1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 163 Shi Dakai Under Immense Pressure
Upon learning from Li Dianyuan that the former Guangxi governor had perished on this very mountain, Zhang Bilu was taken aback.

Therefore, this mountain is indeed an ominous and dangerous place.

Zhang Bilu gazed at the countless campfires below the mountain, like stars in the sky.

Then look around at the Qing troops, whose morale is low after being ambushed.

It's clearly unrealistic to try and break out under cover of night with all 5,000 soldiers intact; they can only try to spend the night on the mountain for now.

"Do the soldiers and local militia below know about this?" Zhang Bilu asked Li Dianyuan.

His biggest concern was whether the Green Standard Army soldiers and local militia knew about this.

If this matter were to spread throughout the troops, it would certainly affect the already low morale.

"Reporting to Zhang Titai, there are too many tombs on the mountain; this matter cannot be kept secret," Li Dianyuan truthfully replied.

The mountain is covered with the tombs of fallen Guilin-Liuzhou soldiers and Taiping Army soldiers.

Even if they covered up the tombs of several Green Standard Army generals, such as Min Zhengwen and Liu Yongqing, they couldn't hide the news.

"Since Min Titai and Guiliu soldiers have been defeated here, let me, Zhang, avenge their old humiliation here. Tomorrow, we will defeat the enemy and offer their heroic souls a sacrifice with the blood of the religious bandits."

Seeing that the matter could not be kept secret, Zhang Bilu gave instructions to his men.

"Prepare paper and candles to commemorate the heroic souls who died for their country, and pour wine on the mountaintop."

Since he couldn't hide it any longer, Zhang Bilu decided to hold a grand memorial service for Min Zhengwen and Liu Yongqing, hoping to gain the protection of these two men and the fallen soldiers of Guiliu in order to boost morale.

The Taiping army below the mountain did not take advantage of the situation to launch an attack on the Qing army on the mountaintop.

Although the two forces of the Central Army joined forces and merged, Luo Dagang mobilized another 600 reservists to assist in the battle.

However, the Taiping army was still at a slight disadvantage in terms of troop strength when facing Zhang Bilu's Qing army.

It was already difficult enough to contain and block Zhang Bilu's escape to Guiping, let alone to attack and annihilate the Qing army.

The encirclement and annihilation of the Qing army can only be achieved by waiting for the main forces of the left and rear armies to join the battlefield.

Down the mountain.

Looking at the mountain that had been reorganized and was now in good order, Shi Dakai said, "Zhang Bilu does have some real skills."

During the nighttime evacuation, the entire army remained calm and composed despite being ambushed and intercepted, and managed to lead the main force to a safe retreat.

Zhang Bilu truly deserves the title of a famous general of two dynasties; he was not someone who sought fame and fortune for personal gain.

"Our army has killed 138 Qing demons and captured 211 Qing demons," Shi Xiangzhen reported.

"However, most of the Qing demons killed or captured were local militia and Xunzhou Green Standard Army soldiers; Zhang Bilu's old Sichuan and Guizhou soldiers were few."

"Zhang Bilu is indeed a tough opponent, and this ambush was executed very well." Qin Richang also spoke highly of Zhang Bilu, without belittling him.

In the past, the ability to annihilate thirty to fifty Qing soldiers under Zhang Bilu was considered a great victory worthy of publicity and extensive reporting by Qin Richang.

“The Guiliu soldiers perished on this mountain. Although the mountain is advantageous for defense, it is also a death trap. We have fewer soldiers than the Qing demons. Once dawn breaks, the Qing demons will surely break through and continue their eastward escape,” Luo Dagang said.

"We need to prepare early."

Shi Dakai nodded slightly and ordered his soldiers to dig traps, lay bamboo and wooden stakes, cut down trees to make barricades, and stretch out iron caltrops overnight, sparing no effort to prevent Zhang Bilu from fleeing eastward.

The decisive factor in this battle was not the central army, but the left and rear armies.

Having done everything he could, Shi Dakai could only pray that Peng Gang and Feng Yunshan would arrive with the Left Army and the Rear Army the next day.

As dawn breaks and the mountains and fields begin to turn white, the crisp chirping of birds is shattered by the heavy sound of war drums amidst the swirling mist.

Zhang Bilu, fully armed, stood atop the mountain.

After three drumbeats, Zhang Bilu suddenly drew his sword and shouted, "All troops, listen to my command—break out!"

With a wave of the battle flag and the wailing of the bugle, five thousand Qing soldiers burst forth like a torrent, winding their way down the mountain and rushing towards a gorge in the pine forest on the east side.

The Qing army's vanguard consisted of 300 of Zhang Bilu's personal guards, 400 of former Guizhou troops, all heavily armed and well-equipped. The central army was a mixed force of former Guizhou troops, Xunzhou Green Standard Army, and local militia. The Sichuan army brought up the rear.

Zhang Bilu himself followed closely behind the breakout group.

As the war drums sounded, the sounds of battle shook the mountains.

The Taiping army below the mountain remained as still as a rock.

Shi Dakai sat in the center, standing at the rear of the formation, his expression stern.

Faced with the Qing army's breakout, the mature-beyond-his-years Shi Dakai showed no panic, only coldly watching the Qing army pouring down the mountain path like a tidal wave.

Last night, he had already laid out wooden trenches and barricades in the open area at the foot of the mountain, built stone walls at the mountain pass, and deployed twenty-five mountain-splitting cannons. The musketeers were positioned on both flanks and hidden behind the terrain, making thorough preparations.

Zhang Bilu's vanguard had just crossed the forest path when the Taiping Army flags fluttered three times, and twenty-five mountain-splitting cannons unleashed a barrage of fire, with shrapnel flying everywhere and iron pellets breaking branches and scattering leaves. The Qing army's vanguard suffered heavy casualties.

After the cannon fired, muskets on both sides opened fire simultaneously, the sound of gunfire rising and falling like waves, one after another.

The mountainous terrain was narrow and the Qing army had nowhere to hide. The central army pushed the vanguard forward, but the vanguard was already littered with corpses.

Zhang Bilu, on horseback, tried to bolster the morale of his troops, charging several meters ahead, only to watch helplessly as two of his personal guards were blown away, their bodies half-bruised and mangled by iron pellets.

Blood splattered all over Zhang Bilu's face.

Ignoring the blood on his face, Zhang Bilu looked around and saw a mountain path to the southeast. He roared, "Turn to the southeast mountain path and break through! Quickly!"

However, the southeastern mountain path was also blocked by Shi Zhenlun, who had been lying in ambush there, using muskets.

The continuous volleys of muskets and homemade guns from the Central Army sounded like a death knell, driving the Qing army's vanguard, which was trying to break through the encirclement, to the brink of defeat, like ants hitting a wall, their cries of agony filling the air.

Shi Dakai kept a close eye on the enemy's movements on the mountainside. When he saw that the Qing army had changed course and clashed with the southeast mountain pass, he ordered Qin Richang to lead the reserve force to reinforce Shizhenlun.

At this point, the two sides' swordsmen were locked in a fierce battle.

Zhang Bilu's vanguard, responsible for charging and breaking through the enemy lines, consisted of battle-hardened soldiers from the southwest region. Fighting against them were veteran soldiers of the Central Army, personally led by Shi Xiangzhen, who had undergone nearly three years of training in the village and had been fighting for nine months.

The two sides clashed, a fierce and evenly matched battle. The newly arrived cult members were surprisingly more capable than the veteran bandits under Qin Richang's command.

This made Zhang Bilu secretly alarmed.

Throughout his military career, he had never seen such a capable and troublesome bandit!

Seeing that the Taiping army still had a backup plan, they brought up their reserve force, while the vanguard forces that broke through suffered heavy casualties.

Zhang Bilu had no choice but to order the vanguard to become the rearguard and the rearguard to become the vanguard, and to retreat back to the mountain to make further plans.

Although they successfully drove Zhang Bilu back to the mountain and achieved the brilliant result of killing more than a hundred fierce Qing soldiers.

But Shi Dakai and the others couldn't be happy at all.

Scouts on horseback from the direction of Guiping City reported that several thousand Qing troops from Guiping City had left Mengxu and were heading straight for Yaoquchong.

Mengwei is a large dike located 27 or 28 li southwest of Guiping, the prefectural city.

It is less than 25 li away from Yaoquchong.

The Qing army reinforcements leaving Mengxu meant that they would reach the vicinity of Yaoquchong in less than half a day.

The Qing army's reinforcements arrived faster than expected.

This clearly demonstrates the importance that Gui Pingfang attaches to Zhang Bilu.

The fact that the Qing army came to Zhang Bilu's aid by land indicates that this time the Qing army's aid was not merely a show, like Li Dianyuan's rescue of Min Zhengwen in the past.

The Qing troops in Guiping on the eastern front were genuinely trying to rescue Zhang Bilu; they couldn't be driven away by an ambush alone.

Shi Dakai is now in a very passive situation.

Shi Dakai's forces were already small, and it was already a struggle to contain Zhang Bilu.

Now, they have to divide their forces to intercept Qing reinforcements coming from the east, making their troop strength even more stretched.

Some of the generals of the Central Army were already resentful of the delayed arrival of the Left Army and the Rear Army.

Some generals advised Shi Dakai to retreat, arguing that if the fighting continued, the army would be attacked from both sides and be surrounded by the Qing forces, resulting in the annihilation of the entire army.

Shi Dakai knew that once he retreated, it would be difficult to find such a good opportunity again to encircle and annihilate Zhang Bilu's elite Qing army.

Shi Daxin made a bold decision, overruling all objections and withstanding the pressure, to continue buying another day for the Left Army and the Rear Army!
Having to divide his troops into two groups to fight the enemy, Shi Dakai had no choice but to leave no more reserves.

Shi Dakai gave 1,500 regular army tiles to his cousin Shi Xiangzhen, and 800 tiles to his cousin Shi Xiangzhen, instructing Shi Xiangzhen to lead troops to block the Qing army coming to the rescue from the east.

He then led the remaining troops to continue besieging Zhang Bilu.

With 1,500 regular troops at the front and 800 at the back, this was already the limit of Shi Dakai's troop deployment; he could only give Shi Xiangzhen this many troops.

Any more, and we probably wouldn't be able to stop Zhang Bilu's Qing army.

They noticed unusual activity in the Taiping army camp below the mountain.

Zhang Bilu was very excited. He realized that Lin Zexu must have sent reinforcements to rescue him.

Zhang Bilu released the news that reinforcements from Guiping had arrived to boost morale.

Upon learning that reinforcements had arrived, the morale of the Qing army soared.

With morale high, Zhang Bilu once again organized his troops to break out of the encirclement.

Upon discovering that the Qing army was attempting another breakout, Qin Richang disregarded the exhaustion of his soldiers, and Luo Dagang also ordered all the boatmen and reserves to go ashore to cooperate with Shi Dakai in blocking Zhang Bilu's breakout.

Shi Dakai, Qin Richang, and Luo Dagang's three forces joined the battle, disregarding casualties and fighting with all their might, before they were able to barely drive Zhang Bilu's Qing troops back to the mountain.

The two sides fought two battles in a little over an hour.

At this point, both the deployments of Shi Dakai, Qin Richang, and Luo Dagang, as well as Zhang Bilu's deployments, were exhausted and unable to continue fighting.

The morale of the Qing army, which had been rallied with the help of reinforcements, was shattered, and it was difficult for them to organize a breakout in a short period of time.

The rest depends on how long Shi Xiangzhen can hold out and when the left and rear armies will arrive.

If the Left Army and the Rear Army fail to arrive today, all efforts made to encircle and annihilate Zhang Bilu's Qing army will be in vain.

The situation at Yaoquchong is temporarily under control, but Luo Dagang is worried that Shi Xiangzhen will not be able to hold out for long and will not be able to stop the Qing army reinforcements from the eastern front.

Exhausted, he led a battalion of boatmen over mountains and valleys to support Shi Xiangzhen.

According to intelligence relayed by scouts, the number of Qing troops on the eastern front rushing to Zhang Bilu's aid from Mengxu was no less than four thousand.

Shi Xiangzhen did not dare to ambush and intercept Qing reinforcements in the plains.

On the guide's advice, Shi Xiangzhen decided to ambush the Qing army in a mountain valley near Bogong'ao, about 12 or 13 miles southeast of Yaoquchong.

The intelligence relayed back by the scouts was accurate.

The number of Qing troops coming to reinforce from the eastern front was indeed over four thousand, totaling as many as six thousand.

Excluding the 800 Manchu Banner soldiers who were all show and no substance and only knew how to scare people with their horses, there were still more than 5,000 genuine Green Standard Army militia who were capable of fighting.

Lin Zexu attached great importance to Zhang Bilu. The commander of the reinforcements was Wulantai, the deputy military governor of Guangdong, and the deputy commander was Huiqing, a veteran general of the Green Standard Army who had been recently transferred and was the general of Youjiang Town in Guangxi.

Apart from the Eight Hundred Banners, the troops he led were all formidable forces, including the Youjiang Town Garrison Battalion of Guangxi, the Green Standard Army of Guangdong, the Dongyong, Chaoyong, and Chuyong.

Ulantai still felt it wasn't enough and demanded more troops to come to the rescue.

However, the Taiping rebels in the Fengmen'ao area, seeing the Qing army's movements, launched a frenzied attack on the Qing army's camps on the eastern front.

Lin Zexu was worried that something might go wrong on the eastern front, so he dared not send any more troops to Wulantai.

For the first time, Ulantai led an army of over five thousand men into battle alone. He was filled with pride and high spirits. After his army had plundered Mengxu and boosted morale, they marched straight for Yaoquchong.

(End of this chapter)