Chapter 33 Section 33

"Let's talk about business!" Liu Mingchuan said, and at the same time closed the door with his own hands. Needless to say, the "business" is about the secrets of suppressing twist.The three of them gathered together in the corner of the room, head to knee, talking secretly. Before getting to the point, Liu Mingchuan took out an envelope, handed it to Guo Songlin with a sneer, and said, "Look at this first!" When I opened the envelope, I saw a copy of the "Ting Ji": "Li Henian's play: The Yu army horse team chased the thief, shot Ren Ni, and the two roads in the northwest were blocked, and the gangsters in Xiangcheng were causing trouble. Now investigate and deal with all the fragments. Good. Qingyi Army, formerly with Liu Mingchuan in Ganyu, suppressed Nian Diesheng, shot Ni's first leader, and reported the victory according to Li Hongzhang's memorial, and rewarded the deputy.

Seeing this, Guo Songlin stopped, frowned and said: "I don't understand this. The shooting of Ren Ni is entirely a matter of the Huai army. What has it to do with the Yu army? Want Li Zhongcheng of Henan to report?" "Isn't it just a reward?" Yang Dingxun said. "Then how does Shanqing get involved?" "I don't know what Li Zhongcheng said in the original melody? But I can guess it." Liu Ming said, "How can you repay someone who was on the front line at that time?" "Oh, I see, it's an 'Eighteen Talk'!" Guo Songlin laughed, "First, let's talk about Shanqing. He was on the line of fire, so he would have a share in beating Ren Ni to death. If he continues to talk about it, it will be credited to the Yu army."

"By the way!" Liu Ming said, "Anyway, I have been scolded and angry, and I have experienced a lot. Things like this don't matter. Now I bring you two big brothers together, and I have to have an account. I fought hard to win the battle." , if someone takes the credit, how can I be worthy of the two of you? So there must be a way. Let’s not talk about this, you can read on!" The following paragraph mentions Zhang Zongyu, the leader of Xilian: "Zhang Ni is now circling in the Yansui area, either going east to Jinjiang, or south to Henan. The governor Ma Dezhao and others chose to tie them up in case of danger. The bandits are harassing Dingzhou, and the guards of Henan Province The genus is not far apart, and the defense of Hebei is particularly tight."

"Ah!" Guo Songlin said in amazement, "If Xi Nian turns back, it will be very troublesome! If Xi Nian, Yan Xiao, or Dong Nian are combined, it will not be easy to subdue them." "That's it!" Liu Ming said: "Xi Nian turned back, how to get together with Zhili's Yan Xiao, the Huai army has no control! The Huai army only manages the east twist.But if Dong Nian wants to break through the transportation defense and flee into Hebei, then..." he said with a very serious expression, "that's something that can lose your head! " "Speaking of which," Guo Songlin said, "when West Nian returns to Hebei, even if we can't join forces with East Nian, and our voices match, our battles here will be very difficult!"

Liu Mingchuan and Yang Dingxun were silent, but they nodded slightly and stared deeply. They reached a consensus in their eyes and words. There will be a lot of trouble. Guo Songlin was thinking, this time Liu Mingchuan really realized it!In terms of general talents, this man is both wise and brave, and has a long-term strategy. He also has his own way of leading soldiers and controlling generals to win the soldiers to death. He is worthy of being a general's tool.But just like Li Hongzhang, he has too much ambition for fame and fame, he likes to use his wrists, and he even has a self-respecting situation.Now he has gone through setbacks, strict supervision by the imperial government, and ridicule by public opinion, all of which have become a driving force in him, spurring his determination to work hard on his own, eager to suppress Dong Nian, for himself, for Li Hongzhang, and for the Huai army. Save face.What's even more rare is that he has learned that everyone has to work together to earn face, and to win a battle, everyone has to fight together, so he wholeheartedly emphasizes harmony and mutual assistance, not only does not try to blame his faults like in the past, he even prefers to wrong himself and form a friendly army.Just the fact that the committee member on the food distribution table went to find Sister Yao for him, you can see his sincerity.Such a friend, you have to praise him!

So he said with great emotion: "Save three! This battle is of great importance, I fully understand. My brother, you are not welcome, you can tell me how to fight! I will listen to you." "Zimei, Shaoming!" Liu Mingchuan shook the hands of Guo and Yang excitedly, "With you two old brothers supporting me, this battle must be won. The friendship between life and death is the real friendship." !I'm so happy." "They are the same." Yang Dingxun said, "Shengsan, tell Zimei about the intelligence you got today." "The current situation in all aspects is like this." Liu Mingchuan took out a hand-drawn map of Shandong from his boot page, pointed to the southwest and said, "Once the canal enters the east and goes to Lijin to go to sea, it is more than 800 miles in total. The most important thing is the sixty miles from Zhangqiu to Dong'a Yushan, because the area has been frozen very hard. The young commander has transferred the Shuzi 3rd Battalion to strengthen the defense, so there is no danger. Now I am afraid that the Nian bandits will flee to the west , to attack the canals in the east of Qi, so I asked Pan Qinxuan to guard the west side, to defend against luck and to support it at the same time."

"In this way, the situation is very clear!" Guo Songlin said: "There is a vast ocean to the north, and the two states of Deng and Lai are a 'pocket' in the east. The army squeezes from south to north. To break out to the west, each of us should go our own way." "Yes!" Liu Mingchuan said again, "Zimei, there is God's will in it!" He pointed to the two rivers on the east and west sides of Shouguang and said: "The east side is the Mi River, which is deep and wide; Bo Lian looked at the Beiyang River, the two rivers were like belts, restraining the Nian bandits, this was his last resort! Breaking out from the east and the west is very difficult, if you want to escape, you have to go south."

Guo Songlin was shocked, "That's right!" He was thinking, this is the real life-and-death struggle, just like bloody enemies meeting on a narrow road, whoever defeats the other can survive, and there is no room for dodge . "The situation on the side of the Nian bandits, there is also definite news this morning." Liu Mingchuan added, "Although Ren Zhu is dead, his 'Blue Flag' is still stronger." "Ren Zhu is dead, who will lead his troops? Is it still his brother and brother?" "Yes, Ren Ding, Ren Sanyan, and Liu Sanmao." "Where's Lai Wenguang?" Guo Songlin asked.

"Lai Wenguang was mostly in the white flag." Liu Ming said, "The current deployment of the Nian bandits is that the blue flag is in the east and the white flag is in the west. Zimei, I would like to invite you..." Guo Songlin waved his hand and stopped him before he finished speaking: "Don't mention the word 'please'! I'll discuss it with Shaoming first." Yang Dingxun and Guo Songlin cooperate to form a "big branch", and Guo Songlin is the main one. He wants to discuss with Yang Dingxun. Naturally, they have their plans that are not humane, so Liu Mingchuan got up knowingly, and prepared to avoid it so that they can be in private. conversation.

"You don't have to dodge!" Guo Songlin held him back, "I just ask Shaoming, is he willing to take the road?" Yang Dingxun was brave in battle, but he liked to play around with teenagers in private, so he said with a smile, "Don't say it! Let's write a word in the palm of our hand to see if we think the same?" "That's good too!" Guo Songlin readily agreed without knowing it, took a fountain pen, and handed it to Yang Dingxun. The two wrote with their bodies behind their backs. Yang Dingxun stretched out his hand first, and the word "blue" was written on his palm.Guo Songlin looked at it, and turned his palm over with a smile. On it was the character "Dong", "Dong" means "blue", and the blue flag of the Nian Army was in the east.The blue flag is stronger, and Guo Songlin intends to attack the tough ones. If Yang Dingxun expresses his willingness to take on the west route and attack the white flag of the Nian Army, Guo Songlin will have to think about it differently, and refuses to extend his palm, which is obviously different from Yang Dingxun.

"It's true that heroes see the same thing!" Liu Mingchuan was extremely pleased. He also hoped that Guo and Yang would be able to play the East Road. "It's not a hero at all!" Guo Songlin said, "People know each other, and they know each other well. If you look at it from here, Shaoming and I have the same heart." "Actually, Shengsan and Qinxuan are not of the same mind?" Yang Dingxun smiled excitedly, "'Three of them are of the same heart, and their benefits can cut gold!' Now Dong Nian will definitely collapse." Liu Mingfu immediately said: "Just for the sake of everyone's unity, I have 12 points of confidence, so," he turned around carefully, and said in a low voice: "I want to advance the date of leaving the team." "Oh, which day will it be earlier?" Guo Songlin asked. Liu Mingchuan didn't answer him, but first explained the reason for the advance: "I ordered the grain station to prepare the dry food within four days, and half of it also had the effect of winning people's attention. Now the outside world knows that there will be at least four days before there will be a fierce battle. Said that the Nian bandits also believed this, and they all planned to face the battle in four days. The Nian bandits were terrified, hungry and cold, and wanted to take a good rest. They hadn't been on guard for the past two days, and everyone was thinking Ways, how can we have a full meal? There is a saying in the art of war: "What is real is empty, and what is empty is real." We will open a treasure in advance to catch his mother by surprise. Zimei, do you want to do it? " "Why not! When, tonight?" "It's too late tonight. I'm going to leave the team tomorrow night." Liu Mingchuan added, "The operation must be kept secret!" Guo Songlin and Yang Dingxun nodded deeply.The three of them finished talking about some necessary contact and cooperation steps, dispersed separately, and summoned the battalion officers to secretly issue orders. Liu Mingchuan was in charge of the overall situation and worked extremely hard, checking everything and explaining everything. He worked until late at night before he began to rest. Although his body was tired and his spirit was high, Liu Mingchuan tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, and the night became quieter. He suddenly thought of his hometown, and his mind flew over him. In his heart, there was an indescribable thirst and hunger, to see the place where he fished and swam when he was a child.In this way, until the first song of the han rooster, a heart full of nostalgia can gradually cool down. When I can't sleep for a long time, I wake up with a start.There are many things to do on this day. According to the scheduled plan, first of all, I need to find Mr. Zhao and Li Tongzhi, two country gentlemen, and give them a message.Coincidentally, just as they were about to send someone to invite them, Zhao and Li brought a person to meet them. This talent is really useful to Liu Mingchuan. He is a scholar named Yang Xiling, and he is actually running the township league.Liu Mingchuan and Guo Songlin jointly invited guests that day. He happened to go to the provincial capital to buy military supplies, but he couldn't make it to the appointment. He came here to express his thanks. By the way, he wanted to ask the township regiment how to help the officers and soldiers to fight the Nian army? Some township regiments are reliable, and some township regiments are unreliable. The common people in this area have no nostalgia and friendship with the Nian Army, and they have always suffered from the Nian Army's losses, so they are naturally reliable.But any township group has a problem that cannot be changed. Those young boys like to show off. If they learn a secret, they will tell it everywhere to show off their well-informed knowledge. Therefore, Liu Mingchuan refused to tell Yang Xiling about his decision to leave the team that day. .Just ask him which Weizi is strong and which Weizi is weak, so as to know how much help he can get? Yang Xiling is very capable and sincere. He had already prepared a list to report to Liu Mingchuan, so he took it out and presented it with both hands. The name, location, number of people, knives, spears, pewter poles, and earthen guns of each polder are listed on the list. Just by looking at the ratio of people to weapons, one can detect strength or weakness. "Very good, very good," Liu Mingchuan was very satisfied with him, "There will always be a battle in the next few days, brother, please make preparations early." "Yes!" Yang Xiling said, "There are people patrolling and guarding each fair day and night, and the rest can form a team as long as the gong sounds together and every hour. Now I need to ask the adults to show that once the officers and soldiers start fighting, each fair is just for self-protection." What about going out and starting fire?" "Good question!" Liu Mingchuan nodded and said, "Self-protection is the main thing. If there are sporadic escaped bandits, you can deal with them according to your own ability. However, you must be cautious and don't act rashly, let alone greedy for merit. There is a saying, At this moment, I have to tell the three of you first, if that Weizi is captured by the Nian bandits, the officers and soldiers will not tolerate it." That is to say, if the government and army were to attack Weizi to suppress the Nian, in a big battle, they would not be able to distinguish between jade and stone.Zhao, Li, and Yang were terrified, they discussed with each other, and immediately conveyed his order. "By the way, please hurry up and tell everyone about my words." Liu Mingchuan said again, "I have a little gadget as a gift." He gave each of them a foreign gun named "Seven Rings in the Rear", and taught them how to use it himself.Zhao, Li, and Yang were all happy, because firstly, it was a sharp weapon among foreign guns, and secondly, it was a gift from "Marshal Liu", which was enough to boast to the village. After seeing off the three squires, Liu Mingchuan set out to inspect the battalions. The morale of the officers and soldiers was excellent, and they moved quietly and quickly.When it was time for the first watch shift, the battalions moved quietly. The first to set off was the cavalry led by the deputy general Shanqing and the Ming army led by Chen Zhenbang, the registered general, followed by the Guo and Yang armies, and finally Liu Mingchuan, who personally led the army. The army suppressed the formation. Shanqing and Chen Zhenbang's cavalry, according to the plan, was going to take Dong Nian's back route. This was a surprise attack force, so the horses' hooves were covered with grass to silence their voices.Although the soldiers didn't "hold pieces" like in ancient times - tightening the lips between the lips with bamboo sticks, making people unable to speak, but they also issued a strict "no sound" order, so all the way from west to north, When they reached the vicinity of Qingshuipo, there was no alarm. When the horse team was about to reach Qingshuibo, the East Road had already launched an attack.The Blue Banner Nian Army fought in haste. After Ren Zhu's death, the Blue Banner Nian Army was led by his brothers. After capturing the vanguards of Wu Yi's and Xun's troops, Ren Sanyan, Ren Zhu's younger brother, led the horse thieves and swept over like a gust of wind to resist the cavalry of Guo and Yang's troops. The White Banner Nian Army on the west side suffered a disadvantage when they rushed up for Shanqing and Chen Zhenbang's cavalry, but there were many people in the White Banner, and because the Ding Army was on the outskirts, the Ming Army because Liu Mingchuan had to take care of Guo, The two armies of Yang and Yang intentionally moved to the east, so that their numbers differed, but they were still able to draw a balance. The east and west roads were in a stalemate. Many Nian soldiers were willing to work hard, the morale of the officers and soldiers was also high, and they took advantage of the foreign guns. Although the number was small, they were still able to hold their ground.But the sound of killing was loud, the foreign guns were crackling and crackling, and there was a burst of sound. Every time there was a sound, there was a row of flames shining in the dark sky. Like tides, they rose and retreated wave after wave, always pulling in that area. Come and pull. The troops of the West Road Ming Army were led by the generals Tang Dingkui and Liu Keren. Tang Dingkui's elder brother, Tang Diankui, was Liu Mingchuan's first effective general. He was killed in the battle of Yin Longhe last year. At that time, Tang Dingkui was visiting relatives in Hefei.Both the Hunan Army and the Huai Army were subordinate soldiers, and it was taken as a matter of course that brothers would succeed to each other, so Tang Dingkui took over his brother's troops.Like Guo Songlin, Tang Dingkui fought the Nian Army to avenge his revenge, and of course he fought very solidly. His opponent was Niu Hong, Niu Xizi was called Niu Xizi by the Nian army, he was alert and fierce, and Tang Diankui died in his hands.Although the enemy has not met, he heard that he is Niu Hong's followers, Tang Dingkui worked harder and made up his mind to defeat him. So he discussed with Liu Keren that he wanted to select people who dared to die to charge - that's called "selecting forwards".Pick an open and hidden place, and under the light of lanterns and torches, order and recruit warriors. This is a game of life!In fact, who doesn't play with their lives in war?Since it's all about playing with one's life, one has to make a name for himself. As long as the "selection striker" does not die, he will be rewarded with great rewards, and he can immediately receive the "commission letter" to become an official. ,Why not?So as soon as the order was announced, those who raised their hands raised their hands, those who opened their mouths spoke, and those who stood up stood up, and immediately many people applied for it. Tang Dingkui was very happy, counted the number of people according to the roster, there were more than 500 people in total, temporarily formed three teams, unloaded the foreign guns, each held a big knife, stuck a dagger in the boot or on the waist, and each wore a white handkerchief Wrap the arms so that it can be easily identified from the blackheads.When the deployment is complete, they will split up and rush forward. During the confrontation between the two armies, there was a small hill. "Xiaofeng" quietly touched it. The places of concentration are roughly seen clearly.Waiting with bated breath like this, only to hear two rows of guns firing in succession from behind, the sound of the guns was extremely neat, this was a signal, the lingering sound of the second row of guns was still there, and the forwards had all rushed down together.The rear team then moved forward, pressing down on the stand and attacking with the camera. Selecting the front took advantage of the downhill momentum and galloped straight forward. When the Nian army found out, they were already fighting hand-to-hand. Anyone who selected the front must be strong, wrap up in the enemy's formation, and attack anyone he sees. Niu Hong's position immediately loosened. At that time, Liu Mingchuan's Chinese army had also arrived, shouting all the way, and the momentum was extremely strong. Niu Hong wanted to resist in groups, but he couldn't take care of it. Tang Dingkui and Liu Keren's rear troops rushed forward, and the Nian army on the west road , was finally defeated.This affected everything. Liu Mingchuan had originally planned to support Guo and Yang's two armies. When he saw that the West Road had won, he didn't want to put his troops in a useless place. He moved his troops to the east and joined forces to deal with the blue flag. Although Lan Qi is ruthless and capable of rivaling Guo and Yang, he can't get cheap. At this time, coupled with the excellent equipment of the Ming Army, even though Niu Hong's troops join forces, it will not help. .On the other hand, Shanqing and Chen Zhenbang saw that the white flag's horse team fled to the southwest and did not chase after them. According to the predetermined plan, they went up the Beiyang River and crossed Qingshuibo to follow the back route of Dongyan. The back road is full of old, weak, women and children fleeing with the army. Because the officers and troops are strong, Dong Nian rushes out to fight, so the back road is extremely empty.Those old and weak women and children were chased by the officers and soldiers from Shandong to Jiangsu, and Jiangsu to Shandong in the past two months. How many people died along the way?The rest were also exhausted and dying.In such a cold weather, not many people have cotton-padded jackets on them, and Shandong is a "guest land" for them, and it is quite difficult to find food.At this time, the horseshoes of the officers and soldiers were galloping, and the foreign guns were released randomly, and there was a lot of crying, which was really on the verge of extinction. With the howling north wind, it scattered into the dark sky of Pingchou where the flames flickered, and the ear felt like a knife was scratching the heart, so sour that it made people cry! The Nian army was sad, and so were the officers and soldiers.But this is not the time to show kindness. Those cries reaching the front can disintegrate the "morale" of the Nian army, so Chen Zhenbang ordered the fire to be set on fire. Once he set it on here, the Shanqing troops on the other side would be destroyed in the same way.In the flames, the horse team galloped back and forth, forcing out the old and the weak, women and children. The women with disheveled hair and ragged clothes dragged the children who looked like clay figurines. They all covered the child and beat the ground with their hands hard, crying so hard that they couldn't lift their heads. So the entire Nian army in front collapsed!Fighting with their backs, they put their lives to death and never survived. The spears were no match for the foreign guns, and they couldn't charge at all. The Nian army had to throw away their luggage, horses, and things they carried with them, including gold and jewelry.A battalion officer wanted to take advantage of it, so Liu Mingchuan found out, sent someone to catch the horse, and personally chopped off his head with a saber. Law enforcement in front of the battle is as effective as a god, and the officers and soldiers don't even look at the things on the ground.I feel sad when I see it, but I just scramble to make meritorious deeds, everyone seems to have grown two extra legs, and they are running very fast. Driven to the west bank of the Mi River, where the water is deep and wide, the Nian army can still form a formation. Only one cavalry team escaped to the south. Except for those who surrendered and were captured, they were either killed, fell into the water, or lay down on the pile of corpses. In order to escape the catastrophe, he pretended to be dead.Of course, there are also a few who escaped. After this bloody battle, it was already dawn, and the Mi River was full of floating corpses, but there were also those who climbed to the east bank dripping with water, fleeing for their lives.To the east of the Mi River, the officers and soldiers were unable to pursue them. To the west of the Mi River and east of the Beiyang River, the officers and soldiers were still mopping up the sporadic bandits in the Shouguang area. On the night when the officers and soldiers fought fiercely, the villages in the Shouguang area blared gongs everywhere, gathered together to train young men, and defended all night. Those who were brave enough climbed up the wall of the polder to "watch from the wall" and cheered for the officers and soldiers.Yang Xiling and the others didn't expect Liu Ming to do what he said, and he would do it that night, so he hurriedly took the "Seven Rings to the Rear" and rode around to spread the word: To protect yourself, don't act rashly.When the general situation was settled at dawn, without any worries, Yang Xiling opened the polder first, led the regiment to practice, intercepted and searched everywhere, and cleaned up the sporadic Nian army that slipped through the net. At this time, Guo Songlin and Yang Dingxun had chased southward, and Liu Mingchuan stayed in Shouguang to clean up the battlefield. How many enemies were killed and how many were captured were secondary. The first thing to find out was the whereabouts of those bandit leaders? The first news to report was that Lai Wenguang went down the Mi River, and his life and death were unknown.Then came the report, and found Ren Ding's body, as well as the remains and "seal letters" of the "kings" Xu Changxian and "first king" Fan Ruzeng who were named "kings" by Hong Xiuquan.As for the three most important people, Ren Sanyan, Niu Hong, and Li Yun, they disappeared. Hearing this, Liu Mingchuan didn't dare to delay, and led his own army that night, pursued southward and claimed victory at the same time.When the good news arrived at Li Hongzhang's place, Feizhang entered the performance, and it was necessary to show off his military exploits with great fanfare.Speaking of Shouguang's great victory, more than 20,000 Nian troops were killed, and the Mi River was "overwhelmed with corpses, and the water did not flow." More than 10,000 people were captured, and 20,000 mules and horses were captured. Lai Wenguang fell into the water and fell into the Mi River. After being drowned, hundreds of bandits fled southward, and it was not difficult to settle down with one blow. In fact, there are still thousands of remnant bandits, and the leader is Lai Wenguang, who fled south from Shandong into Shuyang, Jiangsu.At this time, all the generals in command had received the news of the great victory. Seeing that the victory was imminent, they all eagerly fought for help.So Zhang Zhiwan, the Governor of Water Transport, "Cao Biao"; Anhui Governor Yinghan's Anhui Army; Jiangnan Navy Admiral Huang Yisheng's gunboats were all busy.Liu Bingzhang, the Shanxi chief envoy of the Huai army system, and Li Zhaoqing, Li Hongzhang's younger brother, also commanded troops to intercept.For a while, wind and rain from all directions will gather in Lianghuai.