Add Bookmark | Recommend this book | Back to the book page | My bookshelf | Mobile Reading

Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in oicq.net -> Historic -> Taiping blood

Volume 1: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 725: The Hunan Army Follows

Previous page        Return to Catalog        Next page

    Xiao Yungui looked at the people kneeling in the hall and thought that in later history it was this group of people who buried the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom with their own hands, but now they surrendered at his feet, and he felt an indescribable sense of pleasure in his heart.  :/¡÷, but soon he saw Zeng Guofan's slightly stooped body and gray hair, but he felt a little sad.  From the beginning when historical figures were trampled under his feet, Xiao Yungui felt an indescribable pride, but as more and more people fell, he began to become numb.

    Originally, Xiao Yungui would not meet these people in person, because whether he saw them or not, they would already have their final destination. Since the beginning of the Northern Expedition, Xiao Yungui has not used any privileges to interfere with anyone's destiny. (Xingzhen is a special case.  Because of her special status, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Criminal Department (now changed to the Ministry of Justice) finally pardoned her and Zai Chun's crimes,) but in the end he decided to meet him, just to hear what Zeng Guofan had to say.

    Xiao Yungui asked them to stand up. Zeng Guofan stood up tremblingly with Guo Songtao's support. Xiao Yungui looked at this slightly old man and asked: "When you issued the proclamation to raise the army, did you ever think about it?"  Will there be today?"

    Zeng Guofan hunched over and smiled miserably: "Yes, if Luo Bingzhang had been able to protect the provincial capital back then, he might have preserved the foundation for restoring the world. When your troops attacked the provincial capital, I knew that he might end up like today, but later  Hong and Yang went out of the provincial capital to govern indiscriminately, and I saw hope again. If Hong and Yang had always been in charge of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, I would not have reached this point."

    Xiao Yungui nodded and asked: "After I heard that the Qing court abdicated the throne, some people advised you to stand on your own feet. Why didn't you stand on your own feet?"

    Zeng Guofan replied: "For the sake of my family's glory and wealth. It is unwise and unkind to take the lives of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Hunan."

    Xiao Yungui praised: "Although you were defeated, Wen Zhenggong, you can still be regarded as a hero of the generation. Unfortunately, when you fought against our heavenly kingdom, the Hunan army you commanded was the most vicious one. When you defeated Hengyang, you made an agreement with Tao Enpei  You released our Taiping soldiers, but later you betrayed your trust and attacked and killed our soldiers. Later, you sent troops into Guangzhou and massacred tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians of the Tiandihui uprising. These evil deeds are unpardonable sins. What else can you say?  ?¡±

    Zeng Guofan shook his head and said: "The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. I have nothing to say." But he bowed deeply and said: "But please look at me and other members of the Hunan Army who have taken the initiative to surrender. Please pardon my family and me."  sin."

    Xiao Yungui nodded and said: "Don't worry about this. We, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, always act according to the law. We will not kill family members. In the Hunan Army, we will not kill anyone indiscriminately, and we will not let any guilty person go."  He paused here and said, "I heard that Ronglu and your eldest daughter got married and had a son?"

    Zeng Guofan twitched the corner of his mouth slightly and said: "Although Ronglu committed a serious crime, he is an innocent child. Please show your respect."

    Xiao Yungui smiled slightly and said: "You don't have to panic, I won't do anything to a child. I heard that this child has been smart since he was a child, and I want to take him into the capital to take care of him."

    Zeng Guofan smiled bitterly and said, "I accept this grace from you, Zeng."

    Xiao Yungui turned to look at Guo Songtao and said, "Mr. Guo and I met in Changsha City back then. We haven't seen each other for many years, but we still have the same style."

    Guo Songtao shook his head and said: "How can a person below the rank talk about elegance?" Xiao Yungui asked: "Zuo Zongtang once had a conversation with you in prison. He said that he was not a thief but a dragon. Today this has been said  Realized, what do you think, sir?"

    Guo Songtao smiled bitterly and said: "Ji Gao's vision is more vicious than Guo's. I have nothing to say." Xiao Yungui hummed and said: "It's a pity that Mr. is one of the leaders of the Hunan Army. We can only obey the national law, otherwise Mr.  Talent. I can still do something for the country and the people."

    Guo Songtao smiled sadly and said: "When dynasties change, ministers of the previous dynasty must die more. But I died to save the people of Hunan, and it was worth it."

    Xiao Yungui praised: "Sir, his conscience is still intact in his heart. He is worthy of being a famous scholar in central Hunan." Finally, he looked at the others and said, "Okay, I just want to meet you today. You have been enemies of our heavenly kingdom for many years."  , although they have made many mistakes, the Hunan Army is a self-contained army that can stand alone against our Heavenly Kingdom army for several years in the south of the Yangtze River.  care."

    Everyone in the Hunan Army knew their fate, and they were very stubborn. In the end, no one begged to let them go. After everyone thanked them, they were taken back to the cell by the guards.

    After several months of trial, the crimes of the Hunan generals were discovered one by one. Zeng Guofan was sentenced to death. However, in the end, because he voluntarily surrendered, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. He fell ill and died in prison in the third year of the founding of the Kingdom of Heaven.  .  Guo Songtao was sentenced to twenty years in prison, but he behaved well in prison and was released after five years.After the liberation, Guo Songtao took the Heavenly Kingdom Political Officer Examination at the age of sixty. After being admitted, he worked in the Ministry of Education until he died peacefully in his eighties.  Zeng Guohua and others were also sentenced to life or fixed-term imprisonment. After several years of prison reform, most of them were released and returned home. Some, like Guo Songtao, became officials again, and some returned home to die.  Those who were unwilling to surrender and abandoned their posts and went into seclusion were gradually arrested and brought to justice over the years. Most of these people were sentenced to death because they did not have the circumstances to surrender voluntarily like Zeng Guohua and Guo Songtao.

    Half of the more than 100,000 Hunan troops were sent home. Most of them were unwilling to serve as soldiers. The other half who were willing to serve were selected and added to the army in various places.  Most of the Hunan troops who continued to serve as soldiers later fought against the British and French forces in Fujian, Guangzhou and other places. These Hunan troops fought bravely, especially in the Battle of Guangzhou. Three thousand Hunan soldiers defended the Humen Fort and eventually all died for their country. However, they were a large force.  They bought time by gathering and annihilating the enemy who landed ashore, making the Battle of Guangzhou a complete victory.  Later, ten years after the founding of the Kingdom of Heaven, a branch of the Hunan Army also participated in the war to intervene in the collapse of Japan. After capturing Osaka, the base camp of the rebel faction, the Hunan Army burned, killed and looted there for three days. It was quite a historical example of the Hunan Army.  What he did after conquering Tianjing.  From then on, the Hunan Army's prestige frightened both Chinese and foreign armies.

    After dealing with the generals of the Hunan Army, Xiao Yungui returned to Dongnuan Pavilion. Hong Yun'er had been standing behind the curtain to peek.  After seeing him come in, he sighed: "I didn't expect that a generation of heroes would be dealt with by us like this."

    Xiao Yungui shook his head and said: "They are going against the trend and bringing about their own destruction." Hong Yun'er hummed and said: "What are you going to do with Ronglu's child?" Xiao Yungui said: "Although Sixuan is dead.  But the child is still left by him after all, and we should take good care of them, mother and son."

    Hong Yun'er touched her nose and said, "Aren't you afraid that your children will seek revenge from you when they grow up?" Xiao Yungui said with a smile, "Since the beginning of the war, how many people have I killed? There are so many people who want to seek revenge from me, I will be afraid of one  A kid? And don¡¯t you think he¡¯s pitiful?¡±

    Hong Yun'er nodded and said: "Yes, this child is also very pitiful. He has lost his father since he was a child, and Ronglu's crimes are known to the world. This child will have to live with the reputation of a traitor's son in the future. It is indeed very pitiful. Only  Only by bringing mother and son to the capital to take care of him can we take good care of him and teach him well"

    Ronglu's son was later taken to the capital to live with his mother. Xiao Yungui did not hide his father's deeds from him after he became wise, and analyzed everything with him one by one.  After Xiao Youyi learned about his father's treasonous trip, he cried for three days, and then traveled to various Western European countries. When he became an adult, he returned to China and has been holding an important position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Live your whole life in peace.  Zeng Jijing did not remarry in the end, and returned to her hometown in Xiangdi in her later years.

    The couple were discussing the matter of Ronglu and their children in the house. Zuo Zongtang and Li Kaifang came together. Although Xiao Yungui delegated power to the cabinet.  But when encountering major issues, Zuo Zongtang would still take the initiative to ask for instructions and discuss it. This is a habit.

    Zuo Zongtang entered the room and said with joy: "Your Majesty, Nerchinsk is a great victory. All 30,000 Russian Cossack cavalry were annihilated on the west bank of the Shilka River west of Nerchinsk!"

    Xiao Yungui took the official document in surprise and joy and said: "Why so fast? Didn't news just come yesterday that the army was besieging Nerchinsk? Muravyov is a cautious man. How could he be easily fooled? It's so obvious  Can¡¯t he see that they are besieging the city and calling for reinforcements?¡±

    Zuo Zongtang twirled his beard and said with a smile: "The only thing to blame is the Russians themselves. Their emperor did not let Muravyov fully command this elite Cossack cavalry regiment. Instead, he gave it to a man named Bebutov.  I heard that this man had led 18,000 Russian troops to annihilate 60,000 Ottoman troops in the Crimean War with Britain and France. He was considered a famous general, so the Russian Emperor appointed him to command this army.  "

    Xiao Yungui made a sound and looked at the official document and said: "It turns out that Tan Shaoguang captured Bebutov. No wonder he knew so clearly."

    Tan Shaoguang's memorial document made it very clear that after the 30,000 Cossack cavalry was sent to the Eastern battlefield, it had been active in Chita and other places. From time to time, they went south to raid Mongolia. Recently, Bebutov commanded this army to start moving towards  They moved in the direction of Nerchinsk, intending to invade the northeast. Just as they were setting off, they received news that Nerchinsk was besieged.  Bebutov commanded 18,000 Russian troops and defeated 60,000 Turkish troops. Moreover, the weak Mongolian cavalry also gave Bebutov the illusion that the combat effectiveness of the eastern army would not be much stronger than that of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, so he  The light troops advanced rashly and led an army of 30,000 Cossacks directly to Nerchinsk, hoping to annihilate the Taiping Army under the city.

    But Bebutov did not expect that the Taiping Army was already prepared. Tan Shaoguang used 10,000 troops, supplemented by tens of thousands of Qing troops to surrender, North Korean and Japanese servants to siege the city, and 40,000 elite infantry and cavalry troops.An ambush was arranged in the area west of the Shilka River.  When Bebutov's Cossack cavalry began to cross the Shilka River, the Taiping Army launched a surprise attack on the Russian army.  The result was that 30,000 Russian cavalry were squeezed on the bank of the narrow Shilka River, unable to use their speed. They were tragically surrounded, shot and annihilated. Bebutov himself was also captured after being injured.  It is worth mentioning that the Cossack cavalry was very fierce. Among the 30,000 people, more than 24,000 were killed in the battle. In the end, less than 6,000 were injured, captured and surrendered.  Before Muravyov had time to send any reminder to Bebutov, the Russian army was annihilated.

    After reading the battle report, Xiao Yungui put his hands on his hands and laughed and said: "After this nasty cavalry is wiped out, Muravyov's doom will come." Li Kaifang said: "Your Majesty, there is another bad news, the main fleet of the British and French coalition forces  It has passed through the Strait of Malacca seven days ago" (To be continued)
Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report