Slaying the Qing: My Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

Xianggaoguansha, the Governor-General's Office of Huguang.

The Huguang Governor's Office, which was originally supposed to be located in Wuchang, had to be moved to Changsha because Wuchang had fallen.

However, Zeng Bohan didn't care.

On the contrary, Zeng Bohan was very satisfied. He was originally from Changsha, and to become the Governor-General of Huguang was definitely a triumphant return home.

"Gentlemen, according to the information we have received, the Taiping rebels are mobilizing troops and seem to be preparing to launch a major invasion of our Hunan Province. I am deeply grateful for His Majesty's favor in appointing me as the Governor-General of Huguang, and it is my duty to ensure the safety of our homeland."

In this battle, if the Taiping rebels dare to invade, our Hunan Army must unite as one and thwart their attack. We absolutely cannot allow them to enter Hunan Province and bring disaster to our people!

At the beginning of the meeting, Zeng Bohan expressed his attitude to the high-ranking members of the Hunan Army.

"Yes, Your Majesty, this humble officer obeys!" The high-ranking officers of the Xiang Army all replied.

"Your Excellency, the Taiping rebels have attacked Hunan Province and have withdrawn a considerable number of troops from Hubei Province. Should I launch a counterattack from Hubei Province to contain the Taiping rebels?" asked Hu Linyi, the governor of Hubei Province.

Zeng Bohan hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "The Hubei province is expanding its army. At the same time, it is gradually absorbing the Hubei army. This is a matter of great importance and cannot be easily mobilized for the time being."

Zeng Bohan had great ambitions; this time, he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to expand his army and annex the Hubei army.

Hu Linyi nodded. He knew that this matter was of great importance and that it was best not to cause any unnecessary complications.

"Leave the fighting in Hunan Province to us! Ninth Brother, you go to Yuezhou Prefecture yourself and take charge of the defense there. If the Taiping rebels invade, you must thwart their attack!" Zeng Bohan ordered.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zeng Guoquan replied.

Zeng Bohan's decision to send Zeng Guoquan directly to Yuezhou Prefecture was undoubtedly a demonstration of his determination.

This is his own younger brother!

"Xueqin, Hou'an, the navy must be mobilized in full force this time to ensure the safety of the waterways from various parts of Hunan Province to Yuezhou Prefecture. If the Taiping rebels invade, we must ensure the support of Yuezhou Prefecture in terms of manpower and resources!" Zeng Bohan then ordered.

"Yes, Your Majesty, we obey!" Peng Yulin and Yang Yuebin replied.

The two were in charge of commanding the Xiang Army's navy.

Originally, the Xiang Army's navy was formidable, and at one point, it overwhelmed the Taiping Army's navy. The entire Yangtze River waterway was almost entirely under the control of the Xiang Army's navy.

However, as the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's advantage in artillery became increasingly apparent, it established artillery forts in many important sections of the Yangtze River.

Especially after the 1st and 2nd Infantry Divisions of the Imperial Guard Corps were stationed in Wuchang and Jiujiang respectively, they organized artillery to blockade the Yangtze River.

Although the Xiang Army's navy was very strong, it was also equipped with cannons.

However, those old-fashioned muzzle-loading cannons, which could only fire solid projectiles, were simply no match for the advanced artillery of the Guards.

After several major battles, the Xiang Army's navy suffered heavy losses and was gradually forced by the Taiping Army to withdraw from the Yangtze River and retreat back to Dongting Lake.

"Your Excellency, I request permission to lead the troops to Yuezhou Prefecture to resist the Taiping Rebellion!"

Li Xuyi, the younger brother of Li Xubin, the former commander of the Xiang Army cavalry, looked grief-stricken.

On the battlefield in Anhui Province, Li Xubin not only lost the Hunan Army's cavalry, but also lost himself in the process.

Many in the Xiang Army also blamed Li Xubin, believing that he had sacrificed the Xiang Army's cavalry entirely because of his own selfish desires.

This also put Li Xuyi under tremendous pressure.

Li Xuyi also wanted to avenge his older brother. That's why he volunteered for the battle.

In another time and space, Li Xuyi is also a character.

Based on his merits in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion, he became the Provincial Treasurer of Anhui Province, the Governor of Anhui Province, and the Governor of Hubei Province, thus ranking among the high-ranking officials in the provinces.

Zeng Bohan hesitated for a moment, but still granted Li Xuyi's request to fight.

"Gentlemen, this battle is of paramount importance to our Xiang Army. If the Taiping rebels dare to attack, we must defeat them. Otherwise, not only will our fellow villagers suffer at the hands of the Taiping rebels, but we will also betray His Majesty's trust in us."

This battle must be won; defeat is absolutely unacceptable!

Zeng Bohan addressed the crowd.

"Yes, Your Majesty, this humble general obeys!" The high-ranking officers of the Hunan Army replied in unison.

Even though the Taiping army came with great force, Hunan Province was their home base, so they naturally had to fight the Taiping army with all their might.

Zeng Bohan went all out to ensure that the Taiping army's attack could be resisted in Yuezhou Prefecture.

Not only did he send his own younger brother to command the battle, but he also dispatched almost all of the main forces of the Hunan Army.

The 30,000 Hunan Army sailors went all out.

With strong support from the Qing court, the rebuilt 6,000 cavalry, led by Li Xuyi, headed to Yuezhou Prefecture.

Including the infantry assembled in Yuezhou Prefecture, the Xiang Army now has more than 60,000 troops gathered in Yuezhou Prefecture.

Even in Changsha Prefecture, only about 20,000 Xiang Army troops remained.

Of course, in order to defeat the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in one fell swoop.

The Hunan Army was also frantically expanding its forces.

A large number of impoverished people were deceived. In addition, Zeng Bohan had the support of many wealthy merchants and landowners, and the soldiers of the Xiang Army were paid very high salaries. Even ordinary soldiers could receive five taels of silver per month.

It should be noted that even ordinary Eight Banner soldiers only earned a little over two taels of silver a month.

As the saying goes, a generous reward will surely attract brave men, and naturally, many young men were willing to join the army.

Furthermore, due to the deceptive propaganda of the government and local landlords, many people in Hunan Province subconsciously believed that joining the Hunan Army was to defend their homeland.

In this era, people have a strong sense of belonging to their hometown.

People's enthusiasm for joining the army is naturally even higher.

Local militias were being organized in various prefectures and cities of Hunan Province.

After training, these officers and soldiers will become part of the Hunan Army.

Soon, the size of the Hunan Army will expand further.

On September 2, 1857, the 1st Infantry Division of the Taiping Army's Imperial Guard Corps set off from Wuchang Prefecture towards Yuezhou Prefecture.

The Taiping Army's 3rd Army of the Western Expeditionary Force also launched an attack.

On September 3, the 4th Army of the Taiping Army's Western Expeditionary Force launched an attack on Yuezhou Prefecture from Tongcheng.

At the same time, the 2nd Infantry Division of the Imperial Guard also attacked Yuezhou Prefecture from Nanchang Prefecture.

In a short time, nearly 60,000 Taiping Army troops stormed into Yuezhou Prefecture.

Even though the Xiang Army had already received news of the Taiping Army's impending invasion, they were still shocked to learn that the Taiping Army had mobilized such a massive force, including two infantry divisions of the Imperial Guard.

The two sides had clashed many times, and the high command of the Xiang Army was well aware that the Taiping Army's Imperial Guard Corps was the elite of the elite.

Although the soldiers of the Imperial Guard were mostly young, many even only seventeen or eighteen years old, they were well-trained, extremely well-equipped, and possessed a tenacious fighting spirit.

Such troops were undoubtedly the elite of the Taiping Army.

Even the most capable troops in the Xiang Army were no match for the Taiping Army's Imperial Guard.

It is easy to imagine the immense pressure the Hunan Army faced in this battle.

"Tell Lao Jiu that he must do everything in his power to resist the Taiping Rebellion's attack. Yuezhou Prefecture must not be lost under any circumstances. Otherwise, I will hold him accountable!" Zeng Bohan ordered.

"Yes, sir!" The guard immediately went to relay the order.

Zeng Guoquan was also well aware of the Taiping Army's strength. Especially in open field battles, the Xiang Army had no chance of winning.

Even though the Xiang Army had spent several months rebuilding its cavalry.

However, the rebuilt cavalry was not nearly as formidable as the original cavalry.

Besides, the Xiang Army's cavalry had also been wiped out by the Taiping Army before.

It was simply unrealistic to expect the rebuilt cavalry to defeat the Taiping Army in open field battles.

Therefore, Zeng Guoquan could only bring the traditional tactics of the Xiang Army to their fullest potential.

Zeng Guoquan ordered all his troops to defend their towns to the death, build strong fortifications, hold their ground and not venture out, and do everything in their power to defend themselves, absolutely refusing to engage the Taiping Army in open battle.

In this way, the Taiping Army would have no choice but to eliminate the Xiang Army's fortified camps one by one in order to defeat the Xiang Army.

In another timeline, the Xiang Army used similar tactics to defeat the Taiping Army and ultimately suppress the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

But in this specific time and space, can such tactics still succeed?

Faced with the Taiping Army's powerful firepower, could the Xiang Army's fortified camps still be effective?