Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 564

Zheng Wenxian reacted quickly after being surprised and flustered at the beginning.If this woman named Ya Ji really has something to do with Zhao Xin, with Zhao Xin's status, it is impossible for her to stay with the Shimadzu family in Ryukyu.There are not one or two naturalized citizens from the island nation in Beihai Town. Could it be that there is no room for a woman?
The next morning, Zheng Wenxian called his cousins ​​Zheng Yaohuang and Huang Zhongtong, and arranged for a Ryukyu native from Kume village who was with the army to act as an interpreter. The four of them came to the former imperial residence of Shimadzu Qixuan and had a conversation with Ya Ji. .

"Since you said that you are the unmarried wife of King Zhao, where is the marriage certificate?" Zheng Wenxian was not a fool, he immediately asked the most critical evidence.

"When I left Shuri Castle, I was too hasty. The box containing the marriage certificate was placed in the bag, and it was accidentally lost."

At this point, Ya Ji can only insist that she has a marriage contract with Zhao Xin, and it was her father who made the marriage contract when Zhao Xin led the troops to fight against Satsuma.She couldn't care about the result of telling lies; as a member of the Shimadzu family, Ya Ji just wanted to do her best to preserve the blood of the Shimadzu family.

However, she is only 16 years old after all, no matter how she pretends to be calm, she will show her feet.Following Zheng Wenxian's repeated questioning, the woman's forehead began to sweat, and she couldn't justify herself more and more.

"you are lying!"

"I do not have!"

"One has no marriage certificate, the other has no certificate, empty mouth and white teeth, it's ridiculous! Girl, do you think us are fools?"

"I"

A day later, Zhao Xin, who had arrived in Yaksa Town, received a telegram from the Beihai Navy Staff Headquarters. Seeing the content above, he couldn't help laughing.He guessed that the pregnant widow was probably pregnant with Shimadzu Qixing, the uncle of "Tianzhangyuan Duji".However, following Shimadzu Qixuan's hiccup fart, not only his younger brother Tadago Shimadzu will not be born, even the famous Atsuhime in history will say goodbye to this time and space.

Zhao Xin quickly made an arrangement. He asked Zheng Yaohuang to send Shimadzu Qixuan's wife, Mei Ji, and all the female relatives to Kagoshima Castle, and hand them over to Date Village.The way the islanders treat the defeated is likely to make these women become monks collectively; as for the soon-to-be-born Shimadzu Qixing, it is estimated that he will have the fate of becoming a monk in an ancient temple in the deep mountains, just like the fate of Yixiu .

After that, the progress of the matter was the same as Zhao Xin's judgment.In early November of that year, Meihime, who was imprisoned in Kagoshima Castle, gave birth prematurely due to excessive grief, gave birth to a boy, and then died of puerperal fever.In the second year, the child named "Zhongwen" was sent to the Ruiyan Temple in Sendai to become a monk, and the legal name was "Huihai".As for that Ya Ji, together with other female family members of the Shimadzu family, they were sent to Guangming Temple in Date County to become a nun, and then they will be closely monitored by the Sendai Fan for a long time.

Turn around and talk about the progress of the war in Outer Mongolia.

Liu Sheng and the others had a miserable journey to the south. It was really hard to open roads and build bridges, but even so, there were still some places that couldn't be opened even if they wanted to.

Fan Tong had no choice but to bid farewell to the armored vehicle unit for a while, and set off on horseback with Liu Sheng. Before leaving, he sent a telegram to Zhao Xin, which read: Boss Zhao, brother's torrent of steel is directed at you.

Liu Sheng left all the armored vehicles and tracked vehicles empty in the temporary barracks outside Kulun City, and all the drivers and members of the machine repair brigade were incorporated into the logistics team and set off with the main force.In addition, he also sent two infantry battalions to stay behind. One was to guard Kulun, and the other was to guard all the vehicles and wait for Zhao Xin's arrival.

Contrary to what many people imagine, there are large grasslands and gravel-covered Gobi in the Khalkha Mongolian region, but on the post road going south, there are many alpine valleys with deep valleys and dense forests, and there is only one road. can go around.

First of all, the 80-meter-wide Tula River outside Kulun City is a big obstacle.Although the depth of the river at the ferry crossing is less than half a meter, in the middle of the river, especially on the left bank, the turbulent water has washed many parts of the river deep. Every year, Han Chinese passing by along with their carts full of goods are buried in the river. end.Although the soldiers could wade across the river under the guidance of the surrendered Mongolian guides, they had to build a pontoon bridge if they wanted to get there.

Next is the canyon area of ​​Bogda Mountain. In spring, there is a wide and jubilant mountain stream. At the end of summer, it becomes a dry deep ditch. Moreover, there are big rocks everywhere in the canyon, which is very difficult to clean.After leaving this canyon, you will arrive at the Bukuk Station.

Then, the troops will face the biggest obstacle since going south, the "Burkhan Tuyin Daban" more than 100 miles away from Kulun; in Mongolian, "Daban" means the pass on the top of the mountain.

Whether it is going up the mountain or going down the mountain, the roads are very steep and extremely difficult to climb.The most terrible thing is because the road passes through the canyon, with cliffs on both sides, the width of the road can only accommodate a carriage, and there is no room for maneuver.

When the reconnaissance troops of the Northern Navy arrived here first, they found that the Mongolian soldiers of Tushetu Khan and Chechen Khan who had fled from the Tula River before had built fortifications at the pass on the top of the mountain, obviously trying to defend against danger.

Faced with such a situation, the reconnaissance troops could only use a mortar they carried to shoot at the pass, and then under the cover of the artillery fire, they climbed up with all their hands and feet.However, since the enemies were hiding behind boulders and the pass was not too big, it was difficult for the shells to hit accurately.The soldiers tried to lie down on the steep slope and shoot up, but they couldn't see the enemy at all; while the Mongols could keep throwing arrow rain and throwing stones under the cover of the terrain.

Although the Beihai Navy responsible for the attack wore steel helmets and stab-proof suits, they were still beaten to the ground by the falling boulders, and there was nowhere to hide.The two squads who launched the first round of attack had only climbed halfway, and most of the soldiers were already injured. In the end, they could only withdraw in disgrace, and the reconnaissance company commander cursed angrily.

This is due to the lack of gunpowder in the hands of the Mongols. If there are a few more flying gourds filled with gunpowder and iron sand, the fun will be great.

Fortunately, no matter how many stone bows and arrows there are, there will always be a time to throw them out. After paying the price of seven or eight people injured, the two squads in charge of the second wave of attack finally climbed to a position more than 20 meters away from the pass, and then used ten A few grenades cleared away the Mongolian soldiers, and finally occupied the pass.

After resting for two days near the Buhatai post station, the brigade continued to march south. Fortunately, the next [-] kilometers of road were grasslands except for small hills, and there was a large area of ​​saline-alkali land covered with Achnatherum splendens; Smooth, muddy when it rains.

After that, no enemy was encountered along the way again. The Mongolian postmen at various post stations along the way were probably warned by the fleeing Mongolian soldiers, and they all ran away with their families and livestock.On the contrary, it is the prairie dog that can be seen everywhere. Its fat and cute appearance makes many soldiers who have never seen it very curious.

However, when the team’s medical officer discovered that soldiers were trying to capture these animals, he immediately issued a ban to each regiment through the headquarters. Those who were shot dead.

You must know that these cute-looking guys are parasites of Yersinia pestis. Even if you don't eat meat, it will be very dangerous to be bitten by fleas on them.Once plague infection occurs, the mortality rate is extremely high.

The reconnaissance company responsible for opening the way walked very quickly, leaving the large troops far behind.The purpose of this is to quickly control the large and small wells along the post road, so as not to be poisoned with animal corpses by the retreating enemies.When they advanced to the Emutunuo Well, which was [-] kilometers away from Kulun, they captured a Zasak lord of the Tushetu Khan tribe and fifty armored soldiers who had not had time to retreat. Among those captured were hundreds of cattle, sheep, horses, and camels, and the reconnaissance company commander who engaged in it hurriedly notified the rear to send people to take over the herds.

According to the written statement of the lord Zasak, they are responsible for the management of the official ranch established here by the Qing court.From the archives, there are a total of 3600 large and small livestock such as gelding horses, stallions, camels, cattle and sheep handed over by the Tushetu Khan and Chechen Khan.The note explained that due to insufficient forage, the livestock would never graze together, but they would be scattered and grazed by 500, [-], or at most [-]. There are currently more than [-] livestock in the pasture.

After the big troops arrived, they finally had a good meal of beef and mutton soup here.Days of arduous trek coupled with insufficient vegetables and drinking water caused many soldiers to suffer from physical fatigue, low-grade fever, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Liu Sheng then decided to let the troops rest here for a few days to recharge their spirits. You must know that there are still Biljihe Mountains and Qidao Mountains called "Duolun Daban" to climb, and then there is the Gobi Desert more than 400 miles away. .Although there are post stations and wells along the way, they definitely cannot supply so many people.

According to the guide's description, after passing through the Gobi Desert, you will arrive at the 32nd station of the Altai Army Station - Taradolan Station; Node of Riyasu Terrace.

On September 9, after the troops entered the Gobi, they encountered a storm, which caused heavy material losses and casualties.

At that time, the sky was still very hot with the sun hanging high, and suddenly there was a strong wind, and a few minutes later, a large black cloud appeared on the horizon.The guide's face changed drastically when he saw it, and he hurriedly told the officers around him to find a place to hide immediately.

But in the vast Gobi, where is there a place to hide?
Just as the ministries were busy ordering the supplies on the carriage to be tied tightly, there was lightning and thunder in the sky, and the entire wasteland was covered with sand pillars rolled up by the whirlwind. The wind was strong enough to overturn the carriage and hang people's bodies in the air air.Whether it's a soldier or an officer, everyone sticks their bodies tightly to the ground, desperately grabbing whatever they can get their hands on, even if it's a weed.Even so, some soldiers were blown away by the wind.

Half an hour after the strong wind was blowing, it was followed by heavy rain, and the ground temperature suddenly dropped to 10 degrees.The sudden change in temperature made the sweaty soldiers who were still hot an hour ago shiver with cold.

After some gathering, two soldiers were missing, and the others were injured either because they were hiding under the carriage and were smashed, or they were blown away by the wind and fell to pieces. Then a heavy rain caused many soldiers to suffer He caught a cold, and even Fan Tong fell ill.

After Liu Sheng synthesized the information from the guide and the reconnaissance team, he ordered the troops not to stay here, but to pass through the Gobi as soon as possible. new arrival.

Compared with the difficult trek of the Northern Navy, it was much easier for the Qing army to go north from the south.Just when Liu Sheng and the others were ravaged by the storm, the 10,000+ army led by Agui, a scholar of economics in the Qing Dynasty, had already arrived at Taradolan Station one after another.

Teradoran Terrace is located on a vast plain, only in the south and west are there mountains that clearly cut off the plain.Standing in the south are Serben Ula Mountain and Tali Laktu Mountain; in the west, near the horizon is the continuous Ebugen Mountain.

The most conspicuous building in the area is the Guandi Temple, which stands alone on a low hill, but it is already a bit dilapidated.Since the arrival of Agui's army, the surrounding hills have become the camps of the Qing army.Less than one mile to the north of Guandi Temple is Saierwusu Well, although the well water here is extremely bitter and salty, and neither humans nor animals can drink it.

Agui's handsome tent was set up in a lama temple north of Saierwusu Well, which was called "Gandan Pengchuklin" by the Mongols. Although it was not magnificent, it was still clean and elegant.The front hall was originally the place where the "Hural" ceremony was held, but now it is requisitioned by the Qing army, and the portraits of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas that were originally hung on the walls have been moved to the back hall.

The local "Hubi Lehan" is called Lama Lan Zhamba, who does not usually live in the temple. When he learned that the scholar of economics and strategy appointed by the imperial court had arrived, he hurried back to meet him, and then gave up the main hall.There were not many monks in this temple at first. After the Qing army came, they usually stayed in the apse, except for going out to fetch water, and generally seldom showed up.

After the vanguard of the Qing army arrived, in addition to sending out sentries to the north, the first thing they did after setting up camp was to dig wells everywhere.The local drinking water well is only a small well in the post station, which is not enough for the brigade.But after digging for two days in a row, there were still not many wells that produced water and were drinkable. Fortunately, there were a lot of peasants who came this time, so they got water from Kutule Dolantai, fifty miles away.

When he learned that the vanguard of the Northern Navy had appeared in the valley to the northeast of Zamenchaheer Mountain, Agui quickly ordered his five thousand bird cavalry to dispatch and asked them to carry out harassment operations against the Northern Navy day and night. Let him have no peace for a moment.At the same time, he ordered the construction of large-scale trench fortifications in the Haragana area north of Taradolan Station.

Having fought against Beihai for so many years, Man Qing understood from top to bottom that it would definitely be death to deal with Beihai by riding, shooting and battle.Therefore, his plan is to rely on his own possession of the water source, through strong fortifications and the death of the northern navy in the wilderness, and to find fighters from it, so that nearly ten thousand northern navy will die of thirst and starve to death on the Gobi.

After all, no matter how powerful the shells and blunderbuss of the Beihai Navy are, they can't be used as water and food, can they?

In fact, when the Qing court planned the station line, the reason why it chose Taradolan Station was because it was the only place suitable for living. Its west and north sides were all Gobi wasteland. It is flat, but the water sources inside are all barren saline-alkali pools. Looking for water is purely a dream.

For the next few days, the Northern Navy camped and rested in the valley was attacked by the Qing army from three directions: the south, the west, and the east every night. The sound of shotguns, rifles, explosions of flying thunders, and machine guns of the Northern Navy continued throughout the night. Flares rose from the sky from time to time, illuminating the entire valley like daytime.

However, despite this, the Beihai Navy did not move, except for strict defense, and never attacked again. Such a move made Agui and the generals of the Qing army under him both happy and afraid.The joy is that the Beihai Navy is now in a desperate situation, and they can only retreat when they run out of food and grass; the fear is that the other party is playing some tricks again, and will suddenly catch themselves off guard.

On September 9th, just the fifth day after Liu Sheng and the others arrived in the valley, Zhao Xin, who was escorted by a company with several water purification trucks, chased them all the way with three horses, and finally came to Harachulu down the mountain!
(End of this chapter)