Chapter 277: The Long Snake

Liu Chang's wedding banquet was just a minor episode, and throughout mid-August, the mourning troops of the Hong Army were busy preparing for the Battle of Ningshao.

Jinhua Mansion originally gathered more than a dozen infantry battalions of the Hong Army, but with the progress of the Battle of Ningshao, it was immediately transformed into a secondary battlefield, Liu Chang was only ready to leave four or five infantry battalions in the entire Jinhua Mansion, and most of them were newly formed infantry battalions, and only the old Jintang Second Battalion was really said to have combat effectiveness.

Therefore, the next mission of the Hongjun troops in Jinhua Province is to undertake the defensive task, but this batch of newly formed infantry battalions is quite competitive, although practice has proved that only one or two infantry companies of each infantry battalion can undertake the field attack mission, but it is still no problem to assume the defensive task

In addition, in view of historical experience, after the Battle of Ningshao, one or two combat infantry battalions will be temporarily left in Jinhua Mansion as reserves.

And Liu Chang's decision to take Zhuji Bao Li as the main opponent was quickly implemented, and soon everyone found that Liu Chang's decision was correct, although this Bao Village is called a village, but the actual combat effectiveness is not limited to a Bao Village, but a number of villages near Bao Village.

The young and middle-aged people of the Bao clan brigade were armed, although the leader was not familiar with military affairs, but the moving Ding Zhuang was quite considerable, and Bao Lishen received a lot of funding from Wang Luqian, and now there are at least dozens of flintlock pistols and a larger number of shotguns.

Moreover, Bao Lishen also engaged in the propaganda of so-called magic arts, and created a large number of fanatics, who braved shotguns to rush forward, and they were definitely outlaws.

But as the core of Bao Village's combat effectiveness is not them, but a part of the Xiang Yong, militia groups, and defeated soldiers defeated by the Hong Army in the three prefectures of Jinchutai, these people often have a deep hatred with the Hong Army, so they have taken refuge in Bao Lishen, they are considered to have combat effectiveness, and they also have the experience of fighting with the Hong Army.

In this case, Bao Lishen's Bao Village has surpassed Xie Jing's Huang Tou Yong and become the only enemy unit worth paying attention to in the entire Shaoxing Prefecture, the Hong Army was originally preparing to attack Shaoxing County with the main force to solve Xie Jing's Huang Tou Yong, but now the plan has been changed and it has been decided to send a main force regiment as the backbone to eliminate Bao Lishen's forces, and Shaoxing County only needs one infantry battalion is enough.

At the same time as cooperating with the Jinhua Mansion, the Taizhou side will also send two infantry battalions and a number of township soldiers and key militia to participate in the battle, cooperate with the main force to flank the Qing army, and strive to occupy the two provinces of Ningshao in the first time.

However, after admiring Liu Chang's extremely wise judgment, everyone found a news that the second person in Bao Village was actually Bao Lishen's younger sister, named Bao Meiying, who was also a big-footed girl, but she was quite handsome.

Some people maliciously thought that why Liu Chang knew everything about the situation in Bao Village, and that he would not have been involved with this Bao Meiying, otherwise, he would have known Bao Village better than the intelligence department of the entire Hong Army.

Fujian. Fuzhou.

"I'm burnt out! I'm not going to do this governor! ”

Wang Xinde complained loudly: "Don't do it, more than a dozen edicts, all of them scold me for not moving my troops and refusing to send troops to Zhejiang, but here let us jump into the fire pit!" ”

It is no wonder that Wang Xinde is angry, although there is now a peaceful atmosphere on the border of Fujian and Zhejiang, but the Fujian army has been hit twice in the past few months.

Last time, Rao Ting's army to aid Zhejiang was almost completely wiped out, losing thousands of people, and almost all the equipment and heavy ammunition were lost, and the red thief Lu Ziyun took the opportunity to occupy the entire territory of Chuzhou, and directly formed a situation of confrontation with Fujian on the provincial border.

Then, Wang Xinde decided to send reinforcements to the provincial border, but suffered a big loss, the official army marched in Fujian Province, very careless, who expected that Lu Ziyun suddenly crossed the provincial border, a rush to lose more than 1,000 people, the newly purchased foreign guns of 400 have not even been unpacked, all for Lu Ziyun to take...,

Since then, Lu Ziyun has been strong, but he only has the strength of three infantry battalions, and he may not be able to defend it, let alone to Fujian Province, so the two sides have maintained a scene of no war and no peace on the border.

Wang Xinde also cherished this hard-won opportunity for peaceful coexistence, while buying foreign guns and cannons, while slowly increasing troops on the provincial border, and at the same time reporting a great victory to the central center every three or five days, so far he has killed 70,000 or 80,000 red thieves in Lu Ziyun's department.

It's just that his old man is serious, and he has been criticized again and again by Emperor Xianfeng, saying that Zhejiang Lake is on the eve of Zhejiang, Wang Xinde, as the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, neither sends troops to Wenzhou, nor does he send troops to the state, so as to measure, the red thief is rampant in Zhejiang, and has occupied as many as three counties in four prefectures. m

Now another edict came down, so angry that Wang Xinde jumped to his feet, and said that he would not do it: "What do you say about the red thief in Chuzhou, but Lu Ziyun has three camps of thieves, more than 600, less than 400, and there are hundreds of bandits, the total number is only 2,000, and Fujian Province has 60,000 or 70,000 soldiers, and they dare not copy the back road of the red thief!" Hateful! ”

Most of this is true, but there are only slight discrepancies, and the three main battalions of Lu Ziyun's department, plus the local troops, now barely have about 3,000 people, and in terms of troops, they are not at all comparable to Fujian, which has 60,000 or 70,000 troops.

However, Wang Xinde knew the truth, although there were only 3,000 red thieves in Chuzhou, there were many foreign guns and cannons, and the total number of foreign guns purchased from foreign countries and captured from the official army was no less than 16,700 guns, and there were a number of foreign cannons, which were not controlled by a few Fujian troops.

What's more, the mountains and mountains in the state capital are rugged, and it is not easy for a large army to deploy, and the red thieves are very convenient to garrison, and they can get reinforcements from Jinhua Mansion and Taizhou at any time.

As for attacking Wenzhou, it is not a good idea, the red thieves in Wenzhou Mansion are Qu Zhenhan's share, and Liu Jiehu's share is not subordinate to each other, and now he is sending troops to Wenzhou, maybe it is a great favor to Liu Jiehu, so that he can swallow Qu Zhenhan's share.

In this case, Wang Xinde felt that although he wanted to aid Zhejiang, he was not so rash as he was now running to support Zhejiang, but the political envoy Qingduan of Fujian was full of people, and he had some different opinions: "Lord Ministry, Zhejiang is in an emergency, and Fujian Province may have to send troops!" ”

Although Qingduan is not a virtuous minister, but after all, this is their full country, so as soon as he opened his mouth like this, although Lu Sun, the governor of Fujian next to him, has never been in charge of things, he also said: "Qingfantai, don't worry, the lord of the ministry has his own strategy, and now the edict comes down, and it is only a matter of time before he sends troops!" Mistress Ministry, you said yes, right? ”

As soon as Lu Sun opened his mouth, Wang Xinde could only explain his strategy: "Now the emperor is anxious that Liu Jue's soldiers enter Ning Shao, and Ning Shao has no soldiers, I'm afraid that there will be more luck and less luck, right?" ”

"If Ning Shao is lost, Zhejiang has no obstacles!" Qingduan said: "Our soldiers will definitely attack the state as soon as possible, attack its flanks, and force Liu to come to the rescue!" ”

"That's our Fujian for Zhejiang!" Wang Xinde said unceremoniously: "Have you forgotten the lesson of Rao Ting's defeat in the previous election of the state? The green camp of my Fujian Province, although there is an army capable of fighting, but compared to the red thief Liu Juehu is brave and cunning, or owes a little fire, we will attack the state capital when the time comes, the main force of the red thief dragon spear, Panshi, Nanxi camps swarm south, Qing Fantai can have a chance of winning? ”

As soon as he heard Wang Xinde's analysis, Qingduan hesitated, Wang Xinde was right, Rao Tingxuan was a famous general in Fujian anyway, but under the power of the red thief, the army was destroyed if he didn't even hold out for a day, which shows the courage and cunning of the red thief.

Although Fujian claims to have 60,000 or 70,000 soldiers, it is estimated that there are only 20,000 or 30,000 people who can really be mobilized to attack the state capital, but if the red thieves come to the aid of the state capital, even if they can gain the upper hand, it will be a bitter battle. …,

However, if these two or thirty thousand people lose most of them in Chuzhou, then Fujian will be regarded as setting themselves on fire and inviting the red thief willow into the house.

As soon as he thought of this, Qingduan hesitated: "What is the opinion of that department?" ”

Wang Xinde immediately said his thoughts: "I have made an appointment with Xiang Rongxiang, the battalion has sent # Yu Shaoliang to help Zhejiang, and our Fujian army and Deng Shaoliang launched at the same time." ”

"Now the red thieves are based in the three mansions of Jintai, and they are peeking at Ning Shao, it is really a long snake array, the front collapse has been forced to Hangzhou, and the back road is still in the Fujian realm......"

Although Qingduan is a Manchurian, but the Manchu who can do the level of political envoy must be the outstanding among the Manchurians, Wang Xinde has already understood this: "In terms of the long snake array, Chuzhou is the tail of the long snake, the weakest, Jinhua Mansion is the waist of the snake, and the four mansions of Jinchu and Taiwen are all connected by Jinhua, which can also be said to be the seven inches of the snake."

Wang Xinde is old in strategy, and immediately praised: "The hero sees the same, the long snake array, with the red thief of Jinhua Mansion to attack the two mansions of Ningshao is the most elite, which can be called the head of the snake, and Taizhou Mansion is the nest of the red thief willow, this is the fangs of the long snake!" ”

"The one who wants to break the long snake!" Qingduan has already understood: "Attack its tail, break its waist, Ning Shao can be protected!" ”

"That's right! The red thief launched to Ningshao, then there were not many troops in Jinhua Mansion, our Fujian army copied from the state, Deng Shaoliang cut off from the west of Zhejiang, and the two ways of attacking together, it will inevitably force the red thief to flee back! ”

"This is a great good! The ministry is indeed the dry city of the country! ”

In this case, the Red Thief Liu Jiehu must first solve the Deng Shaoliang Department that cut off the Jinhua Mansion, so the Min Army can rest assured that the Lu Ziyun Department of the Prefecture Mansion will be resolved.

Attacking the Chuzhou capital without foreign aid with ten times the division is naturally a situation where it is easy to capture, but Wang Xinde's plan is not here: "In addition to this, my Fujian Province and Zhejiang Governor Deng Shaoliang launched at the same time, we can still ask the Jiangxi army to rush to Zhejiang, and there are strange troops to attack Taizhou Mansion, and all roads will be able to win a great victory!" ”

Most of the Jiangxi army is the Hunan army, although it is said that the Hunan army was defeated in Jiujiang in February this year, and the troops were divided into four water and land branches, which is irrelevant to the overall situation in the southeast, but it is still able to transfer a force to aid Zhejiang, not to mention the so-called strange troops attacking Taizhou, which greatly increased Qingduan's confidence: "Qing is a full man, and he must strive for His Majesty, and it is not appropriate to launch it now!" ”

With Wang Xinde's strategy, even if it doesn't hit the main force of Liu Jiehu hard, the battle can be dragged down, as long as it drags on, everything can be done...... ）