The Mazu Temple is majestic and majestic. Incense smoke fills the air. More than 100 monks gathered here to worship Buddha and chant sutras to save the Qing soldiers who died in the war.
Before the banquet started, there was a heated exchange of words to resolve the conflicts between the three parties. Otherwise, during the banquet, the soldiers would dare to say anything stupid and it would hurt the feelings of the fraternal troops.
Li Guolou, together with his deputy general Li Yunquan, Liu Mingchuan, his deputy general Ma Haiyan, Liu Mingdeng, and his deputy general Fu Xianchu all have to fight to the death for their respective interests.
Min Jun's deputy general Xu Wenxiu, who had just arrived in Taiwan and caught up with the Battle of Orchid City, and his commander Xu Yu'ang also wanted to join in the fun. They wanted to ask Li Guolou for a reward.
Mingwu Army and Jianwu Army obtained millions of silver dollars from Li Guolou. Xu Yuang also obtained 200,000 silver dollars from Li Guolou.
Fighting a war is difficult for one side. Supporting an army from all sides requires not only the local financial support of the jurisdiction, but also the support of the Ministry of War, provincial capitals, and consortiums.
The person who contributed the most to the Taiwan War was Fujian Governor Ding Richang, who devoted all his province's efforts to support the people of Taiwan. All the province's taxes were used to fight the war, and he borrowed five million silver dollars from the "Invitation Bank"
The consortium is the "Come In Bank" controlled by Li Guolou. Li Guolou has invested 15 million yuan in the Taiwan campaign. He used the money to rearm the various Qing armies and win over the hearts of the Taiwanese people, making those students who have been cheating and cheating come to repent.
With Li Guolou's strong support, the people of Taiwan would unite with the enemy and oppose the brutal rule of the Qing Dynasty. The great uprising of Taiwan's ethnic minorities ignited the flames and soon extinguished [
These warlords will speak ill of Li Guolou behind his back.
“Embroidered pillow with a bag of straw”
"How can you understand military affairs if you don't even have hair?"
But these warlords knew in their hearts that without Li Guolou's support, the Taiwan campaign would not have gone so smoothly. In less than half a year, more than 30,000 elite Japanese troops were wiped out.
Li Guolou's outstanding military exploits won him the love of the Qing soldiers. This is why it is convincing that a warrior like Liu Mingchuan would respect Li Guolou in his words and deeds.
A group of eight people entered the Qisheng Temple, Li Guolou, and sat calmly in the middle. The eight high-ranking officials looked like dogs, each with their own agenda. The guards served tea. After that, the eight people took a sip of tea to moisten their throats and started a verbal argument.
Li Yunquan, who was very young, suppressed his anger and fired first: "Da Liu Zhen Taishu, please know that attacking Langjiao Port requires both land and water. The military plan has been negotiated long ago. I have already discussed the action plan with Shen Baozhen. Why are you taking it upon yourself to do so?" He told himself to send Nie Shicheng to attack Langjiao Port."
Liu Mingchuan coughed and didn't answer. A small person like Li Yunqiu used to be his student. He didn't need to waste his words. Someone would smooth things over for him.
The adjutant, Ma Haiyan, is a tall man, only in his early thirties, with a mustache. He used to be an instructor in the Xinwu Hall. He watched Li Yunqi become a talented person step by step and was reused by Li Guolou. Li Yunqi was promoted at a rocket speed. Ma Haiyan looked down on others and was heartbroken. Looking down on Li Yunqi, Guan Yun Hengtong raised his eyes and said: "Li Yunqi, our Mingwu Army and the Xinwu Army are closely related to each other. We are from the same sect. Why should we be divided into students of each other?"
Li Yunquan suddenly became three inches shorter. He lowered his head while drinking tea and did not dare to speak out. Liu Mingchuan was also his master and he had no right to speak here.
Li Guolou had long expected this kind of scene. Li Yunquan was still too young to compete with these old foxes. It still needed years of training. He had seen Zuo Zongtang's generals competing for merit in the Great Northwest. The general said that they were not subordinate to each other. If you fall out, you'll have to expose all the guys.
Li Guolou calmly drank tea and turned his head to Liu Mingdeng.
Liu Mingdeng was equally impatient. The Jianwu Army is the master of Taiwan and should contribute more to the recovery of Taiwan's lost territory. Since Li Guolou came to Taiwan, he has always regarded the Jianwu Army as a partial division. He has never received any decent military exploits. It was not Jianwu's turn to fight with the large corps. The Jianwu Army only "burned the Paijia Cliff" to make him proud, but this was not enough to make up for the serious national humiliation of losing his country. It was the liberation of the Qing Dynasty that he brought to the Qing Dynasty. The Battle of Langjiao Port was a battle in which the Jianwu Army proved its ability. The Jianwu Army's determination To be a death squad
Regardless of his status, Liu Mingdeng meditated as a Zen official, knelt on one leg in front of Li Guolou and bowed his head: "Commander Li, please help me, let the Jianwu army conquer Langjiao Port, otherwise I will not live. I promise that I will be here within a month." Li took Langqiao Port and asked Commander-in-Chief Li to take a look at the combat effectiveness of the Jianwu Army."
Before Li Guolou could reply, Liu Mingchuan stood up from the ground and shouted angrily: "My dear brother, the Japanese army in Guishan is a tough one. There are tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers. If you don't guard the defense line well, what if the Japanese army breaks through the lock deployed by Commander Li?" Didn't the Great Wall's tactics fall short? You have to prioritize and don't destroy the Great Wall."[
Adjutant Ma Haiyan interjected: "My Mingwu Army won't need a month to capture Langjiao Port, and it will take at most twenty days to capture Langjiao Port. I dare to write a military order here, Commander-in-Chief Li, just wait for the good news."
Xu Wenxiu, the deputy general of the Min Army, could not hold back and shouted: "Commander Li, please leave the forts along the Hengchun River to me. I promise to completely clear out the Japanese forts within ten days. No one is better at dealing with Japanese artillery than me."
At this time, Li Yun got anxious and stood up. He said solemnly: "Commander Li, the five thousand officers and soldiers of the New Armed Forces are on standby. They are all resting and waiting for the war. Please don't talk nonsense and let the New Armed Forces attack Langqiao Port. Give it to me." Fifteen days are enough to ensure that the stubborn enemy is completely annihilated at the minimum cost."
In the Qisheng Temple, the seven generals drew their swords and crossbows. They all looked at Li Guolou, but they saw that Li Guolou no longer had the grace and magnanimity that he had just seen, and his sad expression could be seen at a glance.
Li Guolou sighed and waved his hand and said: "Everyone, please be patient and sit down and talk. Originally, we were not in charge of each other, so there was some miscommunication. Now that there is so much noise, don't we want to blow up the camp? I know that I don't have Li Hongzhang, Zuo Zongtang, etc." Everyone, I have made flawless tactical deployments and have been winning the battle, but you still want to take credit for me, where do you put me?"
When the seven generals saw Li Guolou's expression, they all sat down and stopped arguing.
Liu Mingchuan knew Li Guolou's nature, and his expression was to be sinister. Li Guolou was not a kind person. He wanted to muddy the water and deliberately revealed the truth: "Commander Li, we are pretty good, so I will report it to you if anything happens." Let’s talk about the contradiction first. Let’s put it on the table. Isn’t it possible that some people secretly complained to Prince Gong and took away the command of the Daiqing Navy Division? To this day, such people are still bragging about their military exploits. They are the most shameful people. Don’t you think so?”
"Well, let's not talk about the past. It's best for us to solve our own problems and drink early." Li Guolou still faked a smile and picked up the tea cup calmly, but his chest felt like being pricked by a needle, and his heart couldn't help but sting.
After Shen Baozhen obtained the command of the Great Qing Navy through his seniority, he won the great victory in Langjiao Port and the command of the Great Clear Water Division was not returned to him. The commander-in-chief of Taiwan, the command of the Great Clear Navy was no longer in his hands.
This was also a sign that Li Hongzhang was going to take back his military power. Several military ministers in the Military Aircraft Department could not see his soaring into the sky. Several warlords with their own backings had begun to disobey Li Guolou.
If the Taiwan War continues like this, Li Guolou will sooner or later be replaced as the commander-in-chief of Taiwan. The time is not far away. Li Guolou is indignant but quite helpless.
Who said these commanders were not promoted by Li Guolou?
It will take ten years to win the hearts and minds of the military. Baoding Military Academy will be Li Guolou's sphere of influence. After returning to Beijing, he will have to work hard at Baoding Military Academy. When it is established, all the warlords in the Qing military towns will be his students. It will take another ten years to achieve great results. of careful cultivation
Li Guolou draws inferences from one instance and thinks far-reachingly, and is not limited to just one corner of Taiwan.
Li Guolou was thinking about what Liu Mingdeng did just now. Liu Mingdeng knelt down on one leg, as if to show his loyalty, but he was implying that he was loyal to him. Liu Mingchuan was a comrade who shared life and death, and Liu Mingdeng could be used by him. After careful consideration, he had already decided which was more important.
Li Guolou calmly said after that: "Everyone is right, and my original strategic deployment is also correct. Since everyone wants to make a contribution, we must take a step back and redeploy our troops. Since Nie Shicheng's troops have been dispatched, there is no need to come back. Let's just let them go." He serves as the main force in attacking the fortresses along the Hengchun River. Liu Liu Mazi, give me a face and don’t take it away from me in the attack on Langjiao Port."
Liu Mingchuan took a glance at Li Guolou. The Battle of Taiwan allowed the two to put aside their old grudges and cooperate. Taiwan is prosperous and prosperous. In the future, there will be many places that will be used by Li Guolou. Only by taking a step back, the sky is vast and the sky is vast, and only by enduring once can we see the rainbow.
"Well, I will give you face in the attack on Langjiao Port. The Mingwu Army can be used as a partial division to cooperate with other brother troops." Liu Mingchuan refused to say anything and still wanted to get something for nothing. You must know that Langjiao Port is a distribution center for Japanese military supplies. It has hoarded a lot of strategic supplies and more than a hundred fast ships. How many times has he been the less popular person on a sailboat?
Li Guolou showed a gratified expression and nodded: "Well, I'm very pleased that Da Liu Zhentai is so honorable and honest. Xiao Liu Zhentai has left the important task of attacking Langqiao Port to you. Let Min Jun cooperate with you."
"Thank you very much, Commander-in-Chief Li. I will certainly win Langjiao Port and atone for my sins." Like a rough man, Liu Mingdeng once again bowed his head and thanked Li Guolou, expressing his determination with full confidence.
Everyone else can understand the meaning, and everyone has a look of disdain. Liu Mingdeng’s face is clearly revealed.
Li Yunquan was dejected. It seemed that the New Armed Forces were still building fortresses in the Guishan area and slowly moving into the hinterland of Guishan. The lock-down tactic was the most boring tactic. The soldiers were doing hard work day after day. When they returned, they still burned the barren hills a few more times and left Guishan bare. everywhere
Li Guolou looked around at the generals around him and said: "The poor transportation in the land of birth makes it difficult for us to deploy troops. If we use foreign troops, we will have troubles in the future. After driving away the tigers, there will be hidden dangers of wolf smoke. We still have to use our own troops to fight the war. We learned from the war in Taiwan." Zuo Zongtang's approach is to build roads while fighting wars. Once the roads are smooth, the local economy will reach a higher level. Soldiers will also contribute to the local economy. Next, each army will build more roads. Only when there are big roads can our army's artillery play its role. The people of Taiwan can live a better life. To improve and kill two birds with one stone is the mission given to us by history.”
Liu Mingchuan was happy to hear that Li Guolou had experience in revitalizing the economy and was planning for him on Taiwan's agricultural business. He nodded frequently and said: "Commander Li is good at literature, military, and thoughtful. I will first express my support for building roads. Let's start from Orchid City and build the road into the mountains." Let the Japanese army have a safe place to rely on"
As for the funds required for road construction, they are the same as the rewards from various Qing armies. Each of the Eight Immortals who showed their magical powers when they crossed the sea asked Li Guolou for their own money, and they will not make it public in front of everyone.
Liu Mingdeng echoed: "I also agree with road construction. Now that the enemy has become a turtle in the urn, I am afraid that the enemy will jump over the wall and become a rogue bandit. Therefore, the defense of the fortresses is the top priority and cannot be slackened. Training soldiers to fight in the mountains must not be prepared for next spring's offensive." Let the Japanese army be the king of the mountain in Guishan. I think the Japanese army will definitely take the initiative to attack our fortress and lock the city if they still have enough strength. The strategy of locking the city will not be smooth sailing."
Li Guolou nodded and said: "Xiao Liu Zhentai's words are reasonable. We will encounter many thorny problems in the next attack on Guishan, but we have to lead the enemy by the nose. The first task is to let the mountain people leave their habitat and not allow massacres. This will make People's hearts are going to extremes. Even a mountain man must be taken out of the mountain and arranged for the life of these mountain people. When escorting, be more ruthless. You can tie up the mountain people and prevent them from escaping. Li Yun, do you hear me clearly?"
Li Yunquan scratched his head. The real difficulties were extraordinary. One could imagine that the officers and soldiers on the front line were physically and mentally exhausted. But no matter how difficult the soldiers were, they had to overcome it. He resolutely raised his head and said solemnly: "Commander Li, please rest assured that our army will definitely do it." The Japanese army’s countermeasures plan for the Qiuhao criminals to relocate the mountain residents near Guishan Mountain has been thought of by the Japanese Army’s General Staff, including five methods.”
Li Guolou jumped up and waved: "Let's go and watch the sand table performance."
The other seven people followed closely and stood around the sand table to listen to Li Yunqing's explanation.
Li Yunqing was able to be promoted quickly not only because of his blood relationship with the Li family, but also because of his extraordinary military talent, which was appreciated by Li Guolou. Now that he is showing off his talents, his arguments are reasonable and well-founded, and he is plotting in accordance with the Japanese army's thinking, making everyone look at him.
Liu Mingchuan appreciated Li Yunquan's talent. Li Yunquan was also his beloved disciple. He heard the applause and was secretly jealous of Li Guolou. He was blessed with a good woman and his disciples had a good harvest.
Liu Mingdeng was also looking at Li Guolou with jealousy. He did not have such talents under his command. It seemed that relying solely on the Jianwu Army mechanism to cultivate military talents could no longer keep up with the times. It was time to send people to Xinwu Hall to study. After that, he would be like Li Guolou. How close I am to you, I officially came to Li Guolou’s door
All the generals and officers ate lunch next to the sand table. They ate and talked freely, regardless of age or rank.
During the war, soldiers were so united and energetic, as upright as orchids.