1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 236 A river full of short hair!

At present, the Qing Dynasty is still a unified, centralized dynasty, and its ruling order has not yet collapsed.

Even in its final stages, a unified dynasty, despite its extremely high administrative costs, is still enormous in size.

The manpower, material resources, and financial resources that it could mobilize were far beyond what the Taiping Army could currently achieve.

The Qing army besieging Quanzhou City, apart from the hastily mobilized and poorly trained soldiers, was still very impressive in appearance, numbering over 20,000.

Presumably, Zhou Tianjue, Xiang Rong, and others have already mobilized almost all the soldiers they could muster within Guangxi.

Their impressive size and scale were the last remaining strength of the Qing army.

Peng Gang brought three old battalions, four provisional battalions, and a mountain-splitting artillery company to Quanzhou to meet Feng Yunshan. All of these troops were at full strength, and each battalion was equipped with a newly formed battalion-level mountain-splitting artillery platoon and a musket platoon, with a total strength of nearly 6,000 men.

More than 7,000 new recruits from Hunan Province, who have not yet been formally incorporated into the military, serve as auxiliary soldiers and accumulate combat experience through combat training.

Including Feng Yunshan's troops in the South Palace, and the auxiliary and wing palace troops left by Wei Changhui and Shi Dakai to cover Feng Yunshan's rear.

In terms of troop deployment, the Taiping Army and the Qing Army were roughly equal, with the Qing Army having slightly more troops.

The participating troops completed their assembly in Lingling City and marched along the Xiang River towards Quanzhou City.

Although the Qing government had 600,000 Green Standard Army soldiers on paper, it was always wary and on guard against them, constantly worried that they might rebel.

The intention is to disperse and station the DPP troops in scattered locations, thereby weakening the DPP's ability to conduct large-scale operations.

It is rare to see thousands of Green Standard Army soldiers marching together, let alone tens of thousands of Qing soldiers marching together.

This was the first time Zuo Zongtang and Guo Kuntao had ever seen a relatively elite army of tens of thousands marching.

This is a mighty army with countless banners and orderly march.

Even the Hunan recruits, who had only received less than two months of training, were in much better spirits than the Qing army, showing no signs of decline or decay.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the river surface was vast and hazy as rows of warships pierced through the fog.

The most conspicuous large ship in the fleet is Peng Gang's Northern King's ship.

The great banner of the Northern King, hanging from the towering mast of the Northern King's ship, fluttered and rustled in the wind.

Before and behind the Northern King's ship were more than four hundred accompanying warships, grain ships, and battleships, lined up like clouds, stretching endlessly.

Along the way, many people from both sides of the Xiangjiang River gathered on the riverbank to watch the excitement. Looking into the middle of the river, they saw hundreds of boats racing forward, drums beating like thunder, and boats struggling against the current.

Each boat carried soldiers of the Left Army, dressed in neat military uniforms and wearing red scarves.

The boats were filled with swords, guns, and firearms, but few people made a loud noise; only the sound of oars and the clatter of shoes could be heard.

The sailors responsible for maneuvering the boats either rowed vigorously or swung poles to propel them across the river.

At the head of the convoy, several warships carrying cannons and muskets led the way. Although they were going against the current, the Taiping Army's naval forces were well-trained and moved upstream in an orderly manner, like fish weaving through rapids without any hindrance.

"Since the Northern King has pointed out that Wei Moshen's 'Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms' contains many errors, why doesn't the Northern King personally write a book to introduce the customs and cultures of overseas countries to knowledgeable people throughout the country?"

Tired of watching Zuo Zongtang's army march, Guo Kuntao entered the front cabin and couldn't help but interrupt Peng Gang, who was explaining to Zuo Zongtang what it meant for sheep to eat people.

"This is a great thing that will benefit the world and be remembered for generations to come."

Guo Kuntao has read Peng Gang's two geographical works countless times in recent days, but he regrets that there are not enough of them and feels that he has not had enough.

Hunan is located in a remote inland area, where information is relatively scarce, and there are very few books on geography that offer a fresh perspective.

Guo Kuntao hoped that Peng Gang could write a lengthy book, just like Wei Yuan wrote "Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms".

If all else fails, we could just compile a separate set of accounts for each of the other countries, just like we did with the "Outline of Tsarist Russia."

“Mr. Zuo, you are not pedantic, but how come your students are so pedantic?” Peng Gang smiled helplessly and shook his head.

"Zhongyi, have you forgotten what the Prince of the North does? Writing books is just a side job for him," Zuo Zongtang couldn't help but tease.

“It’s not that I’m unwilling to compile books, but apart from some of you from the Hunan School of Economics, how many of you are interested in the world outside of our Celestial Empire? It’s not that I look down on scholars, but if I may be frank, most scholars are closed-minded and incorrigible.” Peng Gang picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and said slowly.

"I have great respect for Wei Moshen. It is no easy feat for him to compile such a magnificent work as 'Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms', which is nearly a million words long. Although there are errors in it, it is still a rare and excellent book."

Furthermore, the numerous errors in the book are not Wei Moshen's fault, but rather the fault of the Qing court. If Wei Moshen had had access to more information channels, I believe he could have written it even better.

Zhongyi, let me ask you this: how many copies of *Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms* were ultimately published?

It's not that Peng Gang is unwilling to compile books; even for the sake of his students, Peng Gang would compile a systematic and complete geography textbook if he had the time.

But compiling books specifically for the traditional scholar class is out of the question; they have absolutely no interest in reading them.

Wei Yuan's "Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms" has only been published a little over a thousand times to date, which is less than the number of pirated copies printed by Xiao Rizi.

If their mindset isn't changed, no matter how many good books there are, they won't even glance at them.

For those pedantic scholars who hadn't yet passed the imperial examinations, it would be more worthwhile to spend their time reading the Four Books and Five Classics and practicing their eight-legged essays in preparation for the exams. Those who had passed the examinations were busy scheming for money and pleasing their superiors; they had no time to read the miscellaneous books written by a rebel.

"What the Northern King said makes sense. Although geography is a very practical subject, in the Qing Dynasty, it is ultimately considered a disreputable and unorthodox field of study." Zuo Zongtang seemed to be deep in thought, a hint of disappointment and resentment flashing across his face.

What good is it if you do a great job in geography?

He didn't even pass the imperial examination, and he couldn't get any official position. He had a lot of skills, but no place to use them.

Peng Gang noticed Zuo Zongtang's subtle change in expression and joked, "Since it's not respectable in the Qing Dynasty, why not conquer a new country and include geography in the imperial examinations? By putting this practical subject on the table, why worry about a lack of readers? When I hold the imperial examinations, how about you two serve as the chief and deputy examiners?"

Upon hearing this sensitive question, Guo Kuntao remained silent and refused to respond.

"Heh~ Your Highness the Northern King has quite the arrogance," Zuo Zongtang said with a smile.

Zuo Zongtang outwardly appeared indifferent, but inwardly he was still deeply troubled.

Peng Gang's words make sense. Including geography in the scope of scientific research would be a shortcut, even if the regime he establishes in the future is just a separatist regime, there would still be scholars eager to study it and obtain official positions.

However, doing so would inevitably cause a cultural upheaval, and the resistance it would face would be unimaginable.

The march of tens of thousands of troops could not possibly escape the notice of the Qing army's spies.

With so many people watching the spectacle on both sides of the Xiang River, there were not only ordinary citizens but also Qing army spies among them.

"Holy crap, so much short hair."

The Qing army spies in the crowd witnessed firsthand the Zuo Jun fleet sailing south, a vast expanse of ships stretching for miles, their banners obscuring the sun. They were horrified by the sight.

The spies along the river quickly informed the Qing scouts. Upon learning this, the Qing scouts sped off to the Qing army camp outside Quanzhou City and reported the matter to the Qing commander inside the command tent.

The scout entered the commander's tent, knelt on the ground, and reported the military situation of the Left Army's southward advance to Zhou Tianjue, who was sitting upright in the center of the tent: "Your Excellency, the short-haired rebels have already marched south along the Xiang River. They should have already passed Huangsha Pass by now and will arrive in Quanzhou soon."

Upon hearing the words "short hair," the air inside the command tent suddenly became quiet.

All the Qing generals looked as if they had eaten shit.

The Qing officers and generals in the command tent, including Zhou Tianjue, Li Mengqun, Xiang Rong, and Zhou Fengqi, were among the first Qing troops to engage in battle with the Left Army.

Most of them had fought against the Left Army and knew what the Short-haired Army's southward advance meant.

In the past, before the short-haired Mao Zedong gained power in Guangxi, Xiang Rong, leading his elite Chu army and Zhengan troops, struggled to win against the Zuo army in Wuxuan.

In the two months since the short-haired rebels entered Hunan, they have been constantly recruiting soldiers and expanding their forces, and this has been heard throughout the prefecture.

They couldn't beat the short-haired guy before, and now it's even more difficult.

The Qing officers inside the tent each harbored their own ulterior motives.

The consensus among Qing officers and generals who had been fighting in Guangxi for nearly a year and a half was that the short-haired rebels were difficult to defeat, while the long-haired rebels were only somewhat manageable.

Chasing after the long-haired rebels might yield some results if you're lucky, but fighting the short-haired ones? Are you tired of living?
"How many short-haired soldiers are there? Have you seen them clearly?" Xiang Rong, sitting in the second seat, also tried to remain calm and maintain the dignity and prestige of a provincial governor in front of others. He raised his voice to ask about the number of short-haired soldiers who had gone south.

Xiang Rong harbored a侥幸心理 (a sense of wishful thinking).

Thinking that the newly appointed Imperial Commissioner Sai Shang'a was leading the Green Standard Army militias of several provinces and had stationed troops in Changsha.

The short-haired tribe occupied Yongzhou and Hengzhou as their refuge.

Unless the short-haired tribes have nowhere to hide, they will not come out in full force; they will definitely leave some troops to guard against Saishan'a's southward advance.

If the number of short-haired soldiers heading south to Quanzhou City were smaller, it wouldn't be impossible to defeat them.

"Look closely, the river is full! A river full of short-haired shrews! The Xiang River is full of short-haired shrews' warships, stretching as far as the eye can see!" the scout hurriedly replied.

The Left Army occupied Yongzhou Prefecture for more than two months. Initially, Qing scouts even ventured deep into Yongzhou Prefecture to investigate the enemy's situation.

However, after being either killed or captured by the Left Army, they were able to escape.

Few Qing scouts were willing to risk their lives to conduct reconnaissance deep into Yongzhou Prefecture.

The scouts subsequently dispatched to Yongzhou Prefecture to investigate became more shrewd, outsourcing their work and bribing local idlers to act as their eyes and ears.

This way, it's both safe and allows me to report back to my superiors.

The information obtained by the Qing scouts was not firsthand, but rather information passed on to them by local idlers in Yongzhou Prefecture, and had gone through several intermediaries.
The Qing scouts who reported the situation of the Left Army to Zhou Tianjue and Xiang Rong only knew that the Left Army was heading south up the Xiang River, and its destination was most likely Quanzhou City.

As for how many short-haired soldiers had marched south to Quanzhou, these scouts had no idea.

"How many people are there exactly? This is the exact number!" Xiang Rong demanded.

He didn't want vague, imaginary numbers like "short hair and abundant water"; he wanted a more accurate and clear number so he could respond accordingly.

(End of this chapter)