Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

In three days, Shi Dakai brought all his 30,000 elite troops to Wusong Mountain.

The area is full of strange rocks and lush forests, which is indeed the best place for killing and arson. Shi Dakai planned to set up a huge pocket here to put all of Zeng Guoquan's 40,000 Hunan troops in it in one breath!

Unfortunately, his appetite was too big. Wusong Mountain was just two or three peaks and the area was not vast. Jiangnan was densely covered with water networks and the official roads were not wide. The 40,000 Hunan troops stretched for more than ten miles on the road. How could Wusong Mountain accommodate them?

When Shi Dakai arrived at Wusong Mountain, he realized his mistake.

Shi Dakai frowned and said to Song Qingshan, "Qingshan, where is the Hunan Army now? What's the situation?"

Song Qingshan replied, "Your Highness, the Hunan Army is currently led by Zeng Guoquan himself. In front is the Hunan Army's cavalry battalion, numbering approximately three to four thousand men. Behind the cavalry battalion is the Hunan Army's central camp, with Zeng Guoquan in command. Behind the central camp are the Hunan Army's musket and artillery battalions. This time, Zeng Guoquan brought with him twenty powerful Western-style cannons to aid Anqing. The musket battalion is also incredibly powerful, equipped with new-style muskets purchased from America. There are over two thousand men in total. The rear army, led by the Hunan Army's fierce general Bao Chao, comprises the rear camp, along with the Hunan Army on both wings, numbering nearly twenty thousand men. We are now less than a hundred miles from Wusong Mountain."

Less than a hundred miles, that means the Hunan Army will arrive in two days. What should we do?

If the Taiping Army fails to complete the siege of the Hunan Army, it will be caught in a dilemma. If it is not careful, it will be bitten back by the Hunan Army. Not to mention that the Hunan Army no longer has its former peak combat power, similarly, the Taiping Army under Shi Dakai is definitely no longer as powerful as it was in the past.

When he was in Jiangxi and Anhui, Shi Dakai had many famous generals under his command, and his army was extremely brave and defeated the Hunan Army. However, now, those battle-hardened generals under Shi Dakai's command have been exhausted in four or five years of war. Even Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng have died one after another. The Taiping Army can no longer gain much compared to the Hunan Army!

Wang Haiyang frowned and said, "Your Highness, this place is a bit too small. If Zeng Guoquan really comes with 40,000 troops, we won't be able to surround them..."

Shi Dakai nodded and sighed, "It seems that I am too greedy. However, even if I can't kill all of Zeng Guoquan's Hunan Army, I will at least make him suffer a heavy loss!"

Wang Haiyang said anxiously, "Your Highness, our troops are insufficient. Fighting them head-on is not a good idea. You know, the Qing army has plenty of troops in reserve. If they annihilate 10,000, they still have 20,000. If they annihilate 20,000, they still have 50,000. But we are different. Before our base is stable, every loss is a loss!"

Shi Dakai shook his head. "The Qing army is coming with such force. We must strike them head-on before the rest of the Hunan army arrives. If we don't kill their prestige, the next battle will be even more difficult. You know, we'll have to face sieges from Zuo Zongtang, Li Hongzhang, and even Luo Bingzhang later. If we can't win this battle, how can we defeat them? If we don't defeat Zeng Guoquan, how can Li Shixian and others believe that under my leadership, we can re-establish the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom?"

Wang Haiyang's expression froze. King Yi was right. After all, his vision and breadth of mind were far inferior to King Yi's. He only considered the outcome of a battle, while King Yi had already taken into account the influences and reactions of all parties behind the battle.

It's true that with the fall of Tianjing and the death of the Heavenly King, the entire Taiping Heavenly Kingdom no longer had anyone comparable to the Wing King in terms of prestige, ability, and seniority. However, even if the Wing King was highly respected, could he truly control the situation? Not necessarily. If he were one of the Wing King's old subordinates, then it would be fine. But what if he wasn't? Shi Dakai was just the Wing King. Without a will or an order from above, the Qing demons were at their peak, and his departure from the capital would all be grounds for criticizing Shi Dakai!

Now the King of Wings is fighting a desperate battle. If he defeats Zeng Guoquan in one fell swoop, his prestige will be established again. No matter whether they are his old subordinates or subordinates of other kings, they will all move towards Anqing and gather under the banner of the King of Wings to continue fighting against the Qing demons. If he fails in this battle, everything will be in vain. If he can't even deal with Zeng Guoquan, how can he deal with the more powerful Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang?

Shi Dakai looked at Song Qingshan and asked, "Qingshan, you just said that the Qing demons' artillery, spearmen, and cavalry are all gathered in the front army?"

Song Qingshan nodded and replied, "That's right, my Lord, that's exactly what happened. The Qing demon army's vanguard consists of approximately 25,000 men, and the encircling force behind them is led by over 10,000 men, approximately ten miles from the vanguard, and they are also transporting baggage..."

Shi Dakai nodded and replied, "Okay, then let's concentrate our forces and wipe out their vanguard! Send out orders to transfer 2,000 men from the right camp to reinforce Zhang Suimou. Have him occupy the mountain pass on the east side of Wusong Mountain. I know there are two high hills there. Hold them firmly and keep Bao Chao out!"

"Order Fu Zhongxin to gather all our artillery at Dongshan. Once the battle begins, aim all of our artillery at the Qing Yao artillery and musket battalion. Don't be stingy with your shells. Before the Qing Yao organize a counterattack, break their sharpest teeth!"

"Haiyang, tell the soldiers on the West Mountain side that if the Qing demon cavalry breaks through, stop them if you can, but let them go if you can't! Our target is the central army, the musket battalion and artillery. If we kill the elite central army of the Hunan Army, the three or four thousand cavalry will not be a concern!"

Shi Dakai quickly conveyed his orders one after another, and his thoughts were extremely clear.

Since it was impossible to swallow up the Hunan Army in one go, then they had to strike at its weakest point. They had to kill Zeng Guoquan's most powerful Central Army and the Foreign Rifle Battalion and Artillery Battalion first. Without these elite troops, Bao Chao in the back and the Qing cavalry in the front were separated into two parts by the Taiping Army. That meant that the front and rear could not take care of each other, which made it convenient for the Taiping Army to defeat them one by one!

Shi Dakai was a veteran of hundreds of battles and was definitely the most outstanding military general in China in the 19th century. In just less than a cup of tea, Shi Dakai made the most effective battle deployment, and the Taiping Army took action again in Wusong Mountain.

It was not until dark that the deployment of the army was completed. Shi Dakai gently closed his eyes and said, "Just wait. There is still one day left. According to the time calculation, the Qing army will arrive at the latest the morning of the day after tomorrow. By then, prepare a big meal for them!"