During the Lutouhe Battle, the incompetent performance of the Qing army's green camp made Zhou Shixian judge the situation. He changed the previous conservative battle and decided to make an arrangement to order the entire army to march towards Panyu. While advancing to Guangzhou, he was divided into activities in the Guangzhou prefectures and other counties under the jurisdiction of Panyu, Shunde, Zengcheng and other Guangzhou prefectures.

In fact, the current strength of the Taiping Army is unable to attack Guangzhou City. Although Lutou River won, the left camp of the infantry army also suffered heavy losses. Before the war, the 3,000 troops were full, and now there are only more than 1,400 people left. Even if Zhou Shixiang mobilized all the Taiping Army in Xiangshan to advance north, the troops alone could not exceed the Qing army. Therefore, it was unwise to give up the plan before the war. After the Lutou River was successfully set up, the entire army quickly retreated back to Xiangshan. It was difficult to seize the time to digest the results of this victory in order to accumulate greater strength to carry out the next larger-scale strategy.

After Duke Xiang of Song in the rear knew that Zhou Shixiang led his troops to cross the Lutou River to advance to Panyu, he sent someone to quickly bring him a letter. The letter naturally questioned Zhou Shixiang's decision and strongly demanded that Zhou Shi stop this unwise move immediately and lead his army back to Xiangshan immediately.

In his reply to Duke Xiang of Song, Zhou Shixiang explained the reason why he risked to advance north. He believed that it was impossible for Guangzhou to draw enough green camps to deal with the Taiping Army, or that they did not have enough mobile troops to deal with the Taiping Army.

With the destruction of the Guangzhou Green Camp in Lutou River, the Qing army in Zengcheng, Panyu basically lost its offensive power against the Taiping Army. It was a miracle that the small battalions scattered everywhere could survive the Taiping Army's troops. How could they cause severe damage to the Taiping Army?

Guangzhou Green Camp is one of the three elite troops of Guangdong Green Camp. The other two elite troops are Zhaoqing Green Camp and the other is Chaozhou Green Camp. One of these two green camp soldiers has to bear the heavy responsibility of defense in western Guangdong. The other has to bear the pressure of the Zheng family in Fujian. Shang Kexi and Li Lutai will transfer them from afar to fight the Taiping Army unless they are broken.

Now that the entire Guangzhou Green Camp is wiped out, the Green Camp troops that Guangzhou can still mobilize are the battalions stationed in the Sanjiangkou area. According to Zhang An information, there are about 6,000 Qing troops on the Sanjiangkou defense line, of which nearly 2,000 Han flag soldiers under the two vassals, and about 4,000 Green Camp soldiers.

Most of the more than 4,000 green camp soldiers were not local soldiers from Guangdong, but tourists from Jiangxi and Fujian. One of them was the Jiangxi soldiers led by the Ganzhou General Kong Guozhi, the old boss of Shao Jiugong.

The Sanjiangkou defense line is no less important than the significance of Xinhui City to Guangzhou. What's more, Chen Qice and Zhu Tong had just commanded the Ming army to attack Sanjiangkou. Although they failed, they forced the Qing army in Sanjiangkou to move. As for the garrison battalions in Shunde and Nanhai counties, Zhou Shixiang did not think they might be transferred out to attack the Taiping Army. First, these two counties had to bear the support of the Sanjiangkou defense line, and second, the number of battalions in the two counties was not large. Compared with the Taiping Army, which had nearly tens of thousands, it was obviously not worth mentioning.

Combined with Zhang An's intelligence and the heavy blow to the Qing army due to the Lutouhe victory, Zhou Shixiang determined that Guangdong Governor Li Lutai had no troops to adjust, and that Guangzhou could still send only the Han army flag soldiers under the command of the two vassals of Jing and the Eight Banners of Manzhou who were stationed in Guangzhou.

Both of these troops can pose a threat to the Taiping Army and have the ability to severely damage the Taiping Army. However, after repeated consideration, Zhou Shixiang made the decision to advance north. The terrain of Panyu and the performance of the right infantry camp against the Han army flag cavalry in Lutouhe was his greatest confidence in making this decision.

Although the prefectures and counties in Guangzhou have half plains and half hills, the plains have extremely developed water systems, and often only a river is less than a few miles away, so it is not suitable for large-scale cavalry operations. This can be seen from the battle of Lutou River that the Qing army only dispatched a Niulu, a Niulu, a Han army, and a Niulu.

The most important thing is that the performance of the two brigades of the infantry's right battalion of the infantry's flag cavalry in Lutou River made Zhou Shi's combat effectiveness unprecedentedly optimistic than the infantry's right battalion. Under the premise that the opponent could not dispatch large-scale cavalry operations, these two brigades of gun soldiers were the backbone to fight against the Qing army. With the cooperation of the other brigades and artillery battalions, Zhou Shixiang had a 70% or 80% chance of winning.

Time is not waiting for me, and the opportunity will no longer come, and he will die while he is sick. Since the Qing army in Guangzhou cannot pose a major threat to the Taiping army, Zhou Shixiang naturally has to go to the other party's hinterland. This will not only establish the name of the Taiping army, but also raise food and grass in the Qing occupied areas, destroying the Qing Dynasty's rule in these areas to the greatest extent, so that the Qing army in Guangzhou can no longer obtain food and salary in these places, and the Taiping army can train the army and obtain supplies through this way of fighting and raising war. Why not do it?

As for the consequences of the people in the areas where the Taiping Army passed through after the Taiping Army's "plundering" will happen, Zhou Shixiang tried not to think about it. He would only use his orders that he would not kill people indiscriminately or rape them, and take away those willing to leave to comfort him. It seems that as long as he does this, his conscience will be very good.

.........

In the Battle of Lutou River, the Taiping Army annihilated 2,600 people below the Guangzhou Green Camp General Lin Jinzhong, captured more than 1,800 people, and annihilated more than 400 people in the Inlaid Han Army Banner. Guangdong Governor Li Rutai's commander commander Li Rutai was more than 300 commanders, more than 120 cavalry teams, seized 37 artillery pieces, and countless other weapons and weapons.

The Lutouhe victory was another great victory for the Taiping Army since the Battle of Xinhui. The news spread to Xiangshan. The magistrate Liao Ruixiang organized the people of the whole city to celebrate. Duke Xiang of Song also issued a one-day ban on drinking, allowing the left-behind Taiping Army and the people to celebrate.

After hearing the news of the victory, Guo Shao, ambassador of the Liangzi Township Salt Inspection Institute, quietly asked his family to move out dozens of packages placed on the carriage and put them back in their original place.

There are many people who have the same behavior as Guo Shao, especially those scholars who work for the Taiping Army in the county government offices. How do some landlords and gentry in various townships who were "persuaded to have grain" by the Taiping Army behave in unknown ways.

It can be seen that the people in each township are really happy from the heart of the Taiping Army's victory, because only when the Taiping Army wins, they can continue to share the benefits brought to them by the Taiping Army, and there is no need to worry that the Qing army will be unlucky after they come here.

Many young and strong men who were still watching took the initiative to sign up for the army at the township office under the persuasion of their families, and asked the township office to take their homes into the treatment of Taiping Army's subordinates. In a few consecutive days, there were no less than two or three thousand young and strong men who signed up for the army at each township office, but except for a small number, the rest were persuaded to return. It was said that the spring farming was busy and there were no people in the field, and it was not too late to join the army after each family planted the land.

...........

Duke Xiang of Song could not stop Zhou Shixiang's move to advance north, so he could only fully support and cooperate.

Under the order of the Army Commander's Mansion, the troops of the 2nd Brigade, left by the Right Battalion of the Infantry Army, immediately headed north, and the Shanzhai Preparatory Barracks dispatched 1,000 troops to urgently replenish the front line. The security teams of each township also stepped up their training and were ready to replenish the reserve barracks at any time. Foreign propaganda was to prevent the Qing army from coming to harm the people.

On the 19th, Zhou Shixiang led all the personal camps, two brigades of the left camp of the infantry, three brigades of the right camp of the infantry, two guards of the artillery team and the remnants of the cavalry camp, a total of 5,600 people arrived at Lingshan Town, less than twenty miles from Zini Town, Panyu County, which was only more than thirty miles away from Guangzhou City. The guards of Lingshan Town fled without fighting. Before leaving, the soldiers of the Green Camp wanted to set fire to the town, but as soon as the fire broke out, the Taiping Army's cavalry came over. The soldiers were so scared that they threw down the torches and ran north.

The cavalry officer Shao Chengguo was afraid that the fire would burn the entire town, so he gave up chasing the soldiers and organized the people in the town to fight the fire.

After occupying Lingshan Town, Zhou Shixiang ordered the entire army to suspend its advance and set up a defense line in Lingshan Town on the spot.

The Taiping Army sent to various places came one after another. The four troops of the right camp of the infantry army captured Daliang Town. The green camp in the town abandoned its weapons and surrendered to the Taiping Army under the leadership of the guard Hu Mingyi. After the Taiping Army entered Daliang Town, it immediately went to "support the funds and grains" to the large households in the town. During this process, the wealthy families in the family organized their servants to resist the Taiping Army and were suppressed. The head was hung in the fortress of Daliang Town to show shock.

Jiang Fan, deputy battalion officer of the left camp of the infantry, led a brigade to occupy Dagang, Nangang, Huangni and other places, annihilated more than 200 Qing troops, and captured more than 800 local militias. More than 300 local anti-Qing heroes came to join in.

On the 21st, Huang Sibu, Daliang Town, reported that there was a green camp guerrilla Yu Tianen, who not only brought thousands of green camp soldiers, but also captured Zengcheng and presented it to the Taiping Army.

After receiving the report, Zhou Shixiang immediately ordered Shao Jiugong to go to Daliang Town to deal with Yu Tianen's affairs. Zhou Shixiang promised to use Yu Tianen's troops as a single Taiping Army battalion, called it "Yi Yong Camp", and was awarded the title of brigade commander and general. After returning to the army, he officially requested an official position from the Yongli court.

As for Zengcheng, he would give up his life. If Yu Tianen was willing to garrison Zengcheng, he would garrison him. The Taiping Army could provide him with some money and food. If Zengcheng was attacked by the Qing army, the Taiping Army would also provide some support. Of course, when Shao Jiugong saw Yu Tianen, he didn't say that. He almost patted his chest and said that the Taiping Army would definitely strive to ensure that Zengcheng was not lost.

Zhou Shixiang also issued a document to various departments, and all bandits took the initiative to join the Qing army and the bandits were accepted. Those who had less than 1,000 soldiers were given the original officials, and those with a sufficient 1,000 were given the first level, and those with a deputy general were given the promise. Those who brought the city to offer sacrifices were also the same as Yu Tianen's tribe. The brave and powerful people were strong, and the young and strong trained by the local regiments were identified and added to each department, and the leaders were given the title of Taiping Military.

The good news from all over the country and the Qing army that kept coming to vote made the Taiping Army feel that the situation was very good. It seemed that as long as we work harder, we could really win Guangzhou City in one go. The optimism of the officers also infected the soldiers. For a moment, the Taiping Army in Lingshan Town asked the military commander to fight to attack Guangzhou. Fortunately, the "Hundred Boats Competition" competition was held as the military commander called.

In view of this, Zhou Shixiang had to convene an army discussion for officers above the General Banner to explain his intention to advance north and the future combat direction of the Taiping Army to the generals. He described the battle by cutting down trees.

"Cutting down the Qing Dynasty is like cutting down a tree. The Qing Dynasty court is like a big tree with deep roots and thick roots! The people of Manzhou are the roots of this big tree, the Eight Banners of the Mongolian and Eight Banners of the Han Dynasty are the main trunks of this big tree, and the green camps in various places are the branches of this tree, and the Han gentry and landlords who supported the Qing Dynasty are the leaves of this tree. How to cut such a big tree?"

"The answer is to cut it with axe, otherwise it will not be cut down at once! What we are doing now is to cut off the branches of this tree first and pull off all the leaves on the branches. This way, the tree looks bare and not that heavy. In Guangdong, Shang Kexi and Geng Jimao are the main trunks of the Qing Dynasty, or the root of the tree. The green camp soldiers are the branches. Everyone has cut down trees and knows how to cut trees. This axe will definitely not be able to cut the roots directly, because they cannot reach them and cannot be cut. Why? Because there are too many branches and leaves, we cannot cut them!"

"What should I do if I can't cut down the trunks directly? Could it be that I won't cut them down like this? That's definitely not. So we entered Panyu this time to cut down the trunks of Shang Kexi and Geng Jimao directly. We came just to saw off the branches and leaves!"

"Think about it, why can Shang Kexi and Geng Jimao take over Guangzhou with thousands of Han flag soldiers? Isn't it because they have too many green camp soldiers under their command to help them fight? These green camp soldiers stationed all over the place for them, fought with our Ming army, and suppressed the resistance of our Han people. In this way, Shang Kexi's Han flag soldiers have few Han flag soldiers, but they can still live their stable life in Guangzhou."

"How to saw the branches and leaves of the Qing army in Guangdong? First, we should fight the Green Camp soldiers first, and pick up the persimmons and pinch them with softness! ... Monk Kexi, compared with the Han army flag soldiers under Geng Jimao and the Manzhou soldiers, we are still very weak. They really want to fight with us and transfer all the Eight Banners soldiers to us. Don't be dissatisfied, we really can't beat them! Even in terms of people, there are more people than us!"

"I brought everyone to this place this time not to really fight Guangzhou. I just came to pretend to be a hero. The purpose of pretending to be a hero is to scare Guangzhou and to grab all the strategic materials in these places."

"What are strategic materials? Strategic materials are food, population, salt and iron! Our Taiping Army has no iron tools, no salt, no food, and no cloth. In short, our territory is very small, we have very few things, and our people are very few. Once our things cannot support our development, we will starve and be beaten!

We are not able to seize a larger territory at the moment, but we need these things, what should we do? One word, grab! Grab the Qing army! Otherwise, we are always worried that there will be insufficient military rations, no supplements for weapons, no clothes to be made new, how can this be done? So I brought everyone here to the Qing army's territory. I am not asking you to go to the city of Guangzhou and get bleeding, but asking you to grab things!"

"You think, if we grab these things, will the Qing army be gone? When we become strong, the Qing army will become weak. Even if they still look like giants, as long as we continue to steal things from them, one day, we will become stronger than them and richer than them. This is like our neighbor is a rich rich man, but we are so poor that we can't afford to wear pants. One day, our beggar grows up and beat the rich man up, snatch his clothes to wear, snatch his meat to eat, and snatch his silver to spend. We beat him so hard that he dares to look for us. Wouldn't we become rich rich man?"

"To attack the Qing Dynasty, we must constantly weaken it, so that the wealth of the Qing Dynasty can be used by our Taiping Army, so that the people under the Qing Dynasty will no longer be a cattle and horse for them. National strength is manpower, and manpower is vital energy. If one person is less for the Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty will be less vital energy, and one less vital energy will be naturally less. This Qing Dynasty will naturally be less powerful. One person will be reduced and the other will be increased. My Ming Dynasty will eventually be able to revive and completely destroy the Qing demons!"

After talking so much in one go, Zhou Shixiang was so tired that he swept away the generals and asked them loudly: "I've said so much, do you guys understand all the damn?"
Chapter completed!