Jiang Zhongyuan was wounded and entered the city. After observing the battle situation, he urgently told Zhang Liangji: "The thieves cannot attack for a long time and will cross the Yangtze River and flee. The dragon on the west bank of the Xiangjiang River returns to the lake and must capture it quickly."
Zuo Zongtang also said: "Longhuitan is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Occupying it can cut off the escape route of thieves and catch turtles in the jar. Time is not waiting for us, so we must send troops to seize it immediately."
Zhang Liangji said: "Please go to the army gate to cross the river to stop the bandits. Everyone, I received the order yesterday: Zeng Guofan, the former minister of Ding You, is familiar with the local people in Hunan. I should send an order to help my colleagues handle the affairs of the province's regiment training villagers and search for bandits. Yi will do his best to live up to his mandate. Everyone, if we don't fight hard, we will all withdraw."
Xiang Rong said: "Your Majesty hates us for not fighting! Longhuitan is far away! The art of war says: attack when you are halfway across. If you wait until the thieves have fully crossed and then stop them, it will be too late. I intend to rely on Changsha City to attack first. On Shuilu Island, cut off the thieves into two sections and encircle and annihilate them on both sides of the Xiangjiang River."
Zuo Zongtang said: "We have less than 20,000 soldiers and 50,000 thieves, and the nets are too small for the fish to be caught in the bag. When we capture Longhui Lake, we take advantage of the danger and hold on. We put the fishing line long and let the fish struggle until they are exhausted." , gather and annihilate.”
Bao Qibao said: "Isn't it just a long line to catch big fish? It's easy to talk on paper. If the line is too long, the fish will swallow the bait and go away. What should we do?"
Jiang Zhongyuan said: "Stop talking! I am willing to go."
Zhang Liangji said: "No, Brother Minqiao's leg injury has not healed, Changsha City cannot be unfair."
Zhang Liangji consulted the imperial envoy Xu Guangjin and explained the importance of crossing the river to defend against the enemy.
Xu Guangjin replied: garrisoning Xiangtan to prevent thieves from returning and causing further harm to Guangxi and Guangdong is the top priority.
Zuo Zongtang said: "The imperial envoy hesitated for two months before arriving at Xiangtan. Now he has stopped moving forward. He is as afraid of the enemy as a tiger! Sai Shang A Shang is in the army and Xu will not come. Sai Ke can restrain himself and prosper."
Zhang Liangji personally visited Sai Shang'a and said that he could not take up this responsibility except Xiang Rong.
Sai Shang'a arrived at the Xiangrong camp and confessed the importance of returning to Longtan.
Xiang Rong said: "Master Sai, can I stop fifty thousand thieves with only six thousand soldiers and horses? Zuo Zongtang, a scholar with bad skills and a sharp tongue, will kill me!"
Sai Shang'ad said: "How about giving you four thousand more troops to garrison Yuelu Mountain and soothe the enemy's back?"
Xiang Rong said: "I have to obey your order. Once things are sorted out, we will break camp and cross the river immediately."
Before Xiang Rong could pack up his troops, Shi Dakai had forcibly crossed the Xiangjiang River, occupied the water and land islands, built pontoon bridges to integrate the east and west banks, and then captured Xiangbiba and Longhuitan in the west of the river.
After the retreat was opened, Yang Xiuqing no longer cared about him, and used all his strength to attack the south gate; Qin Rigang led the earth camp, at Kuixing Tower and Tianxin Lake, with caves more than ten feet deep, buried goods and medicine deep, blasted through the city wall, and swarmed in.
Jiang Zhongyuan, Deng Shaoliang, Qu Tenglong and others each led their troops and resisted stubbornly. Deng Shaoliang's left arm was wounded by a cannon and bleeding continued. Shaoliang was unaware and stood on the ruins. He held a knife in his right hand and killed many people. Qu Tenglong resisted with his knife and led a group of Miao soldiers to kill more than 300 people. Taiping The army was afraid and began to retreat.
Zuo Zongtang beat gongs and drums, and announced all over the city: Anyone who throws a stone into the gap will get a thousand coins, and two stones will make a liang; if the thief retreats, it will be ineffective. People came with stones one after another, and the gap was filled in an instant.
Changsha was fortified, and Zhang Liang Ji Li commanded Xiang Rong to attack the west bank of the Xiangjiang River. Otherwise, he would be impeached by Shu. Xiang Rong did not dare to be lazy anymore and ordered He Chun and Zhang Guoliang to garrison Yuelu Mountain. He led 3,000 elite troops to attack Shuiluzhou in order to intercept the Taiping Army from the east to the west. The couplet.
Shi Dakai hid his main force in the woods south of Shuiluzhou. Xiang Rong failed to observe carefully and entered the ambush again. Most of his three thousand soldiers and horses were lost.
At the top of Changsha City, Zuo Zongtang and Jiang Zhongyuan witnessed the destruction of the Xiang army in person, and their courage was trembling.
Zuo Zongtang said: "Xiang Rong was defeated miserably, and there was no more army to cross the river; the rebels were raging and could not be destroyed overnight."
Jiang Zhongyuan said: "Ji Gaomiao, I have had several opportunities to kill the thieves, but I always failed in that one fence. When my leg injury recovers, I will definitely shoot the thieves again."
Zuo Zongtang said: "In two years, the adverse weather has become a reality, and the Eight Banners and the Green Camp can no longer be controlled. The Holy Emperor has already issued an order: Each village and township will train for its own regiment, and everyone will be guided by the gentleman's impartiality and strategy, and choose dangerous points. The land was built into a stronghold, and the scattered households in the plains and wilderness were integrated into the stronghold. At the junction of every state and county and the border of neighboring provinces, dangerous strongholds were built for defense. When thieves arrived, they would enter the stronghold to protect themselves and take advantage of the opportunity to attack; the thieves retreated , then each village will intercept and kill without exhausting pursuit. The Holy Emperor ordered Zeng Guofan and other forty regiments to train ministers to train local braves and find another way out!"
Jiang Zhongyuan said: "A war cannot be accomplished in a day, and water from afar cannot quench our thirst close by. We do not need to make the thieves gain power."
Zuo Zongtang said: "The rebels are holding back 50,000 people. Brother Minqiao can't support him alone. This requires long-term planning."
Xiang Rong collapsed and returned to the camp. He Chun and Zhang Guoliang rushed to comfort him.
Xiang Rong said: "It is common to suffer many losses in repeated battles. It is a pity that more than a thousand of my brothers have been defeated. We have been besieging the city for more than two months. If we cannot conquer it for a long time, we must find another way out. Governor Zhang listened to the scholar and said that the thieves were attacking from the north; Xu Qin's envoy stayed in Xiangtan, and the Taoist bandits fled south."
Zhang Guoliang said: "It has been more than a month since Hong Yang built the pontoon bridge, but he has not been able to fully cross it. Could it be that he is showing off?"
He Chun said: "Previously, I fled from Jintian to Xunjiang River, then from Xunjiang River to Jintian, and then from Xiangzhou to Jintian. My behavior was irregular and erratic."
Xiang Rong thought hard and couldn't decide. He took a long breath and said, "Multiple factions are working carefully to detect the thieves' movements."
Shuiluzhou was victorious, and Shi Dakai was so heroic that he wanted to use his troops on the west bank to destroy Xiangrong in Yuelu Mountain.
Yang Xiuqing said: "We have been besieging the city for eighty days. We have repeatedly failed to attack, so there is no need to attack again. Old Xiangyao, my skills are too dull, and I don't bother to care anymore. My intention is to strike south and attack north, and point my sword at Wuchang."
On December 1, 1852, it was a dark night with strong winds and heavy rain. Yang Xiuqing sent several small teams to attack south to build momentum. He led the main force across the river from the floating bridge, bypassed Xiangrong Camp, and marched westward to Ningxiang.
Xiang Rong was misled by the appearance and thought that Hong and Yang were fleeing to the south. He led the main force to Xiangtan, but did not see a single Taiping soldier. When he returned to Changsha, the Taiping troops had arrived at Yiyang City.
When Changsha was surrounded, the chief envoy Pan Duo reported the good news and said: Changsha City cheered loudly, and hurriedly looked north towards the military gate.
Zhang Liangji sighed: "The thieves are in a desperate situation. According to the wishes of Minqiao and Ji Gao, they have gathered troops to return to the lake and annihilate them in one fell swoop! Now, the thieves have broken through and fled north, and we have no chance! I have sinned deeply and owe the divine grace to others. I am ashamed of the people, why are you so happy? Xiang Xinran knows his fault and makes atonement for his sins."
On that day, Emperor Xianfeng issued another edict: Imperial Envoy Xu Guangjin, Hubei Governor Chang Dachun, Hubei Admiral Bole Gongwu, Jingzhou General Taiyong, and the right-wing deputy capital official Wen were to strictly fortify the adjacent key passes to ensure that there was no chance of any loose ends. , causing thieves to take advantage of the space and enter. Xu Guangjin must go to Chu to check the situation and not let it spread again. The bandits who entered Changsha were attacked and suppressed by our troops. They intended to flee north. It was necessary to find out in advance. The secret agent sent General Bian to lead his troops to bypass the bandits and intercept them head-on. The water and land vessels must also be ordered to be collected and cleared, so that thieves and bandits cannot seize the opportunity to snatch them, making it even more difficult to catch them by surprise if they go north along the river. Jingyue is an important gateway to the north of Chu, and there must be no danger of neglect.
Xu Guangjin accepted the order and quickly headed north without delay.
