nashuaworldcup Chapter 157 Zhang Guangsi's Defeat; Neqin Enters Sichuan
Chapter 157 Zhang Guangsi's Defeat; Neqin Enters Sichuan
In April of the 12th year of Qianlong's reign, Zhang Guangsi was ordered to enter Sichuan, hoping to achieve more remarkable achievements.
After Zhang Guangsi arrived at the Jinchuan front, he believed that the more than 20,000 Han and native officers and soldiers in the Greater and Lesser Jinchuan areas were all scheming, either watching the situation or escaping and hiding. These soldiers were of no use.
The officers and soldiers coming from the mainland are weak, and it will be difficult for them to penetrate into the Jinchuan nest and carry out tasks such as attacking and destroying blockhouses and defending along the way.
Emperor Qianlong then dispatched another 2,000 troops from various camps in Guizhou and sent them to the Jinchuan front for Zhang Guangsi to use.
Zhang Guangsi did make some progress at the beginning of the suppression, and successively recovered Maoniu, Masang and other areas occupied by Dajinchuan; Xiaojinchuan chieftain Zewang also surrendered upon hearing the news, and sent troops to cooperate with the Qing Dynasty to suppress Dajinchuan.
One of the main strongholds of Dajinchuan was in Lewuwei, which was guarded by Sha Luoben himself.
The other one is at Guaer Cliff, on the main road of Dajinchuan.
In order to attack these two strongholds, Zhang Guangsi divided his troops into two routes and attacked from the west and south.
The western route was divided into four: one route was led by Song Zongzhang, the general of Songpan Town, with 4,500 soldiers, advancing from Danba to the official camp of Lewuwei; one route was led by Lieutenant General Lang Jianye and others with 3,500 soldiers, attacking Lewuwei from Zengtougou and Kali; one route was led by Ma Liangzhu, the deputy general of Weimaoxie, with 3,500 Han and local officers and soldiers, attacking Guaerya from Senggezong; one route was led by Lieutenant General Mai Guoliang and guerrilla Gao Delu with 3,000 soldiers, attacking Guaerya from Danba.
The southern army was led by Xu Yinghu, the general of Jianchang Town, and was divided into three routes: Lieutenant General Cai Yunfu led his troops from Gebushiza to capture Zhengdi and Gujiao, and then joined forces with Song Zongzhang and Lang Jianye from the west to attack Lewuwei; Taining Deputy General Zhang Xing and guerrilla Chen Li led their troops from Badi, and joined forces with Ma Liangzhu and Mai Guoliang from the west to attack Guaerya; guerrilla Luo Yuchao led his troops and joined forces with the chieftain Wang Jie from Chuosijiabu to capture the villages in Hexi.
The seven armies in the west and south had a total of more than 30,000 Han and local officers and soldiers, and were scheduled to advance simultaneously on June 28, the 12th year of the Qianlong reign.
At the same time, Emperor Qianlong instructed Zhang Guangsi that it would be better to completely wipe out Jinchuan and that "there is no need to rely solely on recruiting and providing relief to ensure a successful outcome in defeating the Jin chieftain."
It also shows that Emperor Qianlong was fully confident in wiping out the Dajinchuan Rebellion.
At the end of July in the twelfth year of Qianlong's reign, the Qing army's western army reached a point only twenty miles away from the official village of Guaerya; the southern army captured several blockhouses in Dajinchuan, forcing the Jinchuan foreign soldiers to retreat to Dusong Blockhouse.
However, by August, the Qing army was helpless in the face of the battle fortifications in Dajinchuan.
Only then did Zhang Guangsi realize the difficulty of attacking the blockhouse.
The Qing soldiers tried various methods, including digging tunnels, cutting holes in walls, cutting off water routes, and bombarding with artillery, but none of them worked.
Emperor Qianlong was somewhat shaken, so he ordered Zhang Guangsi to temporarily move his troops to a sunny and open area to rest for a while and wait until the spring of the following year to fight again.
On the second day of the first lunar month in the thirteenth year of Qianlong's reign, the Dajinchuan soldiers captured the Gagu Fortress on the river bank. More than eighty local soldiers guarding the fortress opened the gate and followed the Dajinchuan soldiers across the river.
On the tenth day, they captured seven more Karens established by Lang Jianye and killed the guerrilla Meng Chen.
On the 20th, under the pursuit of the Dajinchuan soldiers, Lang Jianye led his troops to retreat to Badi, and the troops of General Ma Liangzhu also retreated to Sun Kezon's stronghold, resulting in the loss of many military uniforms and artillery positions.
Zhang Guangsi suffered heavy casualties and his plan to attack Dajinchuan completely failed.
After Zhang Guangsi's suppression failed, Emperor Qianlong planned to send Yue Zhongqi to the front line, but because Zhang Guangsi and Yue Zhongqi had a feud, Emperor Qianlong ordered Yue Zhongqi to serve in the front line with the title of admiral.