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The three towns of Wuhan were known as the 'thoroughfares of the nine provinces', and were places where commerce was extremely developed. After the Taiping army took over Wuhan, they obtained a large amount of supplies, especially gunpowder and the raw materials needed to manufacture gunpowder.
After receiving the orders from the King Of The East, Yang Xiuqing, Vézé began to prepare to advance east along the river. The troops began to gather troops and store supplies. In Hankou, a region with a rather developed commerce and handicraft industry, Vézé very smoothly gathered what he needed. According to Vézé's design, the blacksmiths produced a batch of copper mixers, as well as iron compacting and pulverizing machinery.
In the era of gunpowder, one of the greatest achievements was the granular gunpowder. The preparation method was relatively simple. First, two copper hemispheres fixed on a rotating frame were filled with gunpowder, and then began to rotate, allowing the gunpowder's components to be evenly mixed. Water mixed with egg white was poured into the evenly distributed gunpowder, stirring it into a semi-dry paste. The wet gunpowder paste was then compressed with a roller, turning it into a dense gunpowder cake. The gunpowder cake was then dried in the shade, and then crushed into small particles. It could be used as a relatively basic granular gunpowder. The excessively fine granules were recycled and pressed again, and the prepared granules were used as propellants for paper bullets.
After the first batch was produced, the results were similar to what Vézé had imagined. The flash of the gunpowder was greatly reduced. In order to ignite this kind of granular gunpowder, a stronger primer was needed. Matchlocks were more friendly to this kind of gunpowder, as matchlocks were directly ignited with an open flame. Flintlocks were a bit worse, as it was difficult for the flame of a flint to ignite these small granules. Often, the trigger had to be pulled two or three times before it could successfully fire.
Of course, after using this kind of gunpowder, the gun could still fire, and the lead could be shot to the same distance as before, greatly reducing the amount of gunpowder needed. Therefore, the military department did not know whether this kind of gunpowder was good or not. In order to use this kind of gunpowder effectively, a stronger primer was needed. How to obtain this primer was a huge problem for the military department.
Of course, Vézé knew how to make a stronger primer, and that was one of the core technologies of the real Migne rifle, the 'fire cap'. A step closer than the flintlock was the flintlock. Whether it is a matchlock gun or a flintlock, both rely on the gunpowder in the firepit to ignite the gunpowder in the barrel. However, the fire cap gun was completely different. The small hole between the fire pool and the barrel was enlarged, and a fire cap filled with mercury fulminate was inserted. After the trigger was pulled, the mercury fulminate would explode, and the high temperature flame produced by the explosion would directly spray into the barrel. Although the flash of the granular gunpowder was reduced, but because the gunpowder was evenly mixed with the various components, it burned quite well under high temperature. Their combat effectiveness was greatly improved.
Mercury fulminate was high tech in this era, but it was very easy to prepare for any high school student who studied chemistry. With the knowledge he had, Vézé was sure that all he needed was a sturdier flintlock. With such a sturdy flintlock as a foundation, it was easy to modify a flintlock into a flintlock.
A flintlock still required six or seven firing steps. For a flintlock, one only needed to pull the trigger, tear off the tail of the paper bullet with one's teeth, and insert the tail of the bullet into the barrel. Then, the bullet was inserted into the barrel, and a fire cap was installed on the firepit. After aiming at the enemy, the trigger was pulled.
Only four steps were needed to fire a shot. In addition, the ignition efficiency of the fire cap was far faster than other methods, and the firing efficiency was at least doubled. A flintlock could fire one shot, and a flintlock could fire at least two shots. A flintlock could fire one shot, and a flintlock could fire at least five shots. A fire cap, with rifling and Migne bullets, this was the real Migne rifle. At the very least, this was a weapon that could not be considered outdated in 1870.
Vézé knew what he was pursuing, but these clear steps were completely incomprehensible to the people of China in 1853. Vézé's troops were better off. In any case, there was a chief of staff to manage the troops, and everyone was still able to prepare for all kinds of pre-war affairs in an orderly manner. Luo Dagang, who had been ordered to go east with Vézé, felt it was quite strange. In the past, Vézé was doing things in a rush, but now he was slowing down. The whole army seemed to be busy, but there was no final decision to set out.
On the 6th of January, Luo Dagang came again to urge Vézé to send out troops. On the way, he brought a piece of news. The famous female general of the Taiping army, Bian Sanniang, had left the Taiping army and returned to Guangxi with her subordinates.
Vézé had an impression of Bian Sanniang. Before Yang Xiuqing played the Advent of the Heavenly Father, Bian Sanniang strongly advocated attacking Henan. Unexpectedly, after her idea failed, Bian Sanniang actually left the Taiping army and chose to return to Guangxi.
Looking at Vézé's stunned expression, Luo Dagang said with a smile, "Bian Sanniang said what the Heavenly King thought, but the Heavenly King didn't dare to go against the King Of The East. Bian Sanniang felt that the Heavenly King was actually useless, so she simply didn't follow the Heavenly King."
There was a hint of flirtatiousness in these words. Vézé also wanted to hear more, to see if there was any gossip that could entertain him. Therefore, Vézé said with a smile, "If we followed the Heavenly King's idea this time, I wonder if Bian Sanniang would stay."
Vézé had seen Bian Sanniang many times. In terms of appearance, Bian Sanniang was not Vézé's cup of tea at all. Vézé only had some doubts about whether Hong Xiuquan would have any feelings for Bian Sanniang. After all, according to the latest intelligence, Hong Xiuquan, who had brought along 36 wives along the way from Yongan to Wuhan, had begun to add new ones to his list.
"Listen to the Heavenly King?" Luo Dagang laughed with some evil intentions. "If we listened to the Heavenly King, would we still be able to fight to Wuchang? I'm afraid that he would have already gone to Guangdong. "
Seeing that Luo Dagang had no intention of gossiping, Vézé didn't try to pick on this topic. He said, "Brother Luo, I still need a day to finish preparing …"
Luo Dagang interrupted Vézé, "I see that your military equipment is ready, right?"
Vézé smiled and said, "They are ready, but I haven't practiced getting on and off the ship yet. Give me a day to practice. Brother Luo, you also have to send a ship to practice with me. "
"What else do you need to practice?" Luo Dagang was a little surprised.
Vézé replied, "If we meet Qing Yao on the road, I'm going to let the troops disembark and fight. We will advance on land and water. Qing Yao will not be able to resist us. After we defeat Qing Yao, we will leave some brothers to defend and the main force will board the ship and continue eastward. "
"You still need to practice getting on and off the ship? Wayne Brothers, aren't you underestimating the ability of your brothers? "Luo Dagang was puzzled by Vézé's attitude.
"As the saying goes, if you sharpen your spear at the last minute, why not take a day to practice?" Vézé still insisted. This was a habit that he couldn't break. Everything had to be practiced first.
"I'll listen to you, but only for a day! Only for a day!" Luo Dagang was anxious to fight Nanjing, so he repeatedly emphasized.
As a result, the training to quickly board the ship lasted for two days. If it was a leisurely boarding and disembarking, there was really no need for training. But if the troops had to carry the artillery off the ship and quickly board the ship after the battle was over. Just this command alone was a troublesome matter.
Luo Dagang was proficient in water operations and provided a lot of very efficient commands. But Vézé's troops were on land. It would take a lot of time to effectively cooperate with Luo Dagang. After two days of practice, Luo Dagang said to Vézé, "Wayne Brothers, why don't we practice for another day?"
"Why?" Vézé asked, pretending to be surprised.
Luo Dagang replied seriously, "If we practice like this, I dare to let the troops travel hundreds of miles a day. Qing Yao is definitely no match for us. "
The training finally ended on the fourth day. It wasn't that the two were completely satisfied with the troops, but that Yang Xiuqing had sent someone to inform the two Prime Minister Vézé and Luo Dagang that they should participate in the selection of wives. Vézé had no interest in this kind of nonsense. It was not the time to play with women. Luo Dagang hated this kind of corrupt style. Like Vézé, Luo Dagang had not liked Hong Xiuquan for a long time.
After a discussion, the two informed the King Of The East and Yang Xiuqing that they were going to be sick. The selection of wives would be discussed later.
On the 10th of January, Vézé's 5,000 troops boarded the ships. Luo Dagang brought 4,000 troops with him. Both sides had a total of 9,000 troops.
On the 10th, they conquered Wuchang County. On the 11th, they conquered Huangzhou. Vézé and his troops tore down the city gates and took away all the military supplies they could before retreating from Huangzhou.
On the 12th, they conquered Qishui and continued to tear down the city gates. After resting for a day, the troops continued to advance east.
On the 14th, they conquered Qizhou.
At this time, they received news that the Qing Army was at Wuxue. The two armies were preparing to intercept Vézé's troops. Luo Dagang came up with an idea. He wanted the brothers on the ships in front to disguise themselves as refugees. This plan put Vézé in a difficult position. If the Qing Army saw through it and opened fire, Vézé would suffer a great loss. However, there was no better way. Vézé wanted to let the instructors personally go into battle. However, Lei Hu jumped out and asked, "Please let my troops fight!"
Ever since they suffered losses at the hands of the Qing Army, Lei Hu had been training his troops hard. However, he had not had the chance to turn the situation around. Although this battle was dangerous, it gave Lei Hu a chance to save his face. Therefore, he insisted on participating in the battle. Finally, Vézé also wanted to see the training standard of the troops. He personally participated in the vanguard operation.
On the fifth day of the night, the vanguard fleet first sailed down the river. Under the dusky sky, someone on the Qing Army's ships shouted, "What are you doing?"
"Wuchang has been conquered by the bandits. We are fleeing!" The local brothers in charge of deceiving the enemy shouted. Therefore, the Qing Army believed them. They did not use guns or cannons! They watched helplessly as a dozen ships passed through their defensive line.
"General Lei, if you dare to do such a thing, I will not let you off!" Even though he had benefited greatly from it, Vézé did not show the slightest sign of praise. He said to Lei Hu in a serious tone.
"Prime Minister, please rest assured!" Lei Hu replied in a serious tone.
The vanguard fleet quickly passed through the Qing Army's defensive line. The river behind them suddenly lit up. Luo Dagang had ordered his men to light bonfires on some of the empty ships. A large number of ships, emitting thick smoke and flames, floated down the river. Then, the Qing Army reflexively opened fire on these ships, which were rather eye-catching.
"Dock! Get ready to disembark! "Lei Hu shouted to the people around him.
A red flag was raised on the bow of the ship. The flag-bearer raised the flagpole and waved it vigorously. At this signal, the vanguard fleet immediately approached the shore. Before the ship could stop by the river, Lei Hu had already drawn his saber. With his left hand pressed against the side of the ship, he leaped out of the cabin and into the river, which was almost knee-deep. It was January, and the river was steaming. After Lei Hu jumped in, he could only see up to his chest. He saw Lei Hu raise the saber in his hand high and shout with all his might, "Disembark! Disembark! "
The Qing Army's defensive system had been hastily built upstream. When Lei Hu led his troops to attack from behind the Qing Army, the Qing Army's ground forces fired at the ships that were emitting thick smoke and flames for a long time. Both the cannons and flintlocks were boiling hot and could not continue to fight. Seeing the several hundred ferocious men charging towards them, the Qing Army let out a cry, threw down their weapons, and began to flee. Lei Hu and his men only killed about two hundred slow Qing Army soldiers. The remaining eight or nine hundred managed to escape without a trace.
On the water, Luo Dagang led his fleet directly towards the Qing Army navy. Like the ground forces, the Qing Army navy saw that the Taiping army was risking their lives. They immediately raised their sails, rowed their oars, and fled without a trace.
After interrogating the captured Qing Army soldiers, he found out that the commander of the navy was the deputy general of Taihu, also called Liu Changqing. Vézé saw that the Qing Army navy had fled cleanly and was worried that they would find a chance to ambush him. But after hearing such a familiar name, Vézé actually felt that he could relax.
On the 17th, Jiujiang was captured. On the 18th, Pengze was captured. On the 20th, Little Lonely Mountain was captured. On the night of the 22nd, Vézé's troops arrived outside the walls of Anqing. Without waiting for rest, they immediately made preparations to attack the city. On the 23rd, during the fifth watch period, Vézé began his attack on Anqing, the capital of Anhui. The Qing Army garrison scattered in confusion, allowing Vézé to take Anqing in one fell swoop.
Vézé ordered that a considerable portion of the supplies that came with the fleet be left in Anqing. He also left Wei Changrong, Zhang Yingchen, and the First and Fourth Divisions in Anqing. The General Staff Headquarters was shocked. The division of troops at this time was somewhat inexplicable.
Vézé's attitude was unyielding as he told everyone, "Once I break through Nanjing, I will immediately return with troops! Before I come back, you can't lose An Qing! "
No matter how incomprehensible everyone was, Vézé continued to lead his troops eastward on the 24th. On the 25th, he captured Chizhou, and on the 28th, he occupied Wuhu.
On the 1st of February, the Taiping army advanced on both land and water to the East and West Liangshan. When the navy and the Qing Army fought fiercely on the surface of the river, the army had already crushed the more than 3,000 troops of the Qing Army. They went around to the lower reaches of the Qing Army navy, set up cannons by the river, and bombarded the Qing Army navy. The Qing Army navy was immediately routed. They did not even dare to stay in Nanjing and went straight to Shanghai.
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