1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 156 Breaking the Impasse [Third Update! Please Subscribe! Please Vote!]

Xiao Chaogui and Wei Changhui each held their own views and had their own reasons.

Everyone turned to look at Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King, waiting for him to make a decision.

Hong Xiuquan, seated on the throne, frowned slightly, caught in a dilemma, and hesitated to express his support for either side.

“My seventh brother wrote that he will be setting off for Mengchong soon. Why don’t we wait until he arrives and ask him what his plans are?” Feng Yunshan said after a long pause.

Yang Xiuqing and Feng Yunshan were more inclined to adopt Shi Dakai's proposal.

With Lin Zexu personally in charge of the Qing army on the eastern front, and the Guangdong Green Standard Army and local militia mostly composed of Cantonese, the Qing army was in high spirits and very active in fighting the Taiping army, which was mainly composed of Hakka people.

The Fujian rattan shield soldiers and Chaozhou soldiers personally brought by Lin Zexu, as well as the Chu soldiers of Jiang Zhongyuan, were also quite formidable in combat.

Furthermore, the Qing army on the eastern front had heavy artillery as its main asset, making it no easy task to break through their defenses head-on.

The main force of the Taiping army did attempt to break through the Qing army's blockade and attack Qing army camps.

Although each attack yielded some gains, the Taiping army also suffered considerable casualties, making it a losing proposition.

They had no choice but to give up and remain in a stalemate with the Qing army in the Fengmen'ao area.

If the Qing army didn't invade, the Taiping army couldn't get out either, putting them in a very passive position.

Of course, Shi Dakai's strategy also had its flaws.

The main force of the Taiping Army, and some of its rear forces, naturally had the capability to march west from Wuxuan, cross the Qianjiang River, and flank Zhang Bilu's Qing army on the south bank of the Qianjiang River.

The problem is that the Taiping army not only had regular troops at the front and back, but also women, weak, women and children in the female battalion.

If the Taiping army were to break camp and march west, the elderly, weak, women, and children would certainly not be able to keep up with the main force.

It was precisely because of this consideration that Yang Xiuqing and Feng Yunshan did not express their support for Shi Dakai's proposal on the spot.

While fighting the Qing army, the Taiping army also had to ensure the safety of their families.

In the evening, Peng Gang rode his newly chosen mount to Mengchong.

This time, Peng Gang brought not only recently captured, semi-dry gunpowder, 38 mountain-splitting cannons that he had rejected, 425 muskets that he had rejected, and 42 matchlock guns to the main force of the Mengchong headquarters.

In addition, Peng Gang also gave each of his divine brothers (excluding his elder brother Jesus) and his divine brother-in-law five Mongolian warhorses for communication purposes.

There's nothing we can do. Jesus isn't on Earth. If Jesus wanted it, Peng Gang could only burn it for Jesus; he couldn't give it to him in person.

The main force's firearms and gunpowder were even scarcer than those of Peng Gang's Left Army.

Peng Gang sent so many firearms and warhorses in one go, and the brothers and brothers-in-law were very happy to receive such a generous gift from Peng Gang.

"I also sent each of my brothers and my brother-in-law a heavy cannon weighing over 500 jin (250 kg), but the transport of the heavy cannons is slow and they are still on their way," Peng Gang said with a smile.

He also gave the six remaining heavy cannons to his immortal brother and immortal brother-in-law.

There are three reasons why Peng Gang sent both guns and cannons.

One problem was the severe shortage of firearms and gunpowder for the main force.

Secondly, he needed his main force to contain Lin Zexu's main Qing army, and strengthening the combat effectiveness of his main force was currently entirely beneficial to him.

Thirdly, heavy artillery is difficult to carry, which puts a lot of pressure on logistics, and Peng Gang does not have enough artillerymen and gunpowder to operate so many cannons.

I might as well do the main force a favor and give it to them.

"Seventh Brother's great victory over the Qing demons this time has brought glory to our Heavenly Army and truly vented our anger!" Yang Xiuqing said. "The Qing demons led by Lin Yao are not easy to deal with. I wonder what Seventh Brother's plans are next?"

Since withdrawing from Pingnan City, the Taiping Army had been in a relatively passive position under the relentless pressure from the Qing army led by Lin Zexu. Yang Xiuqing wanted to hear Peng Gang's next battle plan to see if they could break the deadlock with the victory at Sanlixu.

"Let's go inside and talk." Feng Yunshan personally led Peng Gang into the main hall.

Peng Gang came here to explain his upcoming combat plans to his key brothers and brothers-in-law at headquarters, hoping to gain their support.

Upon arriving at the main hall and taking their seats according to their assigned positions, Peng Gang shared his next thoughts.

Peng Gang and Shi Dakai had the same idea: to cross the Qianjiang River and head south to join forces with Qin Richang and Luo Dagang's Taiping Army to attack Zhang Bilu's Qing Army from both sides.

However, he had discussed his ideas with the staff officers and battalion commanders, and had considered them more carefully than Shi Dakai.

Before crossing the Qianjiang River and heading south to attack Zhang Bilu's Qing army from both sides, he needed to eliminate the threat posed by the remnants of the Qing army on the western front of Wuxuan City.

The main force of the Qing army under Zhang Bilu is currently at Lianhua Mountain, and their numbers are not very large.

There were only one thousand Sichuan soldiers, two thousand Guizhou soldiers, one battalion of Xunzhou Green Standard Army, and two thousand locally recruited militia.

With a total strength of less than 6,000 men, it was the smallest of the three Qing armies.

As to whether the Qing army under Zhang Bilu was stronger than the Qing army under Xiang Rong on the western front, Peng Gang did not know.

All that is known is that Zhang Bilu's Qing army was quite strong, and was able to defeat Qin Richang's half of the Central Army in a series of defeats, forcing them to cross the river with the people and unable to continue to hold their ground in Lianhua Mountain and Longshan.

Peng Gang was very fortunate that he had planned and laid out a base on the south bank of the Qianjiang River as a strategic buffer before the war.

If it weren't for Qin Richang's base on the south bank of the Qian River, which delayed Zhang Bilu's Qing army, the situation would have been much better.

Bitanxun and Honglian Village are the front lines, and Peng Gang will not have a stable rear to house his women's camp, old men's camp, and children's camp.

If the rear is unstable, how can he be at ease fighting against Xiang Rong's Qing army on the eastern front?

Zhang Bilu's Qing army was not large in number. If Peng Gang could get one or two corps from headquarters to cooperate in the battle.

It's hard to say whether they can completely annihilate Zhang Bilu's Qing army, but Peng Gang is confident that they can cripple it.

Each Taiping army had a large number of elderly, weak, women and children accompanying them.

To achieve a relatively safe transfer, it was necessary to severely damage the main force of the Qing army.

While the Qing army might not have been able to defeat the main force of the Taiping army, it certainly had the ability to deal with the families accompanying the Taiping soldiers. Historically, the Qing army's greatest victory against the Taiping army in Guangxi was the Battle of Longliaoling after the Taiping army broke out of Yong'an.

In the Battle of Longliaoling, Qin Richang's troops, who were breaking through to hold off the Taiping army, were ambushed and attacked by the Qing army led by Xiang Rong and Wulantai. They suffered heavy losses, and more than 2,000 Taiping soldiers and their families were massacred by the Qing army in the narrow valley.

The Taiping army is in a better situation now than it was in history.

At least the transportation lines in the Wuxuan and Xiangzhou areas are about to be opened up.

If the waterways and valleys of Liuzhou and Guilin were passable, Peng Gang would not have wanted to lead tens of thousands of elderly, women, and children along the mountain roads of Yong'an.

Of course, this is on the premise of severely damaging the main force of the Qing army.

As long as the main force of the Qing army is severely damaged, even if the Qing army regroups and launches a large-scale pursuit, the rearguard can handle the situation and protect the elderly, women, and children who are traveling with them.

"The Qing demons under Xiang Rong and Zhou Tianjue were not completely annihilated by the Left Army, especially the Qing demons under Zhou Tianjue, who were completely unharmed."

Zhang Bilu's Qing forces were also elite and capable warriors. If we rashly crossed the Qianjiang River to encircle Zhang Bilu's Qing forces at this time, we would be at risk of failing to eliminate them in a short period of time.

Our Taiping Heavenly Army will be surrounded by three Qing forces. This move is far too risky.

Upon hearing Peng Gang's battle plan, Wei Changhui frowned.

This wasn't Wei Changhui targeting Peng Gang; Wei Changhui was simply stating the facts. Peng Gang's actions were indeed very risky.

If the Taiping army fails to defeat or crush Zhang Bilu's Qing troops as soon as possible, it will be in an extremely dangerous situation once the other two Qing armies react.

At the very least, if they crossed the Qianjiang River and took a detour to attack Zhang Bilu's Taiping army, there was a high probability that they would be surrounded and annihilated by the Qing army.

According to Qin Richang's report, Zhang Bilu's Qing army was very strong, at least much stronger than the Xunzhou Green Standard Army.

Wei Changhui was not confident that he could defeat a Qing army of more than 5,000 men in a short time.

“Zhou Tianjue and Xiang Rong are not on good terms, and his Qing troops are not a threat.” Peng Gang pointed to Wuxuan on the map and explained how the Qing army remnants on the western front were dealt with before the encirclement and annihilation of Zhang Bilu’s Qing army.

"We now have heavy artillery, so we can try to besiege Wuxuan. If Zhang Bilu's southern Qing forces come to Wuxuan's aid, that would be even better; we can directly besiege the point and attack the reinforcements."

In fact, in addition to the Qing troops under Xiang Rong and Zhou Tianjue, the Qing army on the western front also included the Yunnan army under Li Nengchen, which had just been severely damaged by Peng Gang.

Perhaps they didn't want to get involved in the conflict between Xiang Rong and Zhou Tianjue, or perhaps they were afraid of being blamed and punished by Xiang Rong and Zhou Tianjue for their poor performance in battle.

After breaking through the siege, Li Nengchen did not choose to flee to Wuxuan, but instead fled to Xiangzhou City, which is further north.

It's not that Peng Gang looks down on Li Nengchen.

Li Nengchen's Yunnan army was small in number and weak in combat.

He could send out a single battalion to contain or even repel the Yunnan army.

Compared to Xiang Rong and Zhou Tianjue, Li Nengchen's two thousand or so Yunnan army remnants were indeed nothing to worry about.

"What if Zhang Yaotou sees through our plan and doesn't come to the aid of the Qing demons in Wuxuan City?" Yang Xiuqing stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and then asked.

Zhang Bilu was skilled at leading troops in battle, and Yang Xiuqing believed that Zhang Bilu would not be led by the nose by Peng Gang.

"Wuxuan City is located near the Qianjiang River. If Zhang Yaotou does not come to Wuxuan's aid, we will launch a fierce attack on Wuxuan City and at the same time open the south gate, allowing Xiang Rong and his men to leave from the south gate dock of Wuxuan City," Peng Gang said decisively.

"If you're going to launch a fierce attack on Wuxuan City, why leave one gate open to let the Qing demons inside leave?" Xiao Chaogui asked, puzzled.

“The Qing demons are easier to fight once they leave the city. Besides, Zhang the Demon Lord didn’t come to Wuxuan’s aid. As for Xiang the Demon Lord, it’s hard to say. Zhou the Demon Lord is intolerant of demons and must have a grudge against Zhang the Demon Lord,” Peng Gang continued.

"If we cross the river again and take a detour to attack Zhang Yaotou's Qing forces on the south bank of the Qian River, they will definitely be unwilling to provide further assistance to Zhang Yaotou's Qing forces."

We just need to teach the remaining Qing troops in Wuxuan City a lesson, and beat them so badly that they either get scared or run away.

Even if they were to send troops to aid Zhang Bilu, they would at most make a show of it to appease Lin Zexu, and would not dare to actually venture deep into Lianhua Mountain and Longshan Mountain to aid Zhang Bilu.

"What if Lin the Demon Lord sends demon soldiers from the eastern front to rescue Zhang the Demon Lord?" Xiao Chaogui said after thinking for a moment.

"Lin Yaotou is no ordinary person. He has a good relationship with Zhang Yaotou and will definitely send troops to rescue Zhang Yaotou."

"The Qing forces on the eastern front have been transferred away, which is exactly what your brother-in-law wanted. We can try to launch a frontal attack on the Qing forces' defenses on the eastern front," Peng Gang said.

"You think you can wipe out Zhang Yaotou's Qing demon troops with just two or three armies?" Xiao Chaogui asked in surprise, his eyes widening.

Xiao Chaogui always thought that Peng Gang wanted four or five armies to cooperate in encircling and annihilating Zhang Bilu's Qing army.

Unexpectedly, Peng Gang was so bold. Judging from his tone, Peng Gang seemed confident that he could wipe out Zhang Bilu's more than 5,000 Qing troops with just two or three armies.

Xiao Chaogui didn't know if Peng Gang was arrogant or if the Left Army's strength had now grown to the point that one of its armies could rival two of the Taiping Army's main forces.

"Adding my Left Army, two armies are enough." Peng Gang was indeed confident in the performance and combat effectiveness of the Left Army.

"Since Seventh Brother is confident in annihilating Zhang Yaotou's Qing army, why not just wipe out Xiang Yaotou and Zhou Yaotou's Qing forces first?" Yang Xiuqing asked, somewhat puzzled.

Peng Gang answered Yang Xiuqing's question: "The Qing demons under the demon chief's command are running too fast; we can't catch them. As for Zhou the demon chief, keeping him around is more useful."

Peng Gang couldn't catch one of the two men, and he didn't want to kill the other.

This wasn't Peng Gang mocking Xiang Rong and his Chu army and Zhengan soldiers for their fast escape speed.

Not only were the Chu army and Zhengan soldiers fast runners when they fled, but Peng Gang's left wing troops failed to annihilate them even after two desperate pursuits.

Xiang Rong's Chu army and Zhengan troops marched at an exceptionally fast pace.

When Peng Gang defeated Zhou Tianjue at Mocun, Xiang Rong's Chu army and Zhengan soldiers marched more than 200 li in one day and night, traveling by land and water, and arrived in Wuxuan in time.

Peng Gang often reminded his officers not to underestimate their defeated opponents, but to learn from their strengths.

For example, the marching speed of the Chu army and the Zhengan soldiers is worth learning from. We should ask the prisoners of war from the Chu army and the Zhengan soldiers for their marching experience.

(End of this chapter)