1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 316 Relieving the Siege of Hubei and Jiangxi: Attacking What They Must Rescue
The defense of Dagutang was arranged and deployed, leaving Yin Peili, deputy general of the Shaanxi-Gansu Green Standard Army, and Liu Yuxun, commander of the Jiang Army, to garrison Dagutang.

Li Mengqun and Fu Cheng led over a thousand victorious soldiers, escorting a long procession of prisoners, back to Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, aboard boats piloted by the Jiangxi Army.

Although in the Battle of Dagutang, Li Mengqun, Fu Cheng and others only defeated Shi Xiangzhen's detachment.

However, the recapture of Dagutang and the killing and capture of 600 Taiping rebels were a rare shot in the arm against the backdrop of repeated defeats in the Jiangxi campaign.

The Qing government in Jiangxi also needed such a victory as a model to promote, in order to boost morale and inspire the people.

Don't even mention killing or capturing six hundred Taiping rebels; they were all new Taiping thieves.

Even if it were just killing or capturing sixty new Taiping rebels, it would be something that the Jiangxi officials would boast about and celebrate wildly.

Nanchang was the seat of the Governor of Jiangxi Province, with Nanchang and Xinjian counties attached to it. It was located in what is now the Donghu District and Xihu District of Nanchang City, with a city area of ​​approximately 4.2 square kilometers, and governed one prefecture and seven counties.

Outside Desheng Gate in the north of Nanchang City, colorful tents were erected and drums and gongs resounded.

Local gentry and celebrities gathered here, led by Zhang Fei, the governor of Jiangxi, and Cheng Yucai, a retired former governor of Liangjiang and a prominent figure among Jiangxi's powerful clans.

The troops that welcomed Li Mengqun and Fu Cheng returned triumphantly to Nanchang.

Upon seeing Li Mengqun, Cheng Yucai personally stepped forward, beaming with joy, unable to stop smiling: "My dear son-in-law! General Fu! You have worked hard! Your two generals have led the army to recapture Dagutang, decisively defeated the rebel Shi's forces, displayed the might of our Great Qing army, and protected our hometown in Jiangxi. This is truly a blessing for all the people of Jiangxi! On behalf of the elders of our hometown, I have prepared a small feast to welcome the soldiers!"

After he finished speaking, Cheng family servants carried dozens of jars of fine wine and a whole cart of pigs and sheep as provisions for the army.

Cheng Yucai grew to like Li Mengqun more and more the more she looked at him.

Although Li Mengqun is currently in mourning, he is only engaged to his thirteen-year-old daughter, Cheng Lingyi. The two have not yet married, and the Cheng and Li families have not yet officially formed a marriage alliance.

However, Cheng Yucai already regarded Li Mengqun as her son-in-law. When Li Mengqun trained the Jiangxi army, Cheng Yucai granted Li Mengqun's every request, providing him with money, grain, manpower, and face, using all the resources of the Cheng family to help Li Mengqun train the Jiangxi army.

In retrospect, the investment in Li Mengqun was well worth it; this young man is promising and has a limitless future.

Jiangxi Governor Zhang Fei also greeted Li Mengqun and Fu Cheng with a beaming smile.

Although Zhang Fei knew that this battle was limited in scale, given the Qing government's repeated defeats in its campaigns against the Taiping rebels, any victory was worthy of being celebrated.

Li Mengqun and Fu Cheng's victory can be seen as a way of redeeming themselves after their hasty escape from Jiujiang back to Nanchang.

Zhang Fei took the stage and spoke eloquently, praising Li Mengqun and Fu Cheng as "commendable in loyalty and bravery, and as brilliant in military strategy." He described the Battle of Dagutang as a crucial victory and immediately announced that he would draft a memorial and send it to the capital by express courier, requesting imperial commendation for Li Mengqun, Fu Cheng, and all the meritorious officers and soldiers!
Zhang Fei's sycophantic remarks made even Fu Cheng, a Manchu nobleman who was usually quite thick-skinned, feel a bit embarrassed.

That night, a grand banquet was held in the Jiangxi governor's office, with a feast of delicacies, both land and sea, that was dazzling to behold, and the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air.

Almost all the prominent officials and gentry in Nanchang were present, taking turns to toast Li and Fu, their words of flattery filling the air.

Fu Cheng, a man of forthright character, was flushed with pride after a few drinks, readily accepting the compliments around him, and seemed quite pleased with himself. Li Mengqun, on the other hand, merely drank a few cups of plain wine to get by.

The following morning, Imperial Commissioner Sai Shang'a summoned Li Mengqun and Fu Cheng to his heavily guarded office in Nanchang.

Sai Shang'a sat before the huge map of Jiangxi and had Li Mengqun give a detailed report on the course and details of the Battle of Dagutang.

Li Mengqun explained in detail the differences between the new and old bandits, from how the two armies engaged in battle, the characteristics of the bandit soldiers' combat, to the flintlock muskets found during the cleanup of the battlefield, and the composition of the enemy army revealed in the prisoners' confessions.

Saisanga listened intently, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the back of his chair.

After Li Mengqun finished speaking, Sai Shang'a remained silent for a moment, then slowly rose and walked to the huge map. Sai Shang'a's gaze wandered between the prefectural capitals near the three towns of Wuhan and Jiujiang and Hukou.

The Taiping Rebellion showed signs of heading north, and Emperor Xianfeng urged them to move north even further.

Sai Shang'a naturally wanted to take advantage of the victory and capture Hukou and Pengze, then march straight to Anqing and Wuhu, and finally bring his troops to the gates of Jiangning.

However, the short-haired Maoist group still held sway over the three prefectures of Wuchang, Hanyang, and Huangzhou near the three towns of Wuhan.

The short-haired bandits of Hubei were like a sword hanging over his head that could fall at any moment and pierce his head, making Saishanga dare not make any rash moves.

Fearing to leave Nanchang, the Shaanxi-Gansu troops were trapped in the battlefields of Hukou and Jiujiang, surrounded and attacked from the east and west by Peng Gang of Wuchang, Hubei, and Shi Dakai of Anqing, Anhui, and were sandwiched like a meat sandwich.

The Shaanxi-Gansu garrison was one of the few remaining usable assets of the Qing Dynasty. If anything happened to the Shaanxi-Gansu garrison, he would be unable to explain it to his master, Emperor Xianfeng.

"You all fought bravely in this battle, displaying the might of our Great Qing Dynasty, and your contributions are invaluable. However..." Saying this, Sai Shang'a changed the subject, pointing to Hukou on the map.

"Hukou is not comparable to Dagutang. Although Shi Xiangzhen was defeated, his brother Shi Dakai is cunning in his military tactics. How could he sit idly by and watch this vital place be lost? He has taken up Hukou, built fortifications on its natural defenses, and has a forest of artillery positions. Furthermore, he and the rebel forces of Shi Zhenlun and Shi Zhenchang on Meijiazhou on the opposite bank are guarding the river from both sides, forming a defensive triangle. There are also naval units patrolling the river. His position is already established, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack."

Although Dagutang is located under the jurisdiction of Jiujiang Customs, it is a key location for waterway tax collection in Jiangxi. It has more than a thousand businesses and a population of over 20,000, making it a large town.

However, it was ultimately a town without city walls, and Shi Xiangzhen would not deploy a large number of old traitors from Guangxi and Hunan in Dagutang.

But Hukou is different. Hukou is a city wall that forms a strategic defensive position with Dehua, the capital of Jiujiang Prefecture.

Not only is its location far more important than Dagutang, but it also has city walls to rely on. Shi Xiangzhen would definitely deploy more old traitors from Guangxi and Hunan in Hukou to ensure its safety.

Sai Shang'a's gaze swept over Li and Fu, his tone growing increasingly grave as he voiced his greatest concern: "What is even more worrying is their external support. If our army launches a full-scale attack on Hukou at this time, the main force of the Shi rebels in Anqing will arrive in a day, and the short-haired bandits in Qizhou, Huangzhou, and Wuhan in Hubei can also quickly move south, either to aid Jiujiang or to strike directly at the flanks and rear of our army."

At that time, our army will be besieged beneath the fortified city, attacked from both sides. The slightest misstep could not only prevent the capture of Hukou, but also result in a complete rout from both sides! The overall situation in Jiangxi and even the entire south would be unimaginable!

Li Mengqun agreed wholeheartedly and replied, "Lord Sai is insightful and far-sighted, and I share the same concern. The rebel forces in Hukou and Jiujiang are deeply entrenched and interconnected; a single move could affect the whole situation. They are by no means isolated cities."

“That is exactly right.” Sai Shang’a nodded, finally stating the decision he had made after a night of deep thought. “Our army should not launch an immediate attack on Hukou. It’s not that we are afraid of battle, but rather that we must create momentum and plan carefully before making our move, first clipping their wings and then striking at their heart!”

Sai Shang'a's finger suddenly moved to the Hubei region on the map: "I have already sent an urgent letter, with the seal of an imperial envoy, to General Wulantai of Jingzhou, Governor-General Luo Bingzhang of Huguang, and Governor Zhang Liangji of Hunan, and consulted with Zeng Guofan, Minister of the Hunan Militia, urging them to immediately supervise the Chu Army under Xiang Rong, Deng Shaoliang, Chu Warrior Jiang Zhongyuan, and Xiang Warrior Luo Zenan, to concentrate their elite forces and advance north and east with all their might to launch a fierce attack on Yuezhou and Baling, so as to contain and severely damage the short-haired bandits in Hubei, making it difficult for them to protect themselves and unable to look eastward!"

This is a strategy to relieve the siege of Hubei and Jiangxi, and to attack what the enemy must defend. It has three advantages.

Firstly, the Hunan battalion's fierce attack on Yuezhou and advance on the three towns of Wuhan will surely pin Peng Gang and his troops down in the three towns of Wuhan, leaving them no time to look eastward, thus completely eliminating the flank and rear threat to our army's attack on Hukou.

Secondly, with the war in Hubei becoming increasingly intense, how could Shi Dakai remain calm in Anqing? He would likely send troops west to reinforce the front. With Shi Dakai redeploying his troops, his defenses would inevitably have gaps. This shift in power would present our army with an opportune moment to attack.

Thirdly, when the fighting in the Yuezhou and Baling areas becomes stalemate, Peng's rebels are preoccupied with their own affairs, Shi's rebels are exhausted, and Fa's rebels are unable to attend to both ends, our Jiangxi army, which has been conserving its strength for a long time, can launch a surprise attack eastward to Hukou and reap a thunderous victory!

Sai Shang'a, his abacus clicking away, looked up at Li Mengqun and Fu Cheng: "Therefore, your current priority is not to seek war, but to prepare for war! Return to camp immediately, reassure the soldiers, replenish manpower and provisions, repair and maintain weapons, and especially manufacture more siege weapons. Also, send out capable scouts to thoroughly investigate the strength and weakness of the bandit camp at Hukou, and monitor the movements of the bandits in Anqing and Hubei day and night. Once an opportunity arises in Hubei, the moment my command flag points, that will be the time for you to strike at the heart of the enemy!"

Upon hearing this, Fu Cheng was completely convinced and bowed deeply: "Lord Sai's plans are flawless and far-sighted! With such a layout, even though Hukou is fortified, it can surely be captured! We, your humble servants, will obey Lord Sai's orders and will certainly prepare our troops for a thunderous strike!"

Sai Shang'a smiled with satisfaction: "Excellent! I hope you two will not hesitate to work hard and work together to recover Hukou. The success or failure of the overall counterattack depends on this one battle."

(End of this chapter)