Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 167 Battle of Hengyang and Persuasion to Surrender

On the battlefield, the troops of both sides collided head-on.

The first sound was the crackling sound of musket fire.

Li Shixian ordered the Tang army to line up and then raise their guns to shoot.

Although the Tang army was unable to launch a volley due to the hindrance of a group of newly formed vanguard battalions.

But after a round of shooting, the enemies in front of them were knocked down.

He commanded the Tang army to fire several rounds in succession.

The battlefield is filled with smoke!
Seeing that the Qing army was getting closer, Li Shixian immediately ordered the Tang army to launch a bayonet charge and counterattack.

"Everyone, put on your bayonets and kill!"

Amid the shouts and cries of killing, the soldiers of both sides collided head-on like two waves, but what splashed out was not water, but blood.

The Tang army's main force pressed the vanguard battalion in the front and fought with the Qing army's Chu warriors.

With red eyes, Bao Chao raised his spear and charged towards a Qing soldier in front of him.

He just turned the gun slightly, and the spear in his hand pushed away the broadsword of the Qing army on the opposite side, and then stabbed it straight into the vital part of the chest.

The sharp spear tip pierced through the enemy's chest. Blood spurted out from the wound, but was blocked by the red tassel on the spear tip and dripped onto the ground along the red tassel silk.

It is precisely because of the existence of the red tassel blood barrier that the slippery blood will not affect the grip of the spear.

Bao Chao drew his gun and stepped back, then took the opportunity to stab another person, killing several people in one breath. In order to escape the current situation, Bao Chao behaved extremely bravely on the battlefield.

Jiang Zhongji, who led the charge, noticed the brave Bao Chao, and immediately shouted and rushed towards him.

"Thief, take your life!"

He raised his knife and swung it at Bao Chao, and Bao Chao also raised his gun and stabbed at him. The gun body knocked the long knife away, and the sharp gun tip brushed past Jiang Zhongji's face, almost killing him with one blow.

Jiang Zhongji broke out in a cold sweat, but before he could react, the spear in Bao Chao's hand stabbed out again like a poisonous snake.

However, Jiang Zhongji was not so lucky this time. Even though he tried his best to dodge, he was still stabbed in the shoulder by the bullet. He was pushed back several steps before he stopped.

Jiang Zhongji couldn't help but let out a cry of pain.

"Oh, what a thief!"

"Brothers, kill them!"

Jiang Zhongji waved his hands vigorously, and several personal soldiers around him rushed towards Bao Chao in front of him, trying to rescue their own general.

But Bao Chao was not stupid. Seeing several Qing soldiers coming towards him at the same time, he immediately dropped his gun and retreated.

He picked up a long knife at random and started to fight back.

His skills are quite good, and he is not at a disadvantage even when facing many opponents at the same time.

Jiang Zhongji covered his wound and gritted his teeth as he commanded his personal soldiers to surround and kill Bao Chao.

Just at this moment, a burst of gongs and drums suddenly sounded on the battlefield, and the Tang army began to retreat.

Seeing this, Bao Chao swung his sword to force back several people, then turned and ran. Behind him, the Qing army was still chasing him closely.

The Qing army, which had been suppressed, launched a counterattack.

Chasing the defeated Tang army towards Hengyang City.

Seeing this, the main force of the Qing army led by Jiang Zhongyuan thought that Jiang Zhongji's troops had made a major breakthrough, and without any hesitation, they immediately ordered the army to launch a general attack.

Amid the shouts and cries of killing, the Tang army continued to retreat towards the direction of Hengyang City.

During this process, the vanguard battalion, which was used as cannon fodder, suffered heavy casualties, with corpses strewn all over the ground.

But precisely because of this, the Qing army had no doubt about the defeat of the Tang army, and chased the Tang army all the way to the city of Hengyang.

Seeing the city wall of Hengyang right in front of them, the Qing army couldn't help cheering.

Even Jiang Zhongyuan was very excited and shouted loudly.

"Wan Sheng!"

"The Qing Dynasty will be victorious, the rebels will be defeated, and the Qing Dynasty will live forever. Soldiers, follow me!"

He led his troops to attack the gap in the city wall.

But at this moment, a burst of artillery fire suddenly sounded on the battlefield.

boom! Boom boom!

Several clouds of smoke rose from the top of Hengyang City, and bullets flew towards the Qing army that was chasing the enemy on the battlefield.

The shells fell into the crowd, rolling and spinning, tearing the bodies of many Qing soldiers apart, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

Phew! Whoosh!

The sound of a rocket breaking through the air was heard.

Rockets fell to the ground, dragging long tails of flame. The moment the explosion sounded, the shock wave swept everything.

The Qing army, which was charging forward with great momentum and heading straight for Hengyang, was stunned by the sudden attack.

Soon, two teams of Tang troops left Hengyang from the east and west respectively, and then headed towards the south of Hengyang, preparing to encircle and attack the Qing Chu Yong army that was attacking Hengyang city.

The sound of artillery fire, the whistling of rockets cutting through the sky, and the deafening explosions continued to sound, together forming a symphony of death.

At the same time, the Tang army, which had been deployed in place, launched an attack on the Qing army's Chuyong from the east and west directions respectively.

"Fire! Fire!"

"put!"

Amid shouts, the Tang army lined up in formation fired a round of volleys.

After the first row of musketeers finished shooting, they retreated to the last row to reload. The second row stepped forward to fire the second volley, and the third row prepared.

After the second row has finished firing, they retreat to the back to reload, and the third row moves forward to fire a volley...

These Tang army soldiers, who were using muzzle-loading flintlock rifles, carried out a very standard line-up execution in accordance with military drill manuals.

At present, only a small number of elite troops in the Tang army can be equipped with breech-loading rifles. For the large troops that still use muzzle-loading rifles, queuing and shooting is definitely the most suitable tactic for them.

This has been tested by history!
All units of the Tang army practiced a lot on how to use this tactic.

The more you practice, the better your performance will be on the battlefield.

Under the alternating shooting of three rows of musketeers, Qing soldiers fell to the ground in rows, with many killed and wounded.

Li Shixian, who was originally retreating on the front battlefield, saw this and shouted loudly.

"Brothers, the demon has entered the game. Our army has ambushed us. Let's turn around and kill the demon!"

Under the command of Li Shixian, the Tang army, which was originally retreating in a hurry, quickly regrouped and launched a counterattack against the Qing army that was chasing them.

Under the three-sided encirclement of the Tang army, the Qing army began to retreat.

Jiang Zhongji, who was rushing in the front, was hit by a shell. His body was torn apart by the shell and he died on the battlefield.

Jiang Zhongyuan wanted to organize the Qing army to counterattack, but he was simply unable to do so. As soon as he assembled the troops, the next moment the Tang army's artillery fired at the crowd.

The result is obvious!

On the chaotic battlefield, he could only be swept away by the defeated soldiers and flee in the direction they came from.

Amid shouts and cries of killing, the Tang army pursued the fleeing Qing army on all fronts, continuously advancing in an attempt to completely trap Jiang Zhongyuan's troops on the battlefield under the city of Hengyang.

……

Changsha, the government prison.

This prison, which originally held the imperial criminals, now holds the imperial officials of the Qing Dynasty.

Hunan Governor Luo Bingzhang, Hunan Admiral Bao Qibao, Changsha Assistant General Qingde, and Hunan Brave Generals and Advisors Tazibu, Peng Yulin, Yang Yuebin, etc. were all among them. There was only one light in the dim cell.

Although this is a dungeon, it is the middle of summer so it is not cool at all. Instead, it is very hot and stuffy.

The dungeon was like a big stinking steamer, and everyone's face was filled with despair.

After Tazibu was captured, his injuries were simply treated by the Tang army's military doctor.

But because the environment he was in was so harsh, even so, the wounds on Tazib's body began to fester and fester, and he even had a fever so high that he started talking nonsense and shivering.

Looking at Tazib lying in front of them, everyone felt a sense of sympathy.

Who could have thought that the Qing Dynasty would be defeated so miserably in the Battle of Changsha?

The Hunan Army is finished, Changsha is lost, and even he and his people have fallen into the hands of the Tang bandits!
At this moment, the dungeon door was opened from the outside.

I saw a man in an official robe walking in from outside, and several yamen runners were carefully leading the way for him.

When this person approached, Luo Bingzhang and others were obviously stunned.

Because they knew the person who came.

Guo Songtao?
The visitor turned out to be Guo Songtao, Zeng Guofan's former aide.

Guo Songtao walked out of the cell, bowed to everyone and said.

"It's been a long time since we last met, everyone. I hope you are well!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Bingzhang frowned and said with a very unhappy expression.

"Mr. Guo, why are you here? Are you a thief?"

"Can you really live up to the respect that Master Zeng has shown you?"

Guo Songtao was not angry when he heard this, but just laughed and said.

"I surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, not because I surrendered to the enemy, but because I was lucky enough to have a wise master and was willing to serve him."

"If even the Tang Dynasty, which expelled the Tartars and restored China, was a thief, then what about the Qing Dynasty, which shaved its head and changed its clothes?"

What Guo Songtao said now actually came from the heart.

Although the process was not pleasant when he and Zuo Zongtang were invited from Hunan to Guangdong.

But the result is still good!

Guo Songtao had only served the Tang Dynasty for half a year, but now he had already been promoted to the acting prefect of Changsha.

How could Guo Songtao not be grateful to the great king Li Yi for trusting him so highly?

If he had continued to follow Zeng Guofan, let alone being the prefect of Changsha, he would probably be sitting in a cell eating fruit like Luo Bingzhang and others.

After speaking, Guo Songtao continued.

"I came to the prison today on behalf of the King of Tang to persuade you to surrender."

"My king is eager to recruit talented people. If you are willing to surrender, my king will certainly use you."

As if afraid that his statement would not be attractive, Guo Songtao continued.

"In less than half a year, I was able to rise from a commoner to the position of prefect of Changsha. With your talents, if you are willing to serve the Tang Dynasty, you will surely be given important positions."

"Official positions, titles, wealth and honor are all within your reach as long as you are willing to serve!"

"I hope you gentlemen can consider this carefully."

Upon hearing this, Luo Bingzhang flatly refused.

"Thief, no need to say more."

"Today I have fallen into your hands. It is my bad luck. I will die if I die."

"But it is absolutely impossible for me to betray the Qing Dynasty and join the Tang thieves."

"I am definitely not the kind of person who is afraid of death!"

Luo Bingzhang had already risen to the position of Governor of Hunan in the Qing court, and was deeply trusted by the court.

Whether out of loyalty or for the sake of his reputation after death, he absolutely could not surrender to the enemy.

On the contrary, officials and generals such as Peng Yulin and Yang Yuebin, who held lower positions and were not valued by the court, could not help but be tempted.

However, Luo Bingzhang had said so much before, which put them in a difficult position and made them feel uncomfortable to speak rashly.

Otherwise, wouldn't it seem that they are too afraid of death?

Guo Songtao's eyes swept over several people, taking in the changes in their expressions.

Then he continued.

"Of course I know that none of you are afraid of death, but death must be worth it."

"Is it really worth dying for the Manchu Tartars?"

"The Manchu Tartars are a foreign race that came to rule the Central Plains. They not only usurped the throne of China, but also treated the Han people as slaves. They also drained the blood and sweat of the people to feed their millions of Eight Banner insects."

"They even shaved their heads and changed their clothes, and launched a literary inquisition, trying to completely destroy the clothing culture of our Han people."

"If you die now, you will be buried with the reputation of being an accomplice in destroying the Han culture. How is it different from Hong Chengchou and Sun Zhixie?"

"Also, you might as well take a look at your own clothes and the golden rat tail on the back of your head."

"Will you really have the face to meet your ancestors in the underworld after you die dressed like this?"

"When our ancestors ask you why you shaved your hair, are you going to tell them that your scalp is itchy?"

"Do any of you still remember the teachings of Confucius? Do you still understand that your body and hair are given by your parents and should not be damaged easily?"

Guo Songtao knew that intellectuals valued their reputation, so he used his reputation to pressure them, hoping that they would make the right choice out of shame.

When Luo Bingzhang heard this, his face turned blue and red. He wanted to refute Guo Songtao, but he didn't know where to start.

After all, the Qing Dynasty's shaving of hair and changing of clothes and the widespread literary inquisition are facts.

After he finished speaking, Guo Songtao turned around and left without saying anything more, preparing to give Luo Bingzhang and others some time to think about it.

There is no need to rush to persuade people to surrender.

……

After the Battle of Changsha, the Tang army did not rest.

Li Yi ordered his men to continue fighting northwards, trying to capture important cities such as Xiangyin and Yuezhou in one go, take over Dongting Lake, and approach the Yangtze River.

On the other hand, he personally led people to climb Yuelu Mountain for inspection.

The world-famous Yuelu Academy is located at the foot of Yuelu Mountain. Since Li Yi came to Changsha, he naturally would not miss it.

Inspecting Yuelu Academy and climbing Yuelu Mountain are natural things to do.

When Li Yi arrived at the foot of Yuelu Mountain, Ding Shanqing, the current principal of Yuelu Academy, came to the gate of the academy to greet him with many teachers and students from the academy.

When the Taiping Army captured Changsha last year, Ding Shanqing organized students to resist because the Taiping Army wanted to exterminate Confucius, drive out Confucianism, burn books and destroy temples, and had an attitude of wiping out Confucianism.

It caused a lot of trouble to the Taiping Army!

So, after the Taiping Army captured Changsha, out of revenge, they simply burned down the Yuelu Academy, and even all the books and ancient books in the academy were burned.

The current Yuelu Academy was actually rebuilt after the war with funds donated by many students of the academy, but it has not yet been completed.
In fact, when the Tang army came to attack Changsha this time, Ding Shanqing was also prepared to resist.

However, after the Tang army successfully captured Changsha and Li Yi showed an attitude of being eager to seek talents and valuing talents.

In order to prevent Yuelu Academy from suffering from war again, Ding Shanqing chose to surrender.

(End of this chapter)