1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 227 Capturing Hengyang
Luo Dagang would write a letter to Peng Gang every day to report on the situation at the burial site and the progress of the attack on Hengyang City.

Peng Gang was not surprised by Luo Dagang's letter.

This is the first time Lin Fengxiang has written to me.

Even without opening the secret letter, Peng Gang could roughly guess that Xiao Chaogui had met with misfortune during the attack on Changsha.

After reading the secret letter sent by Bi Linfengxiang, just as Peng Gang had predicted, Xiao Chaogui had died from cannon fire in Changsha.

Xiao Chaogui's being hit by the cannonball seemed unexpected, but it was actually inevitable.

Xiao Chaogui was impatient and hot-tempered. He often got angry and beat his subordinates. He loved to show off and was prone to reckless courage.

Given Xiao Chaogui's style of doing things, even if he didn't die in Changsha, he would have died in battle while attacking other cities later.

As the commander-in-chief of an army, his ability to lead troops to the front lines with courage and fearlessness is certainly a rare and admirable quality.

Riding in a yellow sedan chair and wearing a yellow robe to personally go to the front line and expose oneself to the Qing army's cannons would be too ostentatious and show too much arrogance and underestimation of the enemy.

Peng Gang wrote to Luo Dagang, instructing him to continue attacking Hengyang City at his own pace and not to be affected by the setbacks on the Western Palace side.

At the same time, a reply was sent to Lin Fengxiang, explaining that the three thousand elite troops of the Western Palace were isolated deep in enemy territory, and with their commander recently deceased, it was too dangerous for them to remain near Changsha for an extended period. He hoped that for the sake of the Western Palace's future, they would not fight to the death in Changsha, but instead temporarily withdraw to Hengyang to rest and regroup. The Northern Palace would provide the necessary food, clothing, and ammunition for the three thousand elite troops of the Western Palace.

The lessons learned from Guilin were still fresh in their minds. Lin Fengxiang and the others did not actually agree with attacking the provincial capital with only 3,000 troops, but Xiao Chaogui was stubborn and headstrong, and refused to listen to their advice.

When Peng Gang's letter arrived in Changsha, Zeng Shuiyuan, Lin Fengxiang, Li Kaifang, and others were filled with grief and indignation and wanted to avenge Xiao Chaogui. However, after discussion, they all believed that the Western Palace's forces were insufficient and that Changsha was well-fortified with powerful cannons. They had no confidence in conquering Changsha and decided to follow Peng Gang's advice to temporarily retreat south to Hengyang for rest and reorganization.

As the Taiping army retreated south, Luo Bingzhang, Bao Qibao, Jiang Zhongyuan, and others became bolder and went out of the city to pursue the retreating Western Palace troops.

Bao Qibao and Jiang Zhongyuan had suffered losses under the Western Palace troops and dared not pursue them seriously. However, they still needed to produce some results to report to their superiors. So they killed innocent people to claim credit and shaved the heads of the civilians they had indiscriminately killed, designating them as short-haired soldiers.

Cheng Yucai and Luo Bingzhang turned a blind eye to this and tacitly approved of their actions.

Zeng Shuiyuan, Lin Fengxiang and others withdrew in a timely manner, the day after the three thousand Western Palace troops had left.

The newly appointed Imperial Commissioner Sai Shang'a, accompanied by Fu Cheng, the General of the Shaanxi-Gansu Green Standard Army in Xi'an, Yin Peili, the Deputy General of Tongguan, and Wang Lin, the General of the Henan Green Standard Army in Hebei, led an advance force of 3,000 Shaanxi-Gansu Green Standard Army soldiers, 1,500 Henan Green Standard Army soldiers, and 4,000 local militiamen from the two regions to Changsha, where he took over the city's defenses.

Upon learning that the Changsha garrison had inflicted a major defeat on the Western Guangdong religious bandits the day before, killing the bandit leader Wei Zheng with artillery fire and killing 131 long-haired and 3,325 short-haired religious bandits, Sai Shang'a was overjoyed. He believed that such a great victory so soon after taking office was an excellent omen, a blessing from heaven for the Qing Dynasty.

Sai Shang'a immediately wrote a memorial to Emperor Xianfeng to report the victory, stating that the mere religious bandits in western Guangdong were nothing to fear. With him stationed in Hunan to oversee the suppression of the religious bandits in western Guangdong, Emperor Xianfeng could rest assured and wait in the Forbidden City for his good servant's report of victory.

What Sai Shang'a didn't expect was that his good news also reached the Forbidden City, where Peng Gang had already prepared a surprise for him in Hengzhou, south of Changsha.

Hengyang, the capital of Hengzhou Prefecture, is surrounded by water on three sides and backed by mountains on the other. With its strong city walls and deep moats, it has been known as the "Gateway to Southern Hunan" since ancient times and is an important town in southern Hunan.

Luo Dagang surveyed the terrain and discovered that the foundation of the northern city was mostly loess mixed with sand, with a loose structure. Therefore, he adopted the same method of attacking the city by digging tunnels as Quanzhou City.

He ordered Liu Yonggu and Liu Daiwei to lead the newly formed engineering battalion to select a section of the city wall foundation on the north side as the target for digging tunnels.

Using civilian houses outside the city as cover, the soldiers of the engineering battalion secretly dug tunnels, working day and night. After 26 days, they finally dug a tunnel that led directly to the base of the north wall of Hengyang City.

They then filled the end of the tunnel with 1,500 jin of gunpowder, sealed it with layers of wooden barrels, and attached a fuse.

As the sky was about to collapse, Luo Dagang ordered the gunpowder to be detonated.

With a deafening roar, the north wall of Hengyang collapsed like a ripped silk at the epicenter, sending bricks and stones flying and dust billowing into the sky. Hundreds of Qing soldiers on the north wall of Hengyang were instantly killed or seriously wounded, losing their fighting capacity.

After the loud noise, a gap one and a half feet wide appeared in the north wall of Hengyang City.

Two miles north of the city wall of Hengyang.

Wang Yinan, Luo Bangyi, and seventy or eighty other miners from the Simenzhou Coal Mine in Leiyang County were stunned by the deafening noise and stood frozen in place.

Although they had been in Hengyang City for some time, these coal miners had become accustomed to hearing the Qing army and the Zuo army exchanging artillery fire.

They have become desensitized to the sound of artillery fire, and their ability to adapt to the battlefield far surpasses that of ordinary miners.

But the sound of 1,500 pounds of gunpowder exploding was far more than that of cannons, and it still frightened them.

"What are you standing there for! Don't you want to make something of yourself? The opportunity is right in front of you, if you don't charge now, when will you?" Peng Yong kicked Wang Yinan hard beside him and shouted loudly, "The time to break through the city has come! Brothers of Simenzhou, charge with me!"

After speaking, Peng Yong was the first to rush out of the group.

Realizing what had happened, the Simenzhou coal miners followed Peng Yong's lead and headed straight for Hengyang City without hesitation.

The coal miners led by Peng Yong had not received systematic military training. They charged in without any strategy, still using the methods of the Heaven and Earth Society. They charged and killed haphazardly, without even forming a military formation. They just charged forward with all their might.

This is a major taboo in the left wing. Sprinting the entire way is extremely exhausting and can easily deplete one's stamina when engaging in battle, resulting in a significant decline in combat effectiveness.

The left flank's charge only reached its full speed in the last twenty paces or so. While completely disorganized, it was undeniably fast.

Peng Yong led his seventy or eighty miners from Simenzhou, and they were the first to leap into the ruins, scrambling through the gaps in the bricks and stones to climb into Hengyang City.

The Qing troops guarding the northern wall of Hengyang were either dead, wounded, or had fled, and were no longer able to stop Peng Yong and his men from entering the city.

Peng Yong and his men encountered no significant resistance and were able to become the first group to rush into Hengyang City.

After entering Hengyang City, Peng Yong went straight to the government office along the streets and alleys of the north city.

Although the Qing troops in the city had assembled hastily, the local militia under Tao Enpei, the prefect of Hengzhou, were not skilled in marksmanship and their formations were disorganized. Moreover, upon learning that the north wall had been breached and that the rebels had entered the city, their morale was low.

Before the two sides even made contact, the Hengyang militia saw a group of short-haired soldiers wielding spears and broadswords charging towards them. Terrified, they immediately scattered and fled for their lives.

In the end, Tao Enpei, the prefect of Hengzhou, only managed to gather about thirty constables from the three shifts of the yamen and retreat into the Hengzhou yamen. He closed the main gate tightly, lined up behind the gate, and stubbornly resisted.

Eager to make a name for himself, Peng Yong left five or six men behind to continue banging on the main gate, making it appear as if he were launching a full-scale assault on the government office's main gate.

He then led the remaining men to quickly bypass the side of the government office, organized the miners to form a human ladder to climb over the wall and enter the government office, and attacked the more than thirty yamen runners guarding the gate.

The two sides engaged in close combat between the platform and the ceremonial gate in front of the mansion. As soon as they clashed, swords flashed and blood flowed, and the sound of weapons clashing was like a torrential downpour.

The miners from Simenzhou in Leiyang that Peng Yong brought were not genuinely untrained in the military; they were essentially still miners.

However, the constables around Tao Enpei were not regular soldiers either, but a group of constables. When the former members of the Heaven and Earth Society fought against the Qing government's constables, the two sides were evenly matched.

Peng Yong, fearless of death, wielded his knife and hacked down three constables.

With their leader so valiant, the sixty or seventy new recruits of miners who scaled the wall and entered the government office fought with increasing ferocity, using their numerical advantage to force the thirty-odd third-shift yamen runners to retreat repeatedly.

A constable caught sight of Peng Yong heading straight for Prefect Tao Enpei, drew his sword and stood protectively in front of Tao Enpei, calling out to the surviving constables around him: "Protect Lord Tao!"

Before he could finish speaking, Peng Yong stabbed him in the chest, and blood splattered everywhere.

After dealing with the Hengyang yamen runners around Tao Enpei, Peng Yong slashed at Tao Enpei with his sword.

Tao Enpei was quite agile and parried with his sword. The blade was so jolted that it hummed and almost slipped from his grasp.

However, Tao Enpei was ultimately a civil official, and already over fifty years old. In hand-to-hand combat, how could he possibly be a match for a young man like Peng Yong, who was broad-shouldered, strong, and robust?

After barely managing to parry twice, Tao Enpei lost his grip on the goose-feather saber and was kicked to the ground by Peng Yong, blood flowing from his forehead to his beard.

"Kill me if you want, give me a quick death, I will not surrender to the traitors!" Tao Enpei, who was determined to die, shouted with his head raised.

Peng Yong did not kill him, but instead ordered his men, "This man must be a high-ranking official. Tie him up and hand him over to Battalion Commander Chen!"

Two new recruits from Leiyang standing beside Peng Yong rushed forward, bound Tao Enpei behind his back, tore off a corner of his official robe, rolled it into a ball, and stuffed it into Tao Enpei's mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue and committing suicide.

Tao Enpei was captured alive, and the remaining constables stopped resisting and surrendered, dropping their weapons.

Luo Bangyi opened the main gate of the government office and looked up at the plaque. Unfortunately, he was illiterate and didn't know what this place was. He just felt that it was very grand and couldn't help but ask Peng Yong, "Boss, what kind of government office is this? It's even more grand than the county government offices I've ever seen!"

“This is the Hengzhou Prefecture government office, the face of the prefecture, so of course it’s more impressive than the Leiyang County government office,” Peng Yong said, tossing aside the ox-tail knife that had already been chipped open and picking up a fish-head knife worn by a squad leader.

In this era, the living environment of ordinary people is very small. The county town is the largest and most prosperous city that many people will visit in their lifetime.

Luo Bangyi was from Leiyang County. If Zuo Jun hadn't come to the Simenzhou coal mine to recruit soldiers and lead them in a rebellion, Luo Bangyi might never have had the chance to see what the prefectural city and government office were like.

Luo Bangyi chuckled, feeling like he was dreaming. Was he really in the government office now? And the government office gates were even open?

Like a mischievous child, he went back and forth in and out of the main gate of the prefectural government office, excitedly saying as he walked, "I heard that only the wealthy people and scholars in the county can use the main gate of the county government office. Does that mean only the rich and powerful can use the main gate of the prefectural government office?"

This scene left Tao Enpei, who was tightly bound, speechless. Hengyang City had actually been taken down by these peasants.
"What's a government office! Follow me, follow my brother to conquer the country, and from now on, not only government offices, but also the governor's office and the viceroy's office can be entered through the main gate!" Peng Yong said with great pride.

Having made a significant contribution by being the first to scale the walls and capturing the government office, he was fully capable of standing tall and recognizing Peng Gang, no longer needing to conceal his identity as the Emperor.

"Boss, what did you just say? Could it be that His Highness the Northern King is really your brother?" Wang Yinan's eyes widened upon hearing this.

Without the city walls to rely on, the soldiers of Hengzhou were like lambs to the slaughter. As the regular troops of the Left Army gradually entered the city through the gap in the north wall of Hengyang, the overall situation of Hengyang was settled.

The Qing soldiers inside the city surrendered to the Left Army and begged for their lives.

Hengyang City, the "Gateway to Southern Chu," has changed hands, and the area controlled by the Left Army has officially bordered Changsha Prefecture.

(End of this chapter)