1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 240 Hengyang Reorganization
Although Yang Xiuqing arrived in Hengyang, the capital of Hengzhou Prefecture, earlier than Peng Gang and Feng Yunshan, not all of the troops from the Eastern Palace had gathered in Hengzhou Prefecture.

Yang Xiuqing himself led a portion of his troops into Hengzhou Prefecture and recruited new soldiers there.

The recruitment of soldiers by the Northern Palace in Hengzhou Prefecture is nearing completion, and the Northern Palace has already recruited almost all the high-quality soldiers within Hengzhou Prefecture.

Yang Xiuqing's plan to recruit unwanted and idle people from the Northern Palace in Hengzhou Prefecture was his business, and Peng Gang and Luo Dagang had no objections.

Compared to other halls that emphasize quantity, the North Hall places more emphasis on quality when recruiting new people, and is not so concerned about quantity.

Although Peng Gang and Luo Dagang had been stationed in the prefectural cities of Yong and Heng for a long time.

However, the number of new recruits they recruited in Lingling City and Hengyang City was actually small.

Most of the new recruits from Hunan in Zuo Jun's army were recruited by sending people to mines and impoverished villages far from the city.

The other part of the troops in the East Palace were led by Yang Fuqing and others, who recruited soldiers in Chaling Prefecture and You County, east of Hengzhou Prefecture.

The Taiping Army's historical march route was from Chenzhou northward through Yongxing, Anren, Youxian, and Chalingzhou.

After all, the Taiping Army lost a large number of boats and rafts at Suoyi Ferry in history, and subsequently failed to capture Yongzhou Prefecture and Hengzhou Prefecture. They could not directly advance on Changsha via the Xiangjiang River waterway, and could only take the route through the Xiangdong region where the Qing army was weaker.

Logically, since the Northern Palace had already occupied Yong and Heng prefectures, the road to advance into Changsha should have been unobstructed.

Youxian County and Chaling Prefecture, these small counties in eastern Hunan, no longer have much strategic or military value.

Yang Xiuqing still ordered Yang Fuqing to attack these places and recruit soldiers there, probably because he was obsessed with expanding the power of the Eastern Palace.

With Yang Fuqing's capture of Youxian and Chalingzhou, the Taiping Army had, in a broader sense, entered Changsha.

The area of ​​Changsha Prefecture in Hunan Province during the Qing Dynasty was as high as 3.9 square kilometers, more than three times the size of the later Changsha City. Zhuzhou, Xiangtan and other places in later generations were all within the administrative area of ​​Changsha Prefecture during the Qing Dynasty.

Youxian County and Chaling Prefecture were one of the eleven counties under the jurisdiction of Changsha Prefecture, but their locations were relatively remote.

By May 23rd.

Wei Changhui and Shi Dakai, who were stationed in Baoqing Prefecture, had not yet arrived in Hengyang City. This was not because Wei Changhui and Shi Dakai disobeyed Yang Xiuqing's orders and wanted to be punished by Yang Xiuqing.

Rather, it was because there were no rivers connecting Baoqing Prefecture and Hengzhou Prefecture, and Baoqing Prefecture had many mountains and hills, so the journey would be relatively slower.

While waiting for Wei Changhui and Shi Dakai, Peng Gang reorganized the Left Army.

Given the current organizational structure, there is a clear distinction between veterans from Guangxi and new recruits from Hunan, resulting in a significant disparity in combat capabilities between the old and new units.

Apart from the original First Battalion being reorganized into a training battalion, with no personnel being split or transferred, responsible for Peng Gang's security and undertaking some of the tasks of training new recruits.

The remaining troops were dispersed and mixed, with veterans from Guangxi and new recruits from Hunan each making up half.

Regiments were established above the battalion level, with each regiment leading four battalions.

According to the new organization, seven regiments and twenty-eight battalions were established, with each regiment consisting of four battalions.

The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Regiments were infantry regiments, the 6th Regiment was a naval regiment, and the 7th Regiment was an engineer regiment.

The regimental commander was Lu Qin, and the deputy regimental commander was Peng Yong, who made a meritorious contribution by being the first to scale the walls in the Battle of Hengyang.

The second regiment was headed by Li Qi, and the deputy head was Li Yantong, the former leader of the Xiangnan Tiandihui.

The commander of the Third Regiment was Xie Bin, and the deputy commander was Yang Huwei, who had revolted during the Battle of Sanlixu in Dongxiang, captured the Chu army's artillery fort, and later made a meritorious contribution by launching a night raid on Luorong County.

The commander of the Fourth Regiment was Cheng Dashun, and the deputy commander was Hou Jiyong.

The commander of the Fifth Regiment was Chen Gan, and the deputy commander was Xiao Maoling.

The commander of the Sixth Regiment was Chen Ajiu, and the deputy commander was Chen Miao.

The commander of the 7th Regiment proposed the strategy of siege from underground for the Battle of Quanzhou and captured Liu Yonggu, a miner from Xiangzhou, Guangxi, who was the first to scale the walls. The deputy commander was Liu Daiwei, the former leader of the Tiandihui in southern Hunan.

The heavy artillery company and the mountain-splitting artillery company of the artillery unit were upgraded to heavy artillery battalion and mountain-splitting artillery battalion, respectively.

Unlike infantry and naval units, artillery has limited reserve personnel, and heavy artillery companies lack heavy artillery.

Therefore, both artillery battalions were understaffed, and the heavy artillery battalion actually only had one company of active personnel.

The situation was relatively better for the mountain-splitting artillery battalion, which actually had two companies of active personnel.

Peng Gang's younger brother, Peng Yi, often complained to Peng Gang that the logistics system of the Left Army, Shengku, did not have a professional armed force.

In this reorganization in Hengyang, Peng Gang fulfilled Peng Yi's request.

Qiu Zhongliang, the former battalion commander of the fourth battalion, selected fifty junior officers and cadets with relatively high levels of education and who were literate and capable of calculation from other infantry units and the third batch of trainees to serve as junior officers.

In terms of manpower, more than 700 young soldiers under the age of 25 were selected from the infantry units other than the training battalion to form the direct armed force of the North Palace Logistics System: the Tax Police Battalion.

Qiu Zhongliang served as the battalion commander of the tax police battalion, and five third-term trainees with high levels of education and good math skills were specially selected to serve as teachers in the accompanying school.

He was responsible for helping the tax police soldiers become literate, teaching them to read, write, and do mathematics.

In addition, a formal intelligence bureau was established, with Qiu Ersao as the director and Liu Tongwei as the deputy director, specifically responsible for collecting and organizing intelligence.

With the addition of new recruits from southern Hunan, the Zuo Jun's regular army strength exceeded 20,000 for the first time.

With this reorganization, Peng Gang officially promulgated the military rank system.

Military officer ranks are temporarily divided into four grades and ten levels: Marshal; Major General; Senior Colonel, Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, Major; Captain, First Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant, Warrant Officer.

Soldiers were divided into two classes and five ranks: sergeant, sergeant, corporal, private first class, and private. The marshal was Peng Gang, the major general was Luo Dagang, and the senior colonel was Peng Yi, who was in charge of logistics.

The regimental commander was awarded the rank of colonel, the deputy regimental commander the rank of lieutenant colonel, the battalion commander the rank of major, the deputy battalion commander the rank of captain, the company commander the rank of captain, the deputy company commander the rank of lieutenant, the platoon leader the rank of second lieutenant, and the deputy platoon leader the rank of warrant officer.

The chief of staff of the General Staff Department holds the rank of colonel, while the other staff officers hold the rank of lieutenant colonel.

After completing the reorganization of the North Hall at the Qingquan County Government Office, Peng Gang stretched, walked out of the West Flower Hall, and strolled around the county government office to loosen up his muscles.

Like Changsha Prefecture, Hengzhou Prefecture had two counties attached to its capital.

Hengzhou Prefecture was surrounded by Hengyang and Qingquan counties.

Yang Xiuqing was a man who valued pomp and circumstance above all else. After settling in Hengyang City, he seized the Hengzhou Prefecture government office and converted it into the Eastern King's residence.

At first, Luo Dagang was resentful and unwilling to give up the Hengzhou Prefecture government office, believing that everything should be done in a first-come, first-served manner.

Yang Xiuqing's attempt to seize control of the Hengzhou Prefecture government office upon arriving in Hengyang was far too domineering.

Peng Gang didn't care about these formalities. Considering the overall situation of the anti-Qing movement, he still made Luo Dagang give up the Hengzhou Prefecture government office.

As long as Yang Xiuqing doesn't smash the Confucian temple or destroy ancestral halls in Hengzhou Prefecture, or cause any more trouble within the prefecture, it's fine to let him sit in the prefectural government office.

Anyway, they won't be staying in Hengzhou Prefecture for much longer.

After giving up the Hengzhou Prefecture government office.

Feng Yunshan's South Palace and Peng Gang's North Palace were respectively located in the former county government offices of Hengyang County and Qingquan County, serving as the South King's Palace and the North King's Palace.

Peng Gang was taking a stroll, pondering the next battle plan, when Zuo Zongtang suddenly approached and abruptly asked, "Your Highness, do you want a princess consort?"

"I haven't met the right woman yet, so I don't have such thoughts," Peng Gang joked. "Is Mr. Zuo going to play matchmaker for me?"

Pure love is a luxury in any era. Peng Gang doesn't expect to find pure love in this era. At his level, marriage is nothing more than an exchange of benefits in the form of a marriage alliance.

Peng Gang had never seriously considered marriage.

It's not that he's indifferent to women; firstly, his priority should be his career, and he has no time for romantic relationships.

Secondly, he has yet to find a suitable partner for marriage.

"Does Your Highness the Northern King know Mr. Chuanshan?" Zuo Zongtang asked as he followed Peng Gang.

"The seeds of practical application of knowledge in Hunan were sown by Mr. Chuanshan, and I have heard of them," Peng Gang said with a slight nod.

Wang Chuanshan, also known as Wang Fuzhi, was a Ming loyalist.

After his defeat in resisting the Qing dynasty, Wang Fuzhi, utterly disillusioned with the Southern Ming, returned to Hengyang in his later years to live in seclusion. He settled in Xiangxi Caotang on Shichuan Mountain, where he devoted himself to writing, hence the name Mr. Chuanshan.

His descendants also lived in Xiangxi Caotang on Shichuan Mountain, avoiding the world.

"In the nineteenth year of the Daoguang reign, when Wang Shiquan, the sixth-generation descendant of Mr. Chuanshan, and Deng Xianggao of Xinhua jointly engraved the 'Posthumous Writings of Chuanshan,' I visited Wang Shiquan at the Xiangxi Thatched Cottage."

Zuo recalled that Wang Shiquan had two granddaughters, slightly younger than the Northern King, which was just right. The Wang family had never served in the Qing court for seven generations, and their background was considered clean.

"The Wang family has always valued virtue in choosing a wife, and Wang Shiquan's granddaughter is undoubtedly a virtuous and talented match. If Your Highness the Northern King is interested, I, Zuo, am willing to act as matchmaker."

At this point, Zuo Zongtang paused and added.

"Although none of Wang Chuanshan's descendants held official positions, they were highly regarded by scholars from Hunan and Hubei, and every year scholars from Hunan and Hubei would make a special trip to visit the relics of Wang Chuanshan."

"Where do Mr. Chuanshan's descendants live now?" Peng Gang stopped and asked.

"I reside in the Xiangxi Thatched Cottage, located more than a hundred li northwest of Hengyang City," Zuo Zongtang replied.

“That’s very close. Let’s discuss this matter after we’ve finished discussing military affairs with the Eastern King and the others,” Peng Gang said after a moment of contemplation.

"Mr. Chuanshan never served the Qing dynasty throughout his life, and he was worthy of the name of a Ming loyalist. His descendants are also commendable for their integrity."

Mr. Chuanshan was a hero who resisted the Qing Dynasty; his memory should not be forgotten. Mr. Zuo, I intend to hold a memorial service for Mr. Chuanshan in Hengyang to express my respect for him. I would be grateful if Mr. Zuo could arrange this matter and ensure it is done with great fanfare.

"I understand," Zuo Zongtang nodded and said.

The next afternoon.

The remaining two kings, Assistant King Wei Changhui and Wing King Shi Dakai, arrived late outside Hengyang City.

Both the auxiliary hall and the wing hall had left some troops in Quanzhou City, commanded by Wei Zhijun and Shi Xiangzhen respectively, to assist the southern hall in covering the rear.

After Feng Yunshan arrived in Hengyang City, Wei Zhijun and Shi Xiangzhen also followed Nan Dian to Hengyang City.

Considering the inconvenient transportation between Baoqing Prefecture and Hengzhou Prefecture, it would be too time-consuming, laborious, and costly for a group of tens of thousands of people to travel by land. Therefore, Wei Changhui and Shi Dakai only brought a hundred or so light cavalry to Hengyang City for the meeting.

Hearing that Wei Changhui and Shi Dakai had arrived outside Anxi Gate, Peng Gang personally went to Anxi Gate to welcome them.

"The soldiers of the Northern Palace are magnificent and imposing; Da Kai is quite envious." Looking at the burly, menacing soldiers of the training battalion behind Peng Gang, who were equipped with firearms, Shi Da Kai said with no small amount of envy.

"The troops of the auxiliary hall and the wing hall are not to be outdone." Peng Gang glanced at the hundred or so cavalrymen behind Shi Dakai, and then asked the two men.

"How smoothly are the recruitment efforts for soldiers in Baoqing Prefecture by the Auxiliary Hall and the Wing Hall?"

(End of this chapter)