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Volume 1: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 294: Give Way and Change City

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    The night was as cold as water, and the coldness of the cold night was very refreshing. Looking at the Qing army bonfires outside the city that looked like stars in the sky, Tao Enpei in Hengyang City had mixed feelings.  As the magistrate of Hengzhou, when Hengzhou City was destroyed, he demoted Taiping due to the general situation. At first, the behavior of the Western King was quite mild, but as the Western King left on an expedition, Taiping's various actions became more and more  Nothing more to say.

    Especially in the middle of this year, after hearing that Tianjing was the capital, Taiping promulgated the "Regulations on Treating the People", which confirmed one of the provisions: a comprehensive restoration, all gains from the people will go to the Kingdom of Heaven, and the common people will have no surplus except food rations.  .  Although the impoverished grassroots people were extremely happy, in Tao Enpei's view, this policy could not last long.  It can be seen from this year's autumn harvest that the output of the people has been greatly reduced, merchants have stopped visiting, there is no way to sell agricultural products, piles of tea are rotting in the warehouse, and the common people have left the good rations behind, and all they have to pay is  It is inferior cereals.  However, the silver source in the holy treasury was exhausted, and He Zhenchuan and Tao Enpei even had to send people to cross the border in disguise to smuggle salt, iron, red medicine and other items into the Qing army's territory with the Qing army generals.  If Tianjing hadn't always had money and food to support him, Tao Enpei was afraid that Hengzhou City wouldn't be able to survive this winter.

    Touching the hair on the back of his head, Tao Enpei smiled bitterly. When the King of the West was there, he did not force people to keep their braided hair. Some people in the West Palace also called on people to cut their braids. If they didn't, the West Palace would impose a heavy tax.  Although the move may seem intimidating, it is still relatively mild.  But after the King of the West left, Tianjing issued an order to cut off the braids of everyone in the country.  After the order, Tao Enpei's braids were cut off. Although Tao Enpei once yelled at He Zhenchuan: "The braids on the back of my head are tangible, and it doesn't matter whether I leave them or not. But the common people's braids are in their hearts and they can't go away no matter what."  Don¡¯t let it go! Harsh punishments and laws can only block it for a while, but benevolent government and enlightenment can guide it forever!¡±

    "It's a pity that it was useless. The whole city of Hengzhou was killed by the sword."  In Tao Enpei's view, many people actually still have braids in their hearts.

    The King of the West had sent official documents three times to transfer Tao Enpei to Wuxi to manage the government, but Tao Enpei replied three times and refused. He was still keeping his promise when he surrendered to Taipei that day. He wanted to protect the people of Hengzhou. What he surrendered was the support of the people, not the people.  Hairy swordsman.

    Tao Enpei was worried about one day like this, when the army would counterattack, as the King of the West moved further and further away.  This worry is getting stronger.  It would be great if the King of the West made the final decision in this new dynasty. Tao Enpei smiled mockingly. He was not worried that the Qing army would execute him after the city was broken. When he surrendered to Taipei, he knew that once he fell into the hands of the Qing army, he would be executed.  What's the end?  So he didn't care at all, everything was already determined.  He will die when the city of Hengzhou is destroyed.  Tao Enpei was more worried about what would happen to the people who had their hair braided after Hecheng was removed.  After the Taiping Army left Yong'an and other places.  Anyone without braided hair was massacred by the army. As a former official of the Qing court, he was very aware of the brutal methods of the Qing court. Fortunately, the Qing army outside the city was brave from Hunan, and the soldiers from Hunan were brave.  They probably won't go too far and kill them all.

    "Mr. Tao, do you think we can hold on tomorrow?" Liang Lihai, the commander of the Taiping Army on the side, asked softly.  Tao Enpei has never been held an official position in the Kingdom of Heaven, but he is very popular in Hengzhou City, and he is also a scholar of Hanlin.  Therefore, the Taiping Army always called him Mr.

    Tao Enpei looked at Liang Lihai. This man was Liang Litai's younger brother. Yesterday Liang Litai and He Zhenchuan went out of the city to attack the enemy. The remaining two thousand Taiping troops in the city were handed over to Liang Lihai. Afterwards, Liang Litai was defeated and fled to Xiangtan. Liang Lihai and Tao Enpei became Hengzhou.  The defender of the city.

    "If reinforcements arrive at Xiangtan at dawn, we may be able to hold it." Tao Enpei said calmly: "General Liang, it's better to issue a proclamation and tell the people in the city to remove their sideburns."

    Liang Litai asked curiously: "Why is this?"

    Tao Enpei was silent for a while and then said: "Just in case, leave a way for the people to survive."

    Liang Litai did not ask any more questions. He was not very knowledgeable and illiterate, but he felt that what Tao Enpei said was reasonable, so he turned around and asked others to do it.

    Looking at the ants-like civilians on Hengzhou City who were helping to defend the city, Liang Litai still muttered: "Can it be that with so many civilians helping to defend, they can't stop the Qing Yao?"

    Tao Enpei smiled bitterly for a while and said: "There are still many people in this world who want to live, but few who want to die."

    Until the afternoon of the next day, no Qing troops were seen attacking the city, but at dusk, they could only hear thunderous cheers in the Qing camp outside the city. When Liang Li looked at the city, he saw the Qing troops arriving with a large group of Taiping prisoners.  Under the city, I saw Taiping prisoners, under the threat of swords and guns, walking around the city holding high wooden signs saying "Xiangtan reinforcements have been defeated, Hengzhou surrenders to avoid death", and there were several long poles, each carrying a  A bloody human head.

    Liang Lihai hurriedly looked with a telescope, and immediately shouted out loud: "It's the military commander Zhang Dewang from Xiangtan! And the division commander Li Dahai!"

    Tao Enpei on the side patted Liang Lihai on the shoulder with dissatisfaction and said, "No need to say it!" Liang Lihai was still too straightforward and shouted out on the spot.Don't the names of those heads confirm that the news of the defeat of the Xiangtan reinforcements is true?  If Hecheng learns that reinforcements are not coming, won't he no longer have the will to fight?

    Tao Enpei urgently sent orders. The Qing troops outside the city were talking nonsense, but it was too late. Various gossips slowly spread in the city.

    The Taiping Army prisoners held placards and paraded outside the city, which had a huge impact on the morale of the soldiers and civilians in Hengzhou City. In the evening, the Qing army became even more vicious. Hunan people were singing at the gates on all sides, and the folk songs of Xiangchu were also very popular.  It was pleasant to hear, mixed with the shouts of the Hunan people, "Children of central Hunan, we are brave from Hunan. If you don't fight your own family, open the city and surrender quickly!" "We Hunan people can't be oppressed by the Cantonese. Everyone is  We are a family, surrender to Kaicheng!" "Brothers from Hunan, Commander Zeng said that if a Hunan kills a Cantonese, the whole family's sins will be pardoned, and there will also be a reward."

    This move is indeed extremely vicious. First, they are surrounded by enemies on all sides, and then they are divided between regions. There are not many Taiping troops in Guangxi in the city. Although this call will not immediately cause chaos in the entire army, it will inevitably leave a thorn in people's hearts.

    At dawn, in a garrison camp at the west gate, as usual, the Taiping soldiers carried out the prepared food for the morning meal. A Taiping soldier commander came forward to take the food, but found that what he was cooking was chopped peppers.  Pork, he immediately pointed at a few gang leaders and cursed: "You Xiang children, I told you yesterday that I can't bear to eat spicy food, but you still make spicy food!"

    The gang members were all from Hunan, and they immediately gave up and yelled back in a local accent: "You are the only one who can't eat spicy food, and you want everyone to follow you and eat bland food!"

    The commander of the army was so angry that he whipped him with a whip and cursed: "I'll beat you guys who have no eyes! You're a Xiang boy with that horse in your mouth!"

    Several gang members immediately ran away and began to yell at each other: "You Cantonese people can't defeat Qingyao in Guangxi, so why are you acting so arrogantly here?"

    After scolding the general for a few times, the soldier commander drew out his sword and was about to kill someone. Several gang leaders shouted hurriedly, and the Hunan soldiers who couldn't stand it also gathered around. The soldier commander hurriedly whistled and shouted, and several Cantonese soldiers  They gathered around, the two sides started arguing, and started fighting over a trivial matter.

    The subsequent situation became even more chaotic. When the Taiping Army came to suppress them, they heard that Hunan soldiers and Guangdong soldiers were fighting. They immediately divided into two groups and fought each other, and even used knives. There were many Hunan soldiers and Guangdong soldiers.  Little, gradually I couldn't support it anymore.

    It was not until Liang Lihai and Tao Enpei arrived that the fight involving three to four hundred people stopped. There were more than a hundred people killed and injured on the scene.

    Liang Lihai was furious and wanted to punish the Hunan soldiers. Tao Enpei hurriedly stopped him and said calmly: "The general has fallen into Qing Yao's plan to alienate people. Do we still want to defend this city?"

    Liang Lihai finally came to his senses, but when he saw that the new soldiers and old soldiers were in a tense situation, he secretly sighed in his heart that it looked like the city could no longer be defended.

    Tao Enpei sighed softly and said: "General Liang, it's better for me to go out of the city to discuss the matter of surrender. I will risk my life to let the general and other Cantonese soldiers return to Xiangtan safely. The general doesn't want to see everyone with such grudges.  Just keep it."

    At this point, Liang Lihai had no choice but to agree to Tao Enpei's suggestion. He handed over Hengzhou City and asked the Qing army to agree to release the few 300 Cantonese soldiers in the city back to Xiangtan and promise not to harm any of the people in Hengzhou.  At that moment, Tao Enpei took a book boy with him and left the city to go to the Qing army camp.

    There was a lot of joy and laughter in the Qing army camp. Yesterday, Ronglu and Zeng Guofan set up an ambush in Kaihe Town, Hengshan County, and defeated the Xiangtan Taiping Army who came to support them. They killed more than 2,000 Taiping soldiers on the spot and captured hundreds. This time in Xiangtan  Five thousand reinforcements were sent, and the rest fled back to Xiangtan.  Xiangtan was unable to send reinforcements unless Lai Hanying from Changsha came. However, although Lai Hanying had many troops and horses, he lacked weapons and had to face the Qing army in Yiyang and other places. He did not dare to leave Changsha lightly.

    Yesterday night's embarrassment and alienation plan was also the work of Ronglu and Zeng Guofan. This morning, when he saw that the number of people on the city helping to defend the city was significantly reduced, Ronglu knew that the plan was working, and he just waited a few more times to be able to do it in one fell swoop.  Broken city.

    Just as Ronglu and Zeng Guofan were complimenting each other, they heard that an envoy came out of the city to ask for surrender. Zeng Guofan was overjoyed, and when he summoned him to take a look, it was his old acquaintance Tao Enpei.  Tao Enpei was an official in Hunan and knew Zeng Guofan.

    Seeing the hair on the back of Tao Enpei's head, Zeng Guofan couldn't help but sneered: "Tao Gong was a great scholar in this world, why do you dress like this without a king or a father?"

    Tao Enpei said calmly: "How can the Yi and Di costumes be compared with my Confucianism?"

    After Zeng Guofan's triangular eyes flashed with murderous intent, he stopped dwelling on this topic: "What's wrong with Mr. Tao?"

    General Tao Enpei stated the conditions for his surrender. The Taiping Army could withdraw from Hengzhou, but the Qing Army would have to open a way and let them return to Xiangtan. The Qing Army could not kill the people in the city. If the Qing Army did not agree, the soldiers and civilians of Hecheng would defend the city to the death.  Next?.

    Before Zeng Guofan spoke, Ronglu agreed wholeheartedly. When Zeng Guofan saw Ronglu opening his mouth, Zeng Guofan could not refute. The two parties agreed to give way and change cities, and also signed a written treaty with each other.

    After Tao Enpei left with the treaty, Zeng Guofan frowned and said, "Zhonghua, it is a taboo to make a treaty with a rebel. It would be terrible if someone knew about it and participated in a concert in the court."

    Ronglu smiled faintly, burned the other treaty in the fire pond, then turned around and said with a smile: "Shuai Zeng was wrong. When did we make a treaty with the traitor?!" (To be continued, please search Gone with the Wind!  Astronomy and novels are better and updated faster!
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