Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 12 A small test of the knife (seeking monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and support, thank you!)

The Jinling Governor's Banner was divided into five camps: front, rear, left, right, and center, with 4200 men in each camp. There were also personal guards, cavalry, artillery, and baggage camps, totaling more than people.

Also under the command of the Jinling City Guard are the Green Camp soldiers stationed in Jinling and surrounding prefectures and counties, totaling nearly 4. These troops have not been moved lightly for the time being and remain in the city.

This expedition
In addition to the remaining troops, Zheng Guohui will mobilize all the elite troops he can, in order to use the absolute advantage in manpower and equipment to fight a beautiful war to eliminate bandits.

No matter how small a mosquito is, it is still meat. Clearing out banditry is also a military achievement, isn't it?
"I will assign the cavalry to you. Your unit will first advance to Guyang Town and mobilize local people and civilians to search for information about the 'Mao-haired bandit gang'. After finding out the location of the gang's lair, do not act rashly. Wait for me to lead the army to join you, and then wipe them out in one fell swoop." Zheng Guohui issued military orders in the tent and said solemnly.

Qian Jiang, the captain of the front battalion, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands together and replied, "Yes, I will obey the general's orders."

"General Zheng Jiabao of the Left Army Camp, listen to my orders!"

"The humble position is here."

"I order your troops to position themselves behind the front camp. The two armies will advance in a continuous line, no more than ten miles apart. The two camps will support each other. Search and advance along the way. Report any bandits immediately, and move closer to the front camp. Gather together and await the arrival of the main army. This is my order!"

"Yes, I will obey the general's orders."

"The rest of the army will accompany this general on this expedition. This time, we must completely annihilate the Mao-haired bandits and return victorious. Let's go!"

"Yes, we will obey the general's orders."

All the generals in the camp paid their respects and responded loudly.

Several foreign officers stood aside in the tent. They were instructors, led by Major Smith, and were part of Zheng Guohui's staff, helping to provide suggestions.

The entire army set out early in the morning. The cavalry responsible for scouting the enemy set off first, followed by the front camp and the right camp.

Finally, the army transporting baggage and artillery set out in a mighty procession towards Guyang Town.

Not far from Zhenjiang Prefecture is a hilly area. Guyang Town is only 40 miles away from the city. Continuing to the southeast for dozens of miles, you will enter Danyang.

On the Tower of Zhenjiang City
Zhenjiang prefect Pan Yi and a group of officials stood on a high place, watching the army march away in a mighty force, with different expressions on their faces.

Hu Weixin, the Tongzhi of Zhenjiang Prefecture, sighed with emotion;

"I've long heard that Mr. Zheng is a young and promising man, a man who hates evil and acts with swift resolution. Seeing him today, I can see that his reputation is truly well-deserved."

Assisting the local authorities in suppressing banditry was a truly great opportunity for the newly appointed officials of Zhenjiang Prefecture.

Only by sorting out the banditry and rebellion can we implement policies to guide the refugees back to their villages, where men can farm and women can weave, and they can live a peaceful and harmonious life contentedly.

This is the situation that the local gentry and common people desire, and as an official, I am certainly happy to see it happen.

Standing nearby, Zhenjiang Tongpan He Youjun sneered and said, "This is simply a way to win people's hearts. Dyeing the top hat and feather red with the blood of the Taiping bandits is nothing to worry about."

He was a Hunan native who passed the imperial examinations in the late Daoguang reign. Recommended by Zeng Guofan, he was rated as excellent every year while serving as the magistrate of Nanping County. This was how he was promoted to the position of Tongpan of Zhenjiang Prefecture. Naturally, he had a different perspective on issues.

"Oh, the magistrate seems to be not optimistic about this person?"

"I've heard that this person has serious selfish motives. He took advantage of the opportunity to re-register in Jiangning Prefecture to seize unowned land and real estate and bribe officials. His actions are despicable."

"Sir, this is indeed the case. You must know that General Zheng is a disciple of the Jiangnan Governor, Fuzhu Hong'a. The Governor cannot be unaware of his actions. If you make random accusations, it may affect the reputation of the Minister of Rites, Fuzhu Shoushan, which is a serious matter."

After being choked by the words of Tongzhi Hu Weixin, He Youjun was immediately speechless, his face flushed red, and he dared not say anything.

He was an official who had been transferred from northwestern Jiangxi not long ago. He was not familiar with the officials in the surrounding prefectures and counties, and had no idea where Zheng Guohui came from.

All we know is that this person once contradicted General Jiu and did not get along well with the Zeng brothers.

Who would have thought that there would be such a powerful backer.

How can we play then?

Even though the Jinling City Guard was a third-rank official, He Youjun was not afraid. With his teacher Zeng Guofan as his backer, he was very confident.

However, when facing the giant Buddha statue of Fuzhu Shoushan, the Minister of Rites, He Youjun was instantly defeated.

Why?
Although Zeng Guofan was now commanding hundreds of thousands of troops and looked very powerful, after suppressing the Taiping Rebellion, he immediately led his troops north to suppress the Nian Rebellion, and his reputation resounded throughout China.

Zeng Guofan's original official position was only the second-rank Minister of Rites, and Fuzhu Shoushan was definitely his superior.

Zhenjiang prefect Pan Yi listened to the two of them arguing without interrupting them from beginning to end. After He Youjun was frustrated and kept silent, he said meaningfully:
"The way to be an official should be based on harmony. Mr. Zheng is so young, diligent and brave. With the support of noble people, his future career is limitless.

It is better to make friends with such people and not offend them.

It would be unwise to rashly intervene in a dispute of personal feelings."

After saying that, he glanced at He Youjun, the Tongpan of Zhenjiang Prefecture, with a smile, then turned around and left in a casual manner.

Hu Weixin, the co-magistrate of Zhenjiang Prefecture, also shook his head and left with the co-magistrate and a group of officials.

Only He Youjun was left standing there, his face turning green and red. After hesitating for a moment, he stamped his feet and said;

"Forget it, forget it. It's me who has been a villain in vain."

After saying this, he turned away, his original intention of slandering Zheng Guohui to win over his mentor Zeng Guofan gradually faded. He couldn't push someone so stubborn.

People in official circles always seek profit and avoid harm, but they can't put themselves in danger without getting involved. What's the point?
three days later

At the foot of Mount Gaoli, in a hilly area somewhere, the sound of artillery fire was rumbling, and shouts of killing resounded through the world, creating a solemn and murderous atmosphere.

Zheng Guohui sat on his horse with a solemn expression. His soldiers had surrounded the village where the "Mao Shaver" bandits were entrenched and were clearing out the scattered remaining bandits on the periphery.

On the green hills, soldiers lined up and advanced slowly, surrounding the village at the foot of the mountain from three sides.

The bandits in the village organized an assault, but as expected, they were repelled by the soldiers' volleys. They retreated in embarrassment after leaving behind a large number of corpses.

This time, with accurate intelligence, Zheng Guohui led his troops to set out in the early morning, marched quickly for more than 20 miles, and surrounded the village at the foot of the mountain at dawn.

By the time the enemy discovered it, it was too late.

After the bandits' attack failed, "Mao the Barber" was also an experienced general. He immediately ordered the bandits to rely on the village's earthen walls to defend themselves, while waving their swords and guns and shouting.

"Build a strong camp and fight a stupid battle." This is the magic weapon of the Hunan Army to win, but in the beginning, it was a method they learned after suffering enough hardships at the hands of the Taiping Rebellion bandits.

When the Taiping Rebellion started, they initially used this method to deal with the imperial officials and soldiers, and it achieved miraculous results.

But in front of Zheng Guohui, it is completely insignificant.

With the flags waved, the artillery team, after a round of bombardment, immediately mounted the 12-pound guns on the horses and moved forward again to a position more than 600 yards away from the enemy and began to re-position the guns.

The previous round of artillery fire had already shattered the earthen walls of the village, and all the wooden gates blocking the entrance to the village were blown down, resulting in more than a hundred bandits being killed or injured.

Seeing the artillery team resetting their gun positions, the bandit leader "Mao Shaver" who was hiding in the village could no longer sit still.

He knew that a mere earth wall could not withstand the fierce artillery fire. Only by rushing out would he have a chance of survival. Hiding here would only lead to death.

So he loudly encouraged the bandits and said;
"Brothers and sisters, the Qing demons are coming to kill us. They will not let any of us go, not even women and children.

Only by fighting to the death can there be a chance of survival.

Brothers, if you still have the nerve, follow me, women and children follow behind. As long as we can break through and reach Mount Gaoli, we will meet again one day.

Follow me and kill!"

The barber Mao waved his long knife and shouted loudly, leading the bandits to rush towards the village entrance, then stopped and directed the others to follow.

Before I knew it, I had fallen behind.

When the bandits rushed out of the village in a swarm, the officers and soldiers of the Du Biao Battalion who were lined up with guns on the periphery immediately advanced like a wall, tightening the encirclement.

After advancing a few dozen steps, they halted at the commander's command, leveled their guns, and fired a volley...

“Pah pah pah pah…Pah pah pah pah pah pah…”

The crisp sound of gunfire like popping beans rang out, and several infantry squads opened fire one after another. The volleys of gunfire became more and more intense, and large clouds of gray-black smoke rose up.

Hot bullets rained down on them, blood splattered everywhere, and the charging bandits were shot and fell one after another, just like wheat being cut, which made people's scalps numb.

Such a battle is more like a one-sided massacre.

After a cup of tea

The encirclement officers and soldiers rushed into the village, stepping on the corpses lying all over the place. Then bursts of gunfire rang out, becoming much more sporadic.

The battle ended at around ten o'clock in the morning. The captured women and children were brought out one after another, and some prisoners surrendered.

The results of the battle will soon be checked out

In this battle, a total of 572 bandits were eliminated, including both men and women, and another 821 people were captured, most of whom were women and children, as well as some young and strong bandits.

None of the troops were killed, and only three soldiers were injured.

Zheng Guohui ordered an investigation to be carried out. All the bandits who had served as leaders and committed numerous crimes and killed innocent people indiscriminately were to be killed without mercy, while the rest could be spared the death penalty.

Most of these women and children will be sent to Chongming Island. The men will farm for a living, while the women will be resettled in a unified manner. Needless to say, their destination is self-explanatory.

After being a bandit for many years, this punishment was not considered harsh. At least he saved his life and had a little freedom.

As long as she behaves well, she may be able to escape from her status as a slave and marry a good woman in the future, but that is a story for later.

After this victory, the morale of the entire army was high.

This was the first stop after the Tongzhou militia was transformed into the Du Biaoying Camp, and it was also the first battle after the expansion of the army, which was equipped with a large number of Western-style guns and cannons. It was of special significance.

This battle was a great start and greatly boosted the morale of the entire army.

Zheng Guohui led the entire army back to Dantu County. After resting for a few days, he left behind a force of more than 200 people and set out again to Taihu Lake to encircle and suppress banditry.

(End of this chapter)