The night was already deep, and after a busy day during the day, Xiao Yungui only felt very tired, but he couldn't sleep at all, so he simply got up and dressed again, and took the West Hall Guards to the main hall of the Tiger Hill Courtyard.

This place was set up as the general camp by the Suzhou Taiping Army, and Zuo Zongtang was busy with a group of books and books in the West Hall and joined the army. From time to time, generals or lieutenant generals from various departments in the west hall came and went, all to apply for supplies or ask for departure. The whole main hall came a group of people one after another, Zuo Zongtang and others always discussed, handled properly, the entire Suzhou periphery of all kinds of affairs are handled here, and even Wuxi and other places will come to ask for some affairs, Zuo Zongtang always carefully read, give instructions, and order his subordinates to transcribe the official documents, every day to summarize these large and small affairs will be reported to Xiao Yungui for reading. When encountering a major matter and Zuo Zongtang can't make an idea, he will personally lead the generals who came to report to the king of the west to make a decision. It is in this way of operation that the entire West Hall maintains the military and political affairs of the rear of the three lines and Wuxi.

Fortunately, there is Zuo Zongtang to share Xiao Yungui's worries, otherwise those small things of sesame rice grains will annoy Xiao Yungui to death, Xiao Yungui plans to adjust the administrative and military affairs system of the West Hall after the end of the Southern Jiangsu Campaign, completely separate the administration and military, and set up a separate logistics main hall and a staff main hall to share the pressure on Zuo Zongtang.

Seeing Xiao Yungui walking into the main hall, the people who were busy in the hall stopped what they were doing and got up to salute the king of the west.

Zuo Zongtang got up and came over and saluted: "King Xi, there is Zuo here, you go back and rest, you haven't closed your eyes for a day and a night." ”

Xiao Yungui smiled slightly, looked at Zuo Zongtang's red eyes and said, "Mr. is actually working harder than this king. Then he asked, "Have you arranged a supper?" Dispatching doctors and Langzhong from all over the country, as well as medicinal materials, money and food, these things cannot be done in a short period of time. If you stay up late for a long time, you still have to eat something to rest and rest. ”

Zuo Zongtang nodded and said: "Zuo understands that the manpower of the West Hall Book and Library is rotated in two batches, and it will not be too tired. King Xi, after counting, the materials that can be transferred from various places have been basically calculated, and the official document has been issued, so that all localities can prepare materials for transportation. There are also some materials to be purchased and transported in various places, and the required silver taels have also begun to be allocated. It is estimated that the first batch of medicinal materials and food will arrive in three days, and it will not delay our entry into Suzhou. ”

Xiao Yungui smiled and said sincerely: "Mr. Zuo, you do something." This king is reassured. It's just that Mr. is brighter than today, and it is good to do everything himself, but don't get tired, like Zhuge Liang, he was not beaten by the enemy but exhausted himself. This king wants to transfer Wang Minyun from Wuxi to help Mr. Bang. The matter over there in Wuxi has been almost dealt with, and Li Shourong should be able to stand alone. ”

Zuo Zongtang shook his head and said: "Li Shourong went to Changzhou, Jintan, Jiangyin and other places to prepare for the grain and grass of the soldiers. I won't be able to come back for a while. Wuxi still wants Wang Minyun to sit in charge of the overall planning. There are many generals in our West Hall who can fight well, but there are fewer Wenchen and capable soldiers. ”

Xiao Yungui nodded and said: "Yes, there are still fewer scholars under this king, and this king is also recruiting talents everywhere, and even wants to invite the king of heaven and the king of the east to open a department." It's a pity that far water can't quench the thirst of the near, but this trip to Shanghai. This king still found a few talented people, such as Li Shanlan, Xu Shou, Hua Hengfang, Wang Libin and others are also people who have learned from China and the West, but this king thought that the war was tight and did not let them come. ”

Zuo Zongtang sighed and said, "Li Shanlan? But Li Qiuxu of the Yuanhu Yin Society? Seeing Xiao Yungui nodded. Zuo Zongtang continued: "It turned out to be him, this person is proficient in the study of mathematics, and he is indeed a talent. It was also a few times to fall into the ranks, and Zuihou simply devoted himself to studying arithmetic at the Shanghai Foreigner Library. Being able to invite him out of the mountain is indeed of great help to our overall planning and counting affairs. ”

Xiao Yungui said with a smile: "It is overkill to let Li Shanlan do the iron abacus, I plan to set up a school and teach more people to learn his skills, then there will be more and more talents in our West Hall in the future, and there is no need to worry about no one available." ”

While the two were talking, suddenly two large camp spies from Hushu Pass and Wenchang Pavilion came to report, saying that there were Qing troops who broke through the camp at night and seemed to want to break through and flee for their lives.

Xiao Yungui and Zuo Zongtang glanced at each other, and both of them exclaimed at the same time: "Zhang Guoliang wants to escape!" ”

The two walked quickly to the map of Suzhou hanging on the hall together, Zuo Zongtang hurriedly said: "During the day, we sent people to shoot a lot of books into the city, thinking that there was a plague in the city, and the Qing army should be unable to fight, and the possibility of surrender was greater, but I didn't expect Zhang Guoliang to break through before the Zuihou time limit." ”

Xiao Yungui touched his nose and smiled: "This guy knows that he has a lot of blood debts on his hands, although our letter of persuasion to surrender is written to surrender and avoid death, but he is afraid that we will settle accounts after the autumn, so he simply broke through overnight, just hoping to escape with his life." ”

Zuo Zongtang looked at the map and muttered: "This guy is also easy to calculate, break through from Hushu Pass in the northwest, he thought that we would guard against the Qing army to break through in the direction of Taihu Lake in the southwest, and there would not be too many troops in the northwest, so he took the risk to break through to the northwest, and wanted to escape to Shanghai along the canal and Suzhou Creek after breaking through." ”

Xiao Yungui shook his head and said, "I'm afraid it's not that simple." ”

Zuo Zongtang sighed, and Xiao Yungui continued: "The Northwest Hushu Pass is an important pass leading to Wuxi for our army, Zhang Guoliang will not be unclear that we will definitely guard our own grain road with heavy troops, this king guesses that this Qing army is just a feint, and the direction of Zhang Guoliang's real breakthrough is still Taihu Lake!" Moreover, it has always been difficult for a lonely city to break through, and it is best to have a few troops and horses to break through in different directions, so that the enemy can not find the direction of the key breakthrough. ”

Zuo Zongtang nodded and said: "It's still the King of the West, although it is a bit risky to go to the southwest Taihu Lake, but as long as Zhang Guoliang can enter the Taihu Lake, the waters over there are wide, and it will be difficult for our army to pursue, Zhang Guoliang's most likely is to break through in the direction of Taihu Lake." ”

Xiao Yungui no longer hesitated, and immediately ordered someone to send an order to Chen Yucheng, who led the patrol team, and asked him to lead his soldiers and horses to rush to the Taiping army camps in the southwest to guard Xukou, Yuexi and other places leading to Taihu Lake in Suzhou to help, so that he must block Zhang Guoliang's men and horses breaking through to the southwest. At the same time, Xiao Yungui ordered dozens of warships to rush from the Wusong River to the surface of Taihu Lake to intercept the Qing army.

Sure enough, an hour later, Chen Yucheng's spies reported that there was a large Qing army in the southwest of Suzhou to break through, and the two armies had already engaged in battle at night, and the Qing army was storming Xukou Town, intending to open a passage to escape to the direction of Taihu Lake.

Xiao Yungui rubbed his hands and smiled: "The big fish has finally taken the bait, and I ordered Ji Wenyuan to take 5,000 men and horses to outflank him from behind, and then ordered the sailor warship to search the lake, and I must catch Zhang Guoliang!" ”

The herald had to go quickly, Xiao Yungui couldn't sit still anymore when he walked around, sat down and drank strong tea, then stood up and said to Zuo Zongtang: "Mr. Zuo, this king still brings people to the battlefield, and this place will be handed over to you, since Zhang Guoliang wants to escape, Xu Naizhao is difficult to support alone, it is possible to open the city and surrender tomorrow, we must prepare to enter the city overnight." There is a plague in the city, it is not advisable to send too many soldiers and horses into the city, it is advisable to enter the city with 3,000 soldiers and horses, and wait for us to find out the severity of the epidemic in the city, and then make the next step, but we must strictly guard the six city gates, and do not let the people in the city come out casually, so as to spread the epidemic disease. ”

Zuo Zongtang knew that he would not be able to sit still once there was a battle against the King of the West, so he smiled slightly and said: "The King of the West can rest assured, Zuo must do a good job here, Zhang Guoliang must hold it, and if he is allowed to escape, I am afraid that those brothers who died in the war will not be able to see what they know." ”

Xiao Yungui nodded, followed out of the hall, and shouted loudly to the guards of the West Hall who lit torches: "Qing Demon Zhang Guoliang Zhang Demon Head is going to run, you go with this king to catch this bastard!" ”

The guards of the West Hall responded loudly, raised torches and cheered, followed Xiao Yungui out of the courtyard, and put horses on the outer camp, Xiao Yungui rushed to Xukou Town with more than 300 horses.

Along the way, accompanied by the moonlight, there are torches of the Taiping army in all the camps on the ground dancing towards Xukou Town like a fire dragon, it seems that after the camps get the general order, they are all divided into men and horses to go out to Xukou Town. As far as the eye could see, several fire dragons were tumbling forward, and the angry shouts of the Taiping generals were heard in their ears from time to time: "Go out of Xukou Town and capture Zhang Demon Head alive!" ”

Xiao Yungui led the West Hall guards to carry the banner of the West King and galloped forward, and all the Taiping army teams that passed by other reinforcements would erupt in the sky-shattering cheers, and they all unconsciously accelerated their pace and ran towards Xukou Town.

Xiao Yungui knew that the Qing army Zhang Guoliang was fighting to the death again, and he must have fought for his life, while the Taiping army wanted to avenge the brothers who died in battle, and vowed not to let go of a Qing army, and the fight on both sides was very fierce.

Because it was dark night, and after a heavy rain, both sides lost a lot of gunpowder and firearms, and in the sound of fighting, the sound of guns and cannons was not very much, but several artillery pieces of the Taiping army in Xukou Town still made their sounds, and these artillery shells were firing shells towards the densest place of the Qing army's torches.

After galloping on a high ground, Xiao Yungui opened the monoculars to see, the torches of the Qing army began to loosen, after a few rounds of artillery, the Qing army attacking the camp of Xukou Town began to retreat, and the Taiping army generals took advantage of the situation to turn over the wooden fence of the camp to pursue the Qing army, the Qing army's formation was already chaotic, Xiao Yungui had seen the place where the torches of the Qing army were the densest, and Zhang Guoliang's handsome flag was erected there.

Xiao Yungui put away the binoculars, pulled out his long knife and pointed at Zhang Guoliang's handsome banner and shouted: "Sons and daughters of the West Palace, rush down with this king and capture Zhang Demon Head alive!" The shouting of the earth-shaking steps remembered, more than 300 Taiping cavalry with torches in one hand and a thick-backed broadsword in the other hand rushed towards the rear of the Qing army, and they were followed by a steady stream of Taiping soldiers and horses who rushed to help, and soon the fire dragon of the Taiping army and the fire dragon of the Qing army collided together, and thousands of people fought selflessly under the moonlight. (To be continued......)