Chapter 24 The twenty-fourth chapter to save the defeat, Shi Dakai's first western expedition

After Xuanjiao returned to the mansion, fearing that the Yiwang couple would be worried, she sent a maid to bring a basket of Jiangxi Nanfeng tribute oranges to the Yiwang's mansion.Yiwang and his wife were worried about Xuanjiao's safety, when they received Miju, although they didn't attach a letter, they guessed that she had not succeeded in the assassination, and she had already left the East Palace safely. , Come back and talk to Dakai, I can't help but marvel at Xuanjiao's courage and wisdom. Soon, the Northern King recovered from his injuries and was able to get out of bed to act. In the next few months, although Yang Xiuqing's heavenly father descended to earth many times, and middle-level civil and military officials were beaten from time to time, he finally did not insult the Second King of the Northern Wing and the Heavenly King, nor did he insult Xuan Jiao harbors a grudge and takes revenge, and she lives in peace for the time being.

In addition to the relatively calm frontline military outside Nanjing, both the Northern Expeditionary Army and the Western Expeditionary Army suffered repeated setbacks.The Northern Expeditionary Army failed to cross the river at Liujiakou in Guide in early May, and the Qing army pursued them again, so they were forced to stay away from their targets in Hebei and continued westward until they found another crossing in Sishui County between Zhengzhou and Luoyang.Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang discussed that if crossing the river still fails here, then go back to Hubei and join the Western Expeditionary Army. If this plan is realized, the Northern Expeditionary Army will not suffer unnecessary sacrifices, and the Western Expeditionary Army will strengthen its strength, and the entire battle situation will change. , It is greatly conducive to the stability of the situation in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.It is a pity that the Northern Expeditionary Army was not blessed. They finally succeeded in crossing the river at Sishui, occupied Wen County on the opposite bank, and attacked Huaiqing Mansion to the north.Not only did the Northern Expeditionary Army fail to estimate the difficulty of crossing the river, but also violated the order of the Eastern King "don't stop on the way, but stay in Tianjin" and besieged Huaiqing for fifty-six days, which delayed the opportunity of the war.When Lin Fengxiang traveled westward from Kaifeng in mid-May, he sent people back to Beijing many times to report that it was difficult for the Northern Expedition to cross the river, and asked to send troops to help, but Tianjing had no troops to send.After the Northern Expeditionary Army withdrew from Huaiqing on July 27 and entered Shanxi, everyone in Tianjing sighed with anxiety. The number of brethren keeps decreasing, the new brethren are not strong enough to fight, and the number of soldiers is gradually decreasing. How long can we last?

It was the mid-autumn day in August, and King Yi invited the King of the North to meet the King of the East to worship the festival. He said, "Fourth Brother, the Northern Expeditionary Army is in a dilemma. There are 100,000 troops, and reinforcements of 10,000 to 20,000 are of no avail. With a small number of troops, they fought all over the northern half of China, launched a great uprising of the Northern Nian Army, restrained many demon soldiers, and made the Manchu demon head I was so frightened that I was dizzy, and now I continue to go north, and I am outnumbered, so I might as well withdraw."

The Northern King also said: "There are many old brothers in the Lin and Li armies, and they are priceless treasures of our Taiping Army. Let's keep them. You know you don't have the strength to take Beijing, so why make unnecessary sacrifices!" Dong Wang stared, and said sharply: "How do you know it's a meaningless sacrifice? Why do you conclude that there is no hope of taking Beijing? I'm still planning to send reinforcements." "Where can we send reinforcements?" Da Kai asked in surprise. "Yangzhou Zeng Lichang's army is isolated and helpless, surrounded by monster soldiers on all sides, and the court cannot send troops to rescue them. It is better to abandon Yangzhou and draw more than 10,000 of his troops to reinforce the Northern Expedition."

Both King Bei and King Yi were speechless in astonishment, they never expected that the Eastern King would make such a bad move.Da Kai couldn't help resisting and said: "Fourth brother, withdrawing the Yangzhou defenders and the northern aid is the worst policy, absolutely not! Yangzhou is the Ping Fan of Zhenjiang, and Zhenjiang is the eastern gateway of Tianjing. If Yangzhou is withdrawn, Zhenjiang will also be in danger. Lost Yangzhou, and Zeng Lichang's 10,000 people can't solve the siege of Lin and Li, and it is bound to lose both ends. It's not worth it, and I hope that the fourth brother will carefully consider it."

Xiuqing said impatiently: "Yangzhou is important, don't I know? You don't understand that I am advancing by retreating. I will let the demon army rejoice first, and wait until the other battlefields are loose, and then draw out troops to take Yangzhou back. not easy?" Chang Hui said: "Even if the Yangzhou garrison is withdrawn, that Zeng Lichang is not a single-handed general. He is far behind Lin and Li. He should be replaced by a suitable person, otherwise it will cause trouble." Xiuqing was headstrong, never refusing to admit that she handled things improperly, and emphasized: "Except for the Northern Expeditionary Army, all capable generals from Guangxi are in the Western Expeditionary Army. How can they be drawn back? Now that the Western Expeditionary Army is not fighting smoothly, Hu Yihuang Anqing was trapped, and the demon soldiers were just fifteen miles away at Jixian Pass. They were defeated and couldn't get over it. They ordered him several times to recover Hefei, the capital of Luzhou, but they couldn't do it. It has been three months since Lai Hanying led troops to attack Nanchang. The city was bombed three times, but the city could not be attacked. I can no longer leave a large number of troops idle there. I have ordered them to withdraw from Nanchang, and Lai Hanying returned to Tianjing to wait for disposal. Now we need to strengthen the command of the Western Expeditionary Army, and the goal is to recover Anhui Luzhou, take back Wuchang. Seventh brother, I was just about to discuss with you, it is good that you are here, now I have decided to send you to Anqing to command the Western Expeditionary Army, how many brothers do I need to bring?"

Unexpectedly, Da Kai came to persuade the Eastern King to withdraw the Northern Expeditionary Army, but he was sent to the Western Front.He has been idle in Beijing for a long time, and he is used to leading soldiers. After leaving the barracks for a long time, he really misses his life as a soldier.The war on the western front is unfavorable, and he is also very anxious. Today, the Eastern King invited him to go to the expedition, which was in line with his wish. He immediately stood up solemnly and said: "The western expedition has not made any progress for a long time, and my younger brother is willing to go to Anqing to change this situation. At present, the troops in Beijing and China are weak. It is enough to take 6,000 people, and when it will start, please let the fourth brother instruct."

Xiuqing calculated with her fingers: "Today is August and a half, so I'll give you five days to prepare, is that enough?" Da Kai thought for a while and said: "Please fourth brother immediately issue a troop order. The water battalion prepares the ships, and the grain platform loads the grain and grass. It will be completed within four days, and the departure will definitely start on August 20." Dakai went back to the mansion and told Princess Chun'e, asking her to prepare to go out of Beijing together, but Chun'e said: "This time you go to Beijing to fight, you don't have to go with the whole family, and you don't have to stay in one place on the battlefield. In the past, you came from Jintian I came out, fought every day, climbed mountains and mountains every day, and dragged a child, but it has passed. Now I come to Tianjing to live in peace, but I don’t want to live that kind of unstable life anymore. Dongwang sent you a few You are all honest concubines, you can just pick two and take them with you to serve, if I leave, this Prince Yi's mansion will have no master."

The few concubines in Dakai were indeed selected by Yang Xiuqing one after another. Bei Wang would find his concubines himself, and he didn’t need Dong Wang to do it for him, but Yi Wang was very honest. I took it.At this moment, Da Kai said apologetically: "Leaving you in Tianjing City, and not being able to see each other day and night, I really feel ashamed." Chun'e pursed her lips and smiled: "Don't worry! I won't be jealous, don't you understand?" Da laughed and said, "Of course, you are the concubine of a virtuous and virtuous princess. When I was in those villages, I didn't choose the wrong person, right? I still remember that time when the eldest sister came home from Wushan Town, we went from Qishixu to a horse and a pair Back home, carefree and happy at that time!"

Chun'e blushed, and sweetly recalled the past when she was a girl, she giggled, and said shyly, "You are a five thousand year old prince, and you are not shy to mention that boy and girl love each other!" "Why are you ashamed? I will always remember the past of our close love, and it will never be erased." Da Kai hugged Chun'e and kissed him, smiling. Dakai chose Song Shi and Yu Shi from among his concubines to go out of Beijing with him.After the resignation at the Heavenly King's Mansion, on the day of the expedition, Chun'e got up early in the morning and ordered her servants to cook fine breakfast for Dakai to have a full meal. Platinum's pocket-style gold crown, with double dragons and a single phoenix embroidered on the forehead, with the gold characters "Wing King" inlaid in the middle, a small yellow canopy on the top of the helmet, pearls hanging around it, wearing a yellow dragon robe of six dragons, and a yellow satin square head The boots are all exquisitely embroidered by the "Diantian Robe" Yamen in Yidian. After wearing them, they look radiant.Chun'e looked at Huanxi and said, "Today the general is going on an expedition. I really want to send you to the Shuying Wharf by the river. I'm so happy to see you get on the boat and set sail for a long voyage. The flag of the King of Wings is still flying on the bow!"

Just as he was talking, he suddenly reported: "Xi Wang Niang is here!" As soon as the voice stopped, Xuan Jiao had already stepped into the inner courtyard and shouted, "Seventh brother, I'm here to see you off!" Da Kai came out to welcome him, and said: "Sister Xuan, I have been busy going out for the past two days, but I didn't say goodbye to you." Chun'e also came out and said: "Sister Xuan, just now I was talking about that I really want to send Brother Qi to the riverside to see the grand scene of the army's expedition, but it's a pity that we women can't send him out of the gate." Xuan Jiao smiled and said: "Why not, let's go, change clothes quickly, we will send Seventh brother to the riverside together, today except Dongwang, Beiwang and all the officials will see off by the riverside, it is very lively." They had three big sedan chairs, and the guards of the two palaces rushed to the pier by the river outside Yifeng Gate. Hundreds of officials on horseback and sedan chairs had already gathered at the Jieguan Pavilion to see King Yi off. The sedan chair also came like flying, Chang Hui got off the sedan chair, saw Xuan Jiao was also there, and said, "Aunt Wang is so excited!" Xuan Jiao laughed and said, "I'm just happy to join in the fun!" Changhui pulled Dakai aside, and said quietly: "Fourth brother sent you away this time, wouldn't it be because we often opposed his ideas in Beijing and hated it in front of our eyes, so Suoxing sent you to other provinces?" Da Kai thought for a while and said: "I don't think so, the Western Expeditionary Army really needs to turn the situation around. Even if they send me away intentionally, it's fine, as long as it is beneficial to the Celestial Dynasty, I am willing to do anything." Changhui smiled and said, "You're more open-minded than me, that's good. If I'm also sent out of Beijing, I'll come to Anqing to see you." Da Kai laughed and said: "You are too pessimistic, why did you get to that point." Dakai boarded the boat, all the officials dispersed, Chun'e and Xuan Jiao still stood side by side by the river, looking at the Yiwang ship flying the handsome flag, and 600 battleships sailed up the river majesticly.Chun'e is proud of her husband, while Xuanjiao is full of melancholy. Such a heroic and elegant young general is not her ideal husband! On the 600-mile waterway from Nanjing to Anqing, when the east wind was smooth, the sails were blowing and the sails were bulging to the west, and there were trackers pulling them. They arrived at Anqing Wharf on the evening of August 23rd. Emperor Shi Xiangzhen led civil and military officials to greet him at the pier, and Yihuang said: "Anqing's troops are too small to start the situation. It will be fine if your Highness comes down." King Yi asked Xiangzhen, "Have all the troops in Nanchang withdrawn?" Xiangzhen said: "They have all withdrawn. Wei Jun and Zeng Tianyang's armies have returned to southern Anhui, and they can cross the river to Anqing. The last group led by Lai Hanying will probably arrive a few days later." After all the generals arrived, King Yi held a military meeting and asked solemnly: "The siege of Nanchang and the march into northern Anhui have all failed. Have you ever understood the reason for the failure?" Both Yihuang and Hanying said, "There are too few soldiers, not enough." Xiangzhen was at odds with Hanying, so he glanced at him, and said coldly: "This little army should not attack Nanchang at all, not to mention improper command, and missed many opportunities in Kecheng." Han Ying said angrily: "What's wrong with the command? How long did my thousands of people attack the city and support them? Is it easy? You two support troops came at the end of the day and refused to cooperate with each other. Who is to blame?" Xiangzhen wanted to refute, but Dakai waved his hand to stop, and said sternly: "If you didn't fight a good battle, you have to find the real reason before you can lose once. After losing a battle, you only know how to complain about each other, and you can learn to fight? I advise you gentlemen to learn the art of war well. The ancients used soldiers to encircle them in ten and attack them in five. Only by surpassing the enemy can they besiege them. Of course, there are also examples of winning more battles with less. That is based on wisdom. Courage, based on creating false appearances, can only be achieved when a sudden attack is made during the movement, and the enemy is very vulnerable. If the assault fails, the troops must be withdrawn immediately. Hesitation by chance will inevitably lead to losses. Guilin, Changsha and Nanchang attacked the cities The lessons should be kept in mind." "You all say that there are fewer soldiers, more tactics are more, and less are less tactics. In short, there is a truth that must be firmly remembered, that is, 'concentrate troops on one point and break through'. If there are too many soldiers, they will bloom everywhere. If there are too many, nothing will be achieved. If there are fewer soldiers, we must pay special attention to the use of troops sparingly. With one army, one division, or even three hundred and five hundred people, we must calculate. Will my troops be used for the knife? When encountering a lack of troops in other battlefields In an emergency, what should I do? It’s because everyone calls for fewer troops, and no one is willing to send troops to help. As a result, everyone can’t fight well, so we should obey the overall situation, temporarily abandon my fat meat here, and draw troops to support other battlefields. Concentrate The superior force first captured another city, and then came back to pick up the piece of fat that was discarded? This will test the extent of our 'general talent'." "The Western Expeditionary Army has not fought well in the past few months. Don't be discouraged. I am here and will guide you on the right path of combat. Our goals are first Anhui, southern Anhui, and second Jiujiang and Wuchang. In northern Anhui, consolidating the outskirts of Tianjing and opening up our army's food base is the top priority at the moment. At the same time, we will divide our forces to capture Jiujiang and Wuchang. I order: Hu Yihuang, the prime minister of Chunguan, and Zeng Tianyang, the prime minister of Qiuguan, lead the troops together Fifteen thousand people took down Jixian Pass, took Tongcheng, and conquered Luzhou. Then, Hu Yihuang garrisoned Luzhou and drew Zeng Tianyang's army to go west to Huguang. Guozong Shi Xiangzhen and Wei Jun also led tens of thousands of troops, Drive up the river, take Jiujiang first, and let Lin Qirong garrison it, and then attack Huangzhou, Hanyang, and Wuchang in Hubei. If the troops in northern Anhui are not enough, Xiangzhen should shrink the front line, draw out troops, and work together to take Luzhou, and then a large number of troops in northern Anhui Troops will come from west to west. In this way, with our limited force, more than 20,000 people can be used as 40,000 to 50,000 people to take Luzhou and Wuchang at the same time. This is the specific meaning of what I mean by "concentrate our forces on one point and break through." Realized, no matter whether the commander goes north or west, he should obey the military order of the Lord, regardless of each other, work together, those who make meritorious service will be rewarded, those who violate the military order and fail to fight will also follow the military law!" All the generals stood up awe-inspiringly and said: "Follow His Highness's general order, we must work together to win Luzhou and Wuchang!" In the next six months, the two battlefields in northern Anhui and Shangjiang were carried out according to King Yi's intention. After the first army in northern Anhui broke through the fortress of the Qing army at Jixian Pass, they entered Tongcheng and killed Lu Xianji, the minister of Anhui regiments and ministers of the Ministry of Industry in the Qing Dynasty. Li Hongzhang followed Xianji back to his hometown in Anhui to run a regiment, and he brought Liu Mingchuan and Zhou Shengbo, the brave leaders of the Hefei regiment, to participate in the Battle of Tongcheng. He retreated to Hefei Xixiang in embarrassment, and the Taiping Army entered Hefei.At this time, Jiang Zhongyuan, the leader of Chuyong, was ordered to be the governor of Anhui. He brought more than 2,000 people to Luzhou to defend the city, and the number of troops inside and outside the city reached more than 10,000.The city of Hefei was large, and it was difficult to besiege the city. King Yi urgently transferred Wei Jun's army from the front line of Hubei to reinforce the front line of Luzhou.At this time, Shi Xiangzhen and Wei Jun had captured Jiujiang, and Lin Qirong led troops to garrison them, and then marched into Hubei.Zeng Guofan, who would become a powerful enemy of the Taiping Army in the future, was still building ships and training troops in Hengyang, Hunan.There were only more than 2,000 guards in the city. When he was about to attack the city, he received an order from King Yi. Shi Xiangzhen immediately retracted his battle line and retreated to Huangzhou to stand by.After Wei Jun's soldiers and horses arrived in Luzhou, they assisted Hu Yihuang and Zeng Tianyang in launching a general attack. It took thirty-four days before and after, and finally captured Luzhou City on December 16 at the end of the third year of Xianfeng, killing Many officials below the vassal, the fierce enemy Jiang Zhongyuan committed suicide by throwing himself into the water. After the Battle of Luzhou, the Taiping Army occupied a large area of ​​fertile areas in northern and southern Anhui, and built it as the base of the Western Expeditionary Army, which was the western barrier of Tianjing and the main source of food.King Yi left behind Hu Yihuang, who was granted the title of King of Yu due to his meritorious service, to garrison Luzhou, and dispatched Zeng Tianyang, Wei Jun and other troops to help Hubei. The second occupation of Hankou, Hanyang, and Wuchang was already under his control, and he divided his troops to advance Hunan, including Keyue Prefecture, Xiangyin, Jinggang in the north of Changsha, and Ningxiang in the west, is only more than 70 miles away from Changsha. The situation of the Taiping Army is very good. King Yi was in Anhui again, implementing an enlightened and benevolent government different from that of Tianjing. He did not dismantle the families of scholars and people, and did not implement separate libraries for men and women; To avoid repeated taxation at checkpoints and to facilitate the circulation of goods; to treat landlords and gentry differently, except for reactionary landlords who did many evils and stubbornness, to attract enlightened gentry to become assistants of the Taiping Army.And open up a way for intellectuals to open up a way for intellectuals to achieve the political strategy of making fewer enemies and recruiting more friends, dividing the enemy camp, and expanding the social foundation of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.After the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom established its capital in Tianjing, it once promulgated the "Tianchao Tianmu System", intending to realize the principle of "there are fields to be cultivated together, food to be eaten together, clothes to be worn together, money to be used together, everywhere uneven, and no one without food and warmth". An ideal society, but this utopian ideal of absolute egalitarianism seriously dampened the enthusiasm of farmers, and the notice was opposed as soon as it was issued.Dakai still implements the system of paying grain and taxation as usual in Anhui to calm people's hearts. The "Tianmu Farm System" is just a dead letter.Therefore, someone in the East Palace's confidantes and aides informed the East King that King Yi was in Anhui in defiance of the laws of the Celestial Dynasty, doing things on his own, establishing his own prestige, and having the ambition to dominate one side, so it must be guarded against. Dong Wang thought for a while and said: "Anhui is still fighting, and the situation has not stabilized. In order to win the support of the gentry and the people, we can be more tolerant. King Yi is a smart man. The methods he adopted have his reasons, so don't criticize them casually. " However, Dong Wang is narrow-minded after all, but I am the only one who respects the nine thousand years old who is used to it. I don't say that I don't pay attention to it. Once my confidants provoke me, I will become wary of Yi Wang.In March of the fourth year of Jiayin (the fourth year of Xianfeng) in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Western Expeditionary Army was victorious, and the Qing army had been beaten to pieces and unable to parry. Go to guard Anqing, and at the same time recruit King Yi to return to Beijing. Dakai implemented the New Deal in Anhui, and the people were happy and the market was prosperous.He also eagerly wanted to build Anhui into a model region under the rule of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and waited for the victory of the Hubei front to win Wuchang.At this time, he suddenly received the Heavenly King's edict sent by the Proclamation Officer of the Eastern Palace, enlisting him to return to the court to assist the government, and brought a letter from the Eastern King, to the effect that Tianjing's defenses are tight, and it is hoped that he will return to the court to replace the Northern King for strengthening City defense, and there are a lot of official affairs in the court, so I need my brother's assistance.Dakai inquired about the situation of the war outside Tianjing, and the visitor said: "The demon soldiers entered from Xiaolingwei to the west, and they were only one or two li away from Taipingmen and Chaoyangmen. The new address has gone." Da Kai was surprised: "I don't want the demon soldiers to threaten Tianjing, it has reached this point!" Chengxuan said: "It's His Royal Highness's palace. It's too dangerous to be close to Tongji Gate, and the house is too small to accommodate so many people in the wing hall. The new wing palace on the east side of Chaotian Palace has just been built. Shed (the place where Anhui Township Examination was held) and a private house next to it, a Xing family's "green garden" was expanded and formed. His Highness can move into the new palace when he returns to Beijing. There is only one street away from the East Palace, and both are in Inside the Hanxi Gate of the Western City, it is far away from the demon soldiers' camp, so it is absolutely safe." Da Kai said sternly: "We can't just think about our own safety, if we want everyone in Tianjing to be safe and not be threatened by demon soldiers' artillery." Official Chengxuan was sent away, and Dakai summoned his father-in-law Huang Yukun, who had been named Wei Tianhou, and his confidants Zeng Jinqian and Zhang Suimou, and ordered them to arrange entourage and prepare to return to Beijing.When the three of them came together, they felt that something was wrong, Yukun said: "Although the Tianjing city defense is dangerous, it is enough to deal with it with the East King and the North King. There may be other reasons for summoning His Highness to return to the capital." Jin Qian and Suimou are Da Kai's think tanks, they both said: "I'm afraid the Eastern King is afraid that His Highness has been out for a long time, won the hearts of the people, is unique, and confronts him." King Yi was stunned for a moment, then looked out of the window with his hands behind his back and meditated for a while, then sighed leisurely: "Since this body has been dedicated to the great cause of anti-Qing Qing, it is the same everywhere, but it is a pity that the ambition has not been fulfilled, and I gave up halfway!"