On July 2, 1851, the imperial envoy Saishang A arrived in Guangxi and wrote: "The military discipline in this area is loose and morale is low. The slaves want to reduce the bravery of the troops, establish discipline, buy spies, disperse threats and followers, and cut off aid."
Emperor Xianfeng issued an edict. He also ordered: Zhou Tianjue's incompetence in supervising the generals caused the thieves to flee again, and he was deprived of the title of governor, and Xiang Rong, Wu Lantai, and Qin Ding were demoted to three levels and retained.
Sai Shang'a carefully observed for half a month, and then summarized: There are many gangsters in western Guangdong. Feng Yunshan, Hong Xiuquan, Ling Shiba, etc. are all Catholics and are the most ferocious. They come and go in Jintian, Dongxiang, and Zhongping. The officers and soldiers look around on the wall to see if there are any. What kind of momentum. It is advisable to use all your strength to attack the big stocks first, and once you succeed, attack them separately to avoid the risk of losing sight of one. There are few soldiers in the provincial wall, and the slaves are temporarily deployed in the center; Xiangrong, Baqingde, Wulantai, Dahonga and others jointly attacked Zhuzixia and Shuangji Mountain, broke through these two passes, divided into encirclement, and destroyed the bandits at the foot of Bauhinia Mountain.
Xiangrong and Wulantai received the order and sent troops to Zhuzixia to attack Banyue, but failed.
Xiang Rong said: "Zhuzai Gorge is a majestic place in the west of Zijing Mountain. It is the transportation hub of Wuxuan and Guiping counties. There is Shuangji Mountain three miles to the north. Here, two mountains stand side by side with a line of communication in the middle. It is extremely dangerous. The bandit army has dug the path. Cut it off, build stone and wood frames, and set up fences to block it. It is difficult to attack this, even if you enter the Shu road."
He Chun offered advice: "Soldiers can win by surprise. You can send an army to bypass Shuangji Mountain and attack from both sides."
Xiang Rong said: "Based on this alone, I can stand alone. Liu Jisan is an acquaintance and can handle this task."
At four o'clock in the morning on August 11, Liu Jisan, the commander-in-chief of the Wuxuan Regiment, walked along the rugged trail to the back of Shuangji Mountain and fired artillery to attack. The Taiping Army was attacked from both sides and was in chaos. Xiang Rong took the opportunity to capture Shuangji Mountain. The Taiping army was defeated, and Xiang Rong led his army to pursue the victory to Fengmen Ao.
Shuangji Mountain was lost, and Hong Xiuquan said in horror: "I have no barrier! Retreat quickly, go to Mocun, Xinwei, and Jintian areas first, and join forces with Xiao Chaogui and Shi Dakai."
Yang Xiuqing said: "Fengmenao is here, we can still hold on."
Hong Xiuquan said: "Pass my order, Wei Changhui guards Fengmen'ao and is not allowed to take a step back."
Wei Changhui, the leader of the right army, held Fengmen'ao for 17 days. On the 18th, Xiang Rongfu used a roundabout strategy to sneak attack behind him. Wei Changhui resisted the enemy on both sides and gradually became unable to hold on. His younger brothers Wei Zhixian and Wei Shiyi died in battle one after another.
Wei Jun said: "If we fight again, the whole army will be destroyed! You will lead the main army to retreat first, and I will stop the rear."
Wei Changhui said helplessly: "A weapon is not as good as a human being. If you stick to it, it will collapse!"
Xiangrong won two battles, and his confidence doubled. He ordered the whole army to take advantage of the victory and march straight to Xinwei, and take advantage of the chaos of the thieves to destroy them with one drum.
Ba Qingde refused with the following five impossibilities: "strengthening the army to attack a far distance, exhausting the army, and not pursuing the enemy when the enemy is exhausted".
Xiang Nai was the admiral of Lvying, and Ba was the commander of the Eight Banners. He could not control Xiang Nai, so he had to report it to his minister Sai Shang'a and ask him to make a decision.
While Xiang Rong was waiting for orders, Ulantai and Dahong'a besieged Mo Village. They were victorious in seven battles and made countless gains.
Seven days later, Xiangrong received the attack order from Saishang'a and jointly attacked with Wulantai, encircling Hong, Yang, Wei and others in the narrow area of Xinyu. The two armies engaged in a stalemate, each suffering casualties.
Yao Ying said: "The two armies are at a stalemate, and chaos will inevitably occur over time. A small number of elite troops can be detoured along the trails and go deep into the hinterland of the rebel army to cause damage, while the front side can rely on the advantages of manpower and material resources to carry out 'indiscriminate warfare.'" "
Jiang Zhongyuan also said: "You can divide into countless small teams, choose any breakthrough point, attack randomly, attack if you can, or change the ground and attack again. If the rebel army breaks out, it will be bombarded with artillery. Then send more details to sneak into the rebel army. Inside, poison, lay mines, and spread rumors; over time, the bandit army will be defeated."
Xiang, Wu Na Yao Ying, Jiang Zhongyuan's strategy, active control.
Defeated in every battle, surrounded on all sides, and harassed day and night, Hong Xiuquan frowned and was in panic all day long.
Yang Xiuqing said: "King Qi, my main force is still there, so there is no harm in fighting again. Xiangyao on the west road and Wuyao on the south road are both strong. The east road is narrow and blocked by the Xunjiang River. To the northeast, run along Wudong Mountain to Bensiwangwei , there is a path everywhere, there is no place without people, and there are not many clear monsters there, so it can be the first choice to break out of the siege. Break the siege, then supervise the army, and march north to Yong'an."
Hong Xiuquan said: "If I run north, Xiang and Wu demons are chasing after me, and Saishang'a demon army is intercepting me in front. I will be surrounded by enemies on three sides. I will be in danger! If I cross the Xun River south, I can leave the Qing demon behind."
All the generals agreed.
Yang Xiuqing was suddenly possessed by his heavenly father, and said in a high-pitched voice: "Just follow my son Xiu Quan's words, cross the Xun River, and lure the black demon to the south bank. He will win consecutive battles against the demon, and he will be arrogant and arrogant. If you retreat, he will chase you; think about it. Ten miles west of Wangwei, there is a village called Guancun. The terrain is low and can be set up for an ambush. Xiao Chaogui, Feng Yunshan, Shi Dakai, Wei Changhui, etc. must put aside everything and use all their strength to ambush Xiang Yao. Sai Shang'a is far away in Guilin, and we are here together. The bones of Xiangyao are already cold. Brigade commander Huang Yizhen retreated in the face of the battle and disobeyed the orders twice. The crime is unbearable under the snow in the clouds. He dares to hide from the sky and has no faith. He is not a hero in the battle. You all obey the commandments of heaven and rebel against each other. To suppress endless sins.”
After Yang Xiuqing was possessed by Heavenly Father, Xiao Chaogui suddenly possessed Heavenly Brother and said impassionedly: "Soldiers and generals in all armies and battalions are bold and joyful, and look forward together with one heart and one mind. Heavenly Father is responsible for everything, and Heavenly Brother is responsible for it. I pray a thousand prayers." Don’t panic. A rotten citizen is here, he is not doing his job properly, and he secretly hides the wealth of Luo Gangyou brothers. He should be executed according to the law.”
Chen Lai was Yang Xiuqing's father-in-law. He took care of Luo Gang's sick wife for three months. Luo's wife died of illness and Chen Lai embezzled her wealth.
Yang Xiuqing checked the authenticity and immediately beheaded Chen Lai and showed his head to the public.
Heavenly Father and Heavenly Brother descended to earth, and the Taiping Army was determined. Hong Xiuquan also issued an edict: Man has no permanent power, and water has no permanent shape. When all armies move to camp, they must be evenly connected, head to tail, and do their best to protect the sick and injured men and women. If brothers and sisters are not protected, it will be an insult to Heavenly Father and Heavenly brothers. Above the sky, Heavenly Father is the only true God, who can build mountains, rivers and seas. No matter how the demon comes and surrounds us with a dragnet of heaven and earth, you soldiers will be at ease. Patrols day and night are strictly prepared, planning and planning at night. Yue Fei's five hundred and one hundred thousand, not to mention the demons should be exterminated.
On the night of September 11, the Taiping Army withdrew from Mocun, Xinwei, and Jintian in the rain, and retreated to Siwangwei for repairs.
Wu Lantai entered Zhanmo Village and Xinwei without a single shot. He did not rush to catch up and repeatedly cleared the villages to check for fish that had slipped through the net.
Xiang Rong was in a hurry and assigned Liu Changqing, the commander-in-chief of Sichuan North Town, to guard Penghua to prevent the Taiping Army from hiding in the Dayao Mountain area. He and Ba Qingde advanced alone and chased for three days and nights. Exhausted from hunger and thirst, they camped in Guancun; their footing was not stable. War drums were beating from all sides, and Xiao Chaogui, Feng Yunshan, Shi Dakai and others each led their troops and came screaming to kill.
Xiang Rong hurriedly faced the battle. The morale of the army was in chaos and they could not form a defense. It was also raining heavily, the cargo and medicine were all wet, and the guns and artillery could not be fired. The Taiping troops charged from left to right and killed on the right, fully demonstrating their superiority with swords and spears. The Qing army collapsed across the board, and everyone ran away.
South of the Guancun battlefield, on the top of Sanbao Mountain, Wu Lantai, Jiang Zhongyuan and others sat and watched Xiang Rong's fierce battle, their hearts trembling.
Jiang Zhongyuan said: "The lips are dead and the teeth are cold. Even if we fight to the death, we should rescue him."
Wu Lantai squinted and said, "The opportunity has passed. We are defeated at the army gate, and our decadence is pouring out like the ocean. If I enter, I will be trapped."
Jiang Zhongyuan begged: "After days of fighting, there are not many Chu braves left. Please give me an army. I will go down the mountain and form an array. I don't want to turn the tide."
Wulantai liked Jiang Zhongyuan's bravery and refused to comment, but ordered the army to hide deep in the mountains and forests, leaving only a hundred old, weak, sick and disabled people to guard the camp. He also said: "The art of war says that if the enemy's front is strong, avoid it; if the enemy is tired and arrogant, attack."
Jiang Zhongyuan did not want to talk about war on paper, so he ordered his younger brother Jiang Zhongjun to return to his hometown to recruit bravery.
In the battle of Guancun, the Xiang army was almost defeated. Chief Qian Yang Chenggui was killed. The pot tents, artillery positions, food and baggage were all abandoned.
Xiang Rong lamented that after decades of growing up in the army, he had never seen this thief; he had dealt with this thief himself and fought dozens of large and small battles, but he had never been defeated like this. With seven thousand men, they are almost incapable of fighting. They have lost their teachers and lost all discipline. This battle is the worst! In the panic of world affairs, there seems to be some divine will.
That night, Xiao Chaogui and Feng Yunshan, bare-chested and shirtless, led their troops into the Wulantai camp and killed anyone who touched their clothes.
Wu Lantai was glad that he had moved his army early, but he would have followed in Xiang Rong's footsteps. He was so frightened when he thought about it carefully that sweat poured down his cheeks. Instruct all the generals to closely monitor the movements of the bandits and strike at the right time.
