1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 293 The Northern King loses his mind
"So it's Ji Gao." Guo Kuntao, his mind preoccupied and his face full of worry, looked up and saw that it was Zuo Zongtang who called his name. He raised his hand and bowed to Zuo Zongtang in greeting.

"The land redistribution in Jiangxia County is nearing completion, and the Farmers' Association and Farmers' Credit Union have been established. The Northern King has allocated one million taels of silver to the Farmers' Association and Credit Union and exempted Jiangxia County from taxes for a year. This is a great opportunity for Zhongyi to showcase his talents and put his lifelong learning to use."

Zhong Yi was the first county magistrate truly appointed by the Northern King, which shows the Northern King's trust in Zhong Yi. Zhong Yi should be happy, but why does he look so worried and preoccupied? Has he encountered some difficulty? Zuo Zongtang reined in his horse and asked with concern.

Although in terms of time, Yang Xun, the magistrate of Huangmei County in Huangzhou Prefecture, was the first magistrate appointed by Peng Gang.

However, Yang Xun was a former Qing dynasty magistrate who accepted the surrender on the battlefield. In Zuo Zongtang's mind, Guo Kuntao was the first magistrate that Peng Gang had officially appointed.

Moreover, the situations in Huangmei County and Jiangxia County are different.

Constrained by his military strength and an unstable rear, Peng Gang had no intention of continuing to conquer cities and territories or advancing eastward to invade Anhui. Instead, he shifted his focus to domestic affairs and people's livelihood, consolidating the foundation and accumulating strength.

Peng Gang did not continue to send troops eastward to expand his territory in Anhui, so Huangmei County became the front-line war zone.

As a frontline war zone, Peng Gang was destined not to allocate too many resources to Huangmei County.

Jiangxia County is different. It is located next to Wuchang, a fertile area in the rear and the foundation of the Northern Palace. Peng Gang will definitely invest a lot of resources in Jiangxia County. In fact, Peng Gang has already done so.

The Holy Treasury has already allocated one million taels of silver to the Farmers' Association Credit Union. Peng Gang has made it clear that this money is intended to help farmers who have joined the Farmers' Association resume production and will not be used for any other purpose.

Currently, only Jiangxia County has established a farmers' association; Hanyang County hasn't even started clearing the fields yet.

Although the million taels of silver belonged to the head office of the Farmers' Credit Union, not the Jiangxia County branch, it was clear to anyone with eyes to see that most of the money was intended for use in Jiangxia County.

A budget of one million taels of silver is a huge sum of money, not to mention for a prefecture or county, but for the entire province's finances.

The majority of the people in Jiangxia were from the Northern Palace. These old Guangxi and old Hunan people were very loyal to the Northern Palace, making them relatively easy to manage.

Jiangxia County had a farmers' association, which solved the problem of the emperor's power not reaching the countryside. It also had no shortage of funds to restore production, and the county was exempted from taxes for a year. The people of the county were also easy to govern. The clerks in the county's censorate were still drawn from the students of Hunan.

It's no exaggeration to say that Guo Kuntao had the most comfortable start to his career as a county magistrate in history, and he should be happy about it.

Could it be that Guo Kuntao looked down on the position of magistrate of Jiangxia County, thinking that the official rank was too low?
Zuo Zongtang thought about it again and realized that it definitely wasn't true.

Not to mention the current importance of Jiangxia County to Beidian.

Even if Guo Songtao does not surrender to the Northern Palace.

Even becoming the magistrate of Jiangxia County, one of the wealthiest counties in the Hunan region, was not a position that Guo Songtao could hold.

It is true that the Guo family was a prominent and wealthy family in Xiangyin, and they certainly had the means to buy a real position as county magistrate for Guo Kuntao, who was a successful candidate in the imperial examinations.

However, the Guo family did not yet have the means to acquire lucrative positions in wealthy counties near the provincial capital, such as Jiangxia County and Changsha County.

Guo Kuntao was one of the earliest Juren (successful candidates in the imperial examinations) to join the Beidian Academy, and Peng Gang was the one who chased after Guo Kuntao to feed him.

As long as Guo Kuntao performs his duties as the magistrate of Jiangxia County reasonably well, being promoted to prefect and entering the central government will be a piece of cake, and his future will be limitless.

"Is it because you're troubled by your brother Junxian (Guo Songtao)'s affairs?" Zuo Zongtang asked, guessing that Guo Kuntao was probably troubled by his brother Guo Songtao's affairs.

Ever since Guo Songtao was coerced into the North Palace by Zuo Zongtang and Guo Kuntao, he has been throwing tantrums every day.

Now, the relationship between Guo Songtao and Zuo Zongtang is very strained, not to mention his own brothers who have dragged him into becoming a "bandit".

“My brother has been like that ever since I returned to Xiangyin, I’ve gotten used to it. I’m worried about the Prince of the North,” Guo Kuntao said with concern.

"Worried about the Northern King?" Zuo Zongtang asked, puzzled. "What are you worried about for the Northern King?"

“These past few days, the Northern King has been sending a group of actors to his palace. Not only do they listen to plays all day long, but he has also personally written plays for them to perform,” Guo Kuntao said with a worried expression.

"Is Zhongyi worried that His Highness the Northern Prince will lose his ambition by watching opera?" Zuo Zongtang asked.

During his nearly one-year stay with Peng Gang, Zuo Zongtang only knew that Peng Gang had a passion for reading, writing, and teaching.

Zuo Zongtang had never heard Peng Gang mention his hobby of watching and listening to operas, and he felt that the Northern King's behavior of watching and listening to operas was not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

He believed that the Northern King was not a pleasure-seeking person. If the Northern King wanted to enjoy himself, he would have started selecting concubines long ago and followed the Heavenly King and the Eastern King to the colorful world of Jiangnan.

"I do have this concern, and it's my fault for not daring to ask or say anything," Guo Kuntao said. "My importance in the Northern King's heart is not as great as yours, Ji Gao."

“What is there to be afraid of asking? The Northern King is a wise ruler who is open to advice,” Zuo Zongtang said with a smile. “I am about to meet with the Northern King. If Zhongyi wants to understand, come with me to the Prince’s residence.”

"Very well." Guo Kuntao was also curious about why Peng Gang had suddenly become so engrossed in writing and listening to plays, and agreed to go with Zuo Zongtang to the Northern Prince's Mansion to meet Peng Gang.

Peng Gang did indeed listen to and write plays at the Prince's Mansion.

The "actors" Guo Kuntao mentioned refer to Peng Gang's newly established propaganda team.

A stage was erected in the open space of the first courtyard of the Northern Prince's Mansion.

Peng Gang listened to the play "The Landlord Li Guangde" being performed on the stage. The play depicts the story of an old tenant farmer who rented land from the landlord Li Guangde. Due to a year of famine and poor harvest, he was unable to pay 80% of the rent. He then borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates and was exploited by the landlord. In the end, his wife and children were separated, and his family was destroyed.

Li Guangde was one of the wealthy families in Hanyang Prefecture who was publicly tried and executed by Peng Gang a few months ago, and whose property was confiscated. He was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) in the fifteenth year of the Jiaqing reign. Because of his great reputation in Hanyang Prefecture, Peng Gang named the play after him.

The story wasn't something Peng Gang made up; such things happen almost every moment on this land.

On the playlist in Peng Gang's hand are plays he adapted to the times, such as "Borrowing Yellow Bran," "Harvesting Grain," and "The White-Haired Girl."

"Your Highness, recently, many gentry from Hanyang Prefecture have been traveling to Caidian in Hanyang County to transport money and grain. Local militias are also being recruited near Caidian, indicating that they are plotting something sinister." Liu Tongwei, a former member of the Tiandihui (Heaven and Earth Society) in Hunan and now the deputy director of the intelligence bureau, reported the intelligence he had gathered in Hanyang County to Peng Gang, who was watching a drama.

"You've got some nerve, daring to train a troupe in Hanyang County. Who's in charge? Have you found out?" Peng Gang put down the program list and pressed for an answer.

Caidian is about forty li away from the capital of Hanyang Prefecture, which is neither too close nor too far.

“Caidian is heavily guarded. Recently, even familiar peddlers are not allowed to enter. Our people are finding it difficult to get close, and we haven’t yet found out who is in charge.” Liu Tongwei lowered his head and spoke in a much softer voice.

“Go back to Hanyang and continue the investigation,” Peng Gang said.

"Your Highness, should we send the Second Regiment Commander to the countryside to clear out the militia, so as to prevent the Hanyang militia from becoming too powerful?" Liu Tongwei suggested.

"So what if they've become powerful? They're just a bunch of clowns," Peng Gang said.

"After you return to Hanyang, tell Li Qi not to send troops to patrol the countryside recently. Let those local gentry in Hanyang recruit and train local militias and let them cause trouble for a few more days."

Peng Gang was eager for the landlord militias in Hanyang Prefecture who opposed him to gather together so that he could wipe them out in one fell swoop and save himself the trouble.

These landlord militias were scattered across various regions and hidden in the countryside, making it more troublesome and time-consuming to divide forces and suppress them.

After occupying the four prefectures of Wu, Han, Huang, and Yue, Peng Gang did not launch further attacks to expand his territory or lengthen his battle lines, as he still had enough troops.

Farmers in Jiangxia County who were allocated land are highly enthusiastic about joining the army.

In the past, Yang Xiuqing and his men had to search all over Jiangxia County, crawling through the mountains and reed marshes to recruit able-bodied men. Now, they are all voluntarily signing up to join the army, and there is no need to worry about them running away after joining.

Peng Gang now has the resources to deal with those unruly local gentry in Hanyang County.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will proceed to Hanyang immediately!" Liu Tongwei accepted the order and left the Northern Prince's Mansion, heading to the Hanyang Gate ferry crossing on the Yangtze River to prepare to take a boat back to Hanyang City.

Thinking about the people of Jiangxia County joining the army, Peng Gang turned his head to look at Xiao Guoying, the general manager of the Farmers' Association, who was sitting to his right and watching a play with great interest: "General Manager Xiao, how many new soldiers have been recruited in Jiangxia County these days?"

After the establishment of the Farmers' Association, Peng Gang no longer set up a separate conscription office in Jiangxia County. Instead, the County Farmers' Association was responsible for promoting conscription and selecting qualified recruits.

Xiao Guoying was engrossed in watching and didn't hear Peng Gang speak.

Peng Min, who was standing nearby, nudged Xiao Guoying's arm and reminded him, "Uncle, Third Brother asked you how many new soldiers the Farmers' Association recruited in Jiangxia County."

Realizing what had happened, Xiao Guoying looked apologetic and hurriedly replied, "We have already recruited three battalions. The new recruits are all able-bodied young men from Jiangxia County who meet our Northern Palace's requirements. In fact, recruiting a full regiment is not a problem. There are still many young men from Jiangxia who want to join the army. Should we recruit another battalion to make up a full regiment of new recruits?"

“There are not many local people left in Jiangxia County. If we collect more, it will delay next year’s farming.” Peng Gang thought for a moment, then shook his head and said.

"Three battalions are enough. Let He Qingfeng and the others train these new recruits properly. After some time, take them to Hanyang to practice with the local militia. Leave the remaining battalion for the farmers in Hanyang."

According to the organization of the Northern Palace, a full-strength infantry battalion has 768 men, so three battalions would be a little over 2,300 men. The number of soldiers recruited from Jiangxia County is already quite large. Recruiting more able-bodied men would inevitably affect the production of Jiangxia County.

"Are the old Guangxi and old Hunan brothers who didn't get land in Jiangxia County settled in Hanyang and put in charge of the Hanyang Farmers' Association affairs?" Xiao Guoying couldn't help but ask more questions when Hanyang was mentioned.

“The gentry in Hanyang County are rebellious and not of one mind with us. We are afraid that the local farmers in Hanyang alone cannot organize a farmers' association. We will have to send some military dependents from the palace to Hanyang to keep them in check.”

“My third uncle is in charge of the farmers’ association in Hanyang County, while my eldest uncle focuses on the affairs of the general association and assists in handling the affairs of the farmers’ association in Jiangxia County,” Peng Gang said.

One person's energy is limited, and the farmers' association is just starting out.

Xiao Guoying's workload was already heavy enough; if he were to take on the affairs of the Hanyang County Farmers' Association as well, he would inevitably be unable to attend to everything.

Peng Gang decided to appoint his third uncle, Xiao Guowei, as the general manager of the Hanyang Farmers' Association branch, in charge of the affairs of the Hanyang Farmers' Association.

As for the elderly from Guangxi and Hunan who did not receive land in Jiangxia County, and the 30,000 relatively new members who joined the Northern Hall during the Wuchang Campaign.

Peng Gang did indeed intend to relocate some of them to Hanyang County to serve as the ballast of the Hanyang Farmers' Association.

Xiao Guoying was right. The local farmers in Hanyang County were both timid and lacked management experience. They simply couldn't run a farmers' association in Hanyang County. Even if they did, it would be in name only.

Just then, Li Ruzhao hurried up to Peng Gang and reported, "Your Highness, Mr. Zuo and Magistrate Guo have come to visit."

"Welcome Mr. Zuo and Magistrate Guo to the government office," Peng Gang said to Li Ruzhao.

(End of this chapter)