1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 101 Submarine Army
Lema is located on a shallow sandbar on the western edge of Pingzai Mountain, next to the Qianjiang River. It is covered with reeds and is an ideal place for river bandits to live.

The most prominent Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society) boat fleets in Xunzhou Prefecture generally owned their own secret sandbars as bases along the banks or in the middle of the Qianjiang, Yujiang, and Xunjiang rivers.

Its function is similar to that of a mountain bandit stronghold, except that the strongholds of water bandits are more mobile.

Once besieged by government troops and facing unfavorable circumstances, they would not hesitate to abandon the occupied sandbar and water fortress, load all their belongings onto boats, and escape by boat, rather than stubbornly defending the water fortress.

The owner of the Tingjun Lema Water Village was Qiu Ersao. Luo Dagang and Su Sanniang had a good relationship with Qiu Ersao, and Qiu Ersao trusted them, which is why she took them in.

There are not many shacks near Lema, only about forty or fifty.

There were about 260 or 270 boats, but they were all small boats.

Peng Gang noticed that most of the submarine crew lived directly on the ships and rarely went ashore.

The boat is not only their means of transportation and livelihood, but also their home. The boat owners basically live, work, and rest on the boat.

Peng Gang was not particularly surprised by this, after all, before joining the Heaven and Earth Society, the boatmen were a group of boat people (boat people) who made a living by farming on the water.

Qiu Ersao was a warm and hospitable person, at least she was very enthusiastic about the God Society members that Peng Gang brought.

Despite the current year being a year of great disaster, the submarine crews are also facing difficult times.

Qiu Ersao still brought out the dried river fish that were originally intended to be transported to Wuxuan to exchange for grain to entertain them, and even prepared wine. The welcoming banquet was very lavish.

One can know the whole leopard from a spot, and know the late autumn from a single leaf.

Even just sitting down to eat can reveal the level of discipline among the three teams.

The submarine crew was the most lax in discipline, making loud noises and scrambling for food and drinks even before they sat down at the table.

The forces of Chen Chengrong and Lu Liushou were much better than those of the Boat Army Society.

Although the seating arrangement is quite casual, there are few incidents of fighting over food and drinks.

Peng Gang's team had the strictest discipline. At every step, from sitting down to eating, the team members waited for the team leader's order, the team leader waited for the company commander's order, and the company commander waited for Peng Gang's order.

Even if they were hungry and tired after marching for three days through the mountains, they could endure it and wait for orders.

After the meal was served, Huang Dabiao, the deputy company commander of the fourth company, stared intently at a jar of rice wine on the bamboo table, swallowed hard, and asked Peng Gang, "Sir, may we have some?"

Peng Gang usually had very strict rules, but that doesn't mean he forbade them from drinking alcohol.

People like Huang Dabiao, who are good at drinking, often exchange work points for alcohol.

Peng Gang would indirectly limit their drinking, but Huang Dabiao liked to have a couple of drinks every day, so Peng Gang wouldn't interfere too much.

However, if someone is late for class due to drinking, affecting training, they will definitely be banned from drinking for a month, forced to eat thirty bamboo shoots stir-fried with meat, and confined for three days.

Peng Gang poured a bowl of rice wine, brought it to his nose to smell it, and then took two sips.

The rice wine provided by Sister Qiu Er had a relatively low alcohol content, so it was fine for them to have a bowl to try it out without causing any problems. However, it was absolutely impossible for them to drink it as heartily as the friendly soldiers at the next table.

"One bowl per person is enough; no more than that," Peng Gang ordered.

"Yes!" Having received Peng Gang's permission, Huang Dabiao was overjoyed and eagerly went back to the table to pour more wine.
Huang Dabiao hadn't taken two steps when Peng Gang called out to him, patting the empty seat on the bench and saying, "Huang Dabiao, sit next to me."

"Huh?" Huang Dabiao sat down next to Peng Gang with a dejected face, eating in silence, sipping the wine in his bowl like a bird drinking water, savoring it slowly.

After the banquet, the tables were littered with cups and plates, and many of the submarine crews and the God's Society members of Chen Chengrong and Lu Liu were so drunk that they fell asleep right next to the tables.

In contrast, none of the four companies and three artillery crews brought by Peng Gang got drunk. They cleaned the table in an orderly manner and habitually arranged the bowls and chopsticks neatly.

Two years of hard work and training have finally paid off.

Having experienced a long period of collective living and discipline, Peng Gang's soldiers could also be considered his students.

Most of them have been able to abide by discipline and order under the supervision of their group leaders and company commanders, and have developed relatively good living habits.

The twenty groups, from group 40 to group 60, had been in the battalion for a relatively short time, and some of them still showed signs of laxity. However, they had made great progress compared to when they first joined the battalion.

If we can successfully capture Wuxuan County this time, the new recruits from groups 40 to 60 will soon become veterans.

“How can we ask our guests to clear the table and wash their dishes? We’re heading to Wuxuan County tomorrow, let them rest first,” Qiu Ersao said as she walked gracefully to Peng Gang’s side.

"I'll have someone clean up the dishes and utensils at the banquet."

“Let them collect it. This is a rule we established with them a long time ago. If we don’t let them collect it, they won’t dare to rest in peace,” Peng Gang said.

"The rules you set for them seem so complicated and numerous. They didn't dare to sit down and start eating until you gave the word. What's the reason behind these rules?" Qiu Ersao asked curiously.

“Eating is like going to war. If I can’t control them at the dinner table and make them obey my orders, how can I guarantee that they will carry out my orders without compromise on the battlefield, charging when I tell them to charge and retreating when I tell them to retreat?” Peng Gang explained.

"That seems to make sense." Qiu Ersao thought about it and felt that Peng Gang's words made sense. The discipline of the submarine crew under her command was very lax. Apart from the 160 or 170 old men who had followed her for more than six or seven years and were relatively obedient to her, Qiu Ersao had difficulty controlling the rest.

The deployment of Luo Dagang and Su Sanniang's boat corps was similar in the past, but after practicing intermittently for a year according to the infantry manual given by Peng Gang.

The lax management style of Luo Dagang and Su Sanniang's boat corps deployment has improved somewhat.

But it was only a slight improvement.

Luo Dagang had complained about this issue to Peng Gang, and Peng Gang also pointed out the problem to Luo Dagang.

Luo Dagang was not as strict with his subordinates as Peng Gang. He couldn't manage everything as meticulously as Peng Gang, who not only personally oversaw training but also took care of their clothing, food, housing, and even their basic needs.

On the other hand, Luo Dagang and Peng Gang also had different sources of soldiers.

Luo Dagang initially recruited soldiers based on individual bravery, and his recruits were mostly seasoned veterans of the martial arts world. They were much more difficult to train than Peng Gang's students.

Peng Gang recruited soldiers based on age and background, and almost completely disregarded personal bravery.

Most of the recruits are simple and kind-hearted farm boys who are young and inexperienced and easy to manage.

Even if there are a few troublemakers like Huang Dabiao, Peng Gang has the ability and energy to subdue them completely.

If Peng Gang were to lead Luo Dagang's submarine force, Peng Gang believed he wouldn't do a better job than Luo Dagang.

First of all, his martial arts skills were inadequate, making it difficult for him to win over the public.

The Heaven and Earth Society, a martial arts organization, places great importance on individual martial arts skills. Without excellent martial arts skills, it is difficult to stand out within the society.

It is even more difficult to establish personal prestige.

Secondly, these bandits are used to being undisciplined and unruly. If you try to discipline them like you would your students, the group will quickly fall apart.

After all, once they left Luo Dagang, plenty of bandit leaders outside were willing to take them in, and could even make them minor leaders.

After leaving the table, Peng Gang distributed the six hundred knives and guns he had brought to the boat crew.

Luo Dagang, Su Sanniang, and Qiu Ersao were each assigned two hundred units.

The cold weapons that Peng Gang gave them were all made of fine forged iron, produced by the Honglian Village arsenal, and were of better quality than the knives and guns used by some of the small boat corps leaders.

The submarine crew members were overjoyed to receive the weapons. They excitedly played with their new tools and praised the God's Brotherhood for their generosity in treating them like family, giving them such good weapons.

After distributing the weapons, Peng Gang led a meeting with Chen Chengrong, Lu Liu, Luo Dagang, Su Sanniang, and Qiu Ersao to discuss how to capture Wuxuan County.

Chen Yagui of the Heaven and Earth Society started his attack on Wuxuan last year, which occurred between Wuxuan and Xiangzhou.

However, at that time, Chen Yagui had just gained momentum and was still weak, so he failed to take down Wuxuan as he wished.

After Chen Yagui's incident, Liu Zuosu, the magistrate of Wuxuan County, strengthened security measures and made the checks upon entering the city more stringent.

The most important aspect of attacking Wuxuan County is capturing the city gates.

Once the city gates are captured and the passage into the city is opened, it is essentially equivalent to successfully capturing Wuxuan County.

The Xunzhou Green Standard Army and the Wuxuan County militia defending Wuxuan County had neither the courage nor the capability for street fighting.

"Why don't we blend into the crowd entering the city, force our way in, and seize the city gate? Or perhaps we can use ladders to climb in?"

Faced with the city wall, Lu Liu, who had no military experience, combined his experience in the fight between the local tribes and the attack on their homes with his first thought was to forcibly take over the city gate or set up a ladder to climb the city wall.

“A direct assault could easily alert the enemy, and if the assault fails, it could also attract the attention of the surrounding Green Standard Army militia.” Qiu Ersao had been widowed for a long time and frequently traveled in and out of Wuxuan County. Among those present, she was the most knowledgeable about Wuxuan County and its surrounding areas.

"As for the ladder, the city wall of Wuxuan County is quite high, about 24 feet high. To get such a long ladder to Wuxuan County, let alone the fact that we don't have such a long ladder."

Even if we make one on the spot, and we have a long ladder to climb the city wall, we'd probably be spotted by the authorities shortly after we carry the ladder ashore.

Although Wuxuan is a poor county, its county seat is also a small town.

However, since Wuxuan County was originally the site of the Wuxuan Camp and a military fortress, and considering the need for flood control, the city wall of Wuxuan County was built relatively high, reaching eight meters, slightly higher than that of the surrounding county towns.

"To capture Wuxuan County, a surprise attack and a clever strategy are the best approach. Second Sister-in-law is right. If a direct assault fails and we can't take Wuxuan County in a short time, it will attract the Green Standard Army from the surrounding villages and the local militias."

Even if the Green Standard Army militia that come to our aid dares not attack us, but only keeps a close watch on us from afar, we must still divide our forces to guard against them.” Peng Gang agreed with Qiu Ersao’s point of view and also believed that a direct assault was not advisable.

The main force of the Guangxi Green Standard Army is still intact, and things will change if it drags on. The attack on Wuxuan County should be swift and decisive, and a one-time success should be sought.

"What plan does Master Peng have?" Su San Niang had attacked Wang Dazuo's house with Peng Gang before and knew that Peng Gang was quick-witted and had many ideas. She wanted to hear Peng Gang's thoughts.

(End of this chapter)