1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 261 Meeting at Baling
Yang Xiuqing and Feng Yunshan instructed the officers and generals of the various units in the Changsha South Camp to feign weakness and create the illusion of a hasty retreat, thus luring the Qing soldiers who had been lowered down the city walls into the South Camp.

After leaving Changsha, Jiang Zhongyuan, Liu Changyou, Fucheng and others gathered their respective troops and headed for the Taiping Army's southern camp.

Fu Cheng kept Sai Shang'a's instructions in mind and did not rush to the front. Instead, he took the initiative to let Jiang Zhongyuan and Liu Changyou's Chu Yong take the lead.

Jiang Zhongyuan and Liu Changyou saw the Taiping army hastily leaving the camp in the south and did not pay much attention to the cowardly behavior of Fucheng's Shaanxi and Gansu soldiers. They simply told Fucheng to follow.

Fu Cheng outwardly agreed and, with his Shaanxi and Gansu soldiers following behind Jiang Zhongyuan and Liu Changyou, did not rush to enter the Taiping Army's southern camp.

It wasn't until Jiang Zhongyuan and Liu Changyou led the Chu soldiers into the Taiping army's camp that the Shaanxi and Gansu soldiers at the front noticed a lot of silver and cloth scattered in the camp. Only then did a small number of Shaanxi and Gansu soldiers rush into the Taiping army's camp to pick up money and grab cloth.

Some Shaanxi and Gansu soldiers, caught up in the excitement of scavenging, even abandoned their weapons and focused intently on bending down to pick up and snatch silver and cloth.

On the contrary, the Chu soldiers who entered the Taiping Army camp first, Lai Jiangzhongyuan and Liu Changyou, were well-trained and disciplined. Unlike the more than a thousand Shaanxi and Gansu soldiers who entered the South Camp, they did not swarm and loot the silver and cloth in the camp. They maintained a relatively orderly formation.

Jiang Zhongyuan and Liu Changyou led their Chu warriors to search for Taiping Army remnants in the Taiping Army's camp.

But in the camp, not to mention the long-haired soldiers, not even a single hair of the long-haired rebels could be found.

The camp was deserted, with only scattered silver coins and cloth on the ground. The highly vigilant Jiang Zhongyuan quickly realized that he had fallen into a trap and secretly groaned, "Damn it, we've fallen for the Taiping rebels' trick! Retreat!"

Yang Xiuqing, who was observing the South Camp from a watchtower a mile away, originally planned to wait until all the Qing troops had entered the South Camp before ordering the East and South Palace Guards, who were lying in ambush around the South Camp, to attack the South Camp in order to inflict maximum casualties on the Qing troops.

Unexpectedly, Fu Cheng's Shaanxi-Gansu Green Standard Army troops were slow to enter the South Camp, and the Chu soldiers who had entered the South Camp made unusual movements, as if they had already realized that this was an ambush by the Taiping Army.

Yang Xiuqing made a decisive move, ordering the guards of the East and South Halls surrounding the South Camp to attack the South Camp.

For a time, banners fluttered and drums resounded near the South Camp.

Under Yang Xiuqing's orders, the scattered Taiping soldiers, who had been lying in ambush around the southern camp of Changsha, quickly formed ranks and charged toward the southern camp of Changsha.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Fu Cheng took the lead in turning his horse around and leading nearly three thousand Shaanxi and Gansu soldiers back to Changsha.

Seeing that Fu Cheng had led his troops away, Jiang Zhongyuan and Liu Changyou dared not linger and also led their three thousand Chu soldiers in a disheveled retreat back to Changsha.

The East and South Palaces relentlessly pursued the three thousand Chu soldiers and a little over a thousand Shaanxi and Gansu soldiers until they were half a mile from the south wall of Changsha. Only then, forced by the dense firepower of the Qing army inside the city, did they give up and retreat.

Although Fu Cheng was timid and Jiang Zhongyuan was vigilant, the Taiping Army's paper victory in this battle was not significant.

The results achieved were only the killing and capture of more than 250 Chu soldiers and more than 630 Shaanxi and Gansu soldiers.

However, considering that those who dared to go out of the city to fight were the elite troops of the Qing army, and that they had achieved their intended combat objectives, they had given a severe lesson to the Qing troops in Changsha who were trying to go out of the city to pursue the Taiping army.

Yang Xiuqing and Feng Yunshan were fairly satisfied with the results.

In fact, many soldiers from Shaanxi and Gansu had the opportunity to escape back to Changsha.

However, the soldiers from Shaanxi and Gansu were much greedier than those from Hubei. They were reluctant to part with their heavy loads of valuables, and some of the greedy soldiers from Shaanxi and Gansu were still picking up silver coins from the ground even after the Taiping army stormed into their camp.

Therefore, although the number of Shaanxi and Gansu soldiers entering the South Camp was far less than that of the Chu soldiers, their casualties were more than twice that of the Chu soldiers.

After this battle, with the defeats of the Shaanxi-Gansu and Hubei troops as a precedent, the Qing army commanders of various garrisons in Changsha no longer dared to pursue the Taiping army out of the city.

The Shaanxi-Gansu and Chu troops were already the most elite troops in Changsha. Even they couldn't get away with anything outside the city, let alone other troops.

After the old and weak soldiers had been mostly transferred, Peng Gang, Yang Xiuqing, and Feng Yunshan set sail north to Dongting Lake.

Zeng Shuiyuan, Lin Fengxiang, Li Kaifang, Li Qi, Chen Xuyuan and others were left to hold the line at Shuiluzhou and Yuelushan.

Compared to last year in Guilin, the Taiping Army's organizational and command capabilities for the withdrawal from Changsha this time were greatly improved.

This relocation was not only more orderly, but the tragedy of the Taiping army's old and weak soldiers being raided and plundered by the Qing army was also prevented from repeating itself in Changsha. The Qing army's naval forces in Changsha did not dare to pursue, and the two counties of Xiangyin and Yiyang along the way had been occupied by Wei Changhui and Qin Rigang respectively, so there were no Qing soldiers harassing the Taiping army's northward march in either place.

The journey was very smooth.

Upon arriving in Xiangyin County, Peng Gang encountered Chen Ajiu, who led a naval battalion and recruited two thousand fishermen and boat people from Dongting Lake along the way, who came by boat to meet the Northern Palace troops.

Having a background in the martial arts world has its advantages.

In just a few days, they were able to gather a team of over two thousand people along the way.

If it were Chen Miao, the deputy commander of the Sixth Regiment, who was tasked with this mission, he might have been able to buy a boat from Shi Dakai, but as for recruiting a thousand or so fishermen from Dongting Lake along the way, Chen Miao would never have had that ability.

Peng Gang was very satisfied with Chen Ajiu's performance.

"Your Highness, I have successfully completed my mission and purchased 330 boats of various sizes from Prince Yi. Prince Yi sold us too many boats, and the naval troops could not handle them. Without asking for permission, I took it upon myself to recruit more than 2,000 local fishermen and boat people along the way to operate the boats. I beg Your Highness to punish me."

Upon seeing that Peng Gang had arrived in Xiangyin, Chen Ajiu immediately boarded Peng Gang's Northern King's boat and apologized to Peng Gang.

“In times of emergency, one must act expediently; what crime is there in doing so?” Peng Gang helped Chen Ajiu to her feet.

As they were talking, Zuo Zongtang, who had just woken up, stepped out of the cabin and looked at the familiar mountains and villages of Xiangyin County on both sides of the Xiang River. He said to Peng Gang, "Your Highness, Xiangyin is my hometown. I am quite famous in Xiangyin, and I have some students here. I would like to recruit some people in Xiangyin to serve Your Highness."

A single drop of water cannot form an ocean, and a single tree cannot form a forest.

Zuo Zongtang decided to assemble a staff team in Xiangyin to serve Peng Gang.

“Very well.” Peng Gang pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly and said, “I will send a battalion to assist Mr. Zuo. He should go and return as soon as possible.”

Xiangyin County is still under Qin Rigang's control. The Qing army in Changsha has not yet moved north, so Xiangyin County is currently safe.

Peng Gang left a battalion to protect Zuo Zongtang and continued north to Baling, the capital of Yuezhou Prefecture.

The boat traveled at high speed downstream, on the fifth day after leaving Changsha.

Peng Gang, Hong Xiuquan, Yang Xiuqing, Feng Yunshan and their entourage arrived in Baling one after another.

This is the place where Teng Zijing, the author of the timeless "Record of Yueyang Tower," was exiled to Baling County.

Upon arriving at Baling City, the good news that Wei Changhui and Wei Zhijun had finally captured Wuling, the capital of Changde Prefecture, after several days of fierce fighting, reached Baling City.

The Shentian family brothers were overjoyed to receive this good news in Baling City.

Yuezhou Prefecture and Changde Prefecture are both major grain-producing prefectures on the shores of Dongting Lake, known as lands of fish and rice.

With the capture of Baling and Wuling prefectures and the convenient water transport from Dongting Lake, the money, grain, and supplies of both prefectures could be used by the Taiping Army.

During the attack on Wuchang, the Taiping army no longer had to worry about logistical issues.

After withdrawing from Changsha, the Taiping Army was in a very good situation, and Yang Xiuqing felt that this was due to the blessing of God.

He was full of confidence in the upcoming attack on Wuchang, the capital of Hubei Province.

On the day he arrived in Baling City, Yang Xiuqing happily performed a ritual of summoning a servant, claiming that the Heavenly Father had possessed him to boost the morale of the entire army.

The Taiping army was relieved of the gloom of failing to capture Changsha and their morale was boosted.

　Those who wish to learn from Zuo Zongtang's students can leave a message in this chapter.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)