Chapter 719: The Flower of the Eight Banners Has Withered
The eight-hundred-mile urgent call for Huguang's defeat was issued by Zheng Dajin, the governor of Hubei who had saved his life from the battlefield.
According to Zheng Futai's report, Dingxi General Feng Sheng'e more than a month ago personally led the main force he brought from Sichuan in order to force the rebels who invaded Hunan to return to Wuchang for the strategic purpose of concentrated annihilation.
More than 40,000 people marched eastward from Jingzhou to Wuchang.
At the same time, the deputy commander of the Eight Banners, Marzhan, was ordered to take over the command post of the Yunnan Admiral Chang Qing, who was seriously ill, and to cooperate with Wang Fu, the commander-in-chief of Sichuan, to march towards Wuchang from De'an and Huangzhou respectively in order to contain the Wuchang defenders.
Marzhan was originally a general of Junggar. He later surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and joined the army as a third-class bodyguard. He was extremely brave. He attacked Kailiye and went to the front line in person. He bravely scaled the fortified city and was awarded the title of Battle Rabbar Batur. He was moved to the first-class bodyguard.
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Later he was transferred to Jinchuan, where he was awarded the title of Minister of the Team Leader and the deputy commander of the Mongolian Zhenghuang Banner. He was a first-rate general under Fengsheng's account.
The green battalion soldiers brought from Yunnan by Yunnan Admiral Chang Qing were relatively powerful among the Huguang Qing army, because many of them participated in the attack on Burma.
Under the command of Chang Qing, in addition to the Yunnan Green Battalion, there were also battalions from Jiangsu and Jiangxi provinces. The total number of battalions in the three provinces was more than 13,000.
Although Chang Qing himself was seriously ill and could not take command personally, Marzhan was also a famous general of the Eight Banners. Therefore, under the leadership of Marzhan, the Qing army went south from De'an Yingcheng and successively captured Hanchuan, Xiaogan, and all the way to
Caidian is only a hundred miles away from Wuchang.
The Qing army in the direction of Huangzhou was mainly composed of Sichuan Green Camp, supplemented by Zhejiang Green Camp, with a total of 20,000 people in 18 battalions.
Originally, there was also the Fujian Green Camp No. 1 also heading toward De'an, but due to the tense war in Taiwan two months ago, this unit, under the leadership of General Wang Tiande, had been ordered to rush back to Fujian to participate in the platform war.
After receiving the order from General Dingxi, Sichuan General Wang Fu immediately led Chongqing Deputy General Ma Dayuan, Jinchuan Deputy General Zu Yingyuan, and Chengdu Deputy General Zhang Dabiao to march towards Wuchang in three groups.
The rebels in the direction of Wuchang may have known that the Qing army was coming to attack in large numbers, and found out that the Qing army coming from the direction of Jingzhou in the west was the main force. Therefore, they only deployed a small number of rebel troops in the east and north to delay the Qing army, and the elite main force was deployed in Wuchang.
On the west side, the commander-in-chief Gu Zhengdao also had the intention of fighting a decisive battle with the Qing army.
Fengsheng'e received a detective report that Jinkou Town, southwest of Wuchang, was the hub of the Wuchang bandit army's peripheral defense line and an important land and water transportation area. If this place could be captured, it would be able to cut off the connection between the Wuchang bandit army and the Hunan bandit army.
, thus forming a trend of closing the door and beating the dog.
The garrison of Chrysostom was probably less than 5,000, and Feng Sheng'e personally led the main force of nearly 40,000, which gave him an absolute advantage in strength. Therefore, he immediately supervised the troops to attack Chrysostom. It would be best if he could capture this important town. If he could not capture it, he would also be tempted.
The thieves in Wuchang City came to reinforce them, so they could surround the point for reinforcements.
This army under the personal command of Fengsheng'e was a powerful force that had been fighting in Jinchuan for ten years. It firmly believed that it was invincible in field battles.
Whether it is strategy or tactics, there is no problem with Feng Shengquan's deployment. He is a very famous general. No wonder the emperor values ​​​​him so much.
Everyone in the army said that this young general of Dingxi was like his father Ali Gun.
However, on the way to Jinkou, the Qing army was attacked by a group of bandit soldiers. Their strength was only three to four thousand, but they were very cunning and very brave.
Zheng Dajin, the governor of Hubei Province who fled from Hunan to Enshi and then to Jingzhou, asked to set out with the former army in order to atone for his sins.
When he saw the bandits blocking the way, he was so frightened that he sent someone to ask General Dingxi for help.
Fengsheng'e led his troops to arrive, and after observing the battlefield from a high place, he divided the more than 10,000 soldiers in the front army into five teams. With only a hundred of his own soldiers who were good at fighting, he rushed up the mountain on horseback. As a surprise, he was commanding the battle here.
A division commander of the rebel army was beheaded on the spot and his flag was taken away. This frightened the Xinghan Army, which was composed of Hubei corporate elements, and immediately panicked.
Seeing that the general was so brave, the Qing army marched forward bravely.
Because Feng Sheng'e was born in Manchuria with yellow flags, his flag was the color of the Eight Banners with yellow flags. The generals of the nearby Qing army called him "the yellow flag is invincible".
Seeing the rout of the rebel army, Feng Sheng ordered Deputy Commander-in-Chief Idari to lead his troops in pursuit. Unexpectedly, the rebel army deployed artillery on the way to escape. As soon as Idari's supervisor arrived, he was bombarded by the rebels, causing numerous casualties and casualties.
At this time, the sky changed drastically, and the strong wind blew so hard that the soldiers on both sides could not keep their eyes open, so they retreated their troops and stopped fighting.
An inventory after the war revealed that the Qing army suffered more than a thousand casualties, and the rebels suffered twice as many casualties.
The weather was good on the second day, so Feng Sheng ordered the deputy commanders Idari, Kuled, Zhangjing Muhanna, general Guoxing, deputy general Basisa and others to supervise more than ten thousand soldiers and attack the rebels in one go.
They destroyed four fortifications of the bandit army before and after, and drove the bandits in front of them to Jinkou. They also destroyed one of the forts set up by the bandit army outside Jinkou, and captured and killed more than 300 people.
After repeated battles, although the morale of the Qing army was high and many gains were made, the soldiers were also very tired, so they suspended the attack for a day to rest.
Due to being blocked by the rebels for several days, the Qing army failed to reach Jinkou in time. The rebels in Wuchang City sent reinforcements from three divisions of 7,500 troops to Jinkou, which increased the strength of the Jinkou garrison from the original 5,000 to 12,500.
, and with several groups of bandits operating around, the Qing army's strength advantage was greatly reduced.
Vice-capital Wu Shihada suggested that one army should surround Jinkou, and the rest should cross Jinkou to join forces with Marzhan and Wang Fu to attack Wuchang.
Feng Sheng'e hesitated and bad news came from time to time. The entire army of Marzhan, the Northern Route Army, was wiped out.
It was not that it was severely damaged by the Xinghan rebel army, but that there were traitors within.
This traitor was General Guo Guangde of Jiangsu Green Camp. He unexpectedly attacked Yunnan Green Camp in the dark of night, set fire to the village, and even personally led a team of dead soldiers in armor to attack the Chinese army's tent in Marzan.
Due to the sudden incident, the unsuspecting Eight Banners general Ma'erzhan was beheaded by Guo Guangde in his sleep. All the Yunnan Green Camp soldiers were killed or wounded, surrendered or captured, and all but one hundred of them who escaped escaped were destroyed.
When Ma Youde, the general of Jiangxi Green Camp who was not far away, learned about the rebellion in Jiangsu Green Camp, he was so frightened that he trembled all over and fled to De'an in a panic with more than 3,000 soldiers from his battalion overnight.
After daybreak, Guo Guangde gathered more than 2,000 surrendered troops from the Yunnan Green Camp, and together with more than 5,000 Jiangsu troops under his command, he changed his banner and changed his banner, saying that he would expel the Tartars, restore China, and never be the slaves of the Manchus again.
After Wuchang learned that Guo Guangde had surrendered anyway, coach Gu Zhengdao personally came to contact Guo Guangde and named him commander of the Fifth Army of the Xinghan Army.
Prior to this, the generals who came from the Qing army could only be awarded the position of division commander at most.
The fact that Guo Guangde was so favored by the Han army was naturally related to his annihilation of Yunnan Green Camp, beheading of the Eight Banners deputy commander Marzhan, and his successful elimination of one of the three Qing armies.
The destruction of the Marzhan tribe made the Sichuan green camp generals who attacked Wuchang from Huangzhou direction so frightened that they stopped advancing and camped on the spot for a barbecue to celebrate the great victory.
Commander-in-Chief Wang Fu even sent a secret message to the president, saying that Guo Guangde could be added as an alternate executive committee member at next year's joint advancement conference as a reward.
The collapse of the Marzhan tribe put the Qing army into a passive position. However, Feng Sheng'e was determined to continue to implement the previous strategy and organized his sergeants to attack Jinkou.
However, the thieves resisted tenaciously in all three attacks, and they lost more than 3,000 men before they were able to capture the fourth base outside the town.
At this time, the bandits in Wuchang City freed up their hands to mobilize a large number of troops to Jinkou and camped in Funiugou, 30 miles southeast of Jinkou.
Guo Guangde, who was awarded the title of military commander after surrendering, also led his newly cut off soldiers to assist in the battle.
At this time, the Zhongxing Han Army in Jinkou Town had as many as 15,000 people in five divisions, and there were nearly 10 divisions with 25,000 people in the periphery. Regardless of the changes in the battle situation or the superiority of the enemy's and our own troops, Feng Sheng's numbers did not have an advantage.
Feng Sheng'e probably also knew that it would be difficult to continue the fight, so he said to Zheng Dajin, the governor of Hubei in the army: "We already feel the chance of victory or defeat, but it is very difficult to predict."
Zheng Dajin persuaded General Dingxi to withdraw his troops and return to Jingzhou for further discussion.
Feng Sheng'e knew that if he retreated, the several mansions he had finally recaptured with great difficulty would fall again, and the rebel army would become more powerful and completely control the two lakes areas. Even if he retreated to Jingzhou now, it would be difficult to maintain it because of the Xinghan Army.
After entering Jingzhou, they slaughtered the entire city and tore down all the city walls. There was no danger to defend and no food to rely on.
You can't just retreat to Sichuan in embarrassment.
In that case, I am afraid that I will die not by the hands of thieves, but also by the imperial edict of the capital.
After careful consideration, the young marshal decided to fight to the death with the Xinghan army at Chrysostom.
Fortunately, Chongqing Town Deputy General Ma Dayuan led his battalion of more than 4,000 troops and rushed to Chifan Mountain not far from Jinkou on the afternoon of the 17th.
Late at night on the 19th, Feng Sheng'e divided his troops into two groups. One group was led by himself to attack Jinkou; the other group was led by Deputy Commander Ushihada to defend against the bandits coming from Wuchang.
Fierce fighting soon began, and the Qing army once succeeded in repelling the Xinghan army defending outside the town.
But when the Qing army was about to pursue them, there was suddenly a heavy fog, making it difficult to distinguish them from a distance.
At this time, someone in the Qing army suddenly shouted: "The general is dead, the general is dead!"
In the heavy fog, it is difficult to distinguish between ourselves and the enemy, and it is difficult to distinguish military situation.
The Qing soldiers, who didn't know whether the general was really dead or had faked his death, were so distraught that they dispersed and fled in all directions.
And the one who shouted that the general was dead was Zhan Yinbao who was promoted to the wing commander of Jianrui Battalion.
When the Qing army was in chaos, the Chongqing Green Camp Ma Dayuan Division, which had just arrived the day before yesterday, emerged from behind the Qing army and attacked fiercely while the Qing army was defeated.
The Xinghan Army in Jinkou Town and the reinforcements from the peripheral Funiugou direction also came out together.
At this point, the Qing army's momentum was over.
Feng Sheng'e was surrounded by the Xinghan army in a ruined camp. Although he was extremely brave and fought hard, he was unable to get out by rushing left and right. In the end, he was hit by the Xinghan army's musket in the fierce battle.
The flower of the Eight Banners' famous generals, the 23-year-old generalissimo, withered on the banks of the Yangtze River.
In this battle, the Qing army lost 195 flag-bearers and above, and more than 240 Han soldiers above a thousand generals. The number of casualties among officers and soldiers reached 20,000, and they lost countless money, food and weapons.
It can be said that there is no more power to fight.
Zheng Dajin, the governor of Hubei who had a chance to escape, was reported urgently, and it was said that General Dingxi might have hanged himself in the rebellion.
Whether he died in battle or committed suicide, he was not sure. He would have to investigate further to find out.
At about the same time, Bayan San, the governor of Hunan, was captured by Gu An, the general of the Xinghan Army. Before Gu An persuaded him to surrender, Bayan San knelt down and begged for surrender. He said that it had been a hundred years since Manchuria took over China. It is well known that the Hu people have no national destiny for a hundred years, and Ba Yansan
Yan San admires the Han people with all his heart. He is in the Manchu camp but his heart is really Han, so he is willing to contribute his small amount to the recovery of China.
How did they contribute? It was to act as a leading party, leading hundreds of Xinghan troops disguised as Hunan Green Camp Fubiao, and deceived Jiujiang, an important town on the Yangtze River.
He also worked with Chen Huizu, the governor of Huguang who had surrendered earlier, to plan for the revitalization of the Han army. The frightened Jiangxi governor Haicheng abandoned the provincial capital and ran to Anqing like a frightened bird.
The important areas in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River can be said to have completely fallen into the hands of the Xinghan Army.
It is said that Chen Huizu was persuading Gu Shidao, the commander-in-chief of the Xinghan Army, to search for Zhu Ming's descendants and make him emperor, so as to encourage people and make heroes from all over the world come to surrender.
On the other hand, they quickly moved eastward to capture Jiangning, and took the money and grain from the south of the Yangtze River to march north to the Central Plains, so as not to make the same mistakes as Wu Sangui.
Zheng Dajin's eight-hundred-mile express made everyone in Qianlong's Qianqing Palace, together with the princes, ministers, civil and military officials, worried and anxious, as if the end of the world was coming.
Jia Liu was both happy and worried. What he was happy about was that Qianlong's gold-medal thug Fengsheng was dead, and a large number of Qing army elites transferred from Jinchuan were wiped out, which effectively reduced the pressure on him to ascend the throne.
What is worrying is that the Xinghan Army seems to have gone too far this time, even occupying Jiangxi. If they really want to send their troops eastward to take over the land south of the Yangtze River, will his father-in-law still be willing to mix with his son-in-law?
After all, the son-in-law became Aisin Gioro.
The damn one is Prince Heshuo.
Even if the father-in-law is still willing to listen to his son-in-law, will the generals under him listen?
What the survivors now gained was not the palm-sized land of Jinchuan, but the territory of three provinces, which was enough to overthrow a dynasty.
The situation is really changing rapidly, and the plan cannot keep up with the changes.
Jia Liupo felt a headache, but what was more troublesome at the moment was the fourth devil, the old rich man, the pervert, not him.
When he looked up, he found that Lao A and Lao Kui were looking at him, their eyes full of excitement and desire. He couldn't help but get angry: "Look at your mother, it looks like I'm good at beating!"