Just as Luo Outline and Lin Fengxiang were stationed in Xiamen City, a fierce encounter also took place thirty miles north of Hengyang City, the capital city of Hengzhou in the south of ---. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

The 11,500 soldiers of the Third Division led by Chen Yucheng arrived at Hengzhou Mansion the day before yesterday. Chen Yucheng heard that Liang Litai and his Fourth Division had lost the battle with the regimental training Xiangyong from Changsha, and the Saint King had repeatedly shown that he attached great importance to this Xiangyong commander, Zeng Guofan, made Chen Yucheng, who had always worshiped the Saint King, become cautious.

He led the 3rd Division into the territory of Hengzhou Prefecture, and just after Leiyang, he summoned all the staff officers of the 3rd Division of Staff to discuss and analyze operational countermeasures.

The chief of staff of the Third Division was a native of Munan, and Shi Huanzhi, the original regimental training leader of Ning Yuan. After several bloody battles, the soldiers of the Doubtful Battalion led by Shi Huanzhi are no longer at all what they used to be in the local regimental training.

After following Chen Yucheng at the beginning, he has been giving advice to Chen Yucheng, fighting bravely, accumulating merits, and rising to the position of chief of staff of the Third Division, however, because Shi Huanzhi also brought 800 brothers of the Doubtful Brave Battalion, therefore, he also served as the commander of the first regiment, which was the most courageous ace main regiment, and Chen Yucheng also concentrated half of the foreign guns in the entire division in the hands of the soldiers of the Doubtful Brave Regiment.

Of course, on the one hand, the brothers of the Eight Hundred Suspicious Battalion are loyal and reliable, and on the other hand, it is also because most of the brothers of the Eight Hundred Suspicious Battalion are from Orion, and they can shoot accurately with very poor shotguns, not to mention this foreign gun with much more accurate accuracy? Therefore, Chen Yucheng concentrated half of the foreign guns in one group, as the absolute main force, and used them exclusively for frontal battles.

"Chief of Staff Shi, as well as other staff officers and regiment commanders, the division commander has convened you mainly to discuss how to break the turtle resistance tactics of this Xiangyong earthen wall and trench." Chen Yucheng looked serious, spread out the map, and pointed to the place of Xiejiawan outside Hengyang City, where Xiangyong was camped.

"Division commander, Shi also heard about this Xiangyong's tactic of 'hardening the village and fighting in a dumb battle', which is indeed very tricky. But, division commander, why do we have to take the initiative to attack them? Shi Huanzhi, who seems to be five big and three thick, is actually not coarse at all, and the people in the staff headquarters of the entire Third Division A who are familiar with him know that their division chief of staff is actually delicate.

"Oh, Chief of Staff, look at this terrain, Xie Jiawan is the high ground outside the city, if our captive army wants to attack Hengyang City, Xiang Yong can set up artillery in Xie Jiawan to bombard us. Even if you don't use artillery, you can support Hengyang City at any time and flank us from front to back. Therefore, this nail must be pulled out before Hengyang City can be conquered again. Chen Yucheng pointed to the location on the map and said this very simple common sense, not understanding why Shi Huanzhi would ask such a question.

"Commander, that's not what Shi meant! What Shi means is, why don't we let this Xiangyong take the initiative to attack us, so that there will be no trench fortifications. ”

"You mean, lure them out? However, I heard that this Zeng Guofan is a rigid person, and he has always been a dumb fighter, so he is afraid that he will not come out and take the initiative to attack. Chen Yucheng sighed.

"Division commander, chief of staff, our soldiers are divided into two, divided into two teams and marched. A team of people who are above board and pretend not to attack Hengyang City, but swagger around Hengshan and directly attack Xiangyong's hometown, Xiangxiang County! It must make these people who are all from Xiangxiang so anxious that they come to intercept us! The other team can secretly ambush these Hunan Yong must go through the road, even if they can't eliminate Xiang Yong, they can also force them out. A staff officer stepped forward and said.

"Very good, you have a good idea!" Chen Yucheng looked at the staff officer and praised him.

"Not bad! Division, that's exactly how it should be. Anyway, their hometowns are all Xiangxiang, so it is better to send a small number of soldiers to the hometown of this group of Xiangyong, if the other party does not take the initiative to intercept us out of the camp, they will pretend to do it, encircle and suppress their hometowns, and capture all their families. If the other party can't stand it and comes to intercept us, let him taste the power of our foreign guns! Shi Huanzhi shouted loudly.

Next, everyone discussed the issue of the distribution of troops.

In the end, Chen Yucheng decided that Shi Huanzhi led a regiment of 1,150 brothers, divided into four groups, planted many banners, disguised as the main force of the captive army, made a detour through Hengshan, entered Xiangxiang County, and preached attacking Xiangyong's hometown and Changsha City.

The rest of the soldiers, led by him personally, marched day and night, and rushed to Zhangmu Pass in the north of Hengyang City to ambush them.

Therefore, Chen Yucheng led the main force of the Third Division A to set off first, and along the way, he detained all the people and businessmen he encountered, and tried not to leak the slightest news.

And Shi Huanzhi led a group of soldiers, only beating gongs and drums to trumpet that he would attack the Xiangxiang area.

At the same time, Peng Yulin, who was on the surface of the Xiangjiang River, led the sailors to also gather on the river around Zhangmuguan, patrolling back and forth, ready to join the war at any time.

……

The Xiangyong camp of Xiejiawan outside Hengyang City.

"Lord Ministry, make a detailed report, a group of thousands of soldiers and horses of the Guangdong thieves made a detour to Hengyang City, saying that they were going to Xiangxiang." Li Xubin came to report to Zeng Guofan.

"What? Thieves dare! When Zeng Guofan heard this, his face changed! However, after thinking about it for a while, he was a little skeptical: "Don't bother! This must be a trick of the Cantonese thief! It is to let us Xiangyong evacuate this strategic place, so the advantage is a disadvantage. ”

"Budo-sama Takami! However, what if the traitor really enters Xiangxiang? But it was Luo Zenan, who was also from Xiangxiang, so he was naturally worried about the safety of Xiangxiang.

"Don't panic. The thieves walked slowly, and after two more days, if the thieves really attacked Xiangxiang, Zeng would definitely lead all his brothers to rush to his hometown to rescue. Zeng Guofan replied calmly.

……

Two days later, Shi Huanzhi and a group of brothers, who were swaying all the way, came to Hengshan and continued to march in the direction of Xiangxiang.

Zeng Guofan, who received the report, finally couldn't bear it, and in desperation, he ordered 7 battalions of Xiangyong, led by him personally, to continue to guard the Xiejiawan camp, and the remaining five battalions, led by Luo Zenan and Li Xubin, rushed to Xiangxiang to intercept the invading rebels.

However, the cunning Luo Zenan and Ning Yuan made a detour and did not pass by the necessary road, so they avoided Zhangmu Pass in the north of Hengyang City, making Chen Yucheng's ambush come to naught.

After discovering that Xiangyong of Xie Jiawan divided a team of soldiers, and returned to Xiangxiang to the north, seeing that he had not passed through Zhangmu Pass, Chen Yucheng immediately made adjustments, gave up the war arrangements for continuing the ambush, and chased after them, preparing to annihilate all the five battalions of Xiangyong, and then, regardless of this Hengyang City, directly led the main force to attack Xiangtan, and then joined Shi Huanzhi's group of brothers to directly attack Changsha City. (To be continued.) )