Xiang Army is the name of Hunan local army in the late Qing Dynasty, or Xiang Yong. After the rise of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement, the regular army of the Qing Dynasty was unable to resist and had to use local armed forces. It was at this time that the Xiang Army developed. In addition to suppressing the Xiang army founded by Zeng Guofan during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, it also included the Xiang army that lasted until the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression period. It was not until He Jian stepped down that Chiang Kai-shek transformed Xiang into a semi-central army. By 1949, the semi-centralized Xiang army was completely wiped out by the PLA, and the history of Xiang army ended.

Generally speaking, the characteristics and methods of Xiang's operations are as follows:

1: clear subject and object

Ceng Gong attaches great importance to the way of subject and object (defense first, attack as the object). He thinks that the Lord is strong and the guest is weak, but it is difficult for the Lord to change the guest, and the Lord is beneficial to the guest. He advocates treating guests with the Lord and waiting for merit. His views were in line with the war practice in China at that time. At that time, the firearms of China Army (including Xiang Army and Taiping Army) were mainly rifles, shotguns and mountain guns. They have short range, poor accuracy and great lethality to unprotected targets, but their attack ability is insufficient. Xiang army is mostly composed of simple and honest farmers and weak scholars, who have no formal military training and no war experience. It can't be compared with the Taiping Army who experienced the war at that time. However, with the support of the state, treasury, local finance and gentry's financial resources, the Xiang army is better equipped and has stronger firepower. Taking defensive tactics and letting "thieves pounce on me" is a good way to foster strengths and avoid weaknesses.

2. When the Xiang army is fighting, every time it goes to a place, it must first go deep into the trench and build a high base, and then it will think about fighting. And generally stick to the camp and never take the initiative. Even when attacking, we should try our best to turn the enemy into the main force and let the other side take the offensive.

It is worth mentioning that this "defensive counterattack" tactic is actually peaceful and theoretical; But this work was made by Ceng Gong, and he made you appreciate yourself.

3. camping and marching

Xiang army's "defensive counterattack" tactics decided that they paid special attention to camping and had detailed and strict regulations. Wherever the Xiang army went, even if it only stayed for one night, it was bound to be heavily guarded. Rest and eating are not allowed until the camp is completed. To build a wall ten feet high and half a foot wide, there is a female wall for soldiers who shoot, Abatis is planted outside the wall to prevent climbing, and Abatis digs a deep ditch, which can be said to be quite tight.

Step 4 look at the terrain

Because it is always on the defensive, it is very important to occupy favorable terrain. Ceng Gong is very opposed to an armchair strategist on the map. He advocated on-the-spot investigation of terrain and selection of favorable terrain for operations. When the Xiang army camped, it must choose a place close to the water source to avoid being cut off. Under this condition, it is better to have Levin.

5. Jiang Quan

The navy is extremely important to fight in areas with dense water networks in South China. Ceng Gong attached great importance to the water army from the very beginning when he founded the Xiang Army.

To sum up, this set of tactics explored by Ceng Gong in practice was effective for the situation of Xiang Army at that time.

Spiritual purpose

I'm tired of eating and I'm willing to die.

Xiang army has a brave fighting style and strong fighting will, and its will and spirit are much more useful than a few western firearms. The spirit of Huxiang, which is "hard-working, bullying the weak and fearing the hard, preferring to die rather than surrender", has been vividly demonstrated in all the wars it participated in. After pacifying the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Northwest Uprising, Xiang Army participated in many wars to resist foreign aggression, including the left recovery of Xinjiang, the resistance to France in Zhennanguan and Taiwan Province Province, and the bloody battle in Niuzhuang during the Sino-Japanese War. "The general has not yet raised the border people, and the children of Hunan are full of Tianshan Mountains. Newly planted willows are three thousand miles away, attracting spring breeze. "