Chapter 36: Li Yunzhong Consecutively Defeated Jiujiang Anqing Wuhu

  Wuchang City, Lin Dajibao excitedly found Li Yunzhong and said: "Your Highness, great joy! The people in the city heard that we are going to abandon the city and move east, many people are willing to follow us."

  Li Yunzhong exclaimed, "Is it you guys who set someone's house on fire again?! I warned you when we entered the city! From now on, do not disturb the civilians. We are a regular army, not bandits. Whoever wins the hearts of the people will win the world..."

  Seeing Lin Dajun's stunned expression, Li Yunzhong said with satisfaction: "It seems that my words have touched your soul. I won't say more. If anyone dares to do this again in the future, they will be executed without pardon."

  Lin Dajibustled to shake his head and said: "Your Highness, it's the people who came spontaneously, we didn't force them."

  Li Yunzhong's face turned red with embarrassment, and he said awkwardly: "Why didn't you say so earlier? You've wasted so much of my breath." After a while, Li Yunzhong asked suspiciously: "Are the common people's awareness really that high now?"

  Lin Dajun explained: "The people in the city were afraid that the government army would return to take revenge, they saw us enter the city without harming a single hair, with strict discipline, and trusted us very much. They also heard that following us eastward could exempt them from taxes for three years, so they decided."

  Li Yunzhong said: "How many people are there in total?"

  "There are over three million men and about one million women." Lin Daj replied.

  "So many, you really didn't use any special means." Li Yunzhong's meaningful words saw Lin Dajibei's face turn red as he shook his head in denial, and he didn't pursue the matter further.

  After Tang Zhengcai took over as the commander of the naval army, he quickly gathered many small boats on both banks of the Yangtze River in Wuchang, adding to the original ones, with a total of more than 13,000 boats. Li Yunzhong's second and third armies advanced along both banks of the Yangtze River, attacking important cities along the river, while the remaining troops and civilians took boats and followed the naval army, overwhelming the Qing army on both banks of the Yangtze River with a mighty force, causing them to flee in disarray. Lu Jianying's carefully constructed Jiang defense army collapsed without a fight, and they encountered no resistance all the way to E Dong.

  Lu Jianying deployed a large number of troops in Guangji County, Dong'e, led by General Enchang from Shouchun. They planned to block the Han army at Lao Shu Gorge, a natural stronghold. On March 1st, Li Yunzhong arrived in Dong'e and ordered Tang Zhengcai's naval force to attack. They quickly captured Lao Shu Gorge, and General Enchang was killed in battle. Five thousand Jiang defense troops either fled or were killed, with the rest surrendering.

  Guangji County defeated soldiers fled to Jiujiang, Lu Jianying hastily abandoned his troops and escaped overnight, without entering Anqing City, and directly fled back to Jiangning, claiming to share life and death with Jiangning.

  On March 4, the Da Han army arrived at Jiujiang with ease. Li Yunzhong knew that Jiujiang was a barrier to Anqing, so he expanded Li Qirong's "Qirong" battalion to three thousand people and promoted him to regimental commander, garrisoning Jiujiang, promising to allow him to recruit ten thousand soldiers locally and later promote him to army commander.

  After passing through Jiujiang, Li Yunzhong left troops to garrison the large and small cities along the Yangtze River. The larger ones were expanded into regiments of over 1,000 people, while the smaller ones were expanded into battalions of 600 people with two or three companies.

  On March 7, arrived in Anqing, Hu Yihuang had already broken through Anqing two days ago and welcomed him outside the city. It turned out that Hu Yihuang led the First Army to rest during the day and march at night, bypassing the large and small cities along the coast guarded by the Qing army, and drove straight to Anqing. Disguised as a defeated Qing soldier, he entered the city and captured more than 30 officials of all sizes who stayed in Anqing, including Governor Jiang Wencheng.

  Li Yunzhong ordered the main army to continue advancing, appointing Hu Yihuang as Anhui Governor and Anqing Prefectural Magistrate, responsible for all military and political affairs in Anhui. He took back the command of the First Army and appointed Luo Dagang as acting commander. The Li Desheng Brigade was expanded into the Seventh Army, with Li Desheng as its commander. The army's quota was set at 30,000 men, but only 10,000 were left for him, and he was ordered to recruit the remaining troops locally.

  Beijing

  Xianfeng simultaneously received the memorials of Jiujiang's fall and Anqing's fall, realizing that Jiangning was in imminent danger. He hastily ordered Xiang Rong to lead his troops to rush to Jiangsu, and also ordered Qi Shan to lead his troops into Anhui to intercept the Taiping Army, buying time for Xiang Rong.

  He didn't say that he received the imperial edict, and marched overnight towards Jiangsu. Qi Shan received the imperial edict but was filled with anxiety, ordering him to lead his troops to fight against the powerful Han army. Isn't this asking for his life? If they win, the Han army would be blocked in Anhui, and Jiangning would be safe, but the bandits would definitely take revenge on him, and the credit would go to Xiang Rong and Lu Jianying instead. If they lose, it's not necessary to say, lightly he would be dismissed from office, heavily he would be beheaded. After thinking for half a day, he found that only passive resistance was the safest, maintaining an appropriate distance with the Han army while marching.

  On March 9, the prefect of Chizhou learned that the Great Han army was coming to attack and hastily escaped from the city. Li Yunzhong also did not enter the city of Chizhou, but instead ordered Liu Cai to garrison it and sent troops to take over important prefectures and counties in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. His unit was expanded into a division, detached from the 7th Army, and directly under the command of Hu Yihuang.

  On March 10, the Taiping Army captured Tongling and Wuhu, and the Qing army retreated without a fight.

  On March 14, the main force arrived outside Jiangning City, and the Second Army and Third Army on land also arrived in the afternoon, quickly surrounding Jiangning City and cutting off its connection with the outside.

  Jiangning is a famous city in Jiangnan, the capital and political, economic and cultural center, with a very important strategic position. The city wall is high and thick, with a circumference of over 90 miles, with the northwest side bordering the Yangtze River, the east relying on Zhongshan, and nearby hills surrounding it, making it a dangerous terrain, known as "Dragon Coils Tiger Crouches". There are more than 30,000 Green Camp soldiers and several thousand Eight Banner soldiers in Jiangsu Province, guarding various key points, with less than 10,000 mobile troops. After the Han army occupied Wuchang, Lu Jianying withdrew 4,800 Green Camp soldiers from the province, of which 3,000 were taken to the upper reaches of Lao Shu Gorge to defend against Tang Zhengcai, who was completely defeated, leaving only 1,800 to guard Jiangning. Jiangning has a general, with more than 3,000 banner soldiers under his jurisdiction. Now, there are more than 5,000 banner and Green Camp soldiers in the city, plus 8,000-9,000 brave men temporarily recruited by Jiangning's governor Qi Suomu to assist in defense.

  Lu Jianying returned to Nanjing after escaping from Jiujiang, but was intimidated by the Han army and hid at home every day, neglecting government affairs. Yang Wendian, the governor of Jiangsu, heard that Wuhu had fallen and Jiangning was in danger, so he used the excuse of defending Zhenjiang to leave the city. This made General Houxiong anxious, who transferred all the Qing troops outside the city to defend inside the city, and jointly impeached Lu Jianying for being afraid of the enemy and refusing to fight with Fujian Governor Fu Zhu. Unfortunately, the memorial was sent out, and Jiangning was also surrounded.

  Outside Jiangning City

  Many generals gathered in Li Yunzhong's flagship, laughing loudly and boasting to each other about the results of their conquests over the past few days.

  Only listen to Ling eighteen, with a loud voice, suppressing other voices, boasting that he led the army to attack Chuzhou. The army had not yet arrived, and someone came out of the city to welcome him. It turned out that all the officials in the city were frightened away.

  Everyone saw that Ling Shiba was no match for Li Yunzhong, and they turned to flatter him instead.

  Marquis of Mong said: "The King of Han is truly wise and brilliant. At first, I heard that the army was advancing to Jiangnan, and I really broke a sweat, thinking it would be a futile effort. But unexpectedly, wherever the great army went, the enemy would flee in disarray. In less than half a month, they attacked Jiangning, and I truly admire this."

  Jiao Liang said: "I didn't expect the Qing army in Jiangnan to be so vulnerable, and Jiangning can be captured overnight. At that time, Your Highness can establish a country here, and the Great Han State is the orthodox calendar of the Han family."

  Zhang Weikun also said with a smile: "Recently, more and more scholars have come to offer their services, which shows that people's hearts are inclined towards you, Your Highness is the one destined by heaven."