Jiujiang City is as solid as gold, and Shi Dakai and Hu Yihuang were amazed at it.
Hu Yihuang said: "Lin Qirong is outstanding in the twelve points."
Shi Dakai said: "The most dangerous plan is to have a decisive battle with Zeng Yao at the mouth of Hukou. Lin Qirong is smart and brave, and refuses for me, which is very good. Now that Yao is besieging Meijiazhou in three directions, where does Brother Hu think Brother Luo will win?"
Hu Yihuang said: "Luo DaGang has far-reaching ambitions, but Meijiazhou is small! During the Northern Expedition the year before last, Luo DaGa said that if the lone army was in danger and had no backup, it would be defeated. Last year, Zeng Lichang was martyred in the Yellow River, and Fengxiang and Kaifang are not far away either! All the troops of tigers and wolves are here, why are you so submissive!"
Shi Dakai looked up to the sky and sighed: "With the strict orders of the Eastern King, Fengxiang and Kaifang did not dare to return south; but without reinforcements, the road would be dead. If the Western King and the Southern King were here, how could this be possible! The past is like a dream. Brothers and sisters, Peach Blossom Land remember!"
Luo Zenan, Hu Linyi, and Peng Yulin jointly attacked Meijiazhou for three days, resulting in more than 100 casualties and no advance.
On the fourth day, Peng Yulin stood on the bow of the ship, unprotected from the missiles, supervising the battle. He was shot in the right elbow, and his sleeves were stained with blood, but he still refused to retreat. The wooden raft separating the Yangtze River and Poyang Lake was finally blown open. The Hunan Army's sampans then entered Poyang Lake and attacked Shida's Kaishui Army.
Peng Yulin relied on the navy's strength and wanted to compete in Poyang Lake.
Zeng Guofan refused and said: "The land area has not been conquered, and the navy has penetrated deeply alone. If the thieves choke, it is dangerous! This is absolutely impossible. Look at this plum city. Soldiers have built two wooden castles, as high as the city. There are three layers of cannon holes, and the surroundings are densely packed." In the platoon, wooden piles and bamboo sticks were spread more than ten feet outside the camp, which was more strict than in Wuchang and Tianjia Town. Several trenches were dug again, and the ground was buried inside. They used large logs on top, built them horizontally, and nailed iron caltrops on them. Up. Between Meijiazhou and Hukou, there are many wooden rafts across the river and lake. Looking at this arrangement, Luo Thief is really a handsome man! Tomorrow, we will mobilize the southern part of Luo Ze and attack Hukou. Let's see what Stone Thief can do. "
When the Hunan army failed to attack continuously, Shi Da said joyfully: "The two demons of Hu and Peng failed to defeat Meizhou in five attacks; the tower demons spread all over Jiujiang and stagnated, making it difficult to move forward; no matter how long the time goes, the demons will be dry, and my opportunity has arrived!"
Hu Yihuang said: "Zeng Yao's navy blew up the wooden rafts across the river; we damaged more than a hundred ships in Poyang Lake. Since the internal strife between Guangdong and the lake, our navy has become increasingly weak."
Shi Dakai said: "My newly built warship in Anqing will arrive tomorrow. The wooden raft across the river..." Shi Dakai was thoughtful.
Hu Yihuang asked: "Are we going to strengthen it again?"
Shi Dakai said: "In the near future, Zeng Yao will attack Hukou. I quickly pass on my order: All armies on land and sea in Hukou will be on guard until the demon is halfway across and attack boldly. After that, all armies on land and water must not go out again during the day and only stick to the danger." , resisted in the corner; at midnight, each team sent out a small team, carrying more cargo, powder, flint and rockets, harassing Zeng Yao for five nights. Brother Hu and Brother Luo prepared many large ships, loaded with sand and gravel, and placed them between Meijiazhou and Hukou , in preparation for emergencies. The ground and land armies in Jiujiang, Meijiazhou, and Hukou must act according to orders. Jiangbei Wei Jun, Qin Rigang, Chen Yucheng, etc., recharge their batteries to wait for changes."
On January 29, 1855, more than 40 Taiping Army boats loaded with sand and gravel galloped along the Jiujiang River.
Li Mengqun said: "The thieves have been harassing us all night, and now they suddenly appear on the river. It turns out that Jiujiang has run out of food."
Peng Yulin said: "In broad daylight, on the Zhaoran River, I'm afraid it's a trick by stone thieves."
Zeng Guofan said: "It's just a trick. What can the rivers and lakes do to me? Surround them and annihilate them. Kill the thieves and steal food."
The battalion officer Xiao Jiesan received the order and led the sampan and boat to catch up, firing arrows and cannons. The Taiping warships couldn't resist, so they turned around and left; the small boats were heavily loaded and moved slowly, so they caught up with them.
The Taiping sergeant immediately threw away all the gravel on the boat, flew to the Meijiazhou River, turned right leisurely, and turned into Poyang Lake. Xiao Jiesan did not hesitate and pursued him into the lake.
Seeing this, Shi Dakai, without hesitation, ordered Luo Goutian to scuttle all the ships loaded with sand and gravel, completely blocking the connection between the Yangtze River and Poyang Lake.
Peng Yulin was shocked and said: "Commander Di, I have 120 sampans and small boats, all of which are stranded in Poyang Lake. The thieves are separated by our boats and want to defeat them one by one. This is a critical situation, and we need to send troops from all over the land and water as soon as possible." The army will reach Meijiazhou and open up the connection between rivers and lakes."
Zeng Guofan said: "Xueqin, don't panic. Xiao Jie is brave and can protect himself. When the thieves sound in the east, I attack in the west. Jiujiang is a vast land. After more than a month of siege, the thieves have run out of ammunition and food. If they attack again, they will be defeated. Luo Zenan , Hu Linyi, Li Xubin, etc. can return to attack Jiujiang. Jiujiang is broken, Meijiazhou collapses, and Xiao Jie and I will join forces."
That night, Shi Da sent twenty small boats into the Hunan Army's water camp and burned more than forty long dragon crabs.
The battle situation suddenly changed overnight. Zeng Guofan was at a loss and ordered the remaining troops to retreat to the old camp in Jiujiang.
Peng Yulin replied: "It is difficult for the long dragon and fast crab boats to turn around, and there is no sampan to protect them. They should retreat again to avoid the sharp edge."
Li Mengqun also attached.
Zeng Guofan refused and said: "Attack by land and water together, then attack Jiujiang, Jiujiang is broken, it suddenly becomes clear. Has Yang Zaifu recovered from his injury? Where are his soldiers! Get to Wuxue quickly and transfer Yang back to camp!"
Zeng Guofan attacked Jiujiang again. Shi Dakai laughed when he heard about it and said: "The ship is burning and will not retreat, and the momentum is gone. Zeng Yao is so stubborn in attacking Jiujiang, and his death is coming! I ordered Lin Qirong to stand firm and wait for help; Luo Dagui rushed to the ferry. Yangtze River, seize Xiaochikou; Wei Jun, Qin Rigang, Chen Yucheng, etc. immediately march westward and attack Wuchang."
On the dark night of February 1, 1855, more than a hundred small boats of the Taiping Army, loaded with sulfur and saltpeter, rushed straight into the Hunan Army's Jiujiang Water Camp from Xiaochikou, Meijiazhou, and Hukou. They stirred up disturbances from all directions and set fire to them. The Hunan army attacked the dragon quickly and burned most of them.
Zeng Guofan was ashamed, regretful, resentful, angry, annoyed, and angry. He threw himself into the river and committed suicide. He was rescued by his aide Li Yuandu and retreated to the Luo Zenan land camp. The soldiers of the vassal state were very eager and wanted to fight alone. Zenan cried and remonstrated three times before the disaster was eliminated.
Li Yuandu said: "What's the use of a wolf if the army is causing trouble? I tell Commander Di that Yuan Du is willing to go to Pingjiang and set up an army specifically to protect Commander Di and preserve the foundation."
Zeng Guofan said: "Ziqing has a heart, Guofan will remember it."
Jiangbei Wei Jun, Qin Rigang, Chen Yucheng and others received the attack order from Shida and immediately captured Huangmei and attacked Wuxue again.
Yang Pei, the governor of Huguang, thought the bandits were causing trouble, so he still killed chickens and sheep to celebrate New Year's Eve. Wei, Qin, and Chen made a surprise attack, but Yang Pei was defenseless and defeated.
The Taiping army divided into two groups. Qin Rigang and Chen Yucheng conquered Qizhou, went down to Huangzhou, entered Hanyang, and occupied Hankou. On the 25th, they arrived in the north of Wuchang. Wei Jun led an army to cross the Yangtze River south to attack Xingguo, occupying Tongshan, Chongyang, Tongcheng, Xianning, and Chibi. They made great progress all the way. In early March, the army arrived at the south of Wuchang.
On March 1, 1855, Qin Rigang ordered Chen Yucheng to attack Jingzhou to cut off the Sichuan-Hubei Highway. Chen Yucheng led four thousand troops to attack Hanchuan first. Yang Pei did not dare to block him and retreated north to Suizhou to avoid the war. The next day, Yucheng went up the Han River to the west, broke through Xiantao Town, the gate of Jingxiang, killed Lin Tianzhi, the leader of the army, and arrived at Yuejiakou.
General Wen of Jingzhou rushed to the rescue with 4,000 troops led by his deputy, Tong Guisheng. Guisheng led his troops to attack Yufanfen and Yuejiakou. Chen Yucheng did not wait for Gui Sheng to advance, and personally led 2,000 troops to cut off Gui's troops. Guisheng couldn't take care of his head or tail. If he panicked for a moment, he would be beheaded by his horse. The people of Jing County were shocked, and the official government was restored to assist Angui to prevent the blockage. Chen Yucheng built a pontoon bridge from Yuejiakou, crossed the Han River, and invaded Qianjiang County.
Chen Yucheng's army marched westward, and the east of Hubei was empty. The county magistrates Liu Ji and Lu Shenhui took the opportunity to conquer Qizhou and Hanchuan. Qin Rigang had no time to take care of Hanyang and Hankou, so he urgently ordered Chen Yucheng to return reinforcements.
