scourge the qing dynasty

Chapter 323
The composition of the Southern Expedition Army of the Qing Army led by Yue Le is as follows: Commander Dingyuan Pingkou General An Prince Yue Le, Deputy Commander Jiangxi Governor Dingyuan Deputy General Dong Weiguo, the main generals are Annan General Hua Shan, Pingni General Bi Liketu , General Anyuan Shangshan, General Dingnan Baylor Dong'e, General Muzhan Zhengnan, General Laita Jingnan, General Liu Xingzhong Zhengni, General Wu Dan Xuanyi, General Foniyu General Zhenwu, etc., and Pan Di More than a dozen Mongolian Taiji, including Chahun, Ezier, Durbert, Ombu, Zashbatur, and Norbubandi, led the Mongolian cavalry from the headquarters to march south with the army.

In addition, Tu Hai, a former university scholar who had committed crimes and meritorious service, was appointed Minister of the Ministry of War and governor of Jiangsu, and he also went out with the army, but Kang Mazi and Yue Le were already frightened by Tu Hai's character of running away, so the uncle and nephew agreed not to give any Tuhai's slight military power is only for him to advise the military to formulate strategies and tactics, and to use his cunning, suspicious, cunning and vicious expertise to fight against Fatty Lu, who is notorious for his scheming.

The above lineup seems brilliant, there are several princes Baylor of Qing Qing alone, there are also many famous generals, and the number of troops led by them is also quite large. It also included more than 12 Mongolian cavalry, which were quite powerful and basically the last possessions that Kang Mazi could come up with.However, to use such an army to restore Jiangnan and eradicate Fatty Lu, the biggest scourge of the Qing Dynasty, to be honest, Kang Mazi was not very confident, and the commander of this army, Yue Le, was even less confident.

In fact, Yue Le took the job bravely, because Yue Le knew very well that this army seemed to be large in number, and the generals were quite capable, but the quality of the soldiers was by no means comparable to that of the Southern Expedition Army led by Oboi back then. up. Eighty percent of the more than 7 Han soldiers are new conscripts who have only undergone military training of varying lengths for a few months. They are seriously lacking in battlefield experience and have never seen blood; the remaining 20.00% are mostly from Zhili Shandong. The Green Battalion is considered a second-line army. Its combat effectiveness is the same as that of the Qing army in Zhejiang, which was completely abused by the fat army. It is far behind the elite of the Southwest.

The nearly [-] Mongolian cavalry are relatively elite, and they are quite proficient in horseback riding and shooting, but the problem is that the combat effectiveness of the Mongolian cavalry who once swept half the world has already degenerated to a horrible level, with backward tactics, lack of experience, and internal friction It is extremely serious. Even the former Ming army during the Chongzhen period could learn from them from time to time and earn military exploits. Over the years, the former Qing court has been using Lamaism to limit population growth. Only one son in a family can marry and have children. , all the other monks became lamas, and the quality of the soldiers was once again weakened. Yue Le didn't dare to have much expectation if he could entrust them with important tasks--Yue Le dared to count on these pampered and spoiled Mongolian only sons to fight bloody battles with the fat army ?Don't be kidding, people still have parents, wives and children to support!
What's even worse is the Mite Prefecture Army, the core backbone of this army. In order to quell the San Francisco rebellion, Kang Mazi had recruited troops from Liaodong several times before, recruiting soldiers. The reason why more than 3 Mizhou troops were able to form again this time was entirely because Kang Mazi relaxed the recruitment requirements. Some troops.Yue Le naturally dare not even imagine what will happen to the army formed in this way when it encounters the fat man army who has experienced many battles and is armed to the teeth.

The quality of the soldiers is so appalling, Yue Le, who has fought many times with the old traitor Wu and Fatty Lu, naturally does not want to be the coach of the Southern Expedition, and come to the south of the Yangtze River to make a fool of himself and ruin his reputation for a lifetime, but the problem is that Kang Mazi has made up his mind this time, If Yue Le doesn't take up this job, then Kang Mazi will have to go on the expedition himself!In order for the 12 innocent soldiers of the Qing Dynasty not to die unjustly, and for the country that Grandpa Wild Boar Skin and Uncle Huang Stewed Chicken managed to conquer so hard that they would not be ruined, Yue Le had no choice but to bite the bullet and take over the hard work, Like a duck on the shelves, he took this hopeless army to the south.

By the way, because Yue Le didn't have much hope, before leaving, he had left a suicide note for his wife and children, and was ready to die for the mite.

On November 13, 26th year of Kang Mazi, the third day after the departure of the Southern Expedition Army, the Mongolian mite army led by Yue Le arrived in Baoding and joined forces with General Yangwei, the Zhili Green Battalion stationed here. The scale has reached more than 4 people, and more than [-] newly recruited green battalion soldiers are still in Shandong, waiting for Yue Le's main army to go south to join forces.It was also in the afternoon of the same day, in the Chinese army tent outside Baoding City, that Yue Le summoned the main generals of the Southern Expedition for the first time, and held the first military meeting since the expedition to discuss the strategy and tactics of the Southern Expedition.

Shen Shizheng, the eighth son Sai Leng, who is the only grown-up son among Yue Le's [-] sons, entered the back tent and reported that all the generals had arrived, and Yue Le was sitting beside the map sand table with deep brows and deep brows. Only then did Le straighten his clothes and walk into the front tent, where all the generals standing in the front tent rushed to greet Yue Le with a thousand salutes.Yue Le waved his hands and said: "Generals, please stand up and sit down. Today is to discuss the strategy of suppressing the bandits. You are welcome to be more casual."

"Thank you, my lord." All the generals agreed together, got up and sat down in order according to their official positions. Tu Hai and Dong Weiguo sat in the first seats on the left and right sides, and after Yue Le also sat down in the middle, he said: " Dear generals, this king is ordered to march south, lead the army to restore the south of the Yangtze River, and wipe out the bandit chief Lu Yifeng. I also hope that all the generals will work together with this king to offer more good strategies, share the joys and sorrows with the soldiers, and fight against the bandits together. , I will live up to the trust of the people, and you generals still need to keep this in mind.”

"Follow the prince's order." The generals of Mi Qing answered fairly neatly, but several generals were obviously lacking in energy.Yue Le said again: "Okay, let's start, how to fight this Southern Expedition, all generals have good opinions and good strategies, please speak freely, don't be afraid of making mistakes, everyone will help correct them."

"My lord, are you kidding me? What kind of strategy is there to discuss about beating a group of barbarians? Just go straight into Jiangning and kill Lu Yifeng's barbarian?" Keerqintai Jibandi laughed, and This Bandi is not only the Inner Minister of the Qing Dynasty, Mongolia Dutong, but also the eldest grandson of the fourth brother Manzhu Xili of the old witch of Xiaozhuang. He has a very honorable status in the treacherous tribe, so naturally he dares to be so presumptuous.

"That's right, that's right, just rush into Jiangning and chop up Lu Yifeng's barbarian, what strategy is there to discuss?" Chahun, Ezier, Duerbert, and Emubu all agreed. Laughing loudly, contempt for Fatty Lu to the extreme.But among the generals of the Qing army present, except for a few generals who had never fought against Wu Jun and Fatty Army, such as Fo Niyu and Amita, all of them were silent, and they sneered at these ignorant treacherous Taiji in their hearts. Again and again.

"I really shouldn't ask these idiot lords to discuss the military situation." Yue Le murmured in his heart, and forced a smile to say: "Mongol lords are right, but this Lu Yifeng dog thief is also different from ordinary rebels. Since the tenth year of Kangxi Since this thief followed the old thief Wu Sangui in his army, he has fought nearly a hundred battles, and has never lost a single battle. Hundreds of thousands of Qing soldiers died in his hands, and many Qing generals, Prince Baylor, were captured or killed by him. There are hundreds of people, and they are also known for their cunning and cunning. They are really a strong enemy of our army, a strong enemy, and you Mongolian princes, please don't underestimate the enemy."

"Prince An, you are too barbaric, and you have destroyed our Qing Dynasty!" Pan Di sneered and said, "When it comes to the counter-insurgency battlefield, I want to see if that Lu Yifeng dog thief has three heads and six arms, isn't he? Invulnerable, can you block the bow and arrow of our Mongolian athletes?"

All the traitors laughed and echoed again, Yue Le swore secretly——we will discuss the military strategy in the future, and say nothing to declare these idiots as traitors!In desperation, Yue Le had no choice but to pretend that he didn't hear the arrogant laughter of the traitors, turned his gaze to Dong Weiguo and Tu Hai on the left and right, and asked, "Dong Zhitai, Mr. Tu, you are all Lu Yifeng!" The dog thief is an old opponent, and he is more familiar with him, tell me, how do we fight this battle?"

Tu Hai was silent and didn't dare to speak - Tu Hai was less optimistic about the Southern Expedition than Yue Le, while Dong Weiguo bit the bullet and said: "Prince An, I'm sorry to be blunt, this battle is not easy to fight. I will go to the green camp today The soldiers took a look and found that the new Green Battalion recruits from Zhili had only undergone a few months of training. Most of them had never been to the battlefield. If it is an unlucky word, if our army in Shandong does the same, then this southern expedition will be more or less ominous."

General Mite Qing Yangwei Dutong Amida raised his face, and was seriously dissatisfied with Dong Weiguo's words - he recruited and trained the recruits in Zhili by himself. What?Over there, Ban Di and the traitor Taiji also yelled, "Master Dong is too cowardly, with our Mongolian cavalry around, what's so bad or bad?"

Yue Le pretended not to see Amida's ugly face, and pretended not to hear the arrogance of the treacherous Taijis, but turned to Tuhai and asked, "Master Tu, what do you think of Dong Zhitai's opinion?" ?”

Tu Hai still refused to speak, and nodded after a long while, expressing that he fully agrees with Dong Weiguo's opinion - pulling such a group of recruits to fight the Fat Army, which is armed to the teeth, isn't it sent to the door for the Fat Army's soldiers to behead their heads to collect military exploits? ?
"If the first opponent of this army is not Lu Yifeng's dog thief, maybe there is still hope to train a strong army." Mu Zhan, who was once regarded by Oboi as a future general, said hoarsely: " But it's the first time I've run into Lu Yifeng's dog thief... I'm afraid I'll never have this chance."

"Whether the soldiers are elite or not, we can still try to solve it and find a way to make up for it." Laita said listlessly: "The gap in firearms, then there is no way to make up for it. The general now recalls the time on the Anshun battlefield. Recalling the scene where our 3-odd Qing cavalry was completely blown up by Wugou rockets in a short while, I will be completely desperate at the end of the day."

Yue Le, Tu Hai, and Mu Zhan stopped talking. The three of them had witnessed and experienced the Sanhao rockets in the first battle back then. Like Laita, Le and others are completely desperate!There is also Baylor Shangshan, although he did not participate in the battle of Anshun, he has also seen the terrifying power of Miyoshi rockets on the battlefields of Sichuan and Jingzhou. Shan already had only one thought left, "Can I go back to the capital alive?"

Fatty Lu's old friends such as Yue Le and Tu Hai were all silent and desperate, while the traitorous Taiji headed by Bandi over there was spitting, constantly boasting about the archery and archery of the traitorous cavalry under his command, and trying to belittle his subordinates. The Fatty Army team, who had never met before, expressed impassionedly that their iron cavalry would be able to crush Nanjing and chop up all the Fatty Bandits. They even started discussing whether to put Fatty Lu in sacks after they were captured. Stamped to death with three hundred war horses, or sliced ​​fat Lu Fatty with a willow-leaf knife?

After finally waiting for the gang of treacherous Taijis to say enough, their voice became hoarse, and Yue Le, who was almost unable to bear it any longer, quickly seized the opportunity and said, "Okay, I'll be here first today. All Mongolian princes, Governor of Zhili We are holding a banquet in Baoding City to clean up the dust for us. Xiao Wang feels a little unwell today and wants to wait a while before going to the banquet. You princes can go first, and all generals should go too. Tu Hai, Mu Zhan, Dong Weiguo, Laita and Shang Beile stayed, and I still have some military affairs to explain."

Such a good thing as drinking, eating meat, listening to operas and watching beautiful women, Bandi and other treacherous princes will naturally not miss it, and immediately get up and leave, until the gang of ignorant treacherous Taijis have paid a big bill, and there are others who are not very good. Reliable generals also quit the tent, and there were only a few old Qing army veterans who had fought against Fatty Lu left in the big tent. Discuss the military situation in the big tent, and never allow these Mongolian princes to come in!" Sai Leng nodded quickly, deeply convinced of the old father's order.

"Okay, those who are in the way are gone." Yue Le turned to the remaining Qing army veterans, and said helplessly: "Generals, please speak freely. If you have any good ideas, you can speak up."

"My lord, we don't have much hope for this southern expedition." With no one else around, Shang Shan felt relieved and said, "According to what the general knows, Lu Yifeng's dog thief has already built another firearm in Jiangning City. The big camp specializes in making Wugou's powerful new firearms, and the output is very large. Moreover, Lu Yifeng's army of dog thieves is quite elite and brave. No matter in field battles, fortified battles or city defense battles, the army in our hands is not Wu Gou at all. Dog opponents, the chances of winning are pretty slim."

"As for water warfare, don't even think about it." Laita interjected, "We don't even have a warship to cross the river. The Jiangning Shipyard has fallen into the hands of Wu Gou. In the hands of the thieves, the Hangzhou shipyard has also fallen, so don’t expect a fleet of reinforcements in a short time. Without warships, what do we use to cross the river and attack Jiangning?”

"There are fleets in Anqing and Ningbo." Dong Weiguo said with a wry smile, "It's a pity that one of them has to guard against the main force of the Wu dog upstream, and the other has to guard against the two thieves, Geng Jingzhong and Zheng Jing. Self-protection is not enough, so it is even more important. Don't talk about reinforcing us."

"If we can't deal with Wu Gou's new firearms, then we don't even think about crossing the river." Mu Zhan also gave it up and said bitterly: "If we can't deal with Wu Gou's firearms, our army may not even be able to deal with the city walls of Yangzhou." No chance to see it!"

All the generals of the Qing army expressed their despair at the prospect of the Southern Expedition, expressed their disappointment with the army in their hands, and all secretly hated them. How did this bad luck fall on their own shoulders?Isn't it clear that you want us to take the blame and suffer?Yue Le listened carefully and did not speak until all the generals of the Qing army had vented their anger. Then Yue Le turned his attention to Tu Hai, who had never spoken, and said with a wry smile: "Master Tu, don't be silent, this is a hard task. It’s true, but since we have taken over this mission, we can only do our best to finish it, right?”

"Prince An, there is nothing you can do with a lowly position." Tu Hai finally spoke, sighed, and said weakly: "This time the southern expedition, we are not only hopeless? It is simply hopeless! Everyone has seen the situation of the army. Tian is considered a second-rate army, its soldiers are not as elite as Wu Gou, its weapons and firearms are not as good as Wu Gou's, and its military pay and food are not as good as Wu Gou's! The right time and place are in the hands of Wu Gou, how can we fight? How can we win?"

"Master Tu only said that there is little hope, don't say that there is no hope." Yue Le asked with a smile: "Then what should our army do to catch the only slim hope, please give advice from Master Tu."

"Prince An is being polite, aren't you already doing this?" Tu Hai said with a wry smile: "The prince ordered the Zhejiang army to give up the three prefectures of Jinhua, Yanzhou and Quzhou, and let Geng Jingzhong's thieves go north, isn't it just to drive the tiger away?" Is it the strategy of swallowing wolves and using thieves to control thieves?"

"Does Master Tu think that this king's strategy can be successful?" Yue Le asked.

Tu Hai fell silent again, and then said after a long while: "It's a bit reluctant. Geng Jingzhong's dog thief may not be the opponent of Lu Yifeng's dog thief. Although Geng Jingzhong's army is large, it is not strong, and the firearms are all relying on Wu dog. I bought it at a high price, and the quantity is very small. It is not as good as Lu Yifeng's dog thief. Once it is used up, the offensive Geng Jingzhong dog thief is gone. Besides, Geng Jingzhong's dog thief is not stupid. The Qing army concentrated heavily on Shaoxing Ningbo. Can he prevent our army from reaping the benefits? I am afraid that he will choose to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, and maintain a friendly relationship with the Lu Yifeng dog thief for the time being. Then come out and pick a bargain."

"It makes sense, this is what this king is most worried about now." Yue Le nodded, then frowned and said: "But apart from this method of using thieves to control thieves, this king really can't think of a second way."

"Using thieves to control thieves is actually not hopeless." Tu Hai sighed again, and said darkly: "The key depends on whether the emperor and the prince have the courage. If Wu Dog's other troops enter the south of the Yangtze River, we still have hope."

"Let other Wugou troops enter Jiangnan?" Dong Weiguo was taken aback, and said: "One Lu Yifeng thief has already given us a headache, and if we send other Wugou troops into Jiangnan, the strength of Jiangnan Wugou will increase greatly, wouldn't it? more difficult to deal with?"

"A small Jiangnan can't accommodate two Wu dogs." Tu Hai said coldly: "After Lu Yifeng's dog thief occupied Jiangnan, he bought people's hearts to make firearms privately, recruited soldiers to buy horses and grass to accumulate food, obviously he had already attacked the old thief Wu Sangui. The heart of disobedience will sooner or later lead to self-reliance, and even compete for the Central Plains! How can such an ambitious dog thief allow other Wu dogs to enter the south of the Yangtze River to dictate to him, and take away his fertile and rich land in the south of the Yangtze River?"

"Lu Yifeng's dog thief has the ambition to compete in the Central Plains?" Yue Le was a little surprised, recalling Fatty Lu's white and chubby appearance, he refused to believe that the little fat man who toasted back then was ignored, and there would be someone with us The Aixinjueluo family has the mind to fight for the world.

"His four killings order, the gentry who bought the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River and the privilege of not paying food, isn't he preparing for the world?" Tu Hai sneered and said: "The old thief Wu Sangui has raised troops for several years. Outside of the banner of Fuming, has there ever been a decent decree? How many times have there been actions to buy people's hearts? How long has it been since Lu Yifeng got rid of the old thief Wu Sangui? Do you want to fight for the world? Do you want to dream of being an emperor? If the old thief Wu Sangui hadn't guarded against this Lu Yifeng dog thief to stand on his own feet, he would have given up his strategic purpose of joining forces with Geng Jingzhong, a dog thief, and instead concentrated all his strength to break through with Lu Yifeng dog thief. connect?"

After changing Yue Le's silence this time, after a long time, Yue Le hesitated and said: "So, our Qing army continues to concentrate heavily in the northeast of Jiangxi. The thief has become a shield and a talisman?"

Tu Hai smiled wryly, and said weakly: "Lord An, you just realized it now? Our Jiangxi army and Zhejiang army in the Qing Dynasty have been watchdogs for Lu Yifeng's thieves for more than half a year. Lu Yifeng The biggest contributor to the fact that the dog thieves were able to rise to prominence was the Jiangxi army of the Qing Dynasty, followed by the Zhejiang army."

"But if we had given up on Jiangxi, the situation might be even worse now." Dong Weiguo pondered and said, "If we had given up on Jiangxi half a year ago, Lu Yifeng's thief would certainly not have had a big chance, but Wugou's main force could have seized the opportunity to enter Jiangnan. There is no chance to regain the important place in the south of the Yangtze River."

"Half a year ago, the most correct choice for our Qing Dynasty was to encircle and suppress Lu Yifeng's thieves at all costs." Tu Hai said in a deep voice: "Four months ago, the most correct choice for our Qing Dynasty should be to abandon Zhejiang and let the Geng Jingzhong's dog thief went to fight Lu Yifeng's dog thief who was not stable."

Speaking of this, Tu Hai looked up at Yue Le, and said meaningfully: "Prince An, our Qing Dynasty missed the first two precious opportunities, and whether we can seize the last opportunity depends on you, Prince An If you miss this last chance again, the prince should be very clear about the consequences—we Daqing may become eternal spectators, watching Lu Yifeng's dog thief and Wu Sangui's old thief fighting for the world."

Yue Le continued to remain silent, and then slowly said after a long while: "I promised my master that I will only give up one or two state capitals at most, and not a single province. Otherwise, I have no way to explain to the emperor, and the emperor also has no way to give up to the Qing Dynasty. Ancestors explain."

Tuhai smiled wryly, and said in his heart, so I want to ask you if you have the courage.Over there, Dong Weiguo said again: "Master Tu is too pessimistic, we have decided to give up the northwestern part of Zhejiang and let Geng Jingzhong go north, even if Geng Jingzhong doesn't turn against Lu Yifeng immediately, at least we can hold him back A part of Lu Yifeng's army of thieves, our Qing army will attack on both sides, is there still no chance of winning?"

"It's hard." Tu Hai shook his head, and said helplessly: "Lu Yifeng's dog thief gave Hangzhou to Zheng Jing's dog thief. To put it nicely, it means keeping promises and fulfilling its promise. To put it bluntly, it means pulling Zheng Jing into the water and asking Zheng Jing to help him guard the south. At the gate, if the dog thief Geng Jingzhong wants to fight with the dog thief Lu Yifeng, he has to pass Zheng Jing. The dog thief Lu Yifeng can try his best to smash the Huzhou government, as long as he defends the isolated city of Huzhou with a small amount of troops, Zheng Jing After defending the isolated city of Hangzhou, Geng Jingzhong can no longer threaten the hinterland of Lu Yifeng's thief, and Lu Fatty's thief can also concentrate on dealing with threats from the north and west."

Dong Weiguo had nothing to say, but Mu Zhan, who was listening quietly, interjected, "Master Tu, if our Qing Dynasty abandons Jiangxi, we are going to let the old thief Wu Sangui and Lu Yifeng fight with each other, but what if these two thieves don't know what to do?" What should we do if the fire doesn’t rise? Or if Lu Yifeng’s dog thief was easily subdued by Wu Sangui’s old thief, wouldn’t our Qing Dynasty have no hope of taking back Jiangnan?”

"I would rather let the old thief Wu Sangui get Jiangnan than see Lu Yifeng's doggy continue to grow in Jiangnan." Tu Hai said surprisingly, "The old thief Wu Sangui is at best a tiger, the king of beasts, There is still a chance to be subdued! Lu Yifeng is a dog thief, so let him continue to swim in the sea. When his wings are full, and he has dragon horns, dragon claws and dragon scales, then no one in this world can subdue him Already!"

Speaking of this, Tuhai paused, and added: "Besides, the old thief Wu Sangui is over 60 years old, and he is still seriously ill if there is accurate information. Lu Yifeng is a thief, but he is not yet 30 years old. Let him continue to sit on the bed." If it goes down, our Qing Dynasty will have no hope."

"What Mr. Tu means is that between Lu Yifeng's dog thief and Wu Sangui's old thief, we Daqing have to gamble." Yue Le opened his mouth again, and said slowly: "After gambling that Wu Sangui's old thief won the wealth in the south of the Yangtze River, he can't get it." The world, so I would rather give Jiangnan to Wu Sangui, an old thief, than Lu Yifeng, a thief."

"That's the reason." Tu Hai nodded, and said without any ambiguity: "The humble official even believes that, in the current situation and circumstances, apart from this hope, the only hope for our Qing Dynasty is to look forward to two thunderstorms from the sky. , hacked Lu Yifeng's dog thief and Wu Sangui's old thief to death together!"

No one laughed, and the corners of Yue Le's mouth twitched a few times, before he said weakly after a while: "I can gamble, but I have promised the emperor that I cannot gamble."

"My lord, for the sake of the Qing Dynasty, I will say something that I am not afraid of beheading." Tu Hai said slowly, "Your Majesty doesn't want to gamble, so you can gamble for the Emperor."

"How can I gamble for the emperor?" Yue Le asked doubtfully.

"My lord, you just promised the emperor not to give up a province of land." Tu Hai lowered his voice, and said in a dark voice: "But if Wu Sangui's army launches a fierce attack on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, we will not be able to defend the northeastern Jiangxi and southern Anhui. A state capital, let the other army of Wu Sangui's old thief enter the south of the Yangtze River, can the emperor blame you for resisting the order?"

Yue Le's eyes lit up, and after a long time of calculation, Yue Le sat up straight, gritted his teeth and said, "For the sake of the Qing Dynasty, I will recite the sin of losing the city and land. Master Tu, from today onwards, you will be responsible for collecting and sorting out detailed works." The spied information on the movement of Wugou’s army should report every move of Wugou’s East Route Army at any time—it would be best to get in touch with Wu Dog’s East Route Army.”

(End of this chapter)