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Volume 1: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 214: Continuous Fierce Battles

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    After Hechun gathered the defeated soldiers, he asked the guide again and learned that the only way to Shanghai County was through Yunzaobang, but there were already Changmao guarding the other side of Yunzaobang, and there were many firearms, and there were many branches and harbors in the Yunzaobang River.  Not easy to break through.  After pondering for a moment, Hechun gritted his teeth and ordered someone to fly to Guangdong Navy Chen Guotai, ordering him to lead the naval warship upstream into the inland river of Yunzaobang to provide assistance. Hechun believed that as long as the navy assisted in the battle, the people on the south bank of Yunzaobang would be safe.  Changmao cannot be lowered, and the Yunzaobang Inland River is one of the few rivers in the suburbs of Shanghai other than the Yangtze River and Huangpu River that can be navigated by large cargo ships. Even medium-sized red single boats can definitely pass on it.

    After receiving He Chun¡¯s general order, Chen Guotai and other Guangdong navy generals divided into two groups and argued.  One group is led by Lai Zhenhai and Li Xinming. They believe that it is best for red single ships not to enter Yunzaobang. Although large cargo ships can be navigated there, it is not as wide as the Huangpu River, so the fleet cannot be protected if it is attacked.  Chen Delin and Ye Changchun of the other faction believe that now we should fully cooperate with the land division to attack Shanghai. As long as Shanghai's water and land channels are opened and reinforcements can enter Shanghai, the imperial court's purpose can be fulfilled. If it takes a long time, there is no guarantee that Suzhou will not attack.  If something unexpected happens, if Suzhou falls and Changmao dispatches more troops to rescue Shanghai, then the rescue of Shanghai will be even more elusive, and I am afraid that the court will blame him.  

    Chen Guotai finally decided to send Ye Changchun to lead ten red single boats and twenty fast crab boats, supplemented by a number of sand boats and sampans, into the waters of Yunzaobang to support the land division.

    On the other hand, more than 2,000 Qing troops landed at the East Fort and then marched directly towards the Gaoqiao. Chen Zhiming of the Taiping Army personally directed the troops around the Gaoqiao, using planks, rafters, millstones, wine jars, and cabinets.  They built forts with trees, wine jars, earthen jars, etc., and disguised them as large and small artillery emplacements to confuse the enemy.  There are piles of earth inside the camp and dirt outside.  It is seven feet thick and has three floors. Guns and cannons were used on the third floor. It is so strong that it cannot be knocked down by cannons.  There are six gates surrounding the camp, and a river protecting the camp with a depth and width of seven feet each was dug around it to divert the river water into it.  Bamboo sticks were planted along the river and landmines were laid.

    Chen Zhiming stationed the main force of more than 800 people in the fortress outside Gaoqiao, and established liaisons with Fanjiazhai, Nancun, Beicun, Lingqiao Village, Gujiazhai, Beiyangjiazhai and other villages and houses along the Huangpu River.  There are eight small camps, each with more than a hundred people guarding each other.  The Qing army relied on the power of the red single-ship artillery in the river to storm several small camps along the river.  Chen Zhiming left more than a hundred people in the small camp. There were only a few people, so it was easy to escape and the losses were not big.  After the artillery fire, more than 2,000 Qing troops attacked Nancun, Beicun and other places.  The Qing army took turns to go into battle, but the Taiping army defended fiercely.  As soon as the red ship's artillery fire passed, Chen Zhiming led people from the camp to rush to the rescue.  The artillery in the camp only bombarded the Qing troops on the shore.  The Qing army suffered heavy casualties.

    The stalemate lasted for two days. On this day, the Qing army general Helongba commanded the Qing army on the east bank to attack Gaoqiao from the northwest and southeast. The Guangdong Navy obtained another batch of cannons. They placed 8,000 cannons on the largest red single ship.  After arriving at the shore, they continuously bombarded the Taiping Army barracks.  Many houses, watchtowers, tents, etc. in the camp were destroyed.  The Qing army also carried tables, chairs and wooden boards.  Under the cover of artillery fire, they stormed the outer camp.  The Taiping Army fought back fiercely. Chen Zhiming saw that the two small camps in Nancun and Beicun could not be saved, so he had to order everyone to take the initiative to shrink their fronts and fully defend the large camp outside Gaoqiao.

    That day.  The Qing army broke through six Taiping Army fortresses, but gained very little. Even the local people did not see a single person.  One day later, 2,000 reinforcements from two Qing army local regiments in Jinshan County and Jiashan County arrived to serve at Helongba Camp.  Helongba transferred a total of twenty 5,000-jin, 8,000-jin and 5-600-jin cannons from the Guangdong Navy and Chongming, and continuously bombarded the Taiping Army barracks outside Gaoqiao.  The Taiping Army occupied Gaoqiao embankment and barracks to resist desperately.

    The next day, Helongba attacked again. Chen Zhiming divided his troops into four groups to meet the enemy. During the fierce battle, Chen Zhiming was shot in the face and injured.  For two consecutive days, the Qing army launched another fierce attack, and the fighting became more intense.

    During the breaks between battles, the Taiping Army continued to promote slogans to the local people such as "Kill officials without harming the people" and "Only kill corrupt officials and evil soldiers without harming the people. It is the same as usual, buy and sell equally."  Coupled with the lax military discipline of the Qing army, the nearby people suffered terribly, and many people secretly joined the Taiping Army.

    On this day, Helongba took more than a hundred Qing troops and took a sand boat to the small river northwest of Gaoqiao to check the terrain.  The Taiping Army conducted reconnaissance and attacked in three directions.  The Qing army in Jinshan County and Jiashan County trained a total of about 2,000 people and hurriedly faced the battle.  The two sides fought in a melee until dusk, and the Taiping Army pretended to be defeated and retreated.  Qing Army deputy general Tong Jian pursued him. In order to prevent the Taiping Army from retreating into the camp, Pegasus grabbed the hanging board outside the camp. He did not want to slip on the hanging board and be surrounded by Taiping swordsmen.  During the melee, Tong Jian was hacked to death by Taiping Army swordsmen.  The leader of the Jinshan County regiment of the Qing army came to rescue him with his troops and horses. The horse got stuck in the mud and was stabbed with spears by Taiping soldiers Wang Xiaosi, Zhao Duyan and others. The leader was shot seven times and died. The Qing army was defeated and retreated.  This battle was the Taiping Army's greatest victory since they defended Gaoqiao. A total of more than 1,000 Qing soldiers were killed or injured, and three 3,000-jin cannons, five 500-jin cannons, and more than 20 rifles were seized.  , more than seventy short guns.

      Under the afterglow of the setting sun, gunpowder smoke was still filling the air. The Taiping Army swept away the haze of being surrounded and beaten all day long, and returned to the camp singing songs.  When they arrived at the camp, Chen Zhiming, whose face was still wrapped in gauze, had witnessed the entire battle. He personally called Wang Xiaosi, Zhao Duyan and other Taiping soldiers in front of him, and praised them greatly, which made Wang Xiaosi, Zhao Duyan and others angry.  One Eye was very embarrassed.  Finally, Chen Zhiming encouraged the soldiers again, and everyone's fighting spirit was restored a lot.

    Helongba finally escaped with his life. In the past few days, the entire army has lost nearly 2,000 people, and more than half of them have been casualties. If it were not for the support of the navy, Helongba would not be able to survive long ago. The Taiping Army is also afraid of the red single ship in Jiangzhong.  , Dare not send troops to attack the Qing army camps in Nancun, Beicun and other places.  Under the stalemate, Helongba had no choice but to ask for help from Jiangnan Admiral and Chun in Yunzaobang.

    Helongba didn't know that Hechun was also in trouble. That day, Ye Changchun led ten red single boats and twenty fast crab boats, supplemented by several sand boats and sampans, and entered the Yunzaobang waters to support him. Hechun was overjoyed.  On the same day, they attacked the Taiping Army on the south bank by land and water.

    To Hechun's surprise, the south bank was empty again. After boarding the south bank, in the reed swamps on the bank, the Taiping Army laid many traps and mines, which caused some trouble to the Qing army. The south bank was empty.  A shaggy one.

    But after dark, the Taiping soldiers launched a night raid by land and water. Many rafts floated down from the upper reaches of Yunzao Bang, filled with fire starters. After approaching the red single fleet in Yunzao Bang, the Taiping soldiers  The men who dared to die set fire to the tinder on the ship and then jumped into the river.

    After the red single fleet of the Qing army discovered the fire ship in Yunzao Bang, they sent small boats to try their best to stop it. However, due to the narrow river surface in Yunzao Bang, small boats and large ships were mixed together, making it difficult to turn around. By the time the small boat sailed out of the side of the big ship, the fire ship had already  Close.

    Just when Ye Changchun ordered the ship to fire its artillery to sink these fireships, the artillery deployed by the Taiping Army in the reed swamp on the shore opened fire at some point. The fireships' fire reflected the entire river red, and the Taiping Army's gunners illuminated it.  The figure of the red single ship under the firelight was fiercely bombarded.

    As soon as the Taiping Army's artillery fired, the Taiping Army ambushing on the bank began to attack the Qing army that boarded the south bank. In the darkness, torch-lit Taiping soldiers clashed with each other everywhere. More than a thousand Qing soldiers on the south bank of the Qing army only resisted for half an hour.  They were defeated and fled. Many Qing troops jumped into the Yunzao Bang swimming pool in an attempt to escape to the north bank. Most of them were shot and killed in the water by the Taiping Army's bows, arrows and muskets.

    The red single fleet in the water was not much better. Under fire attacks and shore artillery attacks, many ships turned around and wanted to exit Yunzaobang. However, due to the narrow river surface, many ships were crowded together.  It became a living target for Taiping artillery.

    After fighting for an hour, Ye Changchun, with red eyes, led the remaining red single boats to break through the encirclement. After walking a few miles, he was stopped by the Hengjiang Iron Lock that had been planted in the river at an unknown time. The red single boats could not rush through.  , when Ye Changchun was about to send water ghosts into the water to cut through the iron chain, another Taiping Army cannon began to fire on the shore.

    Ye Changchun's face was ashen, and he realized that the Taiping Army had set up an ambush early in the morning to plot against the Guangdong Navy. Fortunately, Chen Guotai did not send more ships, otherwise the losses would be even greater.

    After a moment of fierce fighting, most of the red single boats were destroyed, and a few others ran wildly and ran aground on the shore. Ye Changchun finally got on a small boat and boarded the north shore to escape with his life.

    Hechun, who was attacked at night, was very anxious. As soon as the sky dawned, he wanted to rescue the four red single boats that were stranded on the shore. But before he could set out, news came from Baoshan County that a large wave of long hair was coming from the direction of Jiading.  He Chun was shocked and stunned. Baoshan was the rear barrier of Wusong Fort. There must be no loss, so he had to lead his troops back to Baoshan County to guard it.

    In the battle of Yunzaobang, Lin Qirong commanded decisively. After luring the enemy deep, he sent Li Tianxi and other generals to raid the Qing army at night. He also used the artillery battery ambushed on the shore to raid the Guangdong Navy fleet in the river. Finally, he ordered Zhou Dynasty to retreat to Jiading.  Li Chun's troops feigned a sneak attack on Baoshan City overnight, and the Qing army with Chun on the north bank of Yunzao Bang had to retreat in panic.

    After the Qing army retreated, Lin Qirong took Li Tianxi and other generals to the shore with a smile. They saw that the Yunzaobang River was full of Qing army corpses, broken canvas, wood and other debris floating, and many red single boats, fast boats, etc.  Crab boats sank in the river, some with their bows raised high, and four red single boats stranded on the shore.

    Lin Qirong chuckled and waved his riding crop and said: "Send the good water brothers into the water to pick up the cannons and muskets that have sunk in the water. Send troops across the river to snatch those four red single boats for me. On board  If there are still boatmen and sailors, please do not kill them at will."

    Li Tianxi received the order loudly. After he personally led the team across the river, he rushed to the four stranded red single boats.  The Qing troops on the four red single ships had long since fled, leaving only the boatmen and sailors of the red single ships who were reluctant to leave their ships. Hundreds of Taiping soldiers were seen swarming in. These boatmen and sailors had lost their courage.  Surrender and avoid death!" shouted the four red single ships.??Surrender.  (To be continued)
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