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Volume 1: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 120: Wonderful Scenery in Hengzhou

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    The town mountain of Hengzhou City is Nanyue, which winds its way to the south, forming a peak, reaching Huayao Mountain and back to Yanfeng, forming the county seat.  On the side is Huiyan Peak, with the Xiangjiang River ring in front. Dongzhou Island emerges on the river in front. The Caohe River merges into the Xiangjiang River from west to east in the north, and further north is the Leishui River that merges into the Xiangjiang River from east to west.  Shigu Mountain is located on the left side of Fuzhi. Looking from across the bank, it looks like a crescent moon.  The scenery is so beautiful that it is indeed an excellent scenic spot.

    In the early Qing Dynasty, Hengzhou was ravaged by war. Li Dingguo resisted the Qing army here, and Wu Sangui proclaimed himself emperor here at the last moment. Several wars caused the once great city of Xianghu to lose its former glory, and Changsha replaced it as Xianghu.  Zhong Provincial City.  Now she was once again facing the baptism of war, because news of the fall of Hengshan County had just reached Hengzhou.

    ??Above the Zhanyue Gate Tower at the north gate of Hengzhou City, Tao Enpei, the prefect of Hengzhou City, stood on the city wall, looking at the people and soldiers swarming into the city below, feeling extremely worried.  Tao Enpei was a native of Shanyin, Zhejiang, with the courtesy name Yizhi and the nickname Wenyun. He was a Jinshi scholar in the 15th year of Daoguang's reign and first became the prefect of Hengzhou, Hunan.  In the first year of Xianfeng, bandits broke out in Guangxi, and the Zuo family, a traitor in Hengzhou, plotted to respond. Tao Enpei used thunderous means to arrest and punish him, and was awarded the Qing court award and promoted to Taoist priest.

    In the spring of the second year of Xianfeng, the Guangdong bandits Chang Mao invaded Xianghu. Governor Cheng Zicai, who was the imperial envoy to suppress the bandits at that time, was in the city. Hearing the alarm, Cheng Zacai was worried that the small town of Hengzhou could not be defended, so he suddenly wanted to withdraw from the provincial capital.  Tao Enpei tried to persuade him that Hengzhou was the gateway of Chu, and if it were abandoned, the whole of Chu would be shaken!  But Cheng Zicai refused to listen and returned to Changsha City.  When the long-haired thieves arrived, they knew that Hengzhou was ready, so they attacked Daozhou, Chenzhou and other places from other roads. They destroyed everything they reached, but Hengzhou was the only one to finish.  The Qing court was furious and dismissed Cheng Jicai from his post for investigation, and was eventually transferred to Hubei. However, Tao Enpei received a commendation from the Qing court and has been staying in Hengzhou ever since.

    Although there were more than 5,000 troops stationed in the city by Suining Town General He Chun, these Green Camp Qiuba men were misbehaving in the city, making Tao Enpei miserable.  He complained to He Chun several times, but He Chun protected his subordinates and dealt with them with a few official documents each time. He only fined and reprimanded the generals who were not strict with their subordinates.  With Shangguan's connivance, He Chunbu's Bingyong still spent his days eating, drinking, gambling, and bullying men and women. Tao Enpei was furious and reported to the court to participate in the impeachment, but his participation was like a stone, and there was no news.

    He Chun is a member of the Zhenghuang Banner of the Three Banners of Manchuria. He is also a member of the Hesheli clan of Manchuria. His courtesy name is Yuting. He has served successively as a forward, an officer in uniform, a staff general, and a deputy general. He can be said to be a good man.  At the beginning of the year, Jiang Zhongyuan defeated the Taiping Army in the Battle of Feiyidu, and Chun Shouwan had a large army. However, he was close at hand but did not dare to send a single soldier to help, otherwise the Taiping Army might be in danger of being annihilated.  But it was He Chun who hesitated to move forward and wasted a good opportunity.  Afterwards, Sai Shang'a, the imperial envoy to suppress the bandits, gave He Chun's military exploits at Coin Yidu. He Chun was promoted to the rank of commander-in-chief of Suining Town after reporting it. Jiang Zhongyuan only added the title of Taoist priest, which shows He Chun's connections in the Qing court officialdom.  Quite wide.  The little one who was the prefect of Hengzhou was naturally harmed.

    Just as Tao Enpei kept ordering his subordinates to lead the people into the city, He Chun yawned and brought more than a dozen Goshiha to the city tower. Tao Enpei hurriedly stepped forward to salute, but before he could speak, He Chun sniffed the sheep.  The fat jade snuff bottle followed by a big sneeze, then he rubbed his nose, straightened his official uniform, and returned the salute slowly and slightly.

    Tao Enpei's face turned red. He had not been humiliated like this once or twice, but at the moment, thinking about the safety of the people in Hecheng, he had to endure it and said: "Hezong Town, the long-haired thieves have gone south, and Hengshan County has been lost."  , Changmao is only a hundred miles away from here. We should quickly strengthen the city defense, cut off the Qingcao Bridge, block the enemy on the north bank of Caohe River, and divide our troops to guard Dongzhou Island in the east of the city to prevent Changmao from crossing west. We can only defend the north and east.  , the city wall can be protected without any worries."

    He Chun waved his hands and smiled and said: "Master Tao is overly worried. Master Zhitai had previously sent a military order, saying that the long-haired bandits set out this time with the intention of advancing eastward and would not go south. This long-haired partial division captured Hengshan County.  It's just a trick of suspicious soldiers. Qingcao Bridge is one of the eight scenic spots in Hengzhou. Wouldn't it be a pity to destroy it hastily? Changmao comes from the north and is blocked by Xiang River and Lei River. All the boats along the coast are gathered by us. They  How to cross eastward? Besides, there are 5,000 soldiers and horses in the city, and Xiangjunmen has 8,000 soldiers in Leiyang. Only Changmao will dare to attack Hengzhou if he eats the courage of a bear and a leopard."

    The Qingcao Bridge He Chun mentioned is located at the confluence of Caohe River and Xiangshui River, on the left side of Shigu Mountain, which is 800 years away.  There used to be six post roads in ancient Hengzhou. In order to facilitate travel, during the Chunxi period of the Southern Song Dynasty, a wooden bridge was built at Qingcaodu. It was rebuilt several times and has always been an important link to the north bank of Hengzhou. There are many shops at both ends of the bridge, especially hotels.  Most of them are there, so it is said that there are "hundreds of wine shops at Qingcao Qiaotou". It is one of the eight scenic spots in Hengzhou.

    Hearing this, Tao Enpei said anxiously: "Master of the general town, you must not underestimate the enemy. Chang Mao dared to attack the provincial capital with only two thousand partial troops, and he still defeated them in a single battle, which shows his courage. There is a lot of money, food and supplies in Hengzhou City. If there are  I lost it, how do I explain it to the Taiwanese Master?"

    He Chun's face darkened and he snorted: "Master Tao, you are a civil servant. You can appease the people and prepare food and supplies."??, I have the final say on the rest of the military affairs. I have experienced more than a hundred battles, do I need you to teach me how to use troops?  After that, he took a few steps forward and whispered in Tao Enpei's ear: "Master Tao, do you think that if you go to court to impeach me, I will listen to you?"  You'd better take care of your own government affairs and don't go against this general, otherwise you'll be in trouble!  "After saying that, he turned around and left with a group of Goshiha in a show of force. Tao Enpei's hands and feet were cold and he was so angry that he couldn't speak, but there was nothing he could do against He Chun.

    But then things seemed to develop as He Chun said. The Taiping Army did not go south to Hengzhou one after another. In the evening, no long-haired bandits were seen on the north bank. The people outside the city and the stragglers who fled back from Hengshan County  But they have already entered the city.

    Starting from the east, the seven city gates of Hengzhou are the three gates on the east side. Yuejiang Gate is also called Tielu Gate, Binri Gate is also called Chaibu Gate, and Xiaoxiang Gate.  The north gate leads to Yuemen and Huiyanmen, also known as the south gate.  Wanghumen, also known as Xiaoximen, and Anximen, also known as Daximen.  At this time, the streets within the city gates were crowded with people coming from all directions to seek refuge, and Tao Enpei had to find people to shelter them.  They also asked the people who had fled from the north, but no one could tell how many people from Changmao had come and where they were now.  These people are so easy to follow the trend. They panic when they hear the news. When they see others fleeing, they follow them swarmly, and they can't get any news.

    I asked the stragglers who had escaped from Hengshan County. In order to evade responsibility, these big-headed soldiers exaggerated the power of their long hair. However, Tao Enpei had such a good vision. After several questionings, the lies of those soldiers became bigger and bigger. Finally, they could no longer keep it straight.  truth.

    It turns out that when the long-haired army arrived more than ten miles away from Hengshan County, after the news reached Hengshan County, the Hengshan County magistrate and generals smeared their feet with oil and fled. Their whereabouts are still unknown. The soldiers in the city all ran away when they saw the officers.  They dispersed in a hurry, and some of them ran to Hengzhou. In fact, no one could see how many people there were in Changmao, let alone find out Changmao's movements.

    Hearing this, Tao Enpei once had some doubts that Changmao was really just spreading suspicion and making a trick to attack the east by claiming to be south. In fact, the main purpose of the army was to advance east.  I stayed up late into the night with my doubts. From the north gate tower, it was still dark and quiet. The scouting horses sent out also reported that no trace of the enemy had been found.  The waterway from Hengzhou Prefecture to Hengshan County is more than 160 miles and the land route is more than 100 miles. It stands to reason that if Changmao really wants to move south, there should be some movement. Could it be that Changmao feinted and retracted?

    It was such a cold night that Tao Enpei stayed in the north of the city all night. If there was the slightest sign of trouble, he would immediately go to the city to check.  Fortunately, He Chun did not dare to be careless. He sent 300 people to garrison at the Qingcao Bridge. Every time he went to the city, he saw the three-point bonfire lit at the Qingcao Bridge, which meant that everything outside the city was as usual, and Tao Enpei felt relieved.

    In addition to worrying about the city's defense, Tao Enpei has been working hard to improve the resettlement of the fleeing people. He called on the big families in the city to donate some coarse cloth, straw mats and bamboo poles, and built some shacks for the people to shelter from the wind and rain. Fortunately, there was enough money and food in the city.  Tao Enpei hid some rice from the official warehouse and used it to feed the people without telling Chunyun. Together with some rice donated by big households, it was enough for the needs of the people.

    Originally, it was a serious crime for Tao Enpei to use the rice grain from the official warehouse, but he didn't care. He knew that the officialdom was dark. When the military grain was transported like this, officials from various places often intercepted it. It was not a strange thing. As long as the military grain was transported  After that, reporting more losses can cover up the past. Who will care about this when the war is in chaos?  But it happened that He Chun found out about this. This guy was pretending to be a public servant for his own benefit, so he sent someone to question Tao Enpei at dawn.

    When they arrived at the Hechun tent, Tao Enpei was upright and admitted that he had mixed some of the rice grains and made them into porridge for the people.

    But He Chun said with a sinister smile: "Master Tao, this military ration is an important item in the army, how can we take it privately and give it to the people? Now that the war is coming, how can we train soldiers to fight without rice ration?"

    Tao Enpei was furious: "I just took some of it to give to the people. If these people don't have anything to eat, they will become bandits sooner or later! Besides, who in the north and south of the Yangtze River doesn't know the secrets of transporting food? I'm not taking it."  It¡¯s for my own personal use, but it¡¯s for the common people!¡±

    He Chun secretly laughed at Tao Enpei, who was upright and did not understand the shady side of officialdom. How could he tell such a thing?  Then he lowered his face and said: "Master Tao, your words have trapped all the officials of the Qing Dynasty. What real evidence do you have for saying this? I will report the matter to the imperial court and report it to the master of Taiwan based on the facts!  "

    He Chundao had no power to deal with Tao Enpei, so he just ordered people to imprison him in the county government office. He then ordered people to write memorials and official letters and send them to the Qing court and Xu Guangjin. He laughed secretly in his heart. This old man Tao was in the way.  Wouldn't he be in danger this time?

    There was no movement of Changmao on this day. He Chun sent detective horses to explore all the way to Hengshan County. However, they saw that there was still a Changmao flag on the city. Apparently, the Changmao bandit was only stationed in Hengshan County and would not be here for a while.  Will go south.

    Hechun became more determined in his thoughts, and ChangmaoThis partial force of thieves is just a false force, just a trick to make Xu Guangjin return to the main force.

    Early in the morning on the third day, He Chun was awakened by his subordinates, "Lord of the town, something bad is going on. Dongzhou Island in the southeast is occupied by long-haired thieves. They are crossing due east. The vanguard has captured Huayao Mountain in the south of the city!"

    He Chun was so frightened that he woke up for most of the time, and asked sternly: "What?! Isn't the long hair still in Hengshan County? Where did these long hair come from?!" No one answered his question, and there was a rumble coming from the south of the city.  The sound of artillery made Hechun unable to continue questioning, so he had to take Goshiha and hurried to the south of the city.
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