In any case, we have to take a look at the reaction of the Manchu court, like the old fox Luo Bingzhang, after receiving the news that it took only about half a year for the Wu army to break through Nanjing and kill Hong Xiuquan, the devil who led part of the Manchu civil and military forces stationed in Tianjin suddenly roared like crazy, and scolded Wu Chaoyue for his brazenness, self-respect, and the strength to easily kill the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom early in the morning, but he always pretended to be stupid, pretended to be a pig and ate a tiger, and deceived the king and deserved death for the heinous crime. Spit flew from the eighteenth generation of Wu Lao's comprador ancestors to Wu Chaoyue's son Wu Nianyue, who was only a few years old, and he also greeted Wu Chaoyue's grandmother Wu Xu, who was pension in Hong Kong.

No matter how much you greet, it's useless, the wood is already in the boat, Wu Chaoyue, the number one white-eyed wolf in the Qing Dynasty, has been fattened and raised, and it is only a matter of time before the Manchu court is swallowed by this white-eyed wolf, let alone restricting the treatment of this white-eyed wolf, so Devil Six has no way but to hope that Luo Bingzhang's surrender plan will go smoothly, and pull the remnants of several Taiping armies in Huainan over as cannon fodder, so as to gain more respite for the Manchu court in the waning West Mountain.

However, what Devil Six never expected was that not much time had passed, but bad news came from Shandong, Luo Bingzhang's surrender plan almost all failed, except for Ji Wenyuan, who hated Wu Jun to the bone, said that he needed to consider it, Yang Yuanqing and Yang Fuqing, the two warlord leaders of the Taiping Army, did not hesitate to fall to the side of Wu Jun, and Wu Jun's sphere of influence directly expanded to Shandong. What caught Devil Six off guard was that Luo Bingzhang, the last old fox of the Manchu court, suddenly died of illness during this period, and the last main force of the Qing army in Guannei, the Qing army in Shandong, was therefore leaderless, and was suddenly in danger of being robbed by the Wu army.

"Alas! The sky is going to die, I am clear! As soon as the Wu rebel thief army entered Shandong, Luo Ruzhai suddenly died of illness, and the dragons in Shandong were leaderless, and the opportunity for Wu thieves to take the opportunity to go north came again. What does a house leak happen to rain overnight? This is called a house leak that rains overnight! Alas! ”

At this point, even the optimistic devil Zi Liu couldn't help but sigh again and again, patted his forehead with a sad face, and was very worried about the current situation. Bao Jun, a confidant and friend next to him, opened his mouth to persuade: "Lord Gong, don't worry too much, although Luo Ruzhai unfortunately passed away, but the Shandong New Army he worked hard to create is still there, Zhang Guoliang and Feng Zicai, the famous generals of the Qing Dynasty who he single-handedly discovered and reused, are still there, as long as a competent person is sent to take over as the governor of Shandong, the situation in Shandong will soon be stabilized." ”

"The question is who to send?" Devil Six asked helplessly: "Who can stabilize the situation in Shandong?" Suppress the arrogant soldiers left behind by Luo Ruzhai? If the Wu thief takes advantage of the situation to go north, this person still has to command the Shandong soldiers and horses to meet the Wu thief and keep Shandong? Where did you tell me to find such a candidate? ”

Baojun also frowned, because in the Manchu court, where more and more talents are withering, it is indeed difficult to find such a person who is both civil and military, who can not only replace Luo Bingzhang to stabilize the situation in Shandong, but also suppress those arrogant and rude Shandong Qiuba, and lead the Shandong Qing army to repel the northward action that the Wu army may initiate, and do not give the Wu army a chance to take advantage of the fire to rob. - Such people, not to mention the current Manchu court, even in the Xianfeng Dynasty, can not find a few.

However, Bao Jun also has a way to pick up the taller one in the short group, and said: "How is Hengfu? When he was the governor of Zhili, he once led the Qing army and foreigners, had military experience, and was okay in civil affairs, so how about letting him take over as the governor of Shandong? ”

"Don't mention him, it's a shame to mention him." Devil Six said angrily: "As the governor of Zhili, the foreigners surrendered as soon as they arrived in Tianjin, and they also helped the foreigners to handle military supplies and grass, and helped the foreigners to fight the capital, so that such a person could take over as the governor of Shandong, which was equivalent to giving Shandong to the Wu rebel army." ”

"Then ......, how about General Sheng Jing's sublime?" Bao Jun put forward a new candidate, said: "Although he has not been on the battlefield, but he has been the secretary of the military department, and after serving as the general of Shengjing, he commanded the troops to welcome the two palaces to move the capital to Shengjing, and I heard that he also performed quite well. ”

"He may be able to do it, but he is far away in Shengjing, so he is afraid that far water will not quench his thirst." Devil Six still shook his head hesitantly, and said: "And let's not mention that the Queen Mother of the Two Palaces may not agree to let him come, even if he comes, he has never been on the battlefield, I'm afraid it will be difficult to fight the battle-hardened generals of Wu Thief." ”

Baojun also recommended a few in-service officials to choose from the six devils, both civil and military, and also Han bannermen, but the six devils all shook their heads in denial, either worried that such people would not have enough prestige, or worried that these people lacked military ability and could not stop the tiger and wolf division of the Wu army. Baojun was helpless, so he could only say: "Then ......, just ......, alas, forget it, his prestige is too far and too far, and his qualifications are even worse, and he can't afford such a heavy responsibility." ”

"Who? Let's hear it. "Devil Six was caught by Bao Jun.

"Rong Lu, who went to Yang Xiuqing for us to borrow the way." Baojun was not polite, and said: "This kid has talent and ability, and he coaches the new recruits in Tianjin, and his performance is also quite good, and he is also very bold and courageous, he is a material that can be made, but it is a pity that he is too young, and his qualifications and prestige are far from enough, so he can't take on such a big responsibility." ”

"That kid is indeed a rare talent, and among the Manchurians of the later generation, this kid is the most eye-catching." Devil Liu, who has also been paying attention to Rong Lu for a long time, nodded, admitting that Rong Lu's talent and courage are very rare, and sighed and said: "It's a pity that this kid is too young, not yet thirty years old, and his qualifications are too shallow to convince the public. Otherwise, I really want to follow the example of the emperor and boldly use ....... ”

Speaking of this, the devil six had a wit and hurriedly said: "Lao Bao, otherwise, how about you take Rong Lu to Shandong to take office?" You succeeded Luo Ruzhai as the governor of Shandong, and let Rong Lu give you a hand, help you stabilize the situation, take over the army, and lead the Shandong army to meet the Wu thieves? ”

"Me?" Bao Jun was stunned and said, "Lord Gong, you look up to slaves too much, right?" I've never been on the battlefield, so you're not afraid that I'll make a mistake? ”

"Luo Ruzhai and Guan Xiufeng have never been on the front line to command the battle, but they have also done a good job." Devil Six said in a deep voice: "The key reason why they have led the army well and fought well with the army is that they can use people and are good at listening to the correct opinions of their subordinates. I'm sure you're no worse than they are in this regard. ”

"It's ......." As soon as he thought that he had to shoulder such a heavy responsibility, Baojun, who had never had any military experience, felt a little worried in his heart, and said hesitantly: "Let me think about it, Lord Wang, it's not that I shirk it, it's that I really don't have this certainty." ”

"There's no time to think about it." Devil Six hurriedly said: "If nothing else, the news of Luo Ruzhai's death, Wu Thief's side now knows, with the current rampant momentum of Wu's rebel thief army, ninety percent of them will take the opportunity to go north, if you don't hurry up to take over Luo Ruzhai to stabilize the situation and be familiar with the army, when Wu Thief goes north to fight with our Shandong army, it will be too late for you to go." ”

Biting his lower lip and thinking for a long time, Bao Jun clenched his fists and said, "Well, since you look up to the slave so much, the slave will go to Shandong for you to fight with the Wu rebel thief army, and strive to survive this difficulty for the Qing court." ”

"Then please." Devil Zi Liu was also very courageous, and said: "I will give the empress dowager of the two palaces a fold, and ask them to officially appoint you as the governor of Shandong. ”

Bao Jun nodded and said, "I'll go back and prepare now, Lord Gong, please give Rong Lu an order now, and tell him to come directly to my residence to find me, I want to talk to him first." ”

In this way, when there was really no one available, Devil Six could only take the risk of replacing Luo Bingzhang with his old friend Bao Jun, who was loyal enough but had doubtful military ability, and directly appointed Bao Jun as the acting governor of Shandong in the name of his chief military minister without having time to ask Ci An Cixi. On the afternoon of the same day, Rong Lu, a new star of the Manchurian people who was unanimously favored by Devil Six and Bao Jun, was also ordered to go to Bao Jun's residence to ask for a meeting, and had a conversation with Bao Jun about his upcoming appointment in Shandong.

Rong Lu, who was named by Bao Jun, a member of the old flag man and took up his post in Shandong, was of course flattered by Rong Lu, who was still only a fourth-grade official, and kowtowed to Bao Jun again and again to thank him. However, when Baojun asked about his views on the situation in Shandong, Rong Lu was unceremonious, and after a little deliberation, he said in a nutshell: "Baofutai, the lower officials think that after you take office in Shandong, the first priority is not how to face the Wu thief, but to stabilize the hearts of the people, especially to stabilize the morale of the army. During this period, even if the Wu thieves take advantage of the situation to go north, we can also rely on the city to resist one by one, and we don't have to rush to meet the Wu thieves for a while, let alone care about the gains and losses of a city and a place, we must first appease the army's heart and control the army well, and then we can consider how to meet the enemy. ”

"As for how to block the Wu thieves and keep Shandong, Xia Guan thinks that it is enough to stick to one strategy - stick to the city, wait for the opportunity to counterattack, cut off the food route of the thief army, and force the thief army to retreat."

After introducing his strategy, Rong Lucai explained in detail: "In the war with the Wu thieves in Shandong, our advantage is to occupy the city, grain and grass can be supplied by the government treasury, and we can hold on for a long time without relying on grain transportation. And this happens to be the biggest disadvantage of the Wu thief, now because of the diversion of the Yellow River, the canal has been abandoned and can not transport grain, the grain and grass of the Wu thief can only be requisitioned on the spot or through land transportation supply, the land transportation of grain consumption is huge and the speed is slow, the current focus of the Wu thief is in the southeast of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, it is certainly difficult to ensure the supply of grain and grass on the northern line, and the local collection of grain will anger the people, which is not conducive to the Wu thief to buy people's hearts. So as long as we hold the city, delay the time, and then make some trouble on the land grain route of the Wu thief, we will definitely be able to insist that the Wu thief run out of grain and grass and keep Shandong! ”

"Good!" Bao Jun applauded and said excitedly: "Zhonghua really didn't disappoint the old man, he should fight like this, and only by doing this and fighting like this can we hope to keep Shandong!" Zhonghua, go back and prepare, we will go to Shandong together tomorrow, lead the Shandong soldiers and horses, and face the Wu rebel army! ”

"Cover!" Rong Lu hurriedly beat a thousand orders, his heart was also pounding, and he said secretly: "Finally, it's my turn to show my skills, Wu Rebel Thief Army, wait and see, see how I, Rong Zhonghua, give you a surprise!" ”

…………

When Bao Jun, the acting governor of Shandong of the Manchu court, led Rong Lu to hurry south, the news of Luo Bingzhang's sudden death was also sent to Wu Chaoyue by Hu Huaizhao, the commander of the Wu army of the Eastern Expedition, with boats, fast horses and telegrams, and together with Wu Chaoyue, there was also a report that Hu Huaizhao was ready to take advantage of the fire to rob - without Wu Chaoyue's consent, Hu Huaizhao had already decided to launch a military operation on his own, planning to attack Tai'an in the north with a little arrangement, preparing to first take the important town of Tai'an, which is only one hundred and sixty miles away from Jinan, and then take Changqing in the north. Straight to Jinan, without giving the Shandong Qing army any respite!

After receiving Hu Huaizhao's report, Wu Chaoyue couldn't help but feel a little emotional, he also never expected that Luo Bingzhang, a famous minister in the late Qing Dynasty, would die suddenly. As for Hu Huaizhao's first cut and then play, Wu Chaoyue was even more complicated, and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "This Hu Huaizhao, although there is a general who is not subject to the sentence of the foreign monarch's order, but he doesn't want to think about it, I can still draw reinforcements to help him now?" How can he ensure that he does not lack food, grass and ammunition on the front line? ”

"Comfort Ting, you have to tell Hu Huaizhao to retreat quickly." Zhao Liewen next to him also said: "There are not many elite troops in his hands, grain, grass and ammunition cannot be guaranteed, and Ji Wenyuan next to him is a huge hidden danger. ”

"Of course, you have to retreat, but you don't need to be in a hurry." Wu Chaoyue calculated and said: "After all, this is indeed a rare fighter, taking advantage of the opportunity of the Shandong Chaos Party without a leader, even if it is to take Tai'an first, taking Tai'an is equivalent to occupying Mount Tai with the Chaos Party, and with a small number of troops, we can firmly contain the many main forces of the Shandong Rebellion, which is very beneficial to our recovery of other Shandong cities." ”

"I'm afraid, I'm afraid that Hu Huaizhao won't even be able to take Tai'an." Zhao Liewen reminded: "The Shandong inspector Liu Yingjie and the commander of the chaotic party Baisheng have blocked Shi Dakai's main force for several months with the power of a city, and they have been confronting Changmao for a long time, and they must have built Tai'an City to a high and deep moat, and the fortifications are perfect, even if the chaotic party cannot send them reinforcements in time, Hu Huaizhao may not be sure that he can quickly take Tai'an City." ”

"Let him give it a try, maybe he can create a miracle, after all, we are now in full swing, and the morale of the army on the side of the chaotic party will definitely be affected by Luo Bingzhang's death, it is indeed a rare opportunity to take advantage of the fire to rob."

After thinking about it again, Wu Chaoyue made up his mind and said: "In this way, give Hu Huaizhao a month, counting from the day he sent his troops to the north, within a month, if he can't take the grain and grass supplies from Tai'an City to rob the rebellious party, he will give me the army to withdraw immediately." ”

Pinched his fingers and calculated the time required to pass on the order, and removed the preparation time for Hu Huaizhao to go north, Zhao Liewen nodded, and then took up the pen to draft the order for Wu Chaoyue, but Wu Chaoyue added another sentence and said: "Also, remind Hu Huaizhao, if it is found that the chaotic party has signs of sending troops south to reinforce Tai'an, the chaotic party will definitely hit the idea of the mountain road in Zhang Xia Town, telling him to use his brains more, and the chaotic party can use the narrow mountain road, and he can also use it." Also, when fighting Tai'an, you can't blindly do it, you have to use your brains to find a way, his food and grass support can't be guaranteed, the best way to go north to attack the fortification is to win by surprise, and he has no confidence in fighting a war of attrition. ”

Of course, Wu Chaoyue crossed Erlang's legs and spoke easily in the rear of Hubei, but what Wu Chaoyue said and didn't expect was that Hu Huaizhao, who had followed his old accomplice Hu Huaizhao long before the defense of Nanjing, would be entrusted to an unexpected point - Hu Huaizhao's army carried the grain that went north to Tai'an to fight, and it was not enough for even a month......