Hong Yang withdrew the siege of Guilin, marched northward, captured Xing'an City, raised supplies and supplies, and the pots and bowls overflowed.
Yang Xiuqing said: "The demon army is following, and the tail is too big to lose, and the trouble will be endless. Quanzhou City has high walls and thick skin, so there is no need to attack. In my opinion, the troops will be divided into water and land routes, bypassing Quanzhou City, and going straight to Changsha City; there have been heavy rains in recent days. , the Xiang River has surged, and it can be reached in three days.”
When the Taiping troops approached the city, Cao Xiepei, the governor of Quanzhou, was timid and did not dare to fight. He told General Yang Yinghe of the Quanzhou Battalion and Wuchang Xian, the commander of the Baoqing Xiedu, saying: "Thieves will not fire cannons and will never provoke them. They will just muddle along."
The two parties had a good rapport and were at peace with each other for a time. The Taiping Army took boats all the way down the river, and the vanguard had reached Coiyi Ferry. The armies on land also passed through the border harmlessly. Among the thousands of troops, one or eight carried a large sedan chair, swaying.
At the top of the city in Quanzhou, a gunner of the Qing army had never seen such a swaying yellow sedan. He felt itchy for a moment and lit the cannon. At the sound of the cannon, the rear army commander Feng Yunshan fell out of the sedan, his intestines spread on the ground, and passed out.
Hong Xiuquan was furious and surrounded the city with his troops, vowing to avenge the Southern King.
As soon as the cause of the disaster was revealed, Cao Xiepei couldn't laugh or cry, so he hurriedly released the prisoners and recruited wives to help with the defense. Xie Pei commanded his troops bravely, shelling and shooting, stabbing with swords and spears, smashing stones with arrows, and pouring boiling oil on them. He did everything he could to fight to the death for ten days. The Taiping Army suffered countless casualties. Yang Xiuqing became angry and threatened: "This city will be destroyed, and the city will be destroyed with blood."
Saishang A ordered Xiangrong to rescue him, and the officials and people of Guilin knelt down and wept, leaving Xiangrong behind. Sai had no choice but to send Yu Wanqing, the governor of Hunan, Liu Changqing, the commander-in-chief of Sichuanbei Town, He Chun, the commander-in-chief of Appeasement Town, and Jiang Zhongyuan, the candidate prefect, to rush for reinforcements.
The Taiping Army's attack became more and more fierce, and Cao Xiepei gradually became exhausted. He wrote three blood letters asking for help from Yu Wanqing, Liu Changqing, and He Chun. Yu, Liu, and He were afraid of harming themselves, so they watched outside Chen Bing's city and refused to save him.
Cao Xiepei knew he was going to die, so he wrote in blood: "I have tried my best, but I have to die. I will repay the kindness of the emperor, and I will go to the people's disaster."
On June 3, 1852, the Taiping Army dug six feet into the ground and gathered sixteen loads of cargo and explosives to blow up the walls and destroy the entire city. Yang Xiuqing set his troops to burn and massacre the city. No one in the city, no matter the officials or soldiers, was spared. After three days of massacre, the sword was sealed. Corpses were piled up in the city of Quanzhou, blocking roads for three days; on the fourth day, soldiers stood at the ruins and shouted: "People can come out."
In the huge city of Quanzhou, no one responded.
Jiang Zhongyuan originally wanted to advance alone, but finally endured it. He Chun said: "We fear the enemy like rats, and do not save us when we see death. We act like men! When the ancients fought, they did not kill the envoys or hurt innocent people. If they rebelled against the city and massacred the city, women and children would be punished by heaven! Recently, the Xiang River has surged. , go straight down the river, and you can reach Changsha in three days. The city walls of Changsha are being repaired, but the work is less than half of the work, and the city is empty and unprepared. Without Cao Gong's bloody battle for ten days, Changsha would have been lost long ago. If Changsha is lost, thieves will be like fish and men in the ocean, and it will be impossible to stop them. You and I have no face to talk about it here. The water pond bay three miles northeast of the coir raincoat crossing has many beaches and shallow water, making it difficult for boats to pass. I cut down trees and built a weir to cut off the waterway to Lingling in the north. On the west coast, Shizi Ridge is high. It's dangerous and the forest is deep. I'm going to attack the bridge first and block the land route to Xinning from the west. The commander-in-chief will set up his army in the east. When you and I attack from the east and west, the bandits will be destroyed."
He and Chunxi mobilized general Zhang Guoliang to ambush the troops east of the coir raincoat crossing. Zhang Guoliang was frightened and walked slowly, delaying in crossing the river.
Hong Yang slaughtered the whole state, dug three feet into the ground, and grabbed everything available. When he was satisfied, he planned to leave.
Yang Xiuqing said: "The Reiyi Ferry in the east of the city goes up to Tongzhou City and down to Hunan. Although it is not Guanjin, it is actually a thoroughfare. In Hechun, seven thousand demon troops were stationed in Taiping in front, and in Bao Qibao's three thousand demon army, Yongzhou was behind. Qin Dingsan The demon army is on its way to Chenzhou, but the land route to the north has been locked. To the south of me, Yu Wanqing's demon army has gone to Daozhou, and this road is also blocked. After me, the demons of Liu Changqing and Jiang Zhongyuan are pressing hard. On the waterway, the demon of Sun Yingzhao has strangled the Guixiang stronghold in the Yellow River. Shahe, prevent me from entering Hunan. All the demon armies, except for the Wanqing demon tribe..."
Hong Xiuquan interrupted Yang Yan and said: "I besieged the city for ten days, and not a single monster dared to come to the rescue; I massacred the city for three days, and not a single monster came to rescue me! I personally led the army, sailed on boats, and swaggered into Hunan. Let's see which one... Dare you stop me?"
On June 5, Hong Xiuquan and Yang Xiuqing led a fleet of 200 boats, sailed down the river, crossed the Coiyi Ferry, and entered Reservoir Bay. At the corner, they were blocked by a wooden weir. The fleet was densely packed on the river, unable to advance or retreat.
Jiang Zhongyuan opened fire and bombarded the Taiping fleet. Feng Yunshan was hit by another cannon and died on the spot. After two days of fierce fighting, the Taiping Army's ships were destroyed, all their baggage was lost, and they suffered heavy casualties. Yang Xiuqing did not dare to fight anymore and landed in Shezhou. The east coast was empty and not a single soldier was seen. Yang Xiuqing calmly gathered his defeated troops, crossed half of the mountain, passed through the biandan depression, and went straight to the ground in Yongzhou, Hunan. When the Xiang River surged and it was difficult for a few ships to cross, Yang Xiuqing abandoned Yongzhou and attacked Daozhou south.
Shi Dakai said: "Between Yongzhou and Daozhou, there are many dangers on the hundred-mile mountain road. The Shuangbei Pass is even more difficult for one man to pass and ten thousand people cannot pass it."
Yang Xiuqing said: "Hunan Admiral Yu Wanqing has never tried to side with him since he took over the war, or he has already fled."
When Yu Wanqing heard about the arrival of the Taiping Army, he abandoned Shuangbei Pass and fled to Daozhou. Daozhou only had 500 defenders. Yu Wanqing dismissed it and flew to the prefect of Hengzhou: "My troops will move to Hengzhou to secure Changsha." The prefect of Hengzhou refused. Wang Kuiyi, the magistrate of Daozhou, respectfully asked Yu Wanqing to command the war. When the Taiping Army arrived, Yu Wanqing opened the city gate and ran away.
After the defeat of the coir raincoat crossing, Hong Xiuquan was in a state of despair. His buttocks were touching the dragon chair, and he was still sitting on a pins and needles felt. While sighing, he suddenly said to his left and right: "Although we have occupied Daozhou now, the monster soldiers are chasing and suppressing us, and we are always in trouble. Old brothers from Guangdong and Guangxi, There is not much left, so I want to return to Guangdong to take over Guangdong and build a small paradise for all my brothers to live in."
Yang Xiuqing said: "Please tell me, King of Heaven, you must not have such thoughts! You are already riding on the back of a tiger, how can you allow yourself to have any second thoughts? The best strategy today is to ignore Guangdong, charge forward, follow the river to the east, seize the castle, ignore the key points, and concentrate on If we seize Jinling as the base and then send generals out in all directions to harass the north and the south, it won't work. I can have the south of the Yellow River!"
Luo Gangdao said: "I would like to report to the Heavenly King Dongwang. I have something to say. Can you speak to me?"
Hong Xiuquan said: "President Luo, tell me."
Luo Gangdao said: "Wu Guogui, the general of Wu Sangui in the past, also said this: abandon the south and ignore it, and go north to fight for the world. Use one army to plan Jingzhou, attack Xiangyang, and go straight to Henan; one army goes to Wuchang and goes down the river. Pass through the north of the Yangtze River. Do not be afraid of difficulties, do not cherish your life, rather advance to death than retreat to life, fight to the death, cut out the heart of the Central Plains, and cut off the water transportation to the southeast. Even if we cannot be mixed together, I will own half of the land of the emperor and the empress."
Hong Xiuquan was dissatisfied and thought to himself: I am not in charge of the general system. How thick is the sky and the high ground?
Yang Xiuqing was also displeased and said: "Mr. Luo's words are misty and distant. We have less than 10,000 people, so don't talk about dividing the troops anymore."
People reported: "His Royal Highness the King of the West has arrived."
Hong Xiuquan said happily: "Brother Xiwang, I can't wait any longer."
Everyone was happy to see the King of the West. Only Yang Xiuqing, the king of the East, remains as beautiful as ever.
Xiao Chaogui said: "I am reporting to the King of Heaven that my little brother has recovered from his serious injury and will fight with all his heart and courage to kill the enemy."
Hong Xiuquan said: "Don't wear a strong sword and lead the troops. It is my duty to sit in front of the army and make plans. Now I am attacking in the south, suppressing the northern expedition, or attacking in the east. What do you think?"
Xiao Chaogui said: "I am reporting to the King of Heaven that I am anxious to be in the prosperous land of Jinling."
