Blue Star On October 15, 1858, after many days of siege and bombardment by artillery, the Chengdu garrison surrendered, and Shi Dakai's army fully recovered Sichuan.
At this time, the Seven Power Allied Forces were still marching along the Yangtze River towards Nanchang.
Normally, Shi Dakai's main force in Sichuan should go down the Yangtze River to support Nanchang.
But at this time, the troops in Sichuan received a strange urgent message from the Nanchang General Staff: "Please take advantage of the situation and recover the three provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, and Shaanxi. There is no need to return to Nanchang to aid."
This telegram puzzled Tong Ronghai. If Nanchang was captured, the Taiping Army's accumulation over the years would be in vain.
Normally, if the Qing Dynasty had concentrated its forces on the Northern Expedition, the Qing Dynasty would have been destroyed immediately, because the Qing government's troops were mainly concentrated in the northwest and northeast, leaving the Central Plains empty of troops, which would not have caused an emergency in Nanchang.
But Shi Dakai chose to march westward. At that time, all the generals raised questions, and Shi Dakai did not give an explanation.
In fact, the biggest reason for this is that the northwest region is a very important base for the future attack on Xizhou.
If food is transported from the Jiangnan area to the northwest, not only the cost is high, but also very time-consuming. This will be very detrimental to the future army's conquest of the Asian continent.
Although the northwest region is currently relatively barren, there are sufficient plains and sufficient water resources. The upper reaches of the Yellow River pass through these three provinces. Shi Dakai is confident enough to build this place into one of the best granaries.
Therefore, by recovering the northwest region as soon as possible, we can attack the Mao Xiong Kingdom and other countries in Xizhou as soon as possible.
At this time, nitrogen fertilizer was born in the world. It can turn the northwest into a large granary of fertile fields.
Shi Dakai also conveyed the tactics of the northwest recapture campaign to the front line through telegrams, which was the most classic tactic of encircling the point for reinforcements.
Encirclement and reinforcements, as the name suggests, is to encircle a key stronghold, use this stronghold as bait to attract reinforcements from enemies elsewhere, and then annihilate the reinforcements.
Although the three provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, and Shaanxi do not have strong combat effectiveness, the northwest region has always been the key defense area of the Qing Army. If they fight all the way, it will take a lot of time.
Using the method of surrounding the point to provide support can save a lot of time.
Nanchang will not be defeated in a short time, and it can quickly return to support Nanchang after regaining the three northwest provinces.
Among the three northwest provinces, Lanzhou is the most suitable for siege.
Lanzhou is located between Xi'an and Xining. Besieging Lanzhou can also cut off the connection between Xi'an and Xining, which can also shorten the war time.
Blue Star On October 25, 1858, Tong Ronghai sent three divisions to surround Lanzhou, and the remaining troops ambush on the way of reinforcements.
That night, the Taiping Army began to bombard Lanzhou. The intensive artillery bombardment caused many casualties to the defenders.
The defenders in Lanzhou also received news that Nanchang was now under attack by the Seven Powers Allied Forces, and those who appeared here were definitely not the main force of the Taiping Army.
The magistrate of Lanzhou thought that now was the opportunity to make a meritorious service. If he led his troops and rushed out, he would definitely be able to grab a lot of artillery.
"Inform all soldiers to rush out with me and destroy the bandit army."
The prefect of Lanzhou shouted, asking the deputy general to lead the charge.
Due to the advanced weapons and equipment of the Taiping Army, the Lanzhou defenders fell every time they came out. Although they were large in number, they were still unable to defeat them.
At this time, we can only ask for help from Xi'an and Xining. They are not the main force anyway, they are definitely easy to fight, and there are many artillery pieces that can be used as trophies. .
Sure enough, both the Qing Army in Xining and Xi'an were fooled.
Blue Star On November 5, 1858, two groups of reinforcements were still dreaming about going to Lanzhou to grab cannons and only a few ranks of official promotions were left. They were speeding up their march and preparing to pass through the dense forest. .
Deep in the dense forest, Taiping soldiers stood ready, quietly hiding in the dense woods, only showing their wary eyes and the weapons they clenched in their hands.
This forest is obscured by dense leaves, and sunlight can only shine through the gaps, forming mottled light and shadow.
With a slight sound of footsteps, the Qing army came into sight. They looked relaxed, apparently unaware of the danger around them.
At this time, the Taiping soldiers began to adjust their positions nervously, preparing to launch an attack at the best time.
Suddenly, a soldier issued a low command. In an instant, gunshots broke the silence of the dense forest. The Taiping Army quickly opened fire, and the gunfire and shouts were intertwined, as if they were turning the woods into a bloody battlefield.
The battle lasted for a long time, and the Taiping Army won.
The two groups of reinforcements from the Qing Army were beaten into confusion.
Before they could return to the city, Xi'an and Xining had been recaptured by Tong Ronghai's troops.
From then on, another military miracle in Chinese military history was born. The Taiping Army regained the three northwest provinces in just over a month.
The Nanchang General Staff sent another strange telegram: "There is no need for the army to return for reinforcements. We must first manage the northwest region and carry out the agrarian revolution as soon as possible."
At this time, the only explanation Tong Ronghai could think of was that the enemy had infiltrated the staff headquarters. Otherwise, it would be impossible for the main force to ignore Nanchang. This time the Seven-Nation Allied Forces may have nearly 100,000 troops, and no one is sure that they can win this battle.
Blue Star On November 9, 1858, Tong Ronghai was ready to return reinforcements despite military orders, but a telegram of victory in the defense of Nanchang was sent, and he was finally relieved.
