In the late eleventh month of the lunar calendar, a large number of Sichuan training troops were driven to Langzhong. The strength of the Qin army was insufficient, and Shi Donglai only had about 2,000 men under him, and when he saw that Tang Yougeng's reinforcements had arrived, he immediately began to retreat.

Tang Yougeng didn't dare to risk pursuing, so he only sent a small force to follow and put a shot at the sky. Of course, in the war report to Chengdu, he naturally wrote that he fought bloodily and defeated the strong enemy. And Wu Tang, the governor of central Sichuan, and Kuiyu, the general of Chengdu, also planned well, so that the reinforcements arrived in time.

Daqing officialdom is like this!

Wu Tang and Kui Yuming knew that the battle report was fake, and when they sent it to Beijing, they still only 'icing on the cake', and did not tell the truth and stab Lou Zi. And the Qing Dynasty really needs one or two such war reports to mention the spirit!

Since Liu Xian started his army, he has really been overwhelmed and invincible. The whole of Guangdong was now in the hands of the Qin army, the governor Zhang Zhaodong fled into Jiangxi, and the governor Liu Songshan led the remnants of the army to retreat to Fujian. Guangxi also has only a few places left in the west that have not been taken, and the counterattack forces organized by Liu Changyou, the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, although Zhang Shusheng, Liu Shiqi, and Zhou Shengbo are all generals, they are also not good-looking, and they are already completely at a disadvantage. Beijing doesn't know this news, and Kawanaka can know it very well.

At this time, in Sijiu City, the common people of the Manchu Dynasty, the nobles of the Eight Banners, and the roots of the Imperial City, the topic of discussion had been transferred from the Great War in the Southwest to a joint concert that had just been sent to the Southeast.

Qi Yuan, the general of Fuzhou, and Xi Yuan, the general of Hangzhou, in the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty, these two people who had a very low sense of self-esteem jointly sent a letter to Beijing -- asking the imperial court to quickly take over the old and weak women and children in Fuzhou and Hangzhou to the river.

It is said in the chapter that the soldiers of the Eight Banners stationed in the local garrison have enjoyed the grace of the country for more than 200 years, and they have their responsibilities. Naturally, it was the liver and brain of the Qing Dynasty, but the military was really worried about the safety of their families. Please play the imperial court to take over the families of all the Eight Banners soldiers over the Yangtze River. Properly placed!

These words are good, and people who don't know them think that they are entrusting the family to the court. It's going to fight to the death. But in fact, who doesn't know, this is clearly that these two goods can't trust Zuo Jinliang, and they can't trust Chu Jun, this is the rhythm of running!

If you look at the overall situation, the imperial court will definitely deal with Qi Yuan and Xi Yuan. This is too embarrassing for the face and morale of 'I Daqing'. But some people think that it is necessary to face the reality now, no matter what the Qin army will do in the future, it is indeed extremely sharp now, and the imperial court cannot be lost needlessly. You really have to be prepared with both hands!

Anyway, this twist and turn is to ruthlessly let the Eight Banners and make 'My Daqing' lose face.

……

"I reported to the dispatcher that the Guangdong new barracks had recruited a total of 12,000 recruits. More than 15,000 militia groups and villagers from all over the country were recruited, and 8,300 prisoners were liberated. Those green battalions, training troops, and supervising the standard were captured by the Qing army, but all Han people surrendered almost at a move. ”

"The Guangxi new barracks recruited 31,000 recruits, and the 5,000 recruits sent by the Ruan Dynasty have been included in it. can be pulled into battle. ”

"By March next year at the latest, Guangxi will be able to send out two integrated brigades to launch offensives against Guizhou and Hunan respectively."

"Our army's naval divisions have appeared on the sea surface of the two rivers, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Dinghai, and Shanghai. All of them were under martial law. The foreigners have already lodged a protest with our side, demanding that our army not harm their interests in China during military operations. Part of the British fleet in Hong Kong had already sailed to Shanghai. ”

"Li Xueming and Wu Jinzhu have captured Ganzhou in Jiangxi Province two days ago, and about 3,000 people under Liu Bingzhang's descendants were raped. Two thousand of them were captured. Li Shien's troops were marching into Ningdu, and Song Zuoxian's regiment [cavalry regiment] had already attacked Ji'an. Liu Bingzhang's remaining troops are about 4,000 people. Even the remnants of Zhang Zhaodong and Wang Desheng's soldiers are less than 7,000 ......"

"But now there's a problem. A large number of people in our district still have braids. Especially those talents and people who have a false reputation, these people have a strong influence in the local area. They refused to cut their braids, and the people were affected.

Generally speaking, 80 percent of men in Hainan and Taiwan have their braids, 70 percent in Guangxi, and up to half in Guangdong. Especially in Shaozhou and Fogang, which we have just taken, a large number of gentry still have braids. ”

"The literary troupe organized by the Liangguang Military Government told the glory of the Han and Tang dynasties, the Song and Ming dynasties, and the blood debts of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in the form of storytelling and drama, which had a very good effect and could move many ordinary people, but had little effect on the gentry and literati. Moreover, the number of art troupes is limited, and it takes too much time to push them out......"

In the garden, Liu Xian was taking a slow walk, and Ding Zhenduo reported the latest military situation to him on the side, and finally turned the conversation to the issue of braids.

Regarding the issue of braids, Ding Zhenduo has always taken a tough attitude. I was very dissatisfied with Liu Xian's somewhat laissez-faire approach. There were also a few attendants around Liu Xian, as well as a group of guards with knives and guns.

All the people are in Hanfu, the guards are all red, and Ding Zhenduo and others are all black. Only Liu Xian's clothes are pale cyan.

Hongwu Haiwen, this is the official uniform system set by the Qin army after the army, when it attacked the Han Dynasty.

"It's been a month since our army entered Guangzhou!"

"Tomorrow is exactly a month!"

"Then issue a notice, saying that those who still do not cut their braids for a month must belong to those who have hypocrisy in their hearts, and should be punished. But I have good intentions, and I do not want to use swords against the people, but I will not go unpunished. From now on, the home of those who do not cut braids will be doubled, and their children will not be allowed to enter the scientific examination. ”

"Also, issue a decree in those newly annexed places. One braid for one pound of rice! ”

……

Fuzhou city.

"Shaoguan, Huizhou, Jiaying...... Wuling, this is a place where one husband is a pass! ”

Zuo Zongtang held a candle, in the study of the yamen of the Governor's Palace, looking at the old map of the south of the Yangtze River, looking at the dense famous mountains and rivers in Guangdong Province, and his chest was depressed.

The importance of Shaoguan is not much to say, Chaozhou, Jiaying in the territory of Jiulian Mountain, Wuyu Peak, Baiyun Peak, Lotus Mountain, Danan Mountain, Guiren Mountain, Tonggu Peak, Jigong Peak......

With so many dangerous geographical advantages, how can it fail like this in a month?

And so many geographically advantageous Guangdong can't stop the Qin army, and now that the Qin army's troops are pointing to Fujian, can the Chu army be able to stop it?

The battle between Wang Debang and Fu Xianzong in Zhangzhou made Zuo Zongtang's heart shortened. Zuo Jinliang, who is full of infinite energy and self-confidence, has also become a little bit of a loser.

Now the situation is already obvious, the Qin army, which has swallowed Guangdong, is only a few partial troops used for the Jiangxi strategy, and its main force has not moved at all.

What is the goal of the other department? What else is there besides Fuzhou?

Seriously, Zuo Zongtang was very depressed. At the beginning of the war, the Qin army directly blocked the mouth of the Min River with unheard of mines. The shipmaster and sailor he has worked hard to build for many years are completely useless, and he is still trapped in the Min River. It can be said that the current situation is corrupted, and Zuo Zongtang has to bear a lot of responsibility.

Because Liu Xian's eight warships had not yet returned to the palm of his hand at that time, the Qing court thought that it could contain the Nanyang Naval Division if it had a naval division. As a result, who knows, a killer move completely useless. The impact on the plan was simply irreparable!

Zuo Zongtang has now concentrated 20,000 Chu troops in Fuzhou, plus the remnants of Liu Songshan who retreated from Guangdong, Wang Debang in Quanzhou, Wang Debang and Fu Xianzong in Zhangzhou, and the main force of the 40,000-strong Chu army has been assembled.

In this big battle related to the survival of the Chu army, Zuo Zongtang was obviously ready to do as much as possible, the war was about to start, but he did not have a trace of steadfastness in his heart.

This is something that Zuo Zongtang has never encountered in the 25 years since he came out of the mountain.

And the reason, in the final analysis, is that he has been shaken by the combat effectiveness of the Chu army.

The combat mode of the Qin army has long been reflected in Zuo Zongtang's hands. As a prominent Zhongxing minister who has stood out on the field, Zuo Zongtang's tactical vision is not as good as his strategic vision, and the necessary level is also there. He was able to see the advantages and convenience of the Qin army.

If there is half a year, Zuo Zongtang will immediately use the tactics of the Qin army as a starting point to retrain the troops. But he didn't have the time. The Qin army's straggler queue and assault tactics, if not really practiced in the bones, will break the existing integrity of the Chu army. At that time, if the Chu army was not a whole, if it was a straggler assault without a straggler assault, it would completely be reduced to a rabble, and it would fade back to the prototype of the Taiping Army back then.

Therefore, Zuo Zongtang knew that the army's tactics had suffered greatly, and he could not change it. And this kind of loss limited the possibility of the Chu army taking the initiative to attack, so that the Chu army had superior forces, but had to be on the defensive!

If Zuo Zongtang can still be calm now, will he still turn his face with Zeng Guofan and Zuo Jinliang, the left-man who is at odds with Li Hongzhang?

Zuo Zongtang stood beside Liu Songshan, the number one general under Zuo Zongtang, his complexion was a lot haggard, and the experience of losing all the way from Guangdong to Fujian really made him unforgettable.

Now Liu Songshan is located in the remnants of Tingzhou, led by his nephew Liu Jintang.

The new map was replaced, it was Fujian, from Tingzhou, Zhangzhou to Fuzhou, and the dense battalion head troops were marked on the map, which was the capital of Zuo Zongtang who had sat in the position of governor of Fujian and Zhejiang for ten years. His Chu army!

After a long time, Zuo Zongtang put down the candle in his hand and was preoccupied.

"40,000 troops, all breech guns, the old man's family is all piled up here......" The entire Chu army except for Luo Dachun guarding Hangzhou Bay, the rest of the main battalion heads have been transferred to Fujian.

"Zuo Gong, you can still guard it!" Liu Songshan had already learned the power of Qin Jun and didn't dare to say big things. However, the main force of the 40,000 Chu army, at least three times the Yu Qin army, is still certain to defend Fujian. But to use them to recover Guangdong is delusional.

Zuo Zongtang smiled faintly, and a hint of flush appeared on his face. I don't know if I was angry with Liu Songshan's lack of interest. "Fujian can't be lost anymore no matter what, as long as Fujian is kept...... It's easy to say anything......"

Zuo Zongtang is not a foolish person. If Fujian is defeated, he will retreat to Zhejiang to continue to resist. But Mawei's hard work and the entire shipmaster's sailor, he definitely can't bear to destroy it.

But if these things fell into the hands of the Qin army, would Liu Xianam's sailors still have opponents in East Asia?

At that time, he will directly send troops to fight Tianjin! The British couldn't stop it. (To be continued......) R1292