The Qing army camp, the forward position. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

After a day of fierce fighting, all the officers and soldiers were tired, and many soldiers fell asleep on the position before they even had time to eat the dinner they were given, but most of the officers and soldiers could not sleep, it was already dark, and the reinforcements still did not come, and many officers and soldiers began to feel hopeless, under such a fierce attack by the Taiping army, they were afraid that it would be difficult to hold on for another day, and they had never experienced such a tragic and high-intensity battle.

"Everyone hurry up to eat and drink, seize the time to rest, maybe the bandits will attack in the evening." The battalion commander said loudly, faintly hearing the dull sound of drums from the opposite side, and he had a premonition that the Taiping army would not stop tonight.

Someone said boldly: "Battalion commander, didn't you say that reinforcements could arrive after dark?" ”

Wuerku was most afraid of this topic, and immediately forced himself to laugh and said: "How can you say accurately in the war, maybe the reinforcements were sniped halfway, and it may be delayed, but don't worry, the Nanyang Navy has never been defeated, and it will definitely come, no matter what, it will come tomorrow." ”

Tomorrow? Whether it can survive tomorrow is uncertain, many people secretly slander in their hearts, but they dare not say it, this is suspected of shaking the morale of the army, the atmosphere is dull, Wu Erkulang said: "Although today's battle is hard, but the results are also brilliant, everyone look at the corpse in front of the position, smell the smell of blood and know, as long as you can hold on until tomorrow reinforcements come, this is a rare victory, add officials to the knight, everyone has a share!" ”

Listening to the addition of officials to the knighthood, the spirits of all the officers and soldiers were lifted, this is the truth, the corpses in front of the position are dense, countless, absolutely a rare victory.

Outside the Chinese army's cowhide tent, He Chun hesitated for a while before opening the curtain and walked in, and after saluting, he took out a fold and presented it, saying, "Lord Wang, this is the last general's fold...... If it can't be defended, the prince will lead his troops to break through from the north ...... ”

Monk Greenqin glanced up at him, didn't take the fold, and said in a low voice: "Even if you can't hold it, this king won't break through." ”

"Lord Wang-."

Monk Greenqin waved his hand and said: "One day of bloody battle, although we have suffered a lot of casualties, the casualties of the bandits are even greater, as the so-called one blow, and then decline, three and exhaustion, the bandits can't be attacked today, and they can't be attacked tomorrow, and this king firmly believes that they can hold it." ”

Hearing this, He Chun's spirits perked up, indeed, it was impossible for the Taiping army to withstand such large casualties one after another, and he immediately probed: "In the opinion of the prince, when will the reinforcements arrive?" ”

After a slight sigh, Monk Grinqin said: "This king said that it will be dark every day, do you believe it?" ”

Needless to say, the Taiping army began to attack again, and the old god of Monk Gelinqin said: "Two days and two nights, continuous attack, this king can tell you for sure, reinforcements will arrive before dark tomorrow!" Tell the officers and men of all departments that if they hold on for another day and night, it will be an unprecedented victory! ”

Thirty miles northeast of Caowu Town, the Marine Corps battalion.

Yi Zhizu soaked his feet in hot water, looked at the map by candlelight, it was only more than seventy miles away from Jingshan, and he would be able to arrive tomorrow afternoon, and he pondered the map of Jingshan.

"Report—."

Listening to Chen Hongming's voice, Yi Zhishu put down the map and said, "Come in." ”

Chen Hongming hurriedly walked in and saluted: "Headmaster, the sentinel in front has reported that in Jingshan for the past two days and nights, the sound of guns and cannons has been endless, and it is estimated by the students that it should be the Taiping army that has attacked the monk king's headquarters." ”

It's been storming for two days and nights? Yi Zhizu frowned, "It seems that the intelligence work of the Taiping Army is doing a good job, go and invite Jiang Zhongcheng to come over." ”

Without waiting for Chen Hongming to send someone to invite, Jiang Zhongyuan had already hurried over, and he also learned about the situation in Jingshan, as soon as he entered the account, he said: "Master Hou, the bandits attacked for two days and nights, and the lower officials were worried that the monk would not be able to hold on. ”

"Judging from the information we have learned, the Taiping army plans to annihilate the Monk King's department before we arrive." Yi Zhizu said slowly: "The current situation of the monk king's department should be quite dangerous..... ”

Jiang Zhongyuan was very worried when he heard this, if the 20,000 horses of Seng Lingqin were surrounded and annihilated, the situation of the entire battle in Hubei would be reversed, and he groaned slightly, before he pondered and said: "If the Taiping army annihilates the monk and the king's troops before we arrive, they will inevitably surround our ..... when they turn around." ”

This may not be nothing, Yi Zhizu took out his foot and wiped it slowly, then raised his wrist and looked at his watch, it was only eight o'clock, and he groaned slightly, he said: "This official road is quite flat, the order, nine o'clock, the army is pulled, and the army marches rapidly overnight, we can't fall short!" ”

A hurried march overnight? Jiang Zhongyuan was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly said: "Master Hou, I'm afraid that the lower official standard camp will not be able to keep up with ......" ”

"Can't keep up?" Yi Zhixiang glanced at him and said, "It doesn't matter if you can't keep up, when you talk about your work, don't complain." As he spoke, he looked at Chen Hongming and said, "Order the vanguard to make torches in Caowu Town." ”

Jingshan, the eastern suburbs.

The sound of artillery and gunfire, the sound of fighting and shouting sounded into one, from time to time there were fireworks in the night sky, illuminating the entire battlefield, the battle on the mountain and down the mountain tended to be white-hot, Yang Xiuqing gave a death order, at any cost, before dawn must be completely annihilated by the encircled Qing army, the elite of the Taiping army exhausted, took turns to attack, the Taiping army sang hymns, hymns, and carried out a fearless charge, the offensive was more fierce than in the daytime, and the Qing army's eastern high ground and frontal forward positions with a slower slope were suddenly in danger.

"These bandits are crazy!" He Chun wiped his face, walked into the big tent of the Chinese army quickly, and said: "Lord Wang, break through to the north, the last general will be responsible for breaking the rear." ”

Although there was not much movement on the north side, Monk Lingqin knew that it was impossible to break through at all, and he said in a deep voice: "Can't support it? ”

He Chun shook his head slowly, all the troops were invested, but he still couldn't stop the Taiping Army's such a lifeless way of fighting, he had fought with the Taiping Army for two years, and he had never seen the Taiping Army so desperate, if it wasn't for the original move to camp, camp in the mountains and stick to it, it would have collapsed long ago when it encountered this kind of fighting.

Monk Greenqin sighed lightly, all the reserves at hand were sent out, but he still couldn't hold it, he was helpless, and after a while, he said: "The bandits have taken a fancy to the batch of Mini guns we have at hand, even if the whole army is destroyed, they can't let the bandits ......succeed." ”

Before he finished speaking, a shout faintly came from the mountain where he suddenly listened, what is the situation? Could it be that the position has been lost? The faces of the two of them changed, and the two of them quickly grabbed out of the big tent, the shouts were getting louder and louder, and when they listened carefully, Monk Greenqin couldn't help but be happy, he heard it clearly, and shouted "Reinforcements are coming!" ”

"Reinforcements are coming!" "Reinforcements are coming!" Soon, the mountains and mountains shouted together, saw hope, and the morale of the Qing army, which was barely supported, was greatly boosted and burst out with unprecedented combat effectiveness.

The Qing army under the mountain could not see it, but the Qing army on the mountain could see it clearly, a long fire dragon was winding towards Jingshan, and it was obvious that it was not far from them.

Hearing the report, Seng Lingqin was overjoyed, and hurriedly said in a loud voice: "The king has ordered that all departments prepare for a counterattack, and the opportunity for meritorious service is right in front of you!" ”

The arrival of reinforcements from the Qing army brigade seriously hit the morale of the Taiping army, and the whole offensive was slowed down, and in the big tent of the Chinese army, it was reported that Yi Zhi's foot division had passed Caowu Town, Yang Xiuqing's face was gloomy and almost dripping water, he really didn't expect that Yi Zhi's foot division would be able to march overnight after several days of long-distance marching.

Shi Dakai took out his pocket watch and looked at it, groaned slightly, and then said: "The reinforcements have arrived, the morale of the Qing demon has been greatly boosted, and it is impossible to annihilate it, but this battle can be regarded as a heavy blow to the head ..... the monk and demon." ”

Yang Xiuqing said in a deep voice: "What do you mean by the Wing King?" Want to retreat? ”

"After attacking for two days and nights, our army suffered a lot of casualties, and now that the Qing demon reinforcements have arrived, our army's morale is low, if we don't evacuate in time, we are afraid of being attacked from inside and outside." Shi Dakai said slowly: "Please make a decision in time for the East King." ”

The retreat of more than 100,000 troops is not an easy task, one is not good, it is possible to be killed by the other party's tail, and it has always been the Qing army's forte, however, to retreat, Yang Xiuqing is a little unwilling, such a large casualty, but it fell short, he can't swallow this breath.

After a slight sigh, he said: "Yi Zhizu came from afar, marching day and night, it can be said that it is the end of the strong crossbow, and the head of the monk and demon is also fighting hard for days, why are we afraid of internal and external attacks?" I simply let it in and surrounded ..... together. ”

That's too much appetite! Shi Dakai was taken aback, and hurriedly said: "There are a lot of naval artillery, and the combat power is strong, even if we can surround it, we are afraid that we will not be able to eat ......." ”

Yang Xiuqing shook his head and said disappreciatively: "With only dozens of small cannons, can we help our army of more than 100,000?" Besides, now that the morale is low, once they retreat, they will inevitably collapse, and if the Qing Demon dares to chase and kill, the consequences will be unimaginable. ”

"The retreat route has already been explored below." Shi Dakai said: "Retreat from the canyon in the southwest direction, and lay ambushes on both sides, if the Qing Demon dares to pursue, he will definitely be able to come and go, besides, the Qing Demon may not have the courage to pursue." After a pause, he continued: "All the advocates of retreating overnight are to get rid of the pursuit of the Qing Demon, and now the Yi Zhi Foot Department has been marching long distances for days, and the head of the monk and demon has been fighting hard for two days, and it must be repaired for one to two days, so we can calmly evacuate and get rid of them." ”

It makes sense, Yang Xiuqing bowed his head slightly, groaned slightly, and then said: "If you attack again at this time, you have lost your sharpness, so let's withdraw our troops first." After speaking, he touched the stubble rubbing his chin, paced back and forth, and pondered.

After Shi Dakai gave the order, he turned back, Yang Xiuqing glanced at him, and said, "We have a complete fortification on the outer edge of the camp, which should be able to block Yi Zhizu, as long as it can block a day's ......." ”

"If we can't stop it, we won't even have a chance to retreat." Shi Dakai interrupted him without waiting for him to finish: "Five hundred horses and mules, carrying small cannons, can carry at least nearly 100 guns, without being completely sure, Yi Zhishu does not dare to rush to the rescue." ”

Hearing this, Yang Xiuqing was speechless for a while, and there seemed to be a strong offensive under Wuchang City, the navy as if it was devastating, seeing that he was silent, Shi Dakai said slowly: "In this battle, although we suffered a lot of casualties, it also hit the head of the monk and demon hard, and severely frustrated the spirit of the Qing demon, as long as it is smoothly transferred, the situation will be greatly beneficial to us." ”

Although he was unwilling, Yang Xiuqing was not capricious, the current situation was not easy to come by, these more than 100,000 troops were the main force of the Taiping Army, and it was indeed not appropriate to take risks, and he let out a long sigh before he said: "Withdraw." ”

The gunfire stopped, the Taiping army retreated like a tide, and the Qing officers and soldiers who escaped death broke out one cheer after another, listening to the cheers all over the mountains, Monk Greenqin's heart was also relieved, this time it can be said that it was a turn from the ghost gate, thanks to the timely rescue of Yi Zhicontent, otherwise, their 20,000 army would definitely be the end of the entire army.

He was congratulating himself, and He Chun walked in quickly with a happy face, and reported after seeing the ceremony: "Lord Wang, the bandits have retreated." ”

Do you still need to report the obvious things? Monk Greenqin was about to speak, but he reacted instantly, and quickly stood up and said, "Great retreat? ”

Seeing that he reacted so much, he Chun Yileng and said, "The prince doesn't really plan to pursue, right?" Yang Xiuqing was known for being good at ambushing pursuers, and the bandits chose to retreat from the canyon in the southwest. ”

Retreat from the canyon to the southwest? Monk Greenqin hurriedly walked out of the big tent, and saw the Taiping army holding torches advancing towards the southwest, he couldn't help but snort coldly, "Such a blatant retreat really didn't take us seriously." ”

He Chun smiled bitterly and said: "Lord Wang, after two days and nights of bloody fighting, many officers and soldiers can't even open their eyes now...... ”

The navy didn't come up, and Monk Greenqin didn't have the courage to pursue, so he had to say stupidly: "Count their acquaintances, they slipped fast enough." ”

Seeing the Taiping army retreating in a big way, Yi Zhi couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief, even if he sent someone to give an order, change the rapid march to a regular march, since the Taiping army has retreated, he doesn't need to force it too tightly, for him, this is the best ending, not only to relieve the siege of Seng Lingqin, but also to avoid a large-scale battle with the Taiping army.

Arriving five miles outside the Taiping army camp, Yi Zhizhi ordered to stop advancing and set up camp on the spot, Jiang Zhongyuan urged the horse to catch up, and said: "They are slipping ...... fast." ”

Yi Zhizhi slowly took out a cigarette and lit it, took a puff comfortably, and then said: "It's a good thing to slip away, otherwise it will inevitably be a big war, and we are now at the end of the crossbow." ”

Jiang Zhongyuan nodded and said, "I don't know what the situation is on the Monk King's side?" ”

"I guess it's enough, I'll know at dawn." Yi Zhixiang sighed and said, "Fortunately, we arrived in time, and this trip was not in vain." ”

Jiang Zhongyuan, who was waiting, rode his horse and left, Chen Hongming came up and said softly: "Junmen, when the Taiping army saw that we were coming to help, they couldn't wait to evacuate, and there should be a lot of casualties ......." ”

"What, you want to pursue?"

Chen Hongming sneered: "I ran for a long time, but I didn't fire a shot, and my subordinates felt quite aggrieved." ”

"Don't underestimate Yang Xiuqing and Shi Dakai." Yi Zhixiang said slowly: "The Taiping army dares to retreat with great fanfare, it must be fearless, the purpose of this time is to rescue the monk king's department, there is no need to make extraneous branches." ”