1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 233 Unlike the Northern King
Escorted by soldiers of the Left Army, Zuo Zongtang and his entourage traveled upstream from Hengyang City by boat to the Left Army's headquarters in Lingling.

Zuo Zongtang and others originally thought that the short-haired army of Hengzhou Prefecture was the face of the short-haired army, and therefore looked very tough.

Unexpectedly, the banners of the Left Army camps within Yongzhou Prefecture were even more prominent, the soldiers were more spirited, and the weapons were even more sophisticated.

What Zuo Zongtang didn't know was that Peng Gang attacked Hengyang with the aim of training his troops. The troops that Luo Dagang brought to Hengzhou Prefecture were mostly temporary battalions, with fewer veteran troops.

Most of the Zuo Jun's old camps, especially the elite old camps, were located within the territory of Yongzhou Prefecture.

Therefore, the morale and demeanor of the Left Army within Yongzhou Prefecture were naturally better than those of the Left Army within Hengzhou Prefecture.

The boat left the Xiang River and entered the Xiao River, a tributary of the Xiang River. It was only about ten miles away from Lingling, the capital of Yongzhou Prefecture, and the city of Lingling was already in sight.

As he rowed on the Xiaoshui River, feeling the cool river breeze, Zuo Zongtang felt refreshed and relaxed.

The Left Army's battalions were orderly, with well-coordinated division of labor, strict discipline, and imposing presence. The person who could train such a strong army was indeed a remarkable individual, a rare military genius.

It's just that I don't know how accomplished Peng Gang is in geography, compared to his skills in training troops and fighting battles and his verbal skills.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look forward to the upcoming meeting.

Guo Kuntao, who was traveling with him, felt that the cabin was too stuffy, so he went up to the deck to get some fresh air.

"What are your thoughts on what you've seen and heard along the way, Zhongyi?" Zuo Zongtang turned to look at Guo Kuntao and asked.

"The conclusions drawn by scholars from Hunan and Hubei regarding the Taiping Army based solely on fragmentary rumors are indeed biased." Having traveled from Xiangyin to Lingling, Guo Kuntao's impression of the Taiping Army, at least the Left Army, had changed somewhat. He reluctantly admitted that their previous impression of the Left Army was unfair, but he still stubbornly insisted on his point.

"But so what? Guilin and Changsha were not captured. Whether it was the Taiping Rebellion or the Taiping Rebellion, they still failed to take down a major city, didn't they?"

“Zhongyi, that’s shallow,” Zuo Zongtang said thoughtfully, pointing to the various boats on the Xiaoshui River, some flying the Northern King’s flag and others the Peng’s flag.

"The grain transport boats and other vessels of Yongzhou and Hengzhou prefectures all belong to the Short-haired Mao. How many of these boats traveling on the Xiang River do not belong to the Short-haired Mao?"

With a large force concentrated in Changsha, the short-sighted Mao might find it difficult to capture quickly. However, the provincial capitals below Changsha were not as well-defended.

With so many ships, the Taiping rebels could easily skip Changsha and sail down the river to attack Wuchang, Nanchang, Anqing, and even Nanjing. Does Zhongyi really think the Taiping rebels can't even take a provincial capital?

Zuo Zongtang traveled along the canal to Beijing to take the imperial examinations in his early years, visiting most of the major cities on both sides of the Yangtze River.

Zuo Zongtang knew exactly what kind of people the Eight Banners and Green Standard Army were in these areas.

Sai Shang'a amassed a large army in Changsha, even transferring soldiers from Hubei.

If the Maoist forces bypass Changsha and launch a surprise attack on the sparsely populated Wuchang, the government troops in Changsha will be unable to catch up, and the fate of Wuchang will be uncertain.

"How could that be? Are the imperial court's Yangtze River naval forces all just sitting around doing nothing?" Guo Kuntao's heart tightened, realizing that Zuo Zongtang's words made sense.

The fact that the religious bandits in western Guangdong did not capture Guilin, nor did they stubbornly cling to it, shows that the leaders of the religious bandits in western Guangdong knew how to be flexible and were not confined to one city.

With numerous short-sighted ships, troop movements and relocations would not be difficult, making Zuo Zongtang's envisioned scenario entirely plausible.

However, Guo Kuntao still harbored unrealistic fantasies about the Yangtze River waterway.

"Does that mean the short-haired water corps is vegetarian?" Zuo Zongtang shook his head and asked in return.

“Zhongyi has also seen the short-haired man’s naval camp in Hengyang. I suppose he already has his own conclusions?”

Guo Kuntao was speechless.

The short-haired navy might not be as powerful as the Guangdong and Fujian navies, which guarded the southeastern sea frontiers of the imperial court.

But compared to the Green Standard Army and the Yangtze River's inland waterway naval forces, they are actually not inferior.

As the two talked, before they knew it, the boat had reached the dock outside Xiaoxiang Gate of Lingling City.

Peng Gang still attached great importance to Zuo Zongtang.

He personally came to the dock outside Xiaoxiang Gate to welcome them.

This move was not only for Zuo Zongtang alone, but also for the Hunan scholars who might potentially join Zuo's army.

Even someone as renowned and discerning as Zuo Zongtang, who lived a secluded life and enjoyed a high reputation among Hunan scholars, could be recruited by Peng Gang.

This will inevitably have a huge psychological impact on the Hunan Shiren Group.

There are surviving photos of Zuo Zongtang, and Peng Gang has also seen photos of Zuo Zongtang.

Although he had a companion, the person was overly scholarly and looked to be only in his early twenties, which didn't match the age of Zuo Zongtang, who was nearing forty.

Peng Gang recognized Zuo Zongtang relatively easily. Zuo Zongtang was not tall, but rather short and stocky, looking exceptionally sturdy, like a robust old pine tree.

His broad face, tanned a deep ochre by the scorching sun of Hunan, had high cheekbones that exuded a tough air.

His thick, ink-black eyebrows almost formed a single line, pressing heavily against his deep-set eyes. His eyes were sharp as a hawk's, with bright black pupils.

His beard was quite thick, especially the short mustache on his lips and the short beard that had recently grown under his chin. It was coarse and stiff like pig bristles, and had not been carefully groomed. It had a wild and unruly air about it, which complemented his dark blue robe that had been washed until it was faded and even had frayed edges at the cuffs.

"I have long admired the name of Xiangyin Jinliang and have come here to pay my respects. Please come ashore, Mr. Zuo." Peng Gang stepped forward and helped Zuo Zongtang ashore.

"Now that I'm here, take me to see your Northern King," Zuo Zongtang said indifferently.

News of the killing of Wei Zheng, the leader of the Guangdong-West religious bandits who was dressed in an apricot-yellow robe, has spread throughout Hunan.

Wei Zheng is a king, and Peng Gang is also a king.

Zuo Zongtang assumed that Peng Gang should also be wearing a yellow robe, so he did not recognize Peng Gang, who was wearing an indigo-blue homespun round-necked robe, and mistook Peng Gang for the Zuo army officer who was welcoming him.

Li Huan, who was standing to the side, had met Peng Gang before and had a deep impression of him, remembering his appearance. Just as Li Huan was about to remind Zuo Zongtang, Peng Gang spoke first: "Mr. Zuo has already met me, I am Peng Gang."

Zuo Zongtang was quite surprised that the short-haired Northern King was so unassuming. After recovering from his surprise, he joked, "He doesn't look like him at all."

“What’s not like it?” Peng Gang countered.

"The Northern King who wrote to me is incredibly arrogant, but the Northern King before me is not arrogant at all. He is unusually composed, unlike a young man who has just come of age," Zuo Zongtang said bluntly.

The arrogant man who wrote to him found the contrast between Peng Gang and Zuo Zongtang when he met him in person to be enormous.

“If I don’t write the letter in an arrogant tone to provoke Mr. Zuo’s competitive spirit, would Mr. Zuo still be willing to come see me?” Peng Gang said with a smile.

Upon hearing Peng Gang's words, Zuo Zongtang angrily retorted, "So, you're saying you only came here to trick me, and you're not actually knowledgeable in geography?"

"Whether I am proficient in geography or not, Mr. Zuo will have his own judgment after we two have discussed it." Peng Gang glanced at Guo Kuntao beside Zuo Zongtang. Guo Kuntao had an extraordinary bearing and did not seem to be from an ordinary family. So he asked, "May I ask who this gentleman is?"

Upon hearing Peng Gang's words, and considering that Peng Gang still boasted of some expertise in geography, Zuo Zongtang's expression softened slightly.

Zuo Zongtang knew that Guo Kuntao did not want to reveal his identity, so he smoothed things over for Guo Kuntao and introduced him as, "He is my student."

Guo Kuntao's expression had already given him away, but since the other party was unwilling to reveal his identity, Peng Gang did not press him for details, and simply said politely: "A great teacher produces a great student. Mr. Zuo's student has an extraordinary demeanor."

"Your Highness, where is my father's remains?" Li Huan couldn't help but interject, asking timidly.

“King of the North, Li Zixiang is from my hometown and we have some acquaintance. I hope you can keep your promise,” Zuo Zongtang said.

“A gentleman’s word is as good as his bond. Young Master Li can take Li Zixiang’s coffin home now, and I will not stop you,” Peng Gang said readily.

"Good! Excellent! In that case, after I see my old friend from my hometown one last time, I will discuss geography with the Northern King." Zuo Zongtang said excitedly, rubbing his hands together.

"Please go ahead." Peng Gang raised his hand, gesturing for the guards behind him to bring the horse.

Immediately, Peng Gang mounted his horse and led Zuo Zongtang and his entourage to the courtyard by the city wall where Li Xingyuan's remains and family members were being laid to rest.

After seeing Li Xingyuan one last time and comforting Li Huan, Zuo Zongtang and Guo Kuntao followed Peng Gang into the city.

Peng Gang led Zuo Zongtang directly to the inner residence and had two rooms prepared for Zuo Zongtang and his "student" to stay in, while the accompanying family members were settled in the former residence of the Yongzhou Prefectural Prefect's servants.

The Left Army is still enforcing the order to separate men and women into different camps. Peng Min is in the women's camp and is being cared for by Su San Niang and Qiu Er Sao.

The inner quarters of the government office housed only the three Peng brothers (Peng Gang, Peng Yong, and Peng Yi) and five staff officers, with spare rooms available. It would not have been inconvenient to accommodate Zuo Zongtang and his "students" there.

Furthermore, Peng Gang only lived in the inner quarters, and discussed official matters in the West Flower Hall of the front office, so there was no need to worry about leaks.

"Why are there no female servants or maids in the government office?" Guo Songtao entered the government office and walked from the front office to the inner courtyard. He found it strange that there wasn't a single maid in the office.

"Our army operates on a system of separate camps for men and women, and men and women do not live together for the time being," Peng Gang said.

"Even the Northern King is no exception?" Guo Songtao asked in surprise.

"As the leader of an army, if I make an exception, how can I convince the masses?" Seeing that it was getting late and Zuo Zongtang was already tired, Peng Gang ordered someone to bring two books and hand them to Zuo Zongtang and his "students".

"Mr. Zuo must be tired from your journey. Please rest for the night. Tomorrow I will discuss and exchange ideas with you on the study of geography. These two books are newly written by me. You may take a look at them first. If there are any errors, I hope you will not hesitate to correct them."

One of these two books is a world geography textbook that provides a brief and general introduction to the major countries of each continent, while the other is a detailed account of Tsarist Russia.

(End of this chapter)