Chapter 141: Pressing step by step

In September 1861, Zhao Sanbao's Western Conscription Regiment fell into Ningyuan Prefecture, Sichuan. In early October, he forced his crossing of the Dadu River, with the sword aiming directly at Chengdu.

The soldiers of the Sichuan Green Camp were frightened and the blockers were invincible. The Western Conscription Corps flew with a flick and suddenly returned to the east, broke through Chongqing Prefecture, and opened up the supply line to go west.

In Sichuan, the scattered green camps and militia groups were constantly disturbing the people and killing people. Governor Zeng Wangyan strictly prohibited them. Some of the defeated green camp soldiers were afraid that Zeng Wangyan would punish them and simply became bandits, and the whole of Sichuan was in chaos.

At the same time, Zeng Guofan was in Shenbao and Haric, and the two armies of Haric were defeated step by step. The six kings urgently transferred Xi'an flag troops to Jingbei for support. Who knew that more than 10,000 flag troops arrived at Xing'an Prefecture, Shaanxi. A deputy general of the Inlain Lan Banner suddenly joined forces with several officers to kidnap Xi'an General Wen Xiang, occupied Xing'an Prefecture and announced that the entire army would surrender to the Southern Dynasty, and appointed Shaanxi admiral, governor and other officials.

Although Wen Xiang finally found a good opportunity to escape and led his troops to counterattack. The rebel army was defeated and fled into Xichuan, how could Wen Xiang's troops go to help Zeng Guofan after this change?

On the battlefield in northern Suzhou, Zuo Zongtang's troops did not defend Huai'an and adopted the strategy of resisting step by step and consuming the troops of Pingyuan Army to the greatest extent. By December, they gradually retreated into the territory of Lu.

The biggest variable occurred in northern Anhui. No one expected that the Six Kings would throw Senggelinqin's horse stance on the battlefield in northern Anhui. Even Miao Peilin would never have imagined it.

The intention of the Six Kings was very obvious, which was to catch the southern country in northern Anhui off guard, eliminate the Zheng Ze Martial Arts Army of Pingyuan Army in northern Anhui, achieve a great victory, and seize the disadvantage of retreating from all walks of life. As long as the Zhengze Martial Arts Army was eliminated, the monk King Ma Bu could immediately turn to the east and attack Su Hongniang and catch Su Hongniang off guard, defeating the main force of the Pingyuan Army's Northern Expedition. If Su Hongniang's army was defeated, it could completely reverse the situation of the northern and southern battles.

In January 1862, Senggelinqin led 20,000 horses and stairs and suddenly appeared near Lu'an Prefecture. When Zheng Zewu was partly scattered and cleared the remaining enemies in northern Anhui, an infantry battalion in Guangwu Town, Lu'an Prefecture was the first to be hit and was trapped in the encirclement of the Qing army.

Taqimu, a powerful general under Senggelinqin, led three thousand iron cavalry to attack Xinyi Town dozens of miles away. He had already learned from Miao Peilin that it was the location of the Zhengze Martial Arts Department of Pingyuan Army, and its telegram line had been set up in Xinyi Town, which is the best proof.

At this time, Zheng Zewu happened to be in Xinyi Town. The guards of the military headquarters were only the military headquarters’ garrison battalion and a reinforced infantry battalion, with no more than 1,500 combatants.

After Hefei defeated Miao Peilin's foreign gun team, the remnants of Miao Peilin were scattered in southern and northern Anhui. Zheng Zewu ordered the legions to be dispersed, reorganized and recruited new soldiers, eliminated the stubborn enemies in the territory, and waited for the Regent's general attack order to attack Henan.

While Zheng Zewu was studying the combat map, the scouts quickly returned. The Second Battalion of the Third Regiment was trapped in Guangwu Town and the *** cavalry team had already assembled, as if they were coming to Xinyi Town.

The air immediately condenses when the main hall of the military headquarters.

A staff officer hurriedly walked around the wooden table to look at the map and suggested: "Military Gate, in Hefei, our army has thirteen infantry battalions, but it is difficult to relieve near thirst. Now we can only temporarily avoid the enemy's momentum and retreat to Jiajiawa in the southeast to strengthen the battalion to lure the enemy and get rid of the enemy cavalry's pursuit. We also asked the military Gate to retreat quickly. We will report to each corps and battalions."

Several staff officers agreed, and at this time, a gentle military officer in his early thirties put down his teacup and said with a smile: "In the foolish opinion, the military gate has been determined. Is it to dig a trench in the south of the village these days to warn Miao Peilin's shrimp soldiers and crab generals? The treasures transported earlier are still covered with canvas, and I don't know what it is. Besides, in the area of ​​Lu'an Prefecture and Hefei, our army can mobilize more than 25th battalions. It seems to be scattered, but in fact they are mutually supportive. Once a little mobilized, it is just a big pocket, so it is a bit like asking you to get into the trap."

Zheng Zewu's eyes lit up and looked him up and down a few times. Zhao Puyu, the chief staff officer next to him, smiled and said, "His name is Cheng Xueqi, his courtesy name is Fang Zhong, and he was originally a subordinate of Chen Yucheng. Chen Yucheng was defeated and was captured and surrendered. He was very smart and brave in fighting."

Cheng Xueqi had just been transferred to the Military Office's Staff Office, but Zheng Zewu really didn't remember his name. At this time, he nodded slightly and said, "Yes, I'll call on the infantry corps and headquarters immediately, and ordered all infantry battalions and artillery battalions to run to Lu'an. Today I'll invite you to the trap!" He laughed loudly.

...

On the loess road, a black dragon of cavalry brought out rolling smoke and dust, with unparalleled power.

The Hussars all have fierce faces, with a cross-body rifle on their backs and a sabre hanging around their waists. Genghis Khan's descendants, the barbarian wolf nature of blood and fire, and the prairie warrior who is fearless of death.

The black outline of the village gradually appeared in front of him. Taqimu whistled, pulled out the saber from his waist, and spun the knife flower on his head, shouting: "Yilata--!"

"Yilata!" "Yilata!" The beastly shouts came one after another in the horse team, with sharp blades like clouds, and the strange screams of wild beasts soaring into the sky.

The cavalry formation suddenly changed, turning into countless long queues, stepping on the snow in the field and rushing towards the village. The cavalry in the forefront drew their rifles.

A little beyond, you can already see the gray military caps scattered in the barbed wire trenches.

Taqimu smiled coldly, the trench was only a few hundred steps away, and there was an open space on the east side, so you could rush into the village.

The sound of hooves was like thunder, and Taqimu's blood was surging. He waved his sabre, just trying to fill the hunger in his heart with the blood of the enemy. "Kill them all!" Taqimu screamed like a beast, and his eyes were already blood red.

At this moment, after the simple fortification piled up in the sacks on the east side, several small cannons with shiny metal wheels were suddenly pushed out. They looked like guns, but the barrel was extremely small, more than ten times thicker than the rifle.

"Bang bang bang bang bang" was extremely violent and fast, and the horses rushing in front suddenly fell to the ground, as if they were harvested like straw, and suddenly fell down a row.

Taqimu was stunned, what is this?

"Bang bang bang bang bang bang" was like the god of death hitting the giant drums continuously, and the cavalry rushing in the front row fell one by one, and the fierce horses cried like hell.

It was not until more than a hundred warriors fell into a pool of blood that the cavalry brigade rushed to the range of Pingyuan Army. "Bang bang bang", the sound of gunfire sounded, and various grenades were thrown out. At this time, it was hundreds of steps away. The grenades were not to kill the cavalry, but to scare their horses. Rockets were shot out and fell into the cavalry. Although the explosion at most made people's faces hurt, they made the horses frightened and neighed.

Taqimu was stunned for a while, and at this time the arrow was on the string. He gritted his teeth and threw the sword in his hand towards the direction of the monster cannon, and a trumpet like a howling whistling blew out of his mouth.

No matter how many people are killed or injured today, as long as they can cut off their monster cannons, no enemy can be killed.

"Coax", the monster cannon dozens of steps away, and suddenly a fire broke out like a fire dragon crisscrossing the east and west.

The cavalry and horses that were about to rush to the near the monster cannon were frightened and neighed in circles. Where could the cavalry be shouting at each other?

"Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang", the loud noise seemed to never stop, and the warriors fell from the horse one by one.

At this time, Taqimu shouted a few times, then left after returning horses. Pingyuan's army was flooding with bullets, and the cavalry running back horses fell under the horses in rows.

After galloping a few miles away, Taqimu gathered the horse team and counted the number of people. His face was terrible. He just charged forward and even stopped five stops.

Taqimu had no intention of going around to attack the village again. It was a good idea to repay the prince quickly.

In front of the village, the soldiers of Pingyuan Army were curiously surrounding them to look at these strange cannons.

Zheng Zewu sighed and gently patted the cannon barrel. Although the thick cannon barrel was actually a big bucket, it was still extremely hot when touched. Zheng Zewu was so hot that he took a breath and quickly retracted, and his hands were already red and swollen.

Guangzhou's continuous bead cannons, like lightning cannons, are all experimental weapons, but these cannons were personally ordered by the Regent to transport them to northern Anhui.

After several mistakes in intelligence against the North, Ye Zhao criticized Ruisi severely. Although the monk king was secretly mobilized this time, even the people in the army thought they were entering the battlefield in northern Jiangsu. However, the Ministry of Internal Affairs stationed in the inside line of the North War Department, and the continuous cannons were naturally sent to northern Anhui to fight against the monk king's cavalry.

Ye Zhao was no longer so keen on the development of weapons, but he did not expect that the Ordnance Bureau would still make the beaded cannons. As the smokeless gunpowder was used in war early, coupled with the emergence of such rapid rifles in Guangzhou, the emergence of trench warfare was inevitable. With the lightning cannons and beaded cannons, it was naturally born, which was a need of the battlefield.

Even if the southern countries do not do it, European countries will invent it. The continuous guns were useful in the Civil War and won great results. European military technicians will accelerate their progress and develop corresponding weapons.

The wars in the future will become more and more cruel, and will be a great test for a country's industrial production capacity. It can be said that if a war is eliminated from human factors, it is often a contest between the industrial level among countries.

Zheng Zewu didn’t know what the Regent thought, he only knew that this series of cannons was really amazing!

At the end of January 1862, Zheng Ze's army and Senggelinqin army confronted each other in the Lu'anzhou area. The two sides had intertwined their terrifying lines, and they didn't know who surrounded whom.

...

In Jiaomin Lane in the east of the capital, a two-story western-style study room, the Minister of Military Affairs Gui Liangzheng met with a Russian in his forties with a cold face.

This is the Russian Embassy in Beijing, and the person who talks with Gui Liang was Sergei, the Russian Consul General in Beijing, or called him Viscount Brin.

Sergei was fully responsible for the cooperation between the Russians and their military support for the North, and even the Far East Fleet was allocated by him.

Sergei was resolute and cold. He had just arrived in Beijing for two years and had gained a series of benefits for the Russians. Three months ago, he signed an agreement with the Beijing government to build the Lushun military port. The Russians obtained the right to use and garrison the military port. At the same time, the arsenal built by the Russians in Lushun has also begun to be built.

Of course, this is also because the war between the North and the South is gradually detrimental to the north, and the North has to do it.

Sergei put down his coffee cup, made a powerful gesture, and said loudly: "Please rest assured that our Eastern Conscription Corps has been constructed three months ago, with a total of 20,000 soldiers. They will come to the Far East to serve the Chinese Emperor. And I promise that there will be no more bad behaviors that damage His Majesty the Tsar's reputation."

After listening to the translation of the translation, Gui Liang whispered a long tone. The war in the North is in every way, which is really heartbreaking.

What is the continuous cannon? I heard that in northern Anhui, the Qing army was scared to death.

Sergei pondered and said, "If, I mean, if, if, in the future, the war situation of the Chinese emperor is unfavorable, can we consider retreating outside the pass? Our Eastern Conscription Corps will do our best to ensure the safety outside the pass, and the subsequent corps will be formed to assist the emperor in restoring the lost territory."

Gui Liang changed color. Fortunately, he didn't tell the emperor. This was not much, so why did he talk about the incident after the defeat?

Seeing Gui Liang's face look ugly, Sergei smiled and said, "My dear friend, I just said if. You know, your opponent is full of tricks. If you are unfortunately captured by him and the emperor is captured, then we will lose completely in this battle. But as long as the emperor is safe, our country will have the confidence to eventually help the emperor turn the situation around. Even if your opponent occupies Beijing, ***, ***, ***, ***, Gansu, and Qinghai will become a headache for the regent. In addition, the emperor's appeal in China, as long as we are ready and launch a counterattack immediately, we will definitely win the final victory."

"This war was so difficult because it broke out too suddenly and our country was not prepared at all, because according to the information you provided, this war should have broken out in two years. You know, because the Far East Railway is still under construction, we are completely incapable of mobilizing too many troops at once to serve the Emperor."

When Sergei mentioned the "Regent" twice, Gui Liang had to translate and remind Sergei to call Jing Xiang "Pseudo King" or call him directly, but Sergei ignored him, so Gui Liang no longer corrected his mistakes.

"Mr. Bryn, do you think we will lose this war? If your country's infantry regiment joins the battle, we will also lose the war?" Gui Liang asked with a serious face.

"No, no, no." Sergei shook his head repeatedly and said, "We will eventually win this war, but your opponent will always invent strange weapons, which makes us make mistakes in judgment again and again. So, I am very worried about losing Beijing in the next war. I hope that in the event of an unfavorable situation, the Emperor will retreat outside the pass and also buy us enough time to prepare for this war."

Gui Liang's face gradually became cheerful. What he was most worried about now was that the Russians would just sit back and forth. If the situation continues to develop according to the current situation, there is really no need to fight.

If you want to talk about outside the pass, since the emperor ascended the throne, the ban has been lifted, and immigrants in the Central Plains are endless. I heard that the villages were not as sparse as a few years ago.

Sergei said again: "Mr. Guiliang, you know, our country is abolishing the serf system, carrying out a series of reforms, and building the Far East Railway. It is financially short of money. I hope your country can provide another interest-free loan of 10 million taels of silver."

Guiliang was just a stagnant. Three months ago, Britain, France and other countries no longer borrowed silver to the North, and began to force the North to repay the silver. Obviously, they were worried that the North would lose the previous loans after the war were wasted. Now, the North can only increase taxes heavily, and the people are full of grievances. How could there be any money to lend to the Russians?

"I think of a solution for this." Gui Liang sighed deeply in his heart.

Sergei smiled slightly: "It doesn't matter if it's really difficult. We both countries get along well with each other. Don't misunderstand what I mean."
Chapter completed!