Chapter 26 Section 26

The west road is urgent, and the east road is not easy. Ren Zhu, Lai Wenguang, Niu Hong, and Li Yun, the "princes" of the "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom", the Nian army who fell into the grass and turned into bandits, assembled elite horsemen, no less than 100,000 people, Between Anlu and De'an in Hubei, the area around Guyunmengze was circling, wolves running wild, desperately trying to open a way out.Guo Songlin's first army, which was originally attached to the Huai army after the Hunan army, was defeated in the middle of the ambush. The "commander of the tree army" of Li Hongzhang's direct line, Zhou Shushan, the commander-in-chief of Youjiang Town, Guangxi, was killed in De'an.Jiushili, south of Zhongxiang County, at the entrance of Jiushui.According to intelligence sentinels, it is planned to divide the army into three groups, one to cross the Xianghe River into Shu, one to go out of Wuguan to join Xiyan, and one to be stationed in Hubei to support various groups. It seems that the west road is the most important thing, and the governor of Shaanxi has been replaced by Qiao Songnian, a good friend of Prince Gong, so he can especially get the support of the court, so the secret decree keeps urging brothers Zeng Guofan to urge Bao Chao's "Tingjun" to act immediately. Aid to Shaanxi.Once he arrived in Shaanxi, he would soon be under the control of Zuo Zongtang, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu. Hubei does not leave.At the same time, Zeng Guoquan, the governor of Hubei, had a copy of the official document, and was sent to the governor of Huguang, and Tan Tingxiang was acting as his agent.As a result, the only way is to send reinforcements into Shaanxi.

Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang first considered the most important thing at hand, and as a result of the discussion, they decided to transfer the old Hunan Army Liu Songshan's "Shoujun" to aid Shaanxi.Liu Mingchuan's "Ming Army" 20th Battalion has about 10,000 people, and Bao Chao's "Ting Army" 22nd Battalion has about 16,000 people. At this time, they are stationed in Nanyang, Henan Province. The east twist of Jiukou. When Bao Chao received the order, he knew that he didn't have to be angry with Zuo Zongtang, so he was very excited. At that time, he ordered to set off, cross the river from Fancheng to Xiangyang, and sweep south along the Han River.

The battle of "Tingjun" is different, which is due to Bao Chao's character.He is from Kuizhou, Sichuan, and he is a figure along the same lines as Dang Jin in the Song Dynasty-his ill-read jokes are similar to those of Dang Taiwei.Once, four screen strips were captured from the Nian army. They were "Jiang Fu" and "Hai Fu" written by Dong Qichang.A screen friend lied to him that he was illiterate, intending to swallow it up, and lied to him that the four words were not signed, so it was inconvenient to post them.Bao Chao thought it was all right, just make up the last payment.So in that scene, You Fen wrote straight: "Chun Ting Junmen Yashu", and everyone who saw it wanted to laugh but dared not laugh.

Naturally, only Hu Linyi and Zeng Guofan can appreciate and reuse such people, and Bao Chao's repayment of his friendship is really sincere.There are only eight words for him to lead troops: "Leading the soldiers, life and death together", every time he goes out into battle, the generals are in front and the soldiers are behind. The victory is extremely brilliant, and fighting is like going to court.As a result, a special kind of power was formed. When Hong Yangjun saw the splendor of the feathers and the galloping troops, he rushed to tell each other: "The Ting army is coming!"Even when some officers and soldiers were besieged and unable to escape, they pretended to use the banner of "Tingjun" and were able to save the day.

Because of Bao Chao's prestige, he was jealous, and Liu Mingchuan was one of them.He and Bao Chao led the army southward at the same time, but the route was different. The Ming army marched from Zaoyang along the east bank of the Han River, and fought well all the way.The two armies of Ming and Ting joined forces at Zhongxiang, forcing Dong Nian to retreat to protect the Yangjiawei and Yinlonghe areas. So Ting army stationed in Jiukou, and Ming army stationed in Xiayang Port to the east of Jiukou, forming a tripartite force with the bandits on both sides of the Yinlong River in the south.Within a radius of twenty or thirty miles, there was a drumbeat to hear each other, banners covering the sun, and under the dark, freezing clouds, there was a thrilling murderous aura.

This kind of battle situation is really at a critical moment of life and death, so naturally it won't last long.Ting and Ming sent messengers back and forth, and secretly agreed on the hour of the third day—at eight o'clock in the morning, they marched to attack.Liu Mingchuan thought to himself that all of Dong Nian's troops had been concentrated here.Victory in this battle is a big congratulatory gift for the new imperial envoy.But when he thinks of Bao Chao again, his interest suddenly fades away. In fact, it is no wonder that Bao Chao, a veteran general of the Hunan Army, has fought dozens of battles in ten years, and his reputation has spread far and wide. Now he is fighting side by side with Liu Mingchuan, who is a latecomer in the Huai Army, and his status is equal. mean.In Liu Mingchuan, it can be seen that Bao Chao is illiterate, brave but not resourceful, but he favors the generals, and he is so famous only because he is favored by Hu Linyi and Zeng Guofan!How is he not as good as him?Fame lags behind him everywhere!Every time I think of it, there is infinite depression.

Just because of this unwillingness, Liu Mingchuan calculated and calculated again, and wanted to come up with an idea. He called all the battalion officials for a meeting. First of all, he explained that this battle was of great importance and must be won, and then asked: "Win is victory?" It's not us who have face! Who is taking the face? " Needless to say?Of course it was Bao Chao.Although his subordinates didn't open their mouths, they had already answered with expressions on their faces. "That's right, Bao Chunting!" He asked himself and answered, "We're going all out, and others will take the lead. We can't do such stupid things!"

Then the plan will come out?Someone reminded him: "I have already made an appointment with Ting Jun, so I can't just say nothing." "That doesn't matter if you say it?" Liu Ming said, "But the Huai Army must not let people say a word, because people make things happen. We do our own things, we can't fall behind others, we have to rush ahead. I think it's better to start an hour earlier. , When we have defeated the Nian bandits, we will ask Ting Jun to come and see, who will do it?" Speaking of this, the veins on his temples kept throbbing, it was because even he himself was excited by the joyful feeling of elation in the future.The subordinates see that the chief is like this, who doesn't like merit?Everyone was moved, you looked at me, I looked at you, and each other approved this bold decision with winks.

So, the next step is to discuss tactics.The Nian army has been hunting hide-and-seek with Seng Gelinqin for several years, and also captured many horses from the officers and soldiers, and they are familiar with the terrain, so they are erratic like the wind and full of deceit. The old and the weak lure the enemy, while the elite take advantage of the natural situation to cover them, and the officers and soldiers are greedy for meritorious deeds and will be ambushed; Fort, seek undefeated first, then win.Now it is not enough to protect itself, and if you want to defeat Dong Nian, which has several times the number of people in one fell swoop, you have to abandon the tactics that the Nian army is familiar with in the past.

At that time, it was agreed that the whole army should go out, leaving five battalions to guard the supplies, and the remaining fifteen battalions would all cross the river and be divided into three armies, left, middle, and right, with five battalions in each army, marching side by side.Such a surprise attack with a majestic formation and a flag of uprightness is a rare move by the government and army to suppress Nian before. After the meeting was completed, all the generals resigned and went to make preparations.On the appointed day, everyone got up in the middle of the night, and when they arrived at Maozheng, Liu Mingchuan took the lead and rushed out of the camp gate.

So the front and rear cavalry, guarding the infantry and luggage, marched southward.Liu Mingchuan didn't intend to go back to Yanggang. The ants gathered in the east, and there were no less than 100,000 family members. The "suppression" would not be over in one battle. He was afraid that when he took advantage of the victory and pursued him, he would have to send troops back to take care of the luggage, which would delay the opportunity. So all the teachers are out. When he arrived at a place called Sushi Bridge, Liu Mingchuan was stationed in the horse to wait for the spy.Two or three sentries sent reports one after another, saying that the Nian army was still on the other side of the Yinlong River, and there was no movement. What are you waiting for?Liu Mingchuan immediately ordered that the fifth battalion of infantry should stay at the Sushi Bridge to guard the luggage, and the rest should cross the river according to the original plan.The original plan was to divide into three groups and advance side by side. The right army attacked Yang Jiawei on the north bank of the Yinlong River first.The left army was led by Liu Chengzao, and the central army was led by himself. This area is the real ancient Yunmengze, with vertical and horizontal lakes and vast Chutian, and when the water is shallow in winter, it is even easier to drive.Liu Chengzao's left army went to the river first, and the men and horses waded across the river. Then the Chinese army also crossed the river, opened up their formation, and charged forward. Naturally, the Nian army had been alerted, and they were divided into three groups to meet the enemy, with Niu Hong in the west, Ren Zhu in the east, and Lai Wenguang and Li Yun in the middle.The Ming Army is Liu Chengzao's weaker army, while Dong Nian's Ren Zhu is the strongest, all of them are cavalry, they have dealt with the Monk King for a long time, and they have traveled thousands of miles, so they can fight on their own.The strongest one just happened to meet the weakest one, and it was the first to encounter it. As soon as it made contact, Liu Chengzao's five battalions could not hold their ground and turned back. The left army turned around and led the central army. Seeing the situation, Liu Mingchuan wished he could catch Liu Chengzao and put him in front of the horse.At this time, he had no choice but to fight recklessly and ordered to charge. The long trumpet blew loudly, and the cavalry charged all the way, fired foreign guns all the way, ping-pong-pong, mixed with thousands of hooves, and the follow-up infantry shouted "Kill, kill", the momentum was amazing.Lai Wenguang and Li Yun of the East Nian Central Army were quite apprehensive, and were hesitating for a while, wanting to avoid the front first, when they suddenly saw dust and smoke rising from the east, looking at them from a distance, their faces were beaming with joy, those minions also All spirits lifted. From the east came Ren Zhu's cavalry, some crossed the Yinlong River to pursue Liu Chengzao's troops, and some were led by Ren Zhu himself to attack Liu Mingchuan's Chinese army.Attacking from the side, the situation is the most favorable, and when Liu Mingchuan found out, it was already quite difficult to respond—Ren Zhu's cavalry was erratic like the wind, approaching in a blink of an eye, and was rushed into two sections. The latter part collapsed, and the first part happened to meet Lai Wenguang and Li Yun, and they were hit head-on.Liu Mingchuan was in great chaos at this time, only protected by two hundred personally trained soldiers, and took his way in the chaos. Both the central and left armies collapsed, but Tang Diankui, the right army, fought very well. He easily captured Yang Jiawei, crossed the river and repelled the Niu Flood. However, this block made him a target of public criticism.The middle and left armies died and fled. The Nian army merged into three groups and divided again. Half of them crossed the river to chase the officers and soldiers, and the other half dealt with Tang Diankui's army.He only had 2,500 men, while the Nian army had 20,000 to 30,000. They were heavily surrounded and gradually closed in. Tang Diankui and two battalion officers Wu Weizhang and Tian Lu'an were killed in battle. Ming Jun completely collapsed.Liu Mingchuan and his staff and personal soldiers were trapped in a tight siege, unable to escape, so they simply took off their crowns and uniforms, and waited to be captured. At this time, there were not many cavalry on the two wings of the Nian army crossing the river. Most of them were on the south bank of the Yinlong River to deal with Tang Diankui's army and chase down the scattered army. , Wuhe ants gathered everywhere, suddenly someone shouted in panic: "Tingjun, Tingjun!" But when I saw the Ting army coming from the north, it was like a sea tide. At first, I couldn't see a line.The platoon of the Ting army stretched out extremely wide, and the incomparably fierce momentum was as terrifying as a gust of wind and rain, and the Nian army first became timid. The current situation of the Ting army's formidable enemy is not very clear, only from the rout of the Ming army, we know that the friendly army has suffered a defeat, and the extent of the defeat must be figured out first.Therefore, Bao Chao ordered a timeout, and joined his main generals, Lou Yunqing, Song Guoyong, Sun Kaihua, and Yang Dechen, and rode up to a small hill. Everyone searched around with binoculars, but they couldn't see Mingjun's commander-in-chief. "Bad Luo, bad Luo!" Bao Chao said anxiously, "Liu Shengsan is afraid that he is doomed! How did you do it? With that said, he turned the rein and left. After getting off the hill, he gave the order to divide his troops into three groups to attack the enemy, and use Yang Dechen's cavalry as the guerrilla division to outflank the rear.He led the middle road by himself, and was brave and good at fighting. He once dealt with the enemy for two days and nights without eating or drinking, and he was unremitting. Sun Kaihua, nicknamed "Sun Meiren", was in the middle to support him. The generals received the order and returned to their headquarters. After seeing that it was almost done, Bao Chao fired the cannon with his left hand. There was a loud bang, and there was a whistle of smoke, followed by an earth-shattering sound of "killing". .Although the discipline of the Ting Army was not good, the rewards and punishments were extremely clear. When those soldiers went to the battlefield, they only had one thought: "If you don't die, you will enjoy the blessings." Because of the artillery team in the middle, the movement was relatively slow. The left and right lanes were the first to meet the enemy, and pressed in the middle, squeezing the Nian army so that they could not retreat, so they had to move forward desperately.The forward came just in time, and the foreign gun team led by Bao Chao himself was waiting. Seeing that the Nian army was within range, they knelt down and fired a row of guns. Kneel all the way, load ammunition all the way, and then release it when you reach the front.This is repeated again and again, and it is called "serial gun", which is extremely powerful when used properly. The two rows of guns were let go, and the Nian army in the middle had already supported Buzhu. At this time, the cavalry of Ren Zhu and Niu Hong had crossed the river to help.The West Horse was called "Daima" many years ago, and it is the hero of the world, but compared with the "Northern Horse" that grew up in the Mengsui prairie, it can't help but pale in comparison.The horses of the official army are naturally northern horses, but the horses of the Nian army are also northern horses because they are all taken from the official army, but they are better fed than the official horses.It's just that although the horses are better than the official army, the weapons are unmatched. The Nian army's cavalry mostly uses spears, while the official army's cavalry uses foreign guns, and they are supported by artillery teams. "Fire!" Bao Chao ordered himself. The cannons were also "serial cannons", they bombarded the galloping Nian cavalry alternately from left to right, causing people to turn their backs on their backs and the formation of the Nian army in chaos.Sun Kaihua, who was in charge of the countermeasures, stayed put and did not move. At this time, he saw Yang Dechen's cavalry come back from both sides, outflanking the rear of the Nian army. Fearing that the jade and stones would be indistinguishable, he rushed to Baochao. Report in front of him: "Mr. Ting! No need to fire anymore! It's time to charge!" Bao Chao raised his left hand, scanned it with a telescope for a week, and said loudly: "Yes! Enough heat. " When Bao Chao uses troops, he pays most attention to the word "potential", but this "potential" sometimes just means he "focuses on it", and other people don't understand it.Facing the enemy to observe the situation at this time, he said "the fire is enough", and it was enough!But seeing Yang Dechen's cavalry, with both wings spread out, thousands of guns fired at the same time, the Nian army was forced by artillery fire in the front, and the back was cut off from the back, and they rushed back one after another. Step into battle yourself. The soldier in charge of the Commander's Flag was specially selected from tens of millions of people. He was not tall but had amazing physical strength. He immediately raised a purple commander's flag, which was more than ten feet high, very high. The face is fully unfolded, and the word "Bao" embroidered in white silk can be seen from a long distance.His troops were all guided by this flag, galloping and charging, and the sound of shouting was heard more than ten miles away. Yang Dechen's cavalry on the two wings merged into one soon, and finally cut off the Nian army's return route, attacking from front to back, while the Han River was to the west, and the only way out was to the east.To the east is the Tianmen, known as Jingling in ancient times, with lakes on all sides, forming a natural barrier. The Nian army could not enter the city, so they turned to the north, but the Ting army rushed across the Yinlong River, turning host and guest into positions. Most of the nests of the Nian army are on the south bank of the Yinlong River, starting from Duobao Bay at the turning point of the flood in the east, and to the west are Tuoboat Wharf and Zhangjie Harbor.So Bao Chao temporarily stationed his horses, while dividing his troops back to the north of Yinlong to pursue the enemy, while sweeping up the bandits' bases, twisting the accumulation of several years in the east, and getting rid of the destruction caused by artillery fire, they all fell into the hands of the Ting army. The battle situation has reached the stage of clearing the battlefield, and all armies have reported their results.What Bao Chao was most concerned about was the whereabouts of the generals of the Ming Army, and he sent his own soldiers to various places to investigate. The battlefield was vast, and there was no result for a while, but someone sent a coral hat with a string of fine beads around the coral. Look, the eye circles are red. "Shosan has been martyred!" he sadly said to his Muyou. "How do you see it?" The screen friend was puzzled. "There are a lot of people with coral hats, so it's not necessarily Liu Shengshuai." "You don't know, there are too many red tops, and they are worthless. Shengsan has made another trick, here!" He pointed to the string of thin beads surrounding the coral. Remembering the martyrdom of the monk king, the friend at that scene also found his three-eyed flower feather first, so he found the corpse, so he asked the person who sent the hat knot: "Where did you find this?" "North of the Yang family, there is a place that cannot be named." "Send someone to find the dead body of Mingjun Liu Dashuai." "Let's go!" Bao Chao stood up, "I'll go by myself." "It's not necessary!" Another screen friend advised him, "There are so many things that the commander-in-chief needs to decide at this moment. Send more brothers who have seen Liu Shengshuai to look for him, and he will definitely find him. " "This is also reasonable. Send more people to look for it, and send me a letter as soon as you find it." The body was not found, but there was good news that Liu Mingchuan, Liu Chengzao and many staff members had escaped from the siege and returned to Xiayang Port because of the timely arrival of Ting Jun. "It's okay, it's okay!" Bao Chao was very relieved, but suddenly remembered something: "Check it out, are those things Mingjun's?" As a result of the inventory, more than 5,000 mules and horses, 400 foreign guns, more than 8,000 sets of uniforms, various variegated ordnance, and more than a dozen red and blue coins lost by the Ming army at Sushiqiao were taken back. Dingzi, more than 20 flower feathers and blue feathers.The other 2,000 Ming troops who were trapped in the siege were also rescued.As for the results of the Ting Army's own battles, the Nian Army's supplies are not counted as usual, and Bao Chao doesn't ask. Each army will distribute it themselves, and only count the success. If there is more than enough, there are naturally false heads in it, but according to this day's battle, there are not many false heads. It was chaotic and busy until it was dark, and I finally got a clue. The troops were withdrawn from all walks of life, and the troops were stationed temporarily.The Nian Army fled to the Dahong Mountain area in the Northern Dynasty. Should they pursue or wait for orders? All the armies came to ask for instructions. "Why don't you kick them out?" Bao Chao resolutely ordered: "Screw the pot today, and fire everything tomorrow!" The Ting army has always fought more and more courageously. Hearing that they will be marching tomorrow, they are not surprised.Bao Chao, who was in the middle army, was concerned. The reason why the Ming army was defeated, he had already learned from the general of the Ming army who had escaped from the siege, "Ah!" He sighed heavily, "Call me After becoming Liu Shengsan, I feel sad too!" How not to be sad?Originally, he wanted to show Ting Jun a hand, but he was completely defeated, it wasn't Ting Jun, almost the whole army was wiped out.Looking at a deeper level, it was possible to win by joining forces to attack, but because of the weak force of the troops, they were defeated. Both losers, how to settle this account? "I can't remember all the big and small battles. I often fight with other armies. I win a lot, others win a little, I lose, and others can't please. It's always the same. There has never been such a battle as today. Like this, a big victory and a big defeat! Old master," Bao Chao asked his friend, "let me ask, has this ever happened before?" Bao Chao's friends have no good roles, and their stomachs are not wide, so they have no answer.Bullying him for not eating ink, he shook his head vigorously and said, "No! Never!" "I remembered now," Bao Chao asked suddenly, "Han Shizhong and Huang Tiandang were defeated. Where was Yue Fei at that time?" Mu You couldn't answer, so he asked instead: "Mr. Ting, what is your purpose for asking this question?" "Let's learn from it!" He said, "For example, Han Shizhong was defeated and Yue Fei was victorious. When the two meet, what kind of words do they have? I will meet Liu Shengsan tomorrow, so it's still easy to talk." "That's how it is! It doesn't have to be based on the ancients, it can be figured out." "Okay! Let me ask for advice." "Of course you can't be complacent." "I know that." "Don't blame him." "I don't blame him, I still want to thank him." Bao Chao smiled proudly, "He is just like Li Shaoquan who won Changzhou but not Jiangning, let the Ninth Commander take the credit!" "Mr. Ting," the friend said seriously, "this is absolutely unsuitable! If it reaches Liu Shengshuai's ears, it will cause resentment." "That's right, that's right," Bao Chao nodded deeply, "My own people are talking and laughing, and there is no one who wants to ridicule him." "You can't ridicule him, and you don't need to comfort him. Mr. Ting can just pretend that there is no such thing!" Although Bao Chao understood the meaning of not needing to comfort Liu Mingchuan, he was very distressed, hesitated for a while and asked, "Do you think it's okay if I don't go?" "No!" Mu You replied very simply, "Liu Shengshuai has already said that Mr. Ting regards himself as a senior and looks down on him. This makes it seem that he is really arrogant, inappropriate, inappropriate!" "I don't think it's right, either. Alas! It's easy to fight a war, but it's hard to be a human being." That night Bao Chao thought about it, fearing that seeing Liu Shengsan would be embarrassing and he would not be able to sleep peacefully.Coincidentally, Liu Mingchuan is also like this!Victory and defeat are commonplace in military affairs, but in this defeated battle, not only can't be a general, but also can't be a man.He beat the bed a thousand times and the pillow a thousand times, but he couldn't figure out what kind of attitude he should have and what kind of words he should say when he saw Bao Chao tomorrow, so that he could get off the stage. In addition to Bao Chao and Li Hongzhang - just received the customs defense of the imperial envoy, just give him this, how to explain?However, that was for the future, and there was a difficulty right now. Bao Chao didn't need to say anything else, he just asked in a Sichuan accent: "Sheng San, what did you do?" Then there was no time to drill a hole. After much deliberation, the only way to avoid this humiliation was to hope that Bao Chao would not come by himself.Otherwise, I have no choice but to pretend to be sick.In this way, I came up with a way out of no other way, and my heart was a little more settled.But at noon the next day, when he heard that Bao Chao personally escorted Mingjun’s lost luggage and more than 2,000 rescued brothers to the camp, he realized that his idea would not work. If you are dead, you can't miss him and say thank you. When they saw each other, they were pale and coy.After greeting each other, both sides seemed to have something stuck in their throats, unable to speak, finally Liu Mingchuan opened his mouth: "Congratulations Ting Gong!" Bao Chao thought about it all night, and he kept thinking about what Liu Mingchuan might say and how he should answer it all the way, but he didn't think of this sentence.Having won such a big victory, it cannot but be said to be a joy. According to the usual situation, there are only two kinds of answers when meeting other people to say congratulations. , but couldn't think of a third answer for a while, so I had to smile back. If he didn't answer, he couldn't continue talking, and of course he couldn't stare at each other. Liu Mingchuan avoided his sight, but he saw Bao Chao sent back at a glance. The knife cut, and his face changed drastically. Looking at it like this, Bao Chao felt that there was no need to stay any longer, stood up and said, "Let's go, let's go!" He arched his hands and moved his steps outward. Liu Mingchuan saw off the guests in a daze, and didn't wake up until the gate of the camp. "Mr. Ting!" He said, "I will come to your camp some other day to thank you!" "You're welcome!" Bao Chao replied, "Brothers have already pulled out the camp, so I'll go this way now!" He said, pointing to the north with his finger. Going north is a natural pursuit of victory.Liu Mingchuan thought to himself, to suppress the four towns of Nian, Zhoujiakou, the chief of the Huai Army and the leader of the four towns, has fought for thousands of miles in the past year and a half. The whole effort, the initiative to defend the Shahe River, who knows that this short-lived effort was actually given to Bao Chao!Thinking about it now, I feel jealous and hate, the sour taste in my heart can't be eliminated no matter what. Because of this surge of grievances, Liu Mingchuan broke his heart and asked his friends to talk.He already had an idea in his heart, but even in front of his trusted staff, it was not easy to express this idea.After pondering for a while, I decided to set everyone's tone first. "Things have to come to a conclusion." He said slowly in a deep voice: "I have an opinion that I want to discuss with you. I don't know my opinion. Have you ever thought about it? We have recently received the defense of the imperial envoy, so we have to think about him and take the overall situation into consideration. Look, everyone, is what I said correct or not?" After talking for a long time, it was far-fetched, and I don't know what his intention is?But at this time, naturally, they could only follow his tone, and some responded: "Yes!" Others nodded and listened quietly to him. "Bao Chunting took advantage because he is a 'guest army' and has no responsibilities. Whether he wins or loses, he will go to Shaanxi anyway. It doesn't matter! Look, everyone, is that right?" What is this called?Leading troops to suppress bandits, the court is looking forward to, the people rely on, and they are all eagerly looking forward to the good news. How can we say "it doesn't matter whether you win or lose"?Therefore, those who disagreed kept silent. "I'm thinking," Liu Mingchuan continued bravely, "to maintain the prestige of the Marshal, the morale of the army is especially important. We can't let a temporary setback damage the overall situation. Please think about it, can you have any good strategies?" Everyone was silent.Before you speak, you must first understand what he means.If you want to talk about "good strategy", you have to refuse to admit defeat, rectify the troops, chase after them like the Ting army, and win a big battle.But this is a general strategy, so why bother to ask the friends who write and write? Thinking about it this way, it suddenly dawned on me that the so-called "good strategy" is to play tricks on the pen and ink to create tricks.For many years, the ethos of military camps is to lay out the military achievements when winning a battle, and blame others when losing a battle. You might as well do the same at this moment. So Guan Zhangzuo's Muyou nodded and said, "This battle is to be defeated first and then won." "Not bad, not bad!" Everyone seconded their opinions one after another. The words "first setbacks and then wins" are indeed a good saying. "However," the Muyou said again, "it's not appropriate to take the lead in the performance. You should first submit a report and ask the marshal to make the decision." "Yes! Very clever." Liu Ming said: "Then ask for a big pen. I think it must be reported today, and it must not be left behind." This "other" refers to Bao Chao. In addition to his special efforts to achieve success, he must also consult Li Hongzhang. If he falls behind, Li Hongzhang will be preconceived. Front. So the friend of the screen immediately started writing, with the phrase "first setback, then victory" as the main theme, and specially changed the battle after a major change, saying that it was "meeting to strike the thief at dawn" instead of the original "hour moment", but " "Dawn" means that the Ming army set off on time and the Ting army "failed to join forces in time".Who is responsible is self-evident. Then he said that the Ming army marched alone, "First won a small victory, and suddenly there was a thief in the back, and the team moved a little." Later, Ming Jun was alarmed, and it was wonderful not to say it directly, as if it was an apology that he couldn't bear to point out Ting Jun's fault, it seemed extra powerful. As for leaving the fifth battalion to guard the luggage, the statement was changed because "there were reports of bandits in the back road", and the fifth battalion had to be drawn across the river to "restore the luggage". The time came to rush, resulting in a big defeat", but he still supported it with all his strength, "the Ting army was assembled to meet the attack, and they won a complete victory".This outrageous lie was made up in a well-organized and logical way.When reporting to Xingyuan, the imperial envoy of Xuzhou, Li Hongzhang's friends played according to it, and they emphasized Liu Yibao's tone, and the merits and demerits of each other became more and more obvious. This is a one-sided statement, as well as Bao Chao's one-sided statement.He was honest and kind, and only talked about his own military exploits, and said that he rescued the Ming army. He didn't mention Liu Mingchuan's miserable state of disarming his armor and throwing his helmet, waiting to be captured.At the same time, the narrative is not clear enough, so Zeng Guoquan, the governor of Hubei, and Bayan Abdullah, the general of Jingzhou, only know that the victory of Yin Longhe and Yang Jiawei is due to the Ting Army or the Ming Army?Not much more.But when Li Hongzhang saw that it was quite inconsistent with what Liu Mingchuan said, he couldn't help but doubt it. After inquiring carefully, he realized that Mingjun's report was incomplete and untrue-his thoughts were the same as Liu Mingchuan's, he would rather I blame others than others. With the order of the new governor of Huguang, it is justifiable to repay, so I have to take care of my own dignity, and I have wronged Bao Chao. Bao Chao's memorial arrived first, and a letter of encouragement was issued.When Li Hongzhang's memorial arrived in Beijing, the Empress Dowager Cixi saw that there was something wrong with it, so she sent it out and took care of Prince Gong face to face to find out whether it was Ting Jun who rescued Ming Jun or Ting Jun who hadn't. Being able to meet the division, so that Mingjun was frustrated first. The battle is thousands of miles away, and between the battlefields, people who have not experienced it cannot tell the truth.Both Prince Gong and Bao Yun thought it was impossible to investigate, and there was no need to investigate, because although there was a setback first, they won a big victory after all. Li Hongzhang did not name Bao Chao to impeach him, and the court was happy not to ask, but it would be troublesome if he asked. But Wang Yuanfang, the new Minister of Military Aircraft, has a different opinion. "Bao Chunting has always been arrogant. Recently, Zuo Jigao had an excerpt and mentioned this." He puts it in his eyes, and I can't see the failure of the promise." Prince Gong was relatively calm, smiling and silent, but Bao Jun always spoke casually, and replied casually: "Who cares if he is true or not? It's a long-standing practice in the barracks, and no one can figure out what happened to them in the future. See what Li Shaoquan has to say, it's not too late to think about it." "No! Pei Weng," Wang Yuanfang said on weekdays. He didn't have much opinion. He talked about this case alone. It is inconvenient for the two armies to name and participate in the title, since the imperial court has entrusted him with a heavy responsibility, we should understand his difficulties and come forward for him to rectify military discipline." "Rectify military discipline?" Bao Jun was slightly taken aback, "Xiao Weng, does this matter need a lot of fanfare?" "Ji Gang is important!" Wang Yuanfang put on an air of seriousness all the more, "The arrogant soldiers must be punished with pain." Seeing him like this, Prince Gong seemed to be a little upset, and he didn't know if it was with Bao Chao or Bao Jun?Anyway, it is inappropriate to talk about this case at this time, so he said perfunctorily: "This is of course a positive argument. Let's wait for a day or two to see, there will always be military newspapers in a day or two, let's discuss it according to the situation!" In just a day or two, Bao Chao, Li Hongzhang, Zeng Guoquan, and Bayan'a all came to Beijing with memorials. Please see here. Bao Chaoba's battalion chased after the Nian army. At the Zhihe, Fengle, and Xianghe rivers north of Anlu, they repeatedly defeated the enemy, killed more than 10,000 enemies, captured 4,000 alive, and dismissed 10,000 men. Twenty thousand refugees escaped from the grasp of the Nian army, and they captured Ren Zhu and Lai Wenguang's family members in the Dahong mountain area.At present, it has been chased to the boundary of Zaoyang and Tang counties in Henan. "Bao Chunting deserves his reputation!" Prince Gong was very pleased, "There should be rewards." "Otherwise!" Wang Yuanfang interrupted him, "My lord must not be deceived by this person." "What?" Prince Gong was stunned, "How can you be deceived?" "My lord, please read the memorial from Hubei." The memorial from Hubei was submitted by Zeng Guoquan, which recounts the battle of Yin Longhe.I don't know if this memorial was written by his confidant. It was terrible. It was intended to defend the defeat of the Ming army. In Wenguang, what the Ming Army suppressed was Ren Zhu. , there is an obvious contradiction. "Bao Chunting's achievements are not worth it." Wang Yuanfang said, "He bluffed his military achievements, his words were not true, he was late, and he alarmed the Ming army, resulting in a complete defeat. If he is charged with missing the opportunity and covering up, he should be executed!" "Xiao Weng!" Bao Jun said loudly, "This theory is too harsh." "I'm talking about the facts as they stand, and I'm not taking sides." "I'm not partial to Bao Chunting, it's just for the sake of boosting morale." The two seemed to be arguing again, and Prince Gong intervened, "Let's wait until the superiors have something to say." "Above" is still the same sentence. Bao Chao's merits and demerits need to be investigated carefully. The empress dowagers of the two palaces were quite confused when they saw the memorials from different parties who played the same incident but had different opinions. Those who have done it will be punished, but what is going on? It confuses people!" "It's all because Bao Chao's report is false." Wang Yuanfang said to Chen Zou again, "Please order the Ministry to discuss it." "It's not so good!" said the Empress Dowager Ci'an, "No matter what, Bao Chao always won the battle." "He said that victory is not always reliable. In order to demonstrate discipline, I think it must be strictly enforced." At this moment, Prince Gong had no choice but to speak, "Although what Wang Yuanfang said is correct, the imperial court seems to have to relax a step when Hubei's military affairs are strained." "There is nothing suspicious..." "Let's do it!" The Empress Dowager Cixi stopped Wang Yuanfang from continuing, "Draft an imperial edict and give me a few words." "Yes!" Prince Gong asked again, "Li Hongzhang will act on his behalf, and Liu Mingchuan would like to attend the section, and please handle it." "Of course there's no need to ask." Therefore, the decree was drafted and submitted, saying that "Liu Mingchuan was defeated in Yinlonghe, and he missed the opportunity to advance and retreat. He deserved to invite himself to participate in the office. However, Bao Chao did not follow the appointment to advance and suppress by mistake, which caused Liu Mingchuan to retreat in horror. For the setback, Bao Chao must not let go of the blame. Gu Nian Liu Mingchuan is courageous and capable, and Bao Chao has won big victories many times, and he does not hide his merits. The order of condemnation had already been dispatched by the Ministry of War and was on the way, but Bao Chao was still elated and had many plans for himself and others.他平生打过许多胜仗，但自觉这一仗最得意，最重要，也最痛快，自下洋港与刘铭传一晤以后，亲追穷寇，接连五昼夜，纵贯湖北南北，追到鄂北枣阳、唐县一带，东捻经桐柏山区窜至河南泌阳，鲍超方始松了口气。 其实他还可以追，只是有一番报答知遇的私意。平生意气感激的只有两个人，一个尽瘁而死的胡林翼，一个忧谗畏讥的曾国藩，而后半段的事业，尤以得曾国藩的庇荫为多，因此他对“九帅”亦别有一番爱戴之意。曾国荃自复起为湖北巡抚，不甚得意，屡奉朝旨，说他剿捻不力，与左宗棠、李鸿章的飞黄腾达，相形之下，益发令人不平，鲍超为人打算，想留在湖北，帮“九帅”的忙，所以不肯追东捻到河南。 为自己打算，他实在不愿入陕，听左宗棠的节制，“我是豹子，他是骡子，打伙不到一起！”他这样说。夔州话念鲍为豹，所以他自称豹子，而“湖南骡子”自是指左宗棠。 左宗棠这时正在湖北招兵买马。他是功名之士，任劳可以，任怨不干，而任劳亦必先较量利害得失，陕西是个烂摊子，他不肯贸贸然去收拾，要练马队，要造炮车，要肃清中原，确保饷源不断。好在他有个杭州的大商人胡光墉能替他在上海向洋人借债，不要户部替他筹款，就乐得随他去搞了。 在湖北，左宗棠跟鲍超见过面，朝廷一直有旨意，催调鲍超一军入陕，所以左宗棠虽未入关，已以鲍超的上司自居，当面指责他的部下骄横不法，习气太重。在客地尚且如此，一到陕西，正式隶于部下，以“左骡子”的脾气，决没有痛快日子过，所以他千方百计拖延着不肯入陕。 为人为己，有这个大胜仗，便有了留在湖北的理由，而此一仗亦足以为曾氏兄弟扬眉吐气，因而他老早就对部下表示过：陕西可以不去了，同时必膺懋赏。他没有期望自己再晋爵，但打算着他的部下都可以换一换顶戴，升一升官。 这天屯兵在唐县，正在筹划回樊城休养补充，亲兵来报：“徐州有差官到，说是来传旨。” “等到了！”他很高兴地说：“先摆香案，找大家一起来听恩旨！” 于是先把差官接进来招待，同时分遣快马，把他部下的骁将，宋国永、娄云庆、孙开华、杨德琚苏文彪、段福、谭胜达、唐仁廉、王衍庆都找了来，恭具衣冠，红顶子、蓝顶子跪了一地，静候宣旨。 一听就不对！开头一大段，全系指授方略，饬令鲍超一军，兼程东下，会同曾国荃所部，剿办窜至麻城的一股捻军。接着提到刘铭传尹隆河之败，差官读到“误由鲍超未照约会分路进剿，致令刘铭传骇退挫败，鲍超更不得辞咎”这几句，他浑身发抖，冷汗淋漓，几乎昏厥。 “这搞的啥子名堂？”他惶蘧四顾，大声问道：“你们大伙听见了没有？” 他的部下都不开腔，一个个脸色铁青，眼中仿佛冒得出火来。那差官看情形不妙，草草念完，把上谕往封套里一塞，摆在香案上，然后走到侧面，甩一甩马蹄袖，要以他的记名参将的身分，替鲍超请安行礼。 鲍超却顾不得主客之礼，把拜垫一脚踢开，招着手大声说道：“你们都来，都来！出鬼罗。” 不但召集将领，还找来幕友，把上谕又细读一遍，鲍超紧闭着嘴，侧耳静听，双眼不住闪眨，听到一半，猛然把桌子一拍，霍地站了起来，定睛不语。 “九帅回武昌了没有？”他问。 “还没有。”娄云庆答说：“还在黄州。” “马上到黄州去看九帅。”鲍超对娄云庆说，“刘省三搞啥子鬼？淮军整我就是整湘军，你跟我一起去看九帅！” “霆公，”娄云庆比较持重，这样劝他：“现在底细还没有摸清楚，去了也没有用。铭军那里我有条路子，先把刘省三的原奏，抄个底子来看看再说。” 鲍超想了半天点点头：“要得！”又指着幕友说：“马上替我修起两封书信来！一封给九帅，一封给大帅。给九帅的信，问他把霆军的战功朗个报的？给大帅的信……？” 给曾国藩的信，应该如何措词，颇费踌躇，倘发怨言，于心不忍，不发怨言，又无用处。就这沉吟不语之时，宋国永冷冷地开了口。 “免了！”他也打着四川腔说，“大帅又不会跟人家拿言语，何必教他老人家心烦？” “对头！大帅的信不要写了。” 于是幕友为他写好致曾国荃的信，询问上谕中所谓“未照约会，分路进剿”这句话的由来，指派专差，星夜驰往黄州，信封上写明“鹄候回玉”，而且关照专差，不得复信，不必回来。 这样一来一去，起码得有四、五天工夫，鲍超满怀抑郁，加上部下各营，议论纷纷，群情愤慨，怕有哗变之虞，因而忧心忡忡，夜不安枕，惹得咸丰十年初，在安庆以西小池驿大破陈玉成所受的旧伤复发，右臂、左膝，形同偏废，但仍力疾起床，等候消息。 两处的消息，几乎同时而至，刘铭传呈报李鸿章的原信，底子已经抄来，鲍超听幕友念完，手足冰冷，浑身发抖，再听念到曾国荃的信，劝他顾全大局，不与淮军计较。这才知道自己所受的委屈到了家，仿佛孤儿受人凌辱，呼吁无门似的，一时悲从中起，放声大恸！ “刘省三龟儿子！”他一面哭骂，一面拿左手把桌面都快捶破了，“你整老子不要紧，有功不赏，你教我朗个对得起弟兄？” 这一哭惊动了全营官兵，有的来劝，有的躲到一旁去生闷气，还有些鲍超从三峡带出来的子弟兵，认为刘铭传忘恩负义，狗彘不食，决心跟铭军开火，缴他们的洋枪。 消息传到鲍超耳中，悲愤以外，又添一层忧虑，他把宋国永和其他数名四川籍的将领找了来，劝导不可如此，但自觉愧对部下，因而措词极难，讷讷然无法出口。幸好持重稳健的娄云庆，以曾国藩作为借口，说是果然闹出事来，朝廷一定责成曾国藩查办，岂不害他为难？而且本来有理，一闹变成无理，尤为不智。就这样说得舌敝唇焦，才算勉强把他们压制下来。 由于连番刺激，五内震动，鲍超复发的伤势，突然加重，便奏请解职调理。这时正由徐州回驻江宁的曾国藩，在旅途中得知鲍超愤郁成疾，引发旧伤，大为焦急，派人带着吉林人参，兼程赶了去慰问，同时分别写信给李鸿章和曾国荃，虽无责备的话，但语气中亦颇表不满，希望赶紧有所补救，慰抚霆军。 于是曾国荃派了人把鲍超接到武昌，到汉口请了名医来替他诊治。在周家口的李鸿章，自觉此事做得有欠光明，无奈已经入奏的事，不好更改，唯有设法从别的地方，替鲍超多说好话，请朝廷优予奖护。同时也怕御史参他欺罔冒功，得要赶快派遣亲信，到京里去多方活动。