Chapter 228: Surprise Attack on Huangtian
Chapter 228: Surprise Attack on Huangtian
Hongmen disciples are spread all over the world. Tiandihui is a branch of Hongmen, and Honghuahui is a branch of Tiandihui in Yili Province. That's roughly it.
When Tian Xing was young, he traveled all over the country and even knew Dong Fuxiang's father. Although he had never been to Yili Province, his name had spread to the underworld here.
It is normal that the core members of the Red Flower Society know about Tian Xing's affairs.
In fact, under Shao Quanzhong, Liao Rong, the leader of the triad, has a closer relationship with the Red Flower Society, but Karis doesn't know. Liao Rong is much more low-key than Tian Xing, and Guangdong and Hong Kong are a bit far from Yili Province.
Don't underestimate these underworld forces. Now they seem to be just scattered bandits, but if one day someone capable of accomplishing something starts a rebellion among the Hongmen, the whole country will immediately respond and the rebellion will spread like wildfire.
Shao Quanzhong never dared to underestimate them. He had made up his mind that if he couldn't beat them, he would join them. He wanted to become the representative of the Hongmen and its branches. This was a long-term strategy that had been set long ago.
There were no outsiders present. Was Dong Fuxiang an outsider? Would he be loyal to the Qing court? Ahem, he was a bandit with 300,000 people not long ago.
Shao Quanzhong was not surprised that Bai Yanhu had colluded with Yakub Beg. "What's the situation in the area occupied by Yakub Beg? How many troops does he have? How is his equipment?"
Some of this information was brought back by the spies sent out early on, but Yakub Beg's power developed very quickly, with major changes almost every month.
"When Yakub Beg first arrived in Ili Province two years ago, he had only 500 people. He took the risk of attacking Yarkand but failed. However, he unexpectedly captured Yingjisha, which was not well defended, and immediately erupted.
He presented some of the looted treasures to Khudayar Khan of Kokand, including nine cannons, several beautiful and gentle Han girls, nine young Uighur boys, nine Mongolian horses, and several large boxes of gold and silver ingots, in exchange for his country's military support.
From then on, wherever he went, he would burn, kill, and plunder, killing Han people, Uighurs, and Huihus. He would use the money he robbed to send people back to Andijan to recruit more Kokand soldiers, and the army would snowball and expand rapidly to 50,000 in two years. He also forcibly recruited 40,000 local servants and soon unified the southern half of Ili Province.
Except for the Han people and the Manchus and Mongols, the locals did not care much about breaking away from the rule of the Qing Dynasty. But when Yakub Beg came, he imposed heavy taxes to feed his tens of thousands of troops, and now all ethnic groups are against him.
Now everyone misses the past life. Compared with the brutal Yakub Beg, the Qing court has become more approachable. This is why I came here to bring you the news from the Qing army. Yakub Beg is really a piece of shit. "
Um, now you know how good my Chinese family is, right? Although the Qing Dynasty's rule in Ili Province was not good, it was not bad either. At least the Qing Dynasty had prosperous villages in the interior to collect taxes, and did not have to levy heavy taxes on Ili Province.
This is good news. The rule of Yakub Beg, who came to power through violence, is certainly not stable. Once he fails on the battlefield, it should quickly collapse.
"Yaqub Beg left his eldest son Hulibek with 20,000 men to guard Kashgar, while he himself led an army of 30,000 to advance to Korla.
Because of Bai Yanhu's surrender, Yakub Beg left his second son Haigula with 7,000 men to guard Korla, and he led 20,000 troops to Toksun. His chief, Aydelhuli, had already led 3,000 vanguards to Dabancheng.
Shao Quanzhong nodded, "No wonder Bai Yanhu suddenly stopped running. It turns out that he was colluding with foreigners and defending the ancient pasture, waiting for Yakub Beg to send troops to rescue him."
Karis looked anxious. "Yaqub Beg's army has been trained by the British and is equipped with advanced British equipment. I was afraid that you, General, didn't know about Yaqub Beg's arrival and suffered a great loss, so I came here to report it. You must not take it lightly."
Shao Quanzhong and Grant looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter.
He turned around and looked at the confused Karis, "Lady, the situation you reported is very important, very good. Come here, there is a reward. Liu Niang, go and get a hundred taels of gold."
Karis shook her hands, "I came here to risk my life, not for the gold..."
"That's a reward too. Lady, you don't understand the Huai Army. We are not afraid of British equipment or the large number of enemies. The problem now is that we are afraid that the logistics will not keep up. The battle in southern Xinjiang will be protracted. It's a good thing that Yakub Beg came to our door. If we destroy Yakub Beg's main force in Toksun, the subsequent battles will be easier to fight." Emery closed his eyes and thought for a while, "However, Dabancheng was built between the Tianshan Mountains. One man can block the pass of ten thousand. If we have the help of Kokand people to guard it, it will be more difficult to fight. Our plan to attack Turpan together with Barkol and Hami may have to be postponed."
Shao Quanzhong waved his hand and said, "After we take Dihua, we must first recover Manas and Yili in the west and Tacheng in the north. It's just right to wait for the autumn harvest here and have sufficient food and grass before attacking Dabancheng. There's no rush."
Karis interrupted, "By the way, Bai Yanhu is only wary of the Han people, and doesn't take much precautions against us local natives. I have a spy in Dabancheng who reported on the guard situation of Dabancheng..."
After Caris finished speaking, Shao Quanzhong, Grant and Emery all looked solemn. Grant scratched his head and said, "It seems that our plan needs to be revised. After taking Dihua, we have to divide our forces again, and the time for the joint attack on Turpan must be advanced."
Bai Yanhu was determined to defend the ancient pasture to the death, but this side didn't take him seriously at all and was thinking about what to do after taking over Dihua...
Hu Liuniang brought over a tray with 100 taels of gold. Karis didn't even look at the gold, but clasped her fists towards Shao Quanzhong and said, "If the general really wants to reward me, I would like to ask for a special reward from the general."
Shao Quanzhong looked at her with a smile, "Why? You don't want money and want to be an official? That's fine. It would be nice for the Qing Dynasty to have a heroine like Qin Liangyu."
Karis glanced at Dong Fuxiang who had been silent beside her and said, "I want to ask the general to make the decision. I want to marry General Dong."
This request shocked everyone, including Dong Fuxiang himself. The Uighur heroine was really daring. By the way, this should be the first time you met Dong Fuxiang, right?
Karis looked at Dong Fuxiang, not hiding her admiration, "I was being chased by Bai Yanhu's scouts, and General Dong rode into the enemy group alone, picked me up from my horse, and put me on his warhorse. That's when I fell in love with him. I wouldn't look down on ordinary people, but General Dong is the young leader of the Gelaohui, and he's a perfect match for me, the young leader of the Red Flower Society."
Dong Fuxiang clasped his fists and said, "Lady, you have fallen in love with the wrong person. It's a pity that I am already married."
Kali didn't care at all, "I'd rather be a hero's concubine than a cowardly spouse. I just want to follow you."
This sentence touched Hu Liuniang's heart. She immediately felt a sense of sympathy for Karis and stepped forward to pat her on the back, "Okay, I support you."
Shao Quanzhong laughed loudly, "Yes, this is a good thing. Brother Xingwu, you are very lucky. I agree to this. Liuniang, increase the gold to 200 taels as my gift."
Karis's beauty is comparable to that of Fat Di, and Dong Fuxiang is a man from the feudal era, a real hero. Since the other party doesn't mind being a concubine, why would he be unhappy? He readily agreed.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Hu Liuniang turned around and glared at Shao Quanzhong fiercely, "Look at how straightforward Dong Fuxiang is, and look at you..."
…………
On that day, the Huai Army's battlefield concealment suddenly weakened. Bai Yanhu's scouts heard the news that the Huai Army was digging karez in Ganquan Village to store water. They also saw with their own eyes a steam tractor towing heavy artillery, and under the escort of infantry, they began to slowly advance along the road towards Heigouyi.
The bandits under Bai Yanhu began to gather at Heigouyi, ready to fight. A large number of cavalry prepared to attack the water-deficient Huai Army in batches on the Gobi Desert, which was suitable for horses to gallop, and the defense of Huangtian began to slack.
That night, Dong Fuxiang did not even sleep with his new concubine, Karis, but took four battalions of Gansu infantry, set out on the path leading to Huangtian, and attacked Huangtian overnight.
(End of this chapter)