Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 93 Xiang Rong: Damn, it’s me again?!

Seshang'a really regretted it now. He should not have accepted the imperial envoy's mission on impulse.

But it’s too late to regret now!

After all, he is an imperial envoy. How can he just do what he wants and then give up if it is irrelevant?

Do you really think that my Qing Dynasty court will not kill people?
As soon as Seshang'a finished speaking, Xiang Rong was the first to speak.

"Your Excellency, I think we should mobilize all our troops and pursue the Taiping rebels."

"The Taiping rebels entered Hunan this time, obviously heading for Changsha, but the city defenses of Changsha are now in disrepair and the troops are short."

"If we can't reinforce Changsha as soon as possible, I'm afraid Changsha will fall into the hands of the Taiping bandits!"

Hunan is really short of military forces now.

First, Xiang Rong was transferred from the Governor of Hunan to the Governor of Guangxi. When he went to Guangxi to quell the rebellion, he drew a lot of troops from Hunan.

Then, a few days ago, Guilin was in a state of emergency. In order to reinforce the Guilin war, Césanne drew a lot of troops from Hunan to support.

After two withdrawals, Hunan was almost squeezed dry.

This is also the reason why the Taiping Army could attack cities and capture strongholds as if they were in an empty land after entering Hunan.

Because Hunan is really short of military forces!

Hearing this, Cesanne took a deep breath.

"What the admiral said makes sense!"

After thinking for a while, Seshana continued.

"If the main force of the army goes north to reinforce Changsha, the marching speed is too slow. I am afraid that it will not be able to catch up with the battle in Changsha."

"I wonder which of you generals would be willing to lead a group of elite troops, lightly armed, to rush to Changsha to provide assistance?"

As soon as Cesanne finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned towards Xiang Rong.

Xiang Rong: “…”

Damn, it's me again?

You catch a sheep and then you pull it to death, right?
Immediately, Seshan'a also turned his gaze to Xiang Rong, the fire-fighting captain.

The reason is simple. Among the people under his command, only Xiang Rong has the ability to lead troops to rescue Changsha.

Even if the rest of the people led their troops to Changsha, they would most likely just be handing over their achievements to the enemy.

Apart from anything else, the fact that Xiang Rong led his troops to rush to the aid of Guilin and fought back and forth with the Taiping Army in the attack and defense of Guilin was enough to make Césang'a trust him this time.

"I wonder if you, Admiral, are willing to take on this important task?"

"The issue of reinforcing Changsha is not only related to the safety of Changsha, but also to the gains and losses of the entire province of Hunan."

"Except for the Admiral, I really have no one else to entrust the important task to!"

Xiang Rong's mouth twitched when he heard this, but he still spoke.

"The last general takes command!"

Although he was reluctant to go, how could he refuse since the imperial envoy, Césancho, had said so much?

Unless he plans to switch to the bandit army...

Upon hearing this, Cesanne smiled sincerely.

He nodded.

"Thank you, Admiral."

Xiang Rong forced a smile on his face.

"As subjects, we should share the emperor's worries. This is what we should do."

After Xiang Rong finished speaking, he stood up and took his leave, to prepare to go north to help Changsha.

As Xiang Rong left, a messenger came in with a document in his hand. He came to Seshan'a and spoke.

"Your Excellency, there is an urgent report from Wuzhou Prefecture!"

Upon hearing this, Cesanna had a bad feeling in his heart.

Urgent news from Wuzhou Prefecture?

Damn, could something have happened in Wuzhou Prefecture?

Due to the tense war situation in Guangxi and the impact of successive natural disasters, Guangxi's finances were clearly in a deficit situation.

In order to support the war situation in Guangxi, the Qing government not only increased taxes in Guangxi, but also continuously transported food and fodder support from Guangdong.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Xijiang River, a waterway supply line that runs through Guangxi and Guangdong, is the lifeline of the Qing army in Guangxi.

Wuzhou Prefecture is a node on this supply line, and its importance is self-evident.

Although the war situation in Guangxi slowed down as the Taiping Army withdrew and headed north, this did not mean that this supply line was useless.

Because, there is more than just the Taiping Army in Guangxi now.

It is still too early for the Qing army to completely pacify the war in Guangxi!
The financial and food support from Guangdong cannot be cut off like this.

With a heavy heart, Césanne opened the emergency document in his hand.

Then his face quickly became solemn!
Now he has one good news and a lot of bad news.

The good news is that Wuzhou is fine!

The bad news is that Xunzhou, Tengxian, Pingnan and other places have all been lost.

But the problem is that not only Wuzhou is on this supply line, but also Xunzhou, Tengxian and Pingnan.

There is actually no difference between the bandits occupying Xunzhou and occupying Wuzhou.

Anyway, we can cut off the Qing army’s supply line in Guangxi!
It’s terrible!

Return to aid Xunzhou?

Or go north to reinforce Changsha?

This has become the most difficult decision facing Cézanne.

"Sir, what happened in Wuzhou?"

Seeing that after Seshan'a received the emergency document from Wuzhou, he frowned and said nothing, Ba Qingde at the side could not help but ask.

Seshan'a took a deep breath, slapped the emergency document in his hand on the table beside him, and then spoke.

"After being silent for a long time, the bandits in Cenxi suddenly launched an attack. Now, Xunzhou, Pingnan, and Tengxian have all been lost."

"The Xunjiang-Xijiang waterway connecting Guangxi and Guangdong has been cut off by the bandits. In the short term, Guangdong will no longer be able to transport food and money to Guangxi."

"Everyone, tell me, what should we do next?"

When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but burst into an uproar.

This was because, apart from a small portion of the food and wages transferred from Guangdong to the army, the vast majority of the rest actually went into the pockets of officers at all levels.

Now that the supply line has been cut off by the bandits, won't this cut off their source of income?
Upon seeing this, Zou Minghe, the new governor of Guangxi, spoke up.

"In reply to your Excellency's words, I think our army should focus on reinforcing Changsha next."

In Zou Minghe's opinion, the Xunjiang-Xijiang supply line is important, but it is not as important as Changsha.

The supply line was cut off, which only made the situation in Guangxi a little more difficult.

As long as Guilin is still in the hands of the court, the situation can be controlled for the time being!

But if Changsha was captured by the Taiping Army, then Seshang'a's career as an imperial envoy would be over.

Zou Heming is Ceshang'a's man. It was Ceshang'a's help that enabled him to succeed as the Governor of Guangxi after Zhou Tianjue was arrested.

If Césanne loses power, Zou Heming will not have an easy time either.

Hearing this, Cezanne thought for a while, frowned and asked.

"What about Xunzhou?"

Upon hearing this, Zou Heming spoke.

“Perhaps we can ask Guangdong for help.”

"Request Guangdong to send troops to reinforce the war in Guangxi and recover Tengxian, Pingnan, Xunzhou and other places along the Xunjiang River."

Upon hearing this, Cézanne showed a thoughtful expression.

Compared with Guangxi, Guangdong does have more military strength.

After a moment, Cesanne nodded. "Please ask Governor Zou to draft a document on my behalf, asking Guangdong for help, and requesting the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Xu Guangjin, to send troops to reinforce the war in Guangxi..."

Upon hearing this, Zou Heming nodded to show that he understood.

After speaking, Cézanne concluded.

"Order all units of our army to prepare for departure immediately."

"Tomorrow morning, the army will march north to support Changsha and Hunan."

When everyone heard this, they responded in unison.

……

Teng County, the Restoration Army Camp!

After finishing the tasks at hand, Li Yi put down the pen in his hand and stretched vigorously.

Looking at the documents piled up on the desk in front of him, Li Yi felt a sense of accomplishment.

Boom boom boom!
There was a knock on the door.

Then it was the voice of Li Kang, the commander of his guard battalion.

"Grand Commander, there is a military report from Xinyi."

When Li Yi heard this, his expression changed and then he spoke.

"Come in!"

Upon hearing this, Li Kang pushed the door open and walked slowly to Li Yi, handing Li Yi a letter of military intelligence.

Li Yi took the military newspaper, tore off the sealing wax, and then began to read it.

After a moment, a smile appeared between his brows.

"Great! Zhao Xiang and his team are making good progress in Xinyi!"

The military report described in detail the experience of Zhao Xiang's troops as they followed the Longdi River, crossed the Yunkai Mountains, and entered Xinyi.

They first led their troops to launch a feint attack on Xinyi County, attracting the attention of the Qing army that was besieging Ling Shiba's troops.

When the Qing army returned to reinforce the county town, they were surrounded and attacked by them and were almost wiped out.

The remnants of the Qing army withdrew from Xinyi and retreated to Gaozhou, seeking help from Zhaoqing and Guangzhou.

Then, before the Qing reinforcements arrived, they retreated back to the Yunkai Mountains and set up camps along the Longdi River, preparing to fight the Qing army.

Seeing the Qing army retreating, Ling Shiba's troops trapped in Daliao chose to go out of the mountains to fight, but they happened to run into Qing army reinforcements coming from Gaozhou.

The Qing reinforcements were helpless against the Restoration Army that had retreated to Yunkai Mountains in advance, and could only concentrate their forces to deal with Ling Shiba's troops.

According to the news sent back by Zhao Xiang and his men, Ling Shiba's troops had been surrounded by the Qing army again in Daliao and were almost at the end of their rope.

They have already started to take the initiative to contact the Restoration Army and want to ask for help from the Restoration Army, and there is a hint of surrender.

Ling Eighteen: There were a lot of people outside just now, I was wrong...

Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Li Yi's face, and then he picked up a pen and paper and started writing.

"We can show some kindness to Ling Shiba's troops in response to their request for assistance, and provide them with a certain amount of supplies and weapons."

"However, unless their troops choose to surrender completely and accept the reorganization of our Restoration Army, the army cannot move lightly."

Li Yi always understood one thing: if you want to tame a wild beast, you have to beat it, but beating alone is not enough.

You have to use both the stick and the sweet treat, and only when they complement each other can you tame an unruly beast.

If you hit the target with a stick too much, you may end up killing the target.

If you give too many sweet dates, people will easily think you are weak and can be bullied.

The degree here must be controlled well.

In this case, Li Yi would have to learn from his predecessors, Emperor Xuanzong and Chongzhen, to engage in remote micro-management.

Otherwise, he can only choose to trust and delegate power to the front line.

Putting down the pen and stamping his seal on the order, Li Yi ordered his men to pass the order to the front line as soon as possible.

Li Kang took the letter and stepped back.

Li Gang was about to stretch his body again and then go to inspect the recruit camp. Li Liang, who was in charge of the Military Intelligence Department, walked in from outside in a hurry.

"Grand Commander, urgent military information, something big has happened!"

Li Liang found Li Yi and said with a serious expression.

Hearing this, Li Yi's face, which had originally been a little happy, gradually became solemn, and he opened his mouth to ask.

"What's the matter? Why are you so flustered?"

Upon hearing this, Li Liang stood still, took a few deep breaths to even out his breathing, and then spoke.

"In reply to the Grand Commander, the Military Intelligence Department has just received an urgent military intelligence from Guangzhou."

"The Qing demons in Guangzhou are gathering and preparing to march westward. They are coming for us!"

Li Yi was not surprised but happy when he heard this.

"Coming for us?"

"Isn't this just right?"

Li Liang heard this and shook his head.

"Replying to the Grand Commander, according to the news from Guangzhou, the demons are not coming to Xinyi this time, but to Teng County."

Li Yi couldn't help but frowning when he heard this.

The Qing army came from Chongteng County...

If this were the case, all his previous plans would be disrupted.

Li Yi's original plan was to wait until the main force of the Qing army in Guangdong was attracted to Xinyi, then he would lead his troops eastward along the Xijiang River and drive straight to Guangzhou to capture Guangzhou, the first city in the south.

But not anymore!

Since the Qing army took the initiative to attack Teng County, what Li Yi needs to consider now is not how to go east to attack Guangzhou, but how to meet the enemy.

Sitting in his seat, Li Yi's expression changed from gloomy to bright.

"How many troops does the invading Qing demon have? Who is leading them?"

Upon hearing this, Li Liang spoke with a serious expression.

"According to our current intelligence, the number of Guangdong Qing troops invading Guangxi this time is roughly 30,000."

"The troops were led by Xu Guangjin, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, and the generals of Guangzhou, Leizhou, Lianzhou, and Zhaoqing."

"In addition, there is also a part of the Eight Banners Army led by Guan Bao, the deputy governor of the Eight Banners in Guangzhou."

In fact, Xu Guangjin led his troops into Guangxi this time not just for Li Yi.

To him, Li Yi's troops were just one of the targets.

The most important purpose was to quell the endless rebellions in Guangxi as soon as possible, thereby connecting Guangdong and Guangxi and preventing the main force of the long-haired bandits who went north to Hunan from returning to Guangxi.

As a result, the Taiping rebels were trapped and killed in Hunan and completely wiped out.

Hearing this, the expression on Li Yi's face began to become more and more solemn.

After a moment, Li Yi spoke.

"Pass on this military commander's order to have Wang An's main force withdraw from Xunzhou immediately. In addition to retaining a small number of troops to guard Xunzhou, the main force should return to Teng County as soon as possible to prepare for battle."

"Send a message to Zhao Xiang's troops, temporarily abandon the plan to recruit Ling Shiba's troops. Except for leaving one regiment to guard the Longdi River defense line, the rest of the main force will all rush to Teng County."

Since the Qing army in Guangdong took the initiative to attack, Li Yi was ready to concentrate his main forces to fight them and clear all obstacles for his advance to Guangzhou.

As for what to do with Ling Shiba's troops who were surrounded by heavy Qing troops?
Li Yi had no choice.

He was about to have a decisive battle with the Qing army, so he had no time to take care of Ling Shiba and could only let him fend for himself.

Besides, as long as Li Yi started fighting with the main force of the Qing army in Guangdong, the Qing army in Xinyi would definitely come to reinforce, and the siege of Ling Shiba's troops would be lifted.

If the problem cannot be solved, then Li Yi can only wish Ling Shiba good luck.

Anyway, no matter what, it is impossible for Li Yi to divide his troops again to reinforce Ling Shiba at this critical juncture when a decisive battle with the Qing army is about to begin.

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(End of this chapter)