1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 243 The Northern King is good in every way, except...
"Isn't it too risky to send the auxiliary and wing armies, as a lone force, deep into Dongting Lake?"

After listening to Yang Xiuqing's arrangements, Wei Changhui hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't help but speak up.

The idea of ​​sending the auxiliary and wing armies from the Zi River deep into Dongting Lake was very bold. It could catch the Qing court off guard and cause upheaval in the two lake regions.

However, Wei Changhui felt that implementing this specifically on the auxiliary and wing halls was too risky.

Yang Xiuqing's face darkened upon hearing this, and he said unhappily, "Although the Auxiliary and Wing Palaces are detached forces, their combined troops number at least twenty or thirty thousand. How many of us did we have when we raised the banner of rebellion in Jintian last year? The Qing demons still couldn't do anything to us."

The main Qing forces were all concentrated in Changsha. How many troops could they possibly have near Dongting Lake? Where does the danger come from?
Why is it that my fifth brother's army is growing larger, yet his courage is dwindling?

Wei Changhui was momentarily speechless, then muttered, "What if the Qing demons from Changsha head north to Dongting Lake?"

Before Wei Changhui could finish speaking, Shi Dakai stopped him, saying, "Fifth Brother, how could Fourth Brother sit idly by and watch the Qing demons of Changsha march north? If the Qing demons of Changsha leave the city and march north, how can we not take Changsha?"

Shi Dakai believed that Wei Changhui's concerns were unnecessary.

Yang Xiuqing's words were true; after leaving Guangxi, the Qing troops they encountered became increasingly stronger with each successive attack.

If the Qing army wanted to destroy the Fu and Yi Palaces, they would need to gather at least 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers. Right now, apart from Changsha, where else could they find so many Qing troops?

Furthermore, they were afraid that the Qing troops inside Changsha wouldn't come out.

If the Qing troops inside Changsha were to leave the city, attacking Changsha would be much easier.

Although Yang Xiuqing's strategy carried some risks, these risks were within Shi Dakai's tolerance level.

There is a very small chance that the auxiliary and wing halls might suffer setbacks at Dongting Lake, but it is absolutely impossible for them to be destroyed there.

Shi Dakai's words eased Yang Xiuqing's expression slightly. Yang Xiuqing nodded approvingly and said, "I will soon lead the main forces of the East and West Palaces north to Changsha. The Qing demons in Changsha will not dare to make any rash moves. Do any of you brothers have any objections? If not, go back and prepare for battle."

The kings reached a consensus and gradually dispersed.

After the meeting, Yang Xiuqing went to the West Flower Hall of the Hengzhou Prefecture Government Office to rest for a while.

Qian Jiang, the strategist who was treated as an honored guest in the East Hall, listened to the entire meeting and then followed Yang Xiuqing to the West Flower Hall.

"My brothers, you have already met them, sir. What do you think of my brothers?"

Upon entering the West Flower Hall, Yang Xiuqing lifted her robe and sat down, gesturing to those around her to offer Qian Jiang a seat.

In his early years, Qian Jiang failed the imperial examinations repeatedly and suffered setbacks in the examination system. He had just obtained a degree in the Imperial Academy through donation when his family fell into poverty. As a result, he abandoned his studies and traveled to many places.

During Lin Zexu's tenure overseeing military and political affairs in Guangdong against the British, Qian Jiang briefly served as Lin Zexu's advisor.

Qian Jiang was one of the few scholars who served Yang Xiuqing. He had traveled to many places and had broad knowledge.

Although Yang Xiuqing learned from her conversation with Qian Jiang that he had the usual problem of a wandering scholar, people who make a living by talking always like to boast and exaggerate.

However, after talking with him, Yang Xiuqing felt that Qian Jiang was quite capable, so he treated Qian Jiang as an honored guest, kept him by his side to offer advice and suggestions, and occasionally listened to Qian Jiang recount his travel experiences, which broadened his horizons and passed the time.

Yang Xiuqing was poor and spent the first half of his life confined to a corner of Zijing Mountain, making a living by burning and selling charcoal, and had never seen much of the world.

But he was very interested in the vast world outside.

“Your Highness’s brothers are all outstanding individuals, with the Northern King and the Wing King being the best among them,” Qian Jiang thought for a moment and added, “especially the Northern King.”

"Why do you think so, sir?" Yang Xiuqing nodded in satisfaction. Qian Jiang's thoughts were much the same as his.

"The Heavenly Kingdom has countless fierce generals, and all the princes are top-notch warriors. Therefore, His Highness's brothers are all rare talents in this world," Qian Jiang said eloquently.

"However, in the Heavenly Kingdom, there is only half a person who is as outstanding as His Highness the Eastern King, who can command thousands of troops on horseback and govern the country and save the world on foot."

Having traveled extensively for over a decade, Qianjiang has developed considerable experience and the ability to judge people.

Putting aside other things, just consider that every time Bei Dian conquered a city, he would set up soup kitchens to win over the people, and Hengzhou Prefecture was well-ordered under Bei Dian's rule.

Other princes, including Yang Xiuqing, could not do it.

Of course, I might think this way, but I can't say it out loud.

Qian Jiang served Yang Xiuqing, not Peng Gang.

"You mean the Northern King?" Yang Xiuqing asked after a pause, holding his cup in his hand.

"The Northern King's talent is second only to His Highness the Eastern King," Qian Jiang nodded and said.

"The Northern King is good in every way, except that he is a bit unsociable and sometimes unreasonable." Yang Xiuqing took a sip of tea and sighed softly.

"Once the fighting has subsided, I must have a good talk with him."

Qian Jiang felt that the claim that the Northern King was unsociable was not quite accurate, as the Northern King seemed to have a harmonious relationship with the other princes.

"Does Your Highness truly intend to attack Changsha with the combined strength of the East and West Palaces?"

As Qian Jiang was secretly grumbling to himself, he noticed that Yang Xiuqing's mood was a bit off when the topic of the Northern King was mentioned. Qian Jiang quickly changed the subject and steered the conversation to Changsha City.

Scouts from the East Palace have already penetrated deep into the heart of Changsha Prefecture to gather intelligence, while the North Palace has also shared the situation in Changsha Prefecture with the other palaces. Changsha City is well-fortified, with powerful cannons and a large garrison, and hastily marched south.

To capture Changsha, a prolonged siege would be necessary.

As a core advisor to the Eastern Palace, Qian Jiang was well aware of the Eastern Palace's logistical situation.

The Eastern Palace could not sustain a prolonged siege of Changsha.

“My sixth brother-in-law died unjustly under the walls of Changsha. As his elder brother, I must avenge him.” Yang Xiuqing put down his teacup and said, “Furthermore, the Xiangjiang River waterway is blocked by the Qing demons, and Changsha Prefecture is an obstacle that we must overcome no matter what.”

Having learned from the lessons of the Battle of Guilin, Yang Xiuqing was no longer fixated on the gains and losses of a single city or battle.

It would be best if we could capture Changsha, but it wouldn't matter if we couldn't.

During this trip to Hunan, each palace acquired a considerable number of boats.

With so many provincial capitals along the Yangtze River, as long as the Xiangjiang River waterway is opened up to access the Yangtze, there's no need to worry about not being able to conquer major cities and turn them into miniature paradises.

With the Qing government drawing so many soldiers from other provinces to defend Changsha, the military strength of the neighboring provincial capitals must have been severely depleted.

At worst, we can learn from the Northern Palace: if we encounter a city that we can't conquer, we can just go around it instead of attacking it head-on. There's no shame in that.

When the Northern Palace passed through Ma Ping, the capital of Liuzhou Prefecture, it didn't fight, but instead went around it.

Qian Jiang is a very shrewd person. Yang Xiuqing said that the hurdle to overcome was Changsha Prefecture, not Changsha City. His intention was already very clear.

After leaving the Hengzhou government office, Peng Gang walked side by side with Shi Dakai, saying as they walked, "Eighth brother, I have a favor to ask of you."

“Between the two of us, there’s nothing to ask for or not to ask for. Seventh Brother, just say it directly,” Shi Dakai said, stopping in his tracks.

"If you manage to reach Xiangyin this time, I would like to ask Eighth Brother to go to Baishuidong to receive both families for me," Peng Gang said, making his request.

Zuo Zongtang's family was still in Xiangyin. Peng Gang, one of Zuo Zongtang's outstanding students, also learned that he was Guo Songtao's younger brother, Guo Kuntao.

When Shi Dakai marched into Xiangyin, Peng Gang wanted to ask Shi Dakai's men to bring the two families to Beidian.

Zuo Zongtang had many students in Hunan, but Zuo Zongtang's family was still in Xiangyin, so Peng Gang couldn't ask Zuo Zongtang, who had worries about his family, to write to his students and call them to come to Beidian.

"It's just taking care of two households, a piece of cake," Shi Dakai readily agreed.

"But I'm not from Xiangyin, and I don't know where Baishuidong is. Even if Seventh Brother tells me the names of these two families, it will be difficult for me to find out. Does Seventh Brother have a guide?"

"Yes," Peng Gang nodded and said.

Zuo Zongtang and Guo Kuntao each brought a family member with them, and Zuo Zongtang's family member could act as a guide for Shi Dakai.

After chatting for a while, Peng Gang watched Shi Da get into the sedan chair, then rode back to the "Northern King's Mansion," which was originally the county government office of Qingquan County.

Back at the county government office, Peng Gang summoned senior military officers of colonel rank and above to the main hall for a meeting.

After Luo Dagang occupied Hengyang, the Northern Palace either dispatched scouts or used the Heaven and Earth Society's intelligence network to gather a lot of information about Changsha.

While the Northern Palace could not claim to know everything about Changsha, it had a general understanding of the city's situation.

Changsha had a large number of soldiers.

Most of the Green Standard Army soldiers and local militia that could and could not be conscripted from neighboring areas were recruited by Sai Shang'a and Luo Bingzhang and sent to Changsha.

The staff officers of the General Staff also conducted simulations of the Taiping Army's attack on Changsha and concluded that Changsha would be difficult to capture in a short period of time.

The North Palace was not tasked with attacking Changsha, but instead with blocking the Guangdong army and soldiers advancing north from Shaozhou Prefecture in Guangdong. No one was disappointed or let down by this.

Instead, they found Xu Guangjin, their new rival, fascinating and were eager to try their luck.

"Xu Guangjin intends to march north from Chenzhou, so he must pass through Leishui. We can concentrate our main force in Leiyang and ambush and annihilate this Qing army there!" Luo Dagang stated his idea.

Xu Guangjin led several thousand, even tens of thousands, of troops northward.

When an army marches, it must either travel by waterway or by official road.

The most convenient way to travel from Chenzhou to Hengyang is by taking the Leishui River, a tributary of the Xiangjiang River. The Hengnan area is mostly mountainous and hilly, and the official road also runs alongside the Leishui River.

Although the Northern Palace troops withdrew from Yongzhou Prefecture, they had not yet withdrawn from Hengzhou Prefecture and still maintained control over the counties within Hengzhou Prefecture, including Leiyang County.

Leiyang County is located in the middle reaches of the Lei River. If they ambushed and annihilated Xu Guangjin's Qing army on the Lei River, logistics would not be a problem.

"Set up a good position near Leishui." Chen Gan, the former commander of the Fifth Regiment who was in charge of conscription in Leiyang County, nodded repeatedly as he spoke.

“Many of our brothers are coal miners from Leiyang, and they are very familiar with the mountains and rivers of Leiyang.”

Chen Gan believed that Xu Guangjin's Qing army had come from afar, and that among the seven standing regiments of the Left Army, there were many locals from Leiyang County.

Many of the coal mines in Leiyang County are located on both sides of the Lei River. For example, Peng Yong, the deputy commander of the regiment, used to work at the Simenzhou Coal Mine on the west bank of the Lei River.

(End of this chapter)