After the Taiping army completely annihilated Wuzhen Chaoha and occupied Puning County, the Navy Zheng Chengkui and Foshan Wang Zhaoxing jointly surrounded Huilai County, and sacrificed the head of Shen Yongxing, the Duke of Xushun, and laid out dozens of cannons, and threatened to slaughter the city if the door was not opened, once the city was broken, Cheng Mingyun was so frightened that he immediately surrendered the city, and the Taiping army took another city without much effort.

After Zheng Chengkui entered the city, he immediately ordered Cheng Mingyuan to move the people in the city to the seaside Jinghai Institute, and selected more than 800 young and strong people to serve in the army. At this point, except for Jieshiwei, which was still in the hands of the Qing army, the two cities of Lupuning and Huilai were completely controlled by the Taiping army.

In order to unify the command and strengthen the strength, Zhou Shixiang ordered the various departments of Puning City, together with the surrendered green battalion soldiers and Qingzhuang, to merge into the fifth town of the Taiping Army, and the town general Zhao Ziqiang served as the brigade school, and the brigade school was served by Huang Sicheng of Huaxian Qianhu, Hu Mingyi of Qianhu Xin'an, and Li Guoan of Conghua Qianhu.

The Fifth Town's departments caught a lot of Zhaiding Qingzhuang when they were collecting grain in Chaozhou, and although the losses in the first battle of Xitanghe were not small, they were more than when they set out from Guangzhou, and the battalions that surrendered in Puning City and the young and strong soldiers in the city, the Fifth Town actually had 6,000 troops, of which about 2,000 were able to fight. There was military rations brought by the Qing army from Chaozhou in Puning City, which was enough for the Fifth Town to hold on for several months. In addition, when the Taiping army retreated from Chaozhou City, it secretly hoarded grain looted from various places along the coast, which was enough to support the Taiping army's war on the northern front.

The fifth town was newly established, and the actual soldiers who could fight were only about 2,000, and Zhou Shixiang drew another 1,000 people when he entered Jieshiwei in the south, so their task was to hold on to the county seat of Puning and prevent any Qing army north of Puning from providing possible support to the Jidu army in Huizhou. Zhou Shixiang gave Zhao Ziqiang another secret order, if Puning is lost. Before abandoning the city, the whole city must be set on fire, whether it is houses or food, and the same order was issued to Wang Zhaoxing of Huilai.

Zhou Shixiang also asked Zheng Chengkui to send a ship to transport the C Brigade of the Third Town of the Taiping Army, which had been ordered to rush to 40 miles southwest of Haifeng, Huizhou, from Jiesheng to Jinghai. to strengthen the forces of the Northern Front. In addition, the A and B brigades of the third town of Huizhou were urgently ordered to be stationed in Haifeng, and the second town of Lufeng could be reinforced. He also ordered the Qi Hao Department of Haifeng City to allocate a battalion of gunners to Jinghai with the C Brigade of the Third Town. Zhou Shixiang negotiated with Zheng Chengkui, and then handed over the cannons to him to take away after the war was over, but now he wanted to leave these cannons to enrich the defensive force. There are hundreds of guns in Wuzhen Chaoha, so naturally there is no need for the artillery battalion to adjust the artillery, as long as the gunners come.

Thousands of masons who had been trained in Guangzhou and had been transported by Zheng Chengkui by ship from Guangzhou to Huizhou Jiesheng when the first town was still under the city of Chaozhou. After the Taiping army landed at Jinghaisu, they boarded the returning naval warship and arrived at Jinghaisuo after a day and a night at sea. After the Taiping army ambushed Wuzhen Chaoha, these masons who had been trained and organized in militarization rushed to Yunluojing under the leadership of the big and small craftsmen. Thousands of people captured from various villages in Chaozhou accompanied them. Each of them carried thirty pieces of masonry on his back. Twenty catties of rations, as soon as they arrived at the place, they were led by a group of staff officers from the military marshal's office and began to repair the pillboxes and watchtowers along the official road. If there is not enough masonry, it will be dismantled from nearby villages and towns that are no longer inhabited.

The people driven from Puning and Huilai and the more than 10,000 people who had been captured in the early stage were digging trenches on the official road with all kinds of tools. Behind each trench there were rows of pillboxes, and behind the bunkers there were watchtowers that served as the command center of the line.

Zhou Shixiang's purpose was to build a group of fortifications more than ten miles long along the official road from Yunluo Trail to Beishan Village. The reason why I chose this place. And not further south. However, because the area from Jieshiwei to Lufeng in the south was a plain, and Jidu had thousands of Mongolian cavalry under his command, it was impossible for him to watch the Taiping army build a group of fortifications that could lock him up under his nose. The section from Yunluo Trail to Beishan Village is a mountainous and forested area, and the construction of fortifications along the official road can make use of the geographical advantages as much as possible and reduce the amount of work. Rao is so, time is also limited, Zhou Shixiang only gave the masons three days, and these three days were also sworn by him with the main force of the first town and the iron man guard to snatch from the Qing army.

The construction of such a huge fortification was the first time that the Taiping army had formed an army. Large scale and short construction period. Manpower, resources, and management are extremely complex, and this is a test of the Taiping Army's mobilization and organizational capabilities. Zhao Sihai, as a military officer, was ordered to preside over the construction of the fortifications, and all the people who could be sent by the military marshal's mansion were transferred, and dozens of Francophone people were also on the front line. Shang Keyuan, Geng Zhongde and others with the instructors of the military training center were also assigned tasks, urging the masons and civilians to repair the fortifications every day. Zhou Shixiang issued a strict order, as soon as the three-day deadline arrived, those who did not complete it would be beheaded regardless of military and civilian officials. Under this strict order, it is also a high-intensity fortification, and it is foreseeable that many Chaozhou people will die.

If the fortifications of the northern line are completed, the grain road of the Qing army will be completely cut off, the second town will shrink into Lufeng City as a turtle, and the first town will also be a turtle in the fortification group. If all goes well, in the end, the army led by Jidu will be compressed by the Taiping army within a range of tens of miles between Jieshiwei and Lufeng City.

Both Lufeng and Jieshiwei were built along the coast, and the local people were either moved into Lufeng City, or moved to Haifeng and Huizhou in the south, and the grain here was looted by the Taiping army. Within a radius of dozens of miles, a small group of soldiers and horses of the Qing army may be able to find something to eat, but an army of nearly 20,000 people wants to obtain food in this area, which is undoubtedly a fool's dream. If Jidu is interested in being a fisherman, Zhou Shixiang will not stop him, but the premise is that he can find a boat by the sea that can go to sea. Obviously, he couldn't.

Zhou Shixiang had no intention of leading the Taiping army to a head-on decisive battle with the Jidu army, which had the advantage of the plains, because he was not sure of victory, so he could only use the geographical advantage to trap the Jidu army and starve them to death in the dozens of miles from Jieshiwei to Lufeng City. The only thing he was worried about was whether he could block the Qing army in Jieshiwei so that the fortifications of Yunluojing could be completed on schedule.

On the 20th, Jidu received a quick report from Jieshiwei who stayed behind to guard the Qing army, and only then did he know that the main force of the Taiping army had gone around the rear and ambushed the Wuzhen Chaoha artillery battalion led by Shen Yongxing, the Duke of Xushun.

Jidu was shocked and unimaginable, just as Shen Yongxing, the Duke of Xushun, did not believe that the Taiping Army could run from Huizhou to Chaozhou with wings, and everyone in the generals of the Qing Army had a question, that is, how did the Taiping Army run to Chaozhou.

After being in a daze for a moment, Wu Liuqi pointed out a possibility, that is, the Taiping army was not originally hidden in Chaozhou, nor did they sneak under their noses, but took a boat from Huizhou. They didn't want to fight a decisive battle with the army at the beginning, but had the calculation of ambushing the rear of the Qing army, which can also explain why the Taiping army hurriedly lifted the siege and withdrew as soon as the Jidu army arrived at Nanzhao. This trick is clearly to lure the enemy deeper, and then use the convenience of the naval division to successfully transport troops to the northern front, the purpose is to cut off the army's food route, as for Shen Yongxing's Wuzhen Chaoha artillery battalion was annihilated, it is likely to be a coincidence.

"Thief Show Talent"

Three words came out of Jidu's mouth, and at this moment, he understood how thief Xiucai was.

Shen Yongxing's Wuzhen Chaoha army was completely annihilated, which meant that the Qing army lacked sharp weapons to attack fortifications, and if they wanted to take Lufeng City, they could only fill it with human lives like last time. No one below Zijidu was stupid enough to do such a stupid thing, and their first thought was to return to the army to defeat the Taiping army on the northern front and ensure that the grain route was unblocked.

Wu Liuqi suggested: "Taiping Kou cut off my grain route on the northern front, endangering the safety of our army, and the last general also asked the prince to immediately order the return of the army to quell this Kou, otherwise the grain road will fall into the hands of Kou, and the army will not be at ease." ”

Dutong Nahai didn't think so, he said: "The last general thinks that we should immediately attack Lufeng City, the Taiping army in the city has a stockpile of food, take it, our army does not need to worry about the lack of food for at least a month." In one month, Fujian's Dasu can always send troops to help, and when Dasu attacks from the north and we attack from the south, the Taiping Kou on the northern front is not to worry. Even if Dasu does not send troops, we can directly attack Taiping Kou if we break Lufeng City. ”

Wu Liuqi didn't dare to directly say that Nahai was ridiculous, but hesitated: "I'm afraid that the Taiping Kou on the northern front will not let us attack Lufeng with all our might." ”

"My army is all elite, are you still afraid of those Taipings? Shen Yongxing's defeat was just Taiping Kou's cunning, he was caught off guard, he really wanted to fight head-on, my army was full of thousands of cavalry, how capable of Taiping Kou was to dare to resist my army? "Nahai has the inherent pride of the Manchurians, in his eyes, the Taiping Kou composed of the Southern Barbarians is not a strong opponent, Hahamu and Shang Kexi they all suffered a big loss from the enemy, Shen Yongxing was killed by the Taiping Kou cunning suddenly appeared in the rear, the real battle between the two armies, the Taiping Kou has no reason to win.

Nahai insisted on hitting Lu Feng first, Wu Liuqi didn't dare to say more, but the Mongolian Zhenghong Flag Gushan Ezhen Su Rile dared to say, he said: "Lu Feng City is difficult, in my opinion, it is better to clean up the Taiping Kou on the northern line first, and then come back to deal with Lu Feng City." Don't forget, Taiping Kou can completely annihilate our Wuzhen Chaoha, the main force must be on the northern front, this Lufeng City is a disguise, but there are not many people, even if they borrow ten of their courage, they dare not go out of the city to attack us. If you're worried, I'll just leave a few Niu Lu cavalry down and watch them. ”

Jidu was a little difficult to choose, and when he saw what Du Eryou was thinking with his head down, he asked him, "How does Sanbeile think our army should deal with it?" ”

Du Eryou slowly raised his head: "I think we should deal with the Taiping Kou on the northern front first and open up the grain route, otherwise it will be difficult for the army to last in Lufeng." If Lufeng City is stormed, the casualties will be too great, and the gains will outweigh the losses. ”

Ji Du weiwei, nodded in agreement with Du Eryou's opinion, swept the generals in the tent, and said: "You quickly return to the camp to prepare, after half an hour, the left army will be the vanguard, the right army will be the auxiliary formation, and 4 Niu Lu Mongolian soldiers will be left to monitor the Taiping Kou in the city." Nahai! ”

"The last general!" Nahai, the commander of the left army, hurriedly lined up and responded.

"In this battle, Xu Sheng is not allowed to lose, if he is defeated..."Speaking of this, Ji Du stopped and said coldly: "You don't have to come to see this king!" ”

Nahai's heart sank, and he knelt down to receive the order: "Wow! (To be continued.) )