It was almost dark in the sky, and the large-scale fighting on the battlefield of Taiping Mansion was basically over, and only some die-hard elements were still stubbornly resisting on the hill with more favorable terrain, but it was also a mantis arm as a car, so there was no need to worry about it, even a small splash of water could not be turned over, and the fat soldiers who were in a hurry to be rewarded for their meritorious service would go to clean them up, so Lu Fatzi was too lazy to stay on the battlefield any longer, and the surname Suo ordered to move the headquarters into Taiping City, and rest overnight in Taiping City to take care of the aftermath of the battlefield. 【Reading.com】

The moon stars are scarce, and the moonlight is as bright as day, allowing Lu Fatzi to see the mountains of corpses on the battlefield, and also let Lu Fatzi see the blood flowing into streams on the ground, the burning bushes and woods, and hear the low moans of pain from the corpses of the dying seriously injured soldiers, the tragic neighing of the war horses that have lost their masters, and the terrifying death-making screams that can be heard sporadically. Although it was not the first time to see such a scene, let alone heard such a voice, Lu Fatzi still used to lamenting with his surname, "Evil, full of dogs, if they don't resist, don't resist, do we need to kill so many people?" ”

"Once the success is done, we will expel the Tartars and restore China, I don't know how many more such scenes we will see." Han Daren next to him also sighed, and comforted himself: "Fortunately, most of the dead are full of dogs and Han annihilation, no matter how much murder is done, our conscience is okay." ”

"Yes, fortunately, most of the dead are Mangou and Han Annihilation, no matter how much murder we make, we can say that we have a clear conscience." Lu Fatzi sighed again and said thoughtfully: "But if we have to sacrifice the lives of hundreds of thousands of Han people in exchange for such a big victory, is it worth it?" Can you have a clear conscience? ”

"General, what do you mean by that?" Han Daren, who had been stationed in Taiping Mansion before, asked curiously.

"I've always had an idea." Lu Fatzi didn't hide it from Han Daren, and said calmly: "I want to blow up the Gaojiayan of Hongze Lake, use the flood of Hongze Lake, cut off the retreat and grain route of the main force of the northern line of Mangou, catch turtles in the urn and annihilate the main force of the northern line of Mangou, and strive to capture the emperor of Mangou to capture the thief and capture the king first, but considering the hundreds of thousands of Huainan people, I can't give up this heart, when Yao Junshi and Shaobo proposed this plan, I also refused." ”

Han Daren was silent, and Lu Fatzi asked Han Daren again: "Brother Daren, you say that I am doing this, is it the kindness of a woman?" Or is it compassionate? Right? Or is it wrong? ”

Han Daren continued to be silent, and walked more than half a mile behind Lu Fatzi's war horse, Han Daren said slowly: "General, as far as the last general knows, this question of yours, Shi Kefa Shi Ge Lao has also encountered, when Mangou Duoduo attacked Yangzhou, the Yangzhou defenders knew that they were not Mangou opponents, and the general soldier Liu Zhaoji put forward this suggestion to Shi Ge Lao, digging up the Huai River embankment and Gaojiayan, flooding the dogs, but Shi Ge Lao considered the people, so he refused. And then the next thing, you know, the general, the last general will not repeat it. ”

"Do you want to say that if Shi Ge Lao did this back then, there might not be Yangzhou Shiyue, Mangou would not be able to cross the Yangtze River, and there would be no later Jiangnan Massacre?" Fat Lu asked.

Han Daren nodded silently, and said to himself: "The last general still has an idea, if Shi Ge Lao knew that after Mangou broke through Yangzhou, he would kill so many of our Han compatriots, and after Mangou entered Jiangnan, he would slaughter so many of our Han compatriots, I don't know if Shi Ge Lao would choose to protect hundreds of thousands of Huainan people?" ”

Instead of Lu Fatzi, he was silent, and he also understood that Han Daren's implication was to agree with blowing up the embankment, sacrificing the minority, making the public happy, and exchanging local sacrifices for the overall victory. After being silent for a while, Fat Lu said softly: "Brother Ren, I still have one more question, when I suggested that the prince blow up the 10,000-person embankment and flood Jingzhou Mandog, why did the prince refuse?" Emperor Mangou, why was he able to dig up the embankment of the Yellow River without blinking an eyelid and flood our Northern Expeditionary Army? ”

"Because the prince is a Han Chinese, we must consider our Han compatriots." Han Daren replied quickly this time, "Kang Mazi is a full dog, don't think about our Han compatriots, how many of our Han people die, and the full dog emperor Yanjing will not blink an eyelid." ”

"But we are also Han Chinese, you are, and so am I." Fat Lu sighed again, looked up to the sky and sighed: "It's embarrassing, on the one hand, hundreds of thousands of compatriots, on the other hand, there is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to kill the Mangou Emperor, how should I choose?" ”

With this difficult choice, the next day, Lu Fatzi first led the main force of more than 30,000 Fat Men Army and the Taiping Mansion Navy Division to return to Nanjing, while Han Daren temporarily stayed in Taiping Mansion to deal with the aftermath of the Western Front battlefield, reorganize prisoners of war and clean up the battlefield, and prepare to lead 20,000 troops to Nanjing to meet Lu Fatzi three days later, and join forces with Lu Fatzi to rescue the most critical situation of the Northern Front Battlefield and the Eastern Front Battlefield - now the elite main force of the Mites Qing Army on the Western Front has been completely wiped out, and the Taiping Army that has been entangled with the Qing Army on the Western Front for more than a year, I can finally free my hands.

The main force of the Fat Army completed the 140-mile journey from Taiping Mansion to Nanjing in only two days, and arrived at the city of Nanjing on the evening of 22 May. Quan Jie, Qin Yong, Wang Shaobo and Xie Dong, who remained in Nanjing, were not allowed to lead the city's Chinese military officials and gentry out of the city to greet them, wishing Fatty Lu his martial arts to the world, and in less than half a month after the expedition, he annihilated the elite of the main force of the Qing army on the western front in one fell swoop, completely resolving the crisis of the Fat Army's western front, and Fatty Lu was humble one after another, even saying that this was all thanks to the soldiers' lives, the support of the gentry and the people, and luck to meet King Zhang, the benefactor of the Great Zhou, so that he was lucky to win successive battles, and the main forces of the Qing army on the Western Front were annihilated in two major wars.

Lu Fatzi's words are not completely hypocritical and modest, cold weapon warfare is like this, pre-war preparations may take a long time, but it doesn't take much time to really fight, compared with the wild boar skin in the three major battles in Salhu in five days, the fat army took almost half a month to annihilate the two main forces of the Qing army, and it is really a little unranked.

After the hypocrisy and modesty were over, the army entered the city and stationed, and Lu Fatzi also returned to the General's Mansion after a half-moon farewell, and arranged for people to reward the three armies and issue rewards, Lu Fatzi immediately asked Wang Shaobo, Xie Dong and others: "After I left, did the prince send someone to contact?" Did the edict of the prince's enthronement and change of the yuan be sent? ”

"Nope." Wang Shaobo replied honestly: "Don't say that the prince didn't send anyone, even the envoys we sent to contact Hu Guozhu didn't come back. ”

"Strange?" Fat Lu was surprised, and said suspiciously: "It stands to reason that the prince's edict should have been delivered a long time ago?" Why hasn't it been delivered yet? Did the messenger have an accident on the way, or did something happen? ”

"The students are wondering about it, too." Wang Shaobo also said confusedly: "Even Zheng Jing in Taiwan knows the news that the prince has been proclaimed emperor, why hasn't the prince's edict been sent to Nanjing yet?" ”

"Maybe this is a deliberate arrangement by Prince Pingxi." Yao Qisheng interjected and said: "The prince of Pingxi may want to take this opportunity to test the general, knowing that the general can spy on the news that he is the emperor and crown you king, and deliberately does not rush to issue the edict of canonization, if you can't wait to call yourself the king of Yue, not only will your ambition be exposed, but after the prince and the general will be your division in the future, you will have something to lose, and there will be more excuses to find." ”

"I rarely have that prince, as long as I can kill all the dogs in the world and recover China, I don't care if there is that prince title or not." Fat Lu snorted coldly, waved his hand again and said: "Forget it, is the prince testing me, ignore him for the time being, it's better if his edict is not sent, and I can save myself from wasting saliva with those Donglin remnants all day long!" Let's take care of the current situation first, Yangzhou side, how is the situation in the past few days? ”

"Not so good." Wang Shaobo shook his head and said solemnly: "On the battlefield of Yangzhou, Mangou blocked the Grand Canal near Shijiaqiao with earth and stone sacks, and our ships could not send Hongyi cannons into Yangzhou City. General Gao Dejie went out of the city several times to destroy the Mangou artillery array, but Mangou was exhausted by Mangou with superior forces, and at the same time Mangou also used the trick of encircling Wei to save Zhao, General Gao Dejie sent a large army out of the city, and Mangou attacked another section of the city wall, forcing General Gao Dejie to return to the division to rescue. ”

"How did Gao Dejie fight like this?" Lu Fatzi was puzzled: "In Yangzhou City, we have more than 4,000 Sanhao rockets in storage, why can't we destroy the dog artillery array?" ”

"Due to the restrictions of the city gate, our rocket vehicles could not quickly assemble out of the city, and the large-scale bombardment was full of dogs, and they could only launch a single shot, which greatly reduced their power." Wang Shaobo explained: "There is also Mangou who has also learned well, built a thick earthen wall around the artillery array to resist our Sanhao rockets, and constantly sent cavalry to outflank and detour, impacting the wings and rear of our army out of the city, so General Gao Dejie's three sorties did not destroy Mangou's strange artillery array that was not afraid of our army's shells, and Mangou consumed more than 3,000 troops and more than 1,000 Sanhao rockets. ”

"And." Xie Dong also added hesitantly: "Mangou arrested a large number of Jiangnan people, and under the pretext that they were guilty of privately committing crimes, they were forced to use sandbags and stones to fill the Yangzhou moat to atone for their crimes, and our army was forced to fire artillery and rockets, killing and injuring tens of thousands of Jiangnan people." ”

Fat Lu stopped talking, slapped it on the table for a while, and said hatefully: "Dog beast! It must be both to open siege roads and to consume our ammunition! ”

"That's what the students think, too." Wang Shaobo nodded, and said: "General, there is also the Chongming battlefield on the Eastern Front, the situation is also very critical, the Mangou Sailor and the Hongmao State colluded, frequently harassed and attacked our coastal areas, and once went deep into the city of Tongzhou (Nantong), killing people everywhere and setting fires, destroying silver and plundering all kinds of evil, although the two generals Han Yuanren and Mao Yougui tried their best to resist, but the firepower of the double-decker fort warships of the Hongmao Country was too fierce, and we could not take advantage of the water war at all, and the Mangou Sailor Division closely protected the warships of the Hongmao Country, even if we dispatched suicide sampans, There is no way to get close to the Red Haired Nation warship to detonate. Just today, two generals, Han Yuanren and Mao Yougui, sent us another letter asking for help. ”

"It's the same on the southern front." Xie Dong said again: "Geng Jingzhong also has three good rockets and three good explosives in his hands, and Mangou joined forces to attack Huzhou City, Liu Guoxuan sat on the mountain and watched the tiger fight, refusing to attack Mangou from behind, General Guo Yingfu's team ammunition consumption is very serious, General Li Tianzhi has been forced to use the Suzhou Corps' firearms in order to reinforce the Huzhou battlefield, and now the rocket reserves of the Suzhou Corps are less than 2,000, General Li Tianzhi asked for firearms to replenish. ”

"During the time I left Nanjing, how many firearms did the Xuanwu Arsenal produce?" Fat Lu asked.

"Two thousand six hundred and eighteen rockets, nine hundred and eleven high-precision shells, and one thousand five hundred and twenty solid artillery shells." Xie Dong replied very well, "But our saltpeter, sulfuric acid and pig iron reserves are almost at the bottom, and the sea outlet is blocked by the Mangou Sailor and the Hongmao National Sailor, making it difficult to replenish raw materials and produce in large quantities." At the same time, the craftsmen are already very tired, and even if the raw materials are sufficient, the speed cannot be improved. ”

Lu Fatzi frowned, although the Fat Army won a complete victory in the Western Front War this time, but the consumption of firearms was very amazing, and now the main force of the Fat Army has less than 1,400 rockets, less than 500 flowering shells and more than 1,600 solid shells left, plus the old stocks in Nanjing City and the full force of this half month, the Fat Army can put into the battlefield less than 6,000 three-good rockets, about 5,000 solid shells, and 2,500 flowering shells, which can barely fight a big war. With such a small amount of inventory, it is really very stretched to deal with a three-front war at the same time.

"In this way, send 1,500 rockets to Li Tianzhi." Lu Fatzi groaned and ordered: "Tell him that in a short time, the rear can only supply him with this batch of rockets, let him use them sparingly, use old weapons as much as possible in the defense of the city, and don't waste firearms until the last resort." ”

In addition, he sent two orders to Taiping Mansion overnight with a fast horse, one is to let the people of Jixuan organize all efforts to mine the alum ore and iron ore in Ma'anshan, and hire the people to mine at a high price regardless of the cost. The second is to tell Han Daren that he should bring all the firearms stocks of Taiping Mansion with the army, and there is no need left. ”

"Mobilize all the firearms stocks of the Taiping Legion? Won't our western gate be empty? Wang Shaobo asked in surprise.

"It's empty, it's empty, anyway, the main force of the full dog on the Western Front is over." Lu Fatzi said lightly: "As for the prince, he can come if he wants, I, as a grandson-in-law, am great at honoring Jiangnan to him." ”

Xie Dong and Uncle Wang cried and mourned, but they didn't dare to refute Lu Fatzi's decision, so they could only honestly agree. Lu Fatzi instructed again: "And you, you can't be idle, you must mobilize the people of Jiangnan to collect toilet soil to refine saltpeter, and buy it at a high price." Don't be stingy with money, if we can't survive this level, no matter how much silver we have, we will only cheapen others. ”

Xie Dong, Wang Shaobo and others hurriedly nodded together, and at the end, Wang Shaobo asked again: "Boss, then what should we do next?" Which battlefield is the main force thrown into first? ”

Lu Fatzi tapped the table with his fat fingers and did not speak, showing a contemplative expression, and Wang Shaobo suggested again: "Dongjia, since the Mangou Emperor has crossed the Yellow River and personally went to Yangzhou to supervise the attack on Yangzhou, the student thinks that if we put all the strength of our army into the northern front, as long as we defeat the Mangou on the northern front, even if we fail to achieve the intended goal of capturing the Mangou Emperor and capturing the king first, the Mangou on the eastern and southern fronts will retreat without a fight, and we can also buy time to regain strength." ”

"The students also thought that the main force should be put on the northern front." Yao Qisheng finally spoke, and said in a deep voice: "General Li Guodong's reserves, the firearms storage has not been used, plus the existing ammunition surplus in our hands, there should be enough strength to annihilate the Mangou on the northern front, but if we put our strength into the eastern front first, even if we annihilate the combined forces of the Mangou Water Division and the Hongmao National Water Division, the ammunition consumption will be very huge, and it will be difficult to have enough strength to annihilate the Mangou on the northern front." And the northern line, where the Emperor Mangou himself sits, will not retreat, and our southern line will never be peaceful. ”

Fat Lu still didn't speak, and his expression was even more hesitant and complicated. Yao Qisheng observed his words and couldn't help but ask suspiciously: "General, what's the matter?" Do you think that we should put the main forces on the Eastern Front or the Southern Front? ”

"Of course not." Lu Fatzi shook his head and said: "Although Geng Jingzhong and Zhejiang Mangou are menacing, they bypassed Hangzhou to fight Huzhou, the rear is unstable, and the situation is difficult to last, and Geng Jingzhong is now clearly taking advantage of the fire to rob, wanting to take advantage of the opportunity of our army being attacked from all sides, and join forces with Mangou to get some oil and water from our territory." If we repel the dogs on the northern front, and the main force frees up their hands to move south, Geng Jingzhong can escape faster than anyone else, and maybe he will stab the dogs in the back again, and then have the cheekiness to ask us for peace, it is also very likely. ”

"On the eastern front, the main force of our naval division is very intact, and the combined forces of the naval division of Mangou and Hongmao are disturbing our coastal areas at the top of the sky, and they will never dare to attack our hinterland deeply. Therefore, you are quite correct in proposing to throw the main army into the battlefield on the northern front, and I think so too. ”

"Then why is the general's expression so hesitant?" Yao Qisheng asked even more strangely.

"I hesitate, what do I really want for the people? Or do you want to fill the pockmarked head of the dog emperor Kang Mazi? Lu Fatzi said slowly: "The main force of our army went north to the Yangzhou battlefield, and it may be easy to defeat the main force of the northern front that defeated Mangou, but if you want to take down the head of the Mangou Emperor, the difficulty is extraordinarily high, the first is that the Mangou army will definitely protect the Mangou Emperor at all costs, and the second is that the goal of the Mangou Emperor is too small, and it is easy to escape Shengtian - the only way to ensure that the Mangou Emperor is killed, it is ......, that embankment." ”

Yao Qisheng, Wang Shaobo and others didn't dare to speak, and they didn't dare to open their mouths to instigate Lu Fatzi to blow up the embankment, cut off the retreat of the main force of the Qing army, and fell into infamy through the ages.

It was quiet for a long time, Fat Lu shook his head, stood up and said: "That's it, let me think about this matter again, let's arrange it like this first, first, make every effort to prepare for the northern expedition, and second, tomorrow, replenish Li Jiyang's Taiping Mansion Naval Division with 3,000 infantry, and let him move to the south bank of Jiangyin, where the river is narrow, which is not conducive to the warships of the Hongmao Country, and it is a good place to prevent the enemy's naval division from invading our hinterland, as long as we hold there, our hinterland can not worry for the time being." As for the matter of the two embankments, let's talk about it slowly, we still have time. ”

Yao Qisheng, Wang Shaobo and others agreed together and left. The preoccupied Fat Man Lu also felt that he was already exhausted, so he also walked out of the signing room and returned to his study to rest, never thinking that as soon as he stepped into the study where he lived alone, the big vinegar jar Yu'er didn't know where he came out, standing in front of the Fat Man Lu, and looked at the Fat Man Lu coldly without speaking. Fat Lu knew that the public grain was coming, so he smiled bitterly and begged for mercy: "Yu'er, I'm tired." ”

"Less of this!" Yu Yu'er gritted her teeth and said: "I went for half a month, and I was hollowed out by the women of Taiping Mansion, and when I came back, I pretended to have official business and went into the signing room, and I didn't dare to see me, didn't I?" ”

"Conscience of heaven and earth, I haven't even touched a woman's hand in Taiping Mansion." Fat Lu shouted injustice.

"Sophistry!" Lu Yu'er gritted her teeth and said, "You said yourself, how long has it been since you been in my room?" Do you think I'm old and ugly, and I want to marry a few more young ones? ”

"No, no, I'm afraid." Fat Lu hurriedly shook his head desperately.

"What are you afraid of? Afraid I'll eat you? The blood vessels on her white forehead began to congest.

"I'm afraid of the wind!" Fat Lu finally told the truth, "Kang Mazi's full dog, his luck in this regard is too evil!" If I accidentally walk that bad luck, it's all over! ”

Lu Fatzi told the truth this time, Kang Mazi was among several important opponents in history, Ao Bai Yuzhong killed himself, Wu Laohan died of a sudden stroke, Zheng Jing was angry with his own mother at the age of thirty-eight, Zheng Kezang, who could have taken over the banner of the Zheng family, was killed by his own grandmother, Geerdan simply died on the woman's belly inexplicably, and the shit luck was boundless! Now it's Fatty's turn to stand opposite Kang Mazi and prepare to fight to the death, so it's hard to be careless.

(To be continued)