1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 231 Vigorous Vitality
Zuo Zongtang opened the letter and read it.

In his letter, Peng Gang described him as the foremost geographer of our time, possessing expertise not only in domestic geography but also in overseas geography, especially in Western geography.

He even made outrageous remarks, saying that Wei Yuan's "Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms" was full of errors and omissions. Is this the level of the great geographer from Hunan? He is not even one-tenth as good as him.

I have long heard that Zuo Zongtang was also a leading figure in Hunan geography. I wonder if Zuo Zongtang was also a person who sought fame and fortune, and whether his expertise in geography was just something that Hunan people boasted about, without any real knowledge or ability, and that his reputation was undeserved.

The envelope also contained two simplified world maps and a map of Hunan province.

As for returning Li Xingyuan's remains, it was only mentioned casually in the letter.

"That scoundrel, the self-proclaimed Northern King, what a boastful tone! He claims to be the greatest geographer of our time! Such empty words, isn't he afraid of biting off more than he can chew?" After reading it, Zuo Zongtang got excited and said indignantly.

"It seems even the leader of the Guangdong Western Cult has heard of Ji Gao Xiangyin Wolong's name and wants to invite him to join his gang," Guo Songtao quipped.

"The cultists in western Guangdong are cunning and treacherous. This is clearly a provocation by the cultists! If they want to lure Ji Gao into their den, Ji Gao must not go to Lingling! Entering the den is easy, but getting out of it is as difficult as climbing to heaven!" Guo Kuntao pulled Zuo Zongtang aside, avoiding Li Huan, and whispered a reminder to Zuo Zongtang.

Guo Kuntao knew that Zuo Zongtang was always very proud and hoped that Zuo Zongtang could calm down and not get angry with the leader of the religious bandits in western Guangdong.

Although Li Huan couldn't hear what Guo Kuntao was whispering to Zuo Zongtang, he knew that Guo Kuntao was deliberately avoiding him and whispering to Zuo Zongtang, definitely advising Zuo Zongtang not to go to Lingling.

If Zuo Zongtang didn't go to Lingling, Li Huan wouldn't be able to get his father Li Xingyuan's body back. Thinking of this, Li Huan disregarded propriety and knelt down in front of Zuo Zongtang, grabbing Zuo Zongtang's clothes and begging him with snot and tears, hoping that Zuo Zongtang would come for the sake of being from the same Xiangyin, saying that the Li family would be extremely grateful to him.

Zuo Zongtang did not give a direct answer about whether he would go or not. He pondered for a moment and then went into the house.

He found the maps he had drawn over the years and compared them with the two small, simple maps that Peng Gang had given him.

Upon a cursory comparison, Zuo Zongtang discovered that the pseudo-Northern King who wrote the letter was indeed quite knowledgeable in geography.

Immediately, Zuo Zongtang rummaged through his belongings and found a reply letter written to him by Lin Zexu's third son, Lin Congyi.

After reading Lin Congyi's reply, Zuo Zongtang pondered for a moment and then showed Lin Congyi's reply to everyone: "Last year, when I learned of the passing of Lin Wenzhong, I sent a letter to Lin Wenzhong's third son, Tingsun, firstly to express my condolences to the Lin family, and secondly to inquire about information about the religious bandits in western Guangdong."

In his letter, Sun mentioned that although the religious bandits in western Guangdong were despicable, they were still trustworthy, especially the "short-haired" ones. They not only sent Lin Wenzhong a fine coffin, but also had Zhang Titai's remains returned to him with dignity.

"It's nothing more than a pretense, a tactic to win people's hearts; don't believe it," Guo Kuntao said disdainfully.

Sensing that Zuo Zongtang had already conceived the idea of ​​making a trip to Lingling, Guo Songtao, knowing Zuo Zongtang's abilities, did not want him to take the wrong path. Despite Li Huan's presence, he tried his best to dissuade him.

"As far as I know, Peng Gang, the leader of the short-haired bandits, is just a student in your county. None of his ancestors have ever achieved any official rank, nor has he inherited any family learning. How could he be a master of geography at such a young age? He just wants to lure you over."

Zuo Zongtang was known for his stubbornness. Once he had an idea, not only Guo Songtao, but even Hu Linyi, who was closer to him, could not persuade him.

"Not necessarily. Although the false Northern King boasted, his drawing skills alone are beyond the reach of ordinary people. He may actually have some real knowledge," Zuo Zongtang said, pacing back and forth.

"Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle. The religious bandits in western Guangdong have almost taken over half of Hunan, yet we still know very little about them. Although this trip is dangerous, it is also a good opportunity to understand the religious bandits."

Furthermore, Li Zixiang (Li Xingyuan) and our two families have some connections; we are both from Xiangyin. If I don't make a trip for Li Zixiang and ensure he is properly buried, gossipy people will inevitably use this matter to criticize me, Zuo Zongtang.

With multiple objectives in mind, Zuo Zongtang made up his mind to visit Lingling.

After trying to persuade him for a while, Guo Songtao and his brother, seeing that they could not convince Zuo Zongtang, got up to take their leave and bid him farewell.

"Shouldn't we inform Governor Luo about this matter and have him send someone to intercept Ji Gao on the way, so that Ji Gao doesn't make another mistake?" Guo Kuntao asked Guo Songtao in a low voice after leaving Zuo Zongtang's thatched cottage.

“You know Zuo Luzi’s temper. If you try to stop him, he’ll hold a grudge against you for the rest of his life,” Guo Songtao said as he walked slowly along the mountain path where the weeds were knee-high.

“What he said makes sense. This is indeed a great opportunity to delve into the inner workings of the cult and find out what’s going on. The country is in decline, the people are suffering, and the people are restless. In recent years, there have been quite a few uprisings, but only the cult has been able to gain momentum. The cult must have something to offer that makes it superior to other bandits.”

Approaching the task with the same mentality and methods used to suppress figures like Li Yuanfa will hardly eradicate the religious bandits in western Guangdong. Since Ji Gao wants to go, I might as well accompany him; at the crucial moment, someone will be able to dissuade him.”

Not only Zuo Zongtang became interested in the Short-Haired Cult, but Guo Songtao also became interested in them.

Zuo Zongtang was proud and arrogant, and few people could catch his eye or gain his approval.

Zuo Zongtang did not completely deny Peng Gang's expertise in geography, indicating that this notorious bandit leader from western Guangdong, who wreaked havoc in Hunan and Guangxi provinces, was indeed different from ordinary bandit leaders and possessed some ability.

“Brother, you mustn’t! Although you are in mourning at home, you are still an official appointed by the court. How can you go to the bandit den in Lingling?!” Guo Kuntao hurriedly dissuaded him.

“If you are worried, brother, I will go in your place. I have no official position and have no worries.”

The following day, after packing their belongings, Zuo Zongtang, Guo Kuntao, and Li Huan, each accompanied by a family member, rode donkeys along the official road towards Lingling.

As more and more guest troops entered the territory of Changsha Prefecture.

The security situation in the Changsha Prefecture area deteriorated rapidly.

From time to time, groups of three or five deserters would plunder and rape local women. Some of the more despicable ones would even set fire to people's houses before leaving.

Local militias and visiting troops frequently clashed. By the time they arrived in Xiangtan, Zuo Zongtang and Guo Kuntao had already witnessed no fewer than ten violent clashes between local militias and visiting troops, resulting in fatalities.

As expected, defending Changsha still depends on the local militia. These visiting troops have no ability to suppress bandits, but they are all good at harming the people under the guise of bandit suppression.

However, both Zuo Zongtang and Guo Kuntao were commoners, and this trip was a secret one to Lingling, so they were helpless in the face of those evil-doing foreign military officers and soldiers.

Even more frustratingly, not long after leaving Xiangtan and arriving in Yisuhe City, their donkeys were forcibly taken away by arrogant and domineering Green Standard Army soldiers with Shaanxi accents, who claimed that Sai Zhongtang needed livestock to suppress bandits.

"When a scholar encounters a soldier, reason is useless. Today, we two scholars have encountered soldiers, and we have nowhere to reason with them either."

Without his donkey, Zuo Zongtang, who had to walk on two legs, couldn't help but laugh at himself.

“Ji Gao, how can you still laugh? We’re still over 600 li away from Lingling,” Guo Kuntao said angrily. “Our rations are enough for four or five days, but four or five days’ worth of rations won’t get us to Lingling.”

"Why go all the way to Lingling? We'll be in Hengzhou Prefecture in another day. I heard that the short-haired rebels have even captured Hengshan County, the northernmost county seat of Hengzhou Prefecture. Once we get to Hengshan County, we can have them escort us to Lingling. Maybe they'll even give us a lot of travel money on our way back." Zuo Zongtang maintained a relatively optimistic attitude.

"I'm afraid this time we might not come back," Guo Kuntao said worriedly.

They traveled to Hengshan County, which borders Changsha Prefecture in the northern part of Hengzhou Prefecture.

Because the Qing army dared not penetrate deep into Hengzhou Prefecture, which was under the control of the Taiping army, the security situation in Hengshan County was actually much better than that in Changsha Prefecture, where the Qing army was heavily concentrated.

This greatly surprised Zuo Zongtang and his entourage.

Before long, Zuo Zongtang and his entourage arrived at a village beside the official road.

In the dim light, Zuo Zongtang and his entourage saw dozens of men, some with shaved heads, others wearing straw hats, red scarves tied around their chests, and dressed in short cotton tunics, gathered around a makeshift thatched shed in the threshing ground, lining up with bowls to get their food.

Needless to say, these are the rumored short-haired men.

Even so, in the eyes of Zuo Zongtang and Guo Kuntao, Duanmao was still a rebellious bandit.

However, they also had to admit that the short-haired rebels were more like soldiers and more orderly than the Qing army's Green Standard Army.

If it were the Green Camp training group getting food, let alone queuing, it would be extremely rare for them not to fight for food.

When Guo Kuntao first saw the short-haired soldiers, he was very afraid and dared not go forward. He wanted to go around them and avoid them.

“The Short-Haired Army has excellent discipline and won’t make things difficult for us,” Li Huan said to Guo Kuntao, having had some contact with the Left Army and understanding them quite well.

Zuo Zongtang was bold. Before Li Huan could finish speaking, he went to the edge of the threshing ground, munching on the cold rations while carefully observing the short-haired soldiers.

As Zuo Zongtang was struggling with a hard piece of dry rations, a short-haired officer with a scar on his cheekbone, who appeared to be the leader of the group near the threshing ground, noticed Zuo Zongtang and suddenly waved to him: "Sir, who's eating a cold pancake, would you like a bowl of hot porridge?"

Zuo Zongtang was not intimidated. He walked forward casually, took a bowl of steaming porridge, and looked down to see that it was made of fine rice. He figured it must have been obtained by plundering the fine rice from wealthy households in the neighborhood.

Before he even started drinking, the short-haired officer called over the cook, who chopped some cured meat and finely chopped cabbage into Zuo Zongtang's porridge bowl to accompany the rice.

Zuo Zongtang thanked him and buried his head in his drink, thoroughly enjoying it.

Although the short-haired diced cured pork was only a tiny bit, it was still meat, which added a lot of flavor.

The aroma of porridge and meat wafted into the noses of Guo Kuntao, Li Huan, and the others, whetting their appetites.

Since they were robbed by Shaanxi soldiers in Xiangtan, they haven't had any decent food and are indeed craving hot meals.

The short-haired officer was Wang Zhi, the company commander of the 12th Provisional Battalion. Wang Zhi invited Zuo Zongtang's companions to come up and have a bowl of hot porridge.

Guo Kuntao originally intended to starve rather than drink the porridge with short hairs.

But the porridge was so delicious that I went through a brief internal struggle.

Guo Kuntao thought that he might as well drink the porridge that the short-haired cult leader offered, and take advantage of the short-haired cult leader's good fortune. He took the fragrant rice porridge that the short-haired cult leader handed him and drank it with relish.

"A traveler needs a hot meal to sustain him on the journey," Wang Zhi said, drinking porridge from a wooden bowl as he chatted with the scholars.

"This officer must be a high-ranking official, so why is he eating the same food as the common soldiers? Doesn't he get any special treatment?" Zuo Zongtang noticed that the short-haired officer he was talking to was eating exactly the same food as the other common soldiers, and asked curiously.

“I’m not a high-ranking official. Officials above me eat the same food. We in the Left Army don’t have special meals; everyone eats together,” Wang Zhi said with a smile.

"You are all scholars, aren't you? Our Prince of the North is currently recruiting talented individuals to join his staff. Why don't you give it a try? Our Prince treats scholars well." Wang Zhi was referring to the Left Army, not the Taiping Army, emphasizing the Left Army's independence.

Zuo Zongtang became increasingly convinced that his judgment was correct; the short-haired and long-haired groups should be two separate groups.

“Your Highness wants talented scholars, but I am just a lowly intellectual from the countryside, unworthy of respect,” Zuo Zongtang changed the subject and asked.

"I've heard that most of your Taiping Army soldiers are from Guangxi, but this general's accent doesn't sound like that of someone from Guangxi?"

“This gentleman is very knowledgeable. I am indeed not from Guangxi. I was originally a battalion commander in the Qingjiang Green Standard Army in Guizhou. Those bastards of the Eight Banners went too far, so in a fit of anger, I surrendered and joined His Highness the Northern Prince. I no longer want to be a slave to the Eight Banners soldiers,” Wang Zhi said.

Zuo Zongtang was taken aback, not expecting that this short-haired officer was actually a former Green Standard Army officer.

“Since you are from the Green Standard Army and serve as a soldier on the government’s paycheck, even if you are not from the Eight Banners, you should inform your superiors and let them handle it. How could you defect to the enemy?” When Guo Kuntao heard that the other party was actually a Green Standard Army officer, he immediately became furious and lost control of his emotions, forgetting where he was.

"Shangguan? This gentleman is talking without understanding the situation. Do you think we haven't contacted Shangguan? My superior is Yiketanbu, the deputy commander of Qingjiang. He is also a Manchu. So what if my superior is Han? Dare to disobey a Manchu master?" Wang Zhi sneered.

“Our prince is right. Why should we, the proud and upright sons of Han, grovel before the Manchu Tartars? We are all born of fathers and mothers, so why should we be bullied by them? Why should the Eight Banners eat and drink well while we eat their scraps and have to be subservient to them? Why should the emperor of the Han dynasty be a descendant of a wild boar?”

Seeing that the conversation between the two had already sparked a heated argument, Zuo Zongtang quickly pulled Guo Kuntao aside, signaling him to stop arguing.

Just then, an old woman with a gray cloth wrapped around her head walked towards the threshing ground. Her withered hands clutched a thrashing hen: "I've raised these eight eggs and some luhua for three years. I'd like to trade them with the bosses for some rice to make porridge for my grandson. Will you trade?"

The hen, still flapping its wings, had fresh mud on its claws. Wang Zhi temporarily put the wooden bowl on the table and went to greet it.

Wang Zhi had been stationed in the village for five days. He knew the old woman's situation well. Although she had a few acres of poor land, the whole family ate coarse grains in order to save money to support her son's education. Wang Zhi accepted the eggs but not the speckled chicken: "Auntie, you can keep the speckled chicken to lay eggs. We can exchange the eggs. Nine eggs for three catties of rice."

As he spoke, Wang Zhi gestured to the cook to weigh out three jin of rice and put it into the old woman's grain bag.

"No, sir!" the old woman cried, trying to cover the bag. "Eggs are three coins each at the market, and rice is fifteen coins a liter. You've given me too much."

“Raising chickens is expensive, so please keep the eggs for yourself. We’ve borrowed a lot of equipment from you these past few days to build the shed, so consider this a token of our gratitude for renting your equipment,” Wang Zhi said gently.

When the old woman heard Wang Zhi say this, she was caught between holding a speckled chicken in one hand and a grain sack in the other. She couldn't manage both hands, and when the sack fell, she missed catching the rice that the cook was pouring out, and a lot of rice spilled onto the ground.

Three or four young soldiers who had finished their porridge rushed over. These boys, who looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, squatted down and carefully picked up the rice that had fallen to the ground. They grinned, revealing their tiger teeth, and said, "Grandma, be careful with your hands! The rice grains are prickly!"

The old woman bowed and thanked her, saying, "I have lived most of my life and have seen many officials who have passed through our village, but I have never seen such kind officials as you."

Zuo Zongtang witnessed this scene and secretly thought to himself that the claims that "the religious bandits in western Guangdong plundered civilian grain to supply their army" were all false.

It's certain that the religious bandits in western Guangdong preyed on the wealthy, but they treated ordinary people quite well; otherwise, they wouldn't have won popular support and so many people would have been willing to follow them in their rebellion.

If the people entering the village are Green Standard Army soldiers or local militia, don't even think about exchanging chickens and eggs for grain.

As soon as they entered the village, the chickens and eggs were already in their stomachs.

After finishing his porridge, Zuo Zongtang thanked Wang Zhi for his hospitality and was about to continue his journey when he noticed a proclamation titled "Proclamation to Punish the Manchu Tartars by Imperial Decree" posted on a newly erected notice board by the official road.

Zuo Zongtang and his entourage watched with great interest.

After reading this manifesto written by Peng Gang, Zuo Zongtang remained relatively calm, considering it a conventional and straightforward manifesto.

What the Taiping rebels said in their manifesto was indeed true.

The slogans "Expel the Tartars, restore China," "Equalize land ownership," and "Establish a new dynasty" were quite clever.

Zuo Zongtang was slightly moved by what he saw.

I just don't know what kind of person the author of this manifesto is, or whether he has the ability to establish a new dynasty and create a new world.

Guo Kuntao was so angry that he trembled all over and muttered under his breath that it was outrageous.

After reading the proclamation, Zuo Zongtang turned back to the threshing ground and found Wang Zhi, who was training new recruits there: "To be honest, sir, we were invited by the Northern King to Lingling for a meeting, but unfortunately our travel expenses were robbed by bandits in Changsha. Could you please give us a ride?"

As he spoke, Zuo Zongtang showed Wang Zhi Peng Gang's letter.

Wang Zhi looked at Zuo Zongtang with suspicion, then glanced at the letter.

Although Wang Zhi could recognize some simple characters, he really couldn't recognize Peng Gang's handwriting.

They had no choice but to find the deputy company commander, who was a graduate of the second training class, and ask him to check if it was Peng Gang's handwriting.

After the deputy company commander finished reading the letter, he noticed that the handwriting did resemble Peng Gang's, but he wasn't sure yet.

But when he saw the two simple maps in the letter, the deputy platoon leader nodded with certainty: "It is indeed His Highness the Northern King's notes, especially these maps. When the Northern King was teaching me, he drew a world map on the blackboard. I still have some impression of the outline of the world map."

After confirming the authenticity of the letter, Wang Zhi, without saying a word, arranged for a group of soldiers to escort Zuo Zongtang and his entourage to Hengshan County.

Upon learning of this, Wang Huwei, the battalion commander of the Provisional Twelfth Battalion stationed in Hengshan County, arranged for Zuo Zongtang and his entourage to travel by boat to Hengyang, and then from Hengyang to Lingling.

Hengzhou Prefecture, under the control of the Left Army, was indeed more orderly than Changsha Prefecture.

Moreover, the short-haired rabble did not destroy local Confucian temples along the way as rumored.

When Zuo Zongtang passed through Hengshan County and Hengyang City, he made a special trip to visit the Confucian temples in both places.

The short-haired Maoist forces not only did not destroy the Confucian temples at these two locations, but also sent guards to protect them.

Based on what he saw and heard along the way, even Guo Kuntao, who was deeply hostile to the "bandits of the Western Guangdong Religion," had to admit that the Left Army was indeed a disciplined and righteous army that did not harm the people in the slightest, and seemed to have the potential to accomplish great things.

If the imperial court does not take action and remains bound by precedent, it will be difficult to eradicate the religious bandits in western Guangdong, or at least to eradicate the short-haired rebels.

When Zuo Zongtang passed through Hengyang, Peng Gang was receiving a group of new members who had recently joined Zuo's army at the Yongzhou Prefecture government office in Lingling City.

As the Left Army captured Hengyang, the capital of Hengzhou Prefecture, the "Proclamation to Punish the Manchu Tartars" was posted and spread more and more widely.

The effects are gradually becoming apparent. Now, those who come to Peng Gang's aid are not only members of the Heaven and Earth Society, miners, poor farmers, and migrant workers—the working class at the bottom of society.

Li Ruzhao, a student from Anhua, Hunan, who was living in Hengyang City, witnessed the appearance of the Left Army and believed that the Left Army was the army of a king. Li Ruzhao was extremely disappointed with the Qing court, which was corrupt, had formed cliques, deceived each other, extorted villagers, and disregarded the lives of the people. He decisively joined Peng Gang.

After testing him, Peng Gang saw that Li Ruzhao had excellent writing skills, so he kept him by his side as a clerk.

Besides Li Ruzhao, there were four other Hunan students in similar circumstances, and eleven Hunan students came to serve him.

Although no scholars with the rank of Juren or above have come to join us yet, it is still a good start.

This at least proves that not all Hunan scholars were supporters of the Manchu Qing dynasty. There were still Hunan scholars who were disgusted by the Manchu rule and were willing to risk their lives to fight against it.

Encouragingly, the strength of the naval forces has been greatly enhanced.

Tang Zhengcai, a timber and grain merchant from Guiyang County, Qidong County, Hengzhou Prefecture, who was skilled in boat handling and familiar with the hydrology of the Xiangjiang River, sacrificed his family fortune to help Peng Gang in his time of need, bringing more than forty boats of various sizes and more than three hundred sailors to join him.

Peng Gang tasked Tang Zhengcai with assisting Luo Dagang and Chen Ajiu in recruiting local sailors in preparation for expanding the naval camp.

Xu Binsheng, a Hunan native skilled in shipbuilding, also invested in the project, and Peng Gang assigned Xu Binsheng to the boat camp to be specifically responsible for modifying ships.

The situation of the Left Army in Yongzhou and Hengzhou prefectures can be described as thriving.

Through intelligence provided by members of the Heaven and Earth Society, Peng Gang learned that the newly appointed Imperial Commissioner Sai Shang'a had already stationed himself in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, and was gathering troops in preparation for suppressing the Taiping Army.

Historically, Sai Shang'a was an old adversary of the Taiping Army, and he watched the Taiping Army advance from Guangxi to Jiangning (Tianjing).

This man is mediocre and incompetent, lacks command skills, is timid and cowardly, a seasoned official, and knows nothing about military affairs.

Sai Shang'a was a typical Manchu official in the late Qing Dynasty.

Without the advantage of being a Manchu, and with no other Manchus available, the position of Imperial Commissioner would not have been his.

From Lin Zexu to Li Xingyuan, and now to Sai Shang'a, the imperial envoys sent by the Qing Dynasty have all been progressively worse than the last.

Strategically, we should despise the Manchu Qing dynasty as our opponent, but tactically, we should still pay attention to them.

Peng Gang instructed Luo Dagang and Liu Tongwei to contact the Heaven and Earth Society in Changsha to gather intelligence on the Qing army and try to find out the specific deployment of the Qing troops brought by Sai Shang'a.

Not only is Peng Gang's situation very favorable, but Yang Xiuqing, Wei Changhui, and Shi Dakai's side is also doing very well.

Yang Xiuqing's Eastern Palace troops have already captured Chenzhou, achieving his established goal. He is now recruiting soldiers and talents in Chenzhou and Guiyang Prefecture.

Wei Changhui and Shi Dakai's auxiliary and wing troops also successfully captured Shaoyang, the capital of Baoqing Prefecture. They continued northward along the Zi River, the largest river in Baoqing Prefecture, and recruited soldiers within the prefecture.

The strength of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, especially its navy, was greatly enhanced in Hunan.

The Taiping Army was at its zenith, its military might at its peak. Not to mention that incompetent Sai Shang'a, even if Lin Zexu were resurrected, he would be powerless to reverse the situation.

(End of this chapter)