"The Huai army is working together with the Xiang Army?" When the latest news reached Chenzhou, all the Nian Army generals in Chenzhou were excited.
They didn't know if it was the Xiang Army or the Huai army that carried out the massacre in Huoyang, but since Huoyang was part of Huaibei, the Huai army naturally had something to do with it.
Ren Zhu's eyes widened as he asked, "You said the Huai army is heading straight for us?"
"Yes, the Huai army is at the front, and the Xiang Army is at the back. They are heading for Chenzhou," the scout replied immediately.
All the generals of the Nian Army looked at each other, and they all saw surprise and hatred in the eyes of the other generals. Retaking Huoyang and killing the Xiang Army and Huai army had always been the Nian Army's biggest wish. Now that the Xiang Army was at the front and the Huai army was at the back, there was a good chance that this wish could be realized ahead of time.
"Drag the Huai army away, and kill as many of them as you can." Zhang Zongyu was no longer suggesting, but putting forward his own ideas. The Zhangs were the leaders of the Nian Army, and the majority of their clansmen had died in the hands of the imperial army. In order to take revenge, he didn't lose his mind.
All the generals, including Lai Wenguang, thought this was the best idea, but where to take them was a problem. Zhuang Zhu said, "Let's go to Shandong. Shandong is a dangerous place, but the Huai army still dares to go there. If we take them to Luoyang, I'm afraid the Huai army won't chase so quickly. "
This suggestion wasn't immediately accepted. Compared to the usual strategy of dragging the enemy away, this time everyone hoped to turn back and bite the enemy. The Nian Army was proficient in mobile warfare, so they knew the risks of this strategy. The Nian Army had failed because they thought they had worn down the Sengrinchen army. In the end, the Sengrinchen cavalry was still able to fight. In a head-on battle, they still lost to the Qing Army.
Let's head to Luoyang first! Lai Wenguang finally made the decision.
Two days later, Li Hongzhang led the Huai army close to Chenzhou and received news that the Nian Army had withdrawn from Chenzhou. Without the slightest hesitation, Li Hongzhang gave the order to pursue. This was a pursuit that had taken place dozens of times. The Nian Army was very familiar with the roads and kept a good distance from the Huai army. In the plan, they would first drag the Huai army along. Then, after two days, they would slowly reduce their speed based on the situation, allowing the Huai army to catch up. If the Huai army wanted to shorten the distance, they would have to increase their marching speed. The Nian Army would have to slow down and rest for a while. Once they reached the Nian Army's planned area, the Nian Army would be able to use their accumulated physical strength to break up and change their tactics. If the Huai army split up, the Nian Army would concentrate their forces to attack one group. If the Huai army didn't split up, the Nian Army would let one group lead the Huai army while the rest rested and looked for opportunities.
The cavalry of both sides galloped back and forth. Lai Wenguang calmly summarized the information and ordered the General Staff to calculate the distance and prepare for the latest situation. Before the coup in Tianjing, Lai Wenguang was just a civil official. After the coup in Tianjing, he devoted himself to the military and refused to work directly for Heavenly King Hong. Huainan was the territory that Vézé had conquered. Li Kaifang's army had also started to build a General Staff. Lai Wenguang learned the most. The most important thing in a pursuit was accurate calculation of the enemy's situation. If the enemy was too far away, it would be difficult to mobilize the enemy. If the enemy was too close, the enemy could suddenly catch up and there would be an unexpected battle.
That was the case now. The Huai army increased their speed and actually shortened the distance between the two sides from more than 50 miles to more than 20 miles. The Xiang Army behind the Huai army was moving slowly. They advanced at a speed of 15 miles a day. The distance between the Xiang Army and the Huai army was getting bigger and bigger.
"We should also increase our speed. Since the Huai army is willing to give chase, let them!" Lai Wenguang ordered.
Their current direction of retreat was Luoyang. King Chen Yucheng's troops were in Luoyang. The Huai army would definitely slow down.
Knowing that the Nian Army had increased their speed, Li Hongzhang calmly ordered, "We should also increase our speed."
After another day, Lai Wenguang realized that the Huai army was still chasing after them. It was as if they didn't care that the Nian Army would break up or that the Nian Army would bite back at them.
The Nian Army's generals, from Zhang Zongyu to Ren Zhu, were all patient. They continued on their way, completely unmoved by the Huai army.
April 9th. The Nian Army had been moving for five days. The Huai army had also been chasing for five days. The two sides were nearing Zheng County. Scouts reported that the Qing Army had already blocked off Hulao Pass. It seemed that they had no intention of letting the Nian Army easily pass through Hulao Pass and enter Luoyang. The Huai army must have already known about this, but they were still chasing after them.
For five days, the Nian Army ran more than 60 li a day. The Huai army did the same. Zhang Zongyu suggested, "Let's counterattack here!"
The Xiang Army was more than 100 li away. Based on their marching speed, it would take them four days to catch up. Besides, the Huai army would need two days to send reinforcements. Five days was enough for the Nian Army to crush the Huai army.
Lai Wenguang didn't agree immediately. "I think the Huai army is tricking us," he said. "How could they not know that we would take them away? I have a feeling that they have their own plans."
The Nian Army generals all nodded. The Huai army's actions were very strange. It was as if they were trying to say, "Surround me and ambush me." Everyone felt that it would have been better if they had gone to Shandong from the start. There were many mountains in Shandong. When the Huai army reached the mountains, the Nian Army would have thousands of ways to deal with the Huai army. But they couldn't do it in Henan. This was flat land. It was hard to guarantee that the Xiang Army wouldn't suddenly attack them from behind.
Ren Zhu continued to suggest, "It's not too late for us to go to Shandong now. The Huai army has been chasing us for so long. If we continue to chase them, they'll die of exhaustion! "
Everyone thought about it and agreed. Lai Wenguang gave the order to advance eastward in the direction of Shandong. They planned to pass through Zheng County, make a feint at Kaifeng, and then go through Lankao to Heze.
April 11th. The day after the Nian Army carried out their eastward march, the Huai army, who had been chasing them relentlessly, suddenly stopped. They set up camp in Zheng County, looking like they were going to rest. The Nian Army didn't expect the Huai army to act so strangely. Just when they thought the Huai army wouldn't give chase, the Huai army chased them relentlessly. Just when they thought the Huai army should give chase, the Huai army pretended to be dead. The Nian Army couldn't get used to the disruption.
April 13th. Li Hongzhang met up with Sengrinchen at Hulao Pass. He stepped forward and saluted. "Monk King, you have indeed avoided the eyes and ears of the Cantonese bandits and brought your troops here."
Sengrinchen laughed. "Lord Li, you predicted that the Nian Army wouldn't flee westward to Luoyang. You are indeed a prophet."
Li Hongzhang smiled. "Monk King, even so, if the gentry of Luoyang hadn't informed the Cantonese bandits of Chen's westward march, my plan wouldn't have worked."
Sengrinchen sighed. "The Empress Dowager and Prince Gong already know that Lord Luo Bingzhang died for his country. But the Cantonese bandits must be worried about Sichuan being seized by Traitor Wei!"
Li Hongzhang had his own strengths when it came to calculating people's minds. When he learned that the Liberation Army had seized Sichuan, he immediately deduced that the Taiping army would withdraw its forces to defend Hanzhong. No matter what others thought of the relationship between the Taiping Rebellion and Vézé, Li Hongzhang firmly believed that the two were as incompatible as fire and water. Based on the intelligence he received, Li Hongzhang deduced that the Nian Army and the Taiping army weren't exactly on good terms.
Now that Li Hongzhang's judgment had come true, the Huai army had been on tenterhooks for the past few days. If Chen Yucheng from Luoyang had personally led his troops to attack Li Hongzhang's troops, the Huai army would have suffered heavy casualties. In order to confuse the Nian Army, the Xiang Army had fallen 150 li behind the Huai army. It was unrealistic to expect the Xiang Army to come to their rescue.
Li Hongzhang wasn't willing to take such a risk just to deal with the enemy. It was precisely because of this risk that the Huai army had the right to persuade the Xiang Army and Sengrinchen's troops to cooperate with the Huai army. The three sides had worked together many times to encircle and annihilate the Nian Army, but because no one was willing to be the bait sent into the wolf's mouth, they had never been able to deal a fatal blow to Lai Wenguang.
Now that Li Hongzhang was lucky enough to succeed, although he looked pleased with himself, he was inwardly rejoicing.
Sengrinchen was a straightforward man. Now that the plan had progressed to this stage, he laughed and said, "Lord Li, let this Prince lead the way to Luoyang!"
The main reason why the Eastern Nian Army suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Sengrinchen was that the Nian Army did not have a stable rear. The Western Nian Army relied on Luoyang to move unhindered across Henan. Once things went wrong, they could flee back to Luoyang. After ascertaining the Qing Army's situation, they could seize the opportunity to start harassing Henan from Luoyang.
Once they seized Luoyang, the Qing Army could threaten Shanxian and Tongguan, cutting off the Western Nian Army's retreat. Without a rear base, the Western Nian Army's space to maneuver would be greatly reduced. Li Hongzhang had meticulously planned this drastic measure.
Seeing Sengrinchen's friendly attitude, Li Hongzhang laughed and said, "Monk King, please bring along the people who are in contact with the gentry in the city. This lowly official will follow behind Monk King and easily enter Luoyang."
Sengrinchen saw that Li Hongzhang did not have the slightest intention of snatching the credit, so he was giving him enough face. Sengrinchen laughed heartily. "This Prince was just joking. Since Lord Li has planned this far, naturally Lord Li will attack Luoyang and take the credit. This Prince will follow Lord Li's plan and stay at Hulao Pass. If the Nian bandits try to rescue Luoyang, this Prince will make sure they never return! "
It was not until the 15th of April that Lai Wenguang realized that the Huai army might not be stationed in Zhengxian County. He was leading his troops and pretending to attack Kaifeng. Several groups of people fleeing from Kaifeng to Zhengxian County had gone out to ask for reinforcements, but the Huai army remained in Zhengxian County like an old monk in meditation. This was completely different from the Huai army's desperate pursuit a few days ago.
For the past few years, the Nian Army had been moving back and forth in Henan, so they had spies everywhere. According to the spies, although the Huai army's main camp was in Zhengxian County, it gave off the impression that there was no activity at all. More importantly, the main camp did not come out to buy food. The more Lai Wenguang thought about it, the more he felt that something was amiss. Originally, he wanted to lead his troops back to probe the Huai army's main camp. He did not expect that just as he was about to attack, a mounted scout would report that the Xiang Army had arrived near Zhengxian County and had joined forces with the Huai army.
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