1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 148 General
Since the uprising began, Peng Gang has led the standing battalion on long-term missions at the front lines.

He rarely came to the men's camp in the rear, and not many people in the men's camp had seen Peng Gang in person.

When Peng Gang, with his imposing presence, sharp eyebrows, and piercing eyes, rode his horse and led the battalion and company commanders carrying ten pigs to the largest men's camp, the Hualei Village men's camp, the first to recognize him were the instructors of the Hualei Village men's camp and the wounded soldiers who had to retreat to the second line as instructors.

"gentlemen!"

"General!"

Peng Gang's appearance was like a bolt from the blue for the men's camp in Hualei Village, causing an uproar!

One hundred and ninety-two reservists practicing marching near the west gate of the men's camp in Hualei Village were stunned for a moment when they learned that the tall and heroic young man in front of them was Peng Gang. Then their eyes reddened, they knelt down abruptly, and shouted, "General! It's the General!"

In an instant, this emotion spread like a storm throughout the entire Flower Bud Village men's camp.

Thousands of male reserve soldiers rushed forward, some kneeling and kowtowing, while others even fell to the ground, scooping up dust and smearing it on their faces, as if only in this way could they be worthy of seeing Peng Gang.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "My whole family starved to death long ago. If it weren't for the general, I would have been fed to wild dogs in the ditch by now!"

Before he could finish speaking, he was already sobbing uncontrollably.

More reservists, their eyes red, rushed forward, wanting to reach out and touch the mane of Peng Gang's steed, even just being blown by the wind stirred up by Peng Gang's steed would feel like being bathed in the breath of the Father.

This emotion spread like wildfire, instantly reaching everyone in the men's camp of Flower Bud Village.

In an instant, hundreds shouted, thousands knelt, and tens of thousands wept.

The kneeling people in the camp were like a tide, stretching from front to back, and it was difficult to see the end at a glance.

These simple and honest men from Guangxi cried or laughed, or shouted "Long live the general!" They pounded their chests and expressed their emotions in the most unpretentious way.

The male instructors, who had been forced to retire due to injuries, were also infected by this sentiment. Trembling, they knelt in the dust, tears streaming down their faces: "It was the general who taught me to stand tall and be a person, it was the general who taught me to write my own name! Now my legs are crippled from fighting, but as long as the general gives the order, I would risk my old life for it!"

The sheer force of the nearly two thousand men in Hualei Village's male camp greatly surprised Peng Gang.

Although he did not preach in the camp, he did not proclaim his identity as the seventh son of the Father.

The male reservists had long regarded him as a living god.

What Peng Gang gave them was only a pound and thirteen ounces of food per day and a relatively stable living environment.

In these years of disaster and chaos, having food and soldiers at hand, and with proper planning, winning people's hearts doesn't seem so difficult.

Peng Gang did not inform the person in charge of the men's camp in Hualei Village that he would be coming to the men's camp today. There was no rehearsal or anything like that.

With tears welling in their eyes, nearly two thousand Guangxi men prostrated themselves on the ground, bowing repeatedly in respect to him. Their feelings for him were undoubtedly genuine and heartfelt.

He rode slowly along, and wherever he went, thousands of soldiers bowed their heads and lay prostrate in silence.

Even the dust kicked up by the horse's hooves was secretly scooped up by the reservists kneeling nearby, who tucked it into their bosoms as if it were a precious treasure, saying that the soil carried the athlete's foot from the general's mount and was sacred soil.

Peng Gang didn't speak, but simply held the reins in one hand and raised the other, slowly bowing to the group of male reserve soldiers in all directions.

This gentle arch felt like an immense force pressing down on everyone's hearts.

Some people cried out in despair, some wept so hard they lost their voices, and some even fainted from the shock.

Peng Gang understood that these people were willing to live for him, die for him, and shed their last drop of blood for him without batting an eye.

The morale of the troops is high.

Based on the loyalty of these reservists to him, even though they had never been on the battlefield, Peng Gang felt that it was not impossible for them to win against Xiang Rong's Chu army and Zhengan soldiers.

Xiang Rong's Chu army and Zhengan soldiers were only loyal to him because of the money; once the money was cut off, their loyalty immediately dropped to zero.

His male reserve soldiers joined the regular battalion to serve him to the death, hoping to repay a debt of gratitude.

He doesn't need to give orders, and they are willing to die. He doesn't need to offer much encouragement, and they forget their own lives.

Peng Gang dismounted and climbed a slightly higher mound. The mountain wind of Zijing Mountain made Peng Gang's homespun robe flutter like a huge flag.

After climbing to a high point, Peng Gang waved his hand and shouted, "Brothers, the Qing army wants to trap us in the mountains, cut off our food supply, and starve us to death. Can we agree to this?"

"No! No!"

Peng Gang was met with a deafening roar.

“Our parents, wife, and children are still in the mountains. What are we going to do?” Peng Gang asked loudly.

In the early stages, Peng Gang selected mostly unmarried bachelors. In the later stages, those who joined his rebellion were mostly people who brought their families, clans, or even entire families to join him.

Although they did not understand the dire situation of the Pingzaishan and Zijingshan base areas, they only knew that many Qing troops had surrounded the mountains.

However, they still understood the simple truth that if the Qing army cut off their supply lines, they and their families would starve to death.

"Fight them!"

"Fight your way out!"

Immediately, some people in the crowd gave Peng Gang an enthusiastic response.

"Good! Very spirited! This is the kind of fighting spirit I need! Men! Slaughter the pig now! After you've eaten and drunk your fill, come with me on the expedition!" Peng Gang shouted with satisfaction.

"Kill the Qing soldiers (demons)!"

"Long live the general!"

Amidst the surging shouts of "Kill the Qing army!" and "Long live the Emperor!", Peng Gang slowly walked down the small mound.

I originally thought that mobilizing the reserves would require a lot of persuasion.

Unexpectedly, he himself was a banner. His arrival at the men's camp was the best mobilization and the best encouragement and inspiration for them, without the need for too many fancy speeches.

While the battalion and company commanders were selecting soldiers, Peng Gang ordered his men to slaughter a pig and start boiling water on the spot.

Soldiers selected for the provisional battalion ate meat, while reservists not selected for the provisional battalion also had soup. After drinking the soup, they were organized into the supply battalion to be responsible for logistics work at the front.

After having a meal with the new recruits in the men's battalion and the provisional battalion in Hualei Village, Peng Gang went to several other men's battalions and easily completed the mobilization and battalion formation for the reserve force.

Before setting off, Peng Gang inspected five provisional battalions at the drill ground in Dongxiang.

Compared to the regular battalions, the temporary battalions had a wide variety of uniforms.

Most of them wore various short jackets, some new and some old, with only a red scarf tied on their shoulders to distinguish them from the reservists responsible for transporting supplies.

Unfortunately, in the Qing Dynasty of that era, clothes were all sewn by hand, and the efficiency of clothing production was very low.

Even among the five standing battalions of the Left Army, only one battalion had all its members wearing uniforms and equipment.

In other standing battalions, only 60-70% of the men had the new cross-collar uniforms, while the remaining 30-40% were still wearing short jackets.

The temporary battalion had no choice but to wear whatever they had.

In terms of weaponry, the provisional battalion was equipped with inferior muskets, homemade guns, self-made rifles, and rifles captured from the Qing army, which were left over from the regular battalion.

However, the more than four months of marching training were still very effective.

The soldiers of the provisional battalion did not march as neatly as those of the regular battalion, especially when they were marching, the difference was even more obvious.

But it could still be described as orderly, at least more orderly than any Qing army that Peng Gang had ever seen.

At the back of the column, Peng Gang saw the 11th Provisional Battalion led by his uncle, Xiao Guoda.

Although the 11th Provisional Battalion was at the back of the column, its formation was the most orderly among all the provisional battalions.

The soldiers of the Provisional Eleventh Battalion were all carefully selected from charcoal burners and mountain dwellers in Pingzai Mountain during Xiao Guoda's management of the men's battalion.

Most of them had come to Honglian Village to join Peng Gang before responding to the God Society's call to revolt. They were incorporated into the charcoal-burning workers' team, burning and selling charcoal to support the army. They already had a certain sense of discipline and teamwork.

Many of them have nephews or younger brothers who were students in the second cohort.

These men had followed Peng Gang for longer and were already better equipped than the average reserve. They had also undergone eight months of meticulous training by Xiao Guoda, making Xiao Guoda's 11th Provisional Battalion the best in terms of personnel quality among the five provisional battalions.

After the inspection, Peng Gang rode his horse to find his uncle, Xiao Guoda.

“Uncle, guns and cannons have no eyes on the battlefield. This is your first time going to the battlefield. Listen to the advice of Tan Xu, the deputy battalion commander of the 11th Provisional Battalion. He is a veteran who has participated in many major battles and has experience.”

Xiao Guoda was the most short-tempered and impulsive of Peng Gang's three uncles.

It was the first time Peng Gang had sent his uncle to a real battlefield, and he was a little worried.

"I know this kid. He's from your Qingfeng Village. You're the one who brought him to Honglianping." Xiao Guoda nodded, his excitement overflowing. "Don't worry, your uncle knows what he's doing. Relax, I'll bring back a few high-ranking officials to make you proud!"

　This is a follow-up to yesterday's update.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)