In July 1767, Huaibei had just entered the dog days, and the temperature was still not high. At this time, the earth has not yet entered a warming period, and the temperature in summer is far less than that in the 21st century, and it is not so hot when wearing official uniforms.

Jiang Zhongyuan was neatly dressed in official clothes and listened to his subordinates' reports on the situation in the yamen of the Anhui governor in Suzhou. Now the harvest is about to begin, and the crops in the fields are about to be harvested. After Zeng Guofan pacified the bandit area centered on Wuyang, the entire Huaibei became stable. All the enclosures were directly under the control of the Huai army, and the supply of military rations was finally stabilized. With food, the war can be continued, and if the war can be continued, the Qing Dynasty can be maintained. For this one of the few loyal ministers and important ministers of the Qing Dynasty, this is also what he is doing with all his strength and wisdom now.

The news that Li Hongzhang had made Jiang Zhongyuan happy, but it did not make Jiang Zhongyuan feel jealous. can see the situation clearly in the chaotic situation and recover Luoyang in one fell swoop. Jiang Zhongyuan praised Li Hongzhang, and this battle can be compared with Li Yuxue's night entry into Caizhou. Li Yuxue's night entry into Caizhou is talked about in military history, because Li Yu "hung the army and attacked by surprise, put him to death and came back to life". Whether it is the difficulty or the results, this battle is indeed extremely commendable.

Li Hongzhang is a member of the Huai Army, and now he is the prefect of Luoyang, and the imperial court allows Li Hongzhang to establish the "Luo Army", which can be regarded as becoming a prince of a town. Many people in the Huai army have built yì The Huai army also sent troops to fight and make meritorious contributions, and Jiang Zhongyuan led everyone together in order to be crowned the marquis and the king. However, Jiang Zhongyuan asked the Huai army to stay in Huaibei honestly now, "At present, the situation in the world is as dangerous as an egg, and we will hold on to Huaibei and shield the north." If it is reckless, it can only give the thief a chance to take advantage of it. ”

There was peace between the Guangfu Army and the Huai Army for several years, and at the beginning, the Huai Army was also uneasy all day long, and the slightest wind and grass could scare them away. But human beings have super habits and abilities, and seeing that the Guangfu Army has no intention of going north, the Huai Army was accustomed to it at first, and later even had the courage to challenge the Guangfu Army in Huainan.

It was Li Hongzhang who led the troops that time. Li Hongzhang was attacked head-on by the Guangfu Army, and after the whole army was destroyed, the Guangfu Army released Li Hongzhang and them again. Although this practice made the Huai army no longer have the heart to look south, the Huai army was even more relieved. In a sense, this approach of the Liberation Army is very much like a show of goodwill. Even the captured Li Hongzhang can be released, and the armies of both sides are more like a kind of border defense troops, rather than a life-and-death offensive situation. Whether you really think so, or just want to relieve the pressure and make excuses for yourself, this kind of thinking is prevalent in the Huai army.

Jiang Zhongyuan said not to give the Guangfu army a chance to take advantage of the situation, but the generals of the Huai army felt that Jiang Zhongyuan was too worried. It's just that Jiang Zhongyuan is the main general, since he said so, everyone naturally has to listen to it like this. In fact, everyone is quite unimpressed.

After discussing the food issue, the generals of the Huai Army once again proposed the idea of sending troops to fight. Of course, everyone's reason this time is no longer to make meritorious contributions and be crowned kings and marquises. Liu Kunyi said: "Dashuai, now the matter of encircling and suppressing the twisted bandits has reached a critical juncture, and the Mongolian Eight Banners of the Hunan army and the monk king have almost forced the twisted bandits to a dead end. Luoyang is also in the hands of the imperial court, so we can temporarily settle down. ”

Jiang Zhongyuan was very seriously considering Liu Kunyi's construction, joining the ranks of encircling and suppressing the Twist Army, and the result of the Twist Army as soon as possible, Jiang Zhongyuan had already had such an idea. It's just that the situation was uncertain at that time, and the twisted army was like the wind, and if too many troops were sent to Henan, they were afraid that they would fall into a long-term battle. At present, Jiang Zhongyuan is responsible for nearly half of the supply of grain and grass for the Hunan army, and if the Hunan army also dispatches on a large scale, the supply of grain and grass is really not available. Therefore, no matter how forcefully Li Hongzhang requested, Jiang Zhongyuan only gave him 15,000 soldiers and horses.

"This matter still needs to be contacted by Zeng Gong." Jiang Zhongyuan replied.

As soon as Liu Kun heard this, his face immediately became happy. Jiang Zhongyuan finally relented! He no longer strongly objected, but wanted to consult with Zeng Guofan first. This is a very easy thing to think of, after all, there is a precedent for Li Hongzhang. Zeng Guofan was theoretically the commander, but Li Hongzhang took the opportunity to cooperate with the Hunan army, and a guy obtained a higher title than Zeng Guofan. If it is said that Zeng Guofan has no mustard in his heart, Liu Kunyi does not believe it at all. Even if Zeng Guofan had a good heart, he could accept this fact, but Zeng Guofan's subordinates would not accept this fact. At this time, let's talk about cooperating with Zeng Guofan to exterminate the Twist Army, and the first thought of the Hunan Army is naturally that the Huai Army is coming to fight for merit again!

"Please also ask the marshal to hurry up and explain this matter, the Twist Army is already dying at this time, and at this time they are afraid that it will be even more ferocious. If we can't join in the extermination, God knows what the bandits will do? Liu Kun said to Jiang Zhongyuan with a straight face.

Jiang Zhongyuan didn't break Liu Kunyi's plan, he replied: "I'll write a letter to Zeng Gong!" ”

On the fourth day after the letter was sent, the messenger rushed into Jiang Zhongyuan's mansion, and as soon as he saw Jiang Zhongyuan, he knelt on the ground and shouted: "Great marshal, a Wei Ze's soldiers and horses are coming from Xuzhou along the official road. Looking at their movements, they probably went straight to Suzhou. Hurry back and report to the commander! ”

Jiang Zhongyuan was taken aback, how could he send an envoy to the north, how could he run into the brigade of the Liberation Army? He just wanted to scold the messenger, but he figured out the key to it. Huaibei is north of Huainan, which is a very correct geographical cognition. For more than ten years, the enemy, including the Guangfu Army, has been fighting from the south of Jiang Zhongyuan. In fact, after the Guangfu Army occupied Xuzhou, Huaibei was actually sandwiched by the Guangfu Army in the west, north, and south. It's just that Jiang Zhongyuan is still used to thinking that the enemy will come from the south, so he feels very unaccustomed to the enemy coming from the north.

After correcting this idea, it is easier to understand that the Guangfu army came from Xuzhou in the north. Although the Huai River is not a natural hazard, the Huai River is a big river. The best way to attack Suzhou is to start from Xuzhou and follow the main road all the way south. This is the most labor-saving and time-saving solution. It is strange that the Liberation Army does not adopt such a plan.

Opening his mouth, Jiang Zhongyuan found that he had nothing to say. These years of peace not only gave Jiang Zhongyuan's subordinates all kinds of illusions, including Jiang Zhongyuan, but also felt that the war would not break out so silently. It's not that the Liberation Army can't attack the Huai Army, but the Liberation Army must have a reason to attack the Huai Army!

The sudden war did make Jiang Zhongyuan feel a kind of confusion. What's going on? R1058