Slaying the Qing: My Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

"Boom!"

The sound of horses' hooves mingled together, like thunder.

Many soldiers of the main force of the 3rd Infantry Division of the Taiping Army's Imperial Guard Corps, who had been asleep, were inevitably awakened at this moment.

"What's wrong? Is it thundering?" Many people were wondering this.

But when the soldiers looked up, they found that although the moon was hidden behind thick clouds, there was no sign of rain.

"call out!"

Suddenly, a signal flare shot into the sky from not far away.

"Enemy attack! Prepare for battle!"

Upon seeing the signal flare, the officers immediately shouted at the top of their lungs.

To prevent enemy surprise attacks, the Guards Legion's reconnaissance units were dispatched and concealed around the defensive line. Once the enemy was spotted, they would immediately signal to alert the main force to prepare for defense.

The soldiers of the Imperial Guard Corps moved into position, ready for battle.

Although it was still pitch black all around, the booming sound that had already echoed through the night sky indicated that the enemy was rapidly approaching.

"What's going on? Has the Hunan Army attacked?" General Liu Yiming, chief of staff of the 1st Infantry Division of the Imperial Guard Corps, asked.

General Chen Yucheng is still serving concurrently as the commander of the 1st Infantry Division.

However, in this battle, General Chen Yucheng was responsible for commanding two infantry divisions of the Imperial Guard Corps and two corps of the Western Expeditionary Corps. Therefore, the 1st Infantry Division of the Imperial Guard Corps was almost entirely under the command of General Liu Yiming.

"Report, Chief of Staff. The Qing army has dispatched cavalry to attack us," Colonel Dai Yuanfei, commander of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, reported.

"Contact the 2nd Infantry Regiment and order them to reinforce us immediately. Also, send a message to the 3rd Army of the Western Expeditionary Army Corps and order them to move towards us immediately. All other units, prepare for battle!" General Liu Yiming said solemnly.

"Yes, Chief of Staff!" Colonel Dai Yuanfei replied.

On the side of the Royal Guard, the soldiers are ready for battle.

"Boom! Boom!"

One by one, the mortars began firing.

Although it was nighttime, it was difficult to see what was happening on the other side.

The gunners could only rely on their experience to fire.

The cannonballs exploded in the ranks of the Hunan Army cavalry, not only throwing the soldiers and their horses to the ground, but also revealing the surrounding Hunan Army cavalry in the flash.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The Guards Corps' field artillery, mountain guns, and mortars of various calibers joined the bombardment.

It's just that the hit rate is very low because of the nighttime effect.

But at this point, no one cares whether or not shells will be wasted.

As long as the enemy can be killed, no matter how many shells are used, it is worth it.

"Charge! Slaughter all the Taiping rebels! Drive them out of Hunan Province!"

The Xiang Army cavalry roared loudly as they charged.

Despite the constant bombardment of Xiang Army cavalrymen, the other cavalrymen continued their brave charge.

However, the Xiang Army cavalry soon discovered that they could no longer advance.

As they approached the Imperial Guard's defensive line, they not only dug trenches, trapping many Hunan Army cavalrymen in them, but most importantly, they also erected a barbed wire fence outside the defensive line.

Although the barbed wire was only a little over a meter high, the warhorses could no longer cross it.

As a result, the Xiang Army's cavalry could only crowd outside the barbed wire fence.

"Da da da!"

The heavy machine guns of the Imperial Guard opened fire fiercely, taking advantage of the opportunity to relentlessly reap the lives of the Xiang Army cavalry.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The infantrymen were also firing their rifles.

A large number of Hunan Army cavalry, or their warhorses, were hit by bullets and fell to the ground, unable to get up.

With the Imperial Guards on guard and firing at full force, the Xiang Army cavalry's surprise attack could be considered a failure.

If Li Xuyi could clearly recognize this point and decisively order a retreat...

In that case, they can suffer less loss.

Unfortunately, Li Xuyi was so focused on avenging his brother that he was blinded by rage.

Even though the Xiang Army cavalry could not break through the Taiping Army's defenses, they still stubbornly refused to retreat.

This resulted in increasingly heavy losses for the Xiang Army cavalry.

At 4 a.m., the Xiang Army sailors also arrived at the battlefield and joined the attack.

But at this time, the 2nd Infantry Regiment of the 1st Guards Infantry Division also arrived on the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the 3rd Army of the Western Expeditionary Force was also deployed to the battle.

This meant that the Xiang Army's sailors were not only unable to break through the Taiping Army's defenses, but were also at a disadvantage.

Although the Xiang Army's naval forces primarily engaged in naval warfare.

However, once they landed with muskets, cannons, swords, spears, and other weapons, they could be deployed as infantry in combat.

Originally, the Xiang Army's naval commanders Peng Yulin and Yang Yuebin planned that the navy would join the battle after the cavalry broke through the Taiping Army's defenses, taking the opportunity to expand the victory and defeat the Taiping Army in one fell swoop.

However, to their surprise, the Xiang Army cavalry not only failed to break through the Taiping Army's defenses, but also suffered heavy losses under the Taiping Army's powerful firepower.

Furthermore, other Taiping troops returned to reinforce the area so quickly.

The main force of the Taiping Army communicated via wireless telegraph, which was naturally much more convenient and faster than relying on manpower to relay orders.

The Xiang Army's navy numbered over 30,000.

But they also deducted the number of people who remained on the warships.

As a result, fewer than 20,000 people eventually made it ashore.

Facing an infantry regiment of the Imperial Guard and an army of the Western Expeditionary Army, the Xiang Army's navy was completely outnumbered.

In terms of combat strength, they are at a complete disadvantage.

After a major battle, the Xiang Army's navy not only failed to achieve victory, but also suffered heavy losses.

Especially after daybreak, the Taiping Army's firepower advantage was fully utilized, which further increased the losses of the Xiang Army's navy.

In order to minimize losses, Peng Yulin and Yang Yuebin had no choice but to order the navy to abandon its previous battle plan and retreat.

However, the Taiping Army was unwilling to let the Xiang Army's navy off so easily and relentlessly pursued them.

The matter was only dropped when the Xiang Army's navy returned to their ships and fled into the depths of Dongting Lake.

Even so, the Xiang Army's navy suffered considerable losses in this battle.

Nearly 20,000 Hunanese naval troops landed, but less than half of them eventually returned to their ships.

This was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Xiang Army's navy.

As for the Xiang Army cavalry, Li Xuyi had no choice but to order a retreat after dawn.

But the cavalry battalion of the 3rd Infantry Division of the Guards Corps pursued them.

Even though the Xiang Army cavalry still had a considerable number remaining and possessed an absolute advantage in troop strength, the Imperial Guard cavalry was not a traditional cavalry unit. They would not directly engage the Xiang Army cavalry in cavalry duels, but instead would use their cannons and muskets to launch attacks against the Xiang Army cavalry.

This led to a continuous increase in the losses of the Xiang Army cavalry.

Li Xuyi tried several times to lead his cavalry in a counterattack, but each time the Imperial Guard cavalry repelled him with their superior firepower.

In the end, he could only lead the Xiang Army cavalry in retreat with resentment.

But at this time, the Xiang Army's original 6,000 cavalry had dwindled to less than half.

Furthermore, the battle within Baling City was now even less of a surprise.

The counterattack by the Xiang Army cavalry and navy ended in failure. The Xiang Army infantry defending Baling City also suffered heavy losses.

When faced with a massive offensive by numerous Taiping troops, they were even less able to withstand it.

On the afternoon of October 5, the Xiang Army voluntarily abandoned Baling City and, with the help of the Dongting Lake waterway and the navy, fled to Changsha Prefecture.

The Taiping Army's 2nd Infantry Division of the Imperial Guard and the 4th Army of the Western Expeditionary Army also had a smooth operation in the southern part of Yuezhou Prefecture.

Even though the Hunan Army chose to resist to the death.

However, as one camp after another was captured by the Taiping Army, the Xiang Army's rule in Yuezhou Prefecture was completely uprooted.

By the end of October, the entire Yuezhou Prefecture had fallen under the control of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

The Hunan Army suffered more than 30,000 casualties in this battle.

At the same time, they also lost the entire Yuezhou Prefecture.

For Hunan Province, this is tantamount to opening its doors wide.

Once the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has completed its recuperation and preparations, it can launch a major attack on Hunan Province.

At that time, it will undoubtedly be even more difficult for the Xiang Army to resist the Taiping Army's attack.

This war was becoming increasingly disadvantageous for the Xiang Army, or rather for the Tartars.