The night is as cold as water, the cold of the cold night is poured into the hearts of the people, looking at the bonfire of the Qing army outside the city like stars in the sky, Tao Enpei on Hengyang City has mixed feelings. As the prefect of Hengzhou, when the city of Hengzhou was broken, he was hindered by the general trend and descended the peace, and the Xiwang faction was quite mild at first, but with the expedition of the Xiwang, Taiping's various actions became more and more silent.

Especially in the middle of this year, after hearing about Tianjing, the capital of Dingdu, Taiping issued the "Regulations on Treating the People", which confirmed one article, comprehensive retro, all the people get to heaven, and the grass people have no surplus except for rations. Although the destitute grass people were extremely happy, in Tao Enpei's view, this strategy was not sustainable. In the autumn harvest of this year, it can be seen that the output of the people has been greatly reduced, the merchants no longer come and go, there is no way to sell agricultural products, and piles of tea are rotting in the warehouse. The silver source in the holy treasury was depleted, and He Zhenchuan and Tao Enpei even had to send people to cross the border in disguise and go to the territory of the Qing army to smuggle salt, iron, red medicine and other materials with the Qing army generals. If it weren't for Tianjing's frequent money and food, Tao Enpei was afraid that Hengzhou City would not be able to survive this winter.

Touching the back of his head, Tao Enpei smiled bitterly again, when the king of the west was there, this braid was not forced to stay, and the west hall also called on the people to cut the braids, if they didn't go to the braids, the west hall would levy heavy taxes, although this move was suspected of coercion, but it was still mild. After the king of Kexi left, Tianjing issued an order to cut the braids in one place, leaving the braids without the head, and leaving the head without braids, which was threatening with his life. After the order was given, Tao Enpei's braids were cut off, although Tao Enpei once yelled at He Zhenchuan: "The braids on the back of the old man's head are tangible, and it doesn't matter if they go or stay, but the braids of the people are in their hearts, and they can't be removed!" The harsh punishment and cruel law can only be blocked for a while, and only by benevolent politics and education can it guide eternity! ”

It's a pity that it's useless, and Hengzhou City went to braids under the sword soldiers. In Tao Enpei's view, many people actually still have braids in their hearts.

The king of the west has come to the official document three times, to transfer Tao Enpei to Wuxi to govern, but Tao Enpei replied three times to refuse, he is still guarding the promise of the peace that day, he wants to protect the people of Hengzhou, he is the people of the people, not the long-haired sword soldiers.

What Tao Enpei was worried about was such a day, the day when the official army counterattacked, and the king of the west went farther and farther. This fear is intensifying. How good it would be if this new dynasty was the king of the west, Tao Enpei smiled mockingly, he was not worried that the Qing army would execute him Ling Chi after the city was broken, and when he descended to peace, he understood what would happen if he fell into the hands of the Qing army. So he didn't care at all, everything was already predestined. He deserved to die when the city of Hengzhou was broken. Tao Enpei was more worried about what would happen to the people who went to the city to braid. Yong'an and other places after the Taiping Army left. Anyone who did not have braided hair was slaughtered by the officials and soldiers, and he was a member of the Qing court very well knew the cruel methods of the Qing court, but fortunately, the Qing army outside the city was Xiangyong, and the soldiers of Xiangdi. They shouldn't be too hasty to kill them all.

"Mr. Tao, do you think we can hold it tomorrow?" Liang Lihai, the commander of the Taiping Army on the side, asked softly. Tao Enpei has never been subject to the official position of the Kingdom of Heaven, but he is extremely popular in Hengzhou City, and he is also a scholarly Hanlin Gong. Therefore, the Taiping army has always called him Mr.

Tao Enpei looked at Liang Lihai, this person is Liang Litai's younger brother, yesterday Liang Litai and He Zhenchuan went out of the city to attack the enemy, and the remaining two thousand Taiping troops in the city were handed over to Liang Lihai to lead the belt, and then Liang Litai was defeated and left Xiangtan, Liang Lihai and Tao Enpei became the defenders of Hengzhou City.

"If Xiangtan can be fortified by daylight, it may be able to hold it." Tao Enpei said lightly: "General Liang, let's send a proclamation and tell the people of the city to remove their sideburns." ”

Liang Litai said: "Why is this? ”

Tao Enpei was silent for a long time before he said: "Just in case, leave a way for the people to live." ”

Liang Litai didn't ask any more, his knowledge was not high, and he didn't know much, but he felt that Tao Enpei made sense, so he asked people to do it when he turned around.

Looking at the people who were guarding the people like ants in Hengzhou City, Liang Litai still muttered: "Could it be that so many people are helping to guard, can't they stop the demons?" ”

Tao Enpei smiled bitterly for a while and said, "There are still many people seeking survival in this world, but few people seeking death." ”

Until the afternoon of the next day, did not see the Qing army attacking the city, but at dusk, only to hear the thunder in the Qing army camp outside the city, Liang Lihai looked at the city, only to see the Qing army escorting a large group of Taiping prisoners to the city, only to see the Taiping prisoners under the threat of swords and guns, holding high the wooden sign of "Xiangtan reinforcements have been defeated, Hengzhou surrenders to avoid death" and walked around the city, and there are several long poles, each pole carries a bloody human head.

Liang Lihai hurriedly looked at it with a clairing mirror, and shouted loudly: "It's Zhang Dewang, the military commander of Xiangtan!" There is also the division commander Li Dahai! ”

Tao Enpei, who was on the side, patted Liang Lihai's shoulder dissatisfiedly and said, "You don't have to say it!" "Liang Lihai is still too straightforward, and he called out the names of those heads on the spot, isn't it true that the news of the defeat of Xiangtan's reinforcements is true? If the city learns that reinforcements are not coming, won't there be no more fighting spirit?

Tao Enpei hurriedly sent an order to go, and the Qing army outside the city was talking nonsense, but it was too late, and all kinds of gossip slowly spread in the city.

The Taiping prisoners outside the city held up signs and marched to the morale of the soldiers and civilians in Hengzhou City was very huge, in the evening, the Qing army became more vicious, there were Hunan people singing at the city gates on all sides, and the folk songs in Hunan and Chu were also very beautiful, mixed with the shouts of the Hunan people, "The children of Xiangzhong, we are Xiangyong, our own family does not fight our own family, quickly open the city and surrender!" "We Hunan people can't be oppressed by the Cantonese people, everyone is a family, let's surrender in Kaecheng!" "Hunan brothers, Zeng Dashuai said, but if a Hunan person slashes a Cantonese person and surrenders, he can forgive the sins of the whole family, and there will be a reward."

This hand is indeed extremely vicious, first embattled, and then the transfer between regions, there are not many Taiping troops in Guangxi in the city, although this shout will not immediately chaos the whole army, but it will inevitably leave a thorn in people's hearts.

At dawn, in a guard camp at the West Gate, as usual, the leaders of the Taiping army carried out the haode morning food, and a Taiping army captain stepped forward to take food, but found that it was chopped pepper pork, and pointed to a few gang leaders and scolded: "You Hunan babies, Lao Tzu told you yesterday that Lao Tzu is not used to eating spicy food, you fucking still make spicy food!" ”

Those guys are all Hunan people, and they don't do it anymore, and they scolded back in a local accent: "You can't eat spicy food alone, and let the big guys follow you to eat lightly!" ”

The pawn drew his whip in anger and scolded, "Whip you who don't have long eyes!" Xiang baby with that horse! ”

Several gang leaders immediately fled and scolded each other: "You Cantonese people can't beat the Qing demon in Guangxi, so what are we going to do here?" ”

A few scolding will get up, the pawn commander pulled out a knife and was about to cut people, several gang leaders hurriedly shouted, and the Hunan soldiers who were not used to seeing on the side also surrounded them, the pawn commander hurriedly whistled and shouted, several Cantonese soldiers surrounded him, and the two sides quarreled, and they started fighting for a trivial matter.

The ensuing situation was even more chaotic, after the Taiping army who came to suppress the bomb arrived, they heard that the Hunan soldiers and the Guangdong soldiers were fighting, and they were immediately divided into two factions to fight each other, and even moved knives.

It wasn't until Liang Lihai and Tao Enpei arrived that the brawl between three or four hundred people stopped, and more than 100 people were killed and wounded.

Liang Lihai was furious and wanted to punish the Hunan soldiers, Tao Enpei hurriedly persuaded him, and said lightly: "The general has fallen into the Qing Demon's divisive plan, does this city still have to be defended?" ”

Liang Lihai came to his senses at this time, but when he saw that the recruits and veterans were in flames, he sighed in his heart that it seemed that this city could not be defended.

Tao Enpei sighed lightly and said: "General Liang, it's better for the old man to go out of the city to talk about the surrender, the old man is desperate for his life to let the general and other Cantonese soldiers return to Xiangtan safely, and the general doesn't want to see everyone defend like this." ”

At this point, Liang Lihai had to agree to Tao Enpei's suggestion, he handed over Hengzhou City, and asked the Qing army to promise to let the few 300 Cantonese soldiers in the city return to Xiangtan, and promised not to harm the people of Hengzhou. At that moment, Tao Enpei took a scholar and went out of the city and went to the camp of the Qing army.

Yesterday Rong Lu and Zeng Guofan set up an ambush in Kaihe Town, Hengshan County, defeated the Xiangtan Taiping Army who came to help, killed more than 2,000 Taiping troops on the spot, and captured hundreds, Xiangtan sent 5,000 reinforcements this time, and the rest fled back to Xiangtan. Xiangtan is also unable to send reinforcements to come, unless Lai Hanying from Changsha comes, but although Lai Hanying has many soldiers and horses at the moment, he is not enough weapons, and he has to face the Qing army in Yiyang and other places, and he does not dare to leave Changsha lightly.

Yesterday night's embattled and divisive plan was also the handiwork of Rong Lu and Zeng Guofan, this morning when he saw that the number of people in the city who helped defend the city was significantly reduced, Rong Lu knew that the plan had worked, and he only waited for a few more times to break the city in one fell swoop.

Just as Rong Lu and Zeng Guofan were touting each other, they heard that a messenger from the city had come out to ask for surrender, Zeng Guofan was overjoyed, and when he summoned him, it was an old acquaintance Tao Enpei. Tao Enpei was an official in Hunan and knew Zeng Guofan.

Seeing the emanation from the back of Tao Enpei's head, Zeng Guofan couldn't help but sneer: "Tao Gong is a great Confucian in the world, why is he so dressed like a kingless and fatherless?" ”

Tao Enpei said lightly: "How can Yidi's costume be on par with my Confucianism? ”

After a trace of murder flashed in Zeng Guofan's eyes, he stopped dwelling on this topic: "What happened to Tao Gong?" ”

Tao Enpei said that the Taiping army could withdraw from Hengzhou, but the Qing army wanted to get out of the way and let them go back to Xiangtan, and the Qing army could not kill the people in the city.

Zeng Guofan didn't speak, Rong Lu agreed with a mouthful, Zeng Guofan saw Rong Lu speak, and it was not easy to refute, the two sides agreed to make way for the city, and also made a written treaty with each other.

After Tao Enpei left with the treaty, Zeng Guofan frowned and said: "Zhonghua, it is taboo to make a covenant with the thief, if anyone knows about it, it would be terrible to participate in the middle of the court." ”

Rong Lu smiled faintly, burned the other treaty in the fire, and then turned around and said with a smile: "Zeng Shuai is wrong, when did we make a contract with the traitor?!" (To be continued......)