When the news of Tianjia Town's defeat reached Beijing, Yang Xiuqing lamented: "There is no sail or boat above Jiujiang. Qin Rigang committed a serious crime and dismissed the king. He took the post of Tianyan and stayed in the army. King Yi Shidakai rushed to Jiujiang to make overall arrangements. Overall situation: Hu Yihuang, Wei Jun, Luo Gangyou, Chen Yucheng, Lin Qirong, etc. immediately led their troops to counterattack."
On January 10, 1855, Shi Dakai and Hu Yihuang led 5,000 reinforcements to Jiujiang. Luo Gangyou and Lin Qirong came out of the city to greet them.
Shi Dakai raised his hands and praised: "Brother Guangdian came out of Raozhou and fought against Konglongyi, winning the three armies bravely; Lin Jiandian protected Xiaochikou and defeated Li Mengqun with brilliant results; Baishui Gang and Lin Jiandian defeated Luo Zenan again and turned the tide. Ruo Wu Er Brothers are brave, but Shi has no place to stay!"
Luo Gangdao said: "I heard that Chen Jian Dian Xiucheng retreated from Qizhou to Taihu Lake, and the army he led was not damaged. He choked Jiujiang at twelve check points, and returned to Carabine at thirty check points. His reputation is well-deserved."
Lin Qirong said: "Yesterday, the Taqibu demon army broke through Xiaochikou. Please punish His Highness King Yi."
Shi Dakai said: "What's Brother Lin's crime? Once Xiangtan was defeated, our power was like a dike collapse. From the Xiangjiang River to Dongting Lake, Dongting Lake to the Yangtze River, and from here, the Yangtze River cascaded for two thousand miles. Fortunately, my brother led the Jiujiang River and was able to stop these thousands of people. Yuxiang demon.”
Lin Qirong said: "His Royal Highness, King Yi, has given you the award. The Xiang Yao is pressing down on land and water. Without His Highness, King Yi, to rescue him, Jiujiang would have been destroyed long ago!"
Shi Dakai said: "Tianjia Town was lost. I ordered Qin Rigang and others to fight and retreat, forcing the Ta and Luo demons to cross the river and go north. The stagnant demons drove along the waterway. Qin, Wei, and Chen fought again at Shuangchengyi, Huangmei, Dahepu, and Zhuogang , although the losing streak and the troops and horses were also damaged, the battle line was shortened and the troops were gathered, so we could look for opportunities to fight again. My intention is that in the north of the Yangtze River, the troops of Wei Jun, Qin Rigang, and Chen Yucheng were temporarily stationed in Taihu and Qianshan, waiting for opportunities. Move. Here, Brother Guangdao is holding Meijiazhou, Brother Lin is guarding Jiujiang, and I am stationed at Hukou. We must gather our forces to rely on each other and hold on to the city to dampen the spirit of the monster. When the monster's strength is exhausted, we will annihilate it in one fell swoop."
Luo Gangdao said: "Hukou is the key to the rivers and lakes and a place of hundreds of battles. Zhou Yu of the Three Kingdoms once defeated Cao Cao here, and Zhu Yuanzhang also fought fiercely here in the late Yuan Dynasty. Brother Yi should gather more troops."
Shi Dakai said: "Zeng Yao wanted to take Tianjing, and Jiujiang was the most important. From the river to the lake, the mouth of the lake was the most important."
In the waters of Jiujiang, in the Lao Xiang Camp, Zeng Guofan was sitting in a boat in Tuogu, saying: "Jiujiang lies on the Yangtze River in the north, and Meijiazhou and Hukou strangle Poyang in the south. It is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and military strategists must fight for it. Jiujiang City has a low-lying terrain. The low wall is thin and should not be defended. However, the forest thief Qi Rong has been camped hard for two years. Now Shi Ni has come to take charge, so he should not be underestimated. Shi Ni is open, and people call him "Shi Gan Dang". He is a young man with talents, both civil and military. He heard that This rebellion is so brave that no one can stop it. I have never met Zeng. Is this true?"
Taqi preached: "I once carried a leopard with Bao to strangle Changsha, and watched the battle of Shuiluzhou from a distance. Stone thieves planned to gain prosperity, but they did not rely on bravery."
Luo Zenan said: "The army of the Green Camp strives for merit when they win, and takes advantage of each other when they lose. Last year, I tied my hands and led my neck, and the stone thieves leapt forward thousands of miles. Xiangrong's army, with less than ten thousand soldiers, chased the thieves all the way to the gate of Jinling City, and the thieves It can't be broken. Shi dares to be named, but I give it in vain."
Li Mengqun said: "There have been violent storms for days, and the warships in the water were shaken by wind and waves, and the shore was stolen by land thieves. Therefore, the navy has worked hard these days, which is three times more than Tianzhen. It is slightly sunny today. I will lead the navy again. Fighting forest thieves.”
Hu Linyi said: "The previous water battle encountered obstacles because our land division had not arrived. Commander Di made a decision at the opportunity: If you want to attack the ships in the river, you must first defeat the thieves on the north bank. If you want to attack the Xiaochikou on the north bank, you must first defeat Huangmei and Dachi. The thieves of Hepu. When you come to the battlefield, you will know the opportunity for Commander Di to make a decisive decision. However, my capable soldiers are gathered here, Wuchang is empty, and it is urgent to fight and decide quickly."
Luo Zenan said: "In the north of the Yangtze River, Wei Jun, Qin Rigang, Chen Yucheng and others are watching eagerly. Even though they are defeated generals, Green Camp Guiming, Kuiyu and others cannot stop them."
Zeng Guofan said: "My main force on water and land is entrenched here, and the rebels in the north of the Yangtze River dare not look westward!"
Chen Shijie said: "Xiaochikou in the north of the Yangtze River, Jiujiang relies heavily on it, so it should be connected by water and land, and heavy troops should be stationed."
Zeng Guofan said: "Jiujiang and Xiaochikou are attached to each other by fur and hair, so Jun Cheng should not worry about them."
Guo Songtao said: "Wang Xin turned to Zuo Zongtang and said that the overall situation of the Eastern Campaign is looked up to by the world. When there is a continuous victory, there will be a moment of prosperity and decline. After conquering Yueyang, he went straight to Jiujiang and succeeded every time. The army The power is great, but the spirit of the generals gradually becomes arrogant, the generals' plans become chaotic, and misfortunes gradually come! The first time I wrote a warning, I didn't notice it."
Zeng Guofan deeply believed this and said: "After months of fighting, we will be exhausted and our troops are in urgent need of rest and reorganization. After repeated battles, we are arrogant and in urgent need of clearing up violence. However, there is nothing we can do to defeat the rapid advance. All my main forces are here, We are all brothers, so don’t let us down. We will surround this small city with our troops and attack to the death with all our strength. Jiujiang will be defeated. If Jiujiang is defeated, Hukou and Meijiazhou will collapse. Decide in this battle and rest and recuperate."
On January 14, 1855, Taqibu and Hu Linyi jointly attacked Jiujiang, but failed in three attacks.
Taqib sighed: "The artillery is so dense and the defense is so strict, I have never seen it in my life."
Zeng Guofan said: "With both land and water, and thousands of cannons firing, this city will be destroyed!"
On January 18, the Hunan army came out in full force. Taqibu and Zhou Fengshan attacked the west gate, Hu Linyi and Wang Guocai attacked the south gate, Luo Zenan and Li Xubin attacked the east gate, and Peng Yulin landed along the river to attack Jiuhua Gate.
Outside Jiujiang City, there are deep ditches and wide moats, which are as deep as three feet in dangerous places. Outside the ditches, there are many wooden fences and deer villages. The Hunan Army approached, but was immediately forced back by arrows and artillery. The four-pronged Hunan Army failed to attack repeatedly and suffered numerous casualties, so they retreated in frustration.
Unexpectedly, in the west city of Jiujiang, huge cannons roared and smoke filled the sky. Where the smoke and dust rolled, the city gate opened. Lin Qirong, with overwhelming momentum, personally led a group of men and horses to come out to kill the general.
The Hunan army did not have time to set up their formation and fell into chaos. Seeing that the situation was not good, Taqibu rode his horse back quickly. The participating general Tong Tianyun was trapped in the formation with his spear across the line. Although the spears and bullets were like rain, he could not retreat. Suddenly a cannonball flew through the chest and passed through his chest; Tian Yun suddenly threw himself on the ground and died.
Zeng Guofan cried and said: "The thieves are firing arrows and cannons, and they are like flying locusts; General Tong rides his horse and crosses the sword, leads the soldiers, and refuses to retreat. Previously, when the thieves saw General Tong's flag, they kept saying to each other, "Tong Mazi is here! Hurry up! From now on!" From now on, there will be no more boy generals!”
Taqi preached: "I often laugh at the scars on Zhen Ming's forehead that look like money. When the Chaling bandits arose, I ordered them to escort them to deliver the medicine. The appointment was for three days, and Zhen Ming arrived on the first day. I told him how fast it is! ? Zhen Ming said that if there is any delay, there may be obstacles, which will cause great delays." After Taqi finished speaking, he burst into tears.
Luo Zenan said: "The poor bones by the Wuding River are like those in a spring boudoir's dream. General Tong sacrificed his life for the country, and heaven and earth wept together. Our emperor also sympathized, and General Ta mourned. In Jiujiang Doucheng, Meijiazhou was cut like a hole. And the city has thousands of battlements, and there are many banners and banners, and they are so strong, and the forest monsters are so good at guarding them, I can't match them."
Zeng Guofan said: "Leave strong positions to attack weak points, besiege Wei and rescue Zhao. Taqibu continued to attack Jiujiang; Luo Zenan, Peng Yulin, and Hu Linyi divided their troops into three groups to besiege Meijiazhou, and Meizhou succeeded. The thieves must look for opportunities to annihilate them. . Last year, I left Qizhou alone, and went around Banbi Mountain and Tianjia Town, and Qizhou was finally captured."
