It was the third day since Long Qian left the town of Cao Kun to receive the news that Maoyang Town had been attacked and the guards were all wiped out. A lightly wounded number, accompanied by the villagers, quickly found the brigade.

The delivery of the message was very inconvenient, but this belated news made Cao Kun completely crazy.

By this time, Cao Kun's elaborate ambush in the Nameless Valley had been victorious. The bandits did not expect Cao Zhen's guard, and the brigade broke through from the eastern foot of Mengshan Mountain, but soon fell into the ambush circle carefully arranged by Cao Kun, and the confirmed news was that Liu Yucai and Nong Mengfu, the leaders of the Mengshan bandits, were killed, and their bodies have been confirmed. The rest of the important bandit leaders are being screened. The Mengshan bandits' nest has been destroyed, and the bandits have won a complete victory.

But he was copied by a large number of bandits! This unfortunate news diluted the joy in Cao Kun's heart, and he immediately sent a cavalry team and an infantry team back to Maoyang Town, hoping to capture and destroy the cunning and daring bandits.

The intelligence said that the bandits came from the calf, but Cao Kun did not believe it at all. He concluded that this group of bandits was the broken force that caused heavy damage to Ma Jianxun in the stubborn resistance of Tianmen.

If the Sun Dewang brothers are also in this army, it will be troublesome! In that case, his campaign against bandits would be in danger of failure, and Lord Yuan would not only not reward himself, but would also severely punish himself.

After the reinforcements departed, Cao Kun continued to command the officers and troops to continue to clean up the battlefield and find the whereabouts of the Sun Dewang brothers. According to preliminary statistics, the number of captured thieves has exceeded 600, and the number of killed is no less than that.

Cao Kun, who was in charge of the front line, was skeptical of the judgment just now, and it was impossible for Sun Dewang to leave the brigade and leave the broken back. This judgment made Cao Kun happy again.

There is no news from Maoyang Town, Sun Dewang has been captured here, and Sun Dewang's two women have been captured at the same time, these guys are hiding in a shallow cave with a large number of gold, silver and jade, and have not escaped the meticulous search of the official army. The bodies of the other two bandit leaders on the list, Sun Deming and Zhou Huanan, were also found and confirmed.

Sun Dewang's capture marked the annihilation of the Mengshan bandits who had been plagued by Shandong for more than ten years. Cao Kun urgently interrogated Sun Dewang and asked him if the strength of the bandit brigade was only two broken infantry units, two or three hundred people, and the commander was Cai Chengxi and Long Qian.

This side thoroughly cleans the battlefield and searches for fish that have slipped through the net. Waiting for the news of the reinforcements, another day passed, the cavalry quickly returned, the officer of Li Fu had been killed, the bandits left the wounded and did not move, and took more than 100 brothers such as the officer of the Liang team to the south, and also entered Pingyi, but there was no harm to the people, but the valuable things of the church were taken away. Villagers in Pingyi confirmed that the bandits had gone southeast.

This news cast a shadow over Cao Kun's heart. He tore up the military report to Yuan Shikai that had been drafted, and decided to return to Maoyang Town with his troops first.

Fraud was one of the eighteen felonies in the military laws set by Lord Yuan, but Cao Kun had already thought of countermeasures on the way back to Maoyang Town, and decided to downplay the matter as little as possible. Concealment is an iron law that has been passed in the Qing Dynasty officialdom for a hundred years, and Cao Kun certainly did not want to violate it. With Sun Dewang in hand, the heads of the remaining four big bandit leaders and more than 600 captives and more than 400 heads, the credit was enough to cover up the defeat of Maoyang Town.

What's more, the bandits who attacked Maoyang Town may fall into the hands of Lan Muguang and Lan General Soldiers. According to the villagers of Pingyi Village, the gang of bandits numbered about 100 people, and the captured officers and soldiers went southeast with the captured military funds, and they might crash into the net of the general soldiers.

Lan Muguang also got in touch with him, and the southern front has been very calm, and not a single bandit has been found. Cao Kun once again sent cavalry to support Lan Muguang, and warned that there might be bandits who had slipped through the net to rush over, and asked him to pay attention to interception. But he didn't let the cavalry captain tell Lan Muguang the truth, he thought it was unnecessary.

Cao Kun has been thinking about Maoyang Town. More than 100 people took down Maoyang Town, which was guarded by a baggage team and half a foot team? Although the combat strength of the baggage team is not as good as that of the infantry team, it is not so bad. Ran away with military funds? Damn it! What is hoarded in Maoyang Town is not only guns and ammunition, but also military uniforms ready to be changed and a large amount of military salaries. Well, it's all in the hands of these cunning and daring bandits. There are not many ordnance, that is, more than 100 imitation German-made rifles and a batch of bullets, which can be covered by battlefield consumption, but the military uniforms are in trouble, and the military uniforms are sent from Tianjin, which are summer clothes that are ready to change into winter clothes, how to explain this to Lord Yuan? and his military salary for two months, which is a small 20,000 taels of silver, which is really damned.

Cao Kun cursed in his heart the officers who stayed behind. The unfortunate events in Maoyang Town added variables to this near-perfect anti-bandit operation.

Thinking about it in detail, Cao Kun felt that the attack on Maoyang Town was not something that could be hidden. must truthfully report to Yuan Shikai in Jinan. Of course, if you catch the gang of bandits who slipped through the net, the matter can be put down.

Went southeast, where to go? Back to hug the calf? Are they really holding calves? Cao Kun suddenly found out that holding the calf was a good reason, anyway, someone proved that the gang of robbers was holding the calf, isn't it very good? There are so many bandits in Shandong, who would have expected that another group would suddenly come out? The responsibility is not on his own, and no one told the strongmen who are holding calves nearby.

Urging the rapid cleaning of the battlefield, Cao Kun hurriedly turned back to Maoyang Town.

After Cao Kun had dealt with the battle in Nameless Valley, he left two infantry battalions to guard over more than 700 prisoners, and he ordered Ma Jianxun to temporarily command these two battalions to take the prisoners and captured supplies to Mengyin County to wait for his orders. He took two infantry teams back to Maoyang Town.

When Cao Kun returned to Maoyang, he learned the details of the town's sneak attack from the town's gentry. The bandits took advantage of yesterday's market day to sneak into the town and catch the remaining troops off guard. The bodies of the officers and soldiers who died in battle were examined, and many of them died from knife wounds, which was enough to prove Cao Kun's judgment.

The military funds were basically plundered, and the bandits took not only more than 100 prisoners, but also more than a dozen large carts loaded with plundered military supplies. But to Cao Kun's bewilderment, the gentry in Maoyang Town were not harmed, and their homes were not robbed.

Then they can't go fast, and they have to take the main road. Cao Kun went to Pingyi in person, inquired about the situation that day, and then opened the map and studied for a long time. Cao Kun couldn't eat it through. The mountains in this area are vertical and horizontal, and the ravines are connected, as a guest army, it is indeed not advantageous in terms of geographical advantages, and he is also new to Shandong, and he is very unfamiliar. The map distributed in hand was very sparse, and many key place names were not marked.

After dinner, the cavalry returned to the town and reported that the Lan soldiers had found no sign of the thieves. The gang was completely gone. He could have mobilized more resources, and he knew that other units of the New Army would definitely be transferred to the direction of Yizhou, and he could unite with friendly forces to conduct searches and clearances on a larger scale. But that's the way it is now, the transmission of military intelligence is always slow and anxious. The methods taught by German instructors were not available on the ground in the Qing Dynasty, such as telegraphs, and it is said that Sheng Xuanhuai began to set up a telegraph network from Beijing to Shanghai and the three towns of Wuhan. The bandits have a geographical advantage, and the officials and troops do not have an advantage in the transmission of information and the speed of action, and Cao Kun has realized that it is extremely unfavorable for him to spread a large number of bandits who have slipped through the net on a larger scale and have caused huge losses to himself.

He immediately dispelled the thought.

Cao Kun decided to withdraw his troops and marched towards Caozhou, his garrison.

Back in Caozhou, Cao Kun had to make a detailed report to Yuan Shikai. He believed that Yuan Shikai had already gotten the news. Of course, it is good news, Mengyin's side will not fail to report the victory, but they are not aware of the fiasco of Maoyang Town.

Cao Kun began to write a report to Lord Yuan in the study of the town guard embassy, which was a bit difficult to write. Originally, it was a great victory, and it was also the first large-scale actual battle after the training of the new army, and it was an indisputable great achievement to plow the court and sweep the holes and capture the bandit leaders. So of course, the tone should be a success. He clearly stated that he had captured Sun Dewang, the big leader of the Mengshan bandits, and beheaded Liu Yucai, the second leader, Sun Deming, the third leader, Zhou Huanan, the fourth leader, and Nong Mengfu, the fifth leader. More than 700 bandits were captured. According to general military common sense, this gang of bandits who have been causing trouble in the place for many years has been exterminated! Isn't that a big win?

But what about the losses of troops? In particular, the engineer team left behind in Maoyang Town was completely wiped out, and a large number of military funds were lost, how to write it? The loss of food and grass is not Cao Kun's biggest headache, the most troublesome thing is that the loss of the troops is too great! Although Lord Yuan's troops expanded rapidly after entering Shandong, the troops recruited at least tens of thousands of people in Dezhou, Qingzhou, and Jinan, and the left and right flanks have now officially formed an army, and their strength has increased greatly. However, the problem is that due to the large number of recruits and the lack of necessary training, the actual combat effectiveness of the troops has declined. There are more than forty percent of the recruits in this standard with him, otherwise he would not have suffered such heavy casualties.

Regarding the list of fallen officers and soldiers, Cao Kun went through them one by one, and half of them were old people from the small station, which made Cao Kun very sad. He could imagine Yuan Shikai's sadness and anger. What to do?

Until the evening, Cao Kun did not write this letter. At this time, his new staff, Zheng Du, a native of Caozhou, came to urge him to drive and invite Cao Kun to the banquet. Cao Kun really didn't have the heart to go to this banquet. When the Caozhou Mansion heard that the official army annihilated the Mengshan thieves in one fell swoop, it was overjoyed, and the Chamber of Commerce came forward to invite Lord Cao and officials at all levels to eat and celebrate their achievements in Muxian Building, the largest restaurant in the city. Cao Kun initially agreed, but now his mood has darkened, and his joy at killing and capturing the main leader of the Mengshan bandits has been diluted by the severe casualties that exceeded expectations.

Zheng Du glanced at the manuscript on the table, "Lord Cao! Are you reporting the results to Lord Yuan? ”

Zheng Du, who was born in a person, was recommended to him by Xu Shichang when he was about to come to Caozhou to take up his post. As for how this Zheng Du and Lord Xu got acquainted, Cao Kun is not very clear. Xu Shichang recommended this person because he took over Caozhou and needed a staff member who was more familiar with Caozhou.

For Xu Shichang's recommendation, of course, he can't refuse. Xu Shichang was the chief of staff of Lord Yuan during the small station period, and the copywriter Tang Shaoyi was the two courages of Lord Yuan. During this time, he had a good impression of Zheng Du, this is an interesting scholar, which has relieved him a lot of loneliness.

"Forgive the arrogance of the students, this manuscript does not need to be bothered by adults. Give late students a day and make sure to come up with a manuscript that satisfies adults. After speaking, he dragged Cao Kun to the restaurant for a banquet.

Sure enough, Zheng Du took out a report to Yuan Shikai the next day. This manuscript Zheng Du wrote brilliantly: how to consider the danger of Mengshan, take the sound of the west to attack the east, and force the bandits to abandon the natural danger of Mengshan; how to carefully arrange an ambush circle in the Nameless Valley; how to command in battle, calm and composed; How to wave the army and fight hard, kill the four major bandit leaders of Liu, Sun, Zhou, and Meng in one fell swoop and capture the big bandit leader Sun Dewang alive __The report is vividly written, and the demeanor of a general who takes the lead and commands is determined jumps on the paper.

Regarding the attack on Maoyang Town, Zheng Du brushed it off, only saying that a small number of bandits who fled from Baoqinggu to Maoyang Town took advantage of the opportunity of the local market to sneak into Maoyang Town and attack the baggage team stationed in the town, looting part of the clothing and all the military salaries.

As far as the full text is concerned, the loss of Maoyang Town was nothing more than an accident. It's not even a flaw. Yes, the mountains and ravines in central and southern Lu, and bandits everywhere are not the fault of the new army, but the incompetence of the government. But Zheng Du also skillfully asked for credit for Lan Muguang, saying that it was precisely because of the iron bucket formation deployed by General Lan in Shannan that the bandit army was forced to flee eastward and fall into Cao Kun's trap.

"The sedan chair carries people, so that Mr. Lan won't be in trouble with adults." Zheng Du explained.

"Well written. Sure enough, it's a great talent. Cao Kun closed the fold with satisfaction, "You will have a great future." He patted Zheng Du on the shoulder as if he were his own subordinates.

Cao Kun, whose name is Zhongshan, is a native of Dagu, Tianjin, born in a family of shipbuilders, three lines, practiced martial arts for a few days, sold cloth for four years, and joined the Huai Army for a livelihood at the age of 20, and has since embarked on his military career. This person has big ears and a blessed face, leaving a simple impression on his boss. After Cao Kun joined the Huai Army, he became the righteous son of Zheng Qian, the commander of the Huai Army, and with this relationship, he entered the Tianjin Military Academy run by Li Hongzhang in 1885, and since then he has entered the ranks of military officers. He was thirty-eight years old when he entered Shandong, because of the sudden illness of the target commander, he failed to come with the army, Yuan Shikai ordered Cao Kun to be the guard of Caozhou Town, which is equivalent to the commander of the southwest Lu garrison, and at the same time acting as the standard commander......

Cao Kun signed the report with his name, personally sealed the fire paint, and asked the fast horse to send it to the Jinan Mansion.

"Lord Cao, I think you should personally take Sun Dewang to Jinan." Zheng Du suggested.

"Well, that's what you said." It's a must. Of course, Cao Kun wanted to go to Jinan to meet Yuan Shikai in person. He had to take Sun Dewang and the captives, and Sun Dewang's many gold, silver and jewels of good condition had to be presented to the freshly baked governor of Shandong. Following Yuan Weiting for many years, Cao Kun knew the nature of Lord Yuan, and capturing Sun Dewang to exterminate the Mengshan thieves was enough for Yuan Shikai to explain to the imperial court. The secret of being an official is to make his boss happy, and as for the loss of 100 soldiers, more than 10,000 taels of military salaries and thousands of sets of military uniforms, it is not a big deal. But the posture must be lowered, and credit must not be invited.