On the same night that most of the Taiping troops in Jiuzhou were successfully surrendered, Zhao Liewen and Yan Jingming, who stayed behind in the rear of Huguang, sent Wu Chaoyue an important news about the northwest through telegrams and clippers, and the thing that Wu Chaoyue was most worried about finally happened. Succeeded the weak Shaanxi-Gansu Qing army to quell the rebellion.

Fortunately, Wu Chaoyue had been prepared for this great change for a long time, and the generals of the Wu army bannermen such as Duxing'a and Duolong'a had been waiting in Han for a long time, and they were nominally preparing to enter the Guanzhong, in fact, just to prevent this. At the same time, the Central Plains Wu Army led by Nie Shicheng, the Shanxi Wu Army led by Liu Kunyi, and the Sichuan Wu Army under Yang Wending could move west and north at any time and enter the counterinsurgency battlefield.

Therefore, after receiving the news, Wu Chaoyue did not panic, but wrote back to Zhao Liewen and others as soon as possible, and asked Yang Wending, who was in charge of coming forward to contact Chang Gung, immediately agreed to the surrender of the Shaanxi-Gansu Qing army, and sent Du Xing'a and Duolong'a to lead the Hanzhong Wu army to immediately go north to reinforce the Shaanxi-Gansu-Qing army, and then sit down calmly and study the next strategic plan.

It's okay not to study, after careful study, Wu Chaoyue, who has not yet had time to step into Nanjing City, soon found that he could no longer stay on the front line, and there was no way to go to Shanghai to kowtow to Wu Lao comprador and meet his precious son, because he had to return to the rear to preside over the overall situation, and the prime minister's military and political affairs went.

The reason that Wu Chaoyue must return to the rear as soon as possible is the current complicated situation, the Wu army in the Central Plains is currently being pinned down by the five banners of the Twist Army, which is good at flowing, and once it draws too many troops to advance westward, it is likely to give the Twist Army a chance to run rampant; The Shanxi Wu Army's rear of the North China Wu Army led by Zeng Guoquan, and although the Zeng Guoquan Army has now taken the capital, it is difficult to quickly control the entire North China Plain because of the huge consumption of ammunition and insufficient troops of advanced weapons, and even the devil six who are currently hiding in Tianjin are temporarily unable to eradicate it, let alone eliminate the Shandong Qing Army under the command of the old fox Luo Bingzhang, so the Shanxi Wu Army must also leave sufficient strength to prevent emergencies and give priority to manpower and material resources on the battlefield in North China.

In view of these circumstances, the main force of sending troops to pacify the northwest can only count on the Sichuan Wu army, but due to the impact of Wu Chaoyue's elite army policy, the current strength of the Sichuan Wu army is not very sufficient, the weapons and equipment are relatively poor, and the combat effectiveness cannot be guaranteed. When Wu Chaoyue is on the front line and the rear is inconvenient, it may cause serious consequences if the reaction is delayed, and then it will affect the poor and distant Yunnan and Guizhou provinces.

In addition, the situation in Jiangxi is also very complicated, with the remnants of the Taiping Army that have not yet been pacified, the Qing army in Guangxi that has refused to surrender to this day, and the Taiping army and the Qing army in Fujian threatened. Therefore, under such circumstances, Wu Chaoyue could only choose to return to the Hubei provincial capital of the nine provinces as soon as possible, choke the middle of the world and order the Quartet, and could no longer go further and further to the east, relying on boats, boats, fast horses, and horses to go back and forth, remotely commanding the overall situation, missing the fighter plane and wasting efficiency, and giving the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of.

"Alas, go back, go back, you have to learn from Liu Bang to be able to afford to put it down, you can't learn from the overlord of Chu to take care of his head and tail, he just wants to return to his hometown. Anyway, my grandfather also wrote and said, if you want to see my son, just look in the mirror, that kid and I look exactly the same, see each other sooner or later. Just hand it over to Cao Yanzhong and Wang Fu on the southeast side, Li Xiucheng's main force has been annihilated by me, and Hong Xiuquan has also ascended to heaven, if Cao Yanzhong and Wang Fu can't even get rid of the remaining long hair, they don't want to eat here with me. ”

Wu Chaoyue is also a person who can afford to let go, and after finding that he must return to the Hubei provincial capital as soon as possible to preside over the overall situation, Wu Chaoyue also immediately made up his mind and decided that Feng Sanbao would lead the army to stay in Nanjing and be responsible for clearing out the surrounding remnants; Let Cao Yanzhong and Wang Futong lead the main force of land and water to continue to advance eastward, open up direct contact with Shanghai, and deal with Li Xiucheng's Taiping army in Jiangsu and Zhejiang left behind in Suzhou and Hangzhou; He and Qian Wei commanded a part of the front-line elite to return to the overall situation of the Hubei Prime Minister to prepare for the major event of increasing troops in Shaanxi and Gansu.

After making up his mind, at the military meeting the next day, Wu Chaoyue announced the decision in public, although Wu Junzhong felt great regret, but also understood that Wu Chaoyue could not stay away from the rear for a long time, so they did not advise and oppose, but only told Wu Chaoyue to be careful, and patted his chest to promise that he would clear the southeast for Wu Chaoyue and recover the lost territory. At the end, Cao Yanzhong said to Wu Chaoyue kindly: "King Zhennan, you haven't been to Jiangning City once this time, shouldn't you go in and have a look?" Jiangning City is the place where you took us to show your majesty back then, and it is a pity not to take us into the old place to visit again? ”

"No, first, there is no time, and second, Jiangning City is now full of ruins, and there is no mood to be embarrassed, so let's wait until it is rebuilt." Wu Chaoyue shook his head and said: "But I must go to the Shence Gate again, tomorrow you and I, take Hu Huaizhao and a few of them, go to the Shence Gate to pay tribute to the old brothers who fought side by side back then, and tell them that we have come back, and we have never forgotten them." ”

Cao Yanzhong hurriedly nodded in agreement, and Wu Chaoyue said again: "Yanzhong, there is another thing I have to tell you, I am going to screen thirty battalions from the surrendered Changmao and hand them over to Ma Yutang, Wu Jianying, Yang Youqing and Fu Zhenggang to lead, and another ten battalions will be selected and handed over to Li Xiucheng to lead, and they will be handed over to you and Feng Sanbao respectively to help you clear the remnants of the enemy and recover the southeast. ”

Speaking of this, Wu Chaoyue paused, and then said: "For these people, especially for Li Xiucheng, you have to guard against them, but you only need to prevent them from being unfavorable to you, you don't have to prevent them from surrendering and rebelling, and fleeing to Changmao's side, the current battlefield is different from the previous war, there is no stable rear and food, grass and ammunition supply, no matter how many soldiers go to the battlefield, they will die in vain." So if they want to run, just let them run, and the big deal is to take some trouble to kill them. The general of the defeated army is unspeakably brave, Li Xiucheng betrayed so many long-haired veterans in Jiuzhou this time, even if he returns to the long-haired side, it is impossible to stir up any big storms, so you don't have to worry too much about him falling back and rebelling and making a comeback. ”

"You must prevent them from being unfavorable to you at the same time, you also have to trust and reuse Li Xiucheng and other long-haired generals, Li Xiucheng is the commander of Changmao in Jiangsu and Zhejiang after all, and the land in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian is almost all fought by him, and Yu Wei doesn't know how much is left, but as long as he works hard to surrender for you, you will definitely be able to fight countless battles less, pay countless losses, and get countless gains. Therefore, no matter what kind of advice Li Xiucheng and them make in terms of recruiting and persuading them to surrender, as long as it does not endanger the safety of your main force, you can boldly accept it and let them do it boldly. ”

After listening to Wu Chaoyue's advice, Cao Yanzhong, who has always had a steady personality, nodded again and again, and said that he must remember it in his heart. Wu Chaoyue was still not at ease enough, and said: "By the way, in the matter of recruiting and surrendering Long Mao, you must be willing to promise an official position, and give in when you should make concessions in terms of money, I am ready to let you temporarily act as the governor of Liangjiang, civil officials below the third rank, and military attaches below the second rank, you don't have to ask for instructions, you can directly give it." Don't worry about me being embarrassed in the future, our official position is divided into virtual and real, and it is really unusable, we can also let him go home with a false title to retire. ”

Cao Yanzhong nodded again, and suddenly asked, "King Zhennan, what if the chaotic party rushes with us to recruit Long Mao?" There are still many land and cities along the coast of Zhejiang and Fujian that have been held by the rebel army, and after they receive the news that we have broken through Jiangning and captured Li Xiucheng alive, it is impossible that they will not take the opportunity to surrender the long hair of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian, and pick the peaches that we have raised? ”

"Don't worry about that." Wu Chaoyue shook his hand and said confidently: "Although it is certain that the chaotic party will pick peaches on its side, but the strength of the chaotic party army in Liangguang and Fujian is insufficient, as long as the long-haired people in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian are smart enough, they will definitely not choose to surrender to the enemy who is bound to fail, even if they take away some ......." ”

Speaking of this, Wu Chaoyue suddenly stopped, and there was a worried look on his thin face, and said: "Oh no, if it wasn't for your reminder, I almost forgot about this big thing, the chaotic party does not have the strength to recruit too many Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian long hairs, but for Yang Yuanqing, Yang Fuqing and Ji Wenyuan, if we don't hurry up, it is likely that we will be recruited by the chaotic party, strengthen the strength of the chaotic party, and let the chaotic party's territory directly expand to Yangzhou, threatening our Yangtze River waterway." ”

"It's possible." Dai Wenjie also suddenly woke up, and hurriedly said: "Yang Yuanqing and Ji Wenyuan's control areas are bordering the control areas of the chaotic party, and Luo Bingzhang, who is now controlling Shandong for the chaotic party, is also an out-and-out old fox, after receiving the news that we have broken Jiangning, it is impossible that he will not attack the idea of surrendering Yang Yuanqing and Ji Wenyuan." There is also Yang Fuqing, that Erwuzai can even sell his fellow brother Yang Xiuqing at a critical moment, as long as the chaotic party is willing to pay the price, it is not impossible to buy him with money and beauty. ”

"Gotta do it as soon as possible." Wu Chaoyue came to a conclusion and said: "Ji Wenyuan and we have a deep enmity like the sea, and they are loyal to Hong Xiuquan, and the possibility of wanting to recruit him is very small. However, Yang Fuqing and Yang Yuanqing, we have to win them over no matter what, use them to block the rebellious army and Ji Wenyuan in Shandong for us, and also take the opportunity to expand our control into Shandong's territory and block the rebellious party in Shandong. ”

"King Zhennan, what should I do then?" Cao Yanzhong hurriedly asked.

Wu Chaoyue pondered for a moment and replied: "Your plan to advance eastward has to change, after you arrive in Zhenjiang, you have to divide your troops into two routes, divide one way to go north to Yangzhou, put pressure on Yang Fuqing, Enwei and use the same means to force Yang Fuqing to surrender to us, and then use the same means to force Yang Yuanqing to surrender to us." The main force continued to advance eastward, taking Zhenjiang and Jiangyin, opening up our direct connection with Shanghai, and then advancing into Suzhou and Hangzhou. ”

The pressure on his body suddenly became much greater, but Cao Yanzhong shook up his spirits, clasped his fists and sang a promise to ensure that the task was completed. Wu Chaoyue nodded, but he was still not relieved, and after thinking about it again, Wu Chaoyue turned to Zhang Dejian, the spy leader next to him, and asked, "Shi Peng, how much do you know about Yang Fuqing and Yang Yuanqing?" ”

"King Zhennan forgives his sins, because he is far away and has never confronted them head-on, so he doesn't know much about them." Zhang Dejian apologized, and then said: "I just listened to Yang Youqing's explanation, Yang Fuqing is a selfish person, he only likes to consider his own interests first when he encounters trouble, he is greedy for money and lustful, but he is quite cautious, and he doesn't like to take risks." Yang Yuanqing's words and humble duties are not understood enough, but I heard that he respects his brother Yang Xiuqing very much, and obeys Yang Xiuqing's words, and he doesn't know about other humble positions. ”

"Selfish, but cautious, don't like to take risks? Respect Yang Xiuqing and obey Yang Xiuqing's words? ”

After tapping his fingers on the table for a while, Wu Chaoyue gradually had an idea in his heart, and asked Zhang Dejian: "Shi Peng, did you collect Luo Bingzhang's letter handwriting before, as well as his seal as the governor of Shandong?" ”

"Yes." Zhang Dejian gave an affirmative answer and said: "There is it in the camp of the lowly position, and if the king of Zhennan needs it, the lowly position can be brought immediately." ”

"Okay, I'll get it right away." Wu Chaoyue happily commanded, and then turned to Dai Wenjie next to him and asked, "Mr. Wenjie, do any of your subordinates have good hands that imitate handwriting?" Give me ...... right away. ”

Before the words were finished, Wu Chaoyue and Dai Wenjie laughed together, and Wu Chaoyue also laughed and blamed himself: "Look at my memory, why do you still ask Mr. Wenjie such a thing?" Mr. Wenjie is excellent in calligraphy and painting, imitating handwriting to write a piece for Luo Bingzhang, which is easier than us picking up a knife to cut people. ”

The next day, Wu Chaoyue first led Cao Yanzhong, Wu Dadao and other old men of the Wu army to the Shence Gate to pay tribute to the old companions who participated in the Nanjing War with him, and hurriedly completed the work of selecting and collecting 20,000 Taiping soldiers on the same day. On the third day, after leading the crowd to pay tribute to the Wu soldiers who died in the Nanjing Battle, Wu Chaoyue completed the front-line affairs on the same day, re-boarded the Luo Weilin, and led part of the army with Qian Wei to return to Hubei to preside over the overall situation, and entrusted the important task of clearing the remnants of the Taiping Army and clearing the southeast to Cao Yanzhong and Feng Sanbao, two important generals.

Just like Cao Yanzhong's worries at the military meeting, during Wu Chaoyue's return to Hubei, the news that Wu's army had broken through Nanjing, killed Hong Xiuquan, and captured Li Xiucheng had already spread to the remnants of the Qing army through various channels, and because of the distance, Luo Bingzhang, the old fox of the Manchu Dynasty, was the first to receive the news. As a result, in addition to shocking the strong strength of the Wu army's rapid elimination of the main force of the Taiping army, and after scolding Wu Chaoyue for raising his own respect, Luo Bingzhang also immediately set his eyes on the remnants of the three Taiping armies of Yang Yuanqing, Ji Wenyuan and Yang Fuqing around him, and before he had time to ask the Manchu court for this matter, he had already begun to implement the surrender plan.

"No matter what method you think, you must bring down the remnants of Yang Yuanqing, Ji Wenyuan and Yang Fuqing, as long as we succeed, our Qing Dynasty's controlled territory can immediately advance to the Yangtze River, directly threaten Wu Thief's Yangtze River waterway, drag him eastward, and buy time for our Qing Dynasty to make a comeback!"

It is precisely because of Luo Bingzhang's decision that a vigorous battle for the remnants of long hair has begun.