Slaying the Qing: My Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

The trenches dug and the camps built by the Qing army would have been obstacles that the Taiping army would have had a hard time overcoming.

But these were no problem at all against the 1st Guards Infantry Division.

The heavy machine guns and rifles provided overwhelming firepower, preventing the Qing soldiers in the trenches from even raising their heads. Even when they tried to shoot arrows at the Imperial Guards from their trenches, the distance was too great, and they couldn't hit their targets.

Meanwhile, the mortar shells fired by the Imperial Guards were able to land accurately in the trenches, causing large numbers of Qing soldiers to cry out in pain.

As the Imperial Guards attacked, they continuously threw grenades into the trenches, killing many Qing soldiers.

As a result, the Qing army's trenches were completely unable to stop the advance of the Imperial Guards, and they were quickly breached by the Imperial Guards.

As for the camps built by the Qing army, they still could not withstand the powerful firepower of the Imperial Guards.

The artillery fire destroyed the low walls of the camp, and the heavy machine gun fire swept through the area, turning many Qing soldiers into sieves.

The infantrymen fired their rifles incessantly, using their superior rate of fire and range to continuously kill Qing soldiers. At the same time, they steadily advanced towards the Qing army's camp.

After that, they would bombard the Qing army camp directly with artillery, or use gunpowder to blow up the gates or walls of the camp.

Then they entered the camp and wiped out the Qing troops inside.

Under the offensive of the Imperial Guards, the Qing army's trenches were leveled, and one camp after another was breached and captured.

Adding to this, the Zhejiang army, which had already been defeated, was already terrified and had become like frightened birds.

As a result, the Qing army's defenses were completely unable to withstand the attack.

Chunhua Town was the headquarters of the Qing army's Jiangnan Grand Camp.

He Chun, the commander of the Jiangnan Grand Camp, the imperial commissioner and governor of Jiangnan, still dreams of crushing the main force of the Taiping Army in one fell swoop and then capturing Nanjing.

Unfortunately, this dream was soon shattered.

"My lord, something terrible has happened. Lord Deng has been defeated by the Taiping rebels. The 30,000 Zhejiang troops have suffered heavy losses and are in disarray. The trenches and camps at the front have also been breached by the Taiping rebels."

The Taiping rebels are currently heading towards Chunhua Town. It's estimated they'll reach Chunhua Town within an hour at most.

Another general from Jiangsu Province, Zhang Yuliang, reported this with a look of panic.

"What? Deng Shaoliang was defeated? How is that possible? He had 30,000 Zhejiang soldiers under his command! Even if they were 30,000 pigs, Taiping couldn't possibly capture them all in such a short time! Are the Zhejiang soldiers even less capable than pigs?" He Chun was furious.

He Chun had high hopes for this battle.

He hoped that the Zhejiang army could bring him a surprise, allowing him to achieve his wish of breaking through the capital city and thus fulfilling his long-cherished desire for promotion and advancement.

But to my utter surprise, this is the final result.

"My lord, the Taiping rebels' firearms are too formidable. Not only are their cannons powerful, but their muskets are also incredibly sharp. Even though the Zhejiang army has a large and powerful force, they are no match for the Taiping rebels!"

My lord, you should make a decision immediately.

Once the Taiping rebels attack, it will be too late!

Zhang Yuliang offered his advice.

He Chun nodded repeatedly.

"As the saying goes, a wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall. I am an important official of the court, how can I risk my life with those rebels? Gather the troops and head to Xiaolingwei immediately to join Zhang Guoliang!" He Chun issued the order.

"Yes, Your Excellency obeys!" Zhang Yuliang breathed a sigh of relief.

If He Chun had lost his mind and insisted on staying to fight the Taiping Army to the death, that would be the most troublesome thing.

Even the 30,000 Zhejiang troops were easily defeated by the Taiping Army, let alone the remaining 10,000-plus troops in Chunhua Town.

The Qing army was quite adept at escaping.

Before the Imperial Guards attacked, the group fled Chunhua Town and headed to Xiaolingwei, where they joined General Zhang Guoliang's troops.

In this way, they will be able to regroup more than 30,000 troops.

If they continue to hold their ground, they may still have a fighting chance.

As a result, the 1st Infantry Division of the Imperial Guard failed to capture Hechun after capturing Chunhua Town.

However, a large amount of supplies that the Qing army did not have time to take away, including grain and a large amount of military pay, all fell into the hands of the Imperial Guard.

Meanwhile, in today's battle, almost all 30,000 Zhejiang troops were wiped out.

Apart from a few officials, such as Zhejiang Provincial Governor Deng Shaoliang and General Rao Tingxuan, who escaped under the protection of the guards, the rest of the Zhejiang officers and soldiers were either killed on the battlefield or surrendered to the Imperial Guard.

The Imperial Guard alone captured more than 20,000 prisoners.

This was undoubtedly a major victory for the Taiping Army.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Guard has already defeated the Qing army and captured Chunhua Town. He Chun, the commander of the Tartar Jiangnan Camp, is leading his remaining troops to Xiaolingwei to join Zhang Guoliang's troops stationed there."

In this battle, the Imperial Guard annihilated the main force of the Zhejiang Army, capturing more than 20,000 prisoners of war.

General Chen Yucheng, please provide further instructions!

Zhou Yufeng reported.

After Hong Tian officially ascended to the throne as Heavenly King, he appointed Zhou Yufeng as Minister of Intelligence, giving him full authority to build an intelligence network throughout the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Furthermore, he planned to train and cultivate more intelligence personnel and deploy them throughout the country.

In the future, it will extend overseas, establishing an intelligence network spanning the entire world.

"Haha, excellent! The Imperial Guards have indeed lived up to my expectations." Hong Tian was very satisfied with the performance of the Imperial Guards on the battlefield.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards have dealt a heavy blow to the Qing army and captured Chunhua Town. This has undoubtedly dealt a severe blow to the entire Qing army's Jiangnan camp. The crisis in Tianjing City will soon be resolved." General Li Xiucheng, commander of the Eastern Expeditionary Army, was also greatly surprised by the performance of the Imperial Guards.

It should be noted that the Guards Corps only sent one infantry division, which is only 15,000 men at most.

They were able to almost completely annihilate 30,000 Zhejiang troops in less than a day, break through the Qing army's defenses, and capture Chunhua Town, the core stronghold of the Jiangnan Grand Camp.

This demonstrates just how formidable the Imperial Guard's combat capabilities were.

At least, the entire Eastern Expeditionary Army, consisting of two corps and more than 27,000 men, could absolutely not have accomplished this.

This also made Li Xiucheng very interested in the weapons, equipment, organization, and training of the Imperial Guard.

He had even secretly resolved that after this battle, he would definitely ask the Heavenly King to allow the Eastern Expeditionary Army to be reorganized.

This greatly enhanced the combat effectiveness of the Eastern Expeditionary Army, even bringing about a complete transformation.

"Send a telegram to General Chen Yucheng, instructing them to rest and replenish their ammunition. Tomorrow morning, they shall proceed to Xiaolingwei. The day after tomorrow morning, they shall launch an attack on Xiaolingwei. The 2nd Army of the Eastern Expeditionary Corps shall fully cooperate with the 1st Infantry Division of the Imperial Guards to capture Xiaolingwei as soon as possible," Hong Tianxia issued the order.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhou Yufeng immediately sent someone to send a telegram.

"Your Majesty, the Eastern Expeditionary Army will fully cooperate with the Imperial Guard in combat," Li Xiucheng replied.

In the previous deployment, the Eastern Expeditionary Army's two armies were divided as follows: the 1st Army, led by Commander Li Mingcheng, was tasked with containing the Qing troops around Dasheng Pass; while the 2nd Army, led by Commander Li Shixian, was tasked with containing the Qing troops stationed at Xiaolingwei.

After the Imperial Guards dealt with the main force of the Qing army, the next step was to remove the two thorns in their side: Xiaolingwei and Dashengguan.

If successful, the Qing army's defensive line in the Jiangnan Camp would be completely broken.

The crisis south of Tianjing City will be completely resolved.

Hong Tian nodded.

"Your Majesty, what should we do with the more than 20,000 prisoners of war? Your Majesty is merciful and did not kill them. However, feeding so many people is quite a drain on resources!" Li Xiucheng said.

"The loss of over 20,000 people is indeed considerable. But these prisoners of war will still be useful. Next, I plan to undertake large-scale construction projects in Tianjing City, including building roads and repairing drainage facilities. Furthermore, we will soon increase mining operations in the Tonglin area. These prisoners of war will all be of use."

As for the food and other necessities, that's not a big problem.

After this battle, we can take over the entire southern Jiangsu region and even enter Zhejiang Province.

These areas are all grain-producing regions with abundant grain, and are also important sources of revenue for the Tartars.

"As long as we can consolidate our rule in these regions, we will no longer be troubled by problems such as insufficient food and tax revenue."

Hong Tian said.

In this battle, Hong Tian not only wanted to resolve the crisis of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, but also wanted to expand his territory, especially the area under the actual control of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Grain-producing areas and key financial and tax regions like southern Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province were naturally Hong Tian's primary targets.