1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 193 Heading North to Hunan
Xiao Chaogui's golden sedan chair was adorned with golden tassels hanging from the top and colorful cloud embroidery on the curtains. When the sunlight shone on it, it was so dazzling that people could not open their eyes.

Such a luxurious and dazzling yellow sedan chair not only attracted the attention of the Left Army soldiers who were on guard and patrolling at the market.

The surrounding people also turned their attention to it and started talking about it.

"I've lived for sixty years and this is the first time I've ever seen anything like this!"

"I have had the honor of seeing the governor's entourage before, but even the governor of Guangxi's entourage is not this magnificent!"

"Oh my god, move aside, move aside! It looks like some important official is here again!"

"What sir! It's a prince! Didn't you see what's written on the big yellow flag? This is the sedan chair of the Eighth Prince of the Western Kingdom of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom."

"The prince rides in a golden sedan chair, while we walk on a muddy road."

"Those who risk their lives to conquer the world naturally deserve to ride in golden sedan chairs. We are just watching the show, so it's only right that we walk on muddy ground."

Upon hearing this, Peng Gang glanced at the large yellow flag of the Eighth Prince of the West.

No wonder the common people in this large market town could recognize that this was the sedan chair of the Western King Xiao Chaogui.

It turns out that the title of the king was written on a large yellow flag, nine feet square, and the words embroidered on the flag could be clearly seen from a great distance.

Kings and officials of different ranks in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom all had flags to indicate their status.

There are clear regulations regarding the shape, size, and color of the flags.

Only princes were entitled to use square flags, and they were all yellow.

The flags of the chief military advisors, namely the Eastern King and the Western King, are of a very noble and imposing size, with a side length of nine feet five inches (3.38 meters), signifying the supreme status of the emperor.

The side length of the flags of the deputy military advisors, namely the flags of the Southern King and the Northern King, was nine feet.

Those below the rank of Marquis and Chancellor used triangular flags, with the length of the flag's side indicating their rank.

Even the lowest-ranking officials, the two Sima, had a black triangular flag with sides measuring two feet and five inches to indicate their status.

The kings' banners were too large and heavy for ordinary people to lift, so they had to specially select extremely strong men with amazing arm strength to serve as flag bearers.

The flag bearers held very high official positions; the flag bearers of the Eastern King and the Western King held the same position as inspectors, while the flag bearers of the Southern King and the Northern King held the same position as commanders.

Because the Qing court did not understand the military system and organization of the Taiping Army, and because the Taiping Army's flags were impressive.

Xiang Rong once made a ridiculous mistake by seizing two Taiping Army Sima triangular flags and presenting them to Emperor Xianfeng as spoils of war for high-ranking Taiping Army officers to curry favor.

"Has Lin Fengxiang ever passed through Daxu?" Xiao Chaogui did not get out of the sedan chair, but had the sedan chair attendant lift the curtain and asked.

"Lin Fengxiang passed through this place half a day ago and has already led his troops towards Guilin City," Peng Gang replied indifferently.

"Fengxiang is quite capable." Xiao Chaogui glanced at Peng Gang's indigo-blue homespun round-necked robe and said unhappily.

“You are now the Northern King of Heaven, how can you still wear coarse cloth clothes? If this gets out, people will laugh at you and the Qing demons will look down on my Heaven.”

Peng Gang didn't care: "When marching and fighting, it's more comfortable to wear homespun clothes, and you won't feel bad if they get muddy or bloody."

Xiao Chaogui smiled and said, "Our Heavenly Kingdom doesn't lack the few bolts of cloth for our princes' clothes. You're being too stingy. You're a prince, and the deputy military advisor of our Heavenly Kingdom, yet you don't even have a proper ceremonial guard. What kind of decorum is this! Once I take Guilin, I'll have someone make a set of grand ceremonial guards befitting your status and send them to you."

Xiao Chaogui thought Peng Gang was just trying to make excuses for himself because he didn't have a proper entourage.

Peng Gang kindly reminded Xiao Chaogui, "Brother-in-law, the yellow robe, yellow sedan chair, and large yellow flag are too conspicuous and will easily attract Qing demon artillerymen. When fighting on the front line, it is best to keep a low profile and be cautious."

Even ordinary people in Daxu could identify Xiao Chaogui by the large yellow sedan chair and the large yellow square flag he rode in, let alone the Qing army.

The high-ranking officials of the Heavenly Kingdom also liked to personally command operations on the front lines. Such ostentatious travel made them easy targets for enemy fire.

Historically, both Xiao Chaogui and Feng Yunshan died at the hands of Qing army artillerymen, most likely due to their high-profile processions and attire.

Sitting in a conspicuous yellow sedan chair, he's obviously a high-ranking official. If we don't beat him, who will we beat?
Xiao Chaogui was slightly displeased upon hearing this, and said seriously, "When a king travels, he should naturally have a grand procession. Without a grand display, how can he command respect? In the art of leading troops into battle, 'momentum' comes first. For example, with my yellow royal banner, the Qing demon soldiers will know that it is the Western King who has arrived as soon as they see it. They will be overwhelmed by the aura and their hearts will be intimidated. They can terrify the Qing demons without even fighting."

This was the first time Peng Gang had ever heard Xiao Chaogui speak in such a literary style.

Having said all he could, and having offered all the advice he could, there was no need for him to waste any more words on Xiao Chaogui since he wouldn't listen. He simply said, "I have prepared lodgings for Brother-in-law Gui. He can rest at Daxu."

"The military situation is urgent; staying in Daxu will delay our plans and cause problems," Xiao Chaogui said, shaking his head.

"I appreciate your kindness, but I'm going to Guilin. You can stay here and meet up with the rest of the troops."

Xiao Chaogui had no intention of lingering in Daxu and hurriedly led the vanguard to Guilin.

After seeing Xiao Chaogui off, Peng Gang returned to the small office of the patrol and inspection bureau in Daxu and convened a meeting of senior officers above the battalion level to arrange the next phase of the operation.

The Great Ruins is a commercial market, not a place to stay for long.

We've already arrived in Guilin, so there's no need to even discuss where to proceed next.

Guilin Prefecture is surrounded by mountains on both the east and west sides, leaving the large army with only two possible directions to advance: one is to head south into the heart of Guangxi, and the other is to head north through the Xiang-Gui Corridor into the relatively wealthy and grain-rich Hunan.

Peng Gang came from Liuzhou Prefecture and Xunzhou Prefecture in the south.

The food supplies in Liuzhou and Xunzhou have been almost exhausted, so returning home is out of the question. The only way to survive is to head north to Hunan to find food.

Xiao Chaogui's vanguard troops approached the city of Guilin, which conveniently tied down several thousand of the city's defenders for Peng Gang.

The main force of the Qing army was concentrated in Guilin, the provincial capital, leaving the defenses of Lingchuan County and Xing'an County very weak.

After some deliberation, Peng Gang decided to take advantage of the fact that the main force of the Qing army in Guilin Prefecture was tied down by the vanguard and dared not leave the city to attack Lingchuan County and Xing'an County, control the Lingqu waterway, and then open up the Xiang-Gui Corridor, so as to go downstream from the upper reaches of the Xiang River and enter Hunan Province.

Currently, Daxu has seven battalions and one company.

They are the 1st Battalion, 3rd Battalion, 5th Battalion (boat battalion), Provisional 7th Battalion, Provisional 8th Battalion, Provisional 9th ​​Battalion, Provisional 11th Battalion, and the Mountain-Splitting Artillery Company.

Good steel is used on the blade.

This time, Peng Gang ordered the 1st, 3rd, 5th, Provisional 7th, Provisional 11th Battalions, and the Mountain-Splitting Artillery Company to march north and attack Lingchuan and Xing'an counties.

Only the Provisional Eighth and Ninth Battalions were left to guard the Great Ruins and to support the other Left Army battalions coming from Yongfu County.

After mobilizing his troops and preparing the necessary provisions and supplies for the siege, Peng Gang led his 4,000-strong army, either by boat or along the north bank (right bank) of the Li River, in a grand procession towards Lingchuan County to the north.

Guilin City is located on the left bank of the Li River. When Peng Gang passed through Guilin City, the city was already filled with the sounds of cannons and fighting.

Xiao Chaogui, Lin Fengxiang, and others are attacking Guilin City.

As Peng Gang had predicted, Xiao Chaogui's surprise attack strategy did not achieve the desired effect.

The Qing army garrison in Guilin was well prepared. The vanguard did not achieve victory by surprise and quickly take Guilin as a small paradise. Instead, they suffered heavy casualties.

When Xiao Chaogui learned that Peng Gang was leading his troops north along the Li River, he assumed Peng Gang intended to attack Guilin, the provincial capital, to compete with him for credit. Displeased, Xiao Chaogui personally went to find Peng Gang and put pressure on him. However, he found that Peng Gang was truly just passing through Guilin and had no intention of attacking it.

To avoid the heavy artillery fire of the Qing army on Guilin City, Zuo Jun deliberately detoured north along the Xiaodong River, which reassured Xiao Chaogui, who then continued his siege of Guilin City.

The modern Lingchuan County seat was moved to Lingchuan Town (Gantangdu) on the west bank of the Li River in 1965, only 15 kilometers from Guilin City.

Lingchuan County was moved to Sanjie (called Fenghuangxu during the Song and Yuan dynasties) in the fourth year of Shaoding in the Southern Song Dynasty (1231). The county seat remained in this location throughout the Yuan, Ming, Qing and Republican dynasties.

Lingchuan County's Sanjie Street is a crucial point on the upper reaches of the Li River and a key hub at the southern end of the Xiang-Gui Corridor.

As the Taiping army approached Guilin, the provincial capital, the local Green Standard Army's garrison troops and militia in Lingchuan County had already fled.

On the day Peng Gang led the Left Army to Lingchuan County, they captured the county without firing a single shot, without even launching a siege.

The county seat of Lingchuan practically opened its gates to welcome Zuo Jun into the city.

After occupying Lingchuan County, the scouts at the front discovered that the situation in Xing'an County, at the source of the Xiang River, was similar to that in Lingchuan County, almost undefended.

Peng Gang left the 11th Provisional Battalion to be responsible for the defense of Lingchuan County and the collection of grain, while the rest of his troops crossed the Ling Canal and went straight to the city of Xing'an, where they once again captured a county without bloodshed.

These two counties were the two counties that Peng Gang had fought the easiest to capture since he started his uprising.

The source of the Xiangjiang River is located in Haiyang Mountain, Xing'an County. Taking Xing'an County means that Peng Gang's left wing has moved from the Pearl River Basin to the end of the Xiangjiang River tributary in the Yangtze River Basin.

Hunan is already in sight!

The only remaining obstacle on Zuo Jun's path into Hunan was Quanzhou City!
Quanzhou is the last prefecture-level city in Guangxi, located at the border of Hunan and Guangxi.

Once Quanzhou is captured, the Hunan-Guangxi Corridor will be fully opened, and the road into Hunan will be unobstructed!
The first thing Peng Gang did upon entering the Xiangjiang River basin was to buy a boat.

Peng Gang captured Xing'an County via the Lingqu Canal.

It is currently the dry season, and the water in the Lingqu Canal is extremely shallow, barely reaching the knees. Small boats need to be towed across the Lingqu Canal.

It would be difficult to transport large boats from the Li River to the Ling Canal, so the Zuo army could only purchase medium and large boats and rafts locally in the Xiang River basin.

While conducting a public trial and confiscating the property of wealthy households in Xing'an County, Peng Gang seized the time to purchase supplies, and at the same time dispatched scouts to investigate the situation in Quanzhou City.

The situation is different from that of Lingchuan and Xing'an counties.

Cao Xiepei, the prefect of Quanzhou, was a relatively capable local official.

Upon learning that the Taiping army had entered Guilin Prefecture, Cao Xiepei, the prefect of Quanzhou, had already foreseen that the Taiping army would sooner or later move north to control the upper reaches of the Xiang River. Quanzhou, the city on the road from Guangxi to Hunan, was a necessary route for the Taiping army and would inevitably be ravaged by war.

Therefore, Cao Xiepei, the prefect of Quanzhou, made advance arrangements for the city's defenses.

He ordered two hundred soldiers to be stationed on the city walls and patrol day and night. He also ordered each gentry and commoner household in the city to send one able-bodied man to defend the city, in order to strengthen the city's defenses.

Four hundred Hunan soldiers led by Wu Changxian, the Assistant Commander of Baoqing County, Hunan Province, entered Guangxi on the orders of Li Xingyuan. When they passed through Quanzhou City, Cao Xiepei personally went out to welcome Wu Changxian, provided food and drink for the four hundred Hunan soldiers under Wu Changxian's command, and tried his best to persuade Wu Changxian to stay and defend the city.

When Wu Changxian passed through Quanzhou, Peng Gang's left wing had already captured Lingchuan and Xing'an counties.

With the Qing army's southward advance into Guangxi blocked, Wu Chang had no choice but to remain in Quanzhou to assist Cao Xiepei in defending the city.

As a result, the entire city was able to have over a thousand soldiers and local militia to defend it.

“That scoundrel Cao Xiepei is utterly despicable. He said that our Taiping Army loves to eat infants, abduct unmarried girls to be concubines, rape women for pleasure, dig up ancestral graves, destroy ancestral halls, and coerce young men into joining the army.”

The people of Quanzhou Prefecture have never had any contact with us. They all believed Cao Xiepei's seditious words and hate us to death. This bump on my head was caused by children from Quanzhou hitting me with stones.

Cao Xiepei is adept at manipulating people's hearts; Quanzhou City is probably not as easy to capture as the county seats of Lingchuan and Xing'an.

Xie Bin, who had led a scout to Quanzhou to scout the enemy's situation, covered the bump on his forehead and reported to Peng Gang through gritted teeth.

"Damn it! Once I take over Quanzhou City, I'm going to hang Cao Xiepei up and put him on public trial!"

"Battalion Commander Xie, you didn't eat the kid who hit you on the head with a pebble, did you?" Battalion Commander Lu Qin joked.

"I'd like to, but I don't have the guts," Xie Bin said with a helpless shake of his head and a smile.

"Jiang Zhongyuan and his Chu Yong are also in Quanzhou."

"Is Jiang Zhongyuan helping Cao Xiepei defend Quanzhou City?" Peng Gang asked, raising his eyes.

Since the Battle of Bogong'ao, in which the Chu army was severely defeated, the Left Army had not encountered or fought against Jiang Zhongyuan's Chu army for quite some time.

"We'll be besieging Quanzhou City sooner or later. Jiang Zhongyuan is a shrewd man, how could he possibly walk into a trap like Quanzhou City?"

Xie Bin reported all the intelligence he had gathered in Quanzhou to Peng Gang in detail.

"Jiang Zhongyuan led over a thousand Chu soldiers to cut down trees near Suoyi Ferry and Shuitang Bay, north of Quanzhou City. I don't know what Jiang Zhongyuan was going to do with so many trees, but he certainly didn't have good intentions."

If you want to enter Hunan, you must first conquer Quanzhou City.

Quanzhou City is currently a dead end; if Chu Yong enters Quanzhou City, he will face certain death.

Jiang Zhongyuan could understand the same principles that Xie Bin could.

Jiang Zhongyuan was a registered county magistrate who led local militia, but he was not a local official of the entire prefecture.

Even though Quanzhou City was lost, the Qing court couldn't blame Jiang Zhongyuan.

Jiang Zhongyuan has no need to get involved in this mess in Quanzhou City.

Jiang Zhongyuan's decision to protect Hunan and prevent the Taiping army from entering the province by setting up an ambush in the waters north of Quanzhou city was indeed a wiser choice.

If the war goes well, the Chu troops can pursue the Taiping army to the bitter end; if the war goes poorly, they can retreat calmly north along the Xiang River and preserve the Chu troops.

"Is the river water near Suoyi Ferry and Shuitang Bay relatively shallow?" Peng Gang asked.

"I don't know. Chu Yong is near Suoyi Ferry and Shuitang Bay. I don't have many men with me, so I don't dare to get too close," Xie Bin said, shaking his head.

"When I asked the local people, they saw that I didn't have a queue and was carrying weapons, so they avoided me and refused to say anything."

“I’ve been to Suoyi Ferry and Shuitang Bay,” Chen Shiqing, who has long been active in the northern Guangxi region, said.

“The water near Suoyi Ferry and Shuitang Bay is indeed relatively shallow, and the river is not very wide, with the widest point being no more than fifty or sixty zhang.”

"Jiang Zhongyuan must have been cutting down trees and driving stakes into the river to block our boats from entering Hunan," Peng Gang guessed Jiang Zhongyuan's intentions.

Suoyi Ferry and Shuitang Bay were essential waterways for the Taiping Army to enter Hunan by waterway. The nearby river was shallow, making it suitable for using wooden stakes to block the river and prevent the Taiping Army's boats from going north along the Xiang River and penetrating deep into Hunan.

(End of this chapter)