The big battle was imminent, and the attack on Chengdu's outer defense line was about to begin, and the attack time was set for 8 o'clock in the evening. On this morning, He Meng was studying the offensive line in his headquarters and considering what could be improved in order to reconfirm the defensive situation of the Huaixiang Army. The Corps headquarters demanded that an attack on Chengdu be launched simultaneously in four directions, so He Meng carefully checked the enemy's defenses, as well as his own preparations, to see if there were any oversights and loopholes.

A horse flew outside the headquarters, and the liaison officer of the headquarters quickly dismounted without waiting for the war horse to stand firm. "Report to Deputy Commander He, the commander ordered to stop the offensive on all fronts." “weishenme？” "The other party is here to negotiate, I don't know the specific situation, the commander ordered you to go to the headquarters." He Meng was a little confused, could something unexpected happen?

The day before the army surrounded Chengdu and could launch an attack, a major change occurred in the governor's palace. On this morning, Cheng Gan, the commander of the victorious army, was quickly summoned. When Cheng Qian entered the Governor's Mansion, he saw Zuo Zongtang and found that Zuo's mental state was much better than usual. "My lord, the rebels have surrounded us, the attack is imminent, and all the soldiers are determined to live and die with your lordship and Chengdu City. What else do you want to tell you? ”

Zuo Zongtang retired: "Recently, I have devoted myself to studying the program of the Guangzhou Military Government and the measures they have taken. I have to admit that the Guangzhou Military Government headed by Deng Zixuan has done what it says and what it does. Especially Deng Zixuan, his person, Confucian cultivation, and modern thought, throughout the ancient and modern times, there is no outstanding figure compared with it, and the rebel heroes of the past dynasties are overshadowed. As a rebel, this person may become a generation of tyrants for thousands of years, or he may benefit China for thousands of years. ”

Zuo Zongtang continued: "So far, the conclusions reached are not conclusive. One thing I am sure of is that this man has built an army that has never been seen before, and an army that is completely loyal to him. His brilliance lies in the fact that he is backed by a strong economic foundation, and that he is inclusive and intelligent in the past. and cultivated a large army of officers loyal to him. With the strength of the Northern Expeditionary Army now, I am sure that a strong empire will emerge in China in the future. ”

Zuo Zongtang continued to talk eloquently: "Deng Zixuan's most brilliant point is the separation of military and government, and Wen does not lead troops to interfere in politics, what kind of courage is this. In particular, it is even more commendable to slow down the king and not to dominate. It has been more than a year since the formation of the Guangzhou military government, and Deng Zixuan has not been declared emperor, which alone is enough to prove the extraordinaryness of this person. Recently, I realized that in the face of the joint efforts and oppression of foreigners, this person handled it calmly, and it can be seen that this person has the ambition to compete for hegemony in the future. ”

Zuo Zongtang sighed: "Adopting the traditional and customary way of thinking about Deng Zixuan, we have fallen into a stupid blind spot. Past experience is no longer an accurate evaluation of this person, and I have also made the mistake of empiricism. When I think about it, it doesn't make sense to say this now, but I want to say how happy it is to be a soldier under the command of this person. Confucianism's idea of moderation, tolerance is great, etc., this person does not abide by it, and military conquest is his main theme. ”

"As far as the current situation is concerned, the imperial court, including the foreigners, is no longer able to eliminate this new liliang. Deng Zixuan played to his strengths and avoided his weaknesses, not competing with foreigners at sea, but sweeping thousands of troops on land. For more than a year, the foreigners did not dare to land and fight in the coastal areas, which is enough to explain the problem. Deng Zixuan knows the Western countries very well, perhaps he thinks that even if the Western countries are united, they may not be monolithic, which is the reason why he doesn't care and still uses troops on a large scale. ”

Zuo Zongtang sighed: "The Northern Expeditionary Army is on the front line in Wuhan and Nanjing, and it is about to launch an attack at any time. Now it seems that it is just a false shot, which has attracted the attention of the imperial court and foreigners, and its real purpose is Sichuan. After the Sichuan, the entire line of the Yangtze River of the Northern Expeditionary Army formed a trend of echoing from east to west. The key is that after the Northern Expeditionary Army occupies Sichuan, the troops can be expanded nearby, and the country of abundance can be used as a powerful logistics base, and then the troops will go out of the Qinling Mountains and launch troops against Shaanxi and Gansu. This kind of strategic detour may seem slow, but its effect is wonderful. ”

"This move can not only compress the living space of the imperial court, but also cause the collapse of the Yangtze River defense line." Zuo Zongtang returned to the truth and said: "After talking for a long time, it seems that it has nothing to do with our current situation. Actually, no, I'm letting you know about the situation of the Northern Expeditionary Army. At present, the Northern Expeditionary Army far surpasses us in terms of command ability, battlefield supply, and military thinking. Just as the Northern Expeditionary Army adopted a large-scale detour tactic to capture Meishan by surprise on the inaccessible banks of the Yalong River, and then caused the collapse of our entire front, all of them reflected Deng Zixuan's outstanding military thinking. This alone is not difficult to see the ability of the opposing front-line commanders to make decisions in the face of danger. ”

"It can be said that although we are equipped with foreign guns and artillery, our military thinking and combat mode are still stuck in the era of cold weapons. The decision is painful, I, Zuo Zongtang, know that the defeat is decided, for the sake of the so-called wisdom, let tens of thousands of soldiers bathe the battlefield in blood, is it not conducive to lust! "My lord! Do you want to lead the crowd to break through? Cheng Qian's eyes lit up.

"Breakout? Can you break through! You have already thought of the other person! In the last few days, after introspection, it has dawned on me. It's not a pity to die, but I can't let my brothers accompany me to the funeral! Cheng Qian was shocked: "My lord, if you want to martyr the country, this move is absolutely impossible, we are desperate to ensure that you break out!" "What about breaking out, it's better to die tragically than to survive, I decided to fulfill you with death!" Zuo Zongtang said absolutely.

Cheng Qian suddenly knelt on the ground and said: "My lord, this move must not be done, I hope that my lord will change his decision, otherwise I will die in front of you!" Zuo Zongtang stared at Cheng Qian and said slowly: "It's very easy to die, but you have to die well." After my death, the officers and soldiers of the Hunan Army can defect to the Northern Expeditionary Army without hesitation, understand? In addition, I have saved my honor by dying and martyrdom. Brother Cheng, the only trust I have before I die is for you to lead your troops to defect to the Northern Expeditionary Army, so that the military soul of the Hunan Army can continue, please! ”

"Someone!" When the captain of the guard entered, Zuo Zongtang said majestically: "Pass my order, no one is allowed to enter." Cheng Qian was still kneeling on the ground, tears raining down. Zuo Zongtang walked up to Cheng Qian's side and said, "Please leave the aftermath to you!" Then he gently patted Cheng Qian's shoulder and walked straight inside. Adults ・・・・・・. Cheng Qian cried bitterly.

Zuo Zongtang walked into the inner room, and there was a bottle of Heding Red on the table. Zuo Zongtang walked to the table and sighed softly, then grinded, picked up the pen and wrote a letter to his wife and children, and then left a letter to the soldiers of the Hunan army, and Zuihou wrote a letter to Deng Zixuan. After all the things were done, Zuo Zongtang smiled and picked up the crane top red ・・・・・・.

I don't know how long it took, Cheng Qian, who was extremely sad, hurriedly got up and staggered open the door of the inner room, only to see Zuo Zongtang sitting peacefully on the chair, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. There were three letters on the table. Cheng Qian wiped away his tears and wiped the blood from the corners of Zuo Zongtang's mouth with his cuffs. Then he took the letter into his arms and walked out of the room, came to the front hall, and faced all the staff, Cheng Qian's face turned pale and said: "Pass my order, the general army and the generals will go to the governor's palace for a meeting as soon as possible." ”

"What? Zuo Zongtang committed suicide, it won't be a delaying tactic! He Meng rushed to the headquarters and was surprised to hear the news. No, the front-line troops reported that the Huai army had withdrawn its troops from the outer defense line. At present, Cheng Qian, the commander-in-chief of the Huai Army in Chengdu, made it clear that he would follow Zuo Zongtang's last wishes, and he asked the liaison person to forward a letter from the commander-in-chief, and I had sent someone to send it to Guangzhou as soon as possible. Cheng Qian had only one request, to bury Zuo Zongtang ceremoniously, and I agreed to his request.

There is no need to state the takeover of Chengdu, and three days later a solemn funeral was held. At the same time, Deng Zixuan received a letter from Zuo Zongtang to him in Guangzhou, and was shocked to learn that Zuo Zongtang ordered all the Hunan troops in Chengdu to surrender and commit suicide. In his letter, Zuo Zongtang naturally paid attention to national affairs, and focused on explaining the philosophy that forgetting to fight will lead to death, but blindly being proficient in military force will cause civil strife. He also warned Deng Zixuan on how to make military and political profits in the future. Deng Zixuan was a little sad with his confidence, and a generation of Mingchen was so dissipated. Before he died, he was still paying attention to the vast land of China and all living beings, and this noble personality was amazing.

Pei Gejin also had mixed tastes next to him, although he was a hostile party, Zuo Zongtang's noble personality really made him admire. "Set up a mourning hall immediately, and I will personally worship Zuo Zongtang." Deng Zixuan commanded. Two hours later, the mourning hall was arranged in a large hall of the military government, with black cloth and white flowers solemn, and a wooden plaque in the middle set up a spiritual seat, on which Zuo Zongtang's name was written, and a wreath was placed around.

Deng Zixuan, Pei Gejin and others wore small white flowers on their chests to welcome the arrival of Zhang Zhidong and other government officials. It can be seen that Zuo Zongtang has a high reputation, and everyone is very sad. Deng Zixuan led the crowd to bow three times to Zuo Zongtang's spiritual position, and then Deng Zixuan delivered a eulogy: "Although Zuo Zongtang is in the hostile camp, he is still a great figure. His life is remarkable, and he is a national hero ・・・・・・. ”

After the Northern Expeditionary Army occupied the entire territory of Sichuan, it began to reorganize the Hunan Army and the Green Battalion, and at the same time expanded the troops. After the troops took control of the Qinling Mountains, the military operation came to an end for the time being. After the French army was stubbornly intercepted on the Liangshan line in Annam, and Sichuan was occupied, the French army also stopped the offensive.