Not far from Dongyuan Bank, Hejiapan Township, Heshui County, Tanma reported back that it was only ten miles away from the town, and Tanma also informed the town's defenders that Li Ziying was coming.
Ju Tanma said that Xu Zhanbiao, the commander-in-chief of Guoyong Battalion, personally led a group of generals to greet him at a place five miles away from the front. Li Guolou smiled and said: "Okay, we are finally here."
Since receiving the order from Governor Zuo Zongtang, he was asked to transport military supplies directly to Dong Zhiyuan and hand them over to the command of Xu Zhanbiao, the commander-in-chief of the Guoyong Battalion. Li Guolou seemed to be a different person, and he was rushing with a large army in the ice and snow, and the military supplies were
No supplies were given away, and they finally arrived at the front line in late January.
Dong Zhiyuan is located to the east of Liupan Mountain. Because Liupan Mountain is also called Long Mountain, the Huangshang Remnant Plains centered on Dong Zhiyuan is collectively called Longdong Huangshang Plateau. It is located to the north of Jingshui River, between the two major rivers Malian River and Pu River.
It is a masterpiece of nature's miraculous craftsmanship.
Common plains are in flatlands, river valleys, and between mountains, but Dong Zhiyuan is on top of the mountains, shaped like an individual's ear. In the far east of Longdong, northeast of the winding Jinghe River, lies the vast virgin forest of Ziwu Mountains.
At the western foot of the district, surrounding the southern end of Qingchuan, thousands of "ears" on the mountains are continuous, bridging and connecting together, forming a plateau with a loess layer as thick as 120 meters...Dong Zhiyuan.
There are more than 10 small plateaus standing in the territory, such as Tunzi, Yuba, Linjing, Pingquan, Xinji, Xihuachi, Zaosheng, Chunrong, Panke, Gonghe, Shuihe, etc., which are the great and ruthless nature.
A masterpiece of dismemberment of the Longdong Loess Plateau.
They and Dong Zhiyuan are like brothers from the same mother, holding hands with the eldest brother, separated on four sides. Fortunately, nature is still partial. Although Dong Zhiyuan turned into a broken melon leaf, it still remained a sculpture.
Tall and broad, Dong Zhiyuan has the largest area, the most complete preservation, and the thickest upper layer of loess among all the remnants of the Loess Plateau, thus earning it the reputation of "The First Loess Plateau in the World".
Dongyuan Bank, Hejiapan Township, Heshui County has been occupied by the army and has become a bridgehead for the attack on Dong Zhiyuan. Xu Zhanbiao's Guoyong 12th Battalion is stationed here.
I saw that most of the areas here are windy sand, grassy beaches and loess hilly areas. After entering the Dongyuan Bank of Hejiapan Township, Heshui County, you can see rolling yellow sand from time to time, as well as Populus euphratica and tamarisk. There are also many military transport teams traveling here.
They mainly rode camels and mules. After seeing Li Ziying's army, these shabby military officers all cast envious glances. Soon, an armored cavalry appeared in everyone's eyes.
When this team of smoke and dust appeared in the eyes of Commander-in-Chief Xu Zhanbiao and all the officers and soldiers, they couldn't help but take a breath of air.
The officers and soldiers of the 12th Battalion of Guo Yong are the Sichuan Army. They are elite soldiers built with the strength of the whole province of Sichuan. They are well-equipped. They are a unit with excellent weapons and equipment under Zuo Zongtang. Therefore, Zuo Zongtang gave the command to Dong Zhiyuan in the battle.
It was handed over to Xu Zhanbiao. But compared with Li Ziying's team, it was still far behind.
This army has a clear flag, everyone is well-equipped, and the soldiers are all dressed in German style. They have a proud and complacent look. You can't see the fatigue of the saddle horses, and they are full of murderous intent. The horses underneath them are fat and strong, and their graceful and vigorous posture is enviable to others.
, compared with the skinny horses of Guoyong camp, it is really far behind.
Xu Zhanbiao was in his thirties, with a tall build and a bushy beard. He looked like Meng Zhang Fei and was 1.8 meters tall. He was born in Kunshan and was a native of Fulhe Village, Minglong Town, Xichong County. He served in the Yongying camp in the ten years of Xianfeng. Because of his outstanding military exploits, he was awarded
The soldiers were promoted to Qianzong, divided into commanders and generals. When they wiped out Xiniu, they were appreciated by Zuo Zongtang and promoted to the general.
Li Guolou did not dare to show off his strength and met with the lower officials. The two sides exchanged a few words. Xu Zhanbiao led the way and guard Gao Liansheng accompanied him. The rest of the officers from the Guo Yong camp stepped aside.
Looking at the military supplies on the long dragon with excited eyes, these military supplies were handed over to Xu Zhanbiao for arrangement, and Guo Yong's 12th Battalion received most of the supplies. There is no doubt about this.
While whispering, many people were looking at Li Guolou, as if they were watching an actor, with a playful expression on their faces. How could such a young, feminine, hairless Li Guolou come to the front line to fight for merit, and be killed by a mountain of swords and a sea of fire?
Guo Yong, the military attache of the 12th Battalion, looked up to him. Zhao Zilong from Changshan was just as good as a dead eunuch.
The soldiers of Li Ziying were used to other people's strange looks at Li Guolou. They rode steadily on their horses, their heads almost raised to the sky, and marched in order, stirring up a cloud of dust and the sound of neat hooves.
The hundreds of people who came up one after another thought they were raising soldiers, but in fact they were the captains carrying Mauser guns. They were very disciplined and looked straight away. They were afraid that they would be looked down upon like Li Guolou.
Soon we arrived outside the east gate of Dongyuanpan Town, Hejiapan Township. There were soldiers from the 12th Battalion of Guoyong Camp in Dongyuanpan, Hejiapan Township. Together with several other nearby garrisons, there were more than 1 people stationed there.
There are more than 2,000 war horses.
Li Guolou looked at Yuanpan Town in the east of Xiangdong. His first impression was that the city was built very thick and deep, with broken crenels and traces of cannon bombardment, and the gaps had not been repaired. There were numerous brick crenels on the city wall, and a brick crenel was placed on it.
Bronze cannons, most of them
It's a French cannon. It's estimated that the city's circumference is 5 miles. The rebels have been deterred by holding on to such a situation. The Guo Yong camp does not take Dong Zhiyuan's rebels seriously. This is a force that dares to be pulled out to fight in the field.
The army is not the kind of Eight Banners Army that is waiting for reinforcements.
Xu Zhanbiao and Li Guolou walked side by side. Seeing that they were under the town, Xu Zhanbiao was in a good mood, and his cold heart felt warm.
The military supplies of the brigade behind him are enough to make his Guoyong Battalion's strength surpass that of the friendly forces. This is the advantage of following Zuo Zongtang. Li Guolou next to him is nominally an escort, but in fact he is the imperial envoy, and he is the grandson of Li Hongzhang.
, is the successor of Li Hongzhang, so he should be easy to make friends with.
Xu Zhanbiao touched his big beard and said with a smile: "Master Li, Li Ziying has been working hard all the way to the camp, eating and sleeping in the open air. It is so hard, so please come to the town to rest. The town has prepared food and drinks for Master Li. I just want to ask Li
Your Majesty restrains his subordinates with ruthless military law, and the front line is even more cruel and ruthless, with no trace of sloppiness."
Li Guolou understood what he meant. The military discipline of the guest armies of the Qing Dynasty was not very good. The guest armies stole chickens and dogs and made money easily. The local officials wanted to complain but had no way to complain. Xu Zhanbiao didn't know that his Li Ziying was a man of benevolence and righteousness.
The division commander immediately said with a smile: "Don't worry, Deputy Commander Xu. Our troops are transporting military supplies across the border and have never done anything wrong to the local area. The business is fair. When we come to the front line, we must carry out the military orders of Commander Zuo. The soldiers dare not indulge in disobedience."
Li Ziying purged the troops and entered the town with high spirits, hoping to show the Sichuan army the momentum of the mighty and majestic division.
"Since the Shaanxi Muslim Army entered Dong Zhiyuan, the local residents' lives and properties, farmland, kilns, castles and villages have all suffered huge damage. Alas, it is the common people who suffer from the war." Upon entering Yuanpan Town in the east of Xiangdong, Xu Zhanbiao was the first to speak.
Explain why there are not many residents in the town except for sergeants.
For the first time in his life, Li Guolou was shocked by the scene he saw. On the trees on both sides of the road, there were hanging mummies, and the corpses were all naked, like dried bacon, hanging on the treetops. Being blown around by the northwest wind, he seemed to have walked into hell. Although he had seen countless dead people during his stay in the Ministry of Punishment, and was also keen to go to the execution ground to watch the fun, he really saw so many hanged corpses. It made him feel horrified, and his sweat pores stood up in fear.
A large group of Li Ziying soldiers behind him, whether they were officers or soldiers, some couldn't bear it and retched, some walked with their heads down, not daring to look up at the scenes on both sides of the street. People accidentally bumped into each other. They were originally neat and uniform. The team was suddenly in chaos.
The commander-in-chief Xu Zhanbiao pinched his nose and did not let his inner thoughts be revealed. Behind him, the infatuated sneers of the officers of the Houyong Battalion became unbridled, and they looked down upon the performance of Li Guolou's subordinates. Li Ziying was a hollow carrot after being betrayed. Appearing but useless.
Li Guolou couldn't lose face and became furious. He raised his whip and shouted: "Stop moving forward."
But when he saw him turning around and starting to train Li Ziying's team, he stopped the team from moving forward, so he asked the team to stand in the middle of the road, cursing and saying: "Donkey Ball, you're talking nice, you're just here to embarrass me." .This is a war, not burning incense in the temple. You guys stared at me with wide eyes. If you don’t want to be hanged, just stand up straight. We are brothers.”
"Bah, bang, bang!" Li Guolou whipped anyone who dared to close his eyes, whether it was a student soldier or a civilian, and shouted: "Where is the team supervisor? Order, I will stare at them with wide eyes. Who dares?" Look, just give me ten lashes, starve him for a day and a night, and shoot the loser directly."
The first person he whipped was Ma Dequan's son Ma Liang. He clamored to make great achievements, but he was embarrassed in front of the Sichuan army, and the "waste" was sent back to Beijing as soon as possible.
The long Li Ziying team stopped to reorganize the team for more than half an hour. They were panicked for a while before calming down. In addition to the sound of the team supervisor cursing, there was the sound of someone crying. Those were people who were being whipped and crying. Sob.
Seeing dozens of people crying non-stop, Li Guolou said angrily: "You're still crying! Give me ten more lashes until I stop crying."
Ma Dequan was extremely angry. When he saw Ma Liang crying and crying, making him embarrassed among his guards, he beat his son Ma Liang violently. I only repented after being whipped fifty times by my master."
Now the people who were whipped did not dare to cry, and no matter how painful it was, they did not dare to make a sound. Tears welled up in their eyes, and no cries were heard. Only the team supervisor continued to curse and beat a few people who could not stand well.
Commander-in-Chief Xu Zhanbiao and his officers were accustomed to this kind of behavior from recruits, and stood silently, neither making fun of nor trying to persuade them. Kindness does not govern soldiers, and the growth of recruits cannot be separated from bloody experience. This is just the beginning. If you want to To become a qualified veteran, you must face the enemy's flying bullets and advance against the artillery fire.
Seeing Li Guolou beating people, he felt like a soldier. The expressions of a group of officers became serious. They felt that Li Guolou's army was well-organized. The troops who had been in chaos just now had a murderous aura and stood up straight with solemn faces. Looking ahead indifferently.
Li Guolou had been beaten and scolded, and his cruel side of human nature was fully displayed. He frowned and said angrily: "A bunch of bastards who are asking for beatings. I don't want waste. Go back with the common people as soon as possible. Get away as far as you can."
, don’t let me see you.”
The team regrouped and set off. The soldiers of Li Ziying did not have a complacent expression, but a serious expression, and marched towards the camp with neat steps.
At this time, the few remaining local residents were standing on the roadside timidly, with strange expressions on their faces. They wanted to take a closer look, but were afraid, so they just huddled together from a distance, pointing and talking about the new arrivals.
"Li Ziying".
Li Guolou looked at this group of residents. There were about a hundred people, old and young. Most of the residents he saw were good-looking and wore thick clothes. However, some of the clothes were actually women's cotton-padded jackets.
, it looked like it was ripped from a dead person.
"Deputy Marshal Xu, how many residents are left here?" Li Guolou went to the front line for the first time in his life and asked curiously.
Xu Zhanbiao waved his whip feebly and sighed: "There were more than 3,000 households in the original city, but now there are only more than 400 households, less than two stops every ten miles, and the same is true in other places. This is the old base area for the rebellion, and the people are of the same mind as the rebels.
When a war breaks out, men, women, old and young all go to the city walls and it’s impossible not to kill them. When the rebellion breaks out, it’s not just the Han people who are killed.
, the Manchus, because of different sects, killed each other, and the population withered. The remaining people were old, weak, sick, and disabled, and had difficulty even relying on themselves. They had to rely on our relief. Marshal Zuo wanted to move the 100,000 refugees of Dong Fuxiang who surrendered to Qing Dynasty.
Yang, from now on this place will be ruled by the Beggar Clan. If we want to restore the past situation, I don’t know what year and month it will take.”
"Yes, Deputy Commander Xu's words make sense. We can't do it without killing! Construction requires people, and the Beggar Gang just likes to take advantage." Li Guolou saw the residents on the street. These people always have family members who joined the rebellion and died at the hands of officers and soldiers.
The blood debt must be repaid with blood. How many of these obedient people sincerely return to the embrace of the Qing Dynasty?
But how could the officers and soldiers do anything to kill them all? As long as they were willing to surrender to the Qing Dynasty and forget about the past, they had to re-arrange their lives for these obedient people. They could not let the obedient people make a living by looting because they could not survive. The governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, Zuo Zongtang, was in charge of the military.
He also had to manage the people, which placed a particularly heavy burden on him.
Li Guolou and Xu Zhanbiao were politically educated, die-hard loyalists who were loyal to the emperor and patriotic. For people with a professional background, it was always displeasing to look at surrendering factions. Although Li Guolou did not know Dong Fuxiang yet, he was
Dong Zisanying and the 100,000 refugees were resentful, full of jealousy, and felt that the world was unfair. They said a few strange words that were neither yin nor yang to vent their inner dissatisfaction.