1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 102 The Army Approaches Wuxuan
Peng Gang considered a strategy of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" to lure the defending troops in Wuxuan County out of the city and annihilate them.

However, important settlements near Wuxuan County, such as Ertang, Sanlixu, and Dongxiang, have been thoroughly ravaged by Chen Yagui and have not yet recovered, so they are no longer of much value.

The remaining militia from the three locations were transferred to the county seat last year by Liu Zuosu, the terrified magistrate of Wuxuan County, to strengthen the county's defenses.

Wealthy families in the vicinity either moved their entire families to Wuxuan County or transferred their money and grain to the city.

It is highly unlikely that Liu Zuosu, the magistrate of Wuxuan County, would send troops to rescue Ertang, Sanlixu, Dongxiang, and other places.

Peng Gang quickly rejected this idea.

As for the Green Standard Army's flood control ponds near Wuxuan, they were washed away by Chen Yagui last year, and the Green Standard Army soldiers who were still alive nearby were gathered into the county town by the garrison commander Huang Can.

Since the Qing army's Green Standard Army militia in the county town was unwilling to come out, and there were no high-value targets to attack around Wuxuan County, they had no choice but to go in.

"It is easier to break through the city gate from inside the county than from outside."

We can send a small number of elite, experienced veterans to infiltrate the county town in advance, agree on a time to breach the city gates, while the main force waits outside the city. Once the gates open, we'll storm in.

Peng Gang pondered for a long time, then turned his head to look at Qiu Ersao, asking her to confirm the situation of the gate guards in Wuxuan County.

"Second Sister-in-law, you are the one among us who knows Wuxuan County best. How many gatekeepers are there at each city gate in Wuxuan County? How many of them are on night duty? Are they all loyal to their duties? Are they elite and good at fighting?"

"Wuxuan County has four gates: east, south, west, and north. When Chen Yaogui was causing the most trouble, each gate was guarded by thirteen or fourteen Green Standard Army soldiers and eleven or twelve local militia members on rotation."

After Chen Yagui left Wuxuan County, the county's defenses were relaxed considerably. The number of gatekeepers on night duty was now only half of what it used to be. The exact number was unknown, but it certainly did not exceed five.

The Xunzhou Green Standard Army was already utterly corrupt, with even fewer Green Standard soldiers and militia actually on duty. Moreover, those on duty were either addicted to opium, drinking, or sleeping; they could hardly be considered elite or skilled in battle.

Peng Gang nodded slightly. What Qiu Ersao said was basically the same as the information provided by Peng Gang's uncle Xiao Guoying, who worked in the charcoal business in the city.

A dozen or so Green Standard Army militia members were responsible for each city gate. As long as their men could infiltrate the city, it wouldn't be difficult to deal with them and then open the city gate from the inside.

Peng Gang took out the sketch of Guixian County drawn for him by his maternal uncle Xiao Guoying, spread it on the uneven bamboo table, and spoke while looking at the sketch.

"Wuxuan County has four gates, namely the east, south, west and north gates. The east and north gates have barbicans. If we want to enter through these two gates, we need to capture and open them. Speed ​​is of the essence in war. Capturing and opening the east and north gates would take too much time, so it is not advisable to start with these two gates with barbicans."

The west and south gates lack barbicans, but the west gate is too close to the riverbank, and the area outside the city is too muddy, which is not conducive to the movement of our main attacking force outside the city.

Of the four gates, only the South Gate is the most suitable; it lacks a barbican, and the ground outside the South Gate isn't too muddy or difficult to traverse.

After careful consideration, Peng Gang set his sights on the south gate of Wuxuan County, believing that seizing the south gate was the most suitable option.

"Too many people should enter the city at once, and they should enter in batches. Too many people entering the city in a short period of time will easily arouse the vigilance of the government officials and soldiers." Luo Dagang basically agreed with Peng Gang's point of view, and at the same time volunteered to sneak into the city to be responsible for seizing and opening the south gate.

"I'll take charge of entering the city and seizing the south gate. There are only a dozen or so gate guards. I can easily defeat them with six or seven of my old brothers."

"Brother Luo, with your face and murderous aura, you'll probably be stopped by the gatekeepers before you even enter the city," Qiu Ersao laughed. "It's best if the gatekeepers and yamen runners recognize you when you enter the city to lower their guard."

"It would be best for me and my men to infiltrate the city. I often go into the city to sell river and mountain delicacies; the city gatekeepers, yamen runners, and some local militia all recognize me."

Qiu Ersao believed that Luo Dagang's image and temperament were not suitable for carrying out the mission of infiltrating the city and seizing the gate.

Moreover, Luo Dagang and the Green Standard Army militia of Xunzhou had been fighting for six or seven years, so it was hard to guarantee that some Green Standard Army soldiers in the city would know Luo Dagang.

If they are recognized, not only will Luo Dagang be in grave danger, but their plan to attack Wuxuan will also fail.

Although Qiu Ersao was also a member of the Heaven and Earth Society's boat crew, her role within the society was similar to that of a head of an intelligence and communication station. She rarely participated in direct combat, and the government did not issue any arrest warrants for her.

After weighing the options, Peng Gang felt that Qiu Ersao was indeed more suitable than Luo Dagang for this task.

"Second sister-in-law, that makes sense, but your men aren't good at fighting," Luo Dagang said with some concern.

Qiu Ersao fell silent, but what Luo Dagang said was true; his deployment was indeed one of the weakest in terms of combat effectiveness among the many submarine forces.

The submarine force under Luo Dagang was the pinnacle of combat power for the submarine force and even the entire Heaven and Earth Society.

After pondering for a while, Qiu Ersao's eyes lit up and she had an idea: "I will pick some brothers from the God Society who are kind-looking and skilled in martial arts to act as my employees, and I will take them into the city under the pretense of selling river delicacies."

Qiu Ersao originally planned to select a few skilled martial arts brothers from Luo Dagang to impersonate his employees and enter Wuxuan County.

But then I thought about it again. The old brothers under Luo Dagang who were skilled in martial arts were all veteran bandits. They had too many habits of wandering bandits and, like Luo Dagang, they would be easily recognized by the gatekeepers.

On the other hand, most of the people on the God Society side were from good families and were not easily detected by the gatekeepers and yamen runners.

“I support Second Sister-in-law’s suggestion.” Peng Gang sided with Second Sister-in-law Qiu.

Having made up his mind, Peng Gang instructed Huang Dabiao to select six strong and capable members from each group who were skilled in hand-to-hand combat.

At the same time, Chen Chengrong and Lu Liu each selected three kind-looking, taciturn, obedient citizens from their respective teams, who were also skilled in martial arts and were considered brothers in the same clan.

A total of fourteen people entered the city in batches. As for how they entered the city, that was arranged by Qiu Ersao.

After making the arrangements, Peng Gang took out a copper-cased pocket watch and checked the time with Huang Dabiao and Qiu Zhongmin's watches.

"You will attack the South Gate at midnight sharp. If you fail to capture the South Gate within ten minutes, retreat quickly and find a place to hide. I will use gunpowder to blow open the East Gate and rescue you."

To ensure everything went smoothly, Peng Gang devised a backup plan. He brought 370 jin (approximately 185 kg) of gunpowder with him.

These gunpowders were not inferior gunpowder purchased from the pro-independence camp; they were all imported gunpowder acquired in the past two years, as well as high-quality gunpowder made at home.

If Qiu Ersao and Huang Dabiao fail to capture the city gate in time, Peng Gang will have no choice but to spend all his resources to blow up the east gate and then attack the city.

Before setting off the next morning, Peng Gang took off his pair of flintlock pistols and a bag of lead bullets, and asked Qiu Ersao to wrap them in cloth and mix them into the river fish. He also told Huang Dabiao and the others to remember to pick them up after they entered the city and went to the charcoal shop.

As for weapons, Xiao Guoying's Xiao Ji Charcoal Shop has more than a dozen fine iron knives, but only five flintlock muskets, which is not enough.

Before parting, Peng Gang repeatedly instructed Huang Dabiao and Qiu Zhongmin to keep track of the time and to remember that if they failed to capture the South Gate on time, they should not linger in battle but retreat and hide quickly, especially Huang Dabiao.

Qiu Ersao and her group set off first.

The shadow cast by Chen Yagui on Wuxuan had not yet dissipated, and the gatekeepers and yamen runners were quite strict in checking people entering the city, especially strangers with bandit-like habits. At best, they would be driven away and not allowed to enter the city; at worst, they would be directly arrested and taken to the county yamen for interrogation and reward.

Qiu Ersao was an old acquaintance who frequently visited Wuxuan County.

Although she brought some young men with her, seeing that the young men were all young and did not seem like villains, Xiao, the manager of Xiao's Charcoal Shop in the city, personally came to the vicinity of the city gate to welcome Sister-in-law Qiu and her group.

The gatekeepers and yamen runners at the south gate immediately dispelled their doubts and let them into the city after only a few glances.

Qiu Ersao was a businesswoman who had long been engaged in farming and selling fish. She was eloquent and gave three jars of wine and about thirty catties of fish to Liu Fang, an extra officer of the Green Standard Army who was in charge of guarding the south gate, under the guise of rewarding the troops.

"It's good to entertain the troops! It's good to entertain the troops!"

Liu Fang was overjoyed with the wine and meat. Seeing that Qiu Ersao's clothes were half open, he couldn't help but flirt with her, his beady eyes darting around Qiu Ersao's bulging chest.

"Second Sister-in-law, it's quite boring to be a bunch of men drinking and eating meat. Would you like to join me for a drink?"

"Ugh! It won't do during the day, there are so many people coming and going, so many people will be watching." Sister-in-law Qiu said coquettishly.

Seeing that Qiu Ersao did not refuse decisively, Liu Fang immediately felt that this pretty widow had a chance.

The widow said it's not possible during the day, so it's possible at night when there are fewer people.

Liu Fang couldn't help but swallow, already imagining the scene of rain and clouds over Wushan that night: "Really?"

"So what if it's true? Chief Liu, you know the curfew is very strict. If I come to you for a drink tonight, I'm afraid I'll be arrested as a criminal before I even get to the South Gate," Qiu Ersao said with feigned regret.

Liu Fang, already aroused by Qiu Ersao, was so anxious that she scratched her head and rummaged around for a while before finally pulling out two qian of silver from her person. She then took off her waist token and handed it to Qiu Ersao: "I'll just let the brothers on night patrol know in a bit. Take this two qian of silver and bring some good food over tonight. Consider the rest a reward from me, the sergeant. If anyone stops you on the road, show them my waist token! Let's see who dares to take you!"

Liu Fang spoke with great force, and this extra gatekeeper somehow managed to act like a defender of the city.

"Tell your brother I'll be there later. Today I'm taking my nephew to check the accounts with Manager Xiao," Qiu Ersao said with a smile as she took Liu Fang's waist token.

Meanwhile, Peng Gang was carrying a coffin filled with gunpowder onto the boat.

Together with Luo Dagang and others, they carefully selected three hundred elite soldiers, who boarded the boatmen's boats, concealed knives, guns and muskets in the cabins, disguised themselves as boatmen, and took advantage of the cover of dusk to arrive near the South Gate Wharf after the gates of Wuxuan County were closed.

This was Peng Gang's first time fighting against the Qing army, and it was a siege battle, so he was inevitably a little nervous.

Peng Gang timed his watch, and when the hour hand pointed to eleven o'clock, he walked out of the cabin, stood at the bow of the ship, and took out his binoculars to check the situation on the south gate.

The rammed earth city walls of Wuxuan County are clearly visible, except for the city gates which are covered with blue bricks.

Luo Dagang also took out his telescope and observed the situation on the city wall with Peng Gang.

Both of them were puzzled, as there wasn't a single soldier on the city wall responsible for guarding and keeping watch.

"Was there no one on the city wall before?" Peng Gang asked the boatman.

This boatman was Qiu Ersao's man and frequently traveled in and out of Wuxuan County.

“Although the Green Standard Army’s militia training is lax, there are still people responsible for lookout,” the boatman said.

"It's most likely that the gatekeeper fell for Qiu Ersao's honey trap," Luo Dagang laughed. "When I first met Qiu Ersao, I was almost drugged by the wine she had spiked."

"Why would I drug you?" Peng Gang joked with Luo Dagang to ease the tension.

"With your rough skin and tough flesh, even if you chop it up and wrap it in beef buns, customers will complain that the filling is too hard and chewy."

"You're saying I'm Wu Song?" Luo Dagang was quite pleased.

"If you're Wu Song, then Qiu Ersao will become Sun Erniang, won't she?" Peng Gang couldn't help but chuckle.

After observing for another twenty minutes, it was confirmed that there was no one on guard or watching from the South Gate tower, and the area around the South Gate dock was completely dark with no lights on.

Peng Gang took a deep breath and ordered Lu Qin and Li Qi behind him, "First Company, Second Company, carry the coffin and follow me quietly to the base of the wall near the South Gate. Don't make any noise so as not to disturb the gatekeepers."

　The initial subscription was only 535, so there are three extra chapters due. Here is the first one, and the second one is still owed.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)