Chapter 127 Li Xiucheng’s second attack on Hangzhou
Governor Li Xiucheng led an army of 200,000, but failed to attack Wuchang. He returned to Jiangxi and Nashida opened his old army with more than 100,000 people. They fought two battles with Bao Chaoting's army, but both were defeated. Then they entered Zhejiang and joined Li Shixian's army, fighting and advancing.
In late October 1861, Li Xiucheng arrived in Hangzhou.
Wang Youling, the governor of Zhejiang, was frightened.
Hangzhou General Ruichang disagreed and said: "This general has experienced hundreds of battles and is determined to wipe out the ugly people. There are police in the border area. He immediately led his troops to defer to God and never retreated."
Wang Youling said: There are hundreds of thousands of thieves, but the number of soldiers in Hangzhou is less than 10,000. I immediately flew to various places and surrendered to Hangzhou.
Ruichang said: "I have ordered all the troops to enter Hangzhou within ten days. Otherwise, I will be severely punished!"
On the 10th, Zhejiang Admiral Rao Tingxuan, Zhejiang Chief Envoy Lin Fuxiang, Commander-in-Chief Mi Xingchao, Wu Zaisheng, Zeng Desheng, and Deputy General Yang Jinbang arrived successively.
Wang Youling ordered Rao Ting to select the president and the army. The court did not hesitate to make more concessions, and sent Yang Jinbang to lead 3,000 troops to station at Mantou Mountain in the west of the city to resist the enemy from a high position. Lin Fuxiang was ordered to station troops inside and outside the Jiangmen gate to guard the river road.
On November 3, the Taiping Army attacked Hangzhou from the north and west.
Li Xiucheng went to the northern front in person, captured the fortresses along the West Lake, paid homage to Yue's tomb, and sung the praises of King Yue's victory over the Jurchens. He then went straight to Wangjiang Gate and killed more than a thousand Qing troops.
Lin Fuxiang was defeated and escaped into Hangzhou.
In the west of Hangzhou, Chen Bingwen of Langtianan led his army to besiege Mantou Mountain, and Yang Jinbang was unable to support him alone.
Rao Tingxuan led 5,000 warriors and went out of the city to rescue them. The battle was in full swing when Supervisor Li Xiucheng arrived with a force of 100,000 men.
Rao Tingxuan was afraid and retreated into the city.
Yang Jinbang did not receive the order to withdraw, so he fought alone, and the entire army died.
On November 7, Zhang Yuliang, the admiral of Guangxi, led 10,000 troops to Hangzhou; Wen Rui, the commander-in-chief of Chuzhou Town, and Kuang Wenbang, the deputy general, also retreated from Pujiang to Hangzhou.
When Zhang Yuliang arrived, Wang Youling was in great mourning and cried out: "In Hangzhou, there is only a trapped lake city in the west, and a small Haining in the east. The food road is blocked and the food is exhausted. What can I do?"
Yuliang said: "We must fight to the death!"
Youling said: "We are fighting to the death and waiting for reinforcements. I have asked the monk Gelinqin to lead the powerful troops of the Beijing camp to the southeast, and then consult Zeng Guofan's troops to rush in for reinforcements."
Yu Liang said: The monks are far away from each other, so even if they come, they don’t have any extravagant expectations. Mr. Zeng still doesn't obey the imperial edict, and his teachers and friends don't save him. What's the worse for me! Going out to the city tomorrow to kill thieves, who will go?
Vice General Kuang Wenbang said: The last general is willing to die with Lord Titai!
The next day, Zhang Yuliang and Kuang Wenbang joined forces and went out of the city to fight fiercely, breaking five fortresses in a row.
Zhang Yuliang inspected the battle situation and reported to Wang Youling urgently. He divided his troops out of the city and built a fortress to resist the thieves.
Wang Youling asked Rao Tingxuan.
Rao Ting chose the wall to be high and the city to be strong, but he hesitated and refused to give orders.
Li Xiucheng approached the city wall with his troops and told the generals: Hangzhou is located in the southeast and is the capital of the three Wu Dynasties. Such a strong city cannot be built overnight. Send my order quickly, set up camp, besiege and resist the enemy, wait until the demon's food is exhausted, and then break the city in one fell swoop.
Overnight, the Taiping Army rushed to build more than fifty forts, and all ten gates in Hangzhou were surrounded.
Xiuchengxishu: Since the Holy Soldiers arrived in Hangzhou, they have been victorious in daily battles. All demon lairs outside the city were wiped out; countless were killed, thousands were captured, and thousands were surrendered. The city has been besieged and the inside and outside are blocked. Success is imminent!
Zhang Yuliang resented that Rao Tingxuan had wandered before the war and was not familiar with military affairs, so he went to Hangzhou and was besieged.
Rao Tingxuan also hated Zhang Yuliang's cruelty and privately told Wang Youling: In the past, Zhang's troops were stationed in Lanxi and killed old and weak women without mercy. Zhang Si has lost his conscience and is no better than a thief. Anyone who finds such a person will kill him.
Wang Youling said: Everyone knows about the Lanxi tragedy. Zhang Yuliang sent troops to kill the bandit militia, the gentle gentry, the poor people, the fleeing Huizhou merchants, and the prefect's servants, but did not kill the Guangdong rebels who were in the city. However, the enemy was in front of him, so he killed the general. The morale of the army will be scattered!
Rao Tingxuan said: Master Zhongcheng has a bodhisattva-like heart, and I will admire him for it. In troubled times, heavy rituals must be used. If this guy is not punished, the law will not be able to be carried out smoothly! We have no shame to face the elders of Zhejiang!
Wang Youling said: Li Xiucheng's hundred thousand rebel bandits have surrounded Hangzhou. The city of Hangzhou has a majestic situation and a dangerous location. It suffers not from the inability to defend it but from the inadequacy of rice and grain. The rebel bandits have trapped the city like this, and within a month, we will all be dead. What is the use of killing Zhang Yuliang now? It would be better to let him lead his troops into battle and leave life or death to God's will. Immediately pass my order to Zhang Yuliang, the governor of Guangxi, and quickly bring his troops to defend the enemy outside the city!
Zhang Yuliang received the order and attacked repeatedly, fighting vigorously. However, the army was outnumbered and he was defeated repeatedly.
On November 21, Zhang Yuliang fought again and returned from defeat. On the way back to the camp, he was hit in the right rib by a city cannon. Sadly, he died.
Zhang Yuliang died and his tribe dispersed.
Wang Youling was filled with resentment and angrily said to Rao Tingxuan: "Master Titai, does he have a good way to solve the problem?"
Rao Tingxuan said: You can quickly ask Hangzhou General Ruichang to lead his banner to help in the battle. Last year, thieves besieged Hangzhou. Ruichang went to Qiantang Gate in person, and deputy capital Tong Laichun garrisoned at Wulin Gate. They fought until the city was broken.
Wang Youling said: Ruichang became ill due to overwork, and the deputy capital Tong Guanfu and Zhapu deputy capital Tong Jiechun have been ordered to take care of the flag camp affairs. Guan Fu and Jie Chunzhu guarded the entire city and muddle along. The Fujian soldiers volunteered and wrote in blood to fight. I offer a heavy reward, how about it?
Rao Tingxuan said: "Absolutely not. There are so many rebels outside the city. If you leave the city, you will die." Standing still and waiting for help is the best option. According to reports, Jiangsu Governor Xue Huan has sent troops to Zhapu; Zuo Zongtang has led 10,000 troops and has entered Zhejiang; Li Yuandu's 8,000 Yue troops have attacked Guangxin and Quzhou areas; I have asked Shen Baozhen for consultation , and then advised Zeng Guofan to lead Xiang Yong himself and gallop to help.
Wang Youling smiled miserably and said: Last month, I wrote a blood letter to ask for help. I am waiting for the Zeng family to come to my rescue. Can the Zeng family save me? It is better to ask for help than to ask for yourself. Send my order quickly. All the brave Fujian soldiers will rush to the outside of the city to defend against the enemy. When the deed is accomplished, there will be a heavy reward.
Rao Ting chose Yin and Yang to disobey, and secretly ordered the Fujian soldiers to gather at dawn and return with empty guns.
Zeng Guofan received the blood letter asking for help and lamented: Looking at Hangzhou from a distance, it is beyond the reach of a whip, how sad it is!
The Qing army held the city of Hangzhou for two months and gradually ran out of food. Wang Youling ordered the Tibetan millet family to provide food to the villagers, but it was still not enough to provide enough food. They also killed all the horses and distributed two taels of meat and a little rice to each person. However, the death did not help the hungry ones, and there were some cannibals. As for the people who wandered through the ditches and died, no less than 100,000 people died of starvation in one month.
Hangzhou was full of people dying of hunger, and its popularity had dissipated. Li Xiucheng repeatedly sent orders into the city. Regardless of the army, civilians, Manchus, or Han, those who were willing to surrender would be alive.
Wang Youling also knew that the city wall was insecure, so he wanted the city gate to be opened so that the people could come out.
Ruichang refused and said: "Abandoning the people means abandoning the city."
Wang Youling lost all hope and cried bitterly.
The master advised: There is no point in crying. It is our duty to die in the city, but there is no need for the people to die in the city. Shooting a book out of the city, he advised Xiucheng: Hangzhou may be destroyed, but don't hurt the people.
The Qing troops from Wulin, Qiantang, and Qingbo sects had not eaten for several days and were unbearably hungry. They rushed out of the door one after another and were out of control.
Tan Shaoguang, Chen Bingwen, Deng Guangming, and Gao Yongkuan took the opportunity to dig into the ground and blow up the wall, and swarmed in.
When the city fell, Wang Youling, the governor of Zhejiang, hanged himself. Rao Tingxuan, the admiral of Zhejiang, and Wen Rui, the commander-in-chief of Chuzhou Town, died in the battle.
Li Xiucheng cared about Wang Youling's kindness and contributed three thousand taels to his funeral.
The outer city was broken, and Governor Xiucheng led his army to besiege the city. Xiucheng issued an edict to persuade him to surrender, and asked Tianjing to grant amnesty to the Manchus.
Hong Xiuquan accepted the order, thought over and over again, and agreed to pardon the Manchus who surrendered in Hangzhou.
Under Xiuquan's order, just as he was sighing, the British counselor Parkes and the British naval commander Uncle Ho asked for an audience, saying that he wanted to join forces with the Celestial Empire to overthrow the Qing court and divide China equally.
Xiuquan refused and said: "I fight for China, and I want to conquer the whole country. If I succeed, I will make the world laugh. If I fail, I will attract ghosts into the country."
Before the decree of the King of Heaven arrived, the generals wanted to attack, but Xiucheng refused, and issued an edict: "The loyal king of the Kingdom of Heaven, Xiucheng, advises General Ruichang of Hangzhou. You are ordered by your lord to guard Hangzhou. I am ordered by your lord to take it." Help the Lord, you and I have no choice but to make peace with each other, so as not to harm the lives of men and women. If you have gold and silver, I would like to send it to the boat. If you don't have any, I would like to provide financial support and send it to Zhenjiang. The people of Manchuria came to our great country and became the emperor. This was a destiny, not a matter of their own accord. I treat the Han people with great affection. Now each of them supports one king. The two have no choice but to do this out of my heart.
Ruichang, the general of Hangzhou, looked down upon him and vowed to refuse to surrender.
Li Xiucheng ordered the attack, but Ruichang knew he would die, so he threw himself into the water and died. Vice-capital Tong Jiechun and Guan Fu also followed him. The city was destroyed, the city was full of flag soldiers and people, and almost all the people were killed.
When Xiucheng occupied Hangzhou, he transferred rice and tens of thousands of stones to provide relief to the victims. The poor households had no capital to survive, so Xiucheng raised another 200,000 strings of money, borrowing their capital to survive without asking for profits.
On January 7, 1862, Li Xiucheng ordered General Deng Guangming and General Tong Ronghai to garrison Hangzhou. Xiucheng led his army and marched north to Songhu.
