Chapter 288 God said: Cross the Yangtze River and capture the head of the salty demon alive! (Please order, please vote)
"Can we still break the siege of Suzhou?"
Prince Gong Yi? suddenly became happy and looked at Zuo Zongtang with a smile.
Luo Xueyan's eyes also flashed with anticipation. The important strongholds on the east bank of Taihu Lake and outside Suzhou have been almost taken. Only Wuxi County and Wujiang County have not yet been taken. However, Li Shoucheng and Zhu Ba led their troops to besiege them. And with the 12-pound cannon shipped from Shanghai, it would only take a day or twenty for the city to be breached.
After capturing Wuxi and Wujiang, Suzhou became the Qing army's last stronghold on the east bank of Taihu Lake.
Once Suzhou is captured by Luo Yaoguo, Su Songtai, two prefectures and one state will be in possession of it!
This is the richest area in the world today! If it can be obtained with almost no damage, the next step can be to develop capitalist industry and commerce based on this land.
"Of course it can be solved! I'm at least 70% sure."
Zuo Zongtang stroked his beard gently, chuckled, and continued: "The number of officers and soldiers in Jiangnan is actually not that small now, but they were divided by Luo Yaoguo into Suzhou, Shanghai, and Changzhou, making it difficult to respond, and they were separated by the Yangtze River in the direction of Jiangning and Zhenjiang. Mao's main force was intimidated and did not dare to move. But once Yang Xiuqing leads Jiangning's long-haired soldiers to the north, our opportunity will come!
Xiaguan's strategy is that once Yang Xiuqing is determined to cross the river, Xiaguan will lead his 20th battalion of Xiangyong, plus the four battalions of new troops brought to Yangzhou by Xueyan brother, cross south from Guazhou, and first fight with the Changzhou soldiers. They gathered together, headed south to approach Wuxi, and led the troops of Luo Yaoguo to the north.
Yifutai, on the other hand, took the opportunity to escape, leaving only one or two thousand soldiers and horses to bluff in Suzhou, while the main force crossed Taihu Lake and headed for Yixing.
When Yifutai arrives in Yixing, Xiaguan will lead his headquarters and the main force of the Changzhou soldiers to join Yifutai. In this way, he can gather 20,000 troops, and then they will march to Jiangning City together!"
"You want to use 20,000 troops to attack Jiangning?"
Prince Gong raised his eyebrows slightly, but seeing that Zuo Zongtang still had a confident expression on his face, he asked with some confusion. Zuo Zongtang smiled slightly and said calmly:
"No. After Xiaguan's 20,000 soldiers and horses arrive outside Jiangning City, they will find a dangerous location near the Yangtze River to set up camp. They will set up a large camp and pretend it will last a long time, so that the thieves will mistakenly think that Xianguan is planning to use this as their base. , Xu Tu Jinling and cut off the passage between Jinling and Susong."
Prince Gong was silent for a moment, seeming to be thinking about the feasibility of this plan, but Zuo Zongtang smiled and continued:
"Jiangning is Changmao's lair, where all his family members and treasures are. If Yang Xiuqing learns that the lair is unstable, he will definitely return to the army to support. In this way, Yangzhou will be preserved. If the prince seizes the opportunity to send troops to cover up and pursue, he will definitely win a complete victory." After the lower official learned that Yang Ni had returned to the army, he immediately returned to Suzhou. Maybe Wuxi could be recaptured and the passage between Suzhou and Changzhou could be opened, so that Suzhou could be preserved. If the prince wins Yangzhou, Suzhou will be a great victory, and the country will be The morale of the people will be greatly boosted!”
After saying this, Prince Gong Yi? finally looked happy. He had already made a plan. Although Suzhou may not be able to be saved according to Zuo Zongtang's strategy, Yangzhou can certainly be defended. As long as Yang Xiuqing's 100,000 troops follow Withdrawing troops from Yangzhou City, he can report victory to the capital.
How much prestige must there be for a prince who can defeat Changmao's close relatives! The emperor's health is not good. If anything happens, no matter how bad he is, he can still be the emperor's uncle and regent in the eyes of the public.
"Xueyan, Disheng, Jing'an, what do you three think of Zuo Jigao's plan?"
Although Yi? had the standard answer written on his face, he still patiently asked Luo Xueyan, Zeng Guofan, and Qi Shan for their opinions.
Of course Luo Xueyan agreed with Zuo Zongtang's policy, but now he bowed his head silently, as if he didn't hear Yi?'s question. Zeng Guofan said with emotion: "Ji Gao is worthy of being today's Zhuge Liang!"
Qi Shan sighed solemnly: "There is really no better way. Even if Suzhou cannot be defended, Yangzhou will be fine. If Suzhou really cannot be defended, after Yang Ni returns to the army, he can still join Ji Gao and Yueting. The two soldiers, plus the soldiers sent from Yangzhou, took back Dantu."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard Luo Xueyan stroking his hands and smiling: "What a brilliant idea! What a brilliant idea! Ji Gao's strategy just now is quite risky. The main risk is to recover Wuxi and open up the Suzhou section. The armies of Ji Gao and Governor Yi came back and forth. For hundreds of miles, there will be at least a few hard battles. By the time Wuxi is defeated, the soldiers will be exhausted, while Luo Yaoguo is waiting for work. If Governor Ji Gao and Yi are defeated in Wuxi, the situation in southern Jiangsu will collapse. It is difficult for Shanghai to survive alone. It is better to take Dantu, the first county of Zhenjiang, after Jiangning is returned, echoing Yangzhou in the north of the Yangtze River, and strangle the throat of the Yangtze River. Even if Suzhou is sent away, it can continue to cut off the gap between Su Song Changmao and Jiangning's old nest. The main road makes communication difficult. With the Zhenjiang army to contain it, the pressure on Shanghai will be much lighter."
Yi? Turned his head to look at Zuo Zongtang and Zeng Guofan again. Seeing them both nodding lightly, he immediately made a decision: "That's it. I don't want Suzhou anymore. Ji Gao, after you meet up with Yiyueting, go to Jiangning." , Houdan disciple!"
"Got the order!"
Zuo Zongtang immediately stood up and accepted the order.
Prince Gong smiled and said: "Ji Gao, as long as Yang Ni can withdraw to the south of the Yangtze River and Dan Tu can recover it, I will recommend you to be the envoy of Jiangsu Province and the permanent commander of the sea channel!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Zuo Zongtang was naturally very happy.
Yi? Then he said to Luo Xueyan: "Xueyan, Luo Yaoguo in Suzhou will be left to you to contain. After you lent it to Zuo Jigao, there are only seven or eight thousand people left. You must deal with it carefully and make sure you don't make any mistakes. As long as you If you can win in Susong, the Emperor will definitely be delighted. When the time comes, if you try to be gentle and sincere, the Emperor will definitely agree."
Luo Xueyan was also overjoyed. He stood up with a smile and bowed: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Yi? Of course he didn't want to hand over Wanzhen to Luo Xueyan, because he wanted to ask Xianfeng for Wanzhen to serve as his side after the "Zhenyang Victory". However, he also thought about it for Luo Xueyan. At worst, he would have to pay ten gege. To Luo Xueyan. That is Yi?'s biological sister, the tenth daughter of Emperor Daoguang. She is only twelve years old this year. Although she has a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks and is relatively dark, she is of noble birth!
When Luo Xueyan married her, she was just like Fu Fu. The last Han Fu Fu was Wu Yingxiong, the son of Wu Sangui!
Given such a great grace, Luo Xueyan still has to obey Prince Gong in the future?
The river was surging, and the morning glow was rising from the sky, illuminating the Yifengmen gate tower covered with gold. The man in a dragon robe and hood stood on the tower facing the twilight, as if bathed in golden light, looking particularly sacred and solemn.
The wide street inside Yifeng Gate under the city tower was filled with Taiping soldiers wearing brand new yellow and red robes, holding spears, waist knives and muskets. They generously sang "Men Should Be Strong" with embroidered The flag with the four characters "Taiping Heavenly Kingdom" has been hoisted on the Yifeng Gate Tower and is fluttering in the wind.
As the song "Men Should Be Strong" suddenly stopped, Yang Xiuqing, who was standing on the tower, suddenly rolled his eyes, straightened his body and fell backwards. Several Dongwang guards guarding him were already prepared and rushed to Yang Xiuqing stepped forward to help him. Yang Xiuqing, who was being supported, suddenly shouted "get up". Several Dongwang guards quickly lifted him up, and he took advantage of the situation and jumped onto a high platform that had been prepared. .
At this time, it was the time when the morning glow was at its most brilliant. The rays of rays shone brightly on Yang Xiuqing's short and delicate body, as if a god from heaven had descended to earth.
When the officers and soldiers of the Taiping Army under Yifeng Gate saw this scene, they immediately knew that the Heavenly Father Emperor had descended to earth, and they all raised their arms and shouted:
"God the Father, bless us!"
Yang Xiuqing, who had transformed into God Yang, raised his right hand and waved lightly towards the people below. Thirty thousand soldiers of the Kingdom of Heaven bowed down in unison, and there was a sudden silence in Yifeng Gate!
God Yang stared down, but said nothing. Everyone else also held their breath and remained silent. The silence inside Yifeng Gate was so terrible that you could hear a pin drop.
I don't know how long it took, but God Yang suddenly raised his right arm, pointed to the north, summoned up all his strength, and shouted in the loudest voice: "I am the Emperor, and I have come down to earth today just to slay demons. Listen up." Order, fight across the Yangtze River and capture the head of the salty demon alive. Don’t be afraid of sacrifice. Victory will bring glory, and death in battle will lead to heaven.”
The Dongwang guards with loud voices had been guarding the Yifeng Gate for a long time. After listening to Yang Xiuqing's "God's Word", they passed the "God's Word" down one after another: "The Heavenly Father, the Emperor, said: I am Emperor God."
Most of the 30,000 Heavenly Kingdom soldiers below came from the central army of Yang Xiuqing's direct lineage. More than 10,000 of them were the old brothers from Zijinshan who had the strongest faith. After listening to "Heavenly Father's Words", they all became excited and shouted in unison: "Kill the demons! Come on!" Heaven! Kill, kill, kill"
Chapter completed!