Chapter 168: Zhang Shushan died and fell to Shuwan

Li Hongzhang received the order and urgently consulted Zeng Guofan: My teacher is like a meeting, Lai and Ren are raging in eastern Hubei, the war is urgent, and there is no room for delay. Hongzhangyi, surrounded on three sides, blocking the river and Han in the south, cage the mountains and wilderness, and drive the thieves into the well to destroy it. In order to achieve this purpose, Hongzhang lists five paragraphs, please ask my master to correct it; If there are any deficiencies, please ask our division to supervise the implementation of the nearest department.

1. On the North Road, Li Zhaoqing's troops were stationed in Runing and Xinyang to prevent thieves from going north.

Second, on the West Road, Bao Chunting and Song Qing were stationed in Xiangyang and Zaoyang, and the thieves broke through into Shaanxi from the northwest; Jiang Changgui and Zuo Guangpei were deployed along the Han River to prevent thieves from swimming into Sichuan.

Third, on the east road, Anhui Fu Yinghan and the general soldier Zhang Desheng led the Anhui army to garrison Lu'an and Huoshan, and drove the thieves east into Anhui.

Fourth, the south road, the former governor of Huguang Guanwen garrisoned Wuchang, and Peng Yulin, the right attendant of the military department, guarded Huangzhou to prevent thieves from crossing the river and invading the lake and committing Hunan.

Fifth, the Nine Marshals supervised Liu Mingchuan, Guo Songlin, Peng Yucheng, Liu Bingzhang, Zhou Shengbo, Zhang Shushan and other guerrilla divisions, and attacked together, punishing the thieves in the deep mountains and rivers.

Zeng Guofan received the consultation, with Bao Chao's bravery and good fighting, there is no one in the world who can resist, and the urgent Ting army is stationed in Yu not to move, to prevent Lai from twisting back into Shaanxi.

In late December 1866, Lai Wenguang and Ren Zhu re-entered eastern Hubei and fell into the city all the way, as if they were in a no-man's land.

Zeng Guoquan, the governor of Hubei, did not dare to defend Nanyang, so he hurriedly joined the two armies of Guo Songlin and Peng Yucheng and stationed in De'an Mansion to intercept them.

Zeng Guoquan said: Second brother Guo Peng, can you have a good strategy to defend against the enemy?

Guo Songlin and Peng Yucheng both said: Qiyu Nine Shuai, meet on a narrow road, but die and fight!

Zeng Guoquan said: This group of rebels can fight with Liu Songshan, Zhang Shiri, Song Qing, Ding Baozhen and the armies of Ming, Ding, Sheng, and Shu for more than a year. And being able to besiege and kill the monk's mansion is by no means an ordinary army, and the second brother can't take it lightly. Wait for Ming, Sheng, Tree, and Thunder to come, and work together to encircle and punish.

Guo Songlin said: The monk king has traveled thousands of miles, and the battle has become a stalemate for a long time; Ming, Ding, Sheng, and Shu are all guest troops, and the master does not press the guest, and the Huai people do not do their best. Don't worry, don't worry, and watch Guo go out to fight and kill the head of the dog.

Zeng Guoquan said: Liu Songshan and Zhang Shiri have been chasing the enemy and have never been defeated; I immediately went out to fight in person to find out the combat power of Lai.

Zeng Guoquan said, that is, with Guo and Peng's second army, went out of the city to line up.

Lai Wenguang did not entangle, and walked with one touch, crossing Huangpi and Huanggang, and going straight to Wuchang. Zeng Guoquan urgently ordered Guo and Peng to return to the provincial capital. Seeing this, Lai Wenguang suddenly turned back to the west and conquered Yunmeng and Yingcheng in one fell swoop.

Lai Wenguang waited for the kings to finish looting, ate and drank enough, and said: There is a blockade in front, there are chasing soldiers in the back, the Han River in the west, and the Yangtze River in the south, where is the army going?

Li Yuntai, King of Wei, said: The two provinces of Yulu have been fighting for many years, starving all over the wilderness, and it is difficult to find food; The land of Sichuan and Shu, a flat river, a thousand miles of fertile fields, can become a great cause.

King Tang Rirong said: The difficulty of the Shu Road, it is difficult to go to the blue sky, I have many horse teams, it is very difficult to enter Shu, and the front car of the Wing King, I should take it as a lesson.

Lai Wenguang said: After Guo Songlin and Peng Yucheng looked at me, Bao Chao, Liu Mingchuan, Pan Dingxin, and Zhang Shushan came one after another, and it was impossible to go north; The south is the Yangtze River, the water is turbulent, I lack a water master, and it is very difficult to swim across; The mountains in the east stretch out, and the demon chokes the fortified city, which is even more unexpected; However, the Han River in the west, the water flow is slow, you can find the ferry and the narrow place on the water surface, build a bridge and fly across, the army drives westward, advances into Sichuan and Shu, takes the land of Tianfu, and rebuilds the country of Tianfu.

King Lu Ren Zhu said: It is not important to go west, cross to the south, and go north to Gu, if we don't work together to completely kill the demons, everywhere is dangerous!

Lai Wenguang said: Brother Lu is reasonable, we must choose a critical pass, completely encircle and annihilate the Guo and Peng demon armies, and sweep away the trouble of westward expansion.

Ren Zhudao: What's so difficult about this, follow the king to quickly choose a place to set up an ambush, and I will immediately engage Guo Demon and lure him into the urn.

Lai Wenguang said: Brother Lu remember, soldiers, treacherous! Guo Songlin and Peng Yucheng have been on the battlefield for a long time, carving insects and small skills, it is very difficult to deceive, and they must fight hard, and they will be defeated miserably before they can lead their noses

At the beginning of January 1867, Guo Songlin and Peng Yucheng fought for five days to recover Yingcheng and Yunmeng; and defeated Ren Zhu in Fuhe and Yang Ze.

Ren Zhu occupied and retreated to Jiukou Town, Jingshan County, Guo Songlin did not know that there was a deception, led the army into the light, and was defeated in the middle of the ambush, losing more than 300 people under the general Zhang Fengming, deputy general Zhong Guangdou, and guerrilla Yang Juefa.

Peng Yucheng was furious, and personally led 2,000 elites to attack Lai Wenguang's Chinese army camp at night. Chen Huaibang didn't have time to escape, so he knelt down with his troops.

Guo Songlin entered the mouth of the Taikou, personally interrogated Chen Huaibang, and knew the strategy of the westward encirclement and killing of the Twist Army, and liked to say that Peng Yucheng said: Lai bandits are confined between Jiang and Han, and they are at the end of the road; Brother Peng attacked at night, scattered in an instant, and was already a frightened bird. Without further ado, I immediately took advantage of the victory to pursue, and Brother Peng quickly went to the mouth of the river to set up an ambush to prevent the thieves from advancing westward.

Guo Songlin said, led 6,000 Xiangyong, overwhelming the world, and went straight to Luojiaji. Halfway through, I suddenly heard three cannon shots, and all the units of the army were whining and whining, and they were coming from all directions.

Guo Songlin was fearless, and the soldiers were divided into three ways to meet the battle; However, the twisted military horses are wrapped in steps, and the more they gather, the thicker they become. After a fierce battle for half a day, the Hunan army was the first to collapse on the left, and the commanders Cao Renmei and Xie Liansheng were killed in battle. Guo Songlin's Chinese army was also surrounded; The battle lasted until midnight, and the deputy general Guo Fangzhi was killed, Guo Songlin suffered seven wounds, his left foot was broken, he couldn't walk, and was captured alive; The twist soldiers didn't know Guo Nai's main general, so they abandoned the roadside.

When Peng Yucheng heard the news, he desperately came to help, and saved the remnants of Guo's army.

Luo Jiaji won a big victory, Lai Wenguang breathed a long sigh, and then from between Zhongxiang and Jiukou, looking for a boat to build a raft to cross the Han River; He also ordered Ren Zhu, Tang Rirong and others to besiege Peng Yu's orange department and eliminate future troubles.

Peng Yucheng was not chaotic in the face of danger, and first bombarded with mountain splitting guns, foreign guns, and carrying guns in turn; Ren Zhu and Tang Rirong Humvee were defeated by guns and fell to the ground one after another. Peng Yucheng attacked with a horse team, Ren and Tang were defeated, and they fled. Lai Wenguang couldn't find a boat, and he couldn't make a raft, so he had to return to De'an.

Peng Yucheng wanted to chase after him, but Zeng Guoquan did not allow it, so he hurriedly rushed to help the armies of Mingming, Sheng, and Shu.

The news of the defeat of the Songzi camp reached Xuzhou, and Li Hongzhang said: Lai, any share, that is, fierce and soaring, should not be taken lightly.

Pan Dingxin said: Qi Li Shuai, Liu Mingchuan's Ming Army, its momentum is arrogant, and there should be no worries. Sheng and Shu two armies, we can neither order, nor do we obey orders, I am worried about the son.

Li Hongzhang said: Soldiers, if they are not careful, they are easy to die. Quickly pass on my order, Sheng and Shu two armies, do not move lightly, and must join the Ming army.

However, before Li Hongzhang's military order arrived, Zhou Shengbo and Zhang Shushan's two armies had chased to Hujiadian in De'an, and fought fiercely, killing more than 1,000 soldiers.

Lai Wenguang, Ren Zhu and others revisited the old road and galloped back to exhaust the enemy.

Zhou Shengbo said: In the past, thieves met our army, and they avoided it. Now in the territory of Hubei, he has won all the battles, but he dares to go straight forward to duel, and he must be punished.

Zhang Shushan said: What Brother Zhou said is extremely true, tomorrow the army will fight again and eliminate the bandits! Brother Zhou rested for a while, and I immediately led the tree army to investigate the thieves.

Zhou Shengbo said: Brother Zhang is strong in governing the army, fierce in battle, and often a military striker, but this group of rebels is extraordinary, brother is careful in everything, retreat when the enemy is encountered, and do not fight lightly.

The next day, Zhang Shushan led the army and pursued it again.

Adjutant General Wang Xiaochu said: The thieves are fierce and numerous, and they should not be taken lightly; Let's wait for the Sheng Army.

Zhang Shushan angrily reprimanded: You are afraid of the enemy like a tiger! I went forward to look for the enemy, and you led the main army, and followed closely behind.

Zhang Shushan was afraid that the Twist Army would escape, and the 200 personal soldiers of the Twist Commander rushed forward wildly, chased to the Fallen Tree Bay, and was surrounded by the Twist Army again. Zhang Shushan fought hard and did not retreat, fighting until the night, and Ma Li did not leave the corpse; Shushan dismounted and fought again, and was executed by exhaustion.

Guo Songlin and Zhang Shushan were defeated in a row, Zeng Guoquan sighed and said: Zimei was frustrated in the front, Haike was killed in the back, both of them were strong generals, and they knew the tricks of the thieves. In the midst of the bravery, the armies still imply stability and prudence, and they can plan everything.