1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 167 A Song from All Sides
Peng Gang, Feng Yunshan, and Hu Yihuang pursued the Qing army all the way to Mengxu.

Ulantai, Huiqing, Jiang Zhongyuan and others led the main force of the Qing army reinforcements back to Guiping City overnight.

When Peng Gang and his men arrived at Mengxu, they only managed to capture more than 400 Dongyong and Guangdong Green Standard Army soldiers who were willing to risk their lives for money and were still staying in Mengxu to rape, plunder, and loot.

Even the highest-ranking Green Standard Army officer only managed to capture two garrison commanders.

The Left Army has killed or captured quite a few high-ranking Green Standard Army officials, including generals, deputy generals, and brigade generals.

The presence of such junior Green Standard Army officers as garrison commanders did not arouse much interest in Peng Gang; it was better than nothing.

The greatest gain from this trip was not the number of Qing soldiers captured, but the fact that four thousand people from Mengxu, who had suffered repeated ravages of war and could no longer bear the harassment of the Qing army, were willing to follow the Taiping army.

To be honest, Peng Gang was still somewhat annoyed that Jiang Zhongyuan and Wulantai had escaped.

I only regret that I didn't arrive at Bogong'ao sooner and achieve greater results.

But what's done is done, and there's no use in regretting it. Peng Gang and the others could only gather their troops and return to Yaoquchong to join forces with Shi Dakai, Qin Richang, and Luo Dagang to attack Zhang Bilu.

With the main forces of the left and rear armies returning to Yaoquchong, Zhang Bilu's last hope was extinguished.

As a seasoned veteran, Zhang Bilu understood what it meant that the rebel army could calmly return and surround them.

It must have been that the reinforcements from Guiping were repelled by the religious bandits.

Their only hope for breaking through now lies with themselves.

Zhang Bilu made four attempts to break out of the encirclement, but all of them failed.

Not only were the morale of the Qing soldiers and local militia trapped on the mountain low, but Zhang Bilu himself also felt somewhat discouraged.

When Min Zhengwen's Guiliu troops were trapped, the vegetation on the mountain was still lush and unsuitable for firing cannons.

After the Battle of Dateng Gorge, the tall trees on the mountain were either felled by the Guiliu soldiers on the mountain to make logs for chevaux-de-frise or used as firewood, or cut down by the Taiping Army to make coffins.

By the time Zhang Bilu led his troops up the mountain, the vegetation on the mountain had become very sparse, especially the mountaintop, which was almost completely exposed with little cover.

The Taiping army dragged the fourteen heavy cannons they had captured from Ulantai down the mountain and used the captured ammunition to fire at the Qing army on the mountain.

The booming cannon fire not only inflicted heavy casualties on the Qing troops who were already at their wits' end on the hilltop, but also shattered their fragile psychological defenses.

After each bombardment, Peng Gang would have his men shout to the Qing troops on the mountaintop, questioning why they had traveled hundreds of miles from their homes to fight a war in Guangxi that had nothing to do with them.

They also stated that the Qing soldiers and local militia on the mountain would be treated leniently if they were willing to surrender, and that they were welcome to come down the mountain and surrender at any time.

The Xunzhou Left Battalion consisted of local soldiers from the Green Standard Army. Most of the militia recruited by Zhang Bilu were locals, and Zhang Bilu was usually good at managing his subordinates.

According to Qin Richang, the former Guizhou army troops and Sichuan soldiers brought by Zhang Bilu were quite disciplined.

Peng Gang genuinely wanted to recruit these battle-hardened soldiers from the southwest under Zhang Bilu's command and had no intention of killing them.

That night, Huang Zhenyue, the commander of the left battalion of Xunzhou, and Chen Xingwang, the captain of the left battalion, led 182 Green Standard Army soldiers from Xunzhou down the mountain to surrender to the Taiping Army.

Huang Zhenyue and Chen Xingwang both knew Peng Gang and had dealt with him before. They knew that Peng Gang always kept his word and kept his promises, so they believed that he wouldn't make things too difficult for them after they surrendered.

Since death is inevitable either way, rather than being trapped on the mountain and waiting to die, it's better to gamble on Peng Gang's character and surrender down the mountain.

Once the trend of surrender began, the next day, another 124 soldiers from the Xunzhou Green Standard Army and 438 local militia members chose to go down the mountain and surrender to the Taiping Army.

"Those who surrendered were all from the Xunzhou Green Standard Army and local militia recruits; not a single one was one of Zhang Bilu's old subordinates from Guizhou or soldiers from his hometown in Sichuan." Peng Gang looked at the opposite hilltop and sighed, "Zhang Bilu was indeed a skilled commander."

Not every general can maintain the unwavering loyalty of over two thousand former subordinates even in dire circumstances.

Based on this alone, Zhang Bilu truly deserves the title of the best general in the Green Standard Army during his time.

"The Qing army's morale is low, and many soldiers are deserting. Why not take this opportunity to seize the hilltop and annihilate the Qing army?" Luo Dagang, who had been resting for two days and whose strength was gradually recovering, said excitedly. "I am willing to lead the boat battalion to attack the mountain!"

“There is no sign that the Qing army on the eastern front will send reinforcements. If we can subdue the enemy without fighting, why launch a full-scale attack?” Peng Gang shook his head and said.

The morale of the Qing troops on the hilltop was low.

That doesn't mean they were incapable of fighting back. While a direct assault could capture the hilltop and annihilate the Qing army, the Taiping army would also suffer heavy casualties.

Peng Gang had prisoners of war from both Guizhou and Sichuan, especially prisoners of war from Guizhou.

In Peng Gang's prisoner-of-war camp, the largest number of Green Standard Army prisoners were Guizhou soldiers.

Peng Gang has already sent men to transport the captured Guizhou and Sichuan soldiers to Yaoquchong.

The Guizhou army generals who had previously surrendered and were prisoners of war were also on their way.

When these people arrived, Peng Gang performed a "Song of Guizhou from All Sides" and a "Song of Sichuan from All Sides" for the Guizhou and Sichuan soldiers on the hilltop.

If even psychological warfare fails to subdue the Guizhou and Sichuan soldiers on the opposite hilltop, then a full-scale attack is not too late.

Moreover, by then, the rations carried by Zhang Bilu's Qing troops would be almost gone, and the Taiping army would suffer even less loss in a strong attack on the mountain.

Before the prisoners of war from Guizhou and Sichuan were brought to the city, Peng Gang first had the surrendered Green Standard Army soldiers of Xunzhou and the local militia sing local folk songs and ballads to the mountaintop, in order to destroy the last psychological defense of the left battalion of Xunzhou in Zhang Bilu's army and the local militia, and encourage them to come down the mountain and surrender.

On the third day, Yang Huwei, former commander of the Qingjiang County garrison in Guizhou, Wang Zhi, a battalion commander, and Li Rui, the general of Guzhou Town, arrived at Yaoquchong.

The difference is that Yang Huwei and Wang Zhi surrendered voluntarily after the Battle of Sanlixu, and their identities were battalion commander and company commander of the newly established Left Army Guizhou Battalion.

However, the current number of personnel in the Qianying Battalion is less than 100, and they do not undertake combat missions; they are still in the training and reform phase.

Li Rui has not yet surrendered and remains a prisoner in the POW camp.

It was learned that Zhang Bilu was besieged by the Taiping Army on the opposite hilltop.

Yang Huwei, Wang Zhi, and Li Rui were all very surprised.

Zhang Bilu's last post as governor before his retirement was the governor of Guizhou.

When Zhang Bilu was in office, all three of them served in the Guizhou Green Standard Army.

When Zhang Bilu was the governor of Guizhou, he led them to quell the rebellion of the Miao chieftains in Guizhou. He was the most capable governor they had ever served.

The fact that the Taiping army was able to surround Zhang Bilu's troops caused Li Rui's resolve to waver.

Even Zhang Bilu was no match for the Taiping Army, which shows that none of the 800,000 Green Standard Army soldiers of the Qing Dynasty, and no Green Standard Army general, could control the Taiping Army.

"Which of you three is willing to be my messenger and persuade Zhang Bilu to surrender?" Peng Gang asked, looking around at the three former officers of the Guizhou Green Standard Army after finishing writing the letter of persuasion to Zhang Bilu.

After a slight hesitation, Li Rui stepped forward and said, "I am willing to give it a try, but based on my understanding of General Zhang, he will not surrender. General Peng, it would be best not to have too high expectations."

"It's alright, let's give it a try." Peng Gang handed the letter to Li Rui.

Li Rui went up the mountain with the letter Peng Gang had given him.

After Li Rui left, Peng Gang, along with Yang Huwei and Wang Zhi, interrogated sixty-four Green Standard Army prisoners from the Guizhou and Sichuan camps under Zhang Bilu's command. They sought to understand the situation of Zhang Bilu's soldiers from the Guizhou and Sichuan camps so that they could tailor their approach accordingly and select the right songs for each individual.

The situation of the pro-independence camp in Guizhou is much more complicated than that in Guangxi.

The ethnic composition of the Green Standard Army in Guizhou has distinct regional characteristics.

The core strategy of the Qing government's military policy toward Guizhou was "to use Han people to control Miao people and to use Miao people to assist Han people," which resulted in a military system that was mixed with multiple ethnic groups.

However, Manchus also played a very important role in the Guizhou Green Standard Army. The Qing court liked to appoint high-ranking Manchu and Mongol Eight Banner generals to the Guizhou Green Standard Army. Iketanbu, who died not long ago in Wuxuan City, was the deputy commander of the Qingjiang Brigade in the Guizhou Green Standard Army.

At this time, two of the four garrison commanders of Guizhou were from the Manchu and Mongol Eight Banners, and three of the six deputy commanders were from the Manchu and Mongol Eight Banners.

Half of the senior officers in the Guizhou Green Standard Army were from the Manchu and Mongol Eight Banners.

Ultimately, the Qing court made such a contradictory arrangement because it neither trusted the local chieftains in the southwest nor the Han people there.

In addition to the regular town markers, assistant markers, and flood control posts of the Green Standard Army, the Green Standard Army in Guizhou and Sichuan also engaged in large-scale land reclamation, with a considerable number of military settlements.

Among them, the Green Standard Army Guizhou soldiers of the Zhenbiao and Xiebiao were mostly stationed in the large plains of Guiyang, Anshun and Zunyi, and the soldiers were mainly Han Chinese.

The Green Standard Army in Xuntang and Tunbao was mainly composed of soldiers from the Miao and Dong ethnic groups.

Miao soldiers accounted for 30% of the Guizhou troops, second only to the Han soldiers in the Guizhou camp.

In mountain warfare, the Guizhou Green Standard Army relied heavily on local Miao soldiers.

When Peng Gang heard that Miao Bing's proportion was so high, he couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety.

Could it be that many of the Guizhou soldiers brought by Zhang Bilu were actually Miao soldiers?
Forty percent of the prisoners captured by Peng Gang in the Qianying camp of Guzhou Town were Miao soldiers.

Peng Gang was willing to accept prisoners from other ethnic groups, and there were also a small number of Zhuang and Yao soldiers in the Left Army.

However, compared to Han soldiers who were prisoners of war, prisoners of other ethnic groups often did not speak the language, making it more time-consuming and laborious to reform them.

He doesn't yet have a stable base of operations, and time is precious to him.

If given a choice, he would certainly prefer to accept Han soldiers who were easier and faster to reform.

Upon learning that the Guizhou troops brought by Zhang Bilu were mostly from Guiyang, Anshun, Zunyi and other places, and were mainly composed of garrison troops and prefectural auxiliary troops, most of whom were Han Chinese.

Peng Gang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Not long after, Li Rui returned from the mountain.

Zhang Bilu had already read the letter Peng Gang had written to him, but he still refused to surrender.

Zhang Bilu's unwillingness to surrender was expected, and Peng Gang was not greatly surprised.

The Green Standard Army recruited soldiers locally, but the officers were transferred.

Although Yang Huwei and Wang Zhi work for the Qingjiang Association, one is from Guiyang and the other from Anshun, and they can sing local folk songs.

Peng Gang ordered the two of them to lead more than forty Guizhou soldiers who could sing to sing folk songs from their hometown to the Guizhou army on the hilltop.

The Left Army's Guizhou Battalion lacked qualified recruits.

If the Guizhou troops, mainly composed of Han Chinese, under Zhang Bilu's command can be recruited, the Guizhou camp will gain a large number of high-quality soldiers!
Yang Huwei and Wang Zhi were very excited and sang with extra enthusiasm.

Faint, indistinct singing echoed from the mountains, extremely low and distant, yet strangely familiar and unsettling.

At first, one person hummed softly, followed by several others joining in. The melody was intermittent, echoing like a ghost over the Dateng Gorge.

Those are folk songs from Guizhou and Sichuan.

Upon hearing the song from their hometown, the Guizhou soldiers on the hilltop all stood up and looked in the direction of the sound.

The mountain songs drifted from the enemy camp in the south.

A mountain breeze swept by, and the singing carried on the wind, echoing from the south all the way to the cliff top in the north, followed by another Sichuan folk song.

As they listened, more and more soldiers from Guizhou and Sichuan, trapped in dire straits, broke down in tears and spontaneously began to sing along.

Soon, the solo performance turned into a chorus of voices from many people.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Bilu's expression changed drastically, his face turning a mixture of pale and ashen.

He went out of the command tent and inspected the area. He noticed that fewer and fewer people were cleaning and sharpening their guns, while more and more people were singing.

Many soldiers from Sichuan and Guizhou had unfocused eyes and sunken eye sockets, gazing at the distant mountains and into the depths of the mist, as if trying to find their way, or as if they couldn't see anything at all.

These folk songs from Guizhou and Sichuan are far more powerful than artillery shells.

Zhang Bilu knew that the morale of the army was no longer reliable.

Thinking that the rations he had brought with him during the breakout were almost gone in the past few days, Zhang Bilu became increasingly agitated.

Back in his command tent, Zhang Bilu reopened the letter Peng Gang had sent, recalling what Li Rui had told him about the Short-Haired Cult bandits' kindness towards prisoners.

After a difficult internal struggle, Zhang Bilu still wrote a letter and summoned Chang Sheng, the deputy commander of the Zunyi brigade of the Guizhou garrison.

Chang Sheng is from Sichuan.

When Zhang Bilu entered Guangxi, there were really no generals available for the Green Standard Army in Sichuan and Guizhou, so he selected Chang Sheng to accompany him into Guangxi to suppress the religious bandits.

Neither of them expected that, while they were suppressing the cult, they would be surrounded by the cult members themselves.

"Chang Sheng, take your old brothers from the Guizhou and Sichuan camps down the mountain. It's not worth it to be buried with this old man." Zhang Bilu solemnly handed the letter to Chang Sheng.

“I observed the demeanor of General Li Rui of Qianguzhou Town during the day. He was not coerced, nor was he lying. The short-haired rebels do not kill those who surrender. Since you have not looted any villages or towns in Xunzhou Prefecture, the short-haired rebels will not make things difficult for you.”

He spent most of his life immersed in the pro-independence camp and served as a pro-independence officer for most of his life.

Zhang Bilu certainly had the ability to see through whether a former DPP officer was capable of lying.

"General! I am willing to lead my old brothers to charge again and break through the encirclement of the cult bandits!" Chang Sheng knelt before Zhang Bilu, weeping bitterly, expressing his willingness to try to break through again.

Breakout?

With hope of breaking through, Zhang Bilu was eager to give it his all.
But the long-haired and short-haired rebels had already surrounded them completely. The soldiers in the Sichuan and Guizhou camps were homesick and their morale was low; they had lost the spirit they had shown a few days ago.

Short-haired leader repeatedly had people shouting, questioning why the soldiers of the Sichuan and Guizhou battalions had traveled thousands of miles, leaving their homes to fight in Guangxi.

This question almost stumped Zhang Bilu himself.

Aside from loyalty to the emperor and the inability to disobey his orders, Zhang Bilu couldn't think of a better reason to convince himself why he, already retired and nearing the end of his life, would still come to Guangxi to wade into this mess.

If this question is not answered properly, the soldiers of the Sichuan and Guizhou battalions will no longer fight as bravely as before.

Deep in dire straits, with no hope of breaking through.

Under these circumstances, Zhang Bilu's answer to the soldiers of the Sichuan and Guizhou battalions was extremely weak and powerless, and could not persuade the soldiers of the Sichuan and Guizhou battalions who were eager to go home.

A grand feast for the troops?

Both the Sichuan and Guizhou battalions had run out of rations, and the only thing Zhang Bilu could offer his soldiers now was silver.

But he was surrounded, had nowhere to spend his money, and couldn't eat.

“My mind is made up. Take this letter down the mountain and tell the bandit leader that I have only one request: that the soldiers of the Sichuan and Guizhou battalions surrender only to the Short-haired Mao. If Peng Gang, the leader of the Short-haired Mao bandits, can promise not to kill the soldiers of the Sichuan and Guizhou battalions after they surrender and let them go back to their hometowns, I am willing to surrender.”

Zhang Bilu interrupted Chang Sheng, instructing him to take a letter down the mountain and discuss surrender with the Taiping Army.

(End of this chapter)