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Volume 1: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 119: Internal Struggle

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    Zhang Guoliang and more than a hundred of his men were waiting at the Liling official road. When they saw Chu Yongxing coming, his clothes were ragged and looked like an army of beggars, and several of his men couldn't help but chuckle.

    Most of Zhang Guoliang's subordinates had the same background as Zhang Guoliang himself. They were all bandits in the Guangdong Tiandihui in the past. Now they have become officers and soldiers. They have always been despised by other officers and soldiers. Zeng Jin ridiculed them that they don't look like officers and soldiers even when they wear official uniforms.  Therefore, all the generals were holding back their anger. Now that they saw Chu Yong, who was even more unlike an officer than themselves, they naturally chuckled.

    Hearing the chuckle, Zhang Guoliang's beard twitched. With a tigerish face, he wanted to scold a few words, but unexpectedly, Mr. Qian behind him said: "Brothers, don't underestimate these Hunan people. Watching them march, we know  They are a strong army, not to mention Lord Jiang and others who have come all the way to come for reinforcements. How can we treat them lightly? They will look bad later."

    Zhang Guoliang looked sideways and saw that the person speaking was his subordinate Qianzong Feng Zicai. This Feng Zicai was from Qinzhou, Guangdong. His courtesy name was Nangan, his name was Cuiting, and his ancestral home was Bobai. His father Feng Wengui and mother Huang died early, so the young Feng Zicai had to live alone.  Entering into difficult times, he worked as a carpenter, escorted the cattle gang in Qinlian, and even lived on the streets, where he was bullied.  It was precisely because of this experience that he developed good martial arts skills.  Later, Feng Zicai followed the Tiandi Hui crowd in Guangxi to revolt, but the rebel army was quickly wiped out. Feng Zicai defected to the official army and was recruited under Xiangrong's number one general Zhang Guoliang.

    Zhang Guoliang grinned, and then scolded with a straight face: "Nan Qian said you are too polite. It is not a hero to laugh at others behind their backs. If you have the guts, go and invite them to fight later. If you can do better than you, then  Smile, if you can't do it, just obey me and don't act like a fucking bitch all day long, bitching behind your back!" Although Zhang Guoliang was now a guerrilla official, he still couldn't get rid of the gangster habit. After scolding him, his subordinates again  Don't dare to laugh either.

    Seeing Jiang Zhongyuan and others approaching, Zhang Guoliang led his subordinates to greet them. After the generals on both sides greeted each other, Zhang Guoliang laughed and said: "Ming Qiaogong has worked hard for coming all the way. Brothers are finally expecting reinforcements. To tell the truth,  If someone else is sent here, I, Lao Zhang, won¡¯t be too worried. Now that Duke Minqiao is leading the troops, I, Lao Zhang, can¡¯t be more at ease.¡±

    Jiang Zhongyuan knew that he was from a rough background and liked to go straight, but he also liked Zhang Guoliang's Jianghu loyalty. Jiang Zhongyuan himself often had chivalrous loyalty, so he was able to practice regimental bravery as a Confucian general. He clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty, you are polite, although we have been fighting side by side before.  , but due to the chaos of the war, I didn¡¯t have the chance to have a drink with the palace officials, which is a pity. Now it¡¯s better, we can not only drink together, but also kill thieves together!¡±

    Zhang Guoliang was overjoyed that Jiang Zhongyuan did not seem to have the sourness of ordinary civil servants and generals, and it suited him very well. He immediately laughed and led Chu Yong into the city.

    After arriving at the settlement in the city, Zhang Guoliang ordered his subordinates to bring out pigs and cattle and slaughter them to reward Chu Yong. He personally held a banquet in the county government office in honor of Jiang Zhongyuan, Jiang Zhongji, Liu Changyou and other Chu Yong generals.

    After three rounds of drinking, the generals were chatting happily. When they talked about the current war, Zhang Guoliang was drunk and burping from the wine and said: "Master Jiang, how are you going to suppress the Taitai Master (referring to Xu Guangjin)? The long-haired bandits are stationed in Changsha.  Now that I have left the team and gone south, I, Lao Zhang, seem to be doing something fishy."

    Jiang Zhongyuan nodded and said: "Yes, it is puzzling that the long-haired thieves suddenly went south in large numbers. The cities on the south road were deeply ravaged by them. They had no food and money for them to plunder. The population loss was also quite heavy. What is the benefit of them going south? Lin  When I came here, Master Taipei had many military discussions, and he always felt that the long-haired bandit's move south was just a false shot, and his real intention was to march eastward to Gan Province."

    Liu Changyou echoed: "Yes, there is a big river blocking it in the north, and Zhang Liangji's soldiers and horses blocking Taiwan, Qian Province in the west is barren, and Guangdong and Guangxi are stationed in the south with large armies. The most likely thing is to march eastward into Gan Province. Gan Province is rich and prosperous.  , the long-haired thieves will definitely move eastward."

    Zhang Guoliang frowned and said: "It's a pity that the Taiwan Controller is still standing still in You County. We should march to Liling and Liuyang this morning to block the defense."

    Jiang Zhongyuan nodded slightly and said: "Master Tai Tai is also worried. Most of our army on the southern route abandoned weapons, food, and supplies in Hengzhou. Xiangjunmen's brigade has only recovered Chenzhou and entered Leiyang. At this time, if the soldiers and horses from You County go north, only  I'm afraid that the long-haired thieves will take advantage of the opportunity to attack Hengzhou, so we are holding our troops back for the time being."

    Zhang Guoliang laughed loudly and said: "It's not like the Changmao thieves have eaten the courage of a bear's heart and a leopard's courage. The army and the army are all on the south road. Do they dare to go south? I, Lao Zhang, thought that the Changmao would definitely move eastward, maybe in a few days."  Raise troops to invade!"

    Jiang Zhongyuan said solemnly: "Master Zitai means that if Changmao really dares to invade, I and Master Zhang will guard Liling together. As long as we guard for a few days, reinforcements from the You County Brigade will arrive and we will be able to suppress the thieves below the city."  "

    While he was talking, Zhang Guoliang's subordinates came back with an urgent report, saying that there were more than ten thousand soldiers and horses of Xiangtan Longhair Bandits crossing the Xiang River eastward to Liling.

    Zhang Guoliang stood up after snapping the case, laughing loudly and saying: "What a thief,Come on, Mr. Jiang, let's prepare to meet the enemy!  "

    Jiang Zhongyuan was much more careful and stood up and said: "Send someone quickly to inquire about the news in Liuyang. If the long-haired bandits really want to march eastward to Gan Province, they will definitely attack in two directions. If there is also an army of long-haired bandits attacking Liuyang, then we can inform them  Master Tai Tai, the long-haired bandit is really going eastward!"

    Zhang Guoliang knew Jiang Zhongyuan's talents and that his official position was higher than his own. He agreed without any hesitation and immediately sent people to Liuyang to inquire about the news.  The two also agreed that Jiang Zhongyuan would lead the troops to garrison important areas outside the city, and burn all the houses and cottages outside the city to prevent them from being occupied by long-haired thieves. Zhang Guoliang would lead his own troops to defend the city, echoing Jiang Zhongyuan outside the city.

    The Taiping Army, with more than 10,000 soldiers and horses from Lai Hanying's unit, came eastward very quickly and was divided into two routes: north and south. Zeng Lichang, Chen Renbao, and Xu Zongyang led 5,000 soldiers to the south route and advanced along the south bank of the Lujiang River. The north route was led by Lai Hanying, who led Yang Fuqing and Lin Shaozhang.  and five thousand soldiers on the north bank of the Green River.

    Liling City is not big, but its geographical location is very important. In ancient times, it was the throat of Wu and Chu. Now it is the gateway to eastern Hunan. Going east is Jiangxi.  Like Changsha City, Liling is also a city of mountains, water, islands and cities.  Xishan, Lujiang River, and Zhuangyuanzhou in the river surround Liling City in a semicircle.

    Hearing that the Changmao soldiers were divided into two groups to attack Liling, Jiang Zhongyuan and Liu Changyou also divided their troops into two groups, each commanding more than 700 men to garrison key areas outside the city.  Liu Changyou's troops were stationed at Zhaizi Ridge in the east of the city, Jiang Zhongyuan guarded Xishan in the southwest, and Jiajiang controlled the water and land pontoon bridge.

    Zeng Lichang, Chen Renbao, and Xu Zongyang led their troops to the south of Liling City first. Seeing that the Qing army was still rushing to build the Xishan fortress, they sent out troops to attack the Qing army, intending to seize key areas.

    Jiang Zhongyuan did not expect the Taiping Army to arrive so quickly. Chu Yong was still rushing to build a fortification. He immediately ordered the front team to resist and the rear team to build a fortification to meet the challenge.

    Zeng Lichang knew that Chu Yong was strong, but he bullied Jiang Zhongyuan because he had few soldiers, and wanted to defeat Jiang Zhongyuan with overwhelming force.  The Taiping Army pressed forward across the board. Jiang Zhongyuan could not resist and was about to retreat. Zhang Guoliang led the troops in the city to bravely cross Shuiluzhou and fight to the Taiping Army's side. He sprayed cannons and cuppings and violently attacked the Taiping Army's side. Zeng Lichang and others could not resist and retreated.  Only when they reached Leigong Ridge did they gain a firm foothold.

    The situation on the North Road was similar. Lai Hanying sent out his troops to attack the Qing army camp at Zhaizi Ridge, but was beaten back by artillery fire from the ridge and the city, so he had to stick to the front line of Gaoling and Shiziling.  The Qing army controlled the water, land and rivers, and blocked the green rivers. The Taiping army was never able to completely surround Liling City.

    That night, news came back from Liuyang that a large group of long-haired thieves had also sent out to attack Liuyang. Liuyang Tiandihui bandit Zhou Guoyu led his troops to attack in a pinch, and the situation was critical.  After Zhang Guoliang and Jiang Zhongyuan discussed it, they immediately sent people to You County to ask for help. Once Liuyang fell, the Changmao bandits might go south to Liling. If Liling fell, the passage eastward to Gan Province would be completely opened. Judging from Changmao's troop strength, this time  We are really going eastward.

    When the news reached You County, Xu Guangjin was shocked and immediately summoned the generals for discussion.  Today, the Qing army in You County has Chang Lu, Deliang, Qin Dingsan, Li Mengqun, Dutong Kailong'a, Guangxi Admiral Fuxing and other troops, totaling more than 26,000 people, and more than 5,000 Chunbu troops guarding Hengzhou. Old Fox  More than 8,000 Xiangrong people are still in Leiyang.  Facing the Taiping Army's offensive, Xu Guangjin had no choice but to order the troops in You County to quickly go north to reinforce Liuyang and Liling, leaving Xiangrong and Hechun to guard Hengzhou.  It's not that he doesn't want to mobilize Xiang Rong's troops to go north to support him, but Xiang Rong, an old fox, has always been at odds with the imperial ministers. When Sai Shang'a led the army before, he had refused to send troops claiming to be ill, so Sai Shang'a had to coax and scare him.  In order for him to send troops, the court would only give strict orders or the threat of being demoted and staying in office to make him obey orders.  There was nothing the Qing court could do to tolerate this. There were only a limited number of generals who could fight, so they had to rely on arrogant generals like Xiang Rong.

    Just one day after Xu Guangjin led his troops northward, Xiang Rong also got the news and summoned the generals to discuss the matter.

    After explaining the current military situation, Xiao Fengchun, a capable guerrilla general of the Qing army, said: "Master Tai Tai ordered us to work together to guard Hengzhou, but Hechun is guarding Hechun, and Changmao intends to advance eastward. Changsha will be empty. If we wait  Go north along Hengzhou Avenue and attack Changsha directly. If we can recapture Changsha, it will be a miracle."

    Du Siji Shengmai also said: "Yes, the military gate, now the generals are fleeing, and they are just following the old road to regain Changsha, and they will not be able to escape the reward from the court." For a while, the generals were clamoring to go north to regain Changsha.

    Xiang Rong raised his hand to stop the restlessness of the generals, and said slowly with a gloomy Chinese character face: "Xu controls Taipei, and He Chun guards Hengzhou. We are at the end, and now we are a strange force that can influence the situation of the battle. Let's not talk about long term.  I don¡¯t think the Mao bandits are going to march eastward! Although there are more than 5,000 Hechun people guarding Hechun in Hechun, Hechun has never been good at fighting. If the Mao bandits marching eastward are false, but attacking Hechun is true, then  So what should we do? It should be noted that Hengzhou has a large amount of grain, money, wages and supplies, and it is also an important place to go. Although Hechun is at odds with us, Hengzhou cannot be lost. We will stay put and continue to wait for news in Leiyang. If  If the Changmao thieves really want to advance eastward, Xu Zhitai will definitely feel that their troops are insufficient. At that time, both Changmao and Xu Zhitai will be exhausted.??We just went north to clean up the mess.  If the long-haired bandits come to invade Hengzhou, we will wait for this boy He Chun to ask for help, and then go north to support us, and let this boy know how powerful we are!  "Xiang Rong is from Daning, Sichuan, and most of his subordinates are from the same country. After hearing this, all the generals laughed together.

    Xiao Yungui, who was far away on Hengzhou Avenue and sent his troops southward, didn't know that because of the internal fighting in the Qing army, Xiangrong's troops did not go northward. He, Hengzhou and Chunbu's troops reached more than 13,000 people, and Xiao Yungui  There are only more than 10,000 men at hand, so the military strength is not superior.
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