Next, on the relatively open Xiangzhong Plain, Yongzhou (now Lingling City), Daozhou (now Daoxian), Shaozhou (now Shaoyang), Hengzhou (now Hengyang City) all the way up the water, along the way seven The eight large and small cities and gates were all made in the same way, and they were easily taken over and replaced without blood;
We sent away dozens of rebel generals back and forth to Guangzhou, and more than a dozen people were able to join the Taiping Army to continue listening (in fact, those who can be left are old or injured, or even marginalized. character). But there were also several people who chose to lead their troops north to join the rebels of Huangchao. About five to six hundred people were taken away, so I can only wish them good luck.
With such accumulation, the number of rebels included in succession along the way has reached nearly 20,000 horses; it has also stopped several waves of conflicts and conflagrations between local rebels; it has broken through a collective rebellion in Xinning County and killed them. Thousands of people were won; hundreds of people were beheaded and punished in public for violating the purpose of the rebel army, or the black sheep who had recently killed the people;
However, in addition to the overstatement and the old and weak who can only be sent to the logistical sequence, the reluctantly shared supplementary personnel is only one-third more; so as usual, a small number of garrisons are assigned to the backbone to disperse the heavyweights. In addition, the young and poor people who had no food and clothing recruited from the local area barely replenished the garrison forces in key cities and transportation hubs along the Lingnan channel on the first line of Xiangshui; it can be regarded as the transportation line that originated from Lingnan. The food supply road has been consolidated and maintained.
However, the Taiping Army replenished a lot of materials, equipment, and personnel in Dayi, Hengzhou. After passing through Xiangtan County, in Hengshan County, which borders Tanzhou, they encountered a land and water checkpoint called "Hua Shishu". Intercepted and blocked.
Immediately, this stronghold with the banner of "Hengshui Township" was quickly fallen into the fireworks and the sound of killings under the combined offensive of the Taiping army, which was roaring away by the water and land roads.
After a while, Zhou Huaian, who was sitting on the top of the fleet and waiting, saw the bloodstains and fireworks of the school lieutenant Wang Tianming, dragging a dead dog-like person back to life with a certain nonchalant expression.
"Let this guy speak for himself..."
"Humble villain... It's just a delusion of greed for gaining more benefits, and only when you get confused will you resist the army..."
The person who was picked up wailed loudly, confiding it out like pouring beans.
"This ministry is also a new assignment for the villain in the state city, and it took a lot of money to get it, so I just want to collect the capital as soon as possible..."
"I also hope that the royal masters of the court will forgive me. I am not really a thief... I am willing to redeem for the officers and soldiers..."
Well, with his unscrupulous call, the expressions of all the generals present became very strange and weird; obviously because of the relatively strict and orderly lineup and faction of the Taiping Army, they were actually regarded as the court by the other party. And the official and military side.
"No matter the place has been messed up, you can set up your own card and robbery..."
Zhou Huaian also frowned slightly embarrassed, and turned to domineering Wang Zhong beside him.
"Have you seen this situation before..."
"It wasn't like this when I came back last time... Although the place is a bit chaotic, the waterway is still unobstructed."
Wang Zhongba couldn't help but flushed, but he took the initiative to ask for help.
"There are also a few of my subordinates who have been familiar with this waterway for a long time, dare to ask the leader to borrow a group of people... to clear the way for the army..."
"Also..."
Zhou Huaian said decisively.
"I will give you a battalion head where there are enough people in that group; then I will send a battalion of people to respond to each other, and after landing, they will be divided into two roads and go on the left and right..."
The encounter on the next waterway navigation really confirmed Zhou Huaian’s conjecture. On the surface of the Xiangshui River in just a few tens of miles, seven or eight strongholds and checkpoints were encountered and removed one after another; among them, the decent ones were erected. It is a water village, and the boat is in the river. The simplest thing is to directly take a large wood tied with a rope and throw it into the middle of the river. You dare to sit on the ground and go across the plucking style to collect money and food.
Although most of them are simply vulnerable, or even frightened to escape from the wind when they see the movement from a distance; but they encounter such frequent obstructions, even if it is to catch those shrimp soldiers and crabs who ran away, as temporary The coolie cleared and dragged away the obstructions in the middle of the river one by one, and it was already a disguised delay and drag on the speed of the main fleet.
And their origins and fineness are also diverse, including mayor and garrison appointed by the rebels, town generals and commanders appointed by the government, and even the self-proclaimed native land protection team and other titles. They are also in a wonderful state of being grazing with their neighbors without disturbing each other.
So it was noon on the next day to walk around this section of the river before arriving at Lukoushu (near Zhuzhou City today) where Xixiangshui and Lushui intersect in Liling County. This is not only a fortress for patrolling Jiang pirates, but also a large town located on the hilly terraces of Jiangkou, which prospered in the early years because of the tea trade business;
Therefore, at the foot of the hill is the official road leading to Tanzhou and the accompanying post building, and there are many ferry ports and piers where merchants and civilian ships of various colors are anchored next to it; it forms several streets and pavements of different widths and narrows.
To the south of the town are large areas of developed paddy fields and surrounding polders. As for the inland side facing west and north, there are small boats or contiguous areas of Mizusawa that are not suitable for large groups of horses to cross over.
Therefore, on the central Hunan plain where the water network is all over, there is a natural and concise trend that looks back and faces the river, and there is only one road along the river that can be crossed.
Then, seemingly because of the wind and warnings, I refused any negotiation and the resistance after shouting, and it suddenly became fierce. In the opponent's condescending terrain, the pioneer team led by Wang Zhongba went up and attacked several times, but they were all beaten back with a strong bow, a hard crossbow, and a boulder.
Although the cover tactics were effective because of the better equipment and protection, the casualties were not large, but Wang Zhongba, who had managed to climb to the top of the city, broke his head, and stirred up the group's anger. Just when he wanted to reorganize his hands and bypass Mizusawa to the west, he made another attempt.
Then, Zhou Huaian, who arrived with the ship, stopped him. He would only rely on personal courage and a momentary bloody attack, a wave of reckless, traditional rebel tactics; he began to change into more professional tactics. The technical content and military skills of the game.
With the loud sound of horns, the bulky components loaded and unloaded on the large ships that were docked were assembled into towering stone cannons within half an hour, and the other ships were pushed down. Several thick-clad iron bow arms are overlapped, and there are also crossbows with turntables, rollers, and handles.
And among the team members who assemble and operate the equipment. Bai Duolu, a former sharpener and tinker, is also struggling to wedge an iron bolt into the thick arm, and then use a sledgehammer to nail it firmly. Then the thick rope sheath woven with brown cable was tightly wrapped, and it was swung up in the large winch, and the slightly stretched arm was pulled and pressed down a little bit.
It's just that every time he turns in a circle, he whispers a sentence in his mouth:
"Father Aroko Tianzun is here for blessing..."
"Saving the suffering and the great sage move the mouse, and come to the world to save all living beings..."
"Tianzun let the cool breeze go to a virgin,"
"The cool breeze enters Moyan's abdomen,"
"Yitianzun teaches, and immediately ends Yan's body,"
"In order to make a cool breeze to serve the virgins,"
. . . . . . .
He has practiced: "Changming Emperor Music Classics", "Preface to Miscellaneous Poems Sutra", "Zhixuan An Music Classics", "Unique Theology", "Great Sage Tongzheng Returning to Dharma Praise", "Xuan Yuan Zhi" This Scripture has been praised and honored for many years since Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty, a Nestorian cross monk who was "all believers and protectors in the land" after Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty. However, after Wuzong initiated the Huichang method, he was devastated by the Tang Dynasty Nestorian. The only remnant of the fruit.
In the early years, because of the subsequent influence of Wu Zong's extermination of Buddhism and the destruction of forbidden Nestorianism, he had to return to the vulgar to avoid disaster; because he did not have a name, he was named after one of the twelve sages, Bai Duolu (Peter). Since then, pushing the trolley on the iron furnace and taking a young apprentice to walk around, relying on the repairing skills of collecting some scraps of copper and rotten iron, he is good at making a sledgehammer with a bamboo handle and claims that it is not bad to beat.
It's just that he was a bit unlucky and was caught by the army outside Guangzhou. All his family was lost. Even the little apprentice raised as a son has disappeared. Then the army was defeated and he became a rebel. Captive. It was not until the Stormrage Camp where Xu Guantou was recruiting skilled people that he was able to escape from the prisoners and become one of the hardwaresmiths in the first major team.
Later, after the establishment of the team, he was selected as one of the members of the maintenance team because of his ability in disassembly, assembly and repair. He was also regarded as a formal member of the rebel army with proper level treatment and salary. It wasn't until the rotating shaft wrapped with the thick rope could no longer be rolled, and he said in my heart:
"May God grant the eyes of the eagle, the mouth of the wolf, the power of the bear, and the victory of the cat to break the enemy without any disadvantage, so that all the sinners here will be reborn and free and clean..."
Then, amid his prayers and the whistling sound of his arms, a mud ball used for calibration flew out, and it fell under the root of the wall in Pokhang Town with a loud sound, and suddenly splashed. Come in pieces. And there was a lot of clamor around Bai Duolu.
"It's time to go..."
"I hit it in the first hit. It's really a lucky draw"
"All of them are calibrated with this one. The first three rock bombs break the wall, and then the fire oil bombs and poisonous smoke balls are alternately mixed... Ready to bombard people..."
And among the heads of the people on the civil wall of the town on the slope, there was a burst of uncontrollable exclamations and clamours; then the wooden door of the closed town was opened, and one came out holding a blue color representing the rebels. The people from Xiaoqi came out; I saw him slowly walking down the slope while shouting something loudly.
Then, before he could go far, he was shot dead on the slope by a few arrows that came in the air. Zhou Huaian, who gave the order, curled his lips. Since the other party rejected the possibility of negotiation at the beginning and responded with force, then there is no possibility to say it properly, and can only use the language of swords, guns, arrows and stones to speak.
(End of this chapter) (End of this chapter)