When Shengbao blocked the road to Hanhou Ridge, Lin Fengxiang was depressed and had trouble sleeping and eating. A Jin person commented: "There is a trail between Lucheng and Licheng, which goes eastward along the Taihang River. It leads from Wu'an Trail in Henan to Linming Pass in Zhili. In recent times, merchants all come and go through this route, and the route is very convenient."
Lin Fengxiang was overjoyed and led his troops south and east. In four days, they crossed Taihang and went straight to Linming Pass in Zhili.
Linming Pass, the gateway to Baoding, is 800 miles away from the capital. Linming Pass is lost and Baoding is in danger. The governor of Zhili, Nar Jing'e, did not dare to neglect and supervised the expedition in person.
Before the Nal Sutra arrived, Lin Fengxiang had already sent people to pretend to be Qing soldiers to earn money.
Nar Jing'e personally led his troops to the entrance of the stone monument to attack. More than ten thousand officers and soldiers fought fiercely for a day, but lost all their arrows and ammunition and retreated in a panic. Nar's forehead could not be stopped and he ran with the army like a wolf. The imperial envoys and ministers lost all their defenses, arrows, military documents, and weapons.
Naer Jing'e and only a few people fled into Guangping Fucheng, muttering and sighing: "When I have a message to ask the governor of Shanxi to protect this trail, why not take care of it personally? Unfortunately, Lucheng and Licheng are both in Shanxi. Earth, what can you do!"
Emperor Xianfeng angrily rebuked Ne'er Jing'e: When the thieves broke out in Huaiqing, Jieji ordered the governor to strictly guard the Jifu key pass. Why did the thieves sneak in and collapse immediately? Moreover, the weapons and equipment were used by soldiers to defend themselves against the thieves. When the thieves fled to the west, the governor had no plan and actually placed the ordnance behind him. As a result, such a powerful force was able to fight off the thieves with bare hands. Later, he blamed it on the lack of vehicles, which was too late. It can be seen that there is no way to control the situation. Immediately pass on my order to protect our army and not to fortify Shanxi again. We immediately rush into Zhili and defend the Hutuo River to prevent the spread of thieves.
Lin's army made a surprise attack on Linming Pass and obtained countless supplies. Their morale was greatly boosted. After a day's rest, they attacked Shahe from the north and killed Yuheng, the county magistrate. On October 1, 1853, he captured Ren County. On the 2nd, Clonping. On the 4th, Zhaozhou was captured again. On the 5th, Luan City was defeated again. Lin's army was invincible, attacking one city in one day and reaching the Hutuo River in six days.
Lin Fengxiang was overjoyed and said to Li Kaifang: "Immediately force the crossing, capture Zhengding, and head north to Beijing. The owl has a demon head and a dog head!"
Zhou Gonghao, the magistrate of Zhengding, did not dare to slack off, so he gathered troops and braved the tens of thousands of villagers. Suddenly he raised flags and beat drums, shouting loudly; suddenly he fell down on the bank of Hutuo River and made no sound.
Lin Fengxiang was confused, his attack and defense were uncertain, and his pursuers had already arrived to capture the deer. The current is fast in front and the pursuers behind are fierce. Fengxiang did not dare to force the crossing, so he marched eastward along the river and temporarily settled in Gaocheng.
Li Kaifang said: "On the north road, Guiliang Yao'er is stationed in Baoding, and there are more than ten thousand thieves in Zhengding; on the south road, Shengbao Yao'er is following suit; in front of me, the Hutuo River is turbulent; Brother Lin must decide where to go early."
Lin Fengxiang said: "Tomorrow we will make a strong crossing to get rid of Shengyao and attack Shenzhou eastward."
Shengbao ordered the Xiling Ama team to go around and intercept.
Xiling Adao: "The thieves in the forest are cunning. After about ten or so battles, they often retreat twenty or thirty steps and then rush in again. This is called 'returning the carbine'. The thieves use this tactic in every battle. If the army is slightly defeated, then The armies on the left and right caught up, and the two armies joined together, and the rear army encircled them in a chain-like manner, using spears to fight. Our army was less than 4,000, and the bandit army was more than 30,000. Hao Guangjia has learned from his mistakes. Please think of it. Of."
Shengbao also knew that Lin Fengxiang was brave and brave, so he said: "Follow us and wait for the situation to change."
On October 7, 1853, the Taiping Army crossed the Hutuo River from the north of Gaocheng and marched eastwards. On the 8th, they conquered Jinzhou and killed Yang Yun'ao, a Juren; on the 9th, they conquered Shenzhou and killed the prefect Chen Xijing.
Shenzhou was lost, the government and the public were shocked, Bauhinia City was in chaos like boiling porridge, the scholars, the people and the small gentry were panicked, and the dignitaries rushed to leave the capital.
Emperor Xianfeng had mixed feelings and penned an edict: This is a crisis of sincerity, the autumn of life and death. However, abandoning your great career and running away is a shame in ancient times. He ordered all the provinces to be diligent in their troops, but they were unable to defeat them. I have no other thoughts, so I must be determined. When the monarch dies in the country, it is a ritual. Rather than sit back and wait for death, it is better to go out and kill the thieves. Only send the division to supervise the troops, and if the battle is successful, then drive forward to destroy this clown and return. If you are not quick, you will have deep ditches and high bases, waiting for the troops of the King of Diligence before it is too late. Nar Jing'an, who failed to supervise the war, was dismissed from his post and arrested. Guiliang, the governor of Zhili, quickly left Baoding Mansion to prevent the thieves from advancing northward. The assistant minister of the Jiangbei camp, Shengbao, was brave and capable, and he was good at chasing thieves. He was specially awarded to the imperial envoy minister and given the Shenque sword, which allowed him to oversee the pursuit of the surrounding armies and plan for prevention and suppression. Anyone who delayed the military situation would be immediately beheaded by the deputy general. . My imperial uncle, Aixinjueluo Mianyu, has been specially appointed as a general, awarded a sharp sword, and is in charge of the capital. Seng Gelinqin, the king of Horqin County, was awarded the title of Counselor and Minister, and was awarded the Nakuni Suguang Sword. He commanded the Jianrui Battalion, the Outer Firearms Battalion, the Two Wings Forward Battalion, the Eight Banners Guards Camp, the Fifth Patrol Battalion and the officers and soldiers of Chahar, as well as Zhelim, The Mongolian soldiers of the three alliances Zhuosuotu and Zhaowudadong left Zhuozhou and headed towards Baoding, trying their best to kill the thieves. Prince Gong Yixin, wearing a white rainbow sword in a golden peach skin sheath, was given to the Minister of Military and Aircraft to walk around, and he will take care of the patrol affairs of the capital from that day on. The former military commander's yamen wrote a letter about his integrity, embezzled official funds, and was punishable by beheading. In memory of his brother Shengbao, who was galloping on the battlefield, I issued a special order to suspend the order and leave half of the family assets so that his mother could be supported.
The imperial envoy was granted the title, and his brother's life was saved. He was so grateful that he won the victory. He immediately ordered his troops to surround Shenzhou and fight eight fierce battles in six days.
After repeated attacks on Shengbao failed, Emperor Xianfeng ordered Seng Gelinqin to divide three thousand troops and rush to the rescue at starry night.
Seng Gelinqin stationed troops in Zhuozhou, but refused to listen. He said: The thieves are harassing the prefectures and counties, and they all enter the capital from the northeast. The troops under my command serve as a barrier for the capital, and the natural dangers in Li County to the north are very dangerous. Even if troops are sent to meet him, the thieves will block him from the east and move west, and they cannot stop them from the northeast. Moreover, it is difficult for a single force to be used alone. I have thought carefully about it and decided that it would be better to temporarily station in Zhuozhou. I am convinced that if the rebel bandits still rush to the northeast, Zhuozhou's troops can intercept them. The defense in the north is of paramount importance. The soldiers dare not stray far from the capital. They should ask Shengbao to put his concerns first and move his camera around to get out of the way of the thieves.
Shengbao lamented: Although there are many generals who lead troops, there are few who are loyal, energetic and courageous.
Lin Fengxiang stayed for thirteen days. Li Kaifang, Ji Wenyuan, Zhu Xikun and others were very displeased and said: "Advance east or attack north, decide as soon as possible. Winter is coming, and the cold wind will corrode our bones. If we delay any longer, we will be defeated without a fight." !”
Lin Fengxiang said: The city of Shenzhou is strong, and all the brothers cultivate their body and mind to preserve their strength. Zhuozhou monks and monsters, with six thousand cavalry, are our formidable enemies! If this demon doesn't move, it will be difficult for the capital to defeat it!
Zhu Xikun said: We are all believers who worship God. I heard that there are many believers in Tianjin. I am attacking Tianjin from the north of Cangzhou. The believers may be able to cooperate internally and externally.
Li Kaifang and Ji Wenyuan both said: By moving eastward, we can get rid of the victory demon and stay away from the monk demon!
Lin Fengxiang said: "In that case, tomorrow at the third watch, we will go east to Cangzhou!"
Li Kaifang said: "Little Cangzhou City, capture it immediately."
Shen Ruchao, the prefect of Cangzhou, was upright and honest, and loved the people like his sons. In times of danger, three thousand men actively volunteered to defend the city.
Shen Ruchao said to the guard De Chengdao: "If the escort is not called Cangzhou, I have three thousand Yanzhao men who are all impassioned chivalrous men. The rebels who have come here will surely perish. Since the loss of Linming Pass, the thieves have taken one city a day, attacking the city and taking the territory, just like picking up treasures from a bag; Our state in Canghai should be like this in the eyes of thieves. Now we are going against the grain. Five miles south of the city, we have three thousand troops stationed in Honghaikou to ambush and kill the thieves."
On October 27, the sky was full of fog. Li Kaifang led 800 pioneers to Honghaikou. Suddenly, they heard three cannon shots and thousands of people and horses came from all around. Li Kaifang was frightened and rushed to attack. After fighting for half an hour, Li Jun's 800 strong soldiers were left with very few.
Li Kaifang was horrified and wanted to retreat. He had never suffered such a setback since he started his army in Jintian. Zhu Xikun, the Marquis of Hu Suppressor, shouted angrily: "The fierce battle has come to this point, we are dead and alive, how can we retreat!"
After Zhu Xikun finished speaking, he gathered two thousand personal soldiers and entered the battle group.
Shen Ruchao, the prefect of Cangzhou, was worried about the lack of artillery and medicine. He said happily: "Our soldiers are brave and have many martial arts people. They are familiar with the terrain and like hand-to-hand combat. They are tall and powerful, and they are good at fighting alone. The southern barbarian thieves are small and lean, and they can kill quickly; but they cannot Persevere. This battle will be won."
Sure enough, two hours later, Zhu Xikun gradually became unable to hold on. As soon as he fell into a daze, he was hacked to death with random knives.
When Lin Fengxiang heard that Zhu Xikun had been killed in battle and half of his two thousand soldiers were lost, he beat his chest and mourned greatly, and his anger filled the sky, so he immediately led ten thousand people to cover up the killing. Seeing this, Shen Ruchao quickly ordered his troops to withdraw from the city. When the Taiping Army approached, they detonated the buried cargo of explosives and killed countless Taiping Army soldiers.
Lin Fengxiang was so angry that he sent 20,000 troops to lay siege to the city and attack it fiercely. In an instant, the city was destroyed. Lin Fengxiang was grieving that he had been hit the hardest and could not vent his anger, so he ordered the city to be massacred.
With a slaughter order, thousands of soldiers raised their arms. In Cangzhou City, more than 10,000 men, women, old and children, regardless of Han, Manchu, Hui or Mongolian, were killed.
Li Kaifang sighed: "There is a crazy rumor outside: It's a pity that Magu City is burned down, and thousands of people are buried with corpses and sharp blades. But who knows, in order to attack this city, I lost one of my commanders, more than a dozen generals, and others who followed along the way." The four thousand elite brothers who came from Guangxi have made all the counties and counties look like Cangzhou, and the officials and people are fighting to the death to defend each other. How can we get here!"
Ji Wenyuan said: "The stone cauldron is cracked when sharpening swords, the water of the Yellow River is exhausted for drinking horses, and our army's millions of soldiers' robes are red, full of the blood of the children of Jiangbei. Even if we go this way, we have killed thousands of people, and there is no longer a golden basin to wash our hands."
Lin Fengxiang said: "It has always been the victors, the princes, and the losers. Those who steal the country and the princes who steal the hook will be punished. If we are defeated, our bodies will be broken into pieces, and we will die without a burial place. Tomorrow, we will go north to Beijing and Tianjin to chop off the heads of the emperor's monsters."
