1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 279 Everything is in need of rebuilding
In just one night, the Qing army camp outside the Yingxunxiang Gate in the south of Baling City was breached by more than 20,000 Taiping soldiers in the North, Auxiliary and Wing Palaces.

The nominal admiral Qin Dingsan hastily led his troops and fled south by boat.

Zhou Fengqi, the garrison commander of Yunyang Town in Hubei Province, was wounded by a cannon fired by the Beidian Navy during the retreat and died from his injuries.

After the attack on the Qing army camp outside Yingxunxiang Gate in the south of Baling City.

The soldiers of the North, Auxiliary, and Wing Palaces pressed their advantage, advancing by both land and water, and headed straight for the Xinqiang River camp, located fifty miles south of Baling City, downstream of the Xinqiang River.

The Qing army commander of the Xinqianghe Camp was Bao Qibao, the Hunan Provincial Commander.

Bao Qibao reacted very quickly. He saw Qin Dingsan leading his troops toward Changsha without looking back, not even bothering to greet him.

Knowing that Qin Dingsan must have suffered a major defeat under the walls of Baling City, and was being pursued by bandits from western Guangdong, they wanted to use the Hunan soldiers of the Xinqianghe camp to cover their retreat and delay the bandits from western Guangdong.

In order to avoid becoming cannon fodder for Qin Dingsan's rear guard, Bao Qibao decisively abandoned the Xinqianghe camp and fled south towards Changsha.

In the rush, Bao Qibao didn't even have time to burn down the camp.

The soldiers of the North, Auxiliary, and Wing Palaces broke through two camps in succession, pursuing the fleeing enemy all the way to Xiangyin County in the northern part of Changsha Prefecture, until Xiang Rong, who was stationed in Changsha, heard the news and led his troops to meet Qin Dingsan and Bao Qibao.

Luo Dagang, Qin Rigang, and Wei Zhijun then sounded the retreat and returned to Baling City by boat.

In this battle, two large Qing army camps within the territory of Yuezhou Prefecture were destroyed, resulting in the deaths of over 3,200 Qing soldiers from Guizhou, Hubei, and Hunan provinces, and the capture of over 4,600. A large quantity of grain, fodder, and military supplies left behind by the Qing army in the two camps were seized.

Peng Gang, along with Qin Rigang and Wei Zhijun, divided the captured grain and military supplies on the spot and officially took over the river defense line within the territory of Yuezhou Prefecture.

The Taiping army launched a surprise attack and once again reached the territory of Changsha Prefecture.

Hunan was once again shaken.

Changsha was once again placed under martial law, with all seven gates closed.

Luo Bingzhang and others dispatched soldiers to patrol and guard the city day and night to prevent the Taiping army from besieging Changsha again.

"Qin Titai, are you sure it was the Long-haired and Short-haired rebels who joined forces to break through the camp and march south?"

Upon learning from Qin Dingsan that the Long-haired and Short-haired rebels had marched south from Baling and penetrated deep into Xiangyin County, Luo Bingzhang was greatly surprised and repeatedly confirmed this with Qin Dingsan, who was covered in dust as he rushed into Changsha City.

Luo Bingzhang originally judged that after the Taiping Army occupied the three towns of Wuhan, plundered the local treasury, and coerced the local people, they would go down the Yangtze River to attack the south of the Yangtze River.

The urgent plight of Huangzhou Prefecture and Jiujiang Prefecture, downstream of Wuhan, also confirmed Luo Bingzhang's conjecture.

The Taiping army returned to Changsha Prefecture, much to Luo Bingzhang's surprise.

This made Luo Bingzhang doubt his own judgment. Could it be that the bandits in western Guangdong had their sights set on Hunan and Hubei, not the south?

"Reporting to Governor Luo, I personally witnessed it; it was indeed a joint operation between the short-haired and long-haired forces. I personally killed more than a dozen of them before I was able to break through and escape. I cannot be mistaken," Qin Dingsan said shamelessly.

Luo Bingzhang was not the senile and muddle-headed Zhou Tianjue; he was not as easily fooled as Zhou Tianjue.

Qin Dingsan was the second-ranked martial arts scholar, so it's true that he possessed some martial arts skills.

The claim that he personally killed more than a dozen long-haired and short-haired men is nothing more than an attempt to make amends for his crushing defeat; take it with a grain of salt.

If Qin Dingsan were truly as valiant as he boasted, why would he have been chased all the way from Baling City back to Changsha by the Long-haired and Short-haired Mao rebels, only managing to escape with Xiang Rong's help?

"How many bandits from western Guangdong have come down from Baling City? Have you two seen them clearly?" Luo Bingzhang's piercing gaze shot towards Qin Dingsan and Bao Qibao, the two clowns who had lost two large camps in a single day and night.

They were asked about the number of Taiping troops who had marched south to attack them, in order to determine whether this Taiping army was the main force or a detachment.

A good horse doesn't turn back to eat the grass it already grazed, and besides, Changsha Prefecture is still heavily guarded.

If the bandits in western Guangdong want to continue attacking the provincial capital, Nanchang and Anqing are easier targets than Changsha. There's no reason for the bandits in western Guangdong to keep focusing on Changsha.

"There are at least a hundred thousand troops," Qin Dingsan said without batting an eye.

"It might not be over 100,000, but it's definitely around 70,000 or 80,000," Bao Qibao said, giving a relatively conservative and pragmatic figure.

Faced with Qin Dingsan and Bao Qibao's rambling and unreliable talk, Luo Bingzhang frowned, knowing that the two were untrustworthy.

He became even more convinced that Qin Dingsan's claim to fame, namely his crushing defeat of the short-haired rebels in Liuzhou Prefecture, Guangxi last year, was heavily exaggerated.

A little impatient, Luo Bingzhang told the two admirals to go and rest, leaving only Xiang Rong to speak with him alone.

Luo Bingzhang treated Xiang Rong much more politely than he had treated Qin Dingsan and Bao Qibao before.

Firstly, Xiang Rong was a veteran of the Green Standard Army, with more seniority than Qin Dingsan and Bao Qibao.

Secondly, Xiang Rong was originally the Hunan Provincial Commander, and the two had worked together.

Luo Bingzhang also understood Xiang Rong better, knowing that although Xiang Rong had suffered many defeats in Guangxi and was repeatedly defeated by the short-haired Maoists, it was not entirely Xiang Rong's fault.

Hsiang Jung remains a rare and capable general in the pro-independence camp.

Luo Bingzhang intended to win over Xiang Rong, hoping to poach Zhou Tianjue's talent and keep Xiang Rong in Hunan as the Hunan Provincial Commander.

Luo Bingzhang offered Xiang Rong a seat and gestured for his family to serve him tea: "Please sit, Xiang Titai. What do you think is the intention of the Taiping rebels in taking down two of our army's major camps in Yuezhou Prefecture?"

"We don't have seventy or eighty thousand long-haired or short-haired soldiers, but we do have thirty or forty thousand. Otherwise, Qin Titai and Bao Titai wouldn't have been defeated so quickly." Xiang Rong held his cup in his hand, not in a hurry to drink the fragrant tea offered by Luo Bingzhang's family.

In my humble opinion, the Taiping Rebellion may be using offense as a form of defense and have no intention of attacking Changsha.

Luo Bingzhang nodded, signaling Xiang Rong to continue: "I would like to hear the details."

"This time, when I engaged in battle with the pursuers, both the long-haired and short-haired men knew when to back down and did not linger in the fight," Xiang Rong analyzed.

"Since the Taiping Rebellion has already sent troops to Huangzhou and Jiujiang, they must know that the prefectures in the downstream areas are easier to attack than Hunan. The Taiping Rebellion is shrewd and will not abandon the easy path to the difficult one and turn back to attack Hunan."

The fact that both the Taiping and Maoist groups are so eager to attack and capture our two large camps located within the territory of Yuezhou Prefecture precisely indicates that the Taiping and Maoist groups are about to advance eastward and are desperately hoping to eliminate the threat from their rear so that they can advance eastward safely.

Governor Luo, do not worry. Even the entire army of the bandits in western Guangdong failed to capture Changsha in the past; how could a small force possibly take it?

"If the main force of the bandits in western Guangdong moves eastward, can our army send troops to recover Yuezhou Prefecture and other prefectures in Hubei that are in enemy hands?" Luo Bingzhang took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, looked up at Xiang Rong, and asked.

As the governor of a province, Luo Bingzhang had the responsibility to defend the territory.

Whether the lost prefectures in Hubei have a chance to be recovered is another matter, but Luo Bingzhang still hopes that Yuezhou Prefecture, which is under the jurisdiction of Hunan, can be fully restored.

"It's hard to say," Xiang Rong said after thinking it over carefully.

"Previously stationed in Baling, confronting Qin Titai, was the Long Mao, who inflicted heavy losses on two large camps within Yuezhou Prefecture. The main force of the Guangdong Western Bandit Army, pursuing Qin Titai and Bao Titai, was the Short Mao."

If the Long-Haired Rebels were responsible for covering the rear, Baling City might have been recaptured. However, if the Short-Haired Rebels were to hold the line, it would be difficult to recapture. Governor Luo, this is not meant to boost the morale of others while diminishing our own.

Our army's land and naval forces are inferior to the short-sighted Mao. The Yangtze River and Dongting Lake waterways are practically the short-sighted Mao's private routes. Baling City is also built on the lake, making it very convenient for the short-sighted Mao to provide support. It is virtually impossible for our army to surround Baling City.

Furthermore, our army is already struggling to defeat the short-sighted Mao Zedong in field battles, let alone in sieges. If Governor Luo wishes to recapture Baling City, he needs to plan carefully and cannot rush the process.”

"Like father, like son. Xiang Jixiong, the son of Xiang Titai, was brave and fierce when he was suppressing bandits in Guangxi. He is a rare military talent. This time, he personally led the Zhengan troops to the front line and risked his life to meet Qin Titai and Bao Titai. He has made outstanding contributions. It is too much of a waste for him to only be a minor commander. A pearl should not be tarnished." Luo Bingzhang suddenly mentioned Xiang Rong's son, Xiang Jixiong.

"The bandits in western Guangdong have wreaked havoc in Hunan and Hubei. The Hunan garrison has suffered heavy losses in various towns and brigades, leaving many official vacancies. Currently, there is a vacancy for the position of Assistant Commander in Changsha. I wonder if your son, Hu Zi, would be willing to accept the position of Assistant Commander in Changsha? If your son is interested, I can do my duty and recommend him to the emperor."

Xiang Rong is getting old and no longer has much attachment to fame and fortune.

Parents' hearts are always full of love and worry. In his later years, Xiang Rong devoted himself to paving the way for his son, Xiang Jixiong. However, Xiang Jixiong was only of average ability and never had the opportunity to stand out. This matter remained a source of great anxiety for Xiang Rong.

Luo Bingzhang wanted to keep Xiang Rong in Hunan, and the best way was undoubtedly to relieve Xiang Rong of this worry.

"On behalf of my son, I express my gratitude to Governor Luo!"

Luo Bingzhang offered to personally recommend Xiang Jixiong for the position of Assistant Commander of Changsha. Xiang Rong was overjoyed and rose to thank Luo Bingzhang.

With the fall of two Qing army camps within Yuezhou Prefecture, Peng Gang's Northern Palace officially took over the defense line of the three towns of Baling and Wuhan.

Luo Dagang was left to guard Baling, while Peng Gang returned to the three towns of Wuhan by boat.

When Peng Gang returned to Hanyang, Yang Xiuqing and others left him with the cattle, farm tools, twenty large cannons weighing over a thousand catties each, and four hundred loads of gunpowder before leaving Wuchang.

The Taiping army's fleet stretched for thousands of miles, its banners obscuring the sky, sailing majestically downstream towards Nanjing.

After the Taiping army left, Wuchang, a city that served as a transportation hub connecting nine provinces, became a ghost town.

Peng Gang led the Northern Palace troops across the river and took over the desolate and impoverished city of Wuchang, using the former Huguang Governor's Office and the Eastern Prince's Mansion as the new Northern Prince's Mansion.

Because the Taiping army captured Wuchang quickly, the defending troops in Wuchang did not organize a proper counterattack.

The buildings within Wuchang city, especially the various government offices, were not destroyed.

In addition, the local military camps of each palace had carried out repairs on the palaces to maintain their proper grandeur.

The Huguang Governor's Office that Peng Gang took over was basically the same as before the war. He could simply replace the plaque of the Northern Prince's Mansion with one and use it as the Northern Prince's Mansion.

Most of the buildings inside Wuchang city, except for the Confucian Temple, are intact. However, the outer city area, which was burned down before the war by Hubei Governor Chang Dachun and Admiral Shuangfu, is still a ruin.

The Taiping army had no intention of staying in Wuchang for long; their sights were set on the south of the Yangtze River.

In addition, the Taiping Army had never paid much attention to construction, so the outer city remained exactly as it was when Peng Gang took over.

Peng Gang aims to restore order to the three towns of Wuhan.

This order naturally includes the economic order of Wuchang.

The first thing Peng Gang did upon entering Wuchang was to order the dismantling of the timber from the lecture hall (formerly the horse-riding ground) to be used for the restoration of the Confucian Temple, in preparation for future imperial examinations.

At the same time, each battalion was assigned a designated area to clear the ruins outside Wuchang City in preparation for the reconstruction of the outer city.

After making these arrangements, Peng Gang summoned He Qingfeng, the reserve instructor, to the main hall of the Beiwangfu in Wuchang to learn about the reserve troops.

The three towns of Wuhan were a battleground, so 13,000 regular troops were left in Yuezhou Prefecture for Luo Dagang to guard the western gateway of the three towns of Wuhan.

Peng Gang had only about 10,000 regular troops left to defend the controlled areas within the territories of Wuchang Prefecture and Hanyang Prefecture.

After the Taiping Army moved eastward, Huangzhou Prefecture, east of Wuchang and Hanyang Prefectures, also became a no-man's land. Peng Gang needed to send troops to take over Huangzhou Prefecture in order to protect Wuchang and Hanyang Prefectures.

With effective control over large areas of the three prefectures, Peng Gang's more than 10,000 standing troops were no longer sufficient to meet the needs, and it was necessary to mobilize reserve troops to share some of the defense burden with the standing troops.

The combat effectiveness of reserve forces, especially their field combat capabilities, is significantly different from that of regular forces.

However, the reserve forces are still capable of undertaking relatively low-intensity military tasks such as defending cities and patrolling the rear.

In this way, a considerable amount of valuable standing troops can be saved and used as strategic mobile forces to deal with the Qing army's counterattacks more proactively and calmly.

"Including the two newly formed Hubei regiments, there are seven reserve regiments, totaling 21,000 people."

Upon entering the main hall of the Northern King's Mansion, He Qingfeng, the reserve instructor, introduced the current situation of the reserve battalion to Peng Gang as if he knew it like the back of his hand.

"Only two battalions of our old brothers from Guangxi remain in the reserve force, and they are all old brothers from Guangxi recruited in Guilin and Quanzhou."

The reserve force consists of new recruits we have gathered in Yongzhou and Hengzhou prefectures of Hunan.

Although they are called new recruits, they have actually been training for more than half a year. They have been involved in defending the city, patrolling to suppress bandits, and even fighting against the Qing army in the field. I think as long as we provide enough weapons for our reserve brothers from Guangxi and Hunan, it will definitely not be a problem.

As for the two newly formed Hubei regiments, they have only been training for a little over three months and have not yet fully formed combat capability. Unless absolutely necessary, I do not recommend that Your Highness use the Hubei recruits of these two regiments; these recruits still need training.”

After raiding two Qing army camps within Yuezhou Prefecture, Peng Gang obtained a considerable number of weapons abandoned by the Qing army on the battlefield.

With the existing weapons reserves, there are more than enough reserves to arm seven regiments.

The drawback was that the captured weapons were all made by the Qing government's arsenal, and whether they were cold weapons or firearms, their quality was relatively poor and they could only be used as a makeshift solution.

After settling down in the three towns of Wuhan, the arsenal built on the foundation of the Honglian Village arsenal, with the addition of craftsmen from the Hubei Ordnance Bureau, will certainly see a significant increase in weapon production.

Nevertheless, the current production of weapons is still insufficient to make up for the weapon shortage of more than 40,000 new and old troops in the short term.

Nearly two years after the uprising, of all the troops under Peng Gang's command, only two companies in the training battalion had been re-equipped with flintlock rifles.

At this stage, if we want to quickly build up the combat capability of the reserve forces, we can only make do with the weapons captured from the Qing Dynasty.

Besides the Qing government, Peng Gang could also choose to contact Western arms dealers to purchase weapons.

While it's difficult to buy the new standard-issue percussion caps of the great powers, flintlock muskets that are being retired and cleared out are not hard to buy if you can get the channels right.

The British produced several million of the Brownbes flintlock musket alone over a period of 130 years.

If there are arms dealers on Hong Kong Island, then there must also be arms dealers in Shanghai, a newly opened port city.

Once Yang Xiuqing and his men have captured Nanjing, they can send someone to try to contact arms dealers in Shanghai to purchase weapons.

“Go to the First, Second, and Third Regiments and select some veterans to serve as junior officers, and organize them into four provisional regiments,” Peng Gang said to He Qingfeng after a moment of contemplation.

"Officers below the rank of company commander will be selected by you and the three regimental commanders and deputy regimental commanders. Officers above the rank of company commander will be selected by me personally."

(End of this chapter)