On the Huaibei battlefield, after a huge battle, both sides withdrew their troops, leaving behind a large number of corpses on the battlefield.
Under the influence of the Qing army led by Gui Liang, the canal in the north was destroyed. The Xiang army had no choice but to transfer their grain and other supplies from the canal and transport them north by land. This caused their marching speed to slow down a lot!
Moreover, if they were to march on land, they would be easily attacked by enemy cavalry. This forced the Xiang army to allocate a large number of troops to protect their logistics and supplies.
The Qing army seized the opportunity and under the leadership of Monk Gelinqin, they constantly used the mobility of the cavalry to harass them from the flank.
Both sides engaged in fierce battles over the Xiang Army's rations and supplies!
"General, the Qing army has been repelled by me!”
Zeng Guoquan walked in angrily and knelt on one knee.
"Hmm, how are the casualties?"
Zeng Guofan looked very calm. After hearing Zeng Guoquan's words, he seemed to be in no hurry. He was still in the mood to drink tea and play chess with Zhao Liewen opposite him.
"Our army suffered 1500 casualties, the enemy suffered 1200 casualties, and at least 1000 escaped with injuries!”
Zeng Guoquan reported angrily.
"The casualties don't seem to be too bad. Why are you so angry?”
Zeng Guofan looked at his brother and asked.
"Because they are all cavalry. They come and go like the wind, and our people can't catch up with them at all. Although we repelled them this time and our casualties were less than theirs, we couldn't eat them all. Therefore, after they return, as long as they regroup a little, they will definitely continue to attack us!”
Zeng Guoquan had fought all his life, but he had never encountered such a grievance!
The enemy was too cunning. They did not fight the Xiang army head-on. They often ran after fighting, leaving the Xiang army helpless.
In the face of such a situation, the Xiang army had to be on high alert at all times to guard against any possible attacks from the other side.
This was because the moment they showed any signs of slackness or carelessness, the other party would give them a fatal blow.
In Zeng Guoquan's eyes, the other party was like a venomous snake hidden in the depths of the darkness, sinister and terrifying!
Zeng Guoquan did not like to deal with such enemies. He preferred to deal with those who dared to fight them openly on the battlefield, just like the Taiping Army!
Zeng Guofan laughed after hearing Zeng Guoquan's words.
"I thought it was something else, so it's still this matter!”
After saying that, he raised his hand and placed a piece, instantly changing the situation on the chessboard.
Zhao Liewen took a look and admitted defeat.
"Marshal, your chess skills are superb. This subordinate is ashamed of his inferiority. This subordinate admits defeat!”
"Hehe, thanks for letting me win!"
After the game ended, Zeng Guofan left his seat and walked out of the tent.
Zeng Guoquan followed closely behind him, guarding him with his sword.
"Marshal!"
"Marshal!"
When the patrolling soldiers outside saw Zeng Guofan, they saluted him.
Zeng Guofan nodded and looked into the distance.
"Bao Chao's troops should have taken down Linqing by now, right?”
Zhao Liewen immediately stepped forward and reported,"General, General Bao's vanguard troops have already invaded Linqing Province yesterday. If nothing unexpected happens, they should have taken down Linqing by now!”
"Yes, Linqing is an important town on the canal. If we take down this place, our logistics team can at least go north from the canal to Linqing. At that time, even if we can't continue north, it doesn't matter because we're not far from Zhili!”
Zhao Liewen nodded." Marshal, you're right. Taking down Linqing is of great significance to our army. To the Qing court, it's a bolt from the blue!"”
Zeng Guoquan overheard their conversation and realized that he could not understand what they were talking about.
Although he was good at leading troops to war, he was only a general, not a commander. In terms of strategy, Zeng Guoquan was far inferior to his brother Zeng Guofan!
"Marshal, Mr. Zhao, what are you talking about? I don't understand at all!”
Zeng Guoquan was an impatient person. Because he did not understand, he simply asked directly.
"Haha!"
Hearing Zeng Guoquan's words, Zeng Guofan smiled.
"Let me ask you, how many times have the Qing army attacked us in the past few days?”
Zeng Guoquan thought for a moment and replied,""The Qing army is constantly harassing us. They attacked three times the day before yesterday, five times yesterday, and seven times today!”
The Qing army attacked more and more times, and the number of troops dispatched was also increasing. As a result, the central army of the Xiang army was in danger. As a last resort, Zeng Guoquan could only transfer his main force back to protect the central army and logistics troops.
It was precisely because of this that he felt extremely frustrated.
Because at this moment, they were being held back by the Qing army. So many of their forces were restricted here and could not be used to attack the north. This made Zeng Guoquan very unhappy!
"Hehe, that's right!"
However, what surprised Zeng Guoquan was that after hearing his report, Zeng Guofan smiled.
"Marshal, why are you laughing?"
Zeng Guoquan asked with a dumbfounded expression.
"Mr. Zhao, explain to him!”
Zhao Liewen heard Zeng Guofan's instructions and said,"
"General Zeng, our army is now approaching Zhili. If you were the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Court, how would you respond?”
Zeng Guoquan did not even think and answered directly,"Needless to say, they must have gathered a large number of troops to block Bao Chao. We definitely can't let him attack Zhili!”
"That's right!"
Hearing Zeng Guoquan's answer, Zhao Liewen explained,"
"The terrain of Zhili is very flat, especially around the capital. There are almost no dangers to defend. Under such circumstances, once we break out of Luxi and enter Zhili, we will directly threaten the safety of the capital and the imperial court. Therefore, the Qing court has no choice but to gather a large number of troops on the front battlefield to fight us!”
"You mean?"
Zeng Guoquan seemed to understand!
"That's right. Don't look at how crazy the enemy is attacking now. That's just their last struggle!
Senggrinqin's cavalry is indeed powerful, but as long as they can't burn our provisions, they won't be a threat to us!
The marshal had always fought a tough battle. He advanced steadily step by step and did not give the enemy any chance to take advantage of him. Under such circumstances, if you were Monk Grinqin, what would you do?“
Zeng Guoquan finally understood!
"If I were Monk Gilinqin, I would definitely do everything I can to stall our army in the southern battlefield before our army enters Zhili to avoid a direct battle!”
"That's exactly why their attacks have been so crazy these days. The crazier the enemy is, the more panicked they are!”
Zeng Guofan saw that his brave but tactless younger brother had finally come to his senses, so he said,
"As long as Bao Chao takes down Linqing and opens up a path into Zhili, the Imperial Court will definitely summon Monk Grinqin back!
At that time, the harassment of the Qing army will be greatly reduced. What you have to do is to immediately lead the main force north and meet up with Bao Chao's vanguard. On the Zhili battlefield, we will settle the situation in one battle, defeat the Qing army, and take down the capital!”
Zeng Guofan said heroically. He seemed to have already seen himself breaking through the city gate of the capital and sitting on the dragon throne in the Forbidden City!
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