1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 190 Raid on the Li River
Xiang Rong's concerns and premonitions about the battlefield were correct.

Peng Gang's target was indeed Xiang Rong's Qing army.

At this very moment, Peng Gang was leading seven battalions, totaling more than 5,600 men, traveling day and night under the guidance of Chen Shiqing and Qu Zhenzu, former members of the Heaven and Earth Society in Guangxi, to intercept Xiang Rong's Qing army at the Li River.

During the Qing Dynasty, there was no canal connecting the Luoqing River and the Li River. Therefore, Peng Gang had no choice but to march on foot during this campaign.

If the Heaven and Earth Society's forces are included, Peng Gang's army numbered over six thousand.

The Heaven and Earth Society is indeed adept at recruiting members.

Just a few days ago, Chen Shiqing and Qu Zhenzu only had about two or three hundred men under their command.

It is unknown what methods the two used, but when they came to join Peng Gang, Chen Shiqing and Qu Zhenzu's forces quickly expanded to six or seven hundred men.

In fact, given the influence of Chen Shiqing and Qu Zhenzu in the Tiandihui of northern Guangxi and southern Hunan.

They could recruit more people, but Peng Gang was in a hurry to use his troops against Xiang Rong, and he was pushing them too hard.

Chen Shiqing and Qu Zhenzu had no choice but to take their existing men and seek refuge with Peng Gang.

Chen Shiqing and Qu Zhenzu had not only people from Guangxi under their command, but also many people from southern Hunan.

These people from southern Hunan were mostly former subordinates of the late Li Yuanfa, a notorious bandit leader from the Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society) in southern Hunan.

Li Yuanfa had already been eliminated by Xiang Rong, the then Governor of Hunan, at the end of the year before last. He perished even earlier than Chen Yagui.

After Li Yuanfa's death, this Hunan Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society) group quickly disbanded.

Some of the remaining troops were incorporated into the forces of Chen Yagui, who was at the height of his power, at the beginning of last year.

These members of the Heaven and Earth Society shared a common characteristic: they harbored a deep-seated hatred for Xiang Rong's Chu army.

Peng Gang's most impressive achievements were in defeating the Chu army.

Before making contact with the Heaven and Earth Society in Guilin Prefecture, even Peng Gang himself was unaware that he had such a great reputation in the Heaven and Earth Society and had even earned the title of "Nemesis of the Chu Army".

Peng Gang harbored an irreconcilable hatred for the Chu army, and he had the ability to defeat the Chu army, which the Heaven and Earth Society could not defeat. This was the reason why these members of the Heaven and Earth Society chose to come and join Peng Gang.

Xiang Rong's army had only recently left Pingluo and Lipu.

The Ping Le Heaven and Earth Society quickly informed Chen Shiqing and Qu Zhenzu of this important news.

I received this news as dusk was approaching.

Chen Shiqing and Qu Zhenzu then reported the matter to Peng Gang.

"Your Highness, Xiang Rong's army left Lipu and Pingle two days ago and headed north along the Lipu River and the Lijiang River!" Qu Zhenzu reported to Peng Gang.

So fast?
Xiang Rong's quick reaction and decisive actions were somewhat beyond Peng Gang's expectations.

Could it be that this old fellow has already noticed something?
Or perhaps, what changes occurred within the Qing court?
Peng Gang reined in his horse and stopped, taking out a map from the bamboo tube and unfolding it to examine it.

Unfortunately, the Guangxi map he had only had a relatively detailed map of the area near Xunzhou Prefecture. The map of Guilin Prefecture was very rough. Not to mention villages, even the market towns were not marked. It was only a rough map and could not be used for military operations.

"How far is it to the Li River?" Peng Gang turned his head to look at Qu Zhenzu.

Qu Zhenzu, a native of Xiangzhou, was a martial arts student with outstanding martial arts skills.

He was the number two figure in the Guibei Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society).

Qu Zhenzu had been dealing with the Qing army in the Guilin area for over a year, and they certainly knew more about the situation in Guilin Prefecture than he did.

Xiang Rong's marching speed was unparalleled in the Qing army, and he once set a record of marching more than 200 li in a single day and night.

This is a remarkable achievement for a modern military.

Peng Gang had no time to verify whether Xiang Rong's marching records were true or false.

However, since the Chu army's marching speed can be boasted about, it must be quite fast.

Peng Gang was worried that before he could stop Xiang Rong, Xiang Rong would escape to Guilin or even into Hunan Province.

"It's still about seventy li away," Qu Zhenzu replied.

"Are there any places to eat along the Li River?" Peng Gang continued to ask.

“The large market town by the Li River is a big marketplace where grain is available,” Qu Zhenzu said after thinking for a moment.

The Qing Dynasty's Daxu, later known as Daxu Town, was located on the north bank of the Li River and was an important commercial port in Lingchuan County, Guilin Prefecture.

Peng Gang put away the map and ordered, "Everyone, get ready! Throw away all your cooking utensils, pack bags, and equipment. Only carry weapons, ammunition, torches, a day's rations, and water. Speed ​​up the march!"

To increase marching speed and prevent Xiang Rong from escaping, Peng Gang ordered the troops to reduce unnecessary loads and travel light, reaching Daxu as quickly as possible to intercept Xiang Rong's Qing army.

Upon receiving the order, more than 5,600 soldiers of the Left Army abandoned their cooking utensils and luggage, and hurried towards Daxu Town with great speed.

Upon Peng Gang's order, the more than 5,600 Zuo Jun generals didn't utter a single unnecessary word. Without even blinking, they threw their bags, iron pots, tents, and other belongings onto the muddy ground.

Chen Shiqing and Qu Zhenzu were greatly shocked.

In a daze, it seemed that he understood why the Left Army was able to defeat the Qing Army one after another, while the Heaven and Earth Society was chased around by the Qing Army.

No other Heaven and Earth Society team could be as disciplined as Peng Gang's team.

If those two had dared to issue such an order, the troops would probably have scattered long ago.

Before Chen Shiqing and Qu Zhenzu could give the order.

When the members of the Heaven and Earth Society in the group saw that Zuo Jun had glanced at the cooking tent and his luggage and refused to take them, they all rushed to grab the cooking tent and search through the luggage that Zuo Jun had abandoned, looking for food and valuables.

The actions of the Heaven and Earth Society members made Chen Shiqing and Qu Zhenzu blush with shame. "Chen Shiqing! Qu Zhenzu! Can you two keep up with the group?" Peng Gang frowned, glanced at the chaotic Heaven and Earth Society, and then looked at Chen Shiqing and Qu Zhenzu.

He never had high hopes for the Heaven and Earth Society, and didn't expect them to be able to keep up with Zuo Jun's troops in battle.

As long as Chen Shiqing and Qu Zhenzu can keep up with the group, they can act as his guides.

Urged by Peng Gang, Chen Shiqing and Qu Zhenzu had no choice but to abandon the Heaven and Earth Society members who were indulging in the pleasure of plundering, gather their sixty or seventy loyal followers, and follow Peng Gang to lead the way.

As darkness fell, Peng Gang showed no intention of stopping to rest, but continued to walk briskly with his torch.

A few low hills along the way slowed down the march.

After a night of forced march, as dawn was breaking, Peng Gang finally led his army to the banks of the Li River and saw Maozhou Island and Jiangzhou Island on the outskirts of Daxu.

The Daxu Wharf is already in sight.

Holding up his binoculars, Peng Gang could clearly see boats sailing upstream towards Guilin City near the dock.

Daxu is an important waterway node on the Lijiang River. The journey from Daxu Wharf to Elephant Trunk Hill Wharf in Guilin, the provincial capital, is more than 50 miles.

Given the speed of the Li River's current, it would take five hours to travel upstream from Daxu to Guilin.

It only takes two hours to travel downstream from Guilin to Daxu.

"Xiang Rong and the others have arrived at the Great Ruins. That old guy, he's really fast."

Upon closer inspection, Peng Gang discovered that the boats, rafts, and bamboo rafts heading towards Guilin were carrying local militia members dressed in uniforms and wearing headscarves.

“These aren’t the banners of the Chu army. These people look like local militia, but they’re definitely not from Daxu. There aren’t this many local militia from Daxu, and their clothes aren’t as neat as theirs!” Chen Shiqing said, looking across the river at the Qing soldiers on the riverboats.

Having fought against the Chu army and Zhengan soldiers for over a year, Chen Shiqing would not mistake the colors of their flags and uniforms.

Were these Qing troops local militia from Daxu?

That's impossible. Just the Qing troops on the riverboats alone, the ones you can see, number at least five or six hundred. The Daxu militia, at most, only number two or three hundred.

"It must be the Chaozhou and Fujian militias under Xiang Rong's command!" Peng Gang speculated.

"Your Highness, Guilin, the provincial capital, is only a two-hour water journey from Daxu," Qu Zhenzu reminded Peng Gang.

“If we fight these local militia here, it will alert the government troops in Guilin City.”

Qu Zhenzu had previously worked at the Daxu market.

To be more precise, they launched a night raid and looted the docks, warehouses, and shops of the Great Ruins.

Qu Zhenzu did not dare to attack and occupy Daxu.

The Great Ruins are too close to Guilin, the provincial capital. If the government troops in Guilin want to support the Great Ruins, they can reach the Great Ruins by boat in just two hours.

Although Peng Gang was well-known and brought a lot of people with him.

However, Qu Zhenzu had not yet witnessed firsthand how the Zuo army brutally slaughtered the Qing army.

Qu Zhenzu acted very cautiously, after all, there were still several thousand garrison troops in Guilin City.

"I'd love for the Qing troops in Guilin to come out and fight me in the open," Peng Gang said casually, pointing to the ruins.

"We're buying a boat and building a raft to cross the Li River! We'll also ask a few locals if it's possible to wade across."

Field combat was the left army's strength, while the Qing army's weakness.

Peng Gang would be more than happy to let the Qing army leave the city for open battle.

Peng Gang completely disregarded the several thousand Qing soldiers in Guilin City. Chen Shiqing, standing to the side, was unsure whether Peng Gang was truly capable or simply overconfident.

He thought to himself, "Fine, if the Left Army can defeat the government troops, I will follow Peng Gang to beat the enemy when they are down and avenge my brother and the brothers who died."

If the Left Army is no match for the government troops, the situation is dire, and they should retreat further into the deep mountains.

From November to February of the following year is the dry season of the Li River. During the dry season, the water depth of the Li River channel near Daxu is generally around 0.5 to 0.8 meters. Small boats can still move freely, but slightly larger boats inevitably have to be towed in some shallow sections of the river.

The first three battalions to arrive at the Li River with Peng Gang were the First Battalion, the Third Battalion, and the Fifth Battalion (boat battalion).

Unfortunately, the mountain-splitting artillery company failed to keep up with the main force.

The Li River is not wide; most sections are only one or two hundred meters wide.

The range of the mountain-splitting gun was sufficient to block the surface of the Li River.

"The cult bandits are here!"

"What's there to be afraid of! We're on a boat, while the cultists don't have one!"

"Hurry up and row the boat! Forget about these cult bandits, I'm in a hurry to get to Guilin for dinner."

Peng Gang's prediction was correct; the Qing army training troops heading towards Guilin on the Li River were indeed Xiang Rong's Chaozhou and Fujian troops.

The Chaozhou and Fujian militias were Lin Zexu's elite troops, and fought against the main force of the Taiping Army on the eastern front for a long time.

Most of the Chaozhou and Fujian militia had never fought against the Left Army and were not afraid of it. They continued to act as they pleased, only cautiously observing the Left Army's movements.

Chen Ajiu, who was ordered to buy boats and rafts, asked many local people along the Li River for directions with his silver.

They couldn't buy a single boat or raft. Upon further inquiry, they learned that a large number of Qing troops had passed through the area the previous night and requisitioned all the nearby rafts.

(End of this chapter)