Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 367 Taiping Surrender

On July 1881, 7, Ma Ronghe, the governor of the Left Green Camp in Fujian, obtained permission from Li Henian, the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang, to set up recruitment points in Changle County, Minhou County, Houguan County and other places in Fuzhou to recruit new soldiers.

"The Left Green Camp is recruiting new soldiers. Anyone who is over 16 years old and in good health can apply for enlistment! Everyone, open your eyes and watch carefully!
Recruit 600 infantrymen, the monthly salary for the infantry leader is 4 taels and 5 coins, and the monthly salary for the regular soldiers is 3 taels and 5 coins.
100 artillerymen were recruited, with the monthly salary of 5 taels for the artillery leader and 4 taels and cents for the regular soldiers.

Recruiting 300 engineering and logistics soldiers, each regular soldier will receive 3 taels and 1 qian per month! …………”

A group of twenty or thirty Green Camp infantrymen looked at the gong and shouted, "Join the army to serve the court. If you make contributions in the future, the court and the admiral will definitely reward you. Everyone, hurry up and sign up for the army. You will regret it if you miss the opportunity."

"Sir, when Marshal Zuo recruited soldiers a few years ago, he set the salary at 4 taels and 3 cents of silver per regular soldier per month. Recently, the prices of rice, flour and grain have risen. 5 taels and cents of silver can't even support a family of four. What's the point of serving under you?"

"The Admiral is too stingy. Infantry and artillery soldiers are only paid three or four taels of silver a month. If we become Admiral Ma's soldiers, we will be left with nothing!"

Several soldiers in uniform who were mixed in the crowd started to make a fuss.

"How dare you! The Admiral is following the Governor-General's orders to recruit new soldiers. How can a few soldiers mess up? If you dare to do this again, I will arrest you immediately and punish you!"

"Haha, I'm just a small captain. I may not be a high-ranking official, but I have great authority. I'm still standing here. What can you do to me?"

A Green Camp officer with a knife in his pocket walked out of the crowd, looked directly at the chief officer in front of him, and spoke in an arrogant tone.

"Calm down, sir. The man opposite is Wang Qianzong, who is under the command of Jianning Town. He relies on the one or two hundred soldiers under his command and acts arrogantly. He has always been at odds with our Mazi Camp."

A Green Camp soldier standing beside the captain gave a careful reminder.

"So what if I'm the commander of Jianning Town? I'm not an officer under his command, so why should I be afraid of him?"

"We have the support of the Admiral in the Ma Camp, so we are not afraid of Jianning Town. However, the general of Jianning Town is Marshal Zuo's favorite general. If we offend him, we will be in big trouble."

"Humph! What a piece of shit! Others don't know his background. I've been in the army for 20 years, but I still don't know his identity. He is just a traitor who surrendered. He took the lead of Marshal Zuo and changed his name. He really thinks he is a legitimate general of the imperial court!"

The commander-in-chief was a close confidant of Ma Ronghe and had fought alongside him during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period. Therefore, as a Taiping soldier who surrendered earlier, he knew more about Cai Yuanlong's true identity than ordinary Qing officers.

Cai Yuanlong joined the Taiping Army at the age of sixteen. He was brave in combat and had extraordinary wisdom. In the defense of Taicang City, he used the means of feigning surrender to defeat the Qing army led by Li Hongzhang's brother Li Hezhang, and thus formed a grudge with the Huai Army faction.

At the end of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the situation was deteriorating. In order to save his life, Cai Yuanlong chose to surrender to Zuo Zongtang. After Zuo Zongtang accepted Cai Yuanlong, he not only did not kill the surrendered soldiers, but also let him command his original subordinates, reduced the surrendered Taiping Army to eight battalions and 4,000 people, and appointed him as a fourth-rank official.

Upon learning that Zuo Zongtang had accepted Cai Yuanlong, Li Hongzhang sent General Cheng Xueqi to ask for the person, but was rejected outright by Zuo Zongtang.

Later, in order to reduce trouble, Zuo Zongtang changed Cai Yuanlong's name to Cai Yuanji, and his wife Li changed her surname to Yang. Since then, Cai Yuanlong's true identity has gradually been hidden. After more than ten years, except for a few people involved, the general Fujian Qing Dynasty military officers only knew that Cai had a close relationship with Zuo Zongtang, but did not know the reason.

It was a taboo for the Qing army to surrender a general during the Taiping period. Even if the chief officer knew the true identity of Cai Yuanlong, he could only vent a few words in front of his subordinates and dared not speak out in public. He watched as several Jianning Town officers and soldiers gradually calmed down at the recruitment point.

He summoned three or four of the general's men and ordered them, "Today is the first day we have raised the flag to recruit soldiers, and the bastards from Jianning Town came here to cause trouble. It's obvious that they want to pick a fight with the Mazi Camp. Wait until they leave, then quietly follow them and see if they have any unusual behavior. If you find any, report back immediately so that you can find some evidence to report them to the governor!"

"I understand. There are rumors in the camp that the officers and soldiers of Jianning Town have colluded with gangs and local militias. A lot of the money in the Fuzhou militia comes from Jianning Town. If I find evidence of them smuggling imperial weapons this time, I promise to report it immediately."

"The smuggling of arms and the buying and selling of ammunition and weapons are all done secretly by the Left and Right Green Camps and the Patrol Camps in Fujian. It will be bad for everyone if the matter is exposed. However, as long as we have evidence of their smuggling of arms and hand it over to the Admiral, we can make them suffer a little."

"Yes, I will obey your orders."…………

"Admiral, please have a taste of the finest Wuyi Mountain rock tea."

In the office of the governor of the Left Green Camp in Fujian, a businessman in brocade clothes was talking to Ma Ronghe.

"Yes, it has a fragrant aroma and a long aftertaste. It is indeed a high-quality tea."

"As long as you like it, my Lord. Liu's shop just happens to have a batch of newly picked tea leaves, which will be delivered to you right away."

"I appreciate the kindness of Manager Liu. Forget about the tea. If you have anything to say, just tell me directly. There is no need to be polite with me."

"I can't hide it from your sharp eyes. I came to visit you this time because I really have something to ask for."

Liu Yiguang put down his teacup and said respectfully, "Fujian is a small country with a dense population and a shortage of local supplies. We, the people in the coastal areas, can only earn some hard-earned money on the sea by relying on the will of God. I heard that General Ma was appointed as the commander of the Left Green Camp, and his jurisdiction happened to include Jinjiang County. So Liu and the gentry and elders of Jinjiang County specially sent some gifts to show our appreciation. I hope you will not despise it."

After Liu Yiguang finished speaking, the servant beside him immediately presented a square brocade box and placed it on the table.

"One hundred taels of gold, just as a gift to celebrate your inauguration. As for the hard-earned money for the soldiers, Liu will send someone to deliver it to your residence every month in the future."

"Mr. Zhongtang presided over the Westernization Movement and supported the establishment of industries and the development of overseas trade. Although I am a military officer, I am still very supportive of commercial trade in my jurisdiction."

Ma Ronghe said gently, "Master Liu, please be at ease. As long as the goods traded by the gentry of Jinjiang meet the requirements of the court, the officers and soldiers of the Left Green Camp will not make things difficult for you."

"We, the common people of Fujian, are all law-abiding subjects of the imperial court. We will certainly not do anything to embarrass you, sir. However, sometimes the merchants bring some special goods, which is not convenient to pass through the coastal ports. At that time, we will have to trouble the officials under you to help."

"Okay, okay. If Manager Liu gives us a heads up in advance, there won't be any trouble in shipping the goods."

Ma Ronghe waved his hand magnanimously, feeling very happy. He was in charge of a region and had thousands of soldiers under his command. He didn't have to look for ways to make money himself, as they were delivered to him. Isn't it much better than sitting on the bench?

(End of this chapter)