1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 255 Your Excellency, Me? Fighting Short-Haired Boys?

In terms of rank, Qu Tenglong was higher than Jia Hengjin.

However, Jia Hengjin was a civil official, and in reality, he was the supreme commander of the Qing army at Yuelu Mountain, while Qu Tenglong was merely his deputy.

Jia Hengjin also realized that the newly arrived Taiping army was different from the past, and was very likely the legendary short-haired rebels, so he dared not slack off in the slightest.

"Qu Canrong and Zhu Fenhui, pass down the order: you two shall personally lead the troops to defend Yuelu Mountain! I shall immediately send someone to request reinforcements from Governor Luo and Minister Sai!"

With a grim expression, Jia Hengjin ordered a desperate defense while simultaneously sending men across the river to Changsha to request reinforcements.

Although the rebel soldiers were skilled, their numbers were not superior to those of the Qing army on the Changsha battlefield.

At this time, Jia Hengjin still underestimated the seriousness of the situation, thinking that as long as troops were sent from Changsha to reinforce Yuelu Mountain and make up for the troop disadvantage in the local battlefield of Yuelu Mountain, Yuelu Mountain could be saved.

"Yes!"

Qu Tenglong and Zhu Zhanao accepted the order and personally led their respective personal guards to defend the strategic pass of Yuelu Mountain.

At the foot of Yuelu Mountain, the attacking troops, who had been waiting in full battle array, launched their attack on Yuelu Mountain under the cover of Chen Xuyuan's heavy artillery battalion, just in time with the drumbeats of the attack.

When the attacking troops advanced to within a hundred paces of the Qing army's position at the foot of Yuelu Mountain, Chen Xuyuan ordered the heavy artillery battalion to cease fire for fear of accidentally injuring friendly forces.

As the soldiers of the Left Army, dressed in indigo-colored cross-collar short robes, drew ever closer to the Qing army's positions at the foot of Yuelu Mountain.

Qu Tenglong, Zhu Zhanao, and others finally got a clear look at the attire of this group of cult bandits.

It really is the short-haired style that's been rumored!
The attacking left wing troops cleared the way with muskets, matchlock guns, and light mountain guns.

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire erupted at the foot of Yuelu Mountain.

The plumes of acrid smoke rose up like mountain mist swirling in the mountains.

During the exchange of fire, the Qing troops guarding Yuelu Mountain were still able to hold on with great effort.

Then the left-hand men with swords and spears launched their charge.

Not long after the two armies clashed, the Qing troops on the position at the foot of Yuelu Mountain were immediately overwhelmed and retreated to the mountainside.

In less than two hours, all positions at the foot of Yuelu Mountain were lost.

The start of the Battle of Yuelu Mountain finally broke the silence that had gripped the Changsha battlefield for days.

The Changsha battlefield was affected by the Yuelu Mountain incident, which had a ripple effect on the entire battlefield.

The Qing army commander in Changsha understood the principle that as long as Yuelu Mountain existed, Shuiluzhou (Orange Isle) would exist, and as long as Shuiluzhou existed, the Xiangjiang River waterway could be controlled.

In fact, it started with the sound of heavy artillery fire coming from near Yuelu Mountain.

Jiang Zhongyuan and Liu Changyou, who lived in Changsha, had a sense of déjà vu.

Jiang Zhongyuan, in particular, couldn't help but recall the unbearable memory of being bombarded by short-handed heavy artillery at Shiziling near Shuitangwan in Quanzhou.

"The ones attacking Yuelu Mountain are the short-haired guerrillas! If we don't send troops to rescue Yuelu Mountain, I'm afraid Jia Tongzhi and Qu Canrong will not be able to hold it."

Jiang Zhongyuan spoke with great certainty to the Qing officers and generals, including Sai Shang'a, Luo Bingzhang, Cheng Yucai, and Bao Qibao, who had come to watch the battle from the west wall of Changsha.

Luo Bingzhang understands and believes in Jiang Zhongyuan's abilities and character, and agrees with Jiang Zhongyuan's assessment.

Cheng Yucai and Bao Qibao, who had previously faced the Zuo army fleeing at the mere mention of their name, knew that speaking ill of the Zuo army would be to belittle themselves. So they wisely kept their mouths shut and made no comment on the Zuo army's attack on Yuelu Mountain.

Saishan, who had never fought against Zuo Jun before, did not take Zuo Jun seriously.

Before the war, Luo Bingzhang, Cheng Yucai and others exaggerated the Taiping Rebellion to an incredible degree, which made Sai Shang'adu hesitate to send troops to suppress the rebels.

But the result?

When the Taiping rebels attacked Changsha, it wasn't all that impressive.

If he hadn't been waiting for the Mongol cavalry, and if Luo Bingzhang hadn't been worried about the fall of Changsha and strongly advised Sai Shang'a to go out of the city to fight and annihilate the Taiping rebels, Sai Shang'a would have already led his troops out of the city to fight and eliminate the Taiping rebels.

These Han officials have no real ability; they only know how to make excuses for their failures and incompetence.

“Prefect Jiang is taking the short-haired bandits too seriously. No matter how fierce they are, they are just a bunch of rebels. With 300,000 government troops stationed in Changsha, what is there to fear from the short-haired bandits?” Sai Shang’a did not take the short-haired army attacking Yuelu Mountain on the other side too seriously.

“Lord Sai, even Commander Wu, Zhang Titai, and Xiang Titai have all been repeatedly defeated by the short-haired barbarians. The short-haired barbarians should not be underestimated.” Luo Bingzhang cupped his hands and said to Sai Shang’a.

"Send troops across the river to reinforce Yuelu Mountain. If Yuelu Mountain falls, it will be too late to regret it."

Sai Shang'a looked around, and finally his gaze fell on Wang Lin, the general of Hebei Town of the Henan Green Standard Army.

The Qing army was composed of various factions, and Sai Shang'a relied on the Shaanxi-Gansu Green Standard Army and the Mongolian cavalry that were still en route.

The Henan soldiers who followed him into Hunan were second-rate troops under his command, and even if there were any mishaps, Sai Shang'a did not care.

Henan has plenty of people. If a batch of Henan soldiers die, we can just take money and supplies back to Henan to recruit more.

"It would be perfect to send Wang Lin's Henan soldiers to test the short-haired rebels on the other side." Sai Shang'a said, staring at the obsequious Wang Lin. "I want to see what kind of people the short-haired rebels are. Wang Lin, you will lead five thousand Henan soldiers across the river to reinforce Yuelu Mountain. Give the short-haired rebels a good lesson and suppress their arrogance. If you can defeat them, I will personally vouch for you as a governor before the Emperor."

Although Wang Lin has only been working as a second-line assistant in Changsha these days, doing odd jobs such as transporting grain and ammunition and repairing the city walls.

However, he also frequently drank and frequented brothels with other generals to gather information about the true strength of the religious bandits in western Guangdong.

Generals who had fought against the Taiping army attacking the city all said that the Taiping rebels were fearless and difficult to fight. They were the most difficult bandits they had ever encountered since they joined the army, and were by no means a rabble.

If long-haired people are this difficult to fight, let alone short-haired ones.

A general who doesn't want to be an admiral isn't a good general, but to reap such rewards, you have to be alive!

Wang Lin not only had a clear understanding of himself, but he also knew exactly what his Henan soldiers were capable of.

"Your Excellency, me? Wearing short hair?"

Faced with Saisanga's sudden offer of favor, Wang Lin felt extremely uneasy and dared not accept such a dangerous task.

"Wang Zhentai, such a good job has fallen into your lap, you're really lucky, kid. Why don't you thank the Grand Secretary for his cultivation?" Fu Cheng, the Shaanxi-Gansu Green Standard Army General of Xi'an, standing beside Sai Shang'a, urged Wang Lin with schadenfreude.

Sai Shang'a stared at Wang Lin with displeasure in his crescent-shaped, narrow eyes. Wang Lin dared not anger Sai Shang'a and had no choice but to bite the bullet and accept the difficult task of rushing to the aid of Yuelu Mountain.

Wang Lin knelt down and kowtowed to Sai Shang'a: "This humble servant thanks Your Excellency for your appreciation and will do my utmost!"

“Go ahead,” Saisanga waved his hand and said.

Before long, Wang Lin led 5,000 soldiers from Henan across the Xiang River to support Yuelu Mountain.

From a watchtower near Yuwangshi on the west bank of the Xiang River, Peng Gang could clearly see through a telescope that the Qing army in Changsha was crossing the river to reinforce Yuelu Mountain.

In response to the Qing army's reinforcements, Peng Gang made corresponding arrangements.

The Fifth Regiment, as a reserve force, was dispatched to intercept the Qing army coming to their aid.

Having prepared for some time, Chen Gan and Xiao Maoling led three thousand soldiers from the Fifth Regiment and charged aggressively at the five thousand Henan soldiers who had just disembarked from the ferry.

To ensure the capture of Yuelu Mountain in one battle, Hu Yihuang also dispatched his only remaining thousand Southern Palace soldiers to assist in the fight.

Logically, with 5,000 against 4,000, the Qing army should have the advantage.

Unfortunately, the reinforcements sent by Changsha were too weak to withstand the attack.

The arquebusiers of the Fifth Regiment fired only three volleys, easily shattering the morale of the Qing reinforcements.

With a swift charge, they easily routed the Qing army that had come to the aid of Yuelu Mountain.

The 5,000 Qing reinforcements on the west bank of the Xiang River were thrown into chaos. Some trampled each other, some died, some fled, and some surrendered.

In just one hour, of the five thousand Qing troops who had crossed the river to provide reinforcements, only a little over two thousand remained, fleeing back in disarray to Shuiluzhou and Changsha.

Chen Gan, Xiao Maoling, and others captured 1,700 to 1,800 prisoners.

The remaining Qing soldiers were either trampled to death or beaten to death, or drowned by the surging Xiang River and perished in the belly of fish.

Sai Shang'a, who witnessed the swift and crushing defeat of Wang Lin's Hebei Town troops, looked extremely grim.

Just as they were about to send reinforcements, Yang Xiuqing, in order to contain the Qing army forces in Changsha and support Peng Gang and Hu Yihuang in attacking Yuelu Mountain, ordered the troops of the East and West Palaces to launch a fierce attack on Changsha, putting pressure on the Qing army in Changsha.

To ensure the safety of Changsha, Sai Shang'a dared not send the elite troops of Shaanxi-Gansu Green Standard Army and Chu Army to the other side of the river to support Yuelu Mountain. Instead, he had to order Hunan Governor Bao Qibao to send the Changsha Green Standard Army and Changsha militia to cross the river to support Yuelu Mountain.

Although Bao Qibao was a crude and uncouth martial artist, he was also a shrewd man.

Why would they willingly let their own troops become cannon fodder?
Bao Qibao only made a show of it. As soon as he crossed the river, he saw the long-haired and short-haired men chasing after him, so he rowed the boat back to Changsha.

With insufficient support from the Qing army in Changsha, Peng Gang and Hu Yihuang's troops captured Yuelu Mountain on the same day.

Qu Tenglong, the military commander of Zhengan Town, and Zhu Zhan'ao, the guerrilla commander, who were responsible for guarding Yuelu Mountain, were killed in battle one after another.

Of the 2,600 or 2,700 Zhengan soldiers, some died and others surrendered. Only Jia Hengjin, the Assistant Magistrate of Fenghuang Hall, managed to gather over a thousand Zhengan soldiers who were scattered throughout Yuelu Mountain and stubbornly resisted.

At this point, the overall situation at Yuelu Mountain was settled.

The next day at dawn, Peng Gang and Hu Yihuang launched a two-day campaign to wipe out the remaining enemy forces on Yuelu Mountain.

In despair, Jia Hengjin, the Assistant Magistrate of Phoenix Hall, committed suicide.

The fall of Yuelu Mountain broke the stalemate in the Changsha battlefield that had lasted for more than half a month.

Peng Gang ascended Mount Yuelu, occupied Yuelu Academy, and used it as his command post.

Standing atop Yuelu Mountain, one can look down upon Shuiluzhou Island in the center of the Xiangjiang River, just four miles away, and see the Qing army camps and artillery positions on the island.

(End of this chapter)