Zeng Guofan organized his army for two months and raised 20,000 troops. Seeing that the situation in various places was dangerous, he divided his troops into four groups, marched by land and water, and advanced on Wuchang.
By land, Taqibu and Luo Zenan led six thousand troops out of the new wall and advanced towards Yuezhou. Hu Linyi and Zhou Fengshan led four thousand troops and marched north to Longyang and Changde to clean up the west of Yuezhou. Together with Lin Yuanen, Taoist member Jiang Zhongshu led three thousand soldiers out of Pingjiang and went down to Tongcheng to shield the east of Yueyang.
Taqibu and Luo Zenan jointly attacked Minzhou. Zeng Tianyang was defeated and retreated to Yuezhou. Zeng Tianyang assessed the situation and left a few soldiers to guard the city. He led the main force and moved to Dongting Lake, hoping to write articles on the water.
Taqib wanted to take advantage of the victory and attack. Luo Zenan said: "Dongting Lake is vast. My army is advancing alone. It is dangerous for the navy to intercept us. It won't be too late to attack again after the navy clears the surface of Dongting Lake."
By water, Chu Ruhang led two thousand troops out of the Xiangjiang River and into Dongting Lake. On that day, Chu Ruhang and Xia Luan made a secret visit by boat. But seeing the pirate ships dotted all over the lake, Chu Ruhang sighed and said: "I only have a hundred ships. Although they are strong and powerful, they are just a mere handful among thousands of ships."
Xia Luan said: "Lead the snake out of its hole, surround it and annihilate it."
Chu Ruhang said: "There are places around Junshan Island and in Leigong Lake where you can hide your boats. I will lure the enemy into them and bombard them."
Chu Ruhang used the first lure, but Zeng Tianyang couldn't get in; the second lure, Zeng Tianyang couldn't get in; the third lure, Zeng Tianyang was annoyed: a mere hundred ships could defeat more than a thousand wolf boats, so he ordered to attack.
Chu Ruhang was overjoyed and pretended to be defeated. He led Zeng's ship into an ambush, blocked it in front and intercepted it in the back, and fired with artillery.
The Taiping warships were modified from civilian boats and merchant ships. The boats had small cannons and blunt cannons, and were no match for Chu's barbarian cannons. In two hours, hundreds of ships were damaged. More than a thousand troops were lost. After this defeat, the morale of the Taiping army was in great confusion. Zeng Tianyang had no choice but to abandon Yuezhou and retreat to Chenglingji, quickly asking for help from Wei Jun and Shi Zhenlun.
Chu Ruhang led his army to pursue him to the city mausoleum. All the ships advanced together and used guns and artillery to kill Prime Minister Wang Desheng. Zeng Tian was unable to support him and retreated to Linxiang.
After the great victory at Leigong Lake, all the sentry officers in the camp reported to Zeng Guofan: Commander Bao charged at the bandit team alone, taking the lead with all his strength, his bravery was extraordinary, and he who was in charge was able to overcome the difficulties.
Zeng Guofan summoned Bao Chao and praised him: "You are really good at fighting. You don't talk about your merits, but everyone has demonstrated it for you. Serve under the command of General Chu and make more military exploits. I will report to the Holy One and reward him based on his merits."
Zeng Tianyang suffered a series of defeats and was feeling worried. Wei Jun and Lin Shaozhang led 5,000 troops to come to the rescue.
Zeng Tianyang was overjoyed and said: "Guozong has arrived, and my heart is at peace. Thousands of sails are marching forward, vowing to destroy the water monster."
Zeng and Wei Qian's ships sailed straight to Linji, hoping to end the battle in one battle.
Chu Ruhang was well prepared and told his colleague Xia Luan: "The enemy is using wolf tactics. We must advance and retreat in an orderly manner, with visible attacks and defenses. The enemy will drive away from near and bombard from far away. Don't go deep alone and be ambushed by thieves."
The two armies fought for half a day, each suffering casualties, and there was a stalemate. Naval battalion officer Yang Zaifu found an opening, took the lead in one boat, and set fire to the rear. More than a hundred Taiping warships were burned, causing numerous casualties. Li Zhen was killed at the thirteenth checkpoint on the left side of the palace.
Zeng Tianyang and Wei Jun retreated to Chenglingji again.
Zeng Chu Ruhang also did not pursue him. He organized his troops and waited for the main force of the Hunan army.
The Taiping Army was defeated in consecutive battles. Wei Jun said: "Chenglingji is connected to the four rivers on the inside and the river and the sea on the outside. It is a dangerous place. I have thousands of warships and more than ten thousand strong soldiers. I don't believe that I can't take down these Hunan monsters. The boats are small and the cannon is blunt. We can't beat Zeng Yao. We will lure the enemy with a small boat, and the big team will anchor at Lao'an, where we will wait for work and mainly turn against the guests."
Zeng Tianyang said: "It is no longer appropriate to fight fiercely in rivers and lakes. From now on, we will drive twenty miles down to a port called Xuanhu Lake. It is connected to the river on one side and the land on three sides. My small team will take over the battle, and the big team will ambush, lure the monsters in, and kill them." "
On August 8, 1854, Chen Huilong, the commander-in-chief of Dengzhou Town, led the Guangdong Navy to arrive. Huilong was eager to make a contribution and was eager to try.
Zeng Guofan said: "The water downstream is strong. If you go with the current, it is easy to advance but difficult to retreat. If there is a southerly wind, there is no need to start a battle. Moreover, there are many ambushes along the river and harbor branches. After winning, do not pursue."
Chen Huilong said: "I have practiced water fighting for thirty years, sir, don't worry."
On August 9, Chen Huilong led his troops into the waters of Chenglingji. The Taiping Army resisted for a while and retreated on their own. Huilong pursued them to Xuanhu Port. The south wind rose suddenly. Chen Huilong suddenly remembered Zeng Guofan's words and gathered his troops and retreated hastily. There was a sound of cannon, and Taiping warships surrounded them from all sides.
Chen Huilong tried his best to fight back, but the wind was strong and the water was adverse, and the boat entered the shoal and could not retreat. The Taiping Army swarmed up and killed Chen Huilong. Chu Ruhang and Xia Luan tried their best to rescue them, but were also beheaded.
In this battle, one battalion of the Hunan Army lost all its ships and artillery, three generals were beheaded, and hundreds of guerrillas including Sha Zhenbang and General Qian He Ruoli were killed.
When Zeng Guofan got his reward, he shed tears of sadness and lamented that a year of hard work was not as good as the loss of half a day.
Zeng Tianyang took advantage of the victory to land in Chenglingji and set up camp. A group of men and horses came rolling in, headed by Taqibu, the admiral of Hunan.
In the battle of Xiangtan, Zeng Tianyang's three nephews were all killed. When Tianyang saw this, he was filled with anger and fire from his liver and gallbladder. He jumped on his horse with a spear in hand and rode out alone. He shouted: "Taqibu, take your life!" Before he could finish his words, the spear was drawn out and headed straight for Taqibu. Stab away.
Huang Mingkui, a soldier from Hunan, had quick eyes and quick hands. He thrust his spear and stabbed Zeng Tianyang's horse. The head of the spear went straight into the horse's bone. Door; my eyes were once bright, but I can still see the sun. Taqi was afraid and covered himself up while fasting and praying.
It rained heavily for two consecutive days, making it impossible to fight on land and water. Wei Jun seized Chenglingji, set up camp, built an earthen city, and resisted.
On August 14, Taqibu divided his troops into four groups and besieged Tucheng. Luo Zenan ambushed him and was ready to provide assistance at any time.
Wei Jun concentrated all the way, ambushed 4,000 troops, and beheaded 100 people including Qian Zongzhu Dianyuan, Liu Shiyi, etc. Luo Zenan came to the rescue and rescued the remaining troops.
Luo Zenan told Taqi that he had preached: "It's raining and muddy. Let's rest for a while and then reorganize the army and attack again."
On the 18th, Guozong Shi Zhenlun arrived with 20,000 reinforcements. Wei Jun was overjoyed and said: "Shi Guozong has arrived. We will first conquer Yuezhou and then invade Changsha. We can expect it again."
Shi Zhenlun said: "Every one of my troops packed dry food, intending to fight fiercely for several days to kill all the Xiang demons. I immediately set up camp at Gaoqiao to surround and annihilate the Luo Zenan demon tribe. When the Ta demon came to attack, Guozong blocked it. Once the Luo demon was destroyed, the Ta demon would be destroyed. You must be afraid, and you must retreat to Yuezhou immediately, and we will besiege you again."
At Mao hour on August 19, Wei and Shi jointly attacked and captured Jiutang Ridge.
Taqibu was afraid and said to Luo Zenan: "The thieves are going against the trend. We will retreat to Yuezhou and hold on to the city."
Li Xubin said: "It is absolutely unacceptable. If a large army enters the city and the thieves surround it, they will make the same mistake as before."
Luo Zenan said: "Yuezhou is surrounded by water, but the bridge leads to the provincial wall all the way. The thieves will fight for it. The thieves will cross the Jiutang Ridge and come down to attack the bridge. The bridge is narrow and the ground is narrow, so there is no way to deploy our troops. I will deploy a thousand troops. Just wait for the thief to come; if you are like a queen, please help me at any time."
Wei Jun and Shi Zhenlun led 6,000 elite troops to attack in turn. Taqib was frightened, thinking that Luo Zenan would be defeated.
Luo Zenan's troops were divided into two groups, one to attack and the other to defend. They would chop and stab with swords and spears when they were close, and bombard them with guns and cannons when they were far away. Wei and Shi jointly attacked three times, but could not advance and had to retreat.
Luo Zenan pursued to Jiutang Ridge and saw more than ten thousand Wei troops, lined up in rows and densely packed, divided into slope ridges. Luo Zenan ordered Li Xubin to station himself in the south of Jiutang Lingnan to prevent Wei Jun from outflanking him; he led the Chinese army and rushed to the camp. Wei Jun was afraid and retreated to Gaoqiao.
On August 21, 1854, Taqib gathered five thousand troops and attacked Gaoqiao. The two armies fought fiercely for half a day, but the outcome was still undecided. The next day, the army was organized to fight again. The Hunan army was outnumbered and gradually exhausted. Seeing this, Li Xubin personally led more than a dozen soldiers, raised his flag, mounted his horse, galloped and killed. Taqibuzan: Rujiubaiqi is truly invincible!
At that time, the south wind suddenly picked up and the rain poured down, and Wei Jun's medicine lost its effectiveness. Ta, Luo and Li took advantage of the situation and attacked fiercely, destroying thirteen Taiping military camps with one blow.
When Zeng Guofan saw that Wei Jun was overwhelming his troops by land, he immediately ordered Li Mengqun and Yang Zaifu's navy to attack Chenglingji and copy Empress Wei.
Wei Jun was surrounded by enemies on all sides and had no intention of fighting anymore, so he retreated.
Taqibu attacked directly for two hundred miles, defeated Chongyang, attacked Puqi, and captured Xianning. In January, the troops arrived at Zifang Town, less than a hundred miles away from Wuchang.
Taqibu first killed Zeng Tianyang, and then defeated Wei Jun and Shi Zhenlun. The Hunan army was greatly strengthened. The soldiers stood in the warships, not wearing armor, not avoiding bullets, and went straight to Jinkou along the river.
Wei Jun and Shi Zhenlun were defeated in a row. Yang Xiuqing was unhappy and ordered Shi Fengkui and Huang Zaixing to guard Wuchang; Qin Rigang guarded Tianjia Town; Wei Jun, Shi Zhenlun and Lin Shaozhang returned to Beijing to report on their duties.
On October 2, Zeng Guofan traveled to Jinkou and summoned the generals to discuss attacking Wuchang.
Zeng Guofan said: "Without any effort, I captured Jinkou, Yanglousi, Chongyang, Xianning, and Wuchang. On the north road, Governor Yang Pei and Jing General Guan Wen destroyed Hankou and Hanyang. On the south road, I used the navy to control it. Dajiang, cut off the connection between the three towns, and then attack Wuchang with the land army. Peng Yulin and three hundred Xiang braves have taken root in the city, they must be connected, and the inside should be coordinated with the outside. "
Taqi preached: "Shi Fengkui rebelled against the bandits and attacked Jinkou twice, but was defeated in both battles. No matter what. I went out of Hongshan, attacked the city from the ladder, and fell in one fell swoop."
Luo Zenan said: "When the troops leave Hongshan, they approach the fortified city in front. If they cannot attack from above, the bandits from the garden will attack from behind. This is not a good strategy. There are two roads from Zifang to Wuchang, one is Hongshan Avenue, and the other is along the river to the garden. The bandits at both places have deployed heavy troops. ; The garden is adjacent to the river and surrounds the city, which is especially important to thieves. Today, we have tried our best to attack the garden, and the thieves' base in the garden has been broken. Taking advantage of the situation, the catfish traps the thieves' base. All the elite thieves have been exhausted, and Wuchang will be destroyed without attacking. General Pagoda can attack the garden. ?”
Taqi preached: "How can I compete with Brother Luo for credit?"
Zeng Guofan said: "Li Mengqun led the navy to attack Yanguan and captured the rebel water camp; Yang Zaifu's troops were cut off from the rear. Taqibu choked Hongshan and advanced along Youfang Ridge; after the southern part of Luo Ze and Zhizhou Li Guangrong's troops captured Huayuan, they attacked the city again. .”
