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Liu Zhangqing's forehead was covered in sweat. It was six months, and sweating was a normal thing. Moreover, he was marching outside, so Liu Zhangqing naturally felt hot. But compared to the scorching heat on the outside, Liu Zhangqing's heart felt like it had fallen into an ice cave. The commander yelled at the top of his lungs, "Tell them to stop chasing and gather the troops!"
A month ago, Liu Zhangqing had been defeated near Guilin and fled back to Guilin, but he had not been punished. There were so many Qing Army generals who had been defeated by the Taiping army. If they were punished one by one, then there would be no one left in Guangxi, including Imperial Envoy Sai Shan-a. So Liu Zhangqing received another group of troops and was ordered to go to Quanzhou as reinforcements.
Along the way, before Liu Zhangqing could reach Quanzhou, the Taiping army had already moved north from Quanzhou. After being stationed in Quanzhou for a while, Liu Zhangqing found an opportunity to lead his troops south in the name of defending Guilin. Along the way, he received a strict order from Imperial Envoy Sai Shan-a for Liu Zhangqing to lead his troops to Daozhou to besiege the Taiping Rebellion. Although he was extremely unwilling, Liu Zhangqing had to put on an act. He directed his troops to slowly and leisurely advance along the Guanyang road.
Just now, a group of bandits had appeared on the road, and their appearance made Liu Zhangqing slightly nervous. He immediately ordered his subordinates to line up and carry out an effective defense. Liu Zhangqing's subordinates were soldiers after all. One look at the bandits and they could tell that they were bandits made up of commoners.
Both sides first put their hands on their waists and cursed at each other. The general gist of it was, "If you have the guts, then charge over!" "Try charging over first!" "If you tell me to go over, then I'll go over?" "If I don't tell you to come over, then you won't come over?" "F * ck you!" "F * ck you!" "F * ck you!"
After a round of cursing and swearing, one of the courageous soldiers charged forward and fired a shot. The bandits, who had been cursing and swearing like sissies, actually turned around and fled.
Since the bandits had run away, the vanguard of the imperial army instinctively chased after them. This chase made the bandits even more afraid. Some of the bandits who were cursing at the top of their lungs earlier started to cry bitterly for their mothers. In order to run faster, they even threw down the bags on their backs.
The soldiers saw that the bandits had thrown down their bags and continued to chase after them. They saw some copper coins and other items on the ground. The soldiers at the very front immediately pounced on the bandits and snatched them away. Those who failed to snatch the money and the parcels screamed and ran away, continuing to chase after the fleeing bandits.
These soldiers were Liu Zhangqing's new subordinates. When Liu Zhangqing heard the report from his subordinates, sweat beaded on his forehead. Liu Zhangqing's old subordinates were annihilated, but Liu Zhangqing managed to escape with his life. This battle was too similar to the one a month ago. That time, the bandits also feigned defeat and threw a pile of parcels on the ground. Thus, the soldiers continued to frantically plunder as they chased after them.
Liu Zhangqing didn't expect the bandits to play the same trick this time, and the items they dropped were basically the same. Scattered copper coins and various parcels. Liu Zhangqing's subordinates behaved similarly. The soldiers at the front were like dogs chasing ducks, howling as they chased after the bandits. The soldiers at the front of the army also rushed forward to snatch the scattered copper coins.
Liu Zhangqing had a strong intuition when it came to victory and danger. It was noon, and the sky was clear. A few beautiful clouds floated in the dark blue sky. However, Liu Zhangqing felt as if everything in front of him was shrouded in a black fog. The colorful world seemed to have turned black and white. There was no need to think about who his opponent was. Liu Zhangqing could already remember the ferocious Taiping army with their hair tied up in a bun, wearing black coats and white leggings.
"Tell them to stop chasing! Quickly gather the troops!" Liu Zhangqing howled in despair. However, this order wasn't conveyed properly. At this time, Liu Zhangqing's troops had already run far away. Even if they sent people to chase after them, it would take a long time before they could gather the troops.
"Why do I always bring this kind of troops?" Liu Zhangqing's heart was boiling with despair and anger. Actually, Liu Zhangqing wasn't so angry. In history, the Taiping army had used this kind of tactic many times, and each time they had achieved excellent results. It was not until the Taiping Army and the Xiang Army had been killing each other for several years that the hatred between the two sides had been as deep as the sea and as high as the mountains. At that time, the Qing Army, who could fight the Taiping Army wholeheartedly, no matter what was thrown on the ground, finally appeared. Liu Zhangqing's troops were only there to reap benefits. They didn't have the heart to fight.
As a general, Liu Zhangqing was no different from the soldiers under him. It was just that Liu Zhangqing's vision was higher. He knew that if he wanted to reap benefits, he had to protect his own life first. Seeing that the vanguard couldn't be pulled back in a short period of time, he completely gave up on the idea of gathering the vanguard. "Let's go back! Let's go back to Guanyang first! "
The Qing army could not understand the commander's thoughts at all. How could there be such a thing as leaving the situation of a great victory and the prospect of making a fortune and retreating just like that? The Qing Army's response was extremely slow. When the Qing Army learned that they were going to retreat, they rushed forward and joined in the looting.
Liu Zhangqing shouted, kicked, and scolded. Finally, the officers of the various troops began to give the order to retreat. But it was too late. A troop that Liu Zhangqing would never forget had already rushed out of the mountain path beside the road, blocking Liu Zhangqing's way of retreat.
Luo Dagang followed beside Vézé with a tight mouth. In the midst of the intense running, he didn't have the strength to speak. Although he was in his forties, Luo Dagang was very confident in his physical strength. But he still couldn't keep up with the movements of Vézé's troops. Before Vézé's troops set off, they threw down their bags and changed into cloth shoes. They began to rush along the path. Even though the young soldier looked weak, he still ran very fast. Luo Dagang, who had always made a living on the water, struggled to keep up with Vézé's troops. Occasionally, he would turn his head and see that most of his elite subordinates were lagging behind the main troops.
The entire troop followed the path and killed their way to the main road. Vézé immediately ordered the middle troops to set up a formation with their muskets. Of the 1500 men, only five 100-man squads were left to block the main road. Of the other ten 100-man squads, three controlled the mountain path. Seven 100-man squads moved diagonally to flank Liu Zhangqing's troops. It didn't take long for them to surround Liu Zhangqing's troops from three sides.
"Woo … woo …" The deep sound of the horn sounded. Following this order to attack, the officers of Vézé's troops shouted with confidence, as if they hadn't been running. "Fall into formation! Light the fire! "
Amidst the clattering sounds, the musketeers of Vézé's troops began to prepare. Amidst the shouts, the troops had already lit the match ropes, loaded gunpowder, and loaded lead.
"Reporting to Prime Minister! The second pawn is ready! "
"Reporting to Prime Minister! The first pawn is ready! "
… …
The officers ran back and forth, reporting the preparations of their troops to Vézé.
When the five pawns were ready, Vézé shouted, "Beat the drums!"
First came a series of small drums. Luo Dagang stared dumbfoundedly at the soldiers of Vézé's troops holding their weapons and marching on the spot. The drummers had obviously gone through strict training. They quickly reached a consensus, and the messy footsteps of the soldiers gradually became consistent with the sound of the drums.
"Dong … Dong …" The heart-stirring drumbeats of the cowhide drums also joined the rhythm of the drums.
Luo Dagang had traveled extensively and had heard of the phrase "drums and horns" on the battlefield countless times. He was just listening to it. The navy also had drums and horns when fighting, but they were only used for simple communication. However, being in the middle of the battle under Vézé's command, listening to the clear rhythm of the drums and horns, Luo Dagang could not help but feel his blood boil. Without saying a word, he already understood one thing. This was a battlefield, and a war was about to happen.
Vézé's headquarters was located on a small high ground. Looking down from the high ground, the five pawns had already arranged their troops into a neat formation. Every pawn was arranged in a formation of four horizontal lines. The first three rows were for musketeers, and the last row was for pikemen. Although they were of different heights, every soldier had a white hairband tied around their left arm. The warm summer wind blew through the formation, and the ribbon swayed slightly in the wind.
Being able to make a living on the water, Luo Dagang's eyesight was excellent. He could even clearly see that every soldier had a white emblem on their shoulders. Although he could not see it clearly from afar, the subtle patterns on the emblem seemed to be slightly different from the back.
Every soldier had a uniform bun on their head, but in the middle of every five, there was a person with a white hairband tied around his head. Without asking Vézé, Luo Dagang knew that it was a corporal.
On the left side of every formation, there was an officer with a hairband, probably one of the two majors. Their hair was tied with a small cowhide hat. The hat could not shield them from the wind and rain, but it was eye-catching enough to distinguish them from the others.
As for the corporal's hairband, the color was red. The cowhide hat on their hair was not a simple straight one, but it was divided into two leaves. It was easy to tell at a glance. The corporal did not stand in their own formation, but on the left side of the formation. Behind them were the vice-corporal and flag bearers. Although the vice-corporal's hat was straight, it was larger than the two majors', and there was a gap in the middle. If there was no gap, it would be like the two majors' straight hat. If the gap was larger, it would be like the corporal's hat. The flag-bearers behind the chief soldier and deputy chief soldier held up the red flags high. The flags were tied to the long spears with long shafts, and the shiny spears were pointing straight up as if they were going to pierce through the clear sky.
The deep sound of the horn sounded again, and the herald shouted, "First Soldier, advance!"
Following the military order, the corporal of the First Soldier drew his saber and raised it high. He then swung it down forcefully. The flag behind the corporal's back tilted forward. "Advance!" The corporal roared. Then, without looking back, he strode in the direction of the Qing army, following the drumbeats.
They were only a beat slower. The first group of soldiers, who had already started to march, also followed their leader and marched toward the Qing army, beating the drums.
Luo Dagang was dumbfounded. He saw Vézé's subordinates as an army, and Vézé's subordinates were launching an attack. Not only did the First Troop advance, but the Second Troop and the Third Troop also began to advance like the First Troop after less than five drumbeats. The three troops formed a fan-shaped formation, and it was very exciting to see from above.
The tip of the flagpoles held by the flag bearers was slanted in the direction of the enemy, and the silk red flags hung down from the tall flagpoles. With every step the flag-bearer took, the flag vibrated slightly. On the battlefield, Vézé's troops followed the drums.
The orderly formation, the solitary corporal, vice-corporal and flag bearers at the front of the line. Like a moving forest, the whole troop advanced toward the Qing army, which was like a group of hedgehogs.
Luo Dagang looked around and saw that the outflanking troops were in place. Five of the seven soldiers were in front, and the other two were at the back. As the horn sounded in the distance, the five soldiers began to advance towards the Qing Army. On the side near the mountain ridge, the musketeers and long-haired gunners occupied suitable terrain and formed a formation. The musketeers and long-haired gunners were ready for battle. If the Qing Army tried to attack from the rear, it would be suicide.
Luo Dagang withdrew his gaze and looked behind him. He was leading 50 subordinates and two guards to surround the headquarters on the high ground. Like their commander-in-chief, Luo Dagang's subordinates did not even dare to breathe. They only stared blankly at the battlefield they had never seen before. The expressions on their faces were stupefied with shock, or dazzled and dazed.
Because he was standing behind Vézé, Luo Dagang could only see Vézé's back. He saw the tall Taiping army Prime Minister, the Taiping army's Taiping army Prime Minister. He stood ramrod straight under the huge red flag with his arms crossed in front of his chest. On the left side of his waist hung a saber, and on the right side of his back was a leather holster. Inside the holster was a double-barreled handgun decorated with beautiful patterns. Because he could not see Vézé's face, Luo Dagang could not see Vézé's expression.
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