1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 206 Battle of Shuitang Bay

Jiang Zhongyuan had already led the Chu soldiers to cut down trees in advance at key sections of the Xiangjiang River, such as Suoyi Ferry and Shuitang Bay, and pre-positioned stakes to prevent the rebel boats from escaping.

Although Suoyi Ferry had been lost due to Liu Changqing and Yu Wanqing's raid on the camp, and was handed over to the short-haired cult bandits.

After occupying Suoyi Ferry, the short-haired cult bandits sent their naval forces to clear out the hidden spies in Suoyi Ferry.

However, Shuitang Bay was still in the hands of the Qing army. As long as they could firmly control the Lion Ridge highlands on the left side of Shuitang Bay, the Qing army could still cut off the waterway for the religious bandits to enter Hunan from the Xiang River.

Currently, the main force of the Qing army is stationed in the Shiziling and Taipingpu area on the west bank of the Xiang River, while only a hundred or so Chu soldiers skilled in swimming are stationed and patrolling on the east bank.

A hundred or so Chu soldiers were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot when facing nearly ten thousand short-haired bandits.

Jiang Zhongyuan made this arrangement out of necessity, as Chu Yong's forces were simply too few in number.

Although he brought two thousand Chu soldiers this time, together with the six hundred Chu soldiers brought by Liu Changyou, the Chu army now has a scale of two thousand six hundred people, which is the largest scale since the formation of the Chu army.

However, compared to the numerous and powerful Taiping rebels, Chu Yong's small force was simply no match for them. At present, Chu Yong did not have the ability to fight the Taiping army independently.

To defend Shuitang Bay, Jiang Zhongyuan had to rely on the military force brought by Li Xingyuan to make up for the shortcomings in the Chentianli area on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River.

Only then was the Shuitang Bay defense line truly formed.

"General Sun, take two thousand, no, three thousand troops and set up camp in Chetian on the east bank of the Xiang River." Li Xingyuan turned his back to the huge map on the rack, pondered for a moment, and then adopted Jiang Zhongyuan's suggestion.

"I will obey Your Majesty's orders!" Sun Yingzhao, who was temporarily appointed as the garrison commander of Yongzhou, had no complaints and obeyed Li Xingyuan's orders without question, accepting the task assigned to him by Li Xingyuan.

Whether or not the words "temporary commander" before "General of Yongzhou Town" could be removed was a question that Sun Yingzhao answered with great enthusiasm in this battle.

As for Liu Changqing, the former garrison commander of Yongzhou Town who had performed poorly when he was stationed at Suoyi Ferry, he had been sidelined by Li Xingyuan, who requested that he be stripped of his peacock feather but allowed to remain in the camp to serve.

Another guest army commander, Yu Wanqing, the commander of the Sichuan troops, was to be kept in command of 4,000 Sichuan soldiers, as his position was temporarily irreplaceable.

Li Xingyuan could only give Yu Wanqing a verbal warning and reprimand him, without imposing any substantial punishment.

Even so, Yu Wanqing became much more obedient after being warned by Li Xingyuan. Li Xingyuan could deal with Liu Yongqing, so naturally he could deal with Yu Wanqing as well. Yu Wanqing understood this simple truth.

Seeing Sun Yingzhao's obsequious and subservient demeanor, Li Xingyuan finally regained some of the authority he had as an imperial envoy.

It's better to promote someone yourself; someone with ambition is more reliable.

After arranging the defenses around Shuitang Bay, Li Xingyuan specially invited Jiang Zhongyuan and Liu Changyou to dinner to discuss the matter of suppressing bandits with them.

Chentianli is only a little over three miles away from Suoyidu, where Chen Ajiu was stationed. Naturally, the Qing army's entry into Chentianli could not escape the eyes of the Zuojun scouts.

Chen Ajiu immediately reported to Peng Gang that the Qing army had entered Chetianli and that the Qing army's banner in Chetianli was a banner with the character "Sun".

This is the advantage of having intelligence, based on the intelligence provided by Li Yantong and others from the Yongzhou Heaven and Earth Society.

Since no large numbers of Qing troops have entered Yongzhou Prefecture recently, Peng Gang deduced that the main force of the Hunan Qing army in Yongzhou had simply changed commanders or promoted a new general, and that the Qing army in Yongzhou Town was still the same group of soldiers.

On the third day, the five-day deadline agreed upon with Luo Dagang had arrived. Luo Dagang's detachment set off lightly, traveling along mountain paths, and could not carry too much food.

To avoid any unforeseen events involving Luo Dagang's detachment, which was deep behind enemy lines, and to prevent any unforeseen complications, Peng Gang launched an offensive against the Qing army's defenses in the Shuitangwan area as planned.

Peng Gang ordered Chen Ajiu, who was stationed in the Suoyi Ferry area, to lead two battalions under his command to launch a feint attack on the Qing army in Chentianli, thus tying down this Qing army stationed on the east bank of the Xiang River.

Peng Gang himself led the main force by land along the west bank of the Xiang River, advancing towards the area around Shiziling on the west bank of the Xiang River, where the main Qing army was stationed.

At this time, Jiang Zhongyuan was stationed at Lion Ridge with his two thousand Chu soldiers.

Jiang Zhongyuan had already seen what kind of men Li Xingyuan brought, so he had no expectations for the Qing soldiers and local militia that Li Xingyuan had brought.

In the previous attempt to take over Quanzhou City, the short-haired cult bandits used at least two or three thousand catties of gunpowder.

The short-haired rebels relied heavily on firearms in their operations, and their lack of gunpowder would significantly reduce their fighting strength.

Since Jiang Zhongyuan led the Chu troops to Shiziling, they set up defenses according to the terrain, with three trenches to block the left flank and control the Xiangjiang waterway.

Jiang Zhongyuan's current idea is that Chu Yong should refuse to defend the Lion Ridge highlands.

If Chu Yong can hold out at Lion Ridge for ten days or half a month until Xiang Rong and his elite Qing troops arrive at Shuitang Bay in Guangxi and join forces with Chu Yong to suppress the religious bandits, the situation will surely be reversed.

Peng Gang personally led his troops to eliminate the strongholds that Chu Yong had set up on the outskirts of Lion Ridge. He then deployed his troops at the foot of Lion Ridge, brought Jiang Zhongxin and twenty-eight Chu Yong prisoners to the front of the battle, and ordered his men to shout to the Chu Yong on Lion Ridge.

Peng Gang stated that as long as Jiang Zhongyuan personally delivered 29 jin of rice and expressed his gratitude, he would immediately release Jiang Zhongxin and the 28 Chu soldiers who were prisoners of war.

The dark muzzles of the heavy artillery company of the Left Army were pointing directly at Lion Ridge.

With Imperial Commissioner Li Xingyuan personally overseeing the operation from behind, Jiang Zhongyuan, though eager to rescue Jiang Zhongxin and the twenty-eight captured Chu soldiers, dared not show his face.

Jiang Zhongyuan had hoped to exchange prisoners with the short-haired rebels after capturing them, but after more than half a year, he had not even captured a single prisoner of the long-haired rebels, let alone a short-haired one.

It is said that Xiang Rong and his men captured many Taiping prisoners while chasing the Taiping rebels in Guilin Prefecture. Xiang Rong is greedy for money, and Jiang Zhongyuan has the idea of ​​buying some Taiping prisoners from Xiang Rong to exchange for prisoners with the Taiping rebels.

Unfortunately, the Taiping captives in Guilin Prefecture could not quench the thirst of Lion Ridge.

Distracted, Jiang Zhongyuan pretended not to hear and refused to come forward to contact Peng Gang.

"Shorthai is truly cunning and treacherous. What kind of logic is it to exchange prisoners on the eve of battle? And he even personally named my elder brother to come forward. It's obvious that he's trying to cheat!" Jiang Zhongji said angrily.

“Whether Shorthair is bluffing or not, we do have brothers in his hands.” Jiang Zhongjun said after careful consideration. “Brother, you are the commander of our Chu army. You cannot act rashly. Let me go and talk to Shorthair.”

“No! If we contact and negotiate with the Short-haired Mao right before the battle, what will the Li family think of us brothers?” Jiang Zhongshu also did not approve of contacting the Short-haired Mao at this time.

Things are different now. If it were just a few days ago, when only Chu Yong was stationed at Lion Ridge, there wouldn't have been much of a problem in contacting the short-haired Mao to discuss exchanging prisoners.

However, at this moment, Li Xingyuan was stationed in Taipingpu, watching every move on Lion Ridge. If he were to make contact with Duanmao alone with Chu Yong at this time, it would inevitably give others something to criticize.

"Why don't we consult with Lord Li before contacting the short-haired barbarians?" Jiang Zhongjun suggested a compromise.

"Enough! With a formidable enemy at hand, how can we let the short-haired devils' tricks distract us? Everyone, concentrate on fighting the enemy and don't fall into their trap." Jiang Zhongyuan, his face stern and agitated, shouted.

The imperial court did not fully trust the local militia. For the sake of the overall situation and the future of the Chu militia, it was indeed impossible to contact the short-haired militia privately, even after reporting to Li Xingyuan.

Jiang Zhongyuan left the command tent and personally went to Chu Yong's artillery position, ordering the cannons to fire and disperse the short-haired cult bandits who demanded the return of their prisoners in front of the lines.

The cannon fire from Lion Ridge shattered the last glimmer of hope for Jiang Zhongxin and the twenty-eight captured Chu soldiers.

Chu Yong fired his artillery, and Chen Xuyuan's heavy artillery company quickly locked onto Chu Yong's artillery position and returned fire with heavy artillery.

Jiang Zhongyuan's Chuyong troops were equipped with mountain-splitting cannons given to them by Wulantai. Even though Wulantai and Jiang Zhongyuan had a good personal relationship, Wulantai would not dare to give heavy artillery to Jiang Zhongyuan on his own.

The range of the mountain-splitting gun was far inferior to that of the sixteen heavy guns equipped by the left army's heavy artillery company.

Although the Chu army's artillery had the advantage of firing from a higher position, they were still at a disadvantage in the artillery battle with the Zuo army's heavy artillery company.

The heavy artillery company's sixteen cannons rained shells down on Chu Yong on Lion Ridge for a full two hours. The intensity of the firepower far exceeded Chu Yong's expectations.

On the day the Short-Haired Cult bandits attacked Quanzhou City and blew up the city walls, Jiang Zhongyuan, who was on Lion Ridge, heard a loud, thunderous sound.

The sound was so loud that the short-haired cult bandits must have used at least two or three thousand catties of gunpowder to crack the wall.

Why do the cultists still have such a large supply of ammunition? They've been firing heavy artillery for over two hours and there's still no sign of it stopping.

The cannons roared, the projectiles streaked through the air, and crashed into the wooden fortifications on the mountainside of Lion Ridge, sparks flew, and dirt and rocks flew everywhere.

Jiang Zhongyuan has been operating Shiziling for nearly a month, and has built three lines of defense there.

Of the three lines of defense, only the first line was completely within the range of the left flank's heavy artillery.

The heavy artillery company concentrated its fire on Chu Yong's first line of defense.

The sixteen gates roared in succession, the booming sound like a continuous mountain collapse. A dense rain of bullets pounded the southern slope of Lion Ridge, and the simple wooden fortress and earthen walls of Chu Yong's first line of defense collapsed in response. The Chu Yong guarding the first line of defense screamed in alarm.

Jiang Zhongyuan personally led his troops to the front line to supervise and command. Just as he arrived at the front line, a shell weighing seven or eight pounds collapsed the nearby fortifications. Dust and mud flew in his face, and one of his personal guards was hit on the spot, half of his body was bloody and mangled, and he died before he even hit the ground.

Jiang Zhongyuan, who survived the ordeal, was still shaken. If that shell had been half a meter to the left, he, Jiang Zhongyuan, would have been the one to fall.

What goes around comes around. A year ago in Guiping, it was Wulantai's artillery battalion that bullied the Taiping Army because they didn't have heavy artillery, and they bombed the Taiping Army relentlessly.

Chu Yong, who was watching from the sidelines, clapped his hands in delight. Now it was their turn to be bombarded by the heavy artillery of the Left Army.

Two-thirds of Chu Yong's men are new recruits.

Even the seasoned veterans of Chu had never encountered such intense firepower suppression, let alone the new Chu soldiers.

For a moment, Chu Yong hid in the ditch like an insect, covering his head and lying flat, afraid that the shells would not be able to see him and he would be hit by the several-pound shells.

The shelling lasted for half a day. Except for the joints that had to be stopped to cool down due to overheating of the gun barrels, the heavy artillery company's firepower never stopped.

The Chu soldiers on Lion Ridge were not only bombarded by the Taiping Army's heavy artillery, but also completely disoriented.

Even Li Xingyuan, who was in Taipingpu behind Lion Ridge, was terrified by the continuous rumble of cannons.

With such intense firepower, who are the government troops and who are the bandits?

Jiang Zhongyuan crawled into a ditch under a rocky outcrop, his face covered in dust and his beard disheveled. He gritted his teeth and said, "Short-haired cult bandits... how did they acquire such powerful cannons?! Their artillery skills are so exquisite!"

Having not fought against the Short-Haired Cult for six months, Jiang Zhongyuan had not expected that the Short-Haired Cult had developed to such an extent.

Jiang Zhongjun said breathlessly, "Brother... if we let those short-haired artillerymen keep bombarding us like this, my brave Chu soldiers might collapse!"

Two-thirds of the two thousand Chu soldiers guarding Lion Ridge were new recruits.

With such intense shelling, even the veteran Chu soldiers could barely hold on; the new recruits would likely have no chance of withstanding the fierce bombardment from the short-haired marauders and remaining intact.

The disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves is too great. Jiang Zhongjun has realized that, let alone ten days or half a month, if the Short-Haired Cult bandits attack the ridge with infantry, it will be a question whether Lion Ridge can hold out for even a day or two.

Jiang Zhongyuan gritted his teeth and said to Jiang Zhongjun with resentment, "Order the entire army to hide in the trenches for now, do not raise your heads or expose yourselves, so as to avoid being injured by the short-haired artillery fire. Dachuan, go to Taipingpu and ask Li Gong for reinforcements. With just our two thousand Chu soldiers, I'm afraid we can't hold Lion Ridge!"

"Yes, brother! I'll go right away!" Jiang Zhongjun accepted the order and, with a few personal guards, staggered and covered in dust as he headed to Taipingpu to ask Li Xingyuan for help.

Li Xingyuan's main force was stationed at Taipingpu behind Shiziling.

In terms of courage, the soldiers and local militia brought by Li Xingyuan were far inferior to the Chu soldiers.

The short-haired artillery was bombarding the Chu soldiers on Lion Ridge. The Chu soldiers were mostly new recruits who couldn't hold out and were showing signs of collapsing.

The Green Standard Army troops and the Yongzhou militia recruited and trained by Li Xingyuan, who were hiding behind Chu Yong, had not yet been shelled by the short-haired artillery.

Just hearing the dense, muffled sound of cannon fire, a small number of soldiers and local militia deserted and ran away.

This was even with Imperial Envoy Li Xingyuan personally overseeing Taipingpu; if Li Xingyuan were not there, the situation would only be worse.

"Dachuan, why is the cult bandit's cannon so sharp?" Li Xingyuan, trying to appear calm, met with Jiang Zhongjun and asked in a trembling voice.

"Judging from the sound of the cannons, the cannons fired by the cultists don't seem to be mountain-splitting cannons."

The sound of the cannons terrified not only his inexperienced Yongzhou militia but also Li Xingyuan himself, causing his limbs to become unresponsive.

This wasn't because Li Xingyuan had never led troops into battle or heard the sound of guns and cannons before, and was simply terrified upon first entering the battlefield.

Li Xingyuan served as a high-ranking official in a remote region for more than a decade, and he led troops to suppress bandits on numerous occasions.

In the past, these were all small-scale skirmishes; the intensity of the war has never been as high as it is today.

The ferocity of the Taiping army far exceeded Li Xingyuan's expectations, surpassing even the White Lotus Rebellion in Sichuan and Hubei during the early years of the Jiaqing Emperor's reign.

Li Xingyuan was not yet prepared to fight a high-intensity war.

"Master Li's insight is brilliant. The short-haired cult bandits were firing the heavy artillery that the government troops lost in Guangxi," Jiang Zhongjun replied, downplaying the seriousness of the matter.

Given the limited resources available to the religious rebels, it would have been impossible for them to manufacture heavy artillery. The heavy artillery they used could only have been captured from government troops.

Of the government troops fighting in Guangxi, only Xiang Rong's Chu army ever lost a heavy artillery piece.

Xiang Rong is still alive, and Chu Yong will inevitably have to deal with him in the future. Jiang Zhongjun can't openly say in front of Li Xingyuan that the heavy artillery used by Duan Mao was seized from Xiang Rong.

"Cannons are vital national weapons; how can they be so easily discarded!" Li Xingyuan said bitterly. "The government troops in Guangxi have actually allowed bandits to grow up like this!"

"The short-haired cult bandits are about to attack Lion Ridge. Chu Yong can't hold them off alone. Lion Ridge and Taipingpu are interdependent. I implore Lord Li to send troops to help Chu Yong defend Lion Ridge!" Jiang Zhongjun pleaded.

"Liu Changqing! You lead a thousand Hunan soldiers and a thousand Yongzhou brave men to Lion Ridge to help the Chu brave men defend the ridge!" Li Xingyuan summoned Liu Changqing and ordered him to redeem himself by leading two thousand soldiers and local brave men to Lion Ridge.

Liu Changqing reluctantly accepted the task and ordered two thousand soldiers and local militia to follow Jiang Zhongjun to Lion Ridge.

In the Taiping Army's artillery array below Lion Ridge, the heavy artillerymen loaded their ammunition in a measured and rhythmic manner, bombarding Lion Ridge with unhurried efficiency.

Peng Gang remained expressionless, his eyes fixed only on the undulating mountain shadows and the flickering flames and smoke ahead.

Seeing that the time was about right, Peng Gang ordered a halt to the shelling, raised his binoculars to continue observing the situation on Lion Ridge, and hesitated to issue the order to attack.

"Your Highness, when shall we attack Lion Ridge?" Chen Miao, the acting battalion commander of the First Battalion, eager for battle, asked Peng Gang.

"We will not attack Lion Ridge for now," Peng Gang said, putting down his binoculars.

“If we don’t capture Lion Ridge, we won’t be able to use the Xiangjiang River waterway.” Chen Miao asked, puzzled. “The brothers of the Fifth Battalion can’t just go into the water to clear the stakes while the Qing army is firing their cannons.”

(End of this chapter)