Chapter 3 The third quarter is tearing the skin

Three days later, Hong Xiuquan and Yang Xiuqing led 15,000 people to Changsha in more than 50 warships.The white flags on the prows of each ship are fluttering, and the officers and men on board are also dressed in filial piety, which is quite impressive.The reinforcements came straight to the north gate of Changsha along the river. Zhang Liangji personally went to supervise the battle at the South Gate, and appointed Zuo Zongtang to supervise the war at the North Gate. Zhang Liangji said to Zuo Zongtang: "Ji Gao, whether Changsha can hold it or not depends on this battle! The north gate is the most important thing, I'm in trouble!"

Faced with Zhang Liangji's trust, Zuo Zongtang only felt thousands of pride surging in his chest.He took the command arrow with both hands, and said word by word: "My lord, please rest assured! Ji Gao is here, and the North Gate is here! What a pity for a scholar to die for his confidant!" Not long after Zuo Zongtang arrived at the North Gate, Hong Xiuquan and Yang Xiuqing flocked with their fleets. The forts on both sides of the strait did not dare to be negligent, and they all ignited the guns. In a short time, twenty fire dragons roared and blasted at the fleet, hitting the Xiangjiang River with gunpowder smoke.

Zuo Zongtang hurriedly ordered the soldiers to throw the log into the river, and dispatched 500 archers to guard the bank. Once the Taiping Army fleet broke through the log and moved forward, they would release the arrows immediately. The four gates of Changsha City fought fiercely for two days and nights, with corpses lying inside and outside the city walls, the water in the moat had turned blood red, and the Hunan Provincial City was still firmly in the hands of the Qing army. Hong Xiuquan, the king of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, was driven mad. He told the siege soldiers that the Heavenly Father, the Lord God, had told him that the Qing demon guarding the city was about to abandon the city and flee. to the final victory of the Kingdom of Heaven.Hong Xiuquan and Yang Xiuqing almost tried their best, but they couldn't shake the city wall of Changsha.

At this time, a reinforcement army urgently dispatched by the Qing government rushed to Changsha under the leadership of Guangxi Admiral Xiang Rong. The fifth battalion of the vanguard cavalry was only more than 50 miles away from Changsha.The imperial envoy Seshan'a, the governor of Huguang Cheng Yucai, and the officers and troops of each governor's department set off from their respective camps to Changsha for rescue. The secret agent urgently reported to Hong Xiuquan, Hong Xiuquan's face changed suddenly, and Yang Xiuqing had to stop chanting the mantra.The two discussed for a while, and soon raised the banner of withdrawal.After more than 80 days of fierce fighting in Changsha, the siege was finally relieved.

After Xiang Rong arrived, Zhang Liangji dared to open the four gates of Changsha, and while ordering the soldiers to clean up the corpses piled up in the moat and the battlefield, he greeted the reinforcements. Zhang Liangji looked haggard. After meeting with Xiang Rong, he said in a sobbing voice, "If the military gate hadn't arrived in time, our department would hardly see the light of day again!" Xiang Rong hurriedly said: "My lord is serious! It's still wise to ask your lord to guard Changsha. If it were someone else, Changsha would have been easily captured by bandits!"

After dinner that day, Zhang Liangji alone passed Zuo Zongtang into the signing room for a private conversation, and said emotionally: "Ji Gao, I'm going to trouble your brother to draft the paper for the rescue of the provincial capital, so you have to work hard." Zhang Liangji obviously wanted to try Zuo Zongtang's pen skills.Zuo Zongtang did not speak, and after giving a deep salute, he walked back to his room and began to think about drafting. Looking at Zuo Zongtang's back, Zhang Liangji stroked his beard and said to himself: "Hunan's 'three brights', today's brightest, really deserves its reputation! This person's future is above mine!"

Zhang Liangji was forty-six at the time. He was born in Tongshan, Jiangsu Province. His style name was Caichen, and his name was Shiqing.Zhang Liangji started as a secretary in the cabinet, and then he was sent to Yunnan to serve as the magistrate of Lin'an. He was reassigned to Yongchang. The court relies heavily on it.The Taiping army entered Hunan and successively attacked the city to take land. Hunan governor Luo Bingzhang was dismissed because of poor defense and stayed in the camp to serve. Soon, Zuo Zongtang's "Thieves Fly to the Provincial Capital to Rescue the Siege" was placed on Zhang Liangji's desk.After Zuo Zongtang stepped back, Zhang Liangji picked up the booklet and read it.

The beginning of the book is: "The bandits were suppressed and fled to the province. The siege has been lifted. The soldiers from all walks of life intercepted and chased them bravely along the way. I pray for the Holy Spirit." Afterwards, the book began to narrate the fierce battle with the Taiping Army for more than 80 days. The general history of the war includes the Jiangxi governor Luo Raodian who supervised the battle, the leather governor Luo Bingzhang, the Guangxi admiral Xiang Rong, the general soldier He Chun, and the Yongsui Association deputy general Qu Tenglong, the Yongsui general Deng Shaoying, and the Sichuan army. General Zhang Xiezhong, Yuanzhou Foreign Commissioner Luo Hongdian and others fought bravely against the enemy, just not mentioning the admiral Bao Qibao in Hunan, as if Bao Qibao did not exist in Hunan in the first place.

Zhang Liangji thought for a while, picked up a pen and added the word "Baoqibao" after Luo Hongdian, and then wrote the word "Zhaoshu" below.The scriptures were quickly transcribed by the scribe master and sent out. The scribe in the yamen happened to be a cousin of Bao Qibao, and in terms of seniority, he was a nephew of Bao Qibao. His original name was Bao Yufu, but Zhang Liangji later changed his name to Bao Yusheng.It was a popular custom in the yamen at that time to give auspicious names to the servants around them, and many people in the yamen had their names changed later.

Bao Yusheng first transcribed private letters and ordinary letters for Luo Bingzhang. Because of the neat and beautiful handwriting, Zhang Liangji transcribed the manuscripts alone. He could recognize the handwriting of several writers in the yamen, and he was very familiar with the handwriting of Luo Bingzhang and Zhang Liangji. but.After he got the handwriting, he saw that the handwriting was unfamiliar, so he guessed that it was Zuo Zongtang's handwriting, and he was very careful when transcribing it.As he was transcribing, Bao Yusheng suddenly became a little angry. For such a great achievement as defending Changsha, the admiral of Hunan Province, Bao Qibao, was not listed first in the notebook!And the words "Bao Qi Leopard" listed at the back were obviously added by Zhang Liangji after he found out that something was wrong.

Bao Yusheng reported the situation he discovered to Bao Qibao at that time. After breakfast one day, Zhang Liangji invited Xiang Rong, Luo Raodian, Bao Qibao, Luo Bingzhang and others into the yamen hall to discuss the recovery of Chenzhou; Zuo Zongtang also sat beside Zhang Liangji as a master, drinking tea and listening to the Several dignitaries spoke. Zhang Liangji was the first to preach: "Changmao turned to attack Hankou, and now is a great time to recover Chenzhou. The Ministry believes that taking advantage of Xiangjunmen's presence here now, coupled with the regiment training of the counties, to recover Chenzhou in one fell swoop, there should be a chance of winning." Bao Junmen, you can lead the seventh battalion of the bidding army to attack the main gate of Chenzhou, and Mr. Luo will accompany you as the supervisor of the army; As soon as they respond, they can also intercept and kill Changmao when he is out of the city, and wait for work at ease. What do you think?" Xiang Rong said: "Please tell me. The fierce battle in Hankou is in full swing. I am afraid that the admiral will come down to help Hankou, so I can't go to take Chenzhou according to your lord's order. What's more, the weather is hot at this time, and the admiral's soldiers have bravely rushed for a long distance. If you are too tired, you need to take a rest in the army." Zhang Liangji saw that what Xiang Rong said was reasonable and well-founded, so he had no choice but to say: "Xiang Junmen's words are very true. It is because the Ministry is eager to close the city and has not thought carefully. Regarding the use of troops in Chenzhou, the Ministry has to reconsider." Xiang Rong got up and said: "If Futai has no other orders, Benti will go first. The admiral has something to report, and I hope that Futai can give an answer as soon as possible. Liangtai has asked the admiral many times, saying that the salary is about to run out. Ji, I don’t know when Master Futai will be able to deliver food and salaries to the camp? Benti’s 5,000 troops can’t go hungry!” Zhang Liangji pondered for a while, and said with a wry smile: "Don't worry about Xiangjunmen, the headquarters has sent more than a dozen people to the counties to collect money and food, and it is estimated that it will be settled within a few days. Xiangjunmen went straight from Guangxi to Hunan. , After countless fierce battles, how can this department have the heart to let the soldiers go hungry? Go back to the camp to rest first, and wait for the people who pay for the food to come back, and the department will inform you. Xiangjun, the department will not send is you!" Xiang Rongchong nodded in accordance with the etiquette to everyone present, and strode out. Zhang Liangji whispered to Zuo Zongtang: "Jigao, if it doesn't work, you can go to Xiangxiang and Xiangyin counties tomorrow. If the salary is delayed, the morale of the army will be unstable!" Due to the presence of Luo Raodian, Zuo Zongtang wanted to say something, but he swallowed what he wanted to say after opening his mouth several times.According to the edict issued by the Qing Dynasty at that time, the government and army suppressed thieves, and whichever province they went to, the food and salaries would be provided by that province.Jiangxi Governor Luo Raodian led his battalions all the way to Hunan after being beaten out of Jiangxi by the Taiping Army. Xiang Rong also raised his army and ran here after Guangxi suffered heavy losses. After all, Luo Raodian participated in the defense of Changsha, and he did fight a few battles with the Taiping Army in Hunan. Zhang Liangji was willing to provide his food and salary.However, Xiang Rong did not fight the Taiping Army in Hunan. Although Hong Xiuquan withdrew the soldiers who besieged Changsha and turned to Hankou because of his arrival, but he was afraid of his power rather than his strength. When Zhang Liangji came to Hunan, the most troublesome thing was not fighting the Taiping Army, but the endless demands for food and pay. At this moment Bao Qibao stood up and said: "Lord Futai, I have been holding back some words in my heart for many days, I don't know if I should say it or not." Zhang Liangji saw that Bao raised his face like a tiger, and didn't know what happened, so he hurriedly laughed and said: "Bao Junmen has something to say, but it's okay to say it. To regain Chenzhou, we still have to rely on the army to preside over the plan!" Bao Qibao sneered at first, and then said: "Lord Futai, I want to ask you to be fair, protect Changsha, is this official meritorious or not?" Zhang Liangji said: "What did Bao Junmen say? Changsha was able to defend successfully and was not breached by Changmao. Didn't it all depend on everyone here? Without the help of all the adults, can we sit here and drink tea?" Bao Qibao nodded his head, but suddenly raised his right hand and pointed at Zuo Zongtang, who was drinking tea with his head buried in his head, and said, "Your Majesty, I would like to ask Mr. Zuo, why didn't you mention me when Mr. Zuo wrote the manuscript for the victory in Changsha this time?" What about half a word?" Zuo Zongtang trembled all over.Zhang Liangji was taken aback when he heard the words, and hurriedly got up and said, "Bao Junmen, where did you say that? This time the defense of Changsha was successful, and the headquarters was indeed commissioned by Master Zuo. How did your brother know the above?" Didn't you list your name? Bao Junmen, you haven't seen the manuscript, so you can't make wild guesses." Bao Qibao said resolutely: "Futai Rongzhi, if the officials don't know the truth, how dare you talk nonsense here? Master Zuo, I didn't wrong you by mentioning it, right?" Zuo Zongtang stood up abruptly, staring at Bao Qibao and said: "Master Junmen, you are right. When Shanren drafted the manuscript for Master Futai, he did not list your old name on it. Shanren People think that raising the bid in Hunan is the main force, and defending the provincial capital is the job, so there is no need to list merits separately." Bao Qibao yelled: "Master Futai, listen to what Master Zuo is saying! Master Zuo, why did you do this? If you don't speak clearly today, I will bring this lawsuit to Liangjiang Go to Chengzhitai!" Zuo Zongtang sneered and said: "Bao Junmen, I have my own reasons for doing this! Do you always want to know why? First, you are always the admiral of Hunan. It is the admiral's job to defend the provincial capital. You can't suppress bandits and calm the people What is the purpose of setting up the green battalion in the country? What do you want the admiral to do? Second, yes, the battalions under your command have indeed made great efforts to defend the provincial capital this time, but without the help of Luo Futai's men and horses, there would be no Lord Luo This supervising army works day and night, without the participation of all the people in the city, can this city of Changsha be defended? There are also people sent by Master Futai to the four townships and eight villages to raise money. May I ask, which of these people has less credit than you? Shanren said something you don't like to hear, the imperial court let you be the admiral of Hunan, how many great things have you done since you took office? Zuo Zongtang's last sentence immediately made Bao Qibao tremble with anger. Since he took office, no one except the governor of Huguang has dared to speak to him like this.He pointed at Zuo Zongtang, and said four words "you" in succession. Zhang Liangji hurriedly smiled and said: "Bao Junmen, go down and rest for a while. Master Zuo is an outspoken person, he didn't intend to anger you." Bao Qibao said at this time: "Master Futai, please listen carefully. Is this admiral still an imperial court official in the eyes of Mr. Zuo? Mr. Futai, please hurry up and give me an excuse. I, the admiral of Hunan, can't do it anymore." ! A master copywriter can ignore me, how can this admiral command thousands of troops!" After Bao Qibao finished speaking, without waiting for Zhang Liangji to speak, he saluted Zhang Liangji, turned his head and bowed to Luo Raodian and Luo Bingzhang, and then strode out.Zhang Liangji waved his hand helplessly.Luo Raodian, Luo Bingzhang and others had no choice but to salute and withdraw.In a blink of an eye, only Zhang Liangji and Zuo Zongtang were left in the room. Zhang Liangji sighed heavily, and said: "Ji Gao, your brother has such a temper! Cough! You may not know that this Bao Qibao dares to point fingers in front of the headquarters because he and Cheng Zhijun are relatives. This matter Ah, Bao Qibao is definitely going to go to Cheng Zhijun to sow discord with your brother. This Yusheng, he will only add chaos to the headquarters!" Zuo Zongtang thought for a while, then suddenly said: "Master Futai, Shanren wants to ask you about someone, but I don't know if you know. Have you ever heard of Yang Changjun?" "Yang Changjun?" Zhang Liangji was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head, and said, "When the Ministry first arrived in Changsha, I heard people mention it in a daze, but the Ministry didn't take it seriously. Who is this Yang Changjun? Who can fall into your brother's eyes? A lot!" Zuo Zongtang smiled, and replied: "My lord, don't boast about the mountain people. Speaking of which, this Yang Changjun is really not an idler. Although he is an epiphyte in Xiangxiang, he is proficient in military science and good at Calligraphy, one-handed small script, very delicate, can be called the first-class master of regular script in the Huguang calligraphy world. It is really suitable for Yang Changjun to transcribe the manuscript for adults. I don’t know how many times better than Yusheng. What do you think?" Zhang Liangji smiled wryly and said, "Jigao, your old brother is going around, but he wanted to drive Yusheng away. But it can't be done! Why? 1. This Yusheng was recommended by Bao Qibao. Bao Qibao is from Hunan. Admiral, the military in Hunan still depends on him. The Ministry cannot offend him at this time. Second, Bao Qibao and Cheng Zhijun are in-laws. The Ministry can not accept his surname as Bao, but it has to give Cheng Zhijun face. What's more, your younger brother just had a quarrel with Bao Junmen, and the headquarters drove Yusheng away here. Not only will it be difficult for you Zuo Jigao to survive in the Yamen, but it will also be difficult for the headquarters to work with Bao Qibao, right? Ji Gao, you This temper, I have to change it in the future. Anyway, Bao Qibao is also the admiral of Hunan appointed by the imperial court! The sage said: "If you can't bear it, you will make trouble." It will be far away to complain." Ji Gao, the enemy is approaching. Although Changsha makes a siege, Changmao will counterattack at any time. Tomorrow, the headquarters will set up a table of wine in the signing room. I invite you and Bao Junmen The two of you are the right-hand men of this department, you can't do without anyone!" Zuo Zongtang was about to speak, when a shout of "the official document from the governor's office has arrived" suddenly sounded outside the door, and then an official who delivered the official document walked in.After the official saluted, he handed over a sealed official document.Zhang Liangji hurriedly took it and signed the receipt in a hurry.After the messenger went out, Zuo Zongtang also hurriedly left the case, wanting to go back to his room. Zhang Liangji hurriedly waved his hands, and said, "Ji Gao, sit down and drink tea first, and wait for the department to read the official documents, and I have something to talk to you about." Zuo Zongtang had no choice but to sit down again, picked up the tea bowl and sipped tea.Zhang Liangji quickly cut open the sealed bag, took out the official document and looked at it. Zhang Liangji's face gradually became gloomy. He raised his head and said, "Jigao, Wuchang was captured by Changmao last night. More than half of the city guards were killed or injured. Cheng Zhijun's whereabouts are unknown. It is estimated that there are many dangers. Cough, Huguang is completely rotten! This Hong Xiuquan, Why does he just stick to Huguang?" Zuo Zongtang murmured: "According to this, there will be another big battle in Changsha! Master Futai, what do you plan? Long Mao won Wuchang, and he will definitely take Changsha again!" Zhang Liangji pondered and said: "Ji Gao, you can write a draft now. The headquarters really can't think of a better way than asking the court to increase its troops! Let's see if we can keep Xiang Rong. Xiang Rong traveled all the way from Guangxi Killed, he has gone through hundreds of battles, if he can stay, Changsha may be able to escape this catastrophe. Ji Gao, what do you think?" Zuo Zongtang thought for a while and said, "My lord's words are true. But Shanren boldly thinks that if the imperial court refuses to let Xiang Junmen stay, so what?" Zhang Liangji pondered and said: "The headquarters has also thought of this level, but what else can we do? If Wuchang is not destroyed, Changmao may be able to withdraw from Huguang. Now that Wuchang has fallen to the enemy, how can Changmao let Changsha go? Ji Gao , do you have any good ideas?" Zuo Zongtang said: "My lord, the mountain people think that there are three roads that can be taken at the same time. The first road is to ask the imperial court to send reinforcements; the second road is to transfer the county regiments to the provincial capital to strengthen the defense of Changsha. Mao made a sudden attack; the third way is to raise food as soon as possible, you can send people to other provinces to buy and transport, and you must prepare food and grass in Changsha that can be used by officers and soldiers for half a year." Zhang Liangji nodded his head in approval, and then said: "Jigao, after finishing the draft, write a letter to Xiangxiang Yang Changjun by the way. The decision of the department has been made, please ask him to copy the manuscript for the case, master." Zuo Zongtang asked with a smile: "Master Futai, Yusheng was recommended by Bao Junmen, and Bao Junmen and Cheng Zhijun are in-laws! You have to think about it carefully!" Zhang Liangji shook his head and said with a smile: "Ji Gao, don't make fun of my brother. If Wuchang falls, no matter whether Cheng Yucai is dead or alive, he will not be the governor of Huguang! If you don't believe me, just wait and see the imperial decree." .”