The main general was shot, and the morale of the army was immediately in turmoil, and the officers and soldiers who had already gained the upper hand were temporarily defeated.

Liu Songshan gritted his teeth, rode on the horse and did not move, and shouted to the left and right: "I'm fine!" Command the generals, don't mess up the ranks, and attack quickly with the whole team! ”

The guards shouted in unison: "The military gate is safe!" The military gate is safe! The military gate is safe! ”

Although Liu Songshan's bottom vacancy is a general soldier, he has been added to the rank of commander, so his subordinates call him "military gate".

Hundreds of generals around shouted in unison: "The military gate is safe!" The military gate is safe! The military gate is safe! ”

Sonic boom in the wild.

When the soldiers saw Liu Junmen riding on a horse, his body was straight, and he didn't move, and sure enough, he was "unharmed", and his morale was greatly boosted, and he shouted: "Kill the thief!" Kill the thief! Kill the thief! He lunged at the bandits.

Seeing that Liu Songshan was obviously shot, but nothing happened, the bandits were frightened, thinking that his people must be possessed by gods, and they were cowardly when they were attacked, and they were attacked by the officials and soldiers, and finally they couldn't support it, and retreated to Ma Wuzhai in a mess.

This time, it was the real defeat.

The officers and soldiers chased after each other again, and the bandits were out of breath, so they had to give up Ma Wuzhai and flee along the Qin Canal, scattering and fleeing, and many people fell into the Qin Canal and drowned.

Seeing that the banner of the official army was replanted in Ma Wuzhai, Liu Songshan could no longer support it, shook his body, and fell off his horse.

Zuo Zongtang and Zhan Donglu both sent doctors over as soon as possible to treat Liu Songshan's injuries.

Xuan Jun's attending physician was an American named Cruise, and the surgery was very beautiful. With Cruise's full rescue, Liu Songshan finally woke up. However, he suffered a wound to the right lobe of his lung. Plus excessive blood loss. It's not good to raise it for a year and a half. Difficult to recover. In short, it must not be possible to continue to lead troops.

Zuo Zongtang got off the zazi and ordered Liu Songshan's brother Liu Jintang to take over the position of the chief general of the North Route Army.

Withstanding the counterattack of the bandits, the officers and soldiers began to tighten the encirclement, knocking down the forts on the periphery of Jinji Fort one by one.

These forts, although there are many of them. But the volume is not large, compared to the fortress of Shaanxi, even if it is tall and strong, but in the end it is made of clay, in any case, it cannot stop the bombardment of Napoleon's cannons.

Seeing that the forts on the periphery, one after another, were captured by the official army, and in the Jinji Fort, Ma Hualong and the bandit leaders below. They were all anxious, and they knew that they would continue to fight like this. Sooner or later, it will be the turn of the Golden Castle itself, a little earlier, a little later.

Can't sit still!

After Ma Wanchun predicted the defeat of Wangcheng, he didn't say anything, but in his heart he completely obeyed Bai Yanhu's opinion: he should have "avoided the enemy's edge and disturbed the enemy's rear road"!

At this point, the enemy's "edge" cannot be avoided; As for the "back road", the grain road of the official army is protected by heavy troops, and the front line of Huamachi and Lingzhou has a lesson, and it is not realistic to attack the grain road of the official army, so there is no need to consider it.

So, what to do?

Ma Wanchun opened a huge brain hole: go to Shaanxi - encircle Wei to save Zhao!

His reason is that most of the soldiers and horses of the imperial court in Shaanxi and Gansu have entered Gansu, and Shaanxi must be empty, let's turn the left mule's nest upside down, and we are not afraid that he will not withdraw his troops!

The leaders of the bandits looked at each other: this time is different from the past, the comrades in Shaanxi have been wiped out by the officials and soldiers, and there is no one to answer the willingness to return to Shaanxi; That's it, what's worse is that Gan Hui entered Shaanxi, and he didn't even have a reliable guide - Shaanxi Hui, who had withdrawn to Jinjibao, had already parted ways with us and went all the way to the west!

Ma Wanchun sneered: "You guys, one by one, are afraid of wolves in the front and tigers in the back - okay, let me ask you, if you don't do this, is there any other good way to turn the situation around?" ”

The crowd was silent, indeed, and there was no good plan other than this.

In the end, Ma Hualong slapped the board: "It's not a matter to sit in the city of sorrow, Wanchun's method is a way to survive in death, alas, that's it!" ”

Ma Wanchun saw that the boss was as good as a stream, and couldn't help but lift his spirits, and said: "Also, Ma Zhanao, who is called Hezhou and Di Dao, will fight north!" If they can knock Weiyuan down and threaten Gongchang, the pressure on our side will be much lighter! ”

Ma Hualong's eyes lit up: "That's right!" Send a letter to Ma Zhanao! He is in the south and I am in the north, and everyone will do it together! ”

The plan has been decided, and Ma Zhenggang was sent to lead the troops to take the south road, out of Ningzhou and Zhengning, and into Sanshui, Shaanxi; Ma Chaoyuan led his troops to take the north road, and entered Shaanxi from Jinjibao out of Ningtiaoliang.

After the two divisions converged in Ganquan, they attacked Hancheng and Jawyang in the east.

The great movement of the bandits in Jinjibao naturally could not be concealed from the official army's exploration and meticulous work, and the generals of Zuo Zongtang's meeting came to an accurate judgment: Gan Hui intended to enter Shaanxi.

What should we do?

Most of the generals advocated dividing troops to intercept them, but Zhan Donglu was against them.

"Mark the foolish opinion," Zhan Donglu said, "the situation in Shaanxi is not as good as before, Gan returned to Shaanxi, not swimming into the sea, but the fish fell into the dry pond and couldn't get up!" ”

After a pause, he continued: "Besides, Shaanxi has Ma Futai and Jiang Futai in charge, these two are both first-class capable members, and the marshal can rest assured." ”

Ma Futai refers to Ma Xinyi, the former governor of Zhejiang, who was transferred to the position of governor of Shaanxi by Guan Zhuofan. On the one hand, it is for the public - in order to suppress the return, Ma Xinyi is a return, belonging to the "old religion", and the "Protestantism" who hates Ma Hualong and Bai Yanhu is more than the Han people; On the other hand, it is also to make room for Guan Zhuofan's own descendant Liu Xun.

Jiang Futai refers to Jiang Yifeng, Zuo Zongtang's old subordinate and former governor of Guangdong, who was transferred to the newly established governor of Gansu in Zuo Zongtang's "big deal" with Guan Zhuofan.

The governor of Gansu planned to be stationed in Lanzhou, but Ganhui had not yet been pacified, and Jiang Yifeng, the governor of Gansu, had to stay in Shaanxi for the time being.

Zuo Zongtang nodded and said: "What Ke'an means, is Ma Zhenggang and Ma Chaoyuan, don't worry, we don't have to divide our troops to intercept, so as not to thin out the forces attacking Jinji Fort?" ”

"Yes, Sir!" Zhan Donglu said, "I think that the move of the Hui bandits is to 'divert the tiger from the mountain' and 'encircle Wei to save Zhao', if we divide the forces besieging Jinji Fort to intercept it, I am afraid that we will fall into the hands of the Hui bandits." ”

After a pause, he continued: "As long as we are unmoved, the return bandits' move can only be killed quickly - Jinji Fort is already tight, and the Hui bandits divide their troops to take care of him, and the Jinji Fort side will naturally become more and more staggered." Let's take the opportunity to attack, and we will be able to attack it in one go! When the time comes, Ma Zhenggang and Ma Chaoyuan will be reversed, and they will not be able to find a place to go home! ”

"Good!" Zuo Zongtang slapped the table lightly, "That's it!" The herald ordered Shaanxi, the officials, the army and the civilian regiment to strictly block and defend it, and not allow the bandits to enter Shaanxi to wander around, and when Jinji Fort is taken, they will go back and clean up these two swimming fish at the bottom of the kettle! ”

"Huh!"

Zuo Zongtang looked at Zhan Donglu with great appreciation: "Ke'an, I understand the painting, there is the style of a general!" ”

"Praise the marshal!"

Zhan Donglu thought to himself: It's really a "false praise" - these ways, including my previous views on the gorge and Yongning Cave, are all before the expedition, and the face-to-face teaching of Prince Xuan is appropriate.

*(To be continued......)