Since the beginning of the Jiayin year, the long-dormant Tianjing Taiping Army began to exert its might, the winged king Shi Dakai led 60,000 troops to attack Hubei, and the northern king Wei Changhui led 50,000 troops to attack northern Anhui. Shi Dakai sent troops from Jiujiang, the troops were divided into two routes, all the way personally led across the Jiangbei, and even captured Huangzhou, Qizhou and other places, surrounded by the Qing army in the periphery of the Jiangbei in the three towns of Wuhan, and connected Hankou and Hanyang in the north of the lonely Jiangbei, and then went north to Xiaogan, Anlu and other places. The other route was led by Hu Yihuang, who went down from Jiujiang to the west, conquered Xingguo, Xianning and other places one after another, broke the Qing army camp that surrounded the south of Wuchang, and lifted the threat to the south of Wuchang. Since then, the towns on both sides of the Wuchang River have changed banners, completely smashing the Qing army's year-long siege of the important town of Wuchang.

Wei Changhui, the king of the north, was also divided into two routes, one from Anqing to the north to Lianketongcheng and Shucheng, into Luzhou, and the other from Tianjing to cross the river, trapping Hezhou, Chuzhou and other places. At the beginning of May, the army of the two roads of the North King met in Luzhou and surrounded Luzhou.

Since the Tianjing Taiping Army entered Nanjing, there has been no major military action, and it has always been the Taiping Army's Eastern Expedition to the Western King Xiao Dynasty's noble troops in southern Jiangsu and other places to fight fiercely with the Qing army. After the Taiping army laid a long snake formation along the Yangtze River, from Hengyang and Changsha to the Yangtze River waterway, many important towns along the Yangtze River were lost. In this regard, the Qing court Xianfeng ordered the Qing troops in Jiangbei and Jiangxi and Fujian to rush to the aid of southern Jiangsu, while the Qing army along the Yangtze River sent heavy troops to implement a north-south encirclement posture against Changsha, Wuchang and other important towns.

It's a pity that because of the First World War in Shanghai, Guangdong's sailors rushed to the south of the Yangtze River, and Guangdong's red single boats have not been able to enter the Yangtze River waterway as in history, and the Yangtze River waterway has been occupied by the Taiping Army's sailors. Although the Qing army was tightly surrounded by land, the waterways ensured the supply of cities occupied by the Taiping army along the Yangtze River.

The Qing army did not have much to do about it, and Zhang Liangji, the governor of Hunan, once organized a naval army in Yiyang, led by Peng Yulin to attack the Yueyang Taiping Army Water Village, which once gained an advantage. But then the sailors of the Taiping Army in Changsha and Wuchang came to help and drove Peng Yulin back. Although the Qing army's naval army did not take much advantage of this operation, the Taiping army's naval division did not dare to swagger to transport money and food supplies.

The supplies could not keep up, and with the loss of Hengyang, the Taiping army in Changsha, Xiangtan and other places did not have a good time. The three towns of Wuhan were also attacked by the Qing army from the north and south, and they were surrounded by water on land. Originally, the situation in Changsha and Wuchang slowly tilted to the side of the Qing army, but they did not expect that the Tianjing Taiping Army suddenly sent troops, and the Qing army was taken by surprise.

Emperor Xianfeng originally had a daughter this year, and Concubine Yi was pregnant, which was the time for happy events. The fierce offensive of the Taiping army was tantamount to several slaps in the face to the Qing court. In just a few months, the situation reversed, the siege of Wuhan was lifted, Luzhou was besieged instead, and in April, the Taiping army of Tianjing and southern Jiangsu sent troops south to Jiangxi. The two Taiping armies came all the way from Jingdezhen, all the way down from Jiujiang, Yongxiu, and De'an. Pointing directly to Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province.

At the beginning of this year. Emperor Xianfeng convened the Minister of Military Machinery to discuss the military, and planned to overcome the two important towns of Changsha and Wuchang this year, interrupting the long snake formation of the Taiping Army, and at the same time, the three Qing troops of Jiangbei Yingshengbaobu, Fujian Li Tingyu, and Jiangxi Jiang Zhongyuan were going to suppress the Taiping Army in southern Jiangsu, intending to recapture the tax-bearing land in southern Jiangsu and re-threaten the east of Tianjing. I didn't expect the Tianjing Taiping Army to suddenly launch a large-scale attack. Everything jihua is disrupted.

Xianfeng received reports of defeat one after another within a few months, and the Qing armies from all walks of life were defeated and retreated, Luzhou was besieged, and Nanchang was also surrounded by the Taiping army in late July. Xianfeng, who was thunderous, made a solemn order. Ordered Jiang Zhongyuan to defend Nanchang. At the same time, the Qing army was ordered to reinforce the two important towns of Luzhou and Nanchang. Fortunately, in addition to the troops in Jiangxi, the Luo Outline Department of the Central Union of the Soviet Union also temporarily suspended the troops and confronted Shengbao, Li Tingyu of Fujian was greatly relieved, but fortunately Changmao did not come to Fujian, so he could only stand still and guard his Wentai defense line.

Xianfeng's holy envoy arrived in Hengyang in August, and Zeng Guofan and Rong Lu received the will at the same time, as well as Jiang Zhongyuan's request for help. After reading the documents, Zeng Guofan discussed with Rong Lu about sending troops. The two of them are now recruiting troops and horses in Hengyang and organizing and training a naval army, which is a critical time, and at this time, it is to send some new troops to death. After the two ordinary treacherous men consulted, they agreed that it would be sufficient to send a small number of soldiers and horses to the rescue to meet the holy decree.

Zeng Guofan's original intention was that Rong Lu could take hundreds of Miao soldiers on a trip, but how could Rong Lu not see Zeng Lao Fox's intentions? He wanted to take himself away, and he could train his Hunan army by himself.

Rong Lu bargained with Zeng Guofan, Zeng Guofan Zuihou couldn't, so he had to agree to Rong Lu, and his eldest daughter Zeng Jijing, who had not yet reached the end of the marriage, was married to Rong Lu, and the two families set up an in-law to show their intention to advance and retreat together, and at the same time sent Lao Jiu Zeng Guoquan to take hundreds of Xiangyong to Nanchang with Rong Lu.

Rong Lu and Zeng Jijing agreed to get married, so he was satisfied, he had never seen Zeng Jijing, and he didn't know what she looked like, but in Rong Lu's words, no matter how ugly he was, he would marry this woman, because she was Zeng Guofan's eldest daughter.

Speaking of Zeng Guofan's daughter, although Zeng Guofan is known as having read countless people and can meet people in history, his choice of son-in-law is very substandard. Zeng Guofan suffered deeply, and the marriages of his four beloved daughters were unsatisfactory. He once said to his friend helplessly: "Others say that I can look at people, but my son-in-law has not been chosen well, and I am ashamed to talk about what I can look at." ”

Zeng Guofan's eldest son-in-law, Yuan Yusheng, was found by Zeng Guofan when he was searching for books. Tsang was fond of reading and collected books extensively. He heard that Yuan Shuliu, the prefect of Songjiang, had a large collection of books, so he came to visit. In order to get a book collection, Zeng Guofan took the initiative to invite a matchmaker and married his eldest daughter Zeng Jijing to his son Yuan Yusheng. Zeng Guofan regretted marrying his daughter to Yuan Yu after he was born. It turned out that Yuan Yusheng had an impetuous personality and was idle. Zeng Guofan has repeatedly instructed his family in letters to his family not to ridicule this son-in-law and to treat him with courtesy. However, Yuan Yusheng was not only not grateful, but intensified. Zeng Guofan had no choice but to take him to the military camp to teach him personally. Yuan Yusheng's temperament is difficult to change, not only deceiving his father-in-law, but also embezzling military salaries. Zeng Guofan had no choice but to rely on her temperament. Just imagine, such a man, how could the arrogant Miss Zeng family look up to it? Therefore, the relationship between the two was not harmonious, which led to Ji Jing's depression all his life.

Rong Lu's appearance changed Zeng Jijing's future fate, but Rong Lu's purpose for marriage seems to be even more ruthless, and Miss Zeng's marriage seems to be the same tragedy.

However, it was said that Rong Lu and Zeng Guoquan led more than 1,000 troops to the periphery of Nanchang, but for some reason, various departments came to aid the Qing army and moved closer to Rong Lu's department. After Rong Lu and Zeng Guoquan met with the Qing army of various departments, they learned that the Qing army that came to help the Qing army was killed by Chen Yucheng of the Taiping army.

The Qing army's new Jiangnan Governor Shoushan Division, Shaanxi and Gansu Governor Shu Xing Abu, Yichun Town's remnants of Jiangxi according to the inspection of Zhang Yintang Department (Yichun Town General Soldier Yushan was killed, and the rest was led by Zhang Yintang), Jiujiang Town General Soldier Yin Debu Division, Jiangxi Regiment Lian Jiang Zhongjun, Liu Changyou Division, when they came to Nanchang to rescue one after another, they were raided by Chen Yucheng one after another, and the Qing army came from afar, and the troops were scattered and not subordinate to each other, and they were broken by Chen Yucheng one by one.

The Qing army's reinforcements suffered a lot of losses in the baggage, grain and grass, and when Ronglu's new reinforcements arrived, the Qing troops in all departments moved closer one after another, hoping to get some money and food supplies. After receiving the response of Ronglu's soldiers and horses, the Qing army of all departments gathered at the south gate of Nanchang and the Sili River outside the Xianmen.

After Rong Lu received the Qing troops of each department, he met with the Qing generals of each department in the big tent, and asked about the detailed battle situation, only to learn that after the Qing troops in Jiangxi, Hunan, and Guangdong received the reinforcement orders from the Qing court, they rushed separately. However, the Taiping army of Yang Fuqing and Chen Yucheng who besieged the city reached 100,000, and the most Qing troops who came to help each Qing army were only more than 10,000 people, and the few were 2,000 or 3,000 people, so they did not dare to approach at all.

The Yushan Division, the General Soldier of Yichun Town, the General Soldier of Jiujiang Town, Yin Debu, and the Governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, Shu Xing Abe, began to be bold enough to go to relieve the siege, but they were defeated by Chen Yucheng, and Yushan was killed on the spot. As a result, the Qing troops did not dare to come forward to help, but they did not dare to leave due to the strict order of the imperial court to relieve the siege, so they had to set up a village outside Nanchang City to protect themselves.

Rong Lu looked at the battlefield situation, the Taiping army had the support of the naval army, and the Qing army had more than 60,000 reinforcements, but they did not belong to each other, they were messy, and the ordnance, money and food were insufficient, and the Taiping army Yang Fuqing and Chen Yucheng had 100,000 troops, and the Taiping army set up camps on the periphery, besieged the city and sent reinforcements, and the rescue Qing army did not dare to approach at all.

After seeing this jiashi, Rong Lu and Zeng Guoquan decided to protect themselves after discussion, after all, he only brought more than 1,000 soldiers and horses, which was not enough for people to stuff their teeth, and besides, the Qing generals of each ministry had their own ghosts, and they all hoped that others would come forward to take the lead, why should they risk this limelight? At present, the two have decided on a plan, and Zeng Guoquan also agrees with Rong Lu's decision.

With getting along with Rong Lu for a long time, Zeng Guoquan felt that this Manchurian was still quite talented, and after conquering Hengyang, he didn't know how to open up the trade route from Guangzhou by land. Three months ago, Rong Lu personally went to Guangzhou, made several big deals, sold a batch of Hunan embroidery silk and tea, bought a batch of tobacco, and bought 3,000 foreign guns and more than ten foreign cannons, which opened Zeng Guoquan's eyes.

Xiang Yong and Miao soldiers were short of money and food, Rong Lu relied on trade routes to support most of the army's expenses, and Zeng Guofan relied on the support of his clan and local gentry to solve the remaining expenses, and raised a large amount of money and grain to start building his own water division.

Zeng Guoquan only understood how much benefit there was from defeating Hengyang at this time, so he slowly surrendered to Rong Lu. This time he and Rong Lu led troops to go through the motions, and when he came, Zeng Guofan instructed Zeng Guoquan to listen to Rong Lu's orders in major matters, although Zeng Laojiu was very dissatisfied with Zeng Guofan's instructions to listen to his juniors, but he still did according to Zeng Guofan's words.

On this day, as Shuxing Abe entered the camp of the Qing army, all the Qing troops finally met outside the Jinxian Gate. Yang Fuqing and Chen Yucheng were not idle, and when they learned that the Qing army was meeting outside Jinxianmen, Chen Yucheng's troops led troops to raid several times, but this time the Qing army was well prepared and did not take advantage of anything. Chen Yucheng built three wooden cities outside the Jinxian Gate, dug the earth in the middle for the wall, set up a wooden fence, dug a deep trench, and built a camp in the middle of the wooden city to connect it, blocking the Qing army from opening the road into the Jinxian Gate, Yang Fuqing also built a wooden city and a barracks in the other seven gates of Nanchang, intending to besiege Nanchang for a long time. (To be continued......)