On April 5, 1854, Zeng Guofan discussed with his staff to assist Wuchang.
Chen Shijie said: "Hu Linyi and Lin Yuanen killed more than a thousand bandits in total. They killed the puppet Sima Huang Qiyu, Chen killed the bandits and puppet king Liao Liupang, etc., as well as unknown names, dozens of thieves in yellow and red clothes, and long-haired thieves. Dozens of them captured hundreds of guns, guns, swords, spears and flags. The rebel bandits in Pingjiang have been eliminated."
Zeng Guofan said: "Hu Runzhi's courage is as expected."
Guo Songtao said: "Taqibu and Zhou Fengshan killed the fake deputy prime minister Lin Dawang and the fake inspector Chen Liufu. They have already captured the city and are attacking Chongyang."
Zeng Guofan said: "When General Ta captures Chongyang, he can advance by land and water and point his sword at Wuchang."
Everyone was chatting happily, and when they heard that Wang Xin was defeated and returned, they listened outside the tent.
Guofan said: "Please come quickly."
Wang Xin said: "The defeated general has seen Commander-in-Chief."
Guofan said: "Victory and defeat are common. We have won many battles. Why did we suffer this defeat?"
Wang Xin said: "On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, we arrived at the Yanglousi area at the junction of Lin and Pu. It was a good place to meet the thieves. The vanguard was less frustrated. I led the crowd to kill more than a hundred thieves. The thieves were defeated, and I led the courage to pursue them. Suddenly, a large group of thieves The bandits came out from all sides, and it was difficult for the brave men to resist, so they collapsed one after another. It seems that there are no less than 30,000 thieves, so Commander-in-Chief should make plans early."
Guofan said: "Inside and outside Yuezhou, on the river and on the land, I have five thousand soldiers, we can protect you from danger!"
The next day, a strong wind blew up by the Yuezhou Lake, overturning twenty-four warships, damaging thirty others, and drowning more than a hundred soldiers. The vassal state was shocked and rushed to the tow boat to stabilize the morale of the army. They also ordered Lu Yong to open the city for rescue. They worked hard all night and were waiting to rest when the Taiping Army suddenly arrived. There were thirty or forty thousand people in total.
The Hunan army was frightened, and all the camps on land and water were in chaos. The vassal state could not stop it and drifted with the tide for thirty miles before stopping.
Wang Xin's Yanglousi was defeated and suffered heavy casualties, and could not go out to fight. Supervisor Zou Shouzhang was not frightened, and led a battalion alone. From Chen to You, they fought bloody battles for several hours. Although they were surrounded by thousands of people, they fought hard together. They advanced one after another, and the soldiers were able to break out of the encirclement.
Yuezhou was in a tight situation, and Luo Zenan was alone in Hengzhou, as anxious as an ant on a hot pot.
Li Xubin said: "Sir, don't be anxious, Mr. Zeng will definitely come back victorious."
Luo Zenan said: "Dong Di is tough and stubborn, and disobeys the holy words. I have not saved my teachers and family friends, but I am afraid that I will meet Wang Pushan and turn against him. Mr. Kuang has not been in battle, and military strategists are most afraid of splitting up the troops to fight! Before leaving, Duke Di gave instructions. , In the Eastern Expedition, blessings and disasters are unpredictable; Hengzhou must be defended, this is our last place."
Li Xubin said: "Master Zeng always looks back three times every step of the way. He is very cautious."
Luo Zenan said: "Rujiu must not lie. A single piece of paper from Duke Di has already defeated an army of millions. The virtues and actions of Duke Di are beyond our reach. Soldiers are a matter of life and death, how can they be trivial!"
Zou Shouzhang broke through the siege and paid a visit to Zeng Guofan. He said, "Commander Qi, there are as many thieves as ants. If we don't save each other, Wang Pushan will die."
Zeng Guofan retreated three yards, his army's morale stabilized a little, and he forced himself to say calmly: "I have made an agreement with Pushan, and we will form an army of our own; the king and I have parted ways long ago."
Chen Shijie said: "Commander Qi, I think we should save Wang Pushan."
Zeng Guofan smiled and said: "Jun Cheng is really a good man. He protected Baoshan from water and fire, and now he helps Pushan get out of Yuezhou. Fei Er, Hengyang Luoshan's heart has been pounding for a long time. I am not a grass or tree, how can I be ruthless! But thirty thousand The thieves are rebellious, and once they are reunited, they are like steel. Is there any good plan to rescue them?"
Chen Shijie said: "Dongting Lake is vast and the water is vast, and our navy's ships are strong and cannons are powerful. Although they are damaged, their combat power is still there. If we gather together, we will definitely achieve something. The thieves are all civilian ships and small boats, and they are old cannons and shotguns. They are vulnerable to a single blow."
Zeng Guofan said: "Be careful in everything. Zeng Guobao led four naval divisions to rescue him. He rescued Pushan and returned immediately. Don't get entangled. The thieves will have many soldiers, and I rushed forward alone, like a tiger falling in Pingyang. I regret that my master Wu Wenrong , My brother Jiangmin Qiaogong, although there are two tigers, is gone! Pushan has been saved, and the entire army has retreated to Changsha to train for time before fighting the thieves again. Tell Taqibu and Hu Linyi immediately to withdraw their troops and return."
Zeng Guobao led the navy to arrive at the lakeside gate in the southwest of Yuezhou, and sent people into the city, hoping to lure Wang Xin out lightly. The two armies merged and fled to Changsha. Suddenly seeing the disorganized and disorderly troops surrounding the city, Zeng Guobao suddenly became murderous. He consulted Wang Xin again, cooperated internally and externally, and took a bite.
Peng Yulin and Yang Zaifu both said: "The bandits are so powerful that it is impossible to do anything."
Zeng Guobao didn't listen and fired artillery to attack.
Lin Shaozhang laughed when he heard the cannon and said: "There are only two thousand water demons, all of them surrounded us."
Caught in a tight siege, Zeng Guobao began to regret. Fortunately, Peng Yulin and Yang Zaifu were calm and sent out large and small gunboats to attack and fire volleys, killing more than a hundred Lin's troops. The brave men in the city took advantage of the opportunity to lower themselves out of the city. Among the thousands of troops, Peng and Yang found Wang Xin, gathered their warships, opened the way with cannon, and retreated from the battlefield.
Zeng Guobao knew that he was wrong, and said to Zeng Guofan: "In the defeat of Yuezhou, all the generals are not guilty, and I sit alone. Peng Yulin and Yang Zaifu, these two monarchs are brave and persevering, and I am willing to defeat them."
Wang Xin led the remaining troops to break through, but Shi Xiangzhen was annoyed and said: "It's just one step away from destroying the tiger in the cage. Zeng Yao's navy, with his powerful ships and cannons, is really impressive."
Lin Shaozhang said: "I heard that when we send out troops, we must not meet the king of tigers. After watching the two battles, this demon cat and dog are not as good as this! Yueyang, Jinggang, Xiangyin, and Yiyang have all returned to me. The two demons Zeng and Luo have gathered heavy troops in Changsha. I want you to get out of the way." From the front, attack Xiangtan in a circle, attack from the north and south together, and Changsha will be broken. Once Changsha is broken, the westward expedition is over."
Shi Xiangzhen said: "Zeng Yao came out in full force; my stride was too big, haste wasted more than speed."
Lin Shaozhen said: "You, Guozong, and Prime Minister Zeng, can travel a thousand miles in ten days, can they make great strides? Zeng Yao, a scholar, trained his troops, and became a good man. Shi Guozong held Jinggang, and I led the main force to surprise him, attack Ningxiang first, and then fight Xiangtan." "
Ningxiang only had 300 warriors, and Lin Shaozhang defeated them in one fell swoop.
Ningxiang was suddenly lost. Zeng Guofan urgently told his generals: "The thieves have rebelled against Lin Shao's barrier and attacked me unprepared. The general is talented. I ordered Taqi Budu to lead his headquarters and rush to Ningxiang to defend against the enemy. General Ta, this battle is A traitor, can you have enough confidence? If you advance, I will be happy; if you retreat, I will put a head on my neck and share life and death with the general."
Taqib knelt down and said, "My lord, I will never forget your kindness, but I can only repay it by killing the thief."
Before Taqibu arrived, Lin Shaozhen had abandoned Ningxiang and attacked Xiangtan. Xiangtan only had 500 remaining soldiers and could be broken at the first touch.
Zeng Guofan exclaimed: "Lin Shaozhen is like Sun Wu in the Spring and Autumn Period, Changsha is in danger! Like Zhao Kuo in the Warring States Period, he is a nobleman of Xiangchu! I order Ta Qi to rush to Xiangtan to defend against the enemy."
Taqibu led his army to march day and night, and arrived at the outskirts of Xiangtan on April 26, 1854. But I saw the armies of Taiping gathered together like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea, and scattered like the stars in the morning.
The Hunan army was outnumbered and timid. Taqibu shouted loudly, held up the battle flag with his left hand and brandished a long sword with his right hand. He took the lead and ran away.
The Taiping Army had never seen such a powerful army. They were frightened and retreated into the city.
Lin Shifa said to Lin Shaozhang: "Second brother, you still drink wine and eat meat! The tower demon is fierce and has been lost outside Xiangtan. Veterans and new braves are accusing and abusing, and the fights continue. Xiangtan is in danger! Kill the demon navy before it arrives. Yes. Our navy is bloated and scattered, and may be defeated in battle."
Lin Shaozhang said: "Why do you say this? Have I ever been defeated since I went west from Tianjing? The old and the new are dirty, and they have won. The eldest brother Fengxiang is rumored to be in a tight siege. It's a pity that you and I can't help from the north. Brother, you are drinking, you are drowning your sorrows!"
Lin Shifa said: "The King of the East has ordered Zeng Lichang, Chen Renbao, Xu Zongyang and others to lead troops to the north to aid."
Lin Shaozhang said: "With an army of eight thousand alone, it is difficult to conquer the capital of the capital city, which is thousands of miles away! Tell the generals quickly, I will kill the tower demon immediately. Previously, when I was in the navy, my sails were like stacks of snow, and when I lived, I was like walls. Conglu, the monsters were frightened when they heard about it, and everyone looked at the wind and conquered them. However, the capital was established in Tianjing, the wealth was brought into the holy treasury, the men and women were separated, the water camps mutinied, the ships dispersed, and the people who raised firearms and threw themselves at the monsters were countless. Such a large navy, That’s it.”
Lin Shifa said: "Tang Zhengcai's naval forces were all from Xiangchu, so the King of the East was jealous, so they were not important."
