The six-dimensional pictures of emperors of all dynasties were exposed, and the ancestors panicked

Chapter 778: The Fourth Disobedience: The First Diving Battle
On the canopy.

Zeng Guofan had a worried look on his face. He looked at the edict on the table and sighed.

"Send troops, send troops..."

"The top and the bottom are not of the same mind."

Several scholars sitting at the bottom also had worried expressions on their faces, and discussed:
"Although the new army has grown to a certain size now, this training is only halfway done."

"My combat skills are still in a half-baked state. I have no problem fighting against a small group of rebels, but if I have to fight against hundreds of thousands of experienced rebels... it's like hitting a rock with an egg."

"Navy, the ship is only half built and the powerful foreign cannons are not installed yet. How can we send troops?"

"But we have to obey the Emperor's order... What should we do?"

When everyone was at a loss.

A messenger walked in from outside.

……

[On September 1853, the third year of Emperor Xianfeng’s reign (October 10, 29), due to the crisis in Wuchang, Emperor Xianfeng ordered Zeng Guofan to “select” trained warriors to go to Hubei with the Green Camp soldiers from Hunan.]

[On the third and fifth day of October (November 11 and 3), two more decrees were issued to order Zeng Guofan to go out.]

【At this time, the Hunan Army had just arrived in southern Hunan for training and had no ability to fight on a long-distance expedition. The three gold medals within a few days really made Zeng Guofan feel troubled. Fortunately, the Taiping Army was relieved and returned to the east, and the military situation in Wuchang was slightly relieved. Zeng Guofan refused to obey the order on the grounds that the situation had changed.】

【However, Emperor Xianfeng disagreed and insisted that Zeng Guofan personally lead the Hunan Army. He was afraid that Zeng Guofan would refuse again, so he first praised Zeng Guofan and said, "Zeng Guofan has trained local militia and is very capable. He has suppressed the bandits and has achieved remarkable results. He should immediately lead the trained militia to Hubei to join forces to besiege the city and help fill the gap in the military strength."】

[The imperial edict also included the words "the two lakes are closely connected...there should be no distinction between the two regions and they should be coordinated as one", which meant that if Zeng Guofan did not send troops, he would be ignoring the overall situation.]

……

Big man.

"This emperor really doesn't understand military affairs at all."

Liu Bang touched Lu Zhi's little hand and complained as he touched it:

"It takes a month to recruit soldiers and organize camps. Zeng Guofan would not start training the army until September even if he was quick."

"You bastard! My daughter hasn't even given birth yet, and you want her to get married?"

"Is there really no one who can fight?"

Lu Zhi tried to pull out for a long time but failed, so she closed her eyes and let him do it.

Liu Bang patted his smooth little hands complacently.

……

The period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty
"So, there are three reasons why a ruler should worry about his army."

"Ignorance is no crime? Big mistake!"

“Not knowing is the greatest sin!”

"You don't know, why do you take on this responsibility and take care of this matter?"

Liu Che gave young Liu Ju a rote re-education.

“To know that the army cannot advance and yet order it to advance, and to know that the army cannot retreat and yet order it to retreat, is to tie up the army.”

"you……"

Liu Che looked at the confused little Liu Ju, thought about it, and changed his words.

"During the An-Shi Rebellion, Geshu Han guarded Tongguan."

"Li Longji didn't know that he couldn't go to war, but he was forced to go to war. As a result, his entire army was annihilated, Tongguan was lost, Chang'an fell, and he fled south to Sichuan."

"Oh~"

Wei Zifu and Xiao Liuju both suddenly realized!
Now I understand!

The corners of Huo Qubing's eyes twitched.

Li Longji...

You have a great case!
……

Some distant Tang Dynasty.

"Ah!"

The emperor in white robes rubbed his nose.

"Who is talking about me?"

……

Zeng Guofan had no choice but to "delay" the issue. He carefully submitted a memorial, saying that he was actively preparing to send troops, and was now raising money for military pay and purchasing foreign cannons. Once the cannons were installed and the military pay was received, he would set out immediately.

【The strategy of "delaying" worked. Not long after this memorial was submitted, the situation changed and the Taiping Army left Hubei and headed for Anhui.】

【Zeng Guofan refused to obey the order on the grounds that the situation had changed.】

[For some reason, Zeng Guofan's evasion satisfied Emperor Xianfeng, who wrote in red: "You are able to consider the urgency of the matter, which is commendable."]

【Zeng Guofan was relieved at this point.】

……

{The procrastination tactic was told to Zeng Guofan by Li Hongzhang, who was extremely anxious about this matter at the time, so Li Hongzhang, who had been Zeng Guofan's aide (and had also gone to train troops with Zeng's help), wrote a letter to Zeng Guofan to tell him the procrastination tactic.}
{I have to say that Li Hongzhang was really quick-witted and courageous. If I were being urged by my boss, I would not have come up with this idea.}
{When you are faced with a dilemma in the future, you can also refer to the procrastination strategy, but you must show a positive attitude to solve the problem and not let people think that you are deliberately procrastinating.}
{At that time, communication and distance were both problems, so if the issue was delayed, the problem could be alleviated. It was just that Xianfeng was fooled.}
{But it turned out to be a good thing, and history is full of black humor.}
(It’s not necessarily that he was cheated. He probably just thought that he could just coax his subordinates as much as he could and let everyone get by.)
｛Just make do with it, what else can we do about it?｝
……

【On November 12 (December 12), the Taiping Army attacked Luzhou, Anhui, and the army was so fierce that Anhui could not resist. Xianfeng ordered Zeng Guofan to rush to rescue for the third time, and he joined forces with Anhui Governor Jiang Zhongyuan to recover the lost territory in Anhui.】

[Just like last time, Emperor Xianfeng was afraid that he could not persuade Zeng Guofan, so he added a few more sentences at the end of the edict: "This minister is loyal and courageous. I know that he will be able to coordinate the overall situation and live up to the trust entrusted to him."]

【Zeng Guofan remained unmoved. He received this edict on November 12 (December 23), which was a critical time for the training of the Hunan Navy. The ships had not been built and the guns had not been delivered. If he tried it hastily, he would inevitably fail.】

[So he made up his mind to disobey the order, and on November 12 (December 26), he submitted a memorial to the emperor, emphasizing that without ships, cannons, and naval warriors, the troops could not move.]

[In his memorial, he also talked about the joint defense of Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, and Hunan, and the strategy of "suppression" by blocking, meaning that he wanted Xianfeng to make overall plans and form these four provinces into a military region with unified command, instead of treating the symptoms one by one.]

[Zeng Guofan's memorial angered Emperor Xianfeng, and his comments were full of harsh and sarcastic remarks.]

……

On the canopy

A cartoon WeChat interface unfolds.

The middle name column has notes.

"The Emperor Who Knows Nothing"

At this time, "Xianfeng" sent a long article.

Black text on a white background.

"Don't you know how urgent the situation in Anhui is right now?"

"If you continue to be stubborn and refuse to send troops, it will definitely be too late!"

"I thought you had a conscience, so I asked you to send troops to help with the urgent need. I didn't expect that you would coordinate the military affairs of several provinces for me in your memorial! "

"Let me ask you! Do you have the talent to coordinate the military forces of several provinces? !"

"You are always so boastful! You think no one is better than you and you scold other officials! Why are you afraid to send troops now when something really happened? !"

"Don't say anything else, just send out the troops as soon as possible! One day earlier, the sooner the problem can be solved!"

"Although you have few soldiers, they can still play a role in some way."

"You've boasted to me so much, now is the critical moment, you need to show me results quickly!"

……

Tang Xuanzong Period
"Hahaha! Xianfeng is really anxious!"

Li Longji watched with gritted teeth and laughed.

"It seems that in the eyes of Emperor Xianfeng, Zeng Guofan is just a scholar who is ambitious and talks big but does nothing."

"But they were too eager to solve the immediate problem and neglected the long-term development of the military."

“That’s not good.”

Yang Yuhuan held her face in her hands and said slowly:
"Someone also kept urging Geshu Han to send troops, which ultimately led to his defeat..."

Li Longji laughs, Li Longji doesn't laugh.

……

Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period
Kangxi's first reaction was to gather troops and strengthen his own power.

The second reaction was that Chongzhen urged Sun Chuanting.

"It's been such an eventful time."

Kangxi muttered to himself.

Neither of these are good signs.

……

[Zeng Guofan was not afraid of such a harsh decree. On December 1854 (January 1, 19), he submitted a letter that seemed sincere but was actually very tough.]

[Detailed explanation of the five reasons why you cannot go to battle.]

【Xianfeng looked at Zeng Guofan and saw that he was like a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water, and he was helpless.】

[Knowing that Zeng Guofan would never give in, he had to find a way out for himself. He said Zeng Guofan was right, gave in to appease him, and said, "Your heart is known to the world, and I am not the only one who knows it."]

……

{It must be said that given the ruling system of the Qing Dynasty, it was a miracle that Emperor Xianfeng could accommodate Zeng Guofan.}
｛Zeng Guofan's four acts of disobedience really shocked me greatly.｝
{In my opinion, the emperor of the Qing Dynasty is a symbol of centralization. If you don't listen to the emperor, you will usually end up in trouble, even if you are a second-rank official.}
{As a result, Zeng Guofan disobeyed the emperor's order four times and still made the emperor admit defeat!}
{It feels like they are bullying the weak and afraid of the strong. Now they are extremely afraid of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and need Zeng Guofan, so they dare not offend him.}
{Chongzhen: So, I am not afraid!}

{Fortunately, Xianfeng is not Chongzhen, and Zeng Guofan is not Sun Chuanting.}
……

Ming dynasty.

"It's his mother's fault!"

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the three words "I'm not afraid" in "Chongzhen" and compared his attitude with that of Xianfeng.

Break the defense.

Break the defense!
“The country is already on the verge of collapse!”

"For the sake of the country, I can bow to my subjects time and again!"

"Why can't Chongzhen do it?"

"Why!" "We should have beaten him to death when we went there!"

Zhu Biao looked at the soft words spoken by Xianfeng in the sky and sighed:

"This alone shows that you are a wise ruler."

Unfortunately, times have changed.

……

[On the 1854th day of the first lunar month in the fourth year of Emperor Xianfeng’s reign (February 2, 25), Wuchang was in danger. Emperor Xianfeng once again thought of Zeng Guofan’s Hunan Army and issued an order to “start the march immediately.”]

[In order to shut up Zeng Guofan, the imperial edict stated: It is now past the end of the first lunar month (lunar calendar), the ships and warriors should be ready by now, and the foreign artillery purchased in Guangdong should have been delivered one after another.]

[This is to prevent Zeng Guofan from emphasizing objective difficulties again.]

【But, on this day, Zeng Guofan's Hunan Army was trained! 】

[There were ten battalions of land forces and ten battalions of naval forces, more than 400 ships of various types, more than 400 artillery pieces, and a total of 17,000 officers, soldiers, officers, and sailors.]

[The navy is led by Chu Ruhang, and the land force is led by Tazibu.]

[Its organization was centered around the general. Soldiers in a battalion were subordinate to their superiors, the sentry officers and the battalion officers. The battalion officers were also subordinate to the commander. The entire army only obeyed Zeng Guofan.]

[When the Hunan Army was formed, he led his troops to leave Hengzhou and march north without waiting for orders.]

……

On the canopy.

A well-organized army marched towards Wuchang.

Dust rose under the horses' hooves.

Emperor Xianfeng ordered them to send aid from the north to the south.

The memorials about Zeng Guofan leading his army to war went from south to north.

Two riders carrying official documents passed each other.

……

[The scene in which both parties received the documents is no longer known.]

[The coincidence in timing may surprise them, or they may smile knowingly.]

【However, Zeng Guofan disobeyed the order again this time. 】

【He was unable to save Hubei because the Taiping Army had already invaded Hunan.】

[On February 3 (March 27), the Taiping Army's Western Expedition Army, led by the Minister of Spring and Deputy Prime Minister Lin Shaozhang, with more than troops, sailed from Hankou and entered Hunan.]

[On March 4 (April 7), the Taiping Army conquered Yuezhou, and then took advantage of the victory to advance to Qiaokou and Jinggang, leaving Shi Xiangzhen to lead his troops to guard there. Lin Shaozhang led the main force of nearly people to bypass Ningxiang by land and quickly headed for Xiangtan, attacking from both the north and the south to capture Changsha.]

[The areas around Changsha, including Xiangyin, Ningxiang, Jinggang, and Xiangtan, were all occupied by the Taiping Army.]

[Zeng Guofan sent the Hunan Army's land division to attack Xiangtan, while he led the navy and part of the land division to attack Jinggang.]

……

On the canopy.

Forty ships carrying cannons were sailing slowly.

The soldiers were dressed in bright armor and the army was majestic.

An apricot yellow flag was hung on the mast, with a huge word "Zeng" embroidered on it.

On land, there were camps and strongholds for twenty miles, and the drums of war were thundering.

next moment.

The apricot-yellow flag lay on the deck in a rumpled state.

There is also a footprint on the character "曾".

On deck.

The officers and soldiers, whose armor was dirty, pulled Zeng Guofan's clothes and hugged his waist.

"Let me go! Let me go!"

"How can I still live in this world with dignity?"

……

[On the morning of April 4 (April 28 in the Gregorian calendar), Zeng Guofan led large and small warships of the navy and land warriors, set out from Changsha, and soon arrived at Baishazhou, miles away from Jinggang.]

[Zeng Guofan settled down here and established a command post, and ordered the five naval battalions to go downstream and attack Jinggang directly.]

【Changsha was Zeng Guofan's home, so he was determined to wash away everything with victory.】

【But the progress of the battle was far from what Zeng Guofan had imagined. 】

[The Taiping Army in Jinggang was very well prepared. As soon as they saw the Hunan Navy approaching, they immediately opened fire with the dense artillery on the shore.]

[At this time, a southerly wind suddenly rose and the current was swift. All the Hunan Army's warships were blown in front of the Taiping Army's artillery camp.]

[The navy patrol boat was the first to be hit by a cannon and caught fire, and the boats behind it were in chaos. With no other options, they could only lower the sails and send people to the shore to use ropes to pull the boats and escape.]

[The Taiping Army sent troops on land to attack the Hunan Army holding the ropes, and sent 200 small rowboats on the water to throw fireballs at the Hunan Army boats.]

[Many Hunan Navy ships or leaders were captured or burned.]

……

Ming Dynasty Jiajing Period
Zhu Houcong waited for a long time in vain.

"So... you're just bragging?"

He thought that Xianfeng had a pretty good eye for people.

But then I thought, this isn’t right?
Tianmu's care for the Hunan Army is real.

"Could it be possible to turn the tide?"

"but……"

Zhu Houcong looked at Zeng Guofan who jumped into the water, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

All things are difficult at the beginning, and they are also difficult in the middle.

Zeng Guofan did this quite reluctantly.

……

[Zeng Guofan, who was stationed at Baishazhou, heard that the navy had suffered a defeat and hurriedly led the land force to reinforce Jinggang.]

[Who would have thought that after the army learned that the navy had been defeated, the morale of the army was already in disarray, and they were defeated at the first blow when they engaged the Taiping Army.]

[The defeated soldiers were scrambling to escape and cross the floating bridge, which collapsed, causing countless people to drown.]

【Zeng Guofan was furious when he saw this, and he raised a large flag with the word "Zeng" on it on the shore, and personally took a sharp sword and shouted, "Anyone crossing the flag will be killed!" However, it was of no avail, as the defeated soldiers passed by him one after another, and he could not cut them down.】

[This battle was a complete failure, with the Hunan Army losing one-third of its warships and one-quarter of its artillery.]

[Zeng Guofan, who was determined to win the first battle, suffered a disastrous defeat.]

[I watched as years of hard work and lifelong hopes vanished in the blink of an eye.]

[Zeng Guofan was so disappointed that he stepped out of the ship and jumped into the water when the navy ship passed Tongguan Ferry.]

【But he was rescued and taken back to Changsha by his staff.】

【At one point, Changsha officials ridiculed Zeng Guofan to the extreme, and he became disheartened.】

……

On the canopy.

Zeng Guofan, with wet clothes, sat in the chair.

Staring at the paper in front of him in a daze.

Tears dripped down her cheeks.

He sighed deeply, picked up the ink pen and began to write.

"I have exhausted all my strength as a minister, and I will sacrifice my life for you..."

"...He has repeatedly lost his teachers and violated discipline, and has been convicted of serious crimes..."

"I respectfully submit to the imperial court and will be martyred today."

……

Northern Qi Dynasty: Cultural and Propaganda Period
"Victory and defeat are common in the military."

Gao Yang held a clay jar and took out a candied fruit from it and threw it into his mouth.

"The first defeat is not a terrible thing, what is terrible is the mentality of being eager for quick success before the first battle."

"If you lose, just fight back."

Li Zu'e took a handkerchief, wiped his mouth, and said softly:
"Disobeying orders one after another is the only way to win glory in one battle."

"It's inevitable that people will want to escape from this double blow."

Gao Yang didn't comment, threw another candied fruit into his mouth, and said with a smile:
"In my opinion, there are too many useless burdens."

"What are you learning?"

"Emperor Gao didn't learn from any school, and my father has never learned from any school either."

"There aren't so many problems."

"Just do it."

……

Zeng Guofan in the skylight folded the letter, stood up and untied his belt.

At this moment, a voice filled with ecstasy sounded from outside the door.

"Brother, there's a letter from Tazib!"

……

[Just when Zeng Guofan was looking for an opportunity to commit suicide, a life-saving message came.]

【Xiangtan wins big! 】

(End of this chapter)