Chapter 6

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For those troops who dared to fight, weapons were the foundation of their victory. For those defeated soldiers who were fleeing for their lives, weapons were the obstacles that prevented them from surviving. On the official road leading to Yongan City, the crumbling Qing Army grain transport team threw down their heavy muskets and long spears. With their backs to the pursuing Taiping army, they cried and screamed as they ran for their lives.

On the bumpy official road, some Qing Army soldiers were lucky enough to run away, while others accidentally fell to the ground. The fallen Qing Army soldiers tried to get up and run again, but the Qing Army soldiers behind them stepped on their bodies. The fallen soldiers screamed in pain when they were stepped on, but they couldn't get up no matter how hard they tried.

Following closely behind these Qing Army soldiers were the merciless blades of the Taiping army spears. Vézé, needless to say, could finish off a Qing Army soldier with one shot. Wei Changrong, whose marksmanship wasn't that accurate, could easily stab at the vital points of the Qing Army soldiers. His killing speed was greatly increased.

Some fled, some killed. Others ran with all their might towards the bloody battlefield.

From the beginning of the battle, Zhang Yingchen couldn't be said to have slacked off. The excitement of battle completely controlled Zhang Yingchen. He searched for an opportunity to attack like a madman. But killing the enemy wasn't something that could be done with passion. Because of his lack of battle experience, Zhang Yingchen couldn't achieve any results. When Zhang Yingchen regained some of his senses and tried to catch up to Vézé, Zhang Yingchen saw Vézé's figure bravely charging towards rows of black muzzles.

Zhang Yingchen's heart was in his throat, and he couldn't even scream. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that there was someone in this world who could be so brave. Admiration aside, Zhang Yingchen believed that Vézé was doomed this time. Once again, the development of the matter was beyond Zhang Yingchen's expectation. Wei Ze blocked the flintlock with his bare hands, relying only on his dauntless courage, he forced the Qing army to retreat.

Zhang Yingchen had heard Wei Changrong boast about Vézé's bravery many times, but Zhang Yingchen was skeptical. Zhang Yingchen was from Tian Di Hui and had traveled extensively in the past. He had seen many people who didn't live up to their reputations. It wasn't until he saw Vézé's heroic battle that Zhang Yingchen realized that some people were not as good as their reputations.

After Vézé broke up the enemy's formation, the veteran Taiping army soldiers followed closely behind Vézé and launched a merciless massacre against the Qing Army. Zhang Yingchen was deeply shaken by the battle. He no longer had the slightest bit of fear in his heart. A kind of high spirited courage overflowed in Zhang Yingchen's chest. He raised his long spear and chased after them. In his heart, there was only the thought of joining the ranks of the battle as soon as possible and killing Qing Yao together with his superior and comrades.

When they reached the front of the corpses strewn all over the ground, a Qing Army soldier who had just fallen staggered to his feet and prepared to run for his life. Zhang Yingchen was already gasping for breath from running. His violently beating heart also showed signs of wanting to jump out of his throat. Zhang Yingchen still held his spear and charged at the Qing Army soldier, who had a large gash on his back. The back of the soldier's uniform was soaked in blood. The tip of the spear was blocked by something after stabbing into the enemy's body. Zhang Yingchen didn't care what it was that blocked the tip of the spear. He used all the strength in his body to deeply stab the spear into the Qing Army soldier's back.

The Qing Army soldier let out a blood-curdling scream and his entire body fell forward weakly. Zhang Yingchen had killed the first enemy he had ever killed in his life. Pulling out the spear with all his might, Zhang Yingchen gritted his teeth and raised the spear high, thrusting it towards the dying Qing Army soldier on the ground with all his strength.

Imperial Bodyguard Krondo looked solemnly at the battlefield in front of him. He had always been by Imperial Envoy Ceishan'a's side and had never personally seen the rebels in Guangxi. The Manchu Qing had sent nearly fifty thousand soldiers to encircle and suppress the Taiping army in Guangxi, but they had suffered repeated defeats. Krondo had never understood why the Qing Army had suffered repeated defeats. Everyone had two arms and two legs, and the Qing Army's equipment was much better than the rebels. Why were they unable to win against the rebels? All sorts of official documents had stated that the rebels were capable of fighting, but Krondo didn't really believe it.

Seeing the twenty rebels launch their attacks with his own eyes, Krondo finally believed in the rebels' bravery. The Qing Army couldn't say that they didn't try their best, but the bravery of the rebels in front of them had exceeded the level written in the official documents. Furthermore, this wasn't enough for Krondo to flee like the Qing Army soldiers. Krondo pulled the reins, and the warhorse beneath him spun in a circle. Just when Krondo was about to personally lead the troops to attack the rebels, another imperial bodyguard, Wang Feixiong, grabbed Krondo's reins first. Facing Krondo's cold gaze, Wang Feixiong said loudly: "Big brother Krondo, let me lead my bodyguards to take the vanguard."

Krondo thought for a moment, then replied: "That's fine, brother Wang, you have to be careful." After saying that, Krondo took out the saber at his waist and handed it to Wang Feixiong. This was a good saber specially given to the imperial bodyguards. Wang Feixiong originally wanted to decline, but after thinking about it, he understood Krondo's good intentions. Although the rebels in front of him were brave, they didn't have firearms. Krondo's saber was extremely sharp, and could easily slice through the rebels' spears. At this moment, as long as he could stop the rebels' momentum and buy some time, Krondo would be able to reorganize the remaining Qing Army soldiers and launch an attack on the rebels.

Understanding this point, Wang Feixiong took the saber and flipped off his horse. He called over the bodyguards that Imperial Envoy Sai Shang'a had given to the imperial bodyguards, and strode towards Vézé's group.

At this moment, Vézé already felt that something was wrong with the Qing Army. They defeated the rear of the Qing army and the middle of the Qing army. The course of the two battles was very normal. The Green Camp of the Qing army completely demonstrated the fighting ability that they were supposed to have. What was unusual was that the middle of the Qing Army was still in a strict formation, and could still continue to attack despite being defeated again and again.

Putting aside the effectiveness of these attacks, the fact that they could launch an attack meant that the Qing Army's commander had seen through Vézé's weakness of having too few troops. By now, Vézé's group was like an arrow at the end of its flight. If the Qing Army could launch another one or two attacks, Vézé's group might not even have the strength to escape.

At this stage of the battle, Vézé's group had no other choice. If they retreated now, they wouldn't be able to obtain much spoils of war. Since the Qing Army's middle was still in good order, the moment they gave chase, the Taiping army carrying a pile of spoils of war would definitely not be able to resist. Right now, the only way was to completely defeat the Qing Army and drive them out of the battlefield. Moreover, Vézé firmly believed that based on the Qing Army's current performance, if they didn't take out their trump card, Vézé would be able to lead his brothers to persevere. Even if the Qing Army fought to the last soldier, Vézé's group would still have at least a fifty percent chance of victory.

When Vézé saw the Qing Army send out another small unit to launch a counterattack, he knew that the Qing Army was going to fight with their lives on the line. When he saw that the leader was wearing an eye-catching yellow magua, Vézé was even more shocked. The person wearing the yellow magua should be from the capital. In Vézé's imagination, a person wearing a yellow magua from the capital was equivalent to an incompetent person and as timid as a mouse. The capital actually had a yellow magua that could persevere and fight in the midst of chaos? Vézé really didn't believe it.

It wasn't important whether he believed it or not. What was important was that as long as Vézé wasn't hallucinating, the leader of the yellow magua was already carrying a knife and charging over the defeated troops. Through the gaps in the defeated troops, Vézé saw that there were figures wearing yellow magua among the greatly reduced Qing Army's middle division.

At this time, Vézé's left hand had already returned to normal. Since the Qing Army persisted in attacking continuously, Vézé could only continue to use close combat to defeat the enemy. Because Vézé's subordinates were too few, the Qing Army's method of attacking in batches couldn't even be said to be an inefficient tactic.

Without waiting for the yellow magua to charge over, Vézé took large strides forward. With a shake of his arm, he brandished his spear towards the yellow magua. The previous owner of this body was also called Vézé. Although he was only nineteen years old, he was a fellow who had practiced literature and martial arts since he was young. That little bit of culture wasn't shocking, but his martial arts were truly amazing. The spear brandishing technique was one of the flowery stances of martial arts. Its use in large scale battles was very limited. However, in a duel, this flowery stance was very useful. If the yellow magua's attention was attracted by the spear brandishing, in that split second of distraction, Vézé would be able to stab the yellow magua to death.

Things didn't develop as Vézé had imagined. The yellow magua was a knowledgeable martial artist. When he saw Vézé's stance, he actually retreated several steps. He switched his saber to his left hand and pulled out a double-barreled handgun from his waist with his free right hand.

"F * ck your mother!" This time, Vézé couldn't help but curse in his heart. He was truly shocked. This double-barreled handgun was obviously imported from abroad. The distance between the two sides was only three to four meters. At this distance, if he was hit by the handgun, he would definitely be heavily injured, if not dead. However, if he were to rush forward now, he would be crashing into the muzzle of the gun. The opponent's accuracy would greatly increase.

Just as Vézé was in a dilemma, he heard the sound of wind. It turned out that Wei Changrong had made his move. After dispersing the Qing Army in front of him, Wei Changrong's attention also fell on the exceptionally eye-catching yellow magua. Even though he had never seen a double-barreled handgun before, Wei Changrong knew that it was a firearm. Because the distance between him and the yellow magua was quite far, Wei Changrong used the spear in his hand as a javelin and threw it at the man.

The martial arts of the man in yellow magua were not weak. Even after being ambushed, he did not panic. He raised the saber in his left hand and chopped down. The spear that Wei Changrong had thrown was actually cut into two.

How could Vézé let go of this opportunity? He also threw his spear with all his might. Vézé's strength was much greater than Wei Changrong's. His spear was fast and accurate. In the blink of an eye, it flew to the chest of the man in yellow magua. The man in yellow magua's lower body was extremely stable. At this critical moment, he actually did his best to turn his upper body and avoid being hit in the chest. However, Vézé's spear still pierced the man in yellow magua's right arm. This time, the man in yellow magua could no longer hold the double-barreled handgun in his right hand. However, this fellow was truly ruthless. He clenched his teeth and brandished the saber in his left hand, slicing off the shaft of Vézé's spear along the spearhead.

Seeing such a ruthless person, Vézé even felt a bit of admiration. This sort of thing had only happened in movies, but seeing it with his own eyes was still extremely shocking. The man in yellow magua's response was extremely correct. If he were to pull out his spear, he would immediately spurt out blood. If he were to ignore the spear, the spear would be so heavy that he would not be able to move. Even if he were to forcefully move, he would be cut open by the spear. At that time, it would be even easier for him to lose his life. Cutting off the heavy spear shaft and leaving only the lightest spearhead on his body was the best way to deal with this situation.

This kind of fellow could not be let go. At this time, Vézé did not have a spear in his hand. When the Qing Army's spears scattered, they had thrown away quite a few spears in their hands. Vézé casually picked up a spear from the ground and prepared to deal with the heroic man in yellow magua.

At this time, someone in the forest by the side of the official road suddenly shouted in a Cantonese accent, "Kill! Kill Qing Yao! "Not only were they shouting, but there were also people using wooden sticks to poke at the trees and bushes, creating a huge commotion. According to the original plan, Vézé's subordinates would split into two groups. Corporal Lin Asheng would bring eight brothers and five muskets to lie in ambush in the forest. When it was time to charge, they would suddenly shout and bluff, giving the Qing Army even more psychological pressure. Only now did they create this commotion. It could be assumed that the battlefield was moving too quickly. Admittedly, the official road was bumpy and it would take more time to traverse through the forest.

The timing could not be said to be bad. More importantly, Lin Asheng and his men had brought five muskets. After shouting for a while, they fired from the bushes and behind the trees towards the chaotic Qing Army on the official road. Even though they did not cause any damage to the Qing Army, they caused the Qing Army to become even more frightened. This time, even the Qing Army's Middle Army, which originally had a strict formation, was somewhat shaken.

Just as Vézé was preparing to continue his killing, the men behind the man in yellow magua stepped forward to protect him. Vézé did not dare to rush forward rashly. If those followers suddenly pulled out their double-barreled pistols, Vézé did not have an invulnerable diamond body. The man in yellow magua did not insist. He said a few words to his bodyguards and the bodyguards escorted the man away.

The battle was not going well and they had encountered a decoy. The Qing Army, which had always been able to fight, finally gave up on any plans to continue fighting with Vézé and his men. The Qing Army had already gathered up the scattered soldiers on the official road. Before the morale of the entire army was completely shaken, they began to retreat in an orderly fashion. What made Vézé admire the commander of the Qing Army was that when the Qing Army retreated, he was still able to get the musketeers of the Qing Army into formation and use their muskets to suppress the enemy.

The Qing Army began to retreat, but Vézé could not lead his troops in retreat. It was not easy to suppress the Qing Army with a weaker force. At this time, what he needed was to maintain this psychological advantage. If Vézé retreated with his men, the retreating Qing Army would most likely be able to regroup and begin to chase after him. All of the bravely fighting at the front would have been for naught. Vézé took a few steps forward and picked up the double-barreled pistols and blade that the man in yellow magua had dropped. He led his brothers to stand on the official road and yelled at the retreating Qing Army. Because of his youthful temperament and the fact that he saw the man in yellow magua, Vézé first cursed in Hakka dialect. Then he changed his usual Hakka dialect and used a sharp Beijing accent to curse. "You bastards! F * ck your grandma! F * ck your grandpa! "After cursing, Vézé laughed loudly at the Qing Army.

In 1852, it was practically impossible to hear such an authentic Beijing dialect in Guangxi. Vézé did his best to yell at the top of his voice. Even the retreating Qing Army could hear him clearly. As soon as this voice finished shouting, he saw there was a slight fluctuation in the Qing army formation. However, the Qing Army still maintained order. They continued to protect the first half of the rations as they retreated along the official road in an orderly manner, away from Vézé and his men.

When the distance between the two sides exceeded two hundred meters, Vézé immediately led his brothers towards the back of the Qing Army who were attempting to escape. The Qing Army at the back had long since disappeared without a trace. On the other hand, the caravans that were transporting the rations felt sorry for their horses. They all tried their best to catch up to the horses. If it wasn't for the dense forest on both sides of the road, the caravans would have long since escaped with their horses.

"We won't kill you!" After catching up to the caravans, Vézé stood next to a horse and casually comforted the shivering coachman. As he spoke, he had already untied the small bag in the bamboo basket on the horse's back. Please, there must be salt! Please, there must be salt! Vézé prayed in his heart.

Both bags were filled with black powder. It didn't take a second look to know that it was gunpowder. When he opened the other bag, it was also filled with gunpowder. At the side, Wei Changrong, who was inspecting the other horse, shouted excitedly, "This is salt!" Everyone looked at Wei Changrong in surprise. Wei Changrong looked as if he couldn't believe his eyes. He pinched a pinch of something white and put it into his mouth. Then, his entire face scrunched up. "It really is salt!" Wei Changrong smacked his lips and laughed happily.

This time, everyone was overjoyed. Regardless of how his brothers were panting, Vézé ordered them to do their best to take as much as they could. The brothers in charge of receiving the caravans had already come over with hemp ropes. Everyone knew that they had to be fast. He tied the two sacks with a hemp rope and slung it over his shoulder so that he could carry two of them.

Vézé couldn't be bothered to look for other things. He shouted to his excited subordinates, "Take off Qing Yao's shoes. I don't want straw sandals! "

This reminder was timely. After all, they were from the Qing Army. These people all wore military boots. Even though these boots were made of cloth, they were much better than the straw sandals Vézé and his men were wearing. The soldiers immediately pulled on the sandals. Each of them was able to take a pair. One of Wei Changrong's straw sandals was broken. He simply sat on the ground and took off his own straw sandals. He put on the Qing Army's boots. He stood up and took two steps. Wei Changrong smiled and said, "This is really not bad."

Vézé didn't want to let his brothers be complacent at this time. He shouted, "Retreat!"

Each bag weighed about ten jin. Vézé had each of his brothers carry four. He himself carried six. Wei Changrong was the last to walk. He also carried four cloth bags on his shoulders. After a few steps, he turned back and threw away two of the bags. Then, he picked up a large piece of cured meat from a horse and slung it over his shoulder. Only then did he rush into the forest. Seeing that Wei Changrong had taken the cured meat, the Taiping army immediately burst into cheers.

When the two armies were more than one li apart, Vézé immediately ordered, "Retreat!" Vézé urged. In the blink of an eye, the roles of the two sides on the battlefield had been reversed. The Qing Army had become the pursuers who had not yet begun their pursuit. Vézé and his men had become the fugitives.