Mengshan Army

Cao Kun received the news that Maoyang Town was attacked and the guards were wiped out. It was already the third day since Long Qian left the town.Accompanied by villagers, a lightly wounded number quickly found the brigade.

It was very inconvenient to transmit the news, but this late news made Cao Kun go crazy.

At this time, Cao Kun's well-designed ambush in the Unknown Valley has won a complete victory.As expected, the bandits did not meet the expectations of the envoy Cao Zhen. The brigade broke through from the eastern foot of Mengshan Mountain, but soon fell into the ambush circle carefully arranged by Cao Kun. According to confirmed news, the bandit leaders Liu Yucai and Nong Mengfu of Mengshan Mountain were shot dead. be confirmed.The rest of the important bandit leaders are being identified.The Mengshan bandit nest has been destroyed, and the bandit suppression has won a complete victory.

But he was copied by a large group of bandits!This unlucky news dilutes the joy in Cao Kun's heart. He immediately sent a cavalry team and an infantry team back to Maoyang Town, hoping to catch and destroy the cunning and daring gangster.

The intelligence said that the bandits came from Baodugu, but Cao Kun didn't believe it at all.He concluded that this group of bandits was the rear-end force that stubbornly resisted at Tianmen and caused heavy damage to Ma Jianxun's camp.

If Brother Sun Dewang is also in this army, it will be troublesome!In that case, his campaign to suppress the bandits would be in danger of failure, and Master Yuan would not only not reward him, but would severely punish him.

After the reinforcements set off, Cao Kun continued to command various officers and troops to continue to clean up the battlefield and find out the whereabouts of the Sun Dewang brothers.Preliminary statistics show that more than 600 bandits have been captured, and no less than that number have been killed. Obviously, the bandits in the encirclement net are the main force of Mengshan bandits.

Cao Kun, who came to the front-line command in person, became suspicious of the judgment just now. It is impossible for Sun Dewang to leave the brigade and stay behind.This judgment made Cao Kun happy again.

There is no news from Maoyang Town. Sun Dewang has been captured alive here. At the same time, two of Sun Dewang's women were also captured. These guys hid in a shallow cave with a large number of gold, silver and jade objects, and they did not escape. The officers and soldiers searched carefully.The bodies of the other two well-known bandit leaders Sun Deming and Zhou Huanan were also found and confirmed.

Sun Dewang's capture marked that the Mengshan bandits who had been a disaster in Shandong for more than ten years had been wiped out.Cao Kun urgently interrogated Sun Dewang, and asked clearly that the strength of the bandit brigade was only two dilapidated infantry, about 300 people. One commander was Cai Chengxi and the other was Long Qian.

This side thoroughly cleans the battlefield and searches for fish that slip through the net.Waiting for the news of the reinforcements, another day later, the cavalry returned quickly, and the officer of Li Fu was killed. Entering Pingyi, but did not harm the people, but took away all the valuables from the church.Villagers in Pingyi Village confirmed that the bandits went southeast.

This news cast a shadow over Cao Kun's mind.He tore up the drafted military newspaper for Yuan Shikai, and decided to lead his troops back to Maoyang Town.

Fraudulent claim is one of the eighteen felonies in the military law stipulated by Master Yuan, but Cao Kun had already figured out a countermeasure on the way back to Maoyang Town, and decided to downplay the matter as little as possible.Keeping the truth from the truth is an iron law that has prevailed in the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty for hundreds of years, and Cao Kun certainly didn't want to violate it.With Sun Dewang in hand, the heads of the other four big bandit leaders and more than [-] heads of more than [-] prisoners, the credit is enough to cover up the failure of Maoyang Town.

What's more, the gangsters who attacked Maoyang Town may fall into the hands of Lan Muguang Lan Zongbing.According to the villagers of Pingyizhai, there were about a hundred bandits in that group, and the officers and soldiers escorting the captives headed southeast with the captured military supplies, and they might fall into Mr. Lan's net.

Lan Muguang also got in touch with them. The southern line has been very calm, and no bandits have been found.Cao Kun once again sent cavalry to support Lan Muguang, and warned that there might be bandits who slipped through the net and rushed over there, so that he could pay attention to intercept them.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 a hundred people took down Maoyang Town, which was guarded by a train team and half an infantry?Although the combat power of the supply team is not as good as that of the infantry, it is not so bad.Run away with military funds?damn it!It is not only firearms and ammunition hoarded in Maoyang Town, but also military uniforms and a large amount of military pay that are ready to be changed.Well now, it's all in the hands of these cunning and daring bandits.There are not many armaments, that is, more than a hundred imitation German-made rifles and a batch of bullets, which can be covered by battlefield consumption, but the military uniforms are troublesome. Those military uniforms were sent from Tianjin. They are summer clothes to replace winter clothes. How to explain this to Master Yuan?And his two-month military salary, that's 2 taels of silver, damn it.

Cao Kun cursed the remaining officers in his heart.The unfortunate incident in Maoyang Town added variables to this almost perfect bandit suppression operation.

Thinking about it in detail, Cao Kun felt that the attack on Maoyang Town could not be concealed.Yuan Shikai in Jinan must be truthfully reported.Of course, if the gangsters who slipped through the net are caught, this matter can be put down.

Going southeast, where are you going?Hug Dugu back?Are they really here?Cao Kun suddenly discovered that Baodu Gu was a good reason. Anyway, someone proved that the gang of robbers belonged to Baodu Gu. Isn't that great?With so many bandits in Shandong, who would have expected that another group would suddenly appear?The responsibility is not my own, no one told that there is a strongman in Baodugu nearby.

Urging to quickly clean up the battlefield, Cao Kun hurried back to Maoyang Town.

After Cao Kun finished the battle in Wuming Valley, he left two infantry battalions to guard as many as 700 captives. He ordered Ma Jianxun to temporarily command the two battalions to take the prisoners and captured supplies to Mengyin County to wait for his order.He brought two teams back to Maoyang Town.

When Cao Kun returned to Maoyang, he learned the details of the surprise attack on the town from the town's gentry.The gangsters took advantage of yesterday's market, sneaked into the town and beat the remaining troops by surprise.After examining the bodies of the officers and soldiers who died in battle, many of them died of stab wounds, which is enough to prove Cao Kun's judgment.

The military resources were basically looted, and the bandits took away not only more than a hundred prisoners, but also more than a dozen carts containing the looted military resources.But what puzzled Cao Kun was that the gentry in Maoyang Town were not harmed and their homes were not robbed.

Then they can't go fast, and have to take the road.Cao Kun went to Pingyi in person again, asked about the situation that day, then opened the map and studied it for a long time. Maybe these cunning bandits went to Quanlin?Cao Kun couldn't figure it out either.The mountains in this area are criss-crossed and connected by gullies. As a guest army, he really does not have an advantage in terms of geographical advantages. He is also a newcomer to Shandong, and he is very unfamiliar.The map distributed in the hand is very rough, and many key place names are not marked.

After dinner, the cavalry team returned to the town and reported that there was no trace of the thief at Zongbing Lan's side.The group had completely disappeared.He could have mobilized more resources. He knew that other units of the New Army must have been transferred to Yizhou. He could join forces with friendly forces to search and suppress in a larger area.But that's how it is now, the transmission of military information is always slow and worrying.The method taught by the German instructors was not available on the ground in the Qing Dynasty, such as the telegraph. It is said that Master Sheng Xuanhuai began to set up a telegraph network from the capital to Shanghai and the three towns of Wuhan. For the Luzhong mountainous area, the only way to deliver messages is by fast horses.The bandits occupy a favorable location, and the officers and soldiers do not have an advantage in the transmission of news and the speed of action. Moreover, Cao Kun has realized that if a large group of bandits slipped through the net and caused huge losses to himself in a larger area, it would be a huge blow to himself. Extremely unfavorable.

He immediately dismissed the thought just now.

Cao Kun decided to withdraw his troops at this point and marched towards Caozhou, his guarded place.

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

Cao Kun began to write a report to Lord Yuan in the study of the guarding embassy. This report was a bit difficult to write.It was originally a great victory, and it was also the first large-scale actual battle for the new army after training. It is an indisputable great achievement to sweep the caves and capture the bandit leader.So the tune should of course be a victory.He clearly stated that Sun Dewang, the chief leader of Mengshan bandits, had been captured alive, Liu Yucai, the second leader, Sun Deming, the fourth leader, Zhou Huanan, and Nong Mengfu, the fifth leader, had been beheaded.More than [-] bandits were captured alive.According to general military common sense, this group of bandits who have been doing harm to the place for many years have been wiped out!Isn't this a great victory?

But what about the loss of troops?In particular, the engineering team left behind in Maoyang Town was completely annihilated, and a large amount of military resources were lost. How should I write it?The loss of food and grass is not Cao Kun's biggest headache, the most troublesome thing is that the loss of troops is too great!Although Master Yuan's army expanded rapidly after entering Shandong, and recruited at least tens of thousands of troops in Dezhou, Qingzhou, and Jinan, the left and right wings have officially formed an army, and their strength has greatly increased.But the problem is that due to too many recruits and lack of necessary training, the actual combat effectiveness of the troops has declined.There are more than [-]% of the recruits with this standard, otherwise they would not have suffered such heavy casualties.

As for the list of officers and soldiers killed in battle, Cao Kun went through them one by one, and half of them were old people from Xiaozhan, which made Cao Kun very sad.He could imagine Yuan Shikai's sadness and anger.How to do it?

Until the evening, Cao Kun did not finish writing this note.At this time, his new aide, Zheng Du from Caozhou, came to urge him to invite Cao Kun to the banquet.Cao Kun was really not in the mood to go to this banquet.Caozhou Mansion was so happy to hear that the officers and soldiers wiped out the Mengshan bandits in one fell swoop, the chamber of commerce came forward and invited Mr. Cao and officials at all levels to celebrate their success with a drink at Muxianlou, the largest restaurant in the city.Cao Kun agreed at first, but now his mood is gloomy. The joy of killing and capturing the main leader of Mengshan bandits was diluted by the unexpected serious casualties.

Zheng Du glanced at the manuscript on the table, "Master Cao! Are you reporting the results of the battle to Master Yuan?"

Zheng Du, who was born in Juren, was recommended by Xu Shichang when he was about to come to Caozhou to serve.As for how this Zheng Du and Master Xu got acquainted, Cao Kun is not very clear.Xu Shichang recommended this person because he took over Caozhou and needed an aide who was familiar with Caozhou.

Of course, he couldn't refuse Xu Shichang's recommendation.Xu Shichang was Master Yuan's chief of staff when he was in Xiaozhan, and Tang Shaoyi, the copywriter, was Master Yuan's two literary talents.During this period of time, he had a good impression of Zheng Du, he was an interesting scholar, which relieved him a lot of loneliness.

"Forgive me for my arrogance, this manuscript does not require adults to bother. Give the late student 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 produced the report to Yuan Shikai the next day.Zheng Du wrote this manuscript brilliantly: how to consider the dangers of Mount Meng and attack the east from the west to force the bandits to abandon the natural danger of Mount Meng; how to carefully arrange an ambush circle in the Wuming Valley; The army fought hard and killed the four bandit leaders Liu, Sun, Zhou, and Meng in one fell swoop and captured the bandit leader Sun Dewang alive.

Regarding the attack on Maoyang Town, Zheng Du briefly mentioned it, only saying that a few bandits who fled from Baodugu to Maoyang Town took advantage of the opportunity of the local market to sneak into Maoyang Town and attacked the transport team stationed in the town, and looted some clothes. And all the military pay, I was annihilating the bandit army near Mengyin at that time, and my deployment was poor, so I hereby plead guilty to the governor.

As far as the full text is concerned, the loss of Maoyang Town was nothing more than an accident.It doesn't even count as flawless.That's right, the mountains and ravines in central and southern Shandong are full of bandits. This is not the fault of the new army but the incompetence of the government.But Zheng Du also cleverly claimed credit for Lan Muguang, saying that it was precisely because Lan Zongbing deployed the iron barrel array in the south of Shannan that the bandit army fled eastward and fell into Cao Kun's trap.

"People carry people in flower sedan chairs, so that Zongbing Lan won't trouble you with your lord." Zheng Du explained.

"It's well written. You really are a great talent." Cao Kun closed the notebook with satisfaction, "You will have a great future." He patted Zheng Du on the shoulder as if he were his subordinates.

Cao Kun, courtesy name Zhongshan, was born in Dagu, Tianjin. He was born in a family of shipbuilders. He was a three-year-old, practiced martial arts for a few days, and sold cloth for four years. career.This person has big ears and a blessed face, leaving a simple and honest impression on the boss.After joining the Huai Army, Cao Kun became the adopted son of Zheng Qian, the leader of the Huai Army. With this relationship, he entered the Tianjin Armed Forces Academy run by Li Hongzhang in 20, and has since entered the ranks of officers.Followed Yuan Shikai's small station to train troops, and has been a battalion leader (battalion commander). He was 1885 years old when he entered Shandong. Commander of the Southwest Garrison, acting as the agent of Biaotong at the same time...

Cao Kun signed the report with his own name, sealed the sealer himself, and sent the report to Jinan Prefecture on a fast horse.

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

"Well, you said so." This is necessary.Of course Cao Kun was going to Jinan to meet Yuan Shikai.He wanted to bring Sun Dewang and the captives with him. Of course, Sun Dewang had a lot of gold, silver and jewels of good quality to present to the freshly baked governor of Shandong.After following Yuan Weiting for many years, Cao Kun knew Master Yuan's real surname well, capturing Sun Dewang and exterminating the Mengshan bandits was enough for Yuan Shikai to confess to the court.The secret of being an official is to make your superiors happy. As for the loss of a hundred soldiers, more than ten thousand liang of military pay and thousands of sets of military uniforms, it is not a big deal.But the posture must be lowered, and credit must not be taken.