholar Wen Qing said: "The emperor is a sage, what he saw is very true. Zeng Guofan is loyal and pure, and I dare to protect him from others."

Wen Zong nodded, wrote the royal pen with his relatives, and wrote two and a half lines of red characters on the original fold: "Lan Zou feels very comforting, and this great victory is beyond expectations."I am only self-sufficient in the competition, and I will quickly pardon the people and rob the sky.Another purpose.This is it.

He also ordered the military plane to draw up a decree of special kindness, rewarding Zeng Guofan with a second-rank top hat, adding grace to Daihua, and acting as the governor of Hubei.After Taqibu rewarded him with a yellow jacket and rewarded Shi En, the captain of the cavalry, Zeng Guofan paid homage and resigned.Wen Zong was originally the son of Yingtian, and he made a special decree in Quti: Zeng Guofan will be rewarded with the title of minister of the Ministry of War for military affairs, and he does not need to act as the governor of Hubei.

This is it.When Guofan received this order, he was so grateful that he couldn't say anything, so he discussed with the land and water generals the strategy of advancing and suppressing.Luo Zenan said: "Our army has won many victories, the famous city of Diek has already been captured by bandits.

The group of bandits downstream is not difficult to spread and decide. "

Guofan said: "There are many capable people among the thieves. It depends on the spread. I'm afraid it may not be done."

Peng Yulin said: "If you don't die hard, you will not be able to achieve great success. The bandits in the lower reaches will gather in Tianjia Town, surrounded by mountains and rivers, and form five large villages. The raft is made of bamboo and wood, and the cannons on the raft are as dense as bamboo shoots. There are five or six thousand gunboats in front of the raft, and the ring is a big city. With such a bandit force, there is no need to fight bloody blood, I am afraid it will not be easy to succeed."

Guofan said: "Xueqin's words are very true, everyone should work hard to come up with ideas."

Luo Zenan said: "It's good to be able to fight bloody.

What I worry about is that the soldiers are tired from fighting for a long time, and they can't work hard. "

It was agreed at the moment that Taqibu and Luo Zenan would lead the light cavalry to attack the land bandit camp.Peng Yulin and Yang Zaifu, who supervised and led the navy, specialized in suppressing pirate ships on the waterway.The land and water armies marched separately.

But Peng Yulin and Yang Zaifu untied their cables and sailed straight to Tianjia Town.Just approaching the bank of the Qizhou River, the Taiping Army on both sides of the strait bombarded the cannons desperately, and the cannons came like raindrops, and sentries and sergeants were injured and killed one after another.Peng Yulin held the flag to command, and went straight ahead without any frustration.After a while, he had already forced himself into Tianjia Town.Yang Zaifu pointed to the shore with a smile, and said to Peng Yulin, "The flag on the shore is moving faintly, and the bandit army will also gather."

Peng Yulin said: "The thieves set up wells and wells, so don't underestimate the enemy."

Yang Zaifu said: "The public opinion is very true. Isn't Chen Zhentai of the Guangjun army defeated for underestimating the enemy!"

Peng Yulin said, "I want to make an appointment with the army first, and then go into battle, what do you think?"

Yang Zaifu said this deeply.

Peng Yulin said: "This is a very important matter, and I must go in person."

So Peng Yulin disguised himself, stole through the Taiping barracks, and walked from the avoidance path to the Luo barracks to discuss the date of the war.However, in three or five days, it has already been handled properly.Return to the water village, mobilize all the generals under his command, and immediately issue an order to divide the water army into four teams.The three boards of the first team ordered the removal of guns, and specially prepared furnace grates, vertebrae, axes, charcoal scissors and other practical tools.Before leaving, he ordered: "On the lead ship, no matter whether you are a soldier or a sailor, you are not allowed to look up and look up, rush forward along the current, rush to the bottom of the raft, and burn the charcoal in the furnace. You must break the Hengjiang lock and cable. Those who are killed will be killed immediately."

The first team of warships took orders to go.Yulin led the second team and Yang Zaifu led the third team, advancing side by side to support the former army.Only the fourth team was ordered to stay in the village.

The wind is smooth and the water conservancy, thousands of sail shadows, skimming the waves, is extremely light.When the lead team arrived at the bamboo raft, they could already hear the sound of guns firing halfway up the mountain, the sounds of the mountains and the valleys, the earth shaking and the sky shaking, and knew that the army had started the war.Sentinel officer Sun Changkai was originally a blacksmith, and he used the old method of breaking locks with drum furnaces.Before it was broken, the small boat behind saw that there was a gap under the raft, so it drummed as hard as it could, and tried first, but the gap was big and the boat was light, and it squeezed through it.The rear boat followed and squeezed in, and squeezed into the two boats in an instant. The soldiers of the two boats cheered in unison: "The iron lock is open, the iron lock is open!"

The sailors outside the cable echoed in unison, and suddenly shouted like thunder.The soldiers of the Taiping army who guarded the raft were terrified, fled desperately, trampled on each other, fell into the water and drowned to death.

Peng and Yang's two teams just arrived, took advantage of the momentum to attack, threw fire and burned the boat, and killed the Taiping army until they had no way to enter the ground and no way to go to the sky.The fire took advantage of the wind, and the wind helped the fire to burn the whole town for one night. When it burned until dawn, five or six thousand warships of the Taiping Army turned into charcoal in the middle of the river. send.Since then, the Hunan Army Navy has become famous all over the world.

The two generals Peng and Yang received the army and were about to fly grass and expose the cloth, and went to Zeng Shuai's camp to report victory. Suddenly they received the army report, knowing that the army had won consecutive battles last night, flattened the enemy's bases, burned down the enemy's walls, and destroyed 23 camps.Both sides of the river were completely swept away. Within two hundred miles, there was not a single enemy.Yulin was overjoyed, smiled at Yang Zaifu and said, "Like the heavens, the overall situation in the southeast, it seems that it doesn't matter."

Immediately declare the victory.

When Guofan heard the news, he rushed over. Peng and Yang then talked about the situation of the battle, brimming with joy, and they were very happy with each other.Suddenly reported to the Qizhou Taiping Army, abandoned the city and fled at night.

The soldiers and horses of the Ta battalion have already broken through the enemy's fortress at Fuchikou on the south bank. Now they join forces with the Luo camp and cross to the north bank.Zeng Guofan said: "Now that the river here has been cleaned up, let's go straight to Jiujiang with (Zhouzong) drums."

Peng Yulin said: "Connect the sentry to report, and now the big and small thief ships are gathered outside Jiujiang City, and even (Zhou Zong) is going straight to attack, sincerely wanting to.

"So Guofan wrote the army and marched forward at the same time. It was also the Qing Dynasty's flood movement, the land and water armies, and the Kejie, breaking the Lianhua Bridge, and conquering Guangji City, Shuangcheng Post, Dahepu, Xiaxin Bridge, and Zhuzhai in Huangmei County. Many of these Taiping soldiers are also heroes from all corners of the country, heroes from Guangdong and Sanjiang. For some reason, when they meet officers and soldiers, they are like mice meeting cats. They don’t have a round, and they go away after being coaxed. The situation in Jiujiang , so dangerous and solid, only three battles were fought, and it was easy to overcome.

Wenzong received the good news, the Sacred Heart was pleased, and he issued a warm edict to reward the soldiers of the Zeng camp.The officers and men won the special award, and naturally became more and more enthusiastic.Unexpectedly, the idea of ​​military affairs went smoothly, and a huge disturbance broke out in the siege of the palace.If you want to know what's going on, let's listen to the next chapter.

(End of this chapter)