Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 2 Emergency Call
Zheng Guohui led his troops all the way back. From the Yanziji Wharf on the riverside to the Xuanwu Gate, a distance of more than ten miles, the three thousand Tongzhou militiamen traveled light and arrived at the camp in just half an hour.

At this time, it was completely dark.

The cooks in the camp had already prepared fragrant rice and buckets of braised cabbage and meat. The aroma was so fragrant that it made people salivate.

Each team is led by a team leader and consists of 12 people.

Each team sent one person to line up and use a basin to get food. Each team was given a basin of braised pork and cabbage, which was gone after the food was served, but there was plenty of white rice.

The meat is from a wounded mule. After it is slaughtered, there are several hundred pounds of meat. It is stewed with cabbage and radish. It tastes so delicious that your mouth is full of oil.

Just this one meal made the more than 2,000 newly surrendered people cheer for joy.

Thinking back to the bloodbath by the river today, I felt a chill on my back. It was like a world of ice and fire.

From then on, I became more and more identified with this militia team...

Zheng Guohui returned to the camp, changed his clothes, washed his hands and face, and then went to the small restaurant. The three eight-immortal tables in the restaurant were filled with eight dishes, six hot and two cold.

The only ones who were able to dine at the same table with him were Lieutenant General Zheng Jiabao and Qian Jiang, both of whom were his right-hand men.

At the other two eight-immortal tables, there were four people at each table, a total of eight people, all of whom were captains of the Tongzhou militia. They were also close relatives or in-laws of the Zheng clan, and were definitely confidants.

In the past two years, Zheng Guohui led these people to travel across the country and fought many battles, winning more than losing, and established a high prestige.

Moreover, Zheng Guohui, the fifth-rank garrison commander of Tongzhou, was listed in the military register of the Ministry of War and was a registered military officer appointed by the imperial court. He had a seal and a salary and was a formal military officer.

Others, including deputy generals Zheng Jiabao and Qian Jiang, were actually from the countryside. They were merely internally appointed by Zheng Guohui and were not recognized by the court, nor did they receive any salary.

When Zheng Guohui walked out of the side door with relaxed steps, Lieutenant General Zheng Jiabao immediately shouted loudly, "The general has arrived! Stand up and salute!"

"At ease, brothers, please take a seat." Zheng Guohui raised his hand to return the greeting, walked to the head of the Eight Immortals Table in the middle and sat down, and then the others took their seats one after another.

The Eight Immortals Table was filled with chicken, duck, fish and meat, as well as a large plate of raw mule meat and dipping sauce. The only vegetarian dish was fried peanuts. The dish was indeed very delicious and was a favorite of the generals.

Zheng Guohui raised his glass first and said, "What happened today was not what I wanted to do. It was because of the strict order from the higher-ups to wipe out the remaining Taiping rebels that I had no choice but to do it.

The more than 2,000 people who have just joined our Tongzhou militia should, from now on, be friendly and affectionate, fight side by side without distinction, and be comrades-in-arms brothers in the army.

I hope that you brothers will understand my painstaking efforts and give proper placement to the patients. Do not be partial to some and discriminate against others, which will be disheartening.

From the moment you joined our Tongzhou militia, everything in the past has become a thing of the past. It must not be mentioned again, it must not be leaked, and you must not be treated differently.

only if
Only then can we completely subdue these two thousand people, strengthen the strength of our Tongzhou militia, benefit the people of Tongzhou, and become a harmonious and united family.

I sincerely hope that you will all cherish this.

Today we drink this cup of wine together, hoping that the Tongzhou militia will unite as one and triumph and return home soon."

"We will follow the general's instructions and will never disobey." Everyone raised their glasses and responded loudly.

While talking
Zheng Shun, the captain of the personal guards who reported the news, walked in hurriedly, saluted, and said, "Sir, we have received an urgent military order from the governor; the leaders of all militias are ordered to go to the yamen immediately to discuss important military matters, and there must be no mistakes." "Now..." Zheng Guohui put down the empty wine glass and asked with a surprised look.

Zheng Shun, the Qing army captain, clasped his hands together and said, "Your Excellency, this is the military order from the Governor-General."

There was no trace of displeasure on Zheng Guohui's face, but he had already started cursing in his heart.

What is this bastard Zeng Guoquan doing again?
He nodded calmly and said, "In that case, I will go change into a new set of clothes and armor. You can eat and drink as you please, but don't drink too much, to prevent any accidents."

"As you command, we respectfully send you off, sir." Everyone stood up and saluted with their hands clasped together.

Zheng Guohui quickly changed into official uniform and rode away on horseback with more than 20 Qing soldiers, his figure disappearing into the night.

Temporary Governor's Office

Zeng Guoquan, a general of the Hunan Army, led his troops to hold out at the gates of Tianjing for more than two years. He neither asked for reinforcements from the Huai Army nor withdrew his troops to Wuhu, vowing to take the "first merit in breaking through Nanjing" and the "sole merit."

In July 1864, after persisting for more than two years, Zeng Guoquan finally broke into Tianjing and carried out a massacre, leaving corpses strewn all along the Qinhuai River.

After entering Tianjing, Zeng Guoquan captured Prince Zhong Li Xiucheng and the young leader of the Heavenly Kingdom who had attempted to break out, and took them to the Governor-General's Office of Liangjiang, and reported to the emperor as soon as possible.

When the capital heard the good news, the emperor was very pleased and immediately issued an edict to award him the title of Prince's Guardian, confer him the title of First-Class Weiyi Earl, and grant him the Double-Eyed Peacock Feather. He was also allowed to continue serving as the Governor of Zhejiang, becoming a true frontier official with great power.

The emperor personally issued an edict to reward Zeng Guoquan for his contribution in capturing the city of Tianjing, but the commendations for other meritorious generals still had to be submitted to the Ministry of War for review and then approved by the emperor himself.

Therefore, the rewards for the generals of various departments have not yet been issued.

When Zheng Guohui led his men to the governor's office, many militia leaders had already arrived and were standing in the yard chatting in groups of three or five, totaling dozens of people.

Today, the city of Tianjing gathers 27 militias from five provinces, namely Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, with a total strength of nearly 5.75.

Among them, the "Ji Camp" of Zeng Guoquan, the governor of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, had more than 4000 people, Peng Yulin's navy had 3200 people, and Bao Chaoting's army and Li Xuyi's troops had people. The Hunan Army accounted for more than half of the strength, and the rest were some local military groups.

The number may be as many as one or two thousand people, or as few as three to five hundred people.

After Zheng Guohui arrived here, several militia leaders immediately came to greet him respectfully with a warm attitude.

This was because Zheng Guohui was the fifth-rank garrison commander of Tongzhou. The Tongzhou militia that participated in the battle had a large number of troops and fought bravely and rarely suffered defeat.

This time, the capture of Tianjing City is also among the secondary achievements. Seeing the hope of promotion and wealth, how can people turn a blind eye?
"Lord Zheng will surely be promoted this time. His future is limitless. Please continue to support him."

"Please be kind, everyone. I am not talented, and my minor military achievements are not worth mentioning. Compared with the governor, I am like a fluorescent light to the bright moon, haha..."

"No, no, Lord Zheng is too modest."

Just as everyone was exchanging pleasantries, an untimely voice rang out, saying, "There's no need to worry about Lord Zheng. After the Tongzhou militia fell, they looted and plundered everywhere, making a fortune! Now, they're even disobeying the governor's military orders. They've grown powerful."

(End of this chapter)