If anyone walks along the official road north of Xiangtan during this time of war, he can always see some farmers in ragged clothes and sallow faces on both sides of the official road, looking at them with extremely enthusiastic eyes. The east bank of the Xiangjiang River in the distance...
On a hill less than ten miles away from Xiangtan County, two figures were sitting in the grass on the top slope, with a spear stuck beside them. Both of them wore straw sandals, short coats and torn cotton jackets, and their faces were rough and dirty. In the early winter, I was shivering in the cold wind, but still refused to leave, and kept looking at the Xiangjiang River in the distance.
Both of them are tenant farmers in Zhangwang Village on the edge of the official road... In the autumn harvest season that just passed, their lives were more difficult than in previous years because the landowners were pressing harder and more urgently than before! The county government assigned another person The "Regiment Training Donation" was written to train two thousand regiments to fight against the Taiping Army on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River.
As a result, after paying the rent, interest, apportionments, and land taxes, their family had very little left over from the autumn harvest. They only had enough dried sweet potatoes left to last until next spring... But they were still full of hope for the future.
Because they know...these days of darkness are about to pass! The Taiping Army is about to come!
The poor people on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River have been saved! There are also many poor people on the west bank of the Xiangjiang River who have been saved... The Taiping Army's territory is in the mountainous area in Xiangxiang County. The poor people there have been given land and the IOUs have been burned. , live a good life.
Next, it’s the turn of the poor people in Xiangtan County on the west bank of the Xiangjiang River, right?
But the Taiping Army must come quickly. The old men in the village have learned the lesson. They moved grain, silver, copper coins and other good things to the county town, and organized group training. They have already recruited two thousand people, and it is said that there are still more than 2,000 people. Plan to recruit another two thousand.
A few days ago, another governor came to Xiangtan with 3,000 officers and soldiers. Now there are 5,000 officers and soldiers in Xiangtan City and regiment training... It will not be easy to fight! If Xiangtan cannot be defeated, then they will not be able to defeat it. The grain brought into the city by the gentlemen was taken back.
Suddenly, there was a sound of hoofbeats on the official road, and a knight came from the north. The two people hurriedly looked over and saw six cavalrymen dressed in green battalions, who were whipping their horses under their crotches, looking very anxious.
"Hmph, are you in a hurry to reincarnate?"
"No, I'm not in a hurry to reincarnate, I'm in a hurry to escape. Look, red-headed men, many red-headed men, coming along the official road..." "Red-headed men? That's... the Taiping Army? Our Taiping Army has finally arrived. Got it!"
"Finally here..."
These two poor people actually shed tears of excitement when they looked at the large group of red-headed men who had just come into view!
One of them wiped his tears, pulled out the spear next to him, and said to the other: "Let's go back to the village, gather all the poor people, and fight against Xiangtan with the Taiping Army!"
Another person also picked up the spear and gritted his teeth and said: "The Taiping Army is our team. I want to be a Taiping Army to fight against the monsters! The Taiping Army is our team!"
Only when the Taiping Army comes do we have a good life! We must help the Taiping Army to fight off the monsters!
With the Hunan-Jiangxi border general hall of the God Worshiping Association carrying out vigorous land distribution and debt abolition campaigns in various places on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River these days, the poor people on the west bank of the Xiangjiang River also regard the Taiping Army as their only hope, and stand firm without hesitation. On the side of the Taiping Army!
Therefore, the first and second armies of the Taiping Army began to swell as they crossed the Xiangjiang River and headed for Xiangtan. Along the way, poor men continued to join, either spontaneously or mobilized by the "underground society" of the God Worshipers Association. .
Most of these poor men had brought their own spears and wooden clubs. The wooden sticks were inserted into an iron spear point to make a short spear! So the Taiping Army only needed to carry some red turbans and iron spear points, and some lecturers who came from the crash course. , you can realize battlefield expansion immediately!
Although these newly joined Taiping soldiers cannot be the main force in the siege field, they can be used to increase their momentum, and they can also turn the Qing army in Xiangtan City into a lone army within the high wall in an instant!
The unlucky Governor of Huguang, Cheng Cai, stood on the north wall of Xiangtan City and stared dumbfounded at the wave of Taiping soldiers swarming on the official road. They took refuge in the city one after another, leaving him ignorant of the movements of the Taiping Army on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River.
Moreover, he was unwilling to break up the only cavalry under his command and use them as sentry cavalry - it was not safe outside the city, and the sentry cavalry would inevitably be lost, and the losses would be too much... If anything happens, these cavalry can still protect them. Run away with him!
He is the governor of Huguang... Although he has been dismissed from office, the city where he is responsible is still Wuchang, so there is no reason to die in Xiangtan. If the imperial envoy Saishang'a hadn't asked him to send out sentry cavalry, he would have been a cavalry capital They won't be sent.
But Seshang'a's order was still a little slow.
Not long after Cheng Zicai's cavalry went out, they encountered the Taiping Army coming in like a tide! "Cheng Zhijun, the long-haired, long-haired army is coming. What should we do?"
Pan Dawei, the magistrate of Xiangtan County, was so frightened when he saw this scene that his voice was trembling. "Master Zhijun, my subordinates can help you break out of the siege!"
Chun Rong, the deputy general of the Chinese Army under Cheng Zicai, was a Manchu man who smoked foreign cigarettes. But even though he was full of foreign cigarettes, he was so frightened that he was sweating profusely when he saw the endless red-headed men coming on the official road to the north. There is only one thought left in my head - run away!
However, Cheng Cai is not dizzy yet, but that old guy Sai Shang'a is keeping an eye on him!
He wanted to run away, but he was running away in the middle of the battle... If Seshang'a fired a bullet, he might lose his head!
Cheng Zicai tried his best to suppress the idea of ​​​​escape, turned around and said to his lieutenant general of the Chinese Army: "Lieutenant General Chun, it is better to quickly dispatch soldiers to the city wall to defend the city... Amitabha! Xiangtan must not make any mistakes!
Then send someone to ask Saitang for advice and tell Saitang... The main force of Changmao has crossed the river. It is the main force. There are at least 30,000 people. For the sake of the Qing Dynasty, tell him to return to Xiangtan as soon as possible!"
"How long does it take for Seng Gelinqin to return from the east bank of the Xiangjiang River?"
In the north of Xiangtan City, on a hill, Luo Yaoguo held up a telescope to observe the Xiangtan City Wall seven or eight miles away, and asked Yu Miiqing next to him.
But he didn't know that Senggelinqin didn't come at all... Although he enthusiastically "drawn up" a decisive battle plan for Senggelinqin, he couldn't help Senggelinqin adding to the drama himself!
"Reporting to Your Highness, Seng Gelinqin's men probably haven't built the pontoon bridge yet. His troops can only rely on ferries to travel between the two sides of the Xiangjiang River. In a hurry, they can only mobilize the troops and horses from Yisuhe City to aid Xiangtan!"
"With just those few troops, we will definitely make sure they never come back!" Su Sanniang on the side interjected. "Yes!" Luo Yaoguo nodded, "Sanniang, who can eat them?"
"I will go in person!" Su Sanniang said, "The siege of Xiangtan can be left to Zeng Tianyang and He Damei's second army. I will take Li Shoucheng and the main force of Li Shixian's first army to Jiangshe City to block the attack. We must stick to Seng Gelin. Qin, it would be best to introduce people from Senggelinqin to Jiangshe City to mince meat.
The army of the Western King should have crossed the river now, and will soon bypass Yisu River City and come to the south bank of the stream. Then they will attack Seng Gelinqin from the north and south, and they may be able to cut off the head of the monk demon head."
"Okay!" Luo Yaoguo nodded lightly and said, "Sanniang, be careful. Don't lead the charge. You are now the commander-in-chief of the army. There is no room for failure." Su Sanniang smiled and nodded: "Understood, I'll be fine!"
"Report...
With the sound of "report", the news that the main force of the Taiping Army had crossed the Xiangjiang River and was approaching Xiangtan was finally sent to the Saishang'a Camp in Xiayi after dark. "Wow..."
"What? At least 30,000 Changmao are approaching Xiangtan County? How...how is this possible?"
Saishang'a, who was soaking his feet under the service of a Goshhar brought from Beijing, immediately couldn't sit still after hearing the report from another Goshhar under his command. He stood up suddenly and accidentally stepped on the footbath. , the foot-washing water flowed all over the floor.
Sai Shang'a stood dumbly for a while, and already made a decision - Xiangtan County must not make any mistakes!
There is a governor of Huguang in Xiangtan County, as well as three thousand governors and one or two thousand regiments. If Sai Shang'a is lost because he refuses to save his life, he can't afford the punishment.
He is actually guilty now, and he is still carrying the blame for the corrupt situation in Hunan. If he loses another governor, even if the emperor can bear it, he will be buried by the bullets of hundreds of officials!
Chapter completed!