Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

"Nine Generals..."

Bao Chao smiled bitterly and said, "We definitely can't go back to Tianjing now. Our only way out is to Hefei. This is a three-way intersection. East to Tongling and Tianjing, north to Hefei, and west to Anqing. We definitely can't go to Anqing, as it's like a sheep entering a den of wolves. We can't fly over the Yangtze River in the south either. The only way is to go north to Hefei..."

Zeng Guoquan was shocked and went to Hefei...

Hefei is about four or five hundred miles away from Wusong Mountain...

However, the Hunan Army was now surrounded at the foot of Wusong Mountain. Where else could they go except to Hefei? This unfortunate place!

"it is good!"

Zeng Guoquan gritted his teeth and shouted, "Immediately order the entire army to break out to the north with all our might. Once we break out, head straight for Hefei. Once we reach Hefei, we will regroup and fight Shi Dakai!"

Once the target was determined, the next thing became much simpler. Tens of thousands of Hunan troops, with cavalry as the spearhead, launched a fierce attack to the north, continuously attacking the Taiping Army's encirclement!

The Taiping Army was almost entirely composed of infantry, but in terms of impact power, they were incomparable to the cavalry!

After all, the Taiping Army's encirclement was broken open by the Hunan Army. A large number of cavalry covered the Hunan Army behind them and broke out, fleeing to the north with all their strength!

Later, the Taiping Army launched a pursuit of the Hunan Army like a whirlwind!

Zhang Suimou, who was standing aside, said anxiously, "Prince Yi, the Hunan Army is now fleeing north. Should we..."

Shi Dakai said calmly, "Escape? Then let them escape. Zeng Guoquan is now a lost cause. Only about 10,000 of his 40,000 troops are left. He has completely lost all his threat. His army must have fled to Hefei. With more than 10,000 men, if they were to defend Hefei with all their might, we might not be able to capture it easily. There's no need to take that risk..."

Zhang Suimou said unwillingly, "Lord Yi, are we just going to let Zeng Tietong and Bao Yanwang go like this? I really don't want to accept this!"

Shi Dakai said, "Okay, just let them go. Why should we kill them all? Besides, we have more important things to do now!"

More important things?

Zhang Suimou was stunned and looked at Shi Dakai in confusion.

Shi Dakai said in a deep voice: "Zhang Suimou!"

"exist!"

Zhang Suimou was shocked and answered quickly.

"I order you to lead 8,000 elite troops, along with the artillery battalion, to march eastward and attack Tongling directly. Zeng Guoquan's main force has been defeated by us, and all of southern Anhui has lost its fighting power. It is time for us to expand our base. I give you six days to capture Tongling Prefecture!"

Shi Dakai said in a decisive tone.

Zhang Suimou's eyes lit up. The King of Yi was really smart. He took advantage of the Hunan Army's weakest moment and directly seized Tongling Prefecture. Together with Jiujiang, Anqing and Chizhou, there were four prefectures in total!

"Whoo!"

Zhang Suimou agreed, turned around and ran down to start mobilizing the army.

"Wang Haiyang, send a message immediately. Command Ji Qingyuan to lead 8,000 troops from Anqing, along with artillery battalions, and march down the Yangtze River directly towards Wuhu. I give him six days to capture Wuhu!"

Shi Dakai then conveyed another order.

All the generals around were excited. Yes, now that Zeng Guoquan was defeated, the Hunan Army in southern Anhui was nowhere to be seen. Only the local Green Camp was left garrisoning. These Green Camp soldiers couldn't even fire a musket. When they encountered a battle, they would just run away. How could they withstand the attack of the Taiping Army?

Judging from the situation, Prince Yi Qiansui is thinking of capturing all the ports on the Yangtze River from Jiujiang to Wuhu, taking down the important towns on the Yangtze River, and then marching south to quickly sweep the Anhui area south of the Yangtze River. The entire southern Anhui will then fall completely into the hands of the Taiping Army. At that time, they can attack or defend, and the Taiping Army will once again have a solid base in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River!

Yes, these generals guessed correctly. If they launched a full-scale attack on Hefei, although the city walls of Hefei were high and impregnable, the 40,000 Taiping Army could take it down. However, after taking it down, they would still have to face the full-scale encirclement and suppression of the Qing army. On land, the Taiping Army lacked cavalry, and it would be difficult for them to defend Hefei under the siege of the Qing army. It was certain that they would lose sight of one thing while gaining another.

However, if we only occupy the Yangtze River coast and southern Anhui, the pressure will be much less. With the support of the Yangtze River's golden waterway, Jiujiang and Anqing as the base camp, and then expand our influence to the east, this is the most appropriate!

"Order, Fu Zhongxin, lead 5,000 elite troops and advance rapidly towards Huizhou. Capture Huizhou in the shortest possible time!"

Shi Dakai once again conveyed the last order. Once Wuhu and Huizhou fell into the hands of the Taiping Army, it would mean that the vast area from Wuhu in the east to Jiujiang in the west, Huizhou in the south, and Anqing in the north would be completely connected. At that time, what would there be to be afraid of?

"The rest of the generals, reorganize your forces and return to Anqing with me immediately. Hehe, I will be waiting in Anqing for the remaining Taiping troops from various places to join us!"

Shi Dakai stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked to the side.

However, Zeng Guoquan and Bao Chao led the remaining defeated troops and fled from the vicinity of Wusong Mountain to the outskirts of Lujiang City in one breath. They fled for fifty or sixty miles before the defeated army gradually stopped their retreat. This battle was a terrible loss. In less than four days, they were defeated by the Taiping Army in a small Wusong Mountain!

The main force of the Hunan Army, which consisted of more than 40,000 people, suffered more than 15,000 deaths and more than 6,000 to 7,000 serious injuries under the attack of the 30,000 Taiping Army. What's even more bizarre is that thousands of people deserted. Seeing that the situation was not going well, they simply deserted!

The entire Hunan Army, including Zeng Guoquan and Bao Chao, now has only about 13,000 men. This is a rare defeat, an absolutely rare defeat!

Lujiang City is just a county town of a certain size, and it is absolutely impossible for it to accommodate tens of thousands of Taiping troops. Now they can only continue to advance northward and rush to Hefei.

Zeng Guoquan sighed and said, "Chun Ting, order the army to rest outside Lujiang City for half a day. Send people into Lujiang City and immediately transfer food. The army has been fighting for days and is exhausted. They still need to rest."

Bao Chao nodded. Zeng Guoquan was right. If they continued to run like this, the Hunan Army would have no food. It would not be long before a large number of people would flee. Food is the most important thing for people. Without food, no one would risk their lives!

"Also, send troops immediately to inform my brother and ask him to mobilize other forces of the Hunan Army to encircle and suppress Shi Dakai as soon as possible. If Shi Dakai is not eliminated, he will become a future trouble!"