Chapter 72 Qizhangshu Town was humiliated, Shi Dakai defeated Zeng Guofan three times

Soon, Emperor Xianfeng granted Zeng Guofan the right servant of the Ministry of War, and he was still in charge of military affairs in Jiangxi, and Shen Zhaolin was also responsible for his post.This appointment did not change the situation of Zeng Guofan's solitary guest position in Jiangxi. The prefectures and counties listened to the orders of the governor and the two divisions, and did not buy the accounts of the military officials.A few days ago, Zeng Guohua sent someone to complain, saying that one of his whistle chiefs was captured by Xinchang County as a long hair because he was traveling at night on business.Zeng Guohua went to negotiate with the official document stamped "The Right Minister of the Imperial Military Department, Guan Fang", but was ignored by the Xinchang County Magistrate. What kind of official is your lord?This made Zeng Guohua dumbfounded.

Zeng Guofan was so angry that he couldn't attack.In the end, Wen Jun had to use Wen Jun's governor's seal to release the whistle chief.Peng Shouyi also came to complain, saying that the lijin was decreasing day by day, and that Kading suffered from anger all day long, and incidents of being beaten to death and buried alive frequently happened.Zeng Guofan was in great distress. Without money, how would this huge army survive and fight? "There are still ways to think about the money." Guo Songtao's father and uncle both went through business, and after all, they have seen a lot here.Seeing that Zeng Guofan was worried about the payment and bank all day long, he came up with an idea and said, "I will go to Hangzhou for you and lobby He Guiqing, the governor of Zhejiang Province, to ask him to support 30,000 yuan of Zhejiang salt. It is estimated that the 30,000 yuan of Zhejiang salt will be sold in Jiangxi. A profit of 100,000 taels of silver. In addition, you can also report difficulties to the court and ask the court to allocate a batch of salaries from the Shanghai customs. There are many merchants in Shanghai, the goods are piled up, and the silver is as much as water. no problem."

Zeng Guofan thought that these two ideas were very good, so he immediately appointed Guo Songtao to go to Hangzhou, and asked the imperial court to quickly transfer 100,000 Shanghai customs silver to help Xiangyong's urgent need, and nominated Yuan Fangying, the prefect of Suzhou, to handle it.He also sent someone to send a letter to Xiangxiang, asking the ninth younger brother Guoquan to double the size of the original recruitment of brave men, and enter Jiangxi from Liling all the way to fill the vacancy after Luo Zenan went to the south.Just as Zeng Guofan was trying his best to get rid of the economic and military difficulties, Shi Dakai, the winged king of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and his comrades were planning another big operation.

After Shi Dakai entered Hubei, the whole way was like a broken bamboo, and almost all the counties in southeastern Hubei were conquered by the Taiping Army.After Luo Zenan entered Hubei, he took a team and ran straight to Wuchang. He wanted to rush into Wuchang with a surprise army and win the first victory in recapturing Wuchang; .Shi Da opened the road and let Luo Zenan drive straight in.His strategy is to close the door and beat the dog, let Luo Zenan in, and then join forces with Wei Jun and Hu Yihuang to attack from north to south and wipe out Luo Zenan's army. "Your Highness, I have a different idea." Kang Lu, who was promoted to the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Army because of his meritorious service in ambushing Hukou to intercept Li Mengqun's sampan, said to Shi Dakai.

"What do you think, little brother?" Shi Dakai likes Kang Lu very much. Although he is only two years older than Kang Lu, among Shi Dakai's senior staff, Kang Lu, like Chen Yucheng, is the youngest after all. One group, so Shi Dakai often called him and Chen Yu a little brother. "Your Highness, the idea of ​​attacking Luo Zenan from the north and the south is very good, but I think that Wei Guozong and others are defending firmly in Wuchang, and Luo Zenan is like an egg hitting a stone, so it is not a concern. Now Zeng Yaotou is in Jiangxi's old lair, but because of Taqibu's death, Luo Zenan Walking away is empty. I heard that Zeng Guohua is arrogant and incompetent, Zhou Fengshan is brave and resourceless, Li Yuandu is indecisive, and Peng Yulin's Neihu Navy is trapped in Poyang Lake. Zeng Yao is alone and weak in Jiangxi. It is better for our army to return now. When I returned to Jiangxi, I took the opportunity to destroy the Xiangyao's lair and capture the head of the demon, Zeng Guofan, alive."

Shi Dakai admired Kang Lu's idea very much, and without anyone noticing, he led his troops to cross Mufu Mountain, and conquered Yining Prefecture in one fell swoop with lightning speed.Within three or four days, Xinchang, Wanzai, and Shanggao counties were taken one after another, and Zeng Guohua was forced to flee eastward. When the news reached Nanchang, Wen Jun was shocked, and Pegasus asked Zeng Guofan to send him to resist bravely.Zeng Guofan transferred Zhou Fengshan to lead the 5,000 troops stationed in Zhulindian to Ruizhou to contain them first, and then assisted Zeng Guohua to rectify the collapse, and then followed.On the way to Ruizhou, I heard a series of unfavorable news; Shi Dakai, with the cooperation of Zhou Peichun, the leader of the Jiangxi Tiandihui, successively captured more than ten counties in Linjiang Mansion and Yuanzhou Mansion. Chen Zongyuan, the prefect of Ji'an, was shot to death in Ji'an, and the Yiwang Banner was planted on the tower of Ji'an, a famous city in southern Jiangxi.

Zeng Guofan led more than 7,000 people from Zhoubu and Huabu to Zhangshu Town, 50 miles away from Linjiang Mansion, and ordered them to camp there.Zhou Fengshan and Zeng Guohua were puzzled. Zeng Guofan said: "Zhangshu Town is close to Rui and Lin in the west, and Fujian in the east. The army must pass through Zhangshu Town. Our army will set up camp here and wait for work at leisure, and we will surely win." Both Zhou Fengshan and Zeng Guohua agreed with this analysis.Zeng Guofan quickly sent someone to inform Peng Yulin to lead the Neihu Navy out of Qinglan Lake, pass through Sanjiangkou Town from Wuyang, sail into the Ganjiang River, and go south to Zhangshu Town to assemble, and fight Changmao in Zhangshu to the death.

A few days later, Kang Lu brought the Chinese army to Yongtai City.According to the Tanma News, Zeng Yaotou personally led 7,000 Lu divisions to station in Zhangshu Town, Hengliang, and Xiangxi.Kang Lu ordered camp to wait for King Yi to arrive.The next day, Shi Dakai led Lai Yuxin, the first commander of Dianyou, to arrive.Lai Yuxin was the bravest in battle. Xiang Yong hated him and feared him, calling him Lai Bopi. Shi Da rode his horse to check the terrain of Zhangshu Town.I saw that this area is full of undulating loess hills except for the Ganjiang River, and the south is connected to the tail of Baizhang Peak.There are mountains on both sides of this place, and a road in the middle.It was early spring, before the rains came, and the trees on the mountain were dry, as if there were piles of dry firewood all over the mountain that would catch fire.Seeing this, Shi Dakai had an idea in his mind, and said to Lai Yuxin and Kang Lu: "Zeng Yaotou fights, and never goes to the battlefield in person. He only hides in the camp behind. Zhou Fengshan and Zeng Guohua fought in the battle. These two Idiots are eager to win, so they should be used."

Kang Lu said: "Just now I followed King Yi to check the terrain. I think the dry forest at the foot of Baizhang Peak is a favorable condition bestowed on us by God." "It's easy to set fire!" Lai Yuxin said to point it out. Both Shi Dakai and Kang Lu laughed.Da Kai said: "We all thought of a piece. Let's set fire to the Xiang Yao here. However, no matter how stupid Zhou Fengshan and Zeng Guohua are, they will guard against this. We have to find a way to lure them into the bait." King Yi, Chief System, and Commander thought about it carefully. At dawn the next day, Kang Lu brought 2,000 people to Zhangshu Town to fight.Kang Fu was beside Zeng Guofan, seeing his younger brother wearing a dragon robe and a phoenix helmet, and riding on a tall horse with high spirits, he was very happy for his younger brother, but when he thought of the fratricide, he suddenly felt sad.

Zeng Guofan ordered Zhou Fengshan and Zeng Guohua to take 3,000 people to fight.Zeng Guohua said to Zhou Fengshan: "You deal with them head-on, and I attack their rear from the side." After all, he led 1,500 people to part ways with Zhou Fengshan. Kang Lu slapped his horse forward and fought with Zhou Fengshan. After more than ten rounds of fighting, he gradually failed. Zhou Fengshan was secretly happy, the more he fought, the more vigorous he became.At this moment, Zeng Guohua rushed out from behind, and the two armies attacked back and forth.Unable to resist, Kang Lu rode his horse and rushed eastward. The two thousand men and horses were routed, and they all dropped the things they carried on their backs and fled across the road.Xiangyong hadn't won a battle for a long time. Seeing the burdens and belongings thrown by the roadside, everyone was jealous and rushed to grab them.When I opened it, it was full of gold, silver and jewels, and I grinned with joy.Zeng Guohua reminded Zhou Fengshan: "Why did Changmao leave such a valuable thing? There is a fraud in it."

Zhou Fengshan said: "The sixth master is too worried. Changmao stole the treasure, if you don't take it with you, where do you put it? If you are defeated, you have to reluctantly leave it and run for your life." Zeng Guohua saw that Kang Lu led his troops to flee far away, and it didn't seem like a trick set up, so he didn't stop him anymore, and let his brave men fight each other to get their fill.In the evening, Zhou Fengshan said to Zeng Guofan: "It seems that Shi Ni is still in Ji'an and hasn't come. The leading thief is a useless guy." Zeng Guofan has never seen the banner with the words "Ying Wang", thinking: just before Shi Nifu will annihilate this group of enemies, and boost the morale that has been exhausted for a long time.That night, Zhou Fengshan and the sixth brother were really praised. The next day, Kang Luyi came to challenge.Xiangyong, who had tasted the sweetness, fought bravely and fought for the first. Kang Lu retreated while fighting, and slowly led Zhou Fengshan and Zeng Guohua to the foot of Baizhang Peak. The Taiping army dropped their belongings and fled towards the woods.Seeing that there were more things to pick up, Xiangyong was all happy, and the vanguard unknowingly entered the woods.As soon as Zhou Fengshan and Zeng Guohua entered the forest, some soldiers came to report that there were about ten large paintings erected on the side of the road ahead, all of which were Master Zeng.Zhou Fengshan and Zeng Guohua were so strange that they drove their horses into the woods.After walking less than a few feet away, I saw a lot of cards erected in front of me.These cards are about five feet square and are nailed to wooden stakes.The card is pasted with white paper, and pictures are drawn on the paper.When Zhou and Zeng looked at it, the first painting was a big knife cutting down a big boa constrictor.There is a line of big characters next to it: Slash the mangy snake with a knife - Zeng Yaotou!Zeng Guohua was so angry that his seven orifices were smoking, and he yelled immediately: "Chop up this brand for me!" The brave men came up in a swarm and destroyed this card; a few steps forward, there was another card, which showed Jinggang throwing water: Zeng Guofan, with disheveled hair, was jumping from the cabin to the Xiangjiang River in embarrassment.Without waiting for orders, the Yong Dings stepped forward to destroy it together.It turned out that the Taiping Army liked painting the most, and there were many talented people in the army who could paint.Everywhere I went, there were cartoons plastered around me, firstly as entertainment, and secondly as a way to boost morale.So King Yi decided on this strategy, and soon some masters drew more than ten large paintings.The whole painting shows Zeng Guofan's defeated battles in Jinggang, Yuezhou, Jiujiang and Hukou.Thousands of Xiangyong were full of curiosity, scrambling to squeeze into the woods, watching, destroying, and discussing, almost forgetting that they were fighting.When everyone was overjoyed, they rode into the woods and sent an order to Zhou Fengshan and Zeng Guohua: "Master Zeng has an order, the trees ahead are densely packed, fire attack is required, retreat quickly!" Zhou Fengshan and Zeng Guohua woke up like a dream, and hurriedly ordered to retreat, but it was too late.Suddenly there was a gunshot, and countless fire snakes flew out of the woods.These fiery snakes flew obliquely towards the treetops, and burned the branches when they rubbed against them. After falling, they burned the dead branches and leaves on the ground.In an instant, countless fires burned in the woods, crackling and crackling, burning more and more intensely, thick smoke rising, and sparks flying everywhere, scaring the thousands of Xiangyong who squeezed into the forest into panic, running around, and being trampled to death There are countless.At this time, Yiwang flags embroidered with the word "Shi" were planted everywhere in the forest. Zhou Fengshan and Zeng Guohua knew that Shi Dakai had already arrived, and the brave men lost their souls and lost all their courage.Zhou and Zeng commanded Xiangyong to rush out from the road. When he saw Lai Yuxin with wide-eyed tiger eyes, he was so distressed that he didn't dare to fight, and ran for his life in a hurry.Ten thousand soldiers of the Taiping Army surrounded him from all directions, killing Xiangyong, howling ghosts and howling, fleeing with his head in his arms, kneeling down and begging for mercy in large numbers. On another branch road, Kang Lu led five hundred light cavalry to attack the old camp of Xiangyong in Zhangshu Town. Zeng Guofan knew that the front had suffered a disastrous defeat and that Yong Ding had no fighting spirit, so he ordered a retreat. He was protected by Kang Fu and Peng Yuju and fled towards Nanchang.Because Kang Lu saw Zeng Guofan once in Baiyangping, he followed Zeng Guofan who was riding on the Zaozi horse, and shouted: "Brothers, catch Zeng Yaotou alive on the red horse!" Hearing the shout, Kang Fu knew that his younger brother was chasing him, so he followed Zeng Guofan closely without leaving a step.Kang Fu knew that his younger brother was very good at throwing darts, so he drew the knife from his waist and listened carefully to the voice behind the horse.At this time, Kang Lu had already thrown off the soldiers behind him, and chased Zeng Guofan alone.The speed of Zeng Guofan's jujube horse was beyond the reach of other horses, and besides Kang Fu, there was no one else beside him.Kang Lu shouted again from behind: "Zeng Yaotou, get off your horse and surrender, I can spare your death!" Zeng Guofan whipped the whip in his hand hard, and Zaozima ran crazily towards the path by the river, with Kang Fu following closely behind.On the water in the middle of the river, a group of boats was already approaching in the distance.Kang Lu was afraid that Zeng Guofan would escape from the river, so he took out a dart from his dart bag, and with all his strength, he hit Zeng Guofan in the back.When Kang Fu heard the sound of the dart, he swung the waist knife backward, only to hear a "clang sound", the dart hit the waist knife, a spark burst out, and they all fell under the horse's buttocks.Kang Fu knew that one dart missed, and a second dart was coming, so he jumped up from his own horse, jumped onto the Zaozi horse, sat behind Zeng Guofan, turned around and shouted: "Brother, your brother Kang Fu is here!" this!" Kang Lu was about to shoot the second dart, when he heard the shout, he was stunned: It really was his own brother!How can this dart be released?Kang Lu's hand softened, and the dart fell into the grass.Zaozi Ma took the opportunity to gallop.As the fleet approached the shore, Zeng Guofan saw that standing on the deck of the big ship ahead was Peng Yulin, the commander of the navy, and shouted: "Xueqin, save me!" Peng Yulin hurriedly rowed over and picked up Zeng Guofan and Kang Fu.Shui Yong on the boat fired cannons at the Taiping army on the shore, forcing Kang Lu to turn around.Peng Yulin put Kui Yong on board, unfurled the sails, and sailed downstream to Poyang Lake. After the boat sailed for a long time, Zeng Guofan was in shock.He stroked Kang Fu's shoulder and said, "Thanks to my brother today, otherwise, I would have passed away by this time." Kang Fu hurriedly knelt down and said, "Your Excellency, why did you say such a thing? This is your blessing. It's just that the waist knife that Your Excellency gave me was accidentally shot down by a dart. It's a pity." "What is a waist knife worth!" "Given by your lord, Kang Fu regards it as his life." After hearing this, Zeng Guofan said movedly: "Please get up, and I will give you another hand after returning to Nankang." After Kang Fu said "Thank you, sir", he stood up. "Price." Zeng Guofan looked at Tian Mo, the house that was slowly retreating, and said slowly, "I heard you shouting to the thief behind you, brother, who is that thief?" Kang Fu saw a gloomy glint in Zeng Guofan's eyes, and knew that there was no need to hide it, so he told Zeng Guofan about his younger brother, but deliberately concealed the assassination in Baiyangping.He thought of the gouged-eyed Ling Chi scene he saw with his own eyes in Wuchang, and suddenly his hair grew horrified. He knelt down again and said, "My lord, my brother has become a rebel and a traitor, but my elder brother can't make him change his ways. My heart is extremely painful. Kang Lu was unfaithful." Disobedience is a crime that cannot be punished. I hope that my lord will take Kang Fu lightly, and one day after Kang Lu is captured, I will definitely let Kang Fu meet and persuade him to abandon the dark side and turn to the bright side, and serve the court; if Kang Lu does not listen to the teachings, it will not be too late to kill him." Zeng Guofan stroked his beard and squinted his eyes, remained silent for a long time, and then slowly said: "A boy from a good family loses his status and becomes a thief. , since he is your younger brother, it is a different matter, and I also love him with superb martial arts skills. If you are willing to abandon the dark side and turn to the bright side, and serve the country, this department will not only not kill him, but will use him again. Don't worry, when you have the opportunity in the future, you will definitely use him. It is necessary to persuade the brothers to come over." Kang Fu hurriedly said: "The villain must obey the orders of the adults and persuade the brothers to leave the den of thieves and return to the court." After a short pause, Zeng Guofan said to himself: "At home that year, I also met an assassin who was good at using darts. This time, he is another assassin who can use darts. Did I have an enmity with the dartsman in my previous life?" Kang Fu pretended not to hear, and walked into the cabin.The boat had arrived at the mouth of the Sanjiang River, and the forward turned over the bow to report: "Bai Huihuai, a rebel at the mouth of the lake, stopped the downstream." Peng Yulin angrily ordered: "Get ready to fight!" "Wait a minute!" Zeng Guofan stopped Peng Yulin, "Xueqin, the Lu division has been defeated and morale is low. Now is not the time to fight. Why don't you go west by the Ganjiang River and stay in Nanchang temporarily, rest for a few days before we talk about it." Peng Yulin obeyed the order and commanded the warship to divert and reenter the Ganjiang River, heading straight for Nanchang. On the second day Zeng Guofan and his party first entered Nanchang, Shi Dakai surrounded Nanchang.In Nanchang City, Zeng Guofan, Wen Jun, and Lu Yuanhong panicked.While Zeng Guofan commanded the troops in the city to defend to the death, he dispatched Bao Chao and Li Yuandu to Nanchang for rescue.Over the past few days, the Taiping Army has continuously fired rockets and cannons into the city, dug holes in the ground, and tied ladders. The offensive is very fierce.Li Yuandu, Bao Chao's Lu Yong, and Li Mengqun's navy were blocked outside the encirclement and could not enter.Zeng Guofan went up to the city tower every day to see the flags of the Taiping Army outside the region flying, and the crowds of people, his heart was broken.He decided to immediately call back Luo Zenan and Li Xubin from the Hubei battlefield.Just after sending out the soldiers who sent the order, Liu Tenghong, a general who accompanied Luo Zenan to Hubei, rushed into Nanchang city alone, and told Zeng Guofan an unexpected and bad news: On the first day of the new year, Luo Zenan was shot in the right forehead under the city of Wuchang, and on the eighth day he was shot. Died in the barracks.Zeng Guofan was dumbfounded.Liu Tenghong handed the letter written by Luo Zenan before his death to Zeng Guofan.It reads: Mr. Disheng, Mr. and Mrs.: More than 20 years ago, I met my brother at the foot of Gaomei Mountain, and we are like flesh and blood.In the past four years, I have followed my brother to found Xiangyong, relying on my brother's morality, knowledge and ability, Xiangyong returned to Yuezhou, left Dongting, went to Wuchang, seized Tianzhen, spread the power of the river, and became famous all over the world.I really hope that I will drink horses and go to the pass with my brother, wipe out the giant bandits, and make me rejuvenate the Qing Dynasty; unexpectedly, I broke up in the middle way, my ambition was not fulfilled, and the sky is long, I hate it so much!I still remember that when I left Jiangxi, my brother repeatedly told me: "The king's army is only five thousand, and the number of thieves is tens of thousands. They can be combined and cannot be separated. Dividing them is not enough to support the enemy." Zenan's defeat this time was precisely due to the division of the army. .My brother's words are in my ears, and I regret it too late.Now Wuchang has not been restored, and Jiangxi is in danger. It is not known when the fire will be extinguished.Zenan is half a hundred years old, so what a pity to die, the matter is not over yet!Di'an's loyal people can be commanded by the rest of the ministry, and Runzhi is so generous that he can be the master of Hubei.Xueqin, Hou'an, and Pushan are all talents in the world, and they can be entrusted with great responsibilities.Zuo Jigao, a dragon among men, can be the commander of an army of millions, so it is not appropriate to let him besiege Hunan for a long time.Throughout his life, Zenan claimed that he could still work hard in his studies, but he failed in his studies and career, and he was ashamed to see his ancestors in Jiuquan.In recent years, I have also gained some experience in fighting long hair.I will be far away today, and I would like to send it to my brother: "It is useful to learn to stand firm in times of extreme chaos." There are thousands of words, it is difficult to confide, and I hope my dear brother will be cherished for the country. After reading it, Zeng Guofan burst into tears and cried: "Luoshan's great talent is rare in the world. It is my great misfortune for Xiangyong to break up in the middle way. You should remember all the words left by you!" He sent an order to set up a mourning hall for Luo Zenan in Nanchang, and personally led the crowd to mourn.Outside the territory, Shi Dakai commanded the Taiping Army to attack the city more urgently.There are fires everywhere in the city, and the three streets and six cities are in chaos.Zeng Guofan forced all men under the age of 50 and over the age of 15 to go to the city to resist, and he rode a jujube horse to patrol day and night.He secretly made up his mind that once the city was broken, he would kill himself immediately and follow Taqibu and Luo Zenan underground.Zeng Guofan called Jing Qi to his side: "If the city breaks down, you have to try to escape." He pointed to a bag and said: "Here are copies of the emperor's Zhu Zhu, imperial orders, and previous performances and letters over the past few years. , you have to send it to my hometown and leave it for future generations to watch." Wang Jingqi nodded in agreement.After a short pause, he said, "In Nankang Yamen, I have eight hundred taels of silver that I usually save. You take it back to the lotus leaf pond. The matter is too critical to write a book in detail. I should write a note for you." He casually took a piece of yellow bamboo paper and hurriedly wrote a few lines: Father, my lord, Wanfu Jin'an: my son has devoted his allegiance to the country.The 800 taels of silver are not military pay, but the son's salary, which Jing Qi has brought back, of which 400 taels are for his father's retirement, and 400 taels are for Jize's marriage.Father, please take care of it. Nan Guofan knelt down to report that night, Zeng Guofan put the sword donated by Wang Shiquan beside his pillow so that he could cut himself off at any time.When it was dark, the sound of cannons outside the city gradually faded away. After days and nights of hard work, Zeng Guofan fell asleep on the bed.When he woke up, Wen Jun came in and said excitedly, "All the long hairs are gone!" Zeng Guofan wiped his eyes, seeing the red sun hanging high outside the window, he knew it was not a dream.He hurriedly boarded the tower, only to see 50,000 Taiping soldiers leaving without a trace.He was secretly surprised, but he didn't know why.The reinforcements from all walks of life had already entered the city. Zeng Guofan looked at them, as if he had come back from the dead, and said with emotion: "A few days ago, when I heard the roar of the spring wind, my heart would break. I'm at a loss in the house, I really didn't expect to meet again today." Zeng Guofan hadn't been happy for a few days, and news of the fall of Fengcheng, Jinxian, Anren, and Wannian came from the east and north.It turned out that when Xiangrong Jiangnan camp besieged Tianjing, Shi Dakai was ordered by the king of heaven, Hong Xiuquan, to lead his troops out of Jiangxi and return to Tianjing via southern Anhui to relieve the siege, so they all evacuated Nanchang overnight.After Shi Da drove away, Jiangxi's military affairs were first presided over by Huang Yukun, Zhang Yigui, and then Wei Changhui, the northern king, and successively conquered Fuzhou and Raozhou.By June of the sixth year of Xianfeng, nine of the thirteen prefectures in Jiangxi were in the hands of the Taiping army, forming a relatively consolidated area ruled by the kingdom of heaven.The nine prefectures are: Jiujiang, Linjiang, Yuanzhou, Ji'an, Fuzhou, Jianchang, Ruizhou, Nankang and Raozhou.Zeng Guofan was at the pinnacle of danger in Jiangxi.