Zeng Guofan spoke highly of Zuo Zongtang, and after reading Zuo Zongtang's letter to Jiang Zhongyuan, Zeng Guofan breathed a sigh of relief. He sighed: "Ji Gao has also reached the north of the Yangtze River. ”

Jiang Zhongyuan knew that Zuo Zongtang had always looked down on Zeng Guofan, so he suspected that there was any malice in Zeng Guofan's words. Zeng Guofan still looked like he was breezy and calm, and his expression was a little happy. Jiang Zhongyuan could only think that Zeng Guofan had no malicious intent for the time being.

The three local armies, the Hunan army, the Huai army, and the Chu army, were already located north of the Yangtze River at this time. The Manchu Green Battalion, on the other hand, fell near Hangzhou, and if no miracle had happened, the armed force, which had emerged almost simultaneously with the Taipings, would have come to an end. According to the news that Jiang Zhongyuan learned, perhaps not long after the Jiangnan camp was over, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom would also be wiped out by Wei Ze. After annihilating the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Wei Ze's next target was naturally the Qing army north of the Yangtze River.

"Brother Disheng, can we defend the Huai River?" Jiang Zhongyuan asked.

Faced with a question that sounded extremely frustrating, Zeng Guofan did not refute it. Not long ago, the Guangfu Army advanced by land and water and killed Chaohu Lake. At this time, Chaohu Lake was already the base camp of the Hunan Army's naval division, and Peng Yulin set up several blockade lines on the waterway of the Yangtze River into Chaohu. But these blockades were broken through lightly. The boats that rushed into Chaohu Lake had no sails or oars, and all they could see was smoke billowing from the big chimneys on the boats, and sandbags hanging from the hulls of the Guangfu Army. Hit with artillery at a distance, and use platoon guns when you are close. Both large and small ships were sunk after engaging the Restoration Army's agile and maneuverable steamships.

Small boats and medium-sized boats could still escape to Luzhou, and the big boats also desperately fled to the Weishui River, and finally ran aground in the river. The officers and men of the naval division jumped from their boats and fled along the river, and the entire naval division lost more than sixty percent of the ships and more than forty percent of the officers and men.

Zeng Guofan did not choose to commit suicide this time like the Battle of Hukou, it would be too ugly to do this in front of a person as hearty and frank as Jiang Zhongyuan. Jiang Zhongyuan's construction was very simple, and it took only more than half a year for the Hunan army to recapture Huainan, and it was far from Cheng Dù, who had firmly established himself in Huainan. Since you can't fight it, you can only retreat. Abandon Luzhou, which was easily encircled and annihilated, and retreat to the north of the Huai River. It has been more than seven years since they left Huainan, and it will take at least a year and a half to straighten out the situation in Huainan. This period of time was also extremely important for the Hunan army, the Huai army, and the Chu army.

Of course, if it had been before, Jiang Zhongyuan would have encountered big problems if he did this by himself. The loss of territory was a very big crime, and many Manchu officials honestly waited for death in the city after losing the city. Because for them, after escaping their lives, returning to the territory controlled by the imperial court, what awaits them is also death.

However, the times are different, and now in Jiangnan, especially in Jiangxi and other places, the Taiping army and the Hunan army, the Huai army, and the Chu army are in a tug-of-war. It is not uncommon for cities to be taken today and lost tomorrow. The rule that you can't break the city has been loosened a lot. More importantly, in the past, the Manchu court had an overwhelming advantage over the rebels in terms of strength and territory.

When Wei Ze's Guangfu Army faced the Manchu Qing Dynasty, it showed an overwhelming advantage in both strength and combat effectiveness, even if it was still inferior in territory, but when Wei Ze took the south of the Huai River, it would be a thriving Southern Dynasty. The situation that Xianfeng feared most before his death has appeared.

At this time, the situation between the DPRK and China was very favorable to Jiang Zhongyuan, Zeng Guofan, and Zuo Zongtang. After the death of Emperor Xianfeng, Ci'an, Cixi, and Prince Gong, nicknamed "Devil Six", jointly launched a coup d'état and killed the eight ministers of Gu Ming. The six-year-old little emperor Tongzhi ascended the throne.

Gu Ming Eight Ministers mastered the Eight Banners and the Green Battalion, and while solving the Eight Ministers, the Eight Banners and the Green Camp also became unreliable. Ci'an immediately chose a new thug, and this new thug was naturally the Hunan army, the Huai army, and the Chu army, all three of which had one thing in common, they were not the eight banners of the imperial court or the army within the green camp system.

At this time, Jiang Zhongyuan received a secret decree from the Empress Dowager Ci'an, asking him to go to Beijing to report on his work. Jiang Zhongyuan is extremely smart, and his right-hand man Li Hongzhang is a father and son of two generations of Jinshi. His friend Zeng Guofan was born in the same jinshi and was extremely experienced in the center. As soon as everyone discussed, they knew that there was a lot of trouble here.

What kind of person is Jiang Zhongyuan, he is a hero whose loyal and righteous life shook the world, and he is the common ancestor of the Hunan army, the Huai army, and the Chu army. At this time, if you want to call Jiang Zhongyuan into the capital to demote or kill him, then there is no need to trouble at all, and a will can be done. After making such a lot of effort, he went all the way to call Jiang Zhongyuan into the capital, and it would definitely not be as simple as letting Jiang Zhongyuan report on his work.

Whether they wanted to guard against it or use the Hunan army, the Huai army, and the Chu army, Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang both believed that the imperial court would not have any unfavorable plans for Jiang Zhongyuan. And the mobilization of Jiang Zhongyuan also happened to give the Hunan army, the Huai army, and the Chu army a reason to withdraw to the north of the Huai River.

Before Jiang Zhongyuan went to Beijing, he asked Zeng Guofan again about the defense of the Huai River, and Zeng Guofan said very resolutely, "The Huai River cannot afford to be lost, if the Huai River cannot be defended, the world of the Qing Dynasty will really be over." ”

Hearing Zeng Guofan's expression, Jiang Zhongyuan said: "Brother Disheng, I will also rush back after entering Beijing this time." There may be a reason why you can't hold Luzhou. If I can't hold the Huai River, I will die with Suzhou. ”

This is serious, and Jiang Zhongyuan also thinks so. However, if these words are heard by the Military Commission of the Liberation Army, I am afraid that they will die of laughter. The military command of the Manchus was at such a level, and for them, those strategic points could not be missed. To put it another way, when they lose their strategic points, they are helpless.

As if to test Jiang Zhongyuan's determination, when he was about to retreat, many regiments came to Luzhou to ask Jiang Zhongyuan for rescue.

The Guangfu Army did not immediately attack Luzhou, and attacking Luzhou after blocking the water was not the most urgent task. In Shen Xin's opinion, Luzhou can be attacked at any time, but there is not always a good opportunity to call on the people.

The troops of the Liberation Army followed the Huainan "Dai Road Party" into the Huainan countryside. Everywhere they went, the Liberation Army found that the people's anger was on the verge of exploding. In the past nine years, the power of the big landlords has been greatly curtailed, and they have paid the most grain, but because they are unwilling to send their children into the army, they have no influence in the Taiping army. On the contrary, it was the children of the poor who joined the army in large numbers in order to live and even to eat. After having the background of the Taiping Army, these poor people have hardened their waists, and they are not afraid of big landlords.

After the Hunan Army and the Huai Army eliminated the Huainan Taiping Army, this once-upside-down world returned to the way it was nine years ago. And the revenge of the big landlords who suffered from the poor stick was extremely fierce.

The poor stick families who dared to destroy the "majesty" of the big landlords in the township were brutally retaliated, and if they wanted to retaliate, they had to be armed, and the big landlords without exception formed a regimental training. After the regimental training took revenge on the poor stick, he stood up his prestige, and then began to encroach on the fertile land of small and medium-sized landlords.

When the Liberation Army went to the countryside, it happened to be the time when the big landlords were most arrogant. It is impossible for Shen Xin to personally lead troops to the place. The report sent back by the Restoration Party was full of bloody killings between fellow clans in rural Huainan. The big landlords carried out the policy of "I took what I gave back, and what I ate was spit out". The people of Huainan, who have been well educated by reality, especially the small and medium-sized landlords who have been tossed and almost bankrupt, have completely understood one thing: if they cannot completely sweep away the power of the big landlords and give the big landlords a chance to come back, then they will die without a place to be buried.

The same clan and the same clan, the villagers know the real roots, so the revenge is extremely cruel. The people, who had been educated by blood, made the big landowners pay several times the price. In many places, the big landlords were killed, and the dogs of the big landlords were killed cleanly.

And many landlords are still clever, and after learning the news, they did not wait for death, but fled to Luzhou, hoping to get the protection of the government. They preferred the support of the government, which would send troops to help them reclaim their property.

After listening to the cries of the big landlords, Jiang Zhongyuan's braids almost stood upright. And Zeng Guofan just sneered and said: "Minqiao, I told you a long time ago that the Diao people must be killed." If the court does not kill the people, the people will rebel against the court. If the gentry and landlords do not kill the people, the people will kill the landlords and gentry. I have never been a murderer, and when I can spare their lives, how can I be guilty of murder? It's really not okay not to kill! ”

Jiang Zhongyuan did not refute anything this time, and the bloody reality also educated Jiang Zhongyuan that the contradictions between the landlords and gentry and the common people were completely irreconcilable. Jiang Zhongyuan's peaceful and prosperous era was like this, officials were able to curb annexation, and they were able to control the landlords and gentry. The landlords and gentry relied on their clans to maintain a harmonious and friendly social order in the countryside.

In the situation described by the landlords and gentry who fled to Luzhou, the harmonious environment in the countryside has been completely shattered. The Liberation Army only supported the poor, and ambitious small and medium-sized landowners also defected to the Liberation Army. These three parties joined forces to slaughter the big landlords and the clan elders. The traditions of the entire Huainan countryside were completely shattered.

Jiang Zhongyuan didn't like to kill people, and what he couldn't accept was that the traditional rural system was completely shattered. Gritting his teeth tightly, Jiang Zhongyuan squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth, "Withdraw now!" If we lose in Huainan, who can save the world? ”

The reason why this group of Jingshi factions headed by Zeng Guofan and Jiang Zhongyuan hated corrupt officials and local tyrants and inferior gentry was because corrupt officials and corrupt officials and local tyrants and inferior gentry undermined the rural system in their hearts. At present, the Liberation Army is not only destroying the village and peasant system that the Jingshi faction hopes to establish, but also smashing the traditional rural system. Jiang Zhongyuan has realized that the Liberation Army is now the biggest enemy in the world. Of course, Jiang Zhongyuan didn't think at all why peasants and small and medium-sized landlords would defect to the side of the Liberation Army. R1058