Hu Linyi heard nothing from his repeated consultations, so he went to Nankang in person to seek help. Zeng Guofan rushed to greet him and said sincerely: "Hu Zhongcheng is here. If you are not welcome, I hope you will forgive me. I hope you will forgive me."
Hu Linyi said with a smile: "I am the palace protector, and you are also handsome. Brother Di, are you okay?"
Zeng Guofan said: "I'm fine and fine, but I'm worried!"
Hu Linyi said: "I offer you 50,000 pieces of silver. Wanwangdi Gong can lend me the money to relieve my sorrow."
Zeng Guofan's eyes were filled with water, and he choked for a long time. All kinds of emotions came to his heart, and he said softly: "Run the zhi and light together with the dust, and relax with the times; remove the scales and hide the wings, and think about the wind and clouds. I am not as good as that."
Hu Linyi said: "Everyone in the world says that I sit back and take advantage of my situation, but how do you think Di Gong thinks about it?"
Zeng Guofan said: "If Runzhi enters Wuchang, the city will be destroyed. If it is not destroyed, the credit lies with Tao and Yang. In the moment of relaxation, the world has been decided. I heard that my brother has become as close as a family to the governor. Is this really true?"
Hu Linyi said: "Today's Lake Governor: There is no honest man on the left or right, no counselor, and he is afraid of taking risks, which is all the style of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. I want to go eastward to find the place where I will die. Do you have these ten thousand taels of silver?" The official article and the staff impeached me. The official article said: How can it be like Hu to raise an army to fight against the bandits? His staff replied that he could not. He also asked that if he personally went out to suppress the bandits, could he be like Hu? The staff replied that he could not. The official article also said: Without Hu, we can't defend the enemy. Without Hu, we can't raise wages. Master Hu is charging ahead. I have merit, fame, invitations, money, and peace. Isn't this bad? Mr. Di, is this not good? ?”
Zeng Guofan said: "There is no one better than this!"
Hu Linyi said: "Digong Mingjian, I'm here to ask for reinforcements. During the battle at Yishan, we were surrounded by thieves. If Bao Chao hadn't been there, I would have left! Don't use the soldiers from the Green Camp anymore! Please lend Luoshan an army and go straight down." Wuchang, if Wuchang is obtained, Hubei Province will be clear, Hubei and Jiangxi will be connected, and the momentum will be like the roar of the river, the rustling of falling trees, and the mouth of Jiujiang Lake, lighter than a feather!"
Zeng Guofan said: "Pei Sheng also knows the power of building a high house; when the time is right, he will send Luo Xi to visit."
On October 6, 1855, a man in ragged clothes and unkempt face suddenly arrived at the Nankang camp. Before he could say anything, he burst into tears.
Zeng Guofan glanced sideways, without raising his head, and said angrily: "How can a beggar come to a military tent in such a grand place? His identity is verified, he is given a ration of food, and he is kicked out!"
After a while, the vassal of the country suddenly realized that something was wrong and suddenly realized: "Xueqin is coming. Hurry up and chase him out. Peng Yulin has changed his face and dressed up, and he stands proudly."
Zeng Guofan was mixed with sorrow and joy, and murmured with tears, saying: "Only after washing away the beauty can I realize it. Xueqin is suffering, Xueqin is suffering; after traveling thousands of miles, how can I still paint plum blossoms? When Xueqin arrives, Luoshan can take care of Hubei."
On October 18, Luo Zenan came to aid Hubei from Yining and attacked Tongcheng for the first time. The Taiping army collapsed at the first touch. Zenan then went to Chongyang and occupied Yanglousi, the throat of Sanxiang.
Hu Linyi was overjoyed by Luo Zenan's victory, and immediately sent three thousand land troops to garrison Dongbu and cut into the intersection of Wuchang and Puqi to prevent Wei Jun's reinforcements from the south.
In an emergency in southern Hubei, Yang Xiuqing urgently ordered Shi Dakai to lead 30,000 people including Hu Yihuang of Hu Tianyu, Huang Yukun of Wei Tianhou, Zhang Suimou, Prime Minister of Chunguan, Zeng Jinqian, deputy prime minister of Xiaguan, Lai Yuxin and Fu Zhongxin of inspection, to rush to the rescue. Chen Yucheng was also ordered to temporarily abandon De'an and Hanchuan, return to Hanyang to protect Hanyang, and assist Wuchang.
In early November, Shi Dakai arrived in Hubei and joined forces with Wei Jun to attack Yanglousi. The victory was evenly matched.
Shi Dakai sighed: "Luo Yao in Zenan is omnipotent, attacking in all directions and in a roundabout way. It is very difficult to compete with this king of field battles. Luo Yao and Lin Yao are both in the south of Hubei, Jiangxi is empty. Brother Guozong quickly retreated to Wuchang and stood firm by the city. , I will lead a large army and sweep across the Gan region, forcing the monsters to return for reinforcements and looking for opportunities to annihilate them."
Wei Jun said: "The attack is like a gust of wind and rain, and the retreat is followed by a continuous spring rain. My thirty thousand army will first capture Puqi, then defend Xianning, and then Wuchang, exhausting the demon energy and waiting for the triumphant return of His Highness King Yi."
Shi Dakai said: "I will gather our troops and attack Tongcheng fiercely, making a move to invade Hunan and confuse the minds of monsters."
Shi Dakai and Wei Jun divided their forces. Luo Zenan hesitated and refused to advance north. Hu Linyi was anxious and went to Yanglousi in person. He said to Luo Zenan: "Luo Shanshi has come to Hubei. The overall situation is promising."
Luo Zenan said: "Hu Zhongcheng is polite, but his wisdom, courage, strategy and strategy are not as good as his own. How can he be called a teacher? It is very difficult to attack the enemy. The obstruction of Jiujiang is clearly visible to our eyes."
Hu Linyi said: "Zhongcheng is the official of Hubei Province, and he is not allowed to listen. You and I, brothers, must not call him this way. Hu was a wild and unrestrained man in the previous dynasty, and he wanted to see the whole world; but when he first learned about people, he ended up falling for his ministers. My brother is a great scholar in Neo-Confucianism, teaching and learning. Hunan is a giant. Everyone says that there is no Hunan army in Wu Zenan. My brother must be the first in every battle. When he is loyal and brave, he has repeatedly turned the tide before it fell and helped the building that was about to collapse. Even when Hu fell down to meet each other, he could not show off. Now there is salary and silver. Thirty thousand is a token of my admiration; my brother's chest has hills and valleys, which can accommodate all things in the world; more than ten thousand taels of silver, I feel ashamed to be so little."
Luo Zenan collected the silver, spread out his hands, and said with a smile: "The waterway of the Yangtze River, the military affairs of the Han Dynasty, and the four fields of Wuchang, Commander Run has all made plans, and Luo is the only one left to kill the thieves."
Hu Linyi smiled and said: "Brother, I have been through more than 200 battles with almost no defeats. The way to win is given by God?"
Luo Zenan sighed: "Heaven and earth are unkind, treating all things as stupid dogs! The Great University said: After knowing to stop, there will be concentration, after concentration, one can be still, after being still, one can be at peace, after being at peace, one can think about it, and after thinking about it, one can gain. Talking about war on paper, Runzhi will make you laugh. Today Shi Ni is heading south, are you chasing after him?"
Hu Linyi said: "Shi Ni is pretending to be heading up to Hunan, but he is only trying to contain our division so that it cannot attack the lower reaches and destroy its lair. I should attack together with all our strength, go straight down to Puqi, and then attack Wuchang, and attack where it must be rescued." Wei Jun's army of more than 30,000 soldiers guarded Puqi. They built two camps at Wuyue Temple and Fenghuang Mountain to attack from a high position. They also set up a camp outside Fengle Gate, which was called "invading danger" but in reality they were captured. Four wooden castles were built in the north of the city. , to connect Xianning and Wuchang. Wei Thief is very knowledgeable in the art of war and should not be underestimated."
Luo Zenan said: "I left Gonganfan via Jiandao and occupied Tieshan in the northwest of Puqi. The thieves retreated."
On November 18, 1855, Luo Zenan captured Tieshan and attacked the city again. Wei Jun fought for three days, but was unable to cope with it and retreated to Wuchang. He also sent Guozong Hong Renzheng to lead 5,000 troops and stationed them in Xianning to delay the Luo army.
Luo Zenan stormed Xianning, Hong Renzheng held on for two days, and then retreated to Wuchang.
Hu Linyi's and Luo Zenan's armies besieged Wuchang, fighting bloody battles day after day, resulting in numerous casualties.
Hu Linyi said: "Such a difficult attack is difficult to achieve in one year. It is a good thing. Li Xubin, Jiang Yili, and Bao Chao are strong and brave. If they work hard for a long time, they will be brave enough to win the three armies."
Luo Zenan said: "Wuchang is five times stronger than Jiujiang. Don't make the same mistakes as Jiujiang. Restore the Pagoda and Zhiting Pavilion to leave regrets. The strong walls and clear fields will trap the rebels to death."
Hu Linyi said: "Under the fortified city, it is only possible to injure the warriors. Unless their food routes are cut off, it will not be enough to prevent their death. My idea is: Yang Zaifu's navy will sail down from Jiayu to block the water channels; Brother Luo can divide an army into two. Patrolling the Qingshan, Yaowan, and Baiyangqiao areas downstream to intercept land transportation."
Yang Zaifu received the order, first conquered Jinkou, then occupied Chuankou, then besieged Catfish Tao, burned more than 20 ships, and destroyed a camp.
Wei Jun saw that the navy was outmatched, so he connected the ships with iron chains and secured them with huge rows. Yang Zaifu took the opportunity to set fire to more than 200 Taiping warships. Completely annihilate the Taiping Navy in the Hubei region.
