Seeing Nie Shicheng's face pale, Feng Guozhang hurriedly said hello and hurriedly avoided going out. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

Qin Chuan was a little strange, and hurriedly got up to let Nie Shicheng sit down, and he also sat back in the chair.

Without waiting for Qin Chuan to speak, Nie Shicheng had already said angrily: "They are all a group of stubborn fools who cling to the law, and Pyongyang is in danger!" ”

Qin Chuan asked tentatively, "Lord Nie, but it has something to do with the trench?" ”

As soon as Qin Chuan asked, Nie Shicheng was even more angry, and said angrily, "Can there be that thing?" ”

Nie Shicheng let out a long breath of turbidity and said: "President Ye attaches great importance to Minghong's trench method, and handed it over to Wei, Ma, Zuo, Feng, and a group of generals to circulate, and I will take the battle of Chenghuan as an example to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the fort and trench. These pedantic people not only scoffed at the method of trenches and clung to the art of besieging forts, but also took the expulsion of a small group of Japanese invaders from Pyongyang a month ago as an example, and faintly ridiculed me and President Ye as the generals of the defeated army, fearing the enemy and avoiding war. He also said that Ming Hong, if you invite merit and luck, you will only blindly take tricks, not fight all the way with real knives and guns. ”

"It's really hateful."

Speaking of later, Nie Shicheng slapped the case, and he was already angry.

What Nie Shicheng said, Wei, Ma, Zuo, and Feng are the leaders of the four routes of the army to aid Korea, including Wei Rugui of the Sheng Army, Ma Yukun of the Yi Army, Zuo Guigui of the Feng Army, and Feng Sheng'a of the Shengzi Battalion of the Feng Army.

Wei Rugui and Ma Yukun, Qin Chuan have met, and although they have not met Zuo Guigui and Feng Sheng'a, Qin Chuan also knows some about the situation of the two, these people all started with Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang when they were killing Changmao, and now they are all over fifty this year. It's just that for these veterans whose thinking is fixed and unwilling to keep pace with the times, Qin Chuan is helpless and sighs in vain.

As for saying that he invited merit and luck, Qin Chuan was a little confused, wasn't it just Li Hongzhang and Guangxu who praised him a few words? How did it become Lao Tzu's invitation to merit?

Also, Qin Chuan was even more unheard of about the Japanese army's invasion of Pyongyang a month ago, so he had to ask Nie Shicheng about it.

It turned out that a month ago, before Wei Rugui and Ma Yukun had arrived in Pyongyang, a small Japanese reconnaissance team was approaching the mouth of the Taedong River, and Wang Xizhi, a member of the Pyongyang Telegraph Office, telegraphed to Li Hongzhang in Tianjin, who immediately sent a telegram to Yiju and caught up with Wei Rugui and Ma Yukun, who were marching towards Pyongyang, on a fast horse, and informed them.

Knowing that the situation was urgent, the brigade would definitely not be able to seize the front of the Japanese army, and once the Japanese army entered Pyongyang first and destroyed the machinery and equipment of the Pyongyang Telegraph Office, even if they recaptured Pyongyang, they would lose contact with Tianjin. Wei Rugui immediately made a decision and sent a small team of his own soldiers, led by the sentry officer Qu Decheng, and Wei Rugui himself then selected a group of elite soldiers to follow up.

On August 2, more than 100 Japanese troops wanted to cross the river from the south bank of the Datong River into the city, that is, the place where Qinchuan entered the city, which became the bridge according to Korean customs. Qu Decheng, who had already arrived in Pyongyang, consulted with Wang Xizhi, a member of the Pyongyang Telegraph Commission, and the Pyongyang Supervisory Department of the DPRK, and led his own team and more than 100 North Korean soldiers out of the south gate to shoot across the river and scare away the Japanese troops.

also boasted about such a record, which made Qin Chuan uncontrollable.

Nie Shicheng sighed heavily and stood up: "Ming Hong, originally President Ye ordered me to lead the Wu Yi Army to leave Pyongyang today and return to China to recruit troops, and the Wu Yi Army Brigade has already left the north gate early in the morning, and I am waiting for you to stay for a while." After listening to Minghong's method of trenches, I didn't want to leave Pyongyang, I just wanted to fight the Japanese army in Pyongyang. But now these people are stubborn, and Pyongyang is no longer defensible. In this way, I must leave immediately, otherwise these people will be trapped in the lonely city and wait for death, even if the city is not broken. ”

What the?

The big war is coming, but this Nie Shicheng is going to lead his troops to leave Pyongyang?

For Nie Shicheng to leave, and he was ordered by Ye Zhichao, this couldn't help but surprise Qin Chuan.

Nie Shicheng saw that Qin Chuan was a little puzzled, and sighed and explained.

"Minghong, that's right."

"Dayuanjun secretly sent information from Seoul, the commander of the fifth division of the Japanese army, Nozu Michiki, has led the fifth division into Seoul, it is said that the third division of the Japanese army will also enter Korea soon, the two divisions will be combined to form the first army, and the Japanese general Yama Prefecture Aritomo has been appointed as the commander of the first army. The strength of one division of the Japanese army should be about 18,000 men, and two divisions and regiments are 36,000 men. Although we in Beiyang have gathered several large armies in Pyongyang, the total strength of the army is only more than 15,000, which is not as good as a division of the Japanese army. In addition, it is necessary to divide troops and garrison important coastal towns along the line from Pyongyang to the Yalu River, in case the Japanese army lands in the rear of Pyongyang and cut off our way back. ”

Qin Chuan was a little surprised that Hancheng, a large courtyard that had just been raised by the Japanese, had contact with the Qing army at this time. But after thinking about it, I can understand that although Daewonjun is bent on being on the throne, he is not interested in the Japanese, and he is more inclined to China in his bones, for no other reason, that is, although China, the old empire, has the posture of a suzerain, it is generally okay and relaxed for the state affairs of North Korea and does not interfere in its internal affairs. But the Japanese are different, the Japanese want to finally incorporate Korea into their territory, and they will inevitably control him strictly, Daewonjun is afraid that he has already felt it at this time, and the secret communication of the Qing army in Pyongyang is to hope that the Qing army will be victorious, and then, as in the past, expel the Japanese from the country.

Thinking about his more than a month of dealing with the Japanese army in Seoul, the Korean people also very much identified with China, and maintained and covered their small forces everywhere, not to mention, but also took the initiative to provide them with the movements of the Japanese army, which made his platoon like a fish in water near Seoul, and the disturbed Japanese army could not live in peace.

Thinking of this, Qin Chuan couldn't help but sigh in his heart, the mentality of "the Heavenly Empire, the state of etiquette" is really killing the people, since the other party is attached, he should categorically naturalize it as his own, and engage in these Laoshzi suzerainty, what to do? In the end, the bamboo basket is still empty. Otherwise, I don't know how much bigger China's territory will be by now.

Nie Shicheng sighed again and said: "Now the food, grass and ammunition in Pyongyang are only enough for one month, once the Japanese army comes to attack, even if Pyongyang holds it, it will be trapped in the lonely city." If there are no reinforcements outside, after a long time, tens of thousands of soldiers will starve to death if they do not die in battle. ”

Moreover, even if reinforcements arrive as scheduled, it is also very worrying that the generals will fight desperately in the face of the Japanese army to relieve the siege of Pyongyang. Therefore, President Ye used the Ming Zhongtang to lead the Wuyi Army back to China, and immediately recruited troops to expand the camp as a backup. ”

Regarding Ye Zhichao's worries, Qin Chuan thinks it is very reasonable, and even he does not think that sticking to Pyongyang is the best policy. Even if Pyongyang successfully withstood the Japanese attack, it would be besieged in the city by tens of thousands of troops of the Japanese First Army, which arrived later. Even, it is very likely that the Japanese army will land on the back road of Pyongyang, and at that time, these Beiyang elites in Pyongyang City will really have no way to enter the sky.

According to Qin Chuan's idea, at this time, the Beiyang elites gathered in Pyongyang have all withdrawn to the country, and it is the best way to deploy defenses along the Yalu River, so that at least they will not worry about the back road being cut off, and then reorganize the army and fight, and then try to move later, which is the best policy. Just don't say that others are soft-spoken, even if Li Hongzhang agrees, he can't be the master, at least the Qingliu who shout the most fierce main battle in the court will never agree. I'm afraid I will be accused of betraying the country.

It's just that Qin Chuan still doesn't understand, does he have to return to the country with Nie Shicheng?

Qin Chuan was thinking about asking again, Nie Shicheng looked at the sky and nodded to Qin Chuan.

President Ye said that Pyongyang thinks that it is a dangerous egg, and it is not easy for him to stay in this dangerous place for a long time, and he must leave a useful body to bear the big plan. Therefore, I was asked to take Minghong back to China and reorganize the salt regiment in case of war. ”

Ye Zhichao's meaning, Qin Chuan naturally understood that Ye Zhichao already thought that the battle of Pyongyang was auspicious and asked him to leave as soon as possible, and he couldn't help but have a lot of good feelings towards Ye Zhichao in his heart.

Qin Chuan also stood up and shook his head and said: "President Xie Ye is concerned, the Korean war between China and Japan is a national war, and it is certain that the salt group will participate in the war, but Ming Hong doesn't want to leave now." ”

Seeing that Nie Shicheng was surprised, Qin Chuan said again: "As the saying goes, knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent will lead to victory in a hundred battles." I stayed in Pyongyang just to observe the Japanese army's defense method up close. Although I had been fighting with the Japanese army in Seoul for more than a month, I had been fighting with a small group of Japanese troops, and I did not know the tactics of attacking and defending the Japanese army in large groups. It's just that I still need to ask Master Nie to bring back those Japanese prisoners I captured. ”

Seeing that Qin Chuan didn't want to go with him, Nie Shicheng thought for a while and nodded.

"It's fine. In this case, Ming Hong, my Wu Yi Army Brigade has been gone for half a day, and I can't delay any longer, so I'll leave the city. In addition, I know the outline of your trench method, and the details need to be informed. I will stay with Guangxi, Li Guohua, and Xin Delin, and I will ask Ming Hong to bother with professors. ”

Nie Shicheng turned around and walked to the door, then turned around and looked at Qin Chuan with a smile.

"Ming Hong, I forgot to tell you that the word alternate of your alternate officer is gone, and the emperor personally appointed you as the commander of the Changlu Salt Transport Envoy Yamen Zhengsanpin, and gave you the title Zhiyong Baturu, and a reward of 10,000 taels of silver."