Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 645 Repaying others with their own methods
"Why would the long-haired rebels be here?!"

The general of Jingzhou on the city wall looked out of Jingzhou city with an expression of disbelief.

Dense numbers of Taiping soldiers were gradually landing on the besieged city.

On the river, sails were like clouds, and countless boats almost covered the entire surface.

"Those who aspire to achieve great things throughout history must seize the two capitals."

"If the Taiping rebels want to expand their power, they should go downstream to seize Wuchang and then plan to take Nanjing."

Why did you come to Jingzhou?!

General Tai Yong of Jingzhou couldn't understand it at all.

He deduced that the Taiping rebels would send an army to monitor and block the large army coming from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

But no one expected that the main force of the Taiping Rebellion would come to attack Jingzhou!
"There is only one possibility to attack Jingzhou: we must go to Sichuan."

"Throughout history, no one who has entered Shu has ever conquered the entire country!"

"What on earth is Longhair thinking?!"

On the banks of the Yangtze River, along the forest path after landing, one can see the city of Jingzhou in the distance.

"Returning to Jiangling in a single day after conquering Jiangling and pacifying Mancheng, we will then proceed to Wuchang."

Jingzhou City is the ancient Jiangling.

For thousands of years, this place has been a crucial node in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.

“A famous city in the Central Plains has fallen into the hands of wild boarskin.”

"I've come to collect you all today!"

During the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, wild boar skins were brought into the Central Plains, initiating one of the most brutal massacres in human history.

After slaughtering nearly 100 million people in the Central Plains, the Boarskins established their superior status as colonizers.

The city is their tentacles, placed throughout the land to monitor and suppress any resistance.

Its status is similar to that of a military base in some colonial countries.

Heavy 130mm cannons were lined up and placed outside the city gate.

The dark muzzle of the cannon was pointed directly at the city wall.

Amidst the earth-shattering explosions and roars, the city walls of Jingzhou were predictably breached.

The Taiping soldiers, bursting with fighting spirit, poured into the city like a tidal wave, carrying muskets.

A series of rapid, continuous 'bang' sounds echoed.

The battlefield advantages brought by advanced weapons are now fully revealed.

The Qing army's resistance was not weak, but it was almost useless.

The gap in equipment is too large.

The Taiping army not only used fixed ammunition and flintlock muskets, but also equipped themselves with steel helmets and bulletproof vests.

Even if injured, they have access to medical care far exceeding the standards of the times.

The desperate defenders put up a desperate fight.

The Manchu and Mongol Eight Banners troops launched a desperate counterattack on the streets of the city.

They bravely carried their muskets and fired in rotation, closing in on the Taiping soldiers to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

The Taiping soldiers, who did not have time to reload, also fought back defiantly, brandishing their muskets.

Weapons clashed, lives were lost!
Amidst the rising and falling roars and screams, sprayed blood stained the earth.

The desperate counterattack launched by the Eight Banners troops was completely crushed.

When everyone is almost dead, they are naturally defeated.

Approximately four thousand Manchu and Mongol Eight Banner troops suffered heavy losses due to the combined effects of flintlock muskets, mortars, bayonets, helmets, and bulletproof vests.

In the end, only about three to five hundred survivors escaped into Mancheng, located to the east of the city.

It boasts sturdy city walls, watchtowers, hidden troop shelters, towers, horse trails, gun emplacements, arrow emplacements, and other complete military facilities, making it an impregnable military fortress.

"indestructible?"

Lin Dao, upon entering the city, looked at the entire city within a city and sneered, "Bring in the 130-gauge pipe!"

This type of cannon, with its extremely long barrel, is very heavy.

Large numbers of mules and horses, along with manual labor, were needed on suitable roads for the rubber tires to roll forward.

It's not that we can't get lighter ones, it's just that Lin Dao prefers big pipes.

He himself only uses 203mm caliber and doesn't care about anything smaller.

"Bomb this city, a symbol of oppression and exploitation, to smithereens!"

The 130mm cannon was firing wildly at close range.

Hundreds of mortars laid siege to the city.

Not to mention the 107mm rockets, which were thrown into the city like they were free.

The air was thick with smoke, flames soared into the sky, and deafening explosions rang out.

The mite-infested colony, a symbol of oppression, is as fragile as a sandcastle in the face of heavy firepower.

"General~"

"The city has collapsed! The city walls have collapsed!"

"The warehouse is on fire, and there is no one available to send."

"The bridge has collapsed."

"There are wounded everywhere."

"The powder keg has been detonated!"

The Goshha people, like a tidal wave, kept sending all sorts of bad news to General Taiyong in Jingzhou.

This general from Jingzhou, who came from the Plain White Banner, sat on a stool without saying a word, wiping his sword with wine from a wine jug.

Gradually, the Ghoshha stopped coming to report bad news.

Because there's too much bad news, and it's pointless to talk about it.

Let alone the general of Jingzhou, even if the emperor were here, what could he do in the face of such an overwhelming and terrifying attack?

A number of mortar shells and rockets landed in the Jingzhou General's Mansion.

However, the general's mansion was large enough, with many sturdy walls and buildings, and Tai Yong was extremely lucky, so he was never able to hurt him.

The nearest mortar shell even landed in the pond in the neighboring garden.

The splashing water even landed on him.

But Tai Yong remained unmoved, continuing to drink and sharpen his knife.

And so we waited and waited, until the deafening roar gradually subsided.

"Whoo~~~"

Tai Yong took a breath, drank all the wine in the jar in one gulp, and smashed it on the ground. He stood up, gripped his sword, turned and walked into the main hall, closing the door behind him.

In the main hall, all the women in his family were present.

"The guns stopped."

Tai Yong said it crisply: "The Taiping rebels are about to attack the city."

"To hold out is not an option."

As for lowering the price...

He laughed, but the laugh was somewhat eerie. "I've heard that the Taiping Rebellion had previously accepted some surrendered Green Standard Army soldiers."

"But they never accepted the surrender of the standard-bearers."

“I have read the records in my home and I know that the Taiping rebels were shouting ‘an eye for an eye.’”

"When our ancestors entered the pass, the killings were too brutal. Even now, two hundred years later, this hatred still cannot be erased."

"So," he took a breath, "no one in the city can survive."

At this point, he recalled the records of his ancestors that he had read.

It records how organized massacres and looting were carried out when they entered the pass, and how women were distributed and wantonly humiliated.

Without a doubt, the records that once boasted of martial arts prowess are now turning against their own people.

He now personally experienced the immense suffering and despair that the people of the Central Plains endured back then.

Tai Yong raised the knife in his hand, "If you fall into the hands of the Taiping rebels..."

"I imagine they would suffer as miserably as the Han women of two hundred years ago."

"You go ahead first, De'er and I will follow later."

The chaotic cries and pleas gradually subsided.

After a while, the door was opened.

Tai Yong, his white armor stained with blood, walked out expressionlessly, carrying his sword.

His sons and grandsons, all with red eyes, waited outside.

"Your mother still has sisters~ Never mind, we'll see them again soon."

"Come with me, let's fight the Long-haired Rebels!"

Similar scenes occurred in many places throughout the city.

They know very well what their ancestors did back then.

Now that they've fought back, we need to be prepared for the consequences!
Only bookworms who've gone mad with love and righteousness would believe that!

Inside the city, there were about four or five thousand Manchu and Mongol Eight Banner troops, most of whom had been lost in the previous battle.

Currently, there are still approximately 10,000 family members and relatives who survived the intense bombing.

The elderly, children, and even the Manchu grandmothers took up all sorts of weapons and fought to the death against the Taiping rebels who had stormed into the city!

The fighting and the roaring sounds continued for almost half a day.

As the sun sets, everything in the city falls silent.

Lin Dao, who was sitting on a stool, finally got up.

He raised his hand and pointed to the ruins of Mancheng, Jingzhou.

"Tear it down!"

The Manchurian city, a symbol of the Manchurian colonialists' rule, will be completely erased from all traces.

"Shi Dakai."

"The general is here!"

Lin Dao looked at the young man before him and asked, "I intend to appoint you to lead an army westward into Sichuan. Are you willing?"

"Chief!" Shi Dakai replied solemnly, "This humble general is willing to die for the Chief!"

"I don't need you to die." Lin Dao frowned slightly. "What I need is your power to cleanse the land of Sichuan and liberate the oppressed people there."

"Yes!"

Shi Dakai hurriedly bowed and replied, "Please rest assured, Commander, I will certainly do my best!"

"Ah."

Lin Dao nodded reluctantly. "I will keep in touch with you by telegram."

"Remember, don't go to the Dadu River!"

After leaving the central command tent, Shi Dakai was filled with confusion.

Why did the leader of the association prevent me from getting close to the Dadu River?

Is there some hidden meaning behind this?
"Brother Stone!"

Yang Xiuqing and the others stepped forward with smiles, saying, "Congratulations!"

"Among us old brothers, you're the first to lead an army of 100,000 men on your own. Congratulations!"

The old comrades from the Jintian Uprising are all doing quite well.

They were all basically generals.

However, everyone still followed Chief Lin in battle, at most dividing the area into prefectures and leading troops to clean up the local area and carry out land redistribution.

This time, Shi Dakai was truly leading troops alone.

Leading an army of 100,000 to pacify Sichuan is an achievement that will surely earn him a position as a duke or marquis in future rewards.

Shi Dakai was also very happy, but he was certainly very modest in his words.

A group of old buddies from Kinda went out for drinks to celebrate, arms around each other's shoulders.

For them, this was undoubtedly a joyous occasion.

With Shi Dakai taking the lead, everyone will be responsible for their own battles in the future, and it will only be a matter of time before they become generals in command of troops.

However, Lin Dao had other plans.

Pei County, Huaixi

"It won't work if all the generals are grouped together; we have to give others a chance to stand out."

"We'll leave Hubei to Chief Chen Yagui to sweep away and pacify."

"After that, Shi Dakai entered Tibet, and Chen Yagui entered Guanzhong."

After capturing Jingzhou, the Taiping army split into two forces.

Shi Dakai led an army of 100,000 men, including his soldiers, their families, and others, carrying a massive amount of supplies westward into Sichuan.

Chen, the former leader of the Heaven and Earth Society, led tens of thousands of soldiers and their families to sweep through various prefectures and counties in Hubei Province to implement the equal land distribution policy.

As for Lin Dao himself, he led the main force of the army down the Yangtze River, heading straight for Wuchang Prefecture!

(End of this chapter)