Usurping the Qing Dynasty: My first love was Cixi

Chapter 252 Zeng Guofan was defeated! The Heavenly Kingdom surrendered to Su Ye!

The Imperial Palace in the capital.

Yehenara has been pregnant for more than four months, and her pregnancy will gradually show.

By then, she will not be able to appear in the court anyway.

During this period, her medical treatment and care were completely dependent on Su Ye's female military doctors, who hid in the palace as palace maids.

According to convention, almost every once in a while, the two empress dowagers needed to ask the imperial physician to take their pulse.

Empress Dowager Cixi continued as usual, but Yehenara's side had stopped for a long time.

Of course, the pulse diagnosis records of the Imperial Hospital were still normal.

The imperial physician was bribed, or threatened.

However, although he didn't say anything, he could probably guess what might have happened.

There was really a feeling that the fire could not be covered by paper.

The news from the south was getting worse and worse.

Although Zeng Guofan's attack on the pseudo-Tianjing City was difficult, he also made great breakthroughs. It was only a matter of time before he took over Tianjing City.

What was even worse was the news from Henan.

Although Sushun and Duanhua had the intention to conceal the truth, the news of recruiting the traitorous fake Zun Wang Ma Ronghe and the rebel leader Miao Peilin was still heard little by little.

Finally, a secret report came, which broke people's defense.

The fake Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan may have committed suicide.

That night, Duanhua, Sushun, Zaiyuan and others celebrated and couldn't help drinking until midnight.

And Yehenara couldn't bear it anymore and directly summoned Ronglu to Beijing.

The two had a secret talk, even excluding Zhu Sanniang.

"Ronglu, are you still loyal to me?"

Ronglu kowtowed and said, "I will always be loyal to the Empress Dowager."

Yehenara said, "How is your third division of more than 10,000 people training in Tianjin Military Station?"

During this period, Ronglu's third division and the garrison division of the capital were all trained in Tianjin Military Station.

Especially Ronglu's third division, which was previously based on the Tianjin New Army, suffered the most severe training in Tianjin Military Station this time.

The intensity of the training even exceeded that of the previous Fourth and Fifth Divisions.

Ronglu said: "I personally supervised the training. The training was very fierce, and the number of casualties was nearly 10%."

Yehenara said: "Did they die in the training?"

Ronglu said: "Some did die, but most of them were injured or could not withstand such harsh training and were dismissed."

Yehenara said: "Okay, the more intense the training, the better. It would be best if the combat effectiveness could reach the level of Su Ye's main division."

Then, Yehenara said: "Can Jingshou be won over?"

Ronglu said: "It's difficult."

Yehenara said: "If, I mean if, this They won one round. If you lead your army back to Beijing and launch a mutiny, can you win? "

Ronglu said: "My third division, plus Zhang Guoliang's garrison division, has a total of 26,000 people, which is our total strength."

Yehena said: "I can't command Zhang Guoliang's garrison division, he obeys Su Ye, so we can only assume that once a mutiny occurs, only your third division has absolute control to start a war."

Ronglu said: "And our enemies are the monk king department, Shengbao department, and possibly Jingshou department."

According to Yehenara's plan.

If Su Ye loses this round, Sushun and Duanhua will conduct a liquidation counterattack and the Eight Banners will be restored. Yehenara was unwilling to lose power and took the initiative to launch a mutiny.

Jingshou, the son-in-law, seemed neutral on the surface, but actually favored the Eight Banners.

Yehenara said, "Can we win?"

Ronglu said, "If we rely on my Third Division, we can't win. If we add Zhang Guoliang's garrison division, we have about a 30% to 40% chance of winning."

Yehenara frowned and said after a long while, "If we lose this round, what do you think we should do?"

Ronglu thought for a while and said, "I think the Empress Dowager should go south to Jiujiang."

"Of course, I am completely loyal to the Empress Dowager. As long as you give an order, I will immediately lead the army into Beijing. As long as you give an order, regardless of winning or losing, I will immediately launch a mutiny."

"But standing on the Empress Dowager's side, From your mother's perspective, if you lose this round, I think you should go to Jiujiang. "

"And I will lead the army to stay in the capital. When Prime Minister Su leads his army to the north and enters the capital in the future, he and I will work together to help the Queen Mother regain power. "

Yehenala said: "When that time comes, I'm afraid that this power will not belong to me."

Suddenly, Ronglu was silent, and then he added: "And I believe that Prime Minister Su may not lose this round."

Then, Yehenala closed her eyes and said: "I will think about it again, think about it again."

At this time, her inner emotions were complicated.

She ordered Su Ye to lead the army back to the capital, but Su Ye disobeyed the order.

As for Ronglu, he completely obeyed any of her will, even if he was asked to go through fire and water, he would not hesitate.

…………………………

Zhongcui Palace.

Duanhua, Sushun, Zaiyuan, Zailing and others were overjoyed.

"Congratulations, Queen Mother."

"Hong Xiuquan is dead, and Zeng Guofan will soon take down the rebellious pseudo-Tianjing City. Ma Ronghe and Miao Peilin have surrendered, and the monk king He Shengbao has recovered the lost territory in Henan, and the rebellion will be wiped out in the near future."

"Both the north and the south must win a great victory."

"So now we have to prevent the other side from jumping off the wall. The urgent report from Tianjin is that Ronglu has left the Tianjin military station." Duanhua said.

Empress Dowager Ci'an said: "She recognized this game personally, and Su Yi also recognized it."

Duan Hua said: "We must be prepared just in case. We must take precautions."

Empress Dowager Ci'an said: "Just...can't you be more decent? Su Yi did it very decently."

Duanhua is helpless, you, the little Queen Mother, are so easy to coax.

When Su Yi massacred the Eight Banners soldiers, where was his dignity?

But now he has deceived you by acting like a gentleman.

Duan Hua said: "Of course we have to be dignified, so now we have to plan for the future situation. After King Monk and Sheng Bao calm down the chaos in Henan, they will immediately lead their troops back to Beijing. If Su Yi doesn't resign by then, the Queen Mother will go down. "

Empress Dowager Ci'an said: "Is there an order to remove him?"

Duan Hua said: "Of course."

Sushun said: "Remove him from the positions of Minister of War, Prime Minister, and Minister of Political Affairs, and retain a Minister of Westernization. Let him stay in Jiujiang and specialize in Westernization."

Duan Hua said: "Didn't he keep saying that warlords should not be allowed and that all armies must be handed over to the Ministry of War? Therefore, the military power in his hands must also be handed over. At least the Queen Mother should issue such a decree."

Zaiyuan said: "The most important thing is how to deal with the one in the west."

Sushun said: "Empress Dowager, does the late Emperor give you a secret edict about the Empress Dowager in the west?"

"No." Empress Dowager Ci'an said decisively: "The Ai family has told her not to hurt her."

Duanhua said: "I have an idea, that is, the late emperor asked the queen mother in the west to go to Tantuo Temple to become a monk."

Tantuo Temple is the temple that has the closest relationship with the royal family.

Sushun said: "Su Yi massacred the Eight Banners soldiers, and the late Emperor was uneasy underground, so I asked the Queen Mother of the West to become a monk and pray for blessings."

Of course, this is actually a bit unlucky. After all, Wu Zetian was once punished to become a monk.

But the empress dowager in front of her was soft-hearted and couldn't bear to kill anyone, so she had no choice but to let the empress dowager of the west become a monk first.

Empress Dowager Ci'an said: "Aijia, think about it again."

……………………

The situation in Henan looks increasingly clear.

After Ma Ronghe and Miao Peilin negotiated the terms of surrender, they quickly showed great sincerity.

The performance is that the armies of King Monk and Shengbao are as powerful as a broken bamboo.

Previously, the entire Henan Province had lost two and a half prefectures, one state, and more than a dozen cities.

Since the agreement was reached, the armies of the two families almost collapsed at the first touch, and many cities were recaptured with almost no casualties.

Monk King and Shengbao kept sending good news to the capital.

Two victories in one day, three victories in one day.

In just a few days, Xuzhou was completely recovered.

A few days later, almost the entire Runing Mansion was recovered.

The entire Henan Province lost a lot of land, and only Kaifeng Prefecture was left.

Of course, this is also the most important, the provincial capital Kaifeng.

Duanhua's son-in-law Chongqi, as an envoy, once again negotiated with Miao Peilin and Ma Ronghe, hoping that they could contribute to the annihilation of Zhang Zongyu's tribe.

Miao Peilin sneered: "Why, do you mean you can't trust us?"

Chongqi said: "Nothing, nothing."

Miao Peilin said: "Master Ma, you just can't believe us. King Monk and Master Shengbao have an army of 70,000, and Zhang Zongyu only has 40,000 or 50,000 at best. Can't you still defeat him?"

Ma Ronghe said: "This is forcing us, Zhang Zongyu, to start a war, and completely fall out of favor, right?"

Chongqi said: "That's really not the case. Although King Monk and Master Sheng have many armies, they still have to occupy so much lost land. There are really not many troops that can be used to attack the city."

Banditry in Henan is too serious, especially in the state capitals that have been occupied by rebels. It is really impossible not to send troops to garrison them.

If you dare to withdraw your troops, any group of bandits over there will dare to rush into the city and plunder, and they will dare to occupy the county seat.

In this short period of time, more than a dozen counties were recovered, and almost all of Shengbao's troops were dispatched.

"Okay!" Miao Peilin said: "We agreed. My army will immediately set off to the vicinity of Kaifeng. We will attack Kaifeng City with you and destroy Zhang Zongyu together."

Ma Ronghe said: "Then I agree."

Chongqi said: "Thank you two adults. This is the future Kaifeng siege map. Do you have any opinions on the location of the two adults' deployment of troops and horses?"

After Miao Peilin took it, he sneered: "People have to bow their heads under the eaves. We are willing to obey the arrangements of the Monk King and Lord Shengbao."

……………………

Next, Miao Peilin's 40,000 to 50,000 troops marched to the east of Kaifeng City, and Ma Ronghe's tens of thousands of troops marched to the west of Kaifeng City.

According to Shengbao's order, Miao Peilin and Ma Ronghe wanted to defraud Kaifeng City.

In the name of helping Zhang Zongyu defend the city, the two wanted to send 20,000 troops each into Kaifeng.

However, Zhang Zongyu refused very politely.

Miao Peilin immediately yelled, "Zhang Zongyu, what do you mean?" You junior, you are still unwilling to let us help you defend the city?

Zhang Zongyu said, the two uncles had many soldiers and generals, and they had previously occupied Runing Mansion and a large area of ​​Xuzhou. Why did they fall one after another in just two months?

Although it was not stated explicitly, it was hinted that the two might surrender.

Miao Peilin and Ma Ronghe were furious.

Zhang Zongyu is indeed considered a junior. When Lai Wenguang and Chen Decai were here, they were able to control Zhang Zongyu.

After all, the Nian Army was also nominally loyal to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, especially following Chen Yucheng's orders.

Now that Lai Wenguang and Chen Decai have led their troops south to support Tianjing, no one of the three groups of rebels in Henan will submit to the other.

After the failure of the deception, Ma Ronghe and Miao Peilin were unwilling to take the initiative to start a war, so they sent people to Senggelinqin and Shengbao to invite them to send troops to attack Kaifeng.

After receiving the secret messages from the two, Shengbao cursed.

The thief army is a thief army. They only want to keep their own army and are not willing to take advantage of the fire.

Next, Senggelinqin and Shengbao faced a choice.

Should we send troops to attack Kaifeng?

With the current situation, it was impossible for Ma Ronghe and Miao Peilin to use all their strength to attack Fengcheng.

Shengbao, on the other hand, firmly believed that he should lead his army to join forces with Ma Ronghe and Miao Peilin to attack the closed city.

Because they had a lot of correspondence with Zeng Guofan in the south, they knew that Su Yi was ready to make a move on the Tianjing battlefield.

Capture Kaifeng City as soon as possible and win this game as soon as possible.

Seng Gelinqin held final discussions with Du Xing'a and Fu Qi.

"What if it's a trap?" Du Xingadao said, "Ma Ronghe and Miao Peilin, what if it's a fake surrender?"

"There are hundreds of thousands of troops in the Kaifeng city area now. Once our army goes to attack Kaifeng, it is likely to be surrounded by these hundreds of thousands of troops."

This doubt has always been there.

Historically, Seng Gelinqin was seduced by the Nian army, went deep alone, fell into a tight siege, and died tragically.

Seng Gelinqin said: "What do you think is the probability that Ma Ronghe and Miao Peilin will fake surrender?"

Du Xing'a was silent for a while and said: "It's quite small."

"Ma Ronghe has long wanted to surrender. And Miao Peilin has surrendered a long time ago. He only wants to save his army, only thinks about glory and wealth, and there is no way he can follow the path of rebellion and banditry. to black.”

"After the defeat in Hangzhou, it is normal to rebel against the general trend. It is normal for the birds and beasts under his command to disperse."

Seng Gelinqin said: "Then do you think it is likely that Ma Ronghe and Miao Peilin will surrender to Su Yi?"

Du Xingadao said: "It's impossible for Miao Peilin. He only wants to keep his army and become a warlord. But Su Yi only wants to disarm and surrender. Su Yi can't keep the army at all."

Seng Gelinqin said: "I think so too."

"Anyway, there is still time, so I will make a weigh-in."

Du Xingadao: "There is indeed still time. Zeng Guofan has the absolute initiative on the battlefield of Puppet Tianjing in the south."

……………………

Tianjing battlefield.

On this day, the war continued.

Still extremely tragic.

However, it can be felt that Li Shixian, Li Xiucheng, Huang Wenjin, and Tan Shaoguang are very tenacious.

Even more fierce than yesterday.

Chen Yucheng's department is responsible for the entire battlefield in the eastern protrusion of Tianjing City, and the resistance is much weaker.

On Su Yi's side, the troops continued to set off from Danyang and Changzhou.

Zhao Liewen said: "Commander, Li Xiucheng, Li Shixian and other departments behaved too abnormally today. Maybe they and Su Yi will make big moves in the next few days."

"Commander, can you send someone to stop Su Yi from advancing?"

Zeng Guofan shook his head.

How is this possible? Su Yi is the Minister of War and the Minister of Political Affairs.

He wants to send troops, who can stop him?

The day's fierce fighting was over and the sun was setting.

Li Xubin's troops, the 50,000-strong army south of Luo Ze, have completed their assembly, with a red cloth on their left arm.

Waiting for the agreed arrival at 9:30 pm.

Inside the barracks, the two people sat quietly.

Smoking one cigarette after another.

The hearts of the two people were full of uneasiness.

Of course, this is not because of awareness. It's a normal reaction before encountering something big.

All along, the battle between the Hunan Army and the Taiping Army had no mysterious and mysterious strategies.

The Hunan Army is just fortified and unable to fight.

As for the Taiping Army, the most common tactic was to feign defeat, pretending to abandon their helmets and armor, scattering gold, silver and jewelry all over the floor while escaping. The Hunan Army kept chasing behind them, and then they went deep alone and were surrounded and annihilated. .

It’s really tried and true and works every time.

The simpler the strategy, the easier it is to succeed.

Ordinarily, this time, the Hunan Army should, as it did in history, form a stronghold and fight in vain.

However, Lai Wenguang and Chen Decai's tens of thousands of troops were about to come from the north.

The most important thing is that Su Yi's army is watching eagerly from the side.

There is not much time left for the Hunan Army.

Li Xubin couldn't help but said: "Teacher, you said that Chen Yucheng's surrender was a trap?"

Luo Zenan said: "Is it better for Chen Yucheng to surrender to us or to Su Yi?"

Li Xubin said: "Yes, the hatred between Chen Yucheng, Shi Dakai and Su Yi is as deep as the sea."

Luo Zenan said: "It's not that the hatred is as deep as the sea. The main reason is that Chen Yucheng is young, energetic and arrogant. At several critical moments, he offended Su Yi too hard."

"A few years ago, Su Yi led his army northward. Chen Yucheng and Shi Dakai broke their contract and went to attack Danyang, Wuxi and Changzhou, which made Su Yi furious."

"Not long ago, Su Yi's army was in a critical period. The foreigners confronted Su Yi's fleet at the mouth of the Yangtze River. The Russians entered Heilongjiang. Su Yi was in danger at the center. Chen Yucheng and Shi Dakai broke the contract and captured the entire Jiangsu Province. South."

"Even so, Su Yi still planned to tolerate him and persuade him not to attack Zhejiang, because it was Su Yi's core territory. However, Shi Dakai and Chen Yucheng ignored it and entered Zhejiang, completely offending Su Yi to the end. There was no way back. ”

"Shi Dakai, the hypocrite, must have wanted to surrender after being captured. If Su Ye was willing to give him a little step, Shi Dakai would have surrendered, but he died in the end."

"Chen Yucheng is a man with a fiery temper. He and Su Ye are completely incompatible."

Li Xubin nodded and said, "Yes, Su Ye can't even tolerate Shi Dakai, let alone Chen Yucheng."

The two people seemed to cheer each other up.

Faced with this situation, everyone is worried whether this is a trap.

But so what? Are you worried that it is a trap and you won't enter?

The Taiping Army's previous clumsy feigned defeat tactics worked, let alone this time?

It was getting closer and closer to half past nine.

The two stopped smoking.

In the last few minutes, they almost looked at their pocket watches.

Five minutes left.

"I'll go get some water."

"I'll go too."

Tonight, the two smoked one cigarette after another, and their mouths were already full of bubbles. In order to quench their anger, they drank one cup of tea after another.

Let the water flow freely.

It was half past nine, the time was up.

However, Chaoyang Gate on the east side of Tianjing City was still not open.

Li Xubin and Luo Zenan looked at each other, what was going on?

Could it be that Chen Yucheng had repeated his behavior again?

Every minute and every second that followed was extremely anxious.

I don’t know what happened over there.

But five minutes later, Chaoyang Gate slowly opened.

At this time, Li Xubin and Luo Zenan could understand that these five minutes were probably the last struggle of Chen Yucheng’s heart.

He was such a proud person that he didn’t want to surrender, but he finally made a choice.

Next, it was their turn to make a choice.

Should we send troops in?

However, Zeng Guofan’s order had already been issued, and they could not make a choice.

“Enter the city!”

With an order.

The first army, taking advantage of the night, entered Chaoyang Gate, with only 3,000 people.

After entering, it was calm.

Nothing was found.

There was silence inside Chaoyang Gate.

This is the ruins of the Ming Palace, which is more like a urn city, a typical salient.

Then, the second army entered.

Still nothing.

The first two armies to enter the city immediately occupied various key positions.

But when the third army entered the city, it seemed to alarm the army in other parts of Tianjing City, and it might not be Chen Yucheng's army, because there was some commotion inside Donghua Gate.

"My lords, we are about to be discovered. There is some commotion in the rebel army in Tianjing City inside Donghua Gate."

Suddenly, Li Xubin and Luo Zenan shouted loudly: "All troops enter the city."

With his order, the remaining tens of thousands of troops poured into Chaoyang Gate like a tide.

Not long after, the 50,000 troops of the two had entered.

"No, the Qing monsters have entered the city, the Qing monsters have entered the city."

There were bursts of shouts inside Donghua Gate.

Luo Zenan and Li Xubin were even more overjoyed after hearing this. You only found out now, isn't it too late?

Fifty thousand people were crowded in the narrow Donghua Gate.

The entire Ming Palace site here has become a huge military position.

There are gullies and bunkers everywhere.

Under normal circumstances, even if Donghua Gate is breached, positional warfare must be fought inside, and it is unknown how many casualties there will be.

Chen Yucheng really surrendered and gave up all the intact positions inside.

And inside Donghua Gate, countless Taiping troops began to be alarmed and were about to kill directly.

Luo Zenan and Li Xubin ordered to quickly occupy various military positions and trenches and prepare for battle.

Suddenly, tens of thousands of troops under his command entered the positions dug out by the Taiping Army at the fastest speed.

Then...

The restlessness inside Donghua Gate seemed to stop.

The Taiping Army, which was about to surge out like a tide, stopped its movements for a while.

Then.

A ball of fire appeared on the wall of Donghua Gate.

Looking through a telescope, Chen Yucheng was standing on the top of the city with a red cloth tied on his right arm.

Li Xubin and Luo Zenan were stunned. What are you doing?

Aren't you supposed to hide in the dark?

Suddenly, Chen Yucheng bowed deeply in the direction of the two.

Then, he directly tore off the red cloth on his right arm.

Countless soldiers around him also tore off the red cloth on their right arms.

Li Xubin and Luo Zenan began to tremble.

What happened? What happened?

Even so, we have completely occupied your position.

What smell? What smell?

What sound?

Is it the smell of the fuse?

Buried gunpowder? !

Impossible, impossible.

Gunpowder is extremely unstable. After we entered the position, we roasted it with fire. And we found dozens of dogs to sniff it. The smell of gunpowder is easy to smell, even through a layer of soil.

Hundreds of points were found and roasted with flames.

But, the next second.

"Boom boom boom..."

Earth-shattering explosion.

Detonated in series.

What exploded was not black gunpowder, but TNT.

This kind of explosive far exceeded the knowledge of all the Hunan Army.

Its power was five times that of black gunpowder.

"Boom boom boom..."

The extremely fierce explosions continued.

The whole city of Tianjing was deafening and the earth was shaking.

Just watching, countless Hunan troops were blown away and shattered.

Without the order of Luo Zenan and Li Xubin, the remaining Hunan troops fled desperately, trying desperately to rush out of the positions and trenches.

But it was too late.

This was a horrific massacre.

Luo Zenan and Li Xubin ran out desperately.

Why? Why?

Chen Yucheng, why did you do this?

"Boom boom boom..."

A horrible explosion behind them directly blew Li Xubin and Luo Zenan's bodies away.

……………………

At the same time, on Zijin Mountain.

Zeng Guofan held a telescope and looked at everything inside Chaoyang Gate.

When the earth-shaking explosion sounded, his whole body trembled violently.

His whole body was cold and full of despair.

He fell into a trap, he fell into a trap!

Then, he fell into numbness.

"Impossible, impossible..."

"We have sent people to investigate in advance, and brought dozens of dogs in. If there is gunpowder, they would have smelled it long ago, they would have smelled it long ago..."

The smell of gunpowder is very pungent, because it contains sulfur, and it can be smelled even if it is buried in the soil.

I don't know how long it took.

The world became quiet, and the violent explosions stopped.

Then, there were bursts of fighting.

The Taiping Army in Donghua Gate rushed out, and Chen Yucheng personally led his army to rush out.

The remaining Hunan Army who did not die faced countless Taiping Army encirclement and suppression.

Zhao Liewen trembled and said, "Marshal, do you want to send troops to rescue?"

Rescue? How to rescue?

Even so, Zeng Guoquan and Bao Chao still led the army to the outside of Chaoyang Gate to meet the Hunan Army that escaped.

However, the shocking explosion caused countless ruins to directly block Chaoyang Gate.

Even if the Hunan Army inside wanted to escape, they couldn't get out.

The only way was to jump directly down from the city wall.

Zeng Guofan was motionless, watching everything that happened inside.

After a long while, he suddenly turned around and looked at Zhao Liewen, and said in a hoarse voice: "What's going on? What's going on?"

Zhao Liewen knelt down and said: "Marshal, I don't know, I don't know."

"But when I talked to Chen Yucheng, he... he really didn't have any flaws."

Zeng Guofan stared at Zhao Liewen.

But it was Zeng Guofan who personally persuaded Chen Yucheng to surrender.

In this way, the sound of fighting continued until midnight, and then it became quiet.

The 50,000 Hunan troops that entered Chaoyang Gate were almost completely wiped out, and it was extremely tragic.

……………………

The next day!

The morale of both sides reversed.

The morale of the Taiping Army was high, while the morale of the Hunan Army was withered.

Last night, more than 40,000 main forces were directly buried.

Moreover, this was the most elite part of the Hunan Army.

Luo Zenan is dead!

Li Xubin was lucky and was rescued at the risk of his life, but he also broke two legs.

Then!

Two days later, another piece of bad news came.

The rebel false king Lai Wenguang and Chen Decai led their army southward and formally broke through Huai'an, the seat of the Governor's Office of the Canal Transport.

They seized all the remaining ships of the Canal Transport Office.

A few days later, Lai Wenguang and Chen Decai's troops came from the direction of Yangzhou, bypassed Yangzhou, captured Guazhou, captured Pukou, and captured Jiangpu.

So far!

The forces of both sides have reversed.

The Hunan Army and the Green Camp together have about 150,000 to 160,000.

The Taiping Army, together with Lai Wenguang and Chen Decai's troops, has 160,000 to 170,000 troops.

So, Zeng Guofan faced a difficult choice.

Should we continue to fight?

Or withdraw?

Lai Wenguang and Chen Decai's troops did not come early or late.

Five days after Chen Yucheng pretended to surrender and caused heavy losses to the Hunan Army, they arrived at the Jiangbei battlefield.

Can they still take it down?

Logically, even if he couldn't take it down, he should continue to besiege Tianjing City and let Senggelinqin and Shengbao win.

As long as he didn't withdraw his troops, Senggelinqin and Shengbao would first recover the lost territory in Henan, and Su Ye would also lose the battle of the Central Region.

But...

The Taiping Army seemed unwilling to give them this opportunity.

Next, the Taiping Army began a crazy counterattack, killing people without regard for their lives.

And Lai Wenguang and Chen Decai also continued to kill southward from the north of the Yangtze River.

Both sides fought a war of attrition desperately, as if they didn't care about casualties at all.

"Marshal, we can't fight like this." Li Xuyi said: "If we fight like this, our Hunan Army will be finished."

Zeng Guofan said: "Drag the situation and wait for Senggelinqin and Shengbao to win in Henan."

Li Xuyi said: "Marshal, if we continue to fight, we are helping Su Ye."

Zeng Guofan was stunned.

Peng Yulin said: "Yes, Disheng, if we continue to fight like this, we are indeed helping Su Ye."

"In the past few years, Su Ye has continuously won over the hearts of the rebel leaders. But he can't recover all the rebel soldiers."

"Now Li Xiucheng and Li Shixian are fighting us with their troops. This will not only consume our troops, but also the rebels' troops."

"The army is our lifeblood. Without the army, we have nothing."

"But the fewer the rebels' troops, the more beneficial it will be for Su Ye in the future. Otherwise, Su Ye will not be able to accommodate the remaining hundreds of thousands of troops."

"Now our military strength is equal, and the rebel leaders want to surrender to Su Ye, so they will not despair, so they will fight with us to the end."

"Our army can't be finished here."

"And the most important thing is that there are many people in the rebel leadership who want to surrender to Su Yi, but there are also many people who are unwilling to surrender to Su Yi. If now Li Xiucheng, Lin Qirong and others send out the troops who are unwilling to surrender to Su Yi and When we fight, aren't we helping Su Yi eliminate hidden dangers? "

Zeng Guofan entered the study without saying a word.

He stayed alone in the study for a long time.

Everything that happened before seemed to be controlled by a pair of big hands.

Not willing to give in, really not willing to give in.

How much price did he pay to capture the pseudo-Tianjing City?

Tens of thousands of troops.

Countless amounts of food, ammunition, gold and silver.

Do you want to give up now?

But if we don’t give up, will we spend all our troops here?

Isn't the reason why I made a desperate move to attack Tianjing City largely because of Chen Yucheng's surrender?

As a result, this is poisonous bait.

Not only did he not surrender, but he lost 50,000 elite members of his direct lineage.

Stop it!

They are right, if you keep the army, you will keep everything.

If not all the troops are exhausted here, what if Sushun and Duanhua win?

Without the army, there is nothing.

A few hours later, Zeng Guofan came out of the study and said slowly: "How about withdrawing the troops?"

Because the Hunan Army does not belong to him alone, he needs several giants to discuss it.

But the remaining giants seemed to be waiting for his words.

"Withdraw the troops, withdraw the troops!"

……………………

After the next day.

The Hunan Army began to contact Tianjing senior officials.

Peaceful withdrawal.

The senior officials within Tianjing agreed.

Then, most of the Hunan army began to retreat.

Part of them was evacuated to Yangzhou.

Part of them retreated directly to Hubei by boat.

The hundreds of thousands of troops withdrew for several days before they retreated completely.

After all retreats are completed.

Lai Wenguang and Chen Decai led their troops into Tianjing City.

Then, the armies of Su Yi, Wang Youling, Ma Xinyi, Yuan Jiasan, and Xu Youren began to approach Tianjing City.

Including the navy, there are about 70,000 troops.

Surrounded Tianjing again.

However, this time the siege was very loose, and the distance between the two sides exceeded one kilometer.

Seems very calm.

He waited until all Zeng Guofan's Hunan troops had retreated and Lai Wenguang and Chen Decai's troops entered Tianjing City before he advanced.

The Taiping Army was even allowed to reoccupy the outer fortresses, especially the Tianbao City in Purple Mountain.

Because the Hunan Army handed over directly to the Taiping Army, not Su Yi.

……………………

In Tianjing City!

There was almost a heated argument.

Indeed, as Zeng Guofan and others expected, some people wanted to surrender to Su Yi, but others were unwilling.

Four to six.

Forty percent of the top management are willing to surrender.

Sixty people were unwilling to surrender.

These 60% of the top officials of the Heavenly Kingdom want to support Hong Xiuquan's son, Hong Tianguifu, to become the new Heavenly King and continue the great cause of the Heavenly Kingdom.

Especially Lai Wenguang and Chen Decai.

This time they traveled thousands of miles south to rescue Tianjing, which was a great contribution. Moreover, they had more than 60,000 troops in their hands, so they had a great say.

"Now we have hundreds of thousands of troops in our hands, and we have the outer fortresses in hand. Su Yi only has 60,000 to 70,000 troops, so we may not be unable to win."

"Besides, Su Yi and the top officials of the Qing court are now breaking up, and a civil war is likely to break out."

"So on the surface, our great cause of the Kingdom of Heaven seems to be at an end, but it may be the best time."

"We just need to hold on to Tianjing and wait for the civil war and division among the top leaders of Qingyao."

Then, Lai Wenguang said: "Prince Zhong, Prince Qin, I know you all want to vote for Su Yi."

"That's very simple. Just start internal strife and kill us all. Then you can surrender to Su Yi."

At this time, Lin Qirong almost wanted to say, everyone will vote by a show of hands.

However, Li Xiucheng held him down directly.

At this time, Lin Qirong, Zeng Tianyang, Li Xiucheng, Li Shixian and others were determined to surrender to Su Yi.

Lai Wenguang, Chen Decai, Lin Shaozhang, Huang Wenjin, Tan Shaoguang and others wanted to establish Hong Tianguifu as the new heavenly king and continue the great cause of the heavenly kingdom.

As for Hong Renfa, Hong Renda and others, even though they were kept in captivity by Su Yi for a long time, they didn't know how much money they made.

However, deep down in their hearts, they want to continue to maintain the great cause of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Because they know that once they surrender, with their talents, they will be able to maintain their high position.

Lin Qirong was excited and wanted to make a passionate speech.

Li Shixian also wanted to rush out and persuade everyone to surrender to Su Yi.

There seems to be a fire in their hearts, and they know in their hearts that this is the right path.

However, Li Xiucheng reached out and grabbed the two of them and stopped them.

Then, he looked at Chen Yucheng and said, "King Ying, what do you think?"

Chen Yucheng said: "I am consistent with King Zhong."

Li Xiucheng said: "Obey the king and support the king. The king left suddenly, so he didn't leave any will in the end."

Lai Wenguang said: "Yes, people like us have no right to decide anything. We can only obey the new king."

"Invite the crown prince to ascend the throne."

"Invite the crown prince to ascend the throne."

Lai Wenguang and most of the people shouted in unison.

Li Xiucheng said: "Okay, we agree to invite the prince to ascend the throne."

Lin Qirong, Zeng Tianyang and others looked at Li Xiucheng for a long time, and then also bowed down.

…………………………………………

Hong Xiuquan’s eldest son, Hong Tianguifu.

In history, he was one of the most miserable people.

After ascending the throne, he had hardly a good day, and was finally executed by the Qing court.

He was only a fourteen-year-old child.

The next day, in a grand ceremony.

The kings of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom supported Hong Tianguifu as the new Heavenly King.

On the high platform, he held the jade seal.

On it, the word "Allah" was engraved.

He was full of anxiety and fear, and his eyes searched for the familiar figure in the crowd.

The most important relative in his heart, his aunt.

But after searching for a long time, he couldn't find it.

"Heavenly King, Heavenly King..." The person next to him whispered.

Then, Hong Tianguifu raised the jade seal in his hand high.

Suddenly, countless officials of the Heavenly Kingdom knelt down and kowtowed in an orderly manner, shouting long live the Heavenly King.

"Long live the Heavenly King, long live the Heavenly King, long live the Heavenly King!"

The sound of long live the Heavenly King resounded throughout Tianjing.

Even Su Ye outside could hear it vaguely.

Shen Baoer next to him leaned gently in his arms and said, "This way, the child will be in danger in the future."

Yes.

Those who have ascended the throne have a bad end.

They will become a thorn in the eyes of the Qing court.

As the saying goes, there is no two suns in the sky, and there is no two masters for the people.

Then, Shen Baoer said, "But my husband is different from everyone else. Others can't tolerate it, but my husband can."

Su Ye said, "He is just a teenager."

Shen Baoer said, "My husband also gave him a lot of candy and picture albums."

……………………………………

The next day!

After ascending the throne, the new king held his first court meeting in the Heavenly King's Palace.

All the high-level officials of the Heavenly Kingdom were present.

Because they had to discuss major events.

What should the Heavenly Kingdom do in the future?

Is it a breakout or a war?

Where should the Heavenly Kingdom develop in the future?

To the southeast, or to the northwest, Lai Wenguang thinks it should go to the northwest.

Hong Tianguifu sat on the throne and looked into the crowd again, looking for the familiar figure of his aunt.

This time, he found it, and Hong Renli nodded gently to him.

Then, Hong Tianguifu looked at Li Xiucheng, the King of Loyalty.

Li Xiucheng also nodded gently to him.

Finally, Hong Tianguifu looked at his mother Lai Lianying, who also nodded gently and firmly to him.

These people were the ones he trusted most at a young age, and they seemed to give Hong Tianguifu a powerful force.

At this time, Lai Wenguang was about to make a memorial.

However, Hong Tianguifu stood up and said slowly: "Since you obey me as the Heavenly King, do you obey all my orders?"

Lai Wenguang was stunned and said: "Of course."

Chen Decai said: "Yes, we obey all the orders of the Heavenly King."

Li Xiucheng, Chen Yucheng, Lin Qirong and all the others bowed down and said: "We obey the orders of the Heavenly King."

Hong Tianguifu said: "Well, my only order is to ask all the soldiers to lay down their weapons and formally surrender to Lord Su Ye!"

……………………………………

Note: In the last few days, please help me with the monthly ticket list, and I will thank you!