Chapter 36 The two solitary troops marched alone, the plague raged, and Zeng Guoquan was in trouble

After Zeng Guoquan took the task of attacking Jinling, he and Zeng Zhenqian led Jiziying and Zhenziying to march eastward ambitiously, conquering all the way, from Wuhu and Taipingfu to Molingguan and Fangshan. Go to Yuhuatai outside the south gate of Jinling City, and set up the old camp beside the ruins of Baoen Temple Pagoda.This pagoda built in the Southern Song Dynasty is as high as 13 floors, which is quite spectacular.During the Tianjing Incident in the sixth year of Xianfeng, Wei Changhui, the king of the north, was afraid that Shi Dakai, the king of the wing, would use this pagoda to attack the city when he returned to attack Tianjing, so the pagoda, which lasted more than 700 years, was demolished by Wei Changhui.

Zeng Guoquan and his confidant generals Li Chendian, Xiao Fusi, Liu Lianjie, Peng Yuju, Zhu Hongzhang and others came to this famous city in the south of the Yangtze River for the first time.He asked Wei Jun to take him and the generals from near the South Gate to the Taiping Gate, and carefully read the discussion all the way, which took a whole day.Wei Jun told him that only 10% of the 30% of the Jinling wall was gone.Zeng Guoquan and the others were taken aback, and thought to themselves: Jiziying and Zhenziying together only have more than 20,000 people. It would be a dream to encircle Tianjing like Ji'an and Anqing in the past!Zeng Guoquan, who has always been stubborn, conceited, arrogant and reckless, regretted that he should have entered the army rashly, but the matter has come to this point, and he has no choice but to bite the bullet and persevere.Zeng Guoquan ordered all the soldiers to build strong fortifications in deep ditches and high fortifications in the Yuhuatai area, and prepare for a long-term siege. He hoped that other people from all walks of life would come to Jinling City soon.Unexpectedly, the other roads to Jinling each have their own difficulties.

Li Xuyi, the coach of the North Road and the governor of Anhui, was just about to leave the army. Suddenly, he received the news of his father's death and hurried home to attend the funeral. General Tang Xunfang and his troops were blocked in Shouzhou and could not go south.Bao Chao was blocked in Ningguo, and he was unable to enter.Just a few days after Duolong'a set off, the imperial court ordered him to go to Shaanxi as an imperial envoy, so the West Road disappeared.Because the navy needs to repair the warships and wait for the foreign guns to be shipped from Guangdong, it also temporarily lingers on the section of the river from Chizhou to Tongling.Of the five groups of people, the other four groups could not arrive on time. Zeng Guoquan was very angry in Yuhuatai, and Zeng Guofan was also anxious day and night in Anqing.Every night before going to bed, Zeng Guofan would go to the small room on the third floor.There was an old cattail mat in that room. Zeng Guofan knelt on the cattail mat and prayed silently to the sky, begging God to bless all the military forces with success and take Jinling as soon as possible.

Not only did Zeng Guofan's prayer not seek blessings for the Hunan Army, but a plague suddenly spread outside Jinling City, bringing huge disasters to the Hunan Army by Yuhuatai.In just a few days, more than 300 Hunan troops died.In a barracks, as long as one person gets sick, it will spread immediately. In the morning, it looks fine, but at night, it will be stiff and unable to lie down.Ten people were sent overnight to carry the corpses out to bury them, and when they came back to count the number of people, there were only five people left; when they searched with lanterns and torches, they saw five corpses lying on the side of the road along the way.Zeng Guoquan was frightened and went to the doctor to find the medicine. When the nearby medicine was sold out, he sent people to Anhui, Hubei and other places to buy it. Before the medicine was bought, more than a thousand people died.Li Xiucheng took this opportunity to aggressively attack Yuhuatai, and Zeng Guoquan had to lead the sick and winning soldiers to resist, which made him burnt out and in great pain.Li Xiucheng attacked several times, and his troops were also infected with the plague. He was so frightened that he dared not contact the Hunan army again, so that Jiziying was rescued from the border that was on the verge of annihilation.

Just as Zeng Guoquan was taking a breather, Zeng Zhengan, the commander of the Zhenzi Battalion, suddenly contracted the plague and died.Zhenziying was merged into Jiziying.The sad news spread to Anqing, and Zeng Guofan was very sad when he heard about it.Zeng Guoquan lived alone in Yuhuatai, and suffered repeated misfortunes, which made Zeng Guofan restless day and night.He hoped that Lao Jiu would temporarily withdraw from Yuhuatai and join forces with Bao Chao's Tingzi Battalion, but Lao Jiu disagreed.So Zeng Guofan wrote to Li Xuyi, who was guarding the system at home, asking him to inspect the division and lead the Northern Route Army southward quickly, but unexpectedly Li Xuyi himself was ill and blind, and could not respond to orders.Zeng Guofan also ordered Li Hongzhang to send two thousand soldiers from Cheng Xueqi's Kaizi battalion to Yuhuatai, but Cheng Xueqi fought bravely. Li Hongzhang was relying on him and refused to let him go. He only agreed to transfer Wu Changqing to go.Zeng Guofan knew that most of Wu Changqing's Qingzi battalions were untrained Xinyong, so he simply gave up.He held a condolence ceremony for Man Di in Anqing, and after personally delivering the coffin to the westbound ship, he immediately disembarked by boat to check the situation of the Jizi camp at Yuhuatai.

Before leaving, Zeng Guofan took the ancestral sword of the Wang family that Wang Shiquan had given him back then, and made a decision in his heart: first try his best to persuade Lao Jiu to withdraw his troops temporarily, if he insists on not withdrawing, he will give this sword as a gift to encourage him to reach his goal as soon as possible. Purpose. The navy of the Taiping Army fell into a slump after being defeated in the Battle of Tianjia Town. Later, Zhou Guoyu's brothers died in battle one after another, and the navy basically collapsed.The thousands of miles of the Yangtze River are full of warships of the Hunan Army Navy, but the Taiping Army built fortresses at several important passes on the river near Tianjing to strengthen the defense, so that the Hunan Army Navy did not dare to break in. .These important passes, from west to east, are: Dashengshangguan, Fenglinzhou, Yongdingzhou, Sanchahe, Jiufuzhou, Laojiangkou, Caoxie Gorge, Qilizhou, and Yanziji.Zeng Guofan's boat stopped at Luoxing Temple, twenty miles away from Dasheng Shangguan, and got into the green woolen sedan chair that had been waiting there, under the protection of three hundred Xiangyong commanded by Peng Yuju. To Yuhuatai.

For several days, Zeng Guoquan accompanied his eldest brother to check the terrain outside Jinling City and the distribution of more than 20,000 horses in the Jizi Daying Camp.By this time the plague had passed, and the barracks had just recovered.Zeng Guofan was very satisfied when he saw that the ninth brother's camp was firmly established, the fortress was solid, and the trench was dug deep and wide. "Yuanfu, even so, Jiziying still has to be withdrawn for the time being. After the North Road reaches Jiangbei, Tingziying enters Liyang, and then goes three ways to surround Jinling." In Zeng Guoquan's old camp, there were only the two of them left in the room. When they were brothers, Zeng Guofan persuaded the ninth brother again.

"Brother, you set up troops at the foot of Jinling City, drinking horses by the Qinhuai River, from the day you came out of the mountain to Changsha to do Xiangyong, you have established this ambition, and the day you have been looking forward to for ten years has finally arrived. Now the plague has passed and the barracks have resumed. If you get angry, Zhengyi is here wholeheartedly preparing for the siege, how can you say to retreat?" Although Zeng Guoquan was not infected with the epidemic, he was much darker and thinner than when he was in Anqing, but when he spoke, he was still the same tiger as before. Tiger is angry.

"It's okay if you don't withdraw all of them. There is another plan for you to consider." Zeng Guofan is well aware of the temper of the ninth brother, and it is difficult for anyone to persuade him to do things he is unwilling to do. "There are 70,000 to 80,000 long hairs in Jinling City, more than 100,000 long hairs in Suzhou and Changzhou, and more than 20,000 people in Jiziying are all stationed here. In case the long hairs mobilize 100,000 horses to surround you all, you must It is also difficult to break out of the siege. In the military, the most taboo is dull soldiers. If 20,000 people gather together for a long time, they will become dull soldiers. It is better to free up two men, Peng Yuju and Liu Lianjie, to go out and roam outside as living soldiers."

"It's good to have two active soldiers outside, but the division of troops is bound to be single, and it will be even more difficult for the long hair to surround." Zeng Guoquan still insisted on his opinion. "I can't just see Jiziying in a predicament and ignore it. Yuanfu, merit must be achieved and fame must be contended for. But since ancient times, those who have achieved great things have been half by manpower and half by fate. Although you are so strong and capable, the fate is not going well at present. Seeing that the ninth younger brother didn't listen, Zeng Guofan couldn't help feeling anxious, "The plague broke out, the whole army died more than 2,000 people, and the morale of the army was greatly frustrated. This is the first point of destiny. The road cannot be marched smoothly, this is the second point of fate. The sudden death of Zhenqian is the third point of fate. With these three points, the Jiziying must be withdrawn for the time being."

"Brother's words are certainly reasonable, but he often tells us that achievements can be made, fame can be established, and people's hard work is in the ears. He also said that half of the world's affairs are forced and stimulated, and now Although the timing is not favorable, this is the time when we are struggling to know what to do, and we must do things under pressure and excitement. I plan to return Xingnan to Xiangxiang in a few days to recruit another 30,000 strong and brave men to Jinling, Hunan There are not so many in the township, so go to Baoqing Mansion to recruit. There are 50,000 people, and I promise to take Jinling!" Zeng Guoquan's words are exactly the creed that Zeng Guofan pursued in the past: the harder it is, the harder it is to struggle.Could it be that he is over half a hundred years old and has a first-rank official residence, which has bred the lack of officialdom?Or are you intimidated by temporary difficulties?In his heart, Zeng Guofan admired the fighting spirit of the ninth brother to face difficulties, and was at a loss for words for a while, and he didn't know what words to answer. "Brother, I still have a lot to say to you, can you listen to me first?" Zeng Guoquan brewed a bowl of clear Bi Luochun for his eldest brother, and handed it over with both hands. "I came to Jinling to see your layout first, and to hear your opinion. If you have anything to say, tell the eldest brother!" Zeng Guofan took a sip of tea and urged his ninth brother to continue. "Brother, according to my brother's opinion, as long as my auspicious camp is established in Yuhuatai, I will be the first person to enter Jinling in the future." Zeng Guoquan's confident attitude and words made Zeng Guofan Pay special attention to his words. "Okay! Big brother is so eager to do so. You can tell me why it must be you and not someone else." "Brother, I see it this way." Zeng Guoquan expressed his thoughts calmly, "Changmao's strength is not in Jinling but in southern Jiangsu, which is the so-called Sufu province of Changmao, and Zhejiang Province. In Li Shaoquan and Zuo Jigao, who dealt with Changmao in these two places, are rare talents nowadays, and both of them are extremely good and strong, and they have the support of foreigners. I believe that within a year or so, they will become The situation in southern Jiangsu and Zhejiang will be brought under control. In this way, the backyard of Jinling will catch fire, food and salaries will not be provided, reinforcements will not be able to come, and the city will inevitably be chaotic. As an isolated city, Jinling will only be captured sooner or later. Dare to come to the city without authorization again and take my credit? If I withdraw my troops at this moment, there is no guarantee that Shaoquan or Ji Gao will not take advantage of the situation and send troops in. For both of them, brother, you have to be a little wary." Zeng Guoquan's analysis is not without reason.He smiled and said, "It seems that you are getting better and better at the battle." After being praised by his eldest brother, Zeng Guoquan became even more excited: "Brother, I want to tell you something important." There was a strange look in Zeng Guoquan's eyes, "In the past two months, I have sent more than a hundred Smart and capable brothers broke into Jinling City, asking them to spy on information, contact the country gentry, and win over those who are not very determined among the long-haired people, and they have gained a lot in this regard.” "Yuanfu, you have a good idea!" Zeng Guofan admired it very much. The younger brother in front of him is no longer the stubborn and stupid bastard he used to be, but a real commander of the army.Sending spies into the city didn't even occur to him. "What gains?" The news in Jinling City is not only important to Zeng Guoquan, but even more important to Zeng Guofan, the commander of the entire Hunan Army. "They report the situation to me every day. According to the information they provided, Changmao's defeat is inevitable. Ever since their Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan entered Jinling, he has been spending time, drinking and having fun in the Palace of Heavenly Kings, regardless of military and political affairs. First it was all entrusted to Yang Xiuqing, then it was trusted by two half-brothers, and now it is completely entrusted to his clan brother Hong Rengan." "It is said that this person has very low qualifications, but his knowledge is not bad." Zeng Guofan interjected. "Yes, the long-haired generals refused to accept him. He can only talk about the war on paper, but not in the actual war; he has created a new chapter of senior management, which is completely empty paper. Chang Mao's vitality has been severely damaged since the internal strife. The propaganda that everyone is equal turned out to be false, and many senior generals within Changmao have seen through it. Changmao fought wars, originally relying on Yang Xiuqing and Shi Dakai, and later relying on Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng." "Yang Xiuqing and Chen Yucheng are dead. I sent a letter to Meng Rong, saying that Shi Dakai had been cornered by them and had become a shackle. Now there is only one Li Xiucheng left. This man has a brain, and broke the Jiangnan Camp that year with a trick to attack Hangzhou, and his skillful use of troops is admirable. "The information Zeng Guoquan talked about is not top-secret information, Zeng Guofan has already grasped it. "Li Xiucheng is a talent, but Hong Chief doesn't trust him." "Really?" Zeng Guofan was surprised by this. He always thought that Li Xiucheng was someone Hong Xiuquan absolutely trusted. "Since the internal strife that year, Chief Hong no longer believed in people with different surnames. Later, Wei Jun surrendered, which made him even more uneasy about generals with different surnames who had heavy troops; On the one hand, Li Xiucheng and Hong Chief had many major differences. The policy he used in Suzhou was very different from Hong Chief's policy. It was only because Li Xiucheng was soft-hearted and often made some concessions to Hong Chief that the differences were not maintained. Superficial. Brother, if we don’t send people into the city, how can we get such confidential inside information.” "That's true." Zeng Guofan nodded, "Yuanfu, you should always tell me some important news about the Changmao upper class in the future." "Yes, yes, but brother, you have to exchange something." "Exchange?" Zeng Guofan couldn't help laughing, "What a powerful old nine, you can just say what conditions you want." "Brother, you have to buy me a hundred respectable cannonballs, and send me a thousand cannonballs every half a month." "I'll buy you one hundred respectable cannons. As for one thousand shells every half a month," Zeng Guofan paused for a while, "The Anqing Nei Ordnance Institute can't make two thousand shells a month at present, and I'll give them all to you." Not enough!" "Brother, if you don't give me all the flowering cannonballs made in Anqing, who will you give them to? I don't care how much I make, I will send two people to Anqing. If I don't take down Anqing, where did the ordnance in Anqing come from?" Place!" Zeng Guofan was taken aback when he heard this, and then forced a smile: "Old Jiu, you are getting stronger and stronger!" "If you are not strong, can you still lead troops to fight? My elder brother always told us to remember the teachings of our grandfather. Cowardice is a great shame for a man. The victory of Jinling is not the glory of my old nine alone, but also the glory of our Zeng family. glory!" What Lao Jiu said was also true. "Okay, okay, I'll give you everything, is there any other condition?" "There is one more." Zeng Guoquan pointed to the topographic map of Jinling hanging on the wall and said to his eldest brother, "As I said just now, the food and wages in Jinling City are mainly supplied from the south, but the north also supplies the city continuously, and the long hair comes from the north. All the food and salaries that come are stored in Jiufuzhou." Zeng Guoquan picked up the brush on the table and circled Jiufuzhou heavily, "then boarded a boat and transported it into the city. Therefore, Changmao built a The purpose of more than a dozen strong fortresses is to protect this passage. I would like to ask my elder brother to order Hou'an and Xueqin to immediately clear this area. In this way, the north gate of Jinling will be closed. Then, by I'm going to close the south gate." "Okay, I agree to this condition." Although the ninth younger brother Qiangliang is strong, he has a good spirit, and Zeng Guofan likes it from the bottom of his heart. "In this way, I will send someone to send information to Anqing once a day." Zeng Guoquan said proudly, and asked deliberately, "Brother, will the Jizi Camp be withdrawn?" "You shrewd ghost!" Zeng Guofan laughed happily, "Brother rewards your courage, and also gives you something." "What good thing?" Zeng Guoquan's interest increased greatly. "A sword." Zeng Guofan pulled out Wang's ancestral sword from his bag. "Let me see." As a commander of troops, Zeng Guoquan has a strong interest in weapons.He took the sword from his eldest brother, and with a "swipe", he pulled the sword completely out of the scabbard.I saw a flash of white light, and cold air rushed towards my face. "Good sword!" Commander Ji Ziying, who had seen hundreds of swords and swords, blurted out admiration. "Brother, where did this come from?" "That year when we held regiment training in Hengzhou, the descendants of Chuanshan Gong gave it to me. He said that his ancestors used this sword to storm into Jinling City. It was a mascot to conquer Jinling. In order to encourage Hunan Yong, he gave me this ancestral sword." Zeng Guoquan opened his eyes and listened, feeling excited.He has fully understood the purpose of his eldest brother forwarding it to him. "Brother, why didn't you give me such a good thing earlier?" "Brother didn't send it earlier because the time has not come." "Are you saying that Jiziying hadn't surrounded Jinling earlier?" "No, that's not the reason." Zeng Guofan deliberately lowered his voice, "Yuanfu, Mr. Shiquan told me that this sword has a peculiarity, every time it makes a meritorious service, it will cry once." "Is there such a thing?" Zeng Guoquan was surprised. "Mr. Shiquan said that on the eve before his ancestor Zhong Yigong entered Jinling, the sword blew once. It was passed on to Duke Chuanshan. When he went to Guangxi to find Emperor Yongli, he blew once more at night. That year When I went to Wangyaping to look up at the ruins of Chuanshan, Mr. Shiquan said that the sword blew again in the previous night. So he generously gave the sword to me. On the eve of leaving Anqing, the sword suddenly blew continuously. I miss it It’s because it doesn’t feel at ease living here with me, and it wants to go to the hero’s side to make contributions. Therefore, I brought it to Jinling.” These words were purely impromptu fabrications by Zeng Guofan.At that time, Wang Shiquan said that the sword would blew once every midnight, but in fact it never blew once.He knew that it was a trick played by the Wang family to deliberately raise the value of the sword.He felt that what he said was flawless, and it could give Lao Jiu firm confidence in winning. Sure enough, Zeng Guoquan, who conquered Anqing on the day of "the sun and the moon unite, and the five stars unite the pearl", has since claimed to be blessed by heaven, and at this time has no doubt that he is Ying Jianming's meritorious person.He thrust the sword into the scabbard heavily, and said, "Don't worry, big brother, this sword will surely enter Jinling City for the second time as the victor!" "Okay!" Zeng Guofan stood up, patted the ninth brother on the shoulder, and said solemnly, "This is exactly what big brother wants from you!"