Chapter 11 Er Kanglu was the first to climb the city wall

The Miaofeng Peak outside the south gate is actually not high. To be precise, it is just a mound of earth, just like Mawangdui in the eastern suburbs of the city.But it is better than Mawangdui. It is close to the south gate and is in the bustling part of Changsha City.It is even more rare to have such a hill with a slightly higher terrain and lush forests in the downtown area.Literati and scholars of all dynasties like to climb high and write poems here.When Wu Sangui occupied Changsha, Chen Yuanyuan was already old, and the Eight-faced Avalokitesvara and the Four-faced Avalokitesvara became his concubines.Wu Sangui often took two Avalokitesvara to rest on the upper reaches of Miaofeng.In the flat in front of the Yaowang Temple on the top of the peak, there are still stone tables and benches made for Wu Sangui.Legend has it that Wu Sangui often played chess with Eight-faced Guanyin and Four-faced Guanyin here, and the chessboard engraved on the stone table is still clearly preserved.In the past few days, Yaowang Temple has become the siege headquarters of the Taiping Army.Now, Xiao Chaogui, Shi Dakai, Luo Dagang, Lin Fengxiang, Li Kaifang and others were sitting around the stone table, discussing the strategy of attacking the city.

Chaogui said: "Changsha is the largest city we attacked in the uprising. Its position is far above Guilin. Taking Changsha down is of great significance. However, the city wall of Changsha is tall and strong. Now the city gate is closed and the defense is strict. It is not easy to attack by force. Everyone If you have any opinion, just say it." Dakai said: "Changsha has been an important military location since ancient times. Looking at it today, it is indeed well-deserved. Taking Changsha will shake the Qing demon court and boost the morale of the whole army. It will have a great impact. But now Changsha is on alert. Combination of strong attack and side digging. This time in Chenzhou, Liu Daiwei was fortunate to gather thousands of miner brothers. This is a wonderful way for us to break through Changsha. Tomorrow we will lead brothers to attack the city. The attention of the officers and soldiers in the city was used to test the strength of the troops in the city. Brother Dai Wei led the camp brothers to dig a hole at the foot of the city wall. After the hole was dug, they placed mines and gunpowder, blasted the city wall and rushed in."

Liu Daiwei stood up and said loudly: "Your Highness Yi Wang's plan is the best. It's our job to open a hole. I thought it would be useless to serve as a soldier. This time it will play a big role. I will choose one hundred soldiers from the camp today. Fifty strong young men, divided into five places, will work in shifts to dig holes, plant explosives before dawn, and ensure that the enlarged army will enter the city tomorrow." Everyone applauded.General Li Kaifang of Jin Guanzheng said: "I heard that Bao Qibao, the admiral of the Qing demon, is only greedy and fierce. In fact, he doesn't know how to rule the army, and the people don't obey the command. There are too many officers and few soldiers in the city, and the dispatch is not effective. It is the time to attack the city. Good timing."

Da Kai said: "Baoqi leopard is not to be feared, but Jiang Zhongyuan, the leader of Chuyong, is the most cunning among Hunan people. The battle of Quanzhou Suoyidu proved that his actual combat ability is not inferior to you and me. Moreover, Luo Bingzhang is mature and stable, so he should not be underestimated." Chao Gui said: "According to King Yi's arrangement, we will divide up our troops for a feint attack today. After dark, Brother Dai Wei will go to dig a hole and go all out tomorrow morning." While discussing, there was a burst of crackling firecrackers in the distance, and the soldiers pointed in the direction of the south gate and said: "My lords and generals, please look, the Qing demon is playing tricks on the tower."

Xiao Chaogui and the others stood up, set up the awning with their hands and looked towards the north.It was the time when Bao Qibao knelt and kowtowed in front of the Bodhisattva.Everyone was baffled, and suddenly Shi Dakai burst into laughter, saying: "The demons of the Qing Dynasty are at the end of their ropes, so please come and defend the city with Mud Bodhisattva." With one word of reminder, everyone laughed together. In the afternoon, General Lin Fengxiang of the native officials, General Li Kaifang of the Jinguanzheng and others led 3,000 people to attack from the South Gate, Liuyang Gate, Xiaowu Gate, Jinji Bridge, etc., and continuously projected rockets and fireballs into the city. All the soldiers who fought went up to the city wall, and many common people were driven to the battlefield, and the whole city was panicked.The battle was fierce.When it was dark, the Taiping army stopped attacking the city.At this time, Liu Daiwei had set up five excavation points from the South Gate to Xiaowu Gate, and was digging holes nervously.The officers and soldiers on the wall did not notice this.

At Maozheng, the loud bugle was blown in the barracks, followed by the sound of drums and the firing of cannons. The 5,000 soldiers of the Taiping Army launched another attack on Changsha City majestically. Countless ladders were set up along the city wall from the South Gate to Xiaowu Gate. Warriors with long hair and red silk threads climbed up like apes with a knife in one hand and an escalator in the other.But unfortunately, all the soldiers of the Taiping Army who climbed up the city wall were cut down by the guards and fell from the top of the wall;Shi Dakai sat on the horse, seeing this scene, his heart ached.Suddenly, he saw a thin brother climbed to the top of the ladder, and a Qing soldier pointed out his long spear and poked at the man.The man raised his hand, and the Qing soldier fell down with a "wow".The man jumped up the city wall with extraordinary agility, swung the big knife in his hand, advanced while chopping, and slowly approached the City God Bodhisattva.He took two extra-large bamboo tubes from his back, poured the oil in the tubes on Bodhisattva, then grabbed a fireball that flew up the tower, and threw it at Bodhisattva.All of a sudden, a fire broke out, and the flames soared into the sky, and the City God Bodhisattva was already sitting in the flames.The Qing soldiers next to them were stunned, and the Taiping army who was attacking the city cheered loudly, and the army was vigorous. Taking this opportunity, hundreds of soldiers rushed to the city wall.Shi Dakai saw all this in his eyes, and secretly called out "hero".At this time, there was a thunderous explosion at the heel of the city wall, and Shi Dakai immediately galloped there.

All five holes in the city wall were blown up, but three of them did not open a large gap, and were quickly blocked by the Qing soldiers. Only the two near the Xiaowu Gate opened a hole three or four feet wide.Under the command of Lin Fengxiang, the Taiping army rushed to these two gaps with shouts, and the two sides fought hand-to-hand here.Hundreds of soldiers had rushed through the gap and entered the city, and the soldiers behind were also shouting and rushing in.Corpses piled up beside the gap, blocking the passage, and blood stained the wall bricks and soil dark red.The Taiping army was about to rush into the city in large numbers. Suddenly, a powerful force came from behind, and the focus of the battle quickly shifted from the front to the rear.

It turned out that this was the rescuer Luo Bingzhang moved back from Xiangtan.The three thousand township soldiers led by Deng Shaoliang, deputy general of the Yunnan Chuxiong Association, traveled day and night, and rushed to Changsha at the most tense moment of the battle.Xiao Chaogui and Shi Dakai did not expect that the reinforcements from the south would come so quickly.The two sides fought fiercely, and Deng Shaoliang led his troops into the city.Xiao Chaogui sent an order to withdraw the troops. After dinner, Shi Dakai ordered people to find the warrior who rushed to the south gate tower today and set fire to the City God Bodhisattva.When the soldiers brought him into the Yaowang Temple, Shi Dakai looked at him carefully: this man is about eighteen or nineteen years old, with good features, fair skin, medium height, and thin build.Seeing Shi Dakai staring at him, the man was a little embarrassed.Shi Dakai asked affectionately: "Little brother, did you set fire to that rotten Bodhisattva today?"

"Reporting to His Highness King Yi, it was the little one who burned it." Although the man looked shy, he answered clearly.It can be seen that he is not very afraid of this prince who commands the three armies. "What's your name? Where are you from?" "The younger one is Kang Lu, from Yuanjiang, Hunan." "How old are you this year? What position do you hold?" "The younger one is nineteen years old, and he served as a holy soldier under Kim Il-jung General Luo Dagang." It's a pity that such a hero with both wisdom and courage is just an ordinary soldier.Da Kai really praised Kang Lu, saying that he has made great contributions to the siege today, and encouraged him to work hard and have a bright future in the future.Finally, he said to him: "Kang Lu, from now on, you are a pawn."

Kang Lu did not expect that he would be promoted to three ranks in an instant, from an ordinary holy soldier to an officer commanding hundreds of people.He knelt down and kowtowed, and said very excitedly: "His Royal Highness Xie Yiwang rewards you. Kang Lu is for the cause of the kingdom of heaven. Although he is heartbroken, he will never change his determination!"