The day gradually brightened, and Yi Zhizhi and Jiang Zhongyuan, who had not slept all night, walked out of the tent, and what caught their eyes was a mess of the Taiping Army camp, "Military Gate." Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 info" Chen Hongming greeted him and said, "Let your subordinates lead people to search for a piece, and the military gate will go over." ”

Yi Zhixiang waved his hand disappreciatively and said, "Open the way ahead, go and meet the monk king first." ”

The group walked through the camp and came to the small bay where Seng Lingqin was stationed, and they were all shocked by the tragic scene they saw, and at a glance from the top and bottom of the mountain, there were dense corpses as far as the eye could see, even Yi Zhizhi and Jiang Zhongyuan were used to seeing battlefield fighting, and they were a little uncomfortable when they saw this scene, and some soldiers vomited on the spot.

"Mountains of corpses and a sea of blood, but that's it." Jiang Zhongyuan sighed with emotion, and then said: "I'm afraid that the casualties of the monk king's department are not small. ”

"The monk king is here." Yi Zhishu said and greeted him with a clamp on the horse's belly.

Monk Greenqin led a group of generals above the second rank to come on horseback, and before he arrived, he smiled heartily: "Fortunately, Brother Guocheng came in time, otherwise this king will be wiped out!" ”

When he arrived, Jiang Zhongyuan arched his hand and said: "The rescue of the lower officials is late, and I hope that the prince will forgive his sins." ”

"Master Jiang doesn't need to be polite." Monk Greenqin jumped off the horse as he spoke, bowed to Yi Zhi, and the generals who followed saw him so much, hurriedly dismounted, knelt down, and said in unison: "Hou Ye led his troops to gallop in the starry night, the grace of saving lives, the last generals and others are remembered in their hearts, and they are unforgettable." ”

Monk Greenqin and a group of generals are well aware that the imperial court is unfair to the navy, and even faintly has the meaning of targeting the navy, and Chen Hongming was not allowed to be promoted as the governor of Hubei, and the preparation for the construction of the Yangtze River Navy Division is also based on Chang Bao as the commander, although Yi Zhizhi is content to never mention it, but the heart must be unhappy, this point, from the navy left in Wuchang, but Jiang pursued the Taiping army can be seen, but when they heard that they were surrounded, they still led the troops to rescue without hesitation, which really moved them.

Seeing this situation, Yi Zhixiang hurriedly stepped forward and said, "The prince is going to kill the lower officials?" As he spoke, he said to the generals, "Everyone, please get up quickly." ”

Raising his body, the monk Greenqin said: "This time I was surrounded, and the whole army was almost wiped out, and this king will not be able to escape the blame, and this king will truthfully report to the court." ”

"Why should the monk be like this, the battle of Jingshan is a rare victory, why mention this stubble." Yi Zhixiang changed the subject, "What about the casualties?" ”

"Miserable." Monk Lingqin's expression was gloomy, and his voice was low, "Of the 22,000 army, there are only 9,000 left, and there are only 4,000 left in the New Army of the Eight Banners, and this king has no shame to return to Beijing......" As he spoke, he let out a long sigh.

Hearing such a big loss, Yi Zhixiang and Jiang Zhongyuan's hearts sank, Yi Zhixiang slowly glanced at the corpses all over the mountains, and said in a muffled voice: "Victory or defeat is a common thing in soldiers, let's go back to the camp and talk about it." ”

Back in the camp, into the big tent, the monk Lingqin said: "The bandits rushed to the southwest, either through Zhongxiang to attack Xiangyang, or directly to attack Jingzhou, the king is most worried about Xiang Rong's department." ”

Yi Zhizu said with relief: "Xiang Junmen is old in military affairs, he has always been cautious, and he has also fought with Hong Yang many times, and if he senses that something is wrong, he should go to Jingzhou, and the prince does not need to worry." ”

If Xiang Rong can take into account the overall situation and go to Jingzhou, it is the best, I am afraid that Xiang Rong is greedy, Yang Xiuqing who saw the division of troops, and chased and killed Hong Xiuquan with the tail, Monk Greenqin sighed secretly, after this battle, the situation in Hubei can be said to be completely reversed, and now, it is not that they are chasing the Taiping army, but that they must be careful everywhere to divide and surround and eat them.

After taking a sip of tea, he said: "This king led his troops to pursue the bandits, from Changsha to Yiyang, Yuezhou, Wuchang and then to Jingshan, countless battles of all sizes, although the bandits are rogue bandits, but they are strictly disciplined, well-trained, and strong, not comparable to Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, they are really a strong enemy of the imperial court, if they cannot be eliminated as soon as possible, they will become a problem for their henchmen." ”

Saying that, he looked at Yi Zhicontentment and said: "In the first battle of Jingshan, the vitality of the Eight Banners New Army was greatly damaged, the ammunition was exhausted, and it was no longer able to pursue the encirclement and suppression. ”

Rely on him to encircle and suppress the Taiping Army? Yi Zhixiang waved his hand again and again and said: "The prince is very loving, the subordinate really doesn't dare to be an official, the Taiping Army now has more than 100,000 elites, how can thousands of marines be able to pursue and encircle and suppress?" is still the same sentence, the encirclement and suppression of the Taiping Army cannot be rushed, and it must be considered in the long run. ”

Hearing him say this, Seng Lingqin was not reluctant for a while, Jiang Zhongyuan interjected at this time: "The prince's department fought hard for three days and nights, and the Hou Ye's department traveled four hundred miles in three days, all of them are exhausted, you might as well repair it for a day, and then discuss it after judging the movements of the bandits." ”

This is the truth, both of them are in urgent need of repair, Monk Greenqin and Yi Zhixin are also tired and lacking, but they are just fighting spirit, Yi Zhishu immediately said: "It's okay, let's go to Jingshan County first, repair for a day." ”

Jingshan County is not big but not small, the streets in the city are vertical and horizontal, there are many houses, it should be extremely prosperous, but now it is empty and there is no figure, Yi Zhishu is not surprised by this, he did not go to the county office, and lived directly in the Confucian Palace, Hei Tian slept until dusk before waking up.

Seeing him wake up, the guards hurriedly came in to report: "Master Hou, Jiang Zhongcheng came to visit and has been waiting in the living room for a while. ”

Yi Zhizhi estimated that he should have a military situation, and after washing, he slowly came to the living room, and said with a smile: "My subordinates are not sensible, and I neglect Brother Minqiao." ”

Jiang Zhongyuan got up and saluted: "Hou Ye has been tired for days, so I don't let them disturb Hou Ye." ”

Yi Zhizhi smiled contentedly, stretched out his hand to give up his seat, and then said casually: "Is there any news from the Taiping Army?" ”

"Go straight to Tianmen County." Jiang Zhongyuan said slowly: "At this time, the troops should be under the city or even have captured Tianmen County. ”

Yi Zhicontent lit a cigarette and said, "So, the next target of the Taiping Army is Jingzhou?" ”

Jiang Zhongyuan nodded solemnly, and said: "Jingzhou is crossed by the Yangtze River in the south, the Han River flows in the north, carrying the Wushan Chongling, kneeling in the smoke and waves of Dongting, fertile fields for thousands of miles, and the terrain is dangerous, which is not only the center of the whole Chu, but also the important place of Huguang and the shape of the victory, and has always been a place for soldiers to fight, if it is occupied by the Taiping army, it is ....... ”

Yi Zhizhi was silent, he was very clear about the strategic position of Jingzhou, the Taiping army wanted to occupy Hunan, Jingzhou was a battleground, Jiang Zhongyuan's intention was also very clear, he was counting on him to reinforce Jingzhou, he groaned slightly, he said: "The Taiping army captured a place, coerced the people in a place, from Yuezhou to Wuchang to Jingshan, from 120,000 to 200,000, although Yang Xiuqing and Shi Dakai can't talk about using soldiers like gods, but it is not easy to fight with their generation, hitting stones with eggs, Ben Hou will not do it." ”

Seeing that he said it so directly, Jiang Zhongyuan couldn't help but sigh, "In this way, Huguang is in danger." ”

Yi Zhisuff didn't answer this at all, smoking and not saying a word, Jiang Zhongyuan glanced at him, and said very abruptly: "If it is surrounded and suppressed by the Hou Ye, how about it?" ”

Hearing this, Yi Zhixin couldn't help but smile, "Brother Minqiao is planning to roast Ben Hou on the fire?" The New Army of the Eight Banners, the green battalions of the provinces, and a group of arrogant soldiers and fierce generals, Ben Hou can't control it. After a pause, he continued: "The Nanyang Navy has always only conquered overseas, if it weren't for the concern that the Taiping Army would go down the river and intrude Jiangnan, Benhou would have lazy to send troops into Chu to mix, and when the 20,000 new troops of the Eight Banners arrived, the navy would immediately withdraw from Hubei." ”

Jiang Zhongyuan smiled bitterly and said, "Why didn't Master Hou roast it on the fire under the shelf?" ”

Yi Zhizu glanced at him, and was about to speak, but the guards who listened to him reported at the door: "Master Hou, the monk and the prince are here." With the words, Monk Greenqin had already strode into the courtyard, and the two hurriedly stood up and greeted a few steps, and when they entered the living room, Monk Greenqin said directly: "The bandit went straight to Tianmen, it should be going to Jingzhou......." ”

Without waiting for him to finish speaking, Yi Zhishu said directly: "This time I came to relieve the siege of the prince, and now Wuchang is an empty city, and I must prevent the Taiping Army and the Navy Division from attacking Wuchang again, and I will lead my troops back to Wuchang tomorrow to garrison." ”

Monk Greenqin came to let Yi Zhishu join forces with him to reinforce Jingzhou, and when he heard this, he couldn't help but laugh and said: "It seems that Brother Guocheng still has an unresolved knot. ”

Yi Zhizhi didn't accept these words, and said straightforwardly: "Jingzhou has been an important military town in the southeast since ancient times, with heavy troops stationed and heavily defended, it is impossible for the Taiping army to fall within a few days, and it is best for the monk king to join forces with Xiang Rongjunmen and then go to reinforcements." ”

Monk Lingqin said: "What if Xiang Rong has already entered Jingzhou? ”

"Then there is no need for rescue." Yi Zhizhi said: "There is a battalion of the Eight Banners Naval Division in Jingzhou, and the Taiping Army Naval Division will not be able to capture Jingzhou if it does not arrive." ”

Monk Lingqin glanced at Jiang Zhongyuan and said, "Master Jiang is going to buy a table of noodles, let's have a few drinks tonight." ”

Jiang Zhongyuan knew that the two were going to negotiate privately, so he immediately responded, and retreated, and when he left, Monk Lingqin said earnestly: "What is the trouble of the national city, the relationship between Yuanqi and the imperial court is generally relaxed, the navy assists in recovering Wuchang, galloping to Jingshan to relieve the siege, if the siege of Jingzhou is relieved again, wouldn't it be more satisfying?" ”

"Recovering Wuchang, what is the attitude of the imperial court, the prince doesn't know." Yi Zhizhi poured him a cup of tea, and said slowly: "If it weren't for the fact that the prince was trapped this time, and he was lazy to send troops, the prince didn't need to say much, to ease the relationship, he had to let Yuan Qi see the sincerity of the imperial court. ”

Seeing that his attitude was so tough, Seng Lingqin sighed lightly, and didn't know what to say for a while, Xianfeng was indeed a little excessive, even if Chen Hongming was not allowed to be the governor of Hubei, it would be forgotten, but what Yangtze River Naval Division would be prepared, and Chang Bao would be the commander of the Naval Division, and 3,000 officers and soldiers from the Beiyang Naval Division would be transferred to form the Yangtze River Naval Division.

After a while, he sighed, "It's okay, it's ...... to pick a pick." ”

Yi Zhizu said slowly: "The Taiping army is not easy to encircle and suppress, and the prince should have withdrawn earlier." ”

In the battle of Jingshan, Monk Lingqin was also quite devastated, nodded when he heard the words, and said with a slight mutter: "In this battle, the casualties are huge, and the ammunition is also exhausted...... ”

"Ammunition, I'll supply a batch to the prince." Yi Zhizhi said: "However, during the trip to Jingzhou, the prince must not be careless. ”

Monk Lingqin said: "I heard that the national city has brought a lot of artillery? ”

"Those guns need professional artillery, and there is not much ammunition." Yi Zhixiang smiled and said, "Don't make up your mind, the artillery battalion and the marine corps are only in their infancy." ”

Hearing him say this, Monk Lingqin was also embarrassed to speak, and said with a slight sigh: "Can you buy a batch of artillery for the Eight Banners New Army, if there is an artillery battalion, this time it will not be so bad." ”

"That's fine." Yi Zhizhi promised that he was not afraid of the supply of arms at all, anyway, the weapons were updated quickly, he was not worried about how much of a threat it posed to the navy, and the arms business was the most profitable, and it was a good thing to squeeze the court more.

Wuchang, with the Taiping army in the Yangtze River west of the prefectures and counties to fight, a large number of gentry and businessmen crossed the river to flee into Wuchang City, there is a famous Nanyang naval fleet stationed on the Wuchang River, more or less reassuring, after all, these years the Nanyang Navy invincible prestige has been resounding all over the north and south of the river.

With the influx of a large number of refugees, Wuchang City is gradually lively, on this day, a scholar in his thirties entered Wuchang City with the flow of people, and heard that the big shopkeeper of Yuanqi, the first marquis is easy to be content to live in the Ai Garden, so he called a green cloth sedan chair to rush to the Ai Garden, got off the sedan chair outside the gate, handed over the post, and waited patiently.

Not long after, Bao Shichen personally greeted him, and as soon as they met, he smiled heartily: "Finally, I invited Ji Gao's driver." ”

The name of the person is Zuo Zongtang, the word Ji Gao, Bao Shichen has written to him three times to invite him to Shanghai, but he was not invited, only this time he said that he was waiting for him in Wuchang, and finally let him come, the two originally knew each other in Jiangning, and they were both guests of Tao Shu, the governor of Liangjiang.

Seeing Bao Shichen, Zuo Zongtang arched his hand and said with a smile: "Tired of asking, how dare you disobey, but the first two times, they were entangled in trivial matters, and it was difficult to make the trip." ”

"Master Hou is leading the troops outside, otherwise Ji Gao, who listens, will personally greet him." Bao Shichen said and stretched out his hand and said, "Let's go in and talk." ”

The soldiers are in chaos, Zuo Zongtang rushed to Wuchang from Changsha, it can be said that he took a lot of risks, of course he knew what Bao Shichen invited him three times and twice, after entering the door, he said slowly: "Now that the long hair is in turmoil, Huguang is turbulent, and Yuan Qi still has the heart to take care of the northwest?" ”

Seeing him ask the northwest, Bao Shichen couldn't help but smile, "Yuanqi's foundation is in Jiangnan and Guangdong, and this time the naval fleet entered Chu in order to prevent Changmao from going east to cause trouble in Jiangnan, besides, the northwest is a big game of chess, and the Hou Ye has been planning for a long time, how can long-haired chaos be affected." ”

Zuo Zongtang didn't plan to go to the northwest when he ventured this time, so he said tentatively: "What do you think about the long-haired rebellion?" ”

Hearing him ask, Bao Shichen said slowly: "Changmao Lianke Yuezhou and Wuchang have greatly increased their troops, and they have begun to take shape. ”