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February 11th, 1854, 80 miles south of Dongchang City, outside Zhangqiu Town.
Wen Yuewei pulled on the reins with her left hand. The purplish-red horse was galloping vigorously, but it suddenly slowed down. The horse wasn't very obedient. Wen Yuewei manipulated the reins to control the warhorse, whose nostrils and mouths were spraying thick white gas. The winter north of the Yellow River was much colder than the winter south of the Huai River. If she forced the horse to stop now, it would probably irritate the lungs of the sweaty horse in this cold weather.
Wen Yuewei had no intention of stopping. She let the horse slow down on its own. Although riding on the horse was a bit bumpy, Wen Yuewei's right hand smoothly waved the saber in the air, shaking off the bloodstains on the saber. Then, she put the saber back into the scabbard behind her waist.
The winter plains were littered with corpses. These people weren't wearing the uniform of the imperial army. They only had weapons in their hands. Wen Yuewei's family had once received people from the Manchu Qing who came to lobby them. She knew that this group of people were the "regiment trainers" that the lobbyists had mentioned.
At that time, the Wen family had thought it over and finally decided to join the Taiping army. Now, it seemed that rejecting the imperial court was the right choice. If the Wen family and Vézé's troops started fighting, they wouldn't end up any better than the regiment trainers.
The Taiping army's tactics were very simple. After receiving news of the enemy's attack, the infantry and artillery would face the enemy head-on. After a round of artillery fire, the Taiping army's enemy collapsed. Then, they released the cavalry behind the infantry to pursue and kill.
The Taiping army's Prince Of Qi, Vézé, was very loyal. He gave the Nian Army the money and cold weapons he obtained during the pursuit. The Taiping army took the gunpowder and guns. The Nian Army needed guns, but Vézé only used the Nian Army's cavalry. When the cavalry charged, they couldn't use guns. In the end, everyone came to an agreement. Vézé got seven points, and the Nian Army got three.
Wen Yuewei had more than two hundred cavalrymen under her direct command, and more than two hundred scattered cavalrymen under Wen Yuewei. She commanded more than five hundred horsemen. Among the thirty-odd Nian Army troops participating in this expedition, they were ranked second. The larger the number of troops, the more benefits they could obtain in terms of looting the battlefield.
For example, Wen Yuewei's troops all had a red cloth band tied around their left arm. The cavalry with this symbol had already surrounded a large area of the battlefield. Some were in charge of keeping watch, while others had already jumped off their horses to search the corpses for money. Screams could be heard from time to time. Those were the screams of the unlucky platoon commanders who were executed by the Nian Army.
When they finally stopped, Wen Yuewei pulled on the reins. The horse circled in place. Wen Yuewei shouted to the soldiers behind her, "Tell the leaders to come here and arrange for the scouts."
One of the duties of the Nian Army was to send a certain number of cavalrymen to scout with the Taiping army. This request was not met with resistance. Those who dared to fight knew what would happen if they weren't prepared and their camp was destroyed by the enemy. Because the Taiping army didn't have many horses, this was the only thing they needed the Nian Army to do. Wen Yuewei didn't think there was anything wrong with this.
"Chief of Staff, there are only four squads left from the Nianwei Army who volunteered to participate in the investigation according to the plan," Ruan Xihao, the Chief of Staff, reported the situation to Wei Ze.
"These are the four largest units in the Nian Army, right?" Vézé asked.
Ruan Xihao nodded. "Yes, they are the four largest units in the Nian Army. They get the most spoils of war every time. There are more than 1,800 cavalrymen in total. "
"It's good to have a reliable 1,800 cavalrymen. With them in charge of the pursuit, we can rest assured." Vézé smiled.
Ruan Xihao wasn't as optimistic as Vézé. He said worriedly, "Chief of Staff, if we go around Linqing and go straight to Mound City, then meet up with the Northern Expedition Army there, wouldn't that be better? Why do we have to take Linqing? "
Vézé pointed at the map and said, "Linqing is a good place. Even if we leave some of our men here, we'll have a stronghold. At that time, we can go to Mound City to get our men back. We'll feel more at ease. "
Wei Changrong frowned slightly and said, "Just a field battle between Linqing and the Qing army?"
Vézé smiled. "Fighting on the inside has its advantages, and fighting on the outside has its advantages. But in the end, there's only one thing. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll never be defeated. "
On the night of February 11th, Suiyuan's General Shan Lu, who was preparing to defend Dongchang against Vézé's attack, received news that more than 2,000 troops had been wiped out at Zhangqiu Town. At this time, there were only 3,000 soldiers in Dongchang City. This troop was one that Shan Lu placed great importance on.
On February 13th, Vézé sent troops along the canal to attack the other counties and took over Guan County. Vézé avoided the county and went straight to Linqing. On February 16th, the main force arrived at Liguanzhuang, which was 25 miles away from Linqing.
The Qing Army was at its wits' end. The civil and military officials only hoped to hold their ground. In the face of the Taiping army's offensive strength, Suiyuan's General Shan Lu felt like he was about to go crazy from the bad news. In addition to the pressure the Taiping army exerted on Shan Lu, the Xianfeng Emperor issued an imperial edict to dismiss Shan Lu from his post, but keep him on the frontlines. Shan Lu understood that if he didn't make any contributions in the future, any dissatisfaction from the Emperor would completely ruin his future prospects.
At this time, all the official documents were asking for help. If he could "safely approach" the Guangdong bandits, it would be considered a contribution. After careful consideration, Shan Lu chose Jiaozhuang, which was southeast of Linqing.
On February 18th, Shan Lu led 3,000 troops to Jiaozhuang. This area was basically flat land. Shan Lu had something on his mind, so he didn't speak during the march. At noon, a soldier suddenly got up to report that a large number of enemies had appeared diagonally behind them.
"Ah?" Shan Lu didn't immediately understand what this meant.
"General! There are thousands of horses behind us, and thousands more in front of us. How should we deal with them, please decide! "the soldier said respectfully. In fact, under normal circumstances, Shan Lu, who had been dismissed, was no longer a general. But the soldier didn't care about this.
The soldier didn't care, but Shan Lu cared a lot. After learning that the Taiping army had appeared in front and behind them, Shan Lu's first thought was to run. But in the blink of an eye, he remembered his current identity, a general who had been dismissed from his post. Although the Xianfeng Emperor was young, he could still grasp the key points in the court. For example, the Xianfeng Emperor reprimanded Shan Lu for not being able to stop the bandits from crossing the river and not engaging them in battle.
Of course, he could run now, but in order to prove to the Xianfeng Emperor that he wasn't a good-for-nothing, Shan Lu not only submitted an apology memorial, but also told the Xianfeng Emperor that he had already sent troops to Jiaozhuang. Now that he had said it, if the Xianfeng Emperor found out that Shan Lu knew that he had immediately fled upon seeing the enemy, the consequences would be obvious.
Thinking of this, Shan Lu decided to take a gamble. Although the Taiping army was known to be good at fighting, there was a distance of 50 to 60 li from Liguanzhuang to where Shan Lu was. People said that Baili Bixian was a great general, so the Taiping army must have expended a lot of energy on this journey. And Shan Lu's troops were dragging their feet. Everyone was afraid of hardship and exhaustion, so they should have expended less energy.
"Form up! Meet the enemy! "Shan Lu gave the order.
On the 20th of February, at the top of the walls of Linqing. Zhizhou Zhang Jigong saw a few tall poles erected below the city walls, and on them hung several heads. On the poles hung several large banners with the words "Shan Lu's Head" written on them. These words were written very large, and could be clearly seen from dozens of steps away. This scared Zhang Jigong to death. The troops in Linqing that he guarded were already few. If Suiyuan's General Shan Lu was really killed, the nearby reinforcements would be even fewer.
"Quick! Bring a brush and ink, I'll write a request for help right now! "Zhang Jigong shouted.
He wrote more than a dozen requests for help, not only to the Shandong Inspector-General, but also to the Zhili Governor and the Ministry of War.
On the 22nd of February, a request for help arrived in the city. Zhang Jigong saw that Sheng Bao had brought 8,000 troops to help, and he was so moved that he almost burst into tears.
Almost at the same time, the Northern Expedition Army camped near Tianjin also received Vézé's request.
Lin Fengxiang, Li Kaifang, and Yoshibuwon were stationed at Jinghai and Duliu Town near Tianjin. Vézé's request was not polite. In the request, Vézé first informed the three Prime Ministers that Vézé was now the Prince Of Qi of the Taiping Rebellion, and there was a clear difference in their positions. Although the three of them were the main generals of the Northern Expedition Army, and Vézé was the reinforcements. However, on the battlefield as a whole, Vézé requested the three Prime Ministers to obey Vézé's command.
This was the first time the three of them had heard of Wei Ze's promotion to King of Qi. Although they were thousands of li away from Nanjing, there was no way to verify it. Although it was thousands of miles away from Nanjing and there was no way to verify it, Vézé dared to say so. The three then began to argue about whether they should obey Vézé's command.
Lin Fengxiang felt that since the situation had come to this, there was no harm in listening to Vézé's command. Yoshibuwon supported Lin Fengxiang's view, while Li Kaifang was puzzled as to why Vézé was so anxious to ask for the command. The three did not want to argue, and continued to read Vézé's request.
Vézé's strategy was for both sides to meet at Mound City, and then immediately move south. To Lin Fengxiang's surprise, Vézé requested Lin Fengxiang's troops to prepare to break out of the encirclement, but not to move first. Vézé's troops would try their best to defeat the Qing Army with their own forces and fight their way to Mound City. By that time, the two sides' forces would be very close, and the efficiency of breaking out would be greatly increased.
Vézé repeatedly emphasized that at this stage, Lin Fengxiang's troops should try their best not to let the Qing Army see any signs of breaking out. In particular, they should not attack Mound City, and wait for Vézé's next order.
After reading the order, Lin Fengxiang smiled. "Wayne Brothers always does things like this. When he can bear more responsibility, he won't let his brothers work too hard."
Li Kaifang did not praise Vézé's plan. He frowned and said, "Wayne Brothers's decision is a little strange. If we follow his plan, we only need to wait for Wayne Brothers to attack. Can he do it? "
Li Kaifang knew that Vézé's troops were good at positional warfare, and they were good at fighting hard battles. In the Taiping army, there was one person who fought like Vézé, or rather, there was one person who fought like that, and that person was the Western Prince, Xiao Chaogui. As Xiao Chaogui's subordinate, Li Kaifang knew very well that after Xiao Chaogui's death, no one else was willing to take the initiative to fight hard battles. Even Xiao Chaogui's capable subordinates, Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang, were not willing to take the initiative to fight hard battles.
Lin Fengxiang looked at Yoshibuwon, and then at Li Kaifang. Yoshibuwon's eyes were filled with desire and anxiety. In general, he hoped to break out of the encirclement as soon as possible. Li Kaifang also wanted to break out of the encirclement, but he was not at ease with Vézé's ability. At this stage, any mistake would lead to a terrible result.
"If we follow Wayne Brothers' plan and stay where we are, we won't suffer any losses," Lin Fengxiang said. At this time, the Taiping army had been defending the Calm Sea and Duliu Town for more than two months. In addition to a large number of trenches and traps, Lin Fengxiang and the others had built long earthen walls at the two places, and had used bricks and stones to build firing ports. When the Qing Army attacked the city walls, they had no way to defend themselves, but the Taiping army could stand straight behind the earthen walls, load their muskets as quickly as possible, and fire from a comfortable position.
Of course, Li Kaifang knew that Lin Fengxiang was right, but he still didn't dare believe Vézé's suggestion. According to the official document, Vézé had the ability to break through all the Qing Army's obstacles by himself, all the way to Tianjing City. If that was the case, Vézé, Lin Fengxiang, and the others would have at least thirty to forty thousand men. It wouldn't be inconceivable for such a force to take Tianjin, or even Beijing. Why was Vézé's plan to retreat immediately?
"We are under the orders of the King Of The East to launch a northern expedition to Beijing. The expedition has yet to be won, and the King Of The East has not issued any orders. Why are we retreating? "Li Kaifang couldn't help but ask loudly.
Lin Fengxiang frowned, then sighed and said, "Because the Wayne Brothers are now King! As the Prince Of Qi, of course he can command us! "
Lin Fengxiang had originally thought that Vézé had declared himself the Prince Of Qi at the beginning of the official document, so it was only natural that he would be given command of the entire army. Now, it seemed that Vézé had really grasped the crux of the problem. Lin Fengxiang already knew that things couldn't be done, so he agreed on the necessity of retreating. But Li Kaifang obviously felt that as long as they could get help, the northern expedition could continue. And Vézé undoubtedly believed that they had to retreat immediately.
Looking at Li Kaifang's unconvinced expression, Lin Fengxiang said, "We should just defend ourselves and wait for the Wayne Brothers to come."
Vézé didn't care about Li Kaifang's opinion. In the future, Vézé didn't expect the Taiping army near Tianjin to cooperate with him. Although Vézé knew that this army was the absolute elite of the Taiping army, if Vézé's army were to travel thousands of miles and be besieged for two months, they probably wouldn't be able to maintain their discipline and morale. Of course, Vézé believed that he wouldn't send an army thousands of miles away without any backup. In terms of strategy, this was a very laughable choice.
The intelligence on the Northern Expedition Army was obtained by Vézé from Suiyuan's general, Shan Lu. Shan Lu also had three thousand soldiers under him, but when Vézé's three thousand infantrymen and the Nian Army arrived, Shan Lu's doomsday had arrived.
Vézé's army formed a large horizontal line. In theory, Shan Lu could make countless openings in this horizontal line. But after an entire hour of battle, Shan Lu used up all his cavalry and infantrymen, but still couldn't break through the five platoons of Vézé's army.
While Shan Lu was struggling, Vézé's army outflanked him from two directions, and the infantrymen actually managed to surround Shan Lu's army. Naturally, Vézé didn't surround him completely and left an opening. In the face of such a simple encirclement tactic, Shan Lu still chose to escape through the gap on the other side. Panting and exhausted from running, Shan Lu's army was completely annihilated under the pursuit of Vézé's cavalry.
Shan Lu obediently chose to surrender. When Vézé asked him about the latest intelligence on the Qing Army, Shan Lu told him everything he knew. The high evaluation of the Taiping army's Northern Expedition Army came from Sengrinchen's words. Vézé didn't have a good impression of Man Man. After asking him questions, he beheaded Shan Lu.
At this time, the Taiping army's Northern Expedition Army was surrounded by two Qing Army units. One was Sengrinchen's cavalry unit, which was mainly active in Zhili. Sheng Bao's army also had a lot of cavalry, but they were mainly infantrymen. The General Staff Headquarters finally determined that Sheng Bao's army was probably the Qing Army that came to reinforce Linqing. Of course, the General Staff Headquarters also made some corresponding battle plans to deal with Sengrinchen's reinforcements.
In the end, it was confirmed that the reinforcements were Sheng Bao. Vézé was overjoyed. Although his cavalry was not strong enough, there were still 5,000 Nian Army soldiers fighting under Vézé's command. The two sides had fought more than a dozen battles along the way. Although their cooperation couldn't be said to be seamless, at least they wouldn't cause any trouble.
The main force of Sheng Bao's army was infantrymen. The main force of Vézé's army was also infantrymen. This was where Vézé's opportunity lay.
On February 25th, Sheng Bao's army approached Linqing. Scouts came to report that on the nearby plains, there were about 6,000 Cantonese bandits waiting in formation. Their position blocked the main road. Unless Sheng Bao chose to change direction and take another route, he could only fight the Cantonese bandits head-on.
"Do they have other ambushes?" Sheng Bao heard that the Taiping army had 20,000 people. If another Taiping army suddenly rushed out from other places while they were fighting with the 6,000 Cantonese bandits, it would be terrible.
Sheng Bao was a Bannerman. His bodyguard was a servant raised by his family, so he answered very quickly. "Your servant didn't see any ambushes. This is all flat ground. You can see very far. Your servant specially ran to a higher place to look. The Cantonese bandits have about 4,000 infantrymen and about 2,000 cavalry. They are spread out on the main road. "
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