Chapter 147 (2) Li Xiucheng is helpless
When Li Xiucheng was dispatching troops and generals, Li Hongzhang also went outside Wuxi to inspect the army.
Guo Songlin paid homage to Li Hongzhang and said: To inform Li Shuai, the loyal chieftain has been defeated in battles many times and will be destroyed sooner or later!
Li Hongzhang said: At the beginning of the year, in the battle of Changshu, Zimei wielded his sword and his clothes were stained red with blood; the bandit camp at Sanhekou was destroyed, the thieves fought for the road, the six floating bridges were broken, the river was blocked with corpses, and the water stopped flowing. In less than a year, the traitor has no fighting power?
Liu Ming preached: Reporting to Li Shuai, in the battle of Jiangpu, the thieves suffered great losses and were unable to recover. Today, even if there are thousands of thieves trapping our thousands of troops, it is just a show of force. As soon as my reinforcements arrive, they will disperse like birds and beasts; No fighting power.
Li Hongzhang said: Soldiers, the road of life and death, must not be careless! Our main force was gathered between Gou Mountain, Furong Mountain and Baidu. Mountains and towns were connected and camps and fortifications were built to control the banks of the canal. The loyal chief relies on the two cities of Wuxi and Jingui, and the danger of the canal is added. He can attack and defend at will, and advance and retreat freely. You must not be careless.
Li Hezhang said: The loyal chieftain has been in Su for a month and has not won a single victory. If he has not retreated three houses, he will no longer have the will to fight. Suzhou and Wuxi are less than three houses away, and there is no room for retreat. It is my intention to gather all the armies immediately. , and fight against the loyal chieftain.
Li Hongzhang said: The loyal chieftain is the most cunning and fierce among the thieves. All the forces return to the west road to support Wuxi to protect Suzhou. If the thieves' aid is not clear, Xicheng will not be able to advance in one day. Immediately pass on my order, Cheng Xue launches the Kaizi Camp and the Gordon Yangqi Brigade to quickly attack Huqiu and Xushuguan, get rid of the thieves behind, and cut off the connection between Wuxi and Suzhou.
Cheng Xueqi received the order, hesitated, and said to Gordon: "Most of our army is gathered around Wuxi, and the army in Suzhou is less than 20,000. If we fail to attack Huqiu, the loyal chiefs will follow the trend and go south, and the enemy in Suzhou will attack us again." Back, wouldn't you be attacked from both sides?
Gordon said: "Mr. Cheng is too worried. The rebel army is in decline. They haven't won a victory in half a year. What's there to be afraid of?"
Cheng Xueqi said: In that case, I will send Liu Shiqi's Qizi Battalion to garrison Caozhuangkou to contain the Suzhou Taiping Army; we will attack Likou, Huqiu, and Hushu Pass, and observe the movements of the loyal chiefs.
On November 1, Cheng and Ge besieged Likou and defeated it in one day.
The next day, Cheng Xueqi led the Kaizi Battalion, Gordon led the foreign gun team, Huang Yisheng led the navy, and candidate Dao Pan Zengwei led the militia. The four forces joined forces to attack Huqiu again.
The Chinese and foreign allied forces attacked from all sides, but the Tiger Hill Taiping army refused to retreat. All 2,000 Taiping soldiers were killed.
The Taiping Army was defeated in repeated battles. Li Xiucheng was frightened and told Li Shixian: "The siege of Suzhou has not been solved, and the rescue of Wuxi cannot be completed. The connection between Wuxi and Suzhou will be severed. How can we fight in the future?"
Li Shixian said: After the Kingdom of Heaven was divided and the land was divided, the kings fought on their own and stopped trying their best! The kingdom of heaven is declining, and it is hard for you and me to save it alone.
Xiu Chengdao: If you do something knowingly not to do something, your ministers will do it! King Chen Bingwen and King Kang Wang Haiyang came to report that Fuyang had been lost and Hangzhou was in danger.
Li Shixian sighed: "Misfortunes never come alone and blessings never come alone. We gathered as one and stationed ourselves in the area of Fangqian and Meicun to ensure that the front lines of Wangting, Xushuguan and Changmen are unobstructed."
Xiu Chengdao: This line is open, and the connection between Wuxi and Suzhou is continuous. Send my order quickly to the guardian Chen Kunshu, the guardian Fang Haizong, and the Chao king Huang Zilong. They must leave the city wall quickly and come to Xianlai to fight.
Li Shixian said: "All the kings are here, but there is no chance of victory. My loyal brother must make plans in advance."
Xiu Chengdao: Wuxi and Suzhou have not been defeated, the initiative lies with me. We will attack Goushan tomorrow, break through from the center, and completely annihilate Guo Songlin's demon tribe. I immediately consulted Chen Kun and ordered him to rush to help quickly.
After Xiu Cheng finished speaking, he immediately wrote to Chen Kun: The current situation in the capital is not comparable to that of the previous day. Your Highness should be fully aware of this. Wan Wangyi is willing to come to join us, and join the ranks of the kings to eliminate them together. Sweep away the demons, and everything will be the same. also. If this evil is swept away as soon as possible, the accountant can enter and relieve the siege of Beijing as soon as possible. Su and Hang are unstable, so it goes without saying that we can rescue them. Chang and Xi will also collapse. At that time, we will regret it. Your Highness understands this very well, so there is no need to say too many words, as speed is the most important thing.
On November 5, Li Xiucheng and Li Shixian joined forces and camped for dozens of miles between Fangqian, Meicun, Dongting, Hongshan and Zhongan Bridge, and then attacked Fengshan.
Guo Songlin resisted stubbornly and held on for three days. On the fourth day, the Taiping Army retreated. Guo Songlin, Liu Mingchuan, Zhang Shusheng, Zhou Shengbo, etc. all went to Li Hezhang's camp to discuss matters of attack and suppression.
Guo, Liu, Zhang, and Zhou all said that the two chiefs, Guizhou and Donkey, were loyal servants and had no skills. They poured out their armies to fight to the death.
Li Hezhang said: The opportunity has come and cannot be missed; I intend that Zimei Songzi Camp and Zhenxuan Shuzi Camp jointly attack Meicun; Sanmingzi Camp and Haibo Shengzi Camp jointly attack in front of the square, and I will lead the gun team myself. , central support.
Liu Ming preached: Brother Ji Quan should also urge Gordon and Cheng Xueqi to quickly attack Xushuguan, first to cut off the connection between Wuxi and Suzhou, and secondly to cut off the retreat of the two loyal chiefs.
Li Hezhang said: "The third brother Sheng's words are reasonable. Before the army attacks, I will personally advise Cheng and Ge."
On the third watch of November 9, the Huai army poured out and besieged the camps of King Zhong and King Shi. The Taiping army resisted hastily and immediately collapsed. Liu Mingchuan, Guo Songlin and others led their troops to pursue them. The closest point was less than two miles away from the Wuxi city gate.
The next day, Xiucheng and Shixian rallied their troops to fight again, but were again defeated. Meicun and Xicang were lost, and thirty fortresses were destroyed. They also lost 10,000 people including the King of Navigation Tang Zhengcai, the general Wei Chenggao, the Minister of Household Affairs Li Shuxiang, and others.
Xiucheng said: "I also injured the monster Guo Songlin. I wonder if the monster Guo is dead?"
Shixian said: Both battles are defeated, or there is no way to turn around.
Xiucheng said: "There is no need to lose your ambition. You and I will each lead our own troops and fight separately to wait for the armies of King Hu and King Chao."
After the Huai army won the second victory, Li Hezhang was overjoyed. He summoned Zhang Shushan, Teng Siwu, Huang Zhongyuan, and Wang Donghua to gather in Xianlai, move forward, and fight to the death.
On November 23, King Protector Chen Kunshu and King Protector Fang Haizong led their troops to arrive. Huang Zilong, the Chao King, also rushed out of Wuxi City. More than 40,000 people from the second army were stationed outside the east and south gates of Wuxi for more than ten miles.
Liu Ming quickly informed Li Hezhang that the rebels had gathered together and were difficult to defeat. He would take advantage of the enemy's new arrival to engage in a decisive battle. Cheng Xueqi and Gordon's troops have already conquered Xushuguan, and the loyal chiefs have no way out; if we fight hard, the rebels will be defeated.
Li Hezhang said: Where are Cheng Fangzhong and Gordon now? Do you want to go north to help me?
Liu Ming reported that Cheng and Ge had returned south and besieged Suzhou; Li Shuai also personally came to Suzhou to supervise the division.
Li Hezhang said: Send the order immediately, Zhang Shusheng led his troops to contain Li Shixian; Guo Songlin's Songzi Camp ambushed beside the Tucheng River and intercepted the couplet of Chen Kunshu and Li Shixian; Commander Liu Ming led the main force to besiege Chen Kunshu and Huang Zilong's troops from three sides; Zhang Shushan, Teng Siwu and others Head, camera tilted out.
That night, Liu Mingchuan took the lead in attacking, burning more than ten fortresses, and defeated Chen Kunshu's army. After a fierce battle all night, the Taiping army collapsed again.
Li Xiucheng was unable to make a comeback and all his troops dispersed. Chen Kunshu returned to Changzhou, Huang Zilong returned to Xicheng, Li Shixian retreated to Yixing, and Li Xiucheng led his troops to Beiwang Pavilion in Suzhou. They turned into Suzhou City from the trail in Lingyan Mountain and immediately summoned Mu Mu secretly. Wang Tan Shaoguang.
Xiu Chengdao: Is Jiangsu and Zhejiang still connected?
Tan Shaoguang said: "I am reporting to His Royal Highness King Zhong that Hui Wang Cai Yuanlong, Rong Wang Liao Fashou, and Gui Wang Chen Desheng have repeatedly failed to attack Tongli Town and have now retreated to Pingwang Town."
Xiu Chengdao: After repeated battles and defeats, Su City may not be able to protect itself. The city guard general Wu Xijiu said earlier that the soldiers were suffering, money was in short supply, and all the oil and salt were in difficulty. Therefore, rice was waiting for food, and there was not enough food. There were no seeds left in each hall, and the soldiers were starving. It was really a desperate situation. Half a year passes, how difficult is it?
Tan Shaoguang said: With the increasing momentum, each king has different aspirations and is panicking. However, Suzhou's city defense is also very strong; the water of Taihu Lake flows through Loumen and Qimen, and I have built a ten-mile Great Wall along the river to connect with the outside world.
Xiucheng said: Our army has been defeated and has no external support. It is difficult to protect Su City. It is better to let the city go and march into Guanzhong to pursue another great cause.
Tan Shaoguang said: "Let's go to Zhongdian. My heart is dead. I swear to live and die with Su City!"
Xiucheng said: "I admire my brother's righteousness, and I am not merciless. I will prepare my troops and weapons before fighting the monster."
Tan Shaoguang said: Defending the city and resisting is beneficial and harmless. The day before yesterday, the demon army attacked the city, firing hundreds of cannons and firing thousands of guns. Our army relied on the city wall and remained motionless, waiting for the demon to advance before firing its guns. The Qing demon and the foreign demon besieged the city for two days, resulting in more than a thousand casualties.
Xiuchengdao: It is a good plan to hold on to Yingcheng for a long time. However, as time goes by, food supplies will be exhausted and we will repeat the mistakes of Anqing. We cannot sit back and wait for death.
