Slaying the Qing: My Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

Inside the city of Luzhou, at the office of the Governor of Anhui Province.

The governor of Anhui Province, Bi Chengzhao, and the commander of the Hunan Army cavalry, Li Xubin, were both deeply worried about the current situation.

"Your Excellency, the current situation is very unfavorable for us. The Taiping rebels are coming on strong, with more than 100,000 troops. They even include the elite troops who broke through the Jiangnan and Jiangbei camps on the southern and northern Jiangsu battlefields respectively."

This undoubtedly makes the situation we are facing even worse.

Our forces are severely insufficient, and the city of Luzhou is in imminent danger!

Li Xubin looked dejected.

If he could, he would have led the Hunan Army cavalry to withdraw from Anhui Province.

The cavalry was the main force of the Hunan Army's cavalry, and although it numbered only over six thousand, it was arguably the most formidable unit in the Hunan Army.

If the Hunan Army were to suffer losses on the battlefield in Anhui Province, it would undoubtedly be a major blow.

As a local faction's army, the Hunan Army originally hoped to preserve its strength as much as possible on the battlefield.

It would be even better if we could further expand our strength during the war.

The Xiang Army had no desire to fight a battle that resulted in heavy losses and little benefit.

Bi Chengzhao's face was very ugly.

He wasn't stupid; he understood perfectly what Li Xubin meant.

The Xiang Army was a guest army, so when they saw that the situation was not good, they could naturally run away.

However, as the governor of Anhui Province, he had a duty to defend the territory.

Li Xubin and the Xiang Army could run, but he couldn't!

"General Li, the situation in Anhui Province is extremely critical. I implore you and the many generals of the Hunan Army to join me and the Anhui Army in resisting the Taiping Rebellion's attack. Luzhou City has been fortified, and our two armies together number over 40,000. Even the Taiping Rebellion would never be able to capture Luzhou City in a short time."

If the imperial army reinforces us as soon as possible, we can not only withstand the Taiping Rebellion's attack, but we may even have a chance to defeat them.

At that time, I will certainly submit a memorial to His Majesty to request commendation for the general.

With your abilities, General, you would be more than qualified to be a provincial governor!

Bi Chengzhao advised.

Li Xubin's heart skipped a beat.

He knew very well that Bi Chengzhao wanted him to stay and defend Luzhou City.

However, the conditions proposed by Bi Chengzhao did indeed tempt Li Xubin.

The current leaders of the Xiang Army are Zeng Bohan and Hu Linyi.

Zeng Bohan is currently in mourning for his parents, and his official rank is only Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Hu Linyi is merely the Governor of Hubei Province.

This resulted in other generals in the Hunan Army generally not holding high official ranks.

If one could seize this opportunity to gain the court's appreciation and be given an important position, that would be even better.

"General Li, the Nian Rebellion is wreaking havoc in northern Anhui. Under the current circumstances, even if you wanted to evacuate Anhui, you have nowhere to go! I have already petitioned the court for reinforcements. As long as the Hubei and Hunan armies come to our aid, and the court also sends a large army south from the north, we will definitely be able to win this battle!" Bi Chengzhao added fuel to the fire.

Li Xubin nodded: "Your Excellency, as an official appointed by the imperial court, it is my duty to resist the Taiping rebels. Luzhou Prefecture is in imminent danger, and for the sake of its people, I will certainly do everything in my power to repel the Taiping rebels' attack!"

"Excellent, excellent. I knew General Li was loyal to the country and would always prioritize the greater good. I will certainly petition the court to commend General Li!" Bi Chengzhao said.

Li Xubin was very satisfied with this; wasn't this exactly what he wanted to achieve?

"Your Excellency, the Taiping Rebels are powerful. We must go all out and mobilize all available resources."

The able-bodied men in Luzhou City should also be organized to defend the city.

Although they were not soldiers, they had no problem repairing the city walls and transporting supplies.

In addition, the various powerful families and officials within Luzhou City must also contribute to the defense of the city!

To prevent the Taiping rebels from sneaking in, the city gates are now closed; entry is permitted, but exit is not!

Li Xubin put forward a series of opinions.

Having decided to stay and defend Luzhou, Li Xubin naturally hoped to hold off the Taiping army's attack there.

Otherwise, if they fail, not only will all their plans come to naught, but they will also lose the lives of several thousand elite Hunan Army soldiers. And, if things go wrong, they might even lose themselves.

Bi Chengzhao nodded repeatedly, and then, in his capacity as the Governor of Anhui Province, issued an order to seal off the city gates of Luzhou immediately. Everyone was only allowed to enter, not leave.

Furthermore, they began to organize the able-bodied men in Luzhou City to prepare for the defense of the city.

This inevitably caused widespread anxiety within Luzhou City.

Although the deceased patriarch of the Li family, Li Wen'an, only reached the rank of Imperial Censor at his highest official position, he had six sons, all of whom were outstanding individuals.

In particular, his eldest son Li Hanzhang and second son Li Hongzhang were exceptionally talented.

Li Hanzhang had originally become an advisor to Zeng Bohan, the leader of the Xiang Army, but he had to return to Luzhou to observe mourning for his father after his death.

Li Hongzhang also founded local militias and fought fierce battles against the Nian Rebellion and the Taiping Rebellion, achieving some success.

However, due to the jealousy of his colleagues and the passing of his father, Li Wen'an, he had no choice but to return home to observe the mourning period.

No one else could have imagined that Li Hanzhang and Li Hongzhang would both become important officials of the Qing Dynasty in another time and space.

Li Hanzhang's highest official position was Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi. Li Hongzhang, on the other hand, wielded immense power in the court.

However, with Luzhou City currently under lockdown, the Li brothers couldn't help but worry.

"Eldest brother, second brother. The governor has ordered the city of Luzhou to be sealed off, allowing entry but not exit. The whole city is saying that the Taiping rebels are about to launch a major attack on Luzhou. The entire city of Luzhou is in imminent danger. Those with connections have already used their connections to leave the city and escape to northern Anhui."

"How about we go to northern Anhui too?"

Li Hezhang, the third son of the Li family, offered his suggestion.

Li Hezhang had originally organized local militias with Li Hongzhang. But after Li Hongzhang went home to observe the mourning period, he naturally had no choice but to go home as well.

"Our father is buried in Luzhou. We are currently in the period of mourning for our father. Where can we go?"

Besides, Luzhou City has tens of thousands of garrison troops, plus elite Xiang Army soldiers. Even if the Taiping rebels reach Luzhou City, they might not be able to breach its defenses!

Li Hanzhang served as Zeng Bohan's advisor for a period of time and had a deep understanding of the Xiang Army's fighting capabilities. Therefore, he had great confidence in the Xiang Army.

"Brother, the situation is probably not as optimistic as you think. This time, the Taiping rebels mobilized as many as 100,000 troops to besiege Luzhou. Among them are elite troops who fought across southern and northern Jiangsu, breaking through the Jiangnan and Jiangbei camps, causing our Qing Dynasty to lose more than 100,000 troops," Li Hongzhang said with a wry smile.

Although Li Hongzhang was in mourning for his father, he still had many connections within the army. Therefore, he was able to understand the true situation.

Upon hearing this news, Li Hanzhang's heart tightened, and his previous composure vanished.

"What should we do then? If the Taiping rebels invade Luzhou Prefecture, won't we be doomed?" Li Hanzhang couldn't help but panic.

The same was true for Li's other younger brothers.

"Now that things have come to this, we can only take it one step at a time. We are all officials appointed by the imperial court, and we have even organized local militias and fought against the Taiping rebels. Once Luzhou City falls, our entire Li family will probably face certain death!" Li Hongzhang couldn't help but worry.

Just as the Li brothers were filled with gloom and despair, the Taiping army had already approached Luzhou Prefecture.

The Western Expeditionary Army, the Northern Expeditionary Army, and the Imperial Guard Army, along with the troops assembled under the city of Luzhou, comprised four armies and one infantry division, totaling a force of six to seven hundred million men.

This is almost twice the number of Qing troops inside the city.

Even though Bi Chengzhao and Li Xubin quickly mobilized tens of thousands of laborers to help defend the city.

However, these laborers had never received any formal military training; they were simply forced into the role.

If a war were to break out, these laborers would likely panic and scatter in all directions on the battlefield amidst the roar of cannons.

Especially if the situation turns unfavorable for the Qing army, the performance of these laborers would likely be even more appalling.

Bi Chengzhao and Li Xubin's idea of ​​holding out in Luzhou until reinforcements arrived was simply wishful thinking.

Even though they had already sent messengers in multiple batches to request aid from the Hubei and Hunan armies.

But the Hubei and Hunan armies probably couldn't spare any troops to reinforce them.

Even if we could send reinforcements, it would take time.

Can they hold out until reinforcements arrive?