1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 310 Wuchang Normal School
pat!

There was a crisp sound.

The wine cup in Luo Bingzhang's hand slipped and fell onto the floor tiles, shattering into pieces. The rich wine splashed onto the hem of his official robe.

Luo Bingzhang seemed to have all his strength drained away in an instant; his face turned deathly pale. His lips trembled as he murmured, "Forty... four hundred and fifty thousand taels... one hundred thousand shi..."

This grain and provisions stolen by the short-haired bandits was a life-saving fund that Luo Bingzhang had obtained by exhausting his connections and influence in Sichuan's officialdom. It was the foundation for him to stabilize the situation in Hubei and Hunan and implement all his plans.

Overwhelmed by shock and grief, Luo Bingzhang was momentarily dizzy, his body swaying, almost collapsing, only managing to hold onto the table with his hands.

Immediately, Luo Bingzhang's eyes, which had been slightly tired, suddenly widened and flashed with a sharp light!
Luo Bingzhang let out a thunderous roar, slamming his hand on the table, making the cups and plates rattle. He stood up abruptly, his tall body trembling slightly with rage, his face ashen.

"How dare these traitors be so rampant! They actually dare to intercept our imperial grain and cut off our supply lines!"

Luo Bingzhang's voice was like thunder, echoing in the hall. Soon, Luo Bingzhang realized the problem and questioned the battalion commander.

"You mean the grain and provisions that Sichuan was supplying to Hunan were robbed by short-haired pirates in the waters near Junshan in Dongting Lake? Did they enter Dongting Lake by attacking Chenglingji and Balingcheng?"

The fact that Sichuan's grain transport fleet could be robbed in the waters near Junshan in Dongting Lake indicates that the Sichuan grain transport fleet traveled directly along the Yangtze River, passing through Chenglingji and Baling.

Both of these places are the strongholds of the Short Hairs in Yuezhou Prefecture!

It would be a miracle if the grain and supplies convoys passing through here weren't robbed by the short-haired tyrants!

"Yes," the battalion commander of the Dubiao Battalion replied cautiously.

"Fool! What is Yu Wanchun good for! Didn't I tell him to change to a small boat in Shishou and take the Huarong waterway into Dongting Lake? Who gave him the guts to go directly to the Yangtze River waterway! I don't even dare to take the waterways of Baling and Chenglingji!" Luo Bingzhang roared in extreme anger.

The Huarong Waterway, also known as the Huarong River or Tiaoxian River, originates from Tiaoxiankou in Shishou County, Hubei Province, flows through Huarong County, and finally empties into East Dongting Lake. It is over 100 li long.

This is upstream of Yuezhou; traveling along the Huarong River would be much safer and more secure.

Therefore, Luo Bingzhang had repeatedly instructed Yu Wanchun, the general of the Chongqing garrison of the Sichuan Army who was escorting the grain and supplies, to take the Huarong River into Dongting Lake. However, Yu Wanchun, that fool, still took the Yangtze River waterway into Dongting Lake, which resulted in the loss of the grain and supplies.

Luo Bingzhang wasn't just saying that out of anger; the waterways between Baling and Chenglingji were indeed places that even he, the Governor-General of Huguang, dared not traverse.

"It's winter, and the Huarong River is low and shallow, making it difficult even for small boats to navigate. I suppose Commander Yu wants to make things easier and get to Changsha as soon as possible to hand over his report and return to Sichuan," the battalion commander of the Dubiao Battalion said in a low, cautious voice.

While it was certainly inappropriate for Yu Wanchun to travel directly through the Yangtze River waterway, it did not mean that the Huarong waterway mentioned by Luo Bingzhang was safe.

Since the end of last year, the short-haired bandits have been patrolling Dongting Lake continuously, treating it as their own pond. The exit of the Huarong Waterway is a key area for their patrols.

According to Luo Bingzhang, even taking the Huarong waterway directly was not foolproof, as the fleet was still highly likely to be robbed by the short-haired pirates.

Furthermore, Luo Bingzhang demanded that Yu Wanchun transport this batch of grain and salary to Changsha before February.

There simply wasn't enough time to unload the grain and transfer it to another ship via the Huarong waterway, so Yu Wanchun's approach is understandable.

However, Luo Bingzhang was currently in a bad mood, and this captain of the Dubiao Battalion dared not provoke him at this time, lest he bring trouble upon himself.

"Where is Yu Wanchun?" Luo Bingzhang asked angrily, pointing to Yu Wanchun's name.

"Commander Yu fought valiantly to protect the ship, but his whereabouts are unknown. He is most likely in grave danger," replied the battalion commander of the Imperial Guard.

"At least he still has some backbone." Luo Bingzhang snorted coldly. After his anger subsided, he suddenly felt overwhelmed, wondering where to get the silver to make up for the huge shortfall of 450,000 taels of silver and 100,000 shi of grain.

The only thing Luo Bingzhang is grateful for now is that the grain and provisions sent to Hunan by Xu Guangjin, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, have been successfully transported to Changsha, and the troops on the front lines in Hunan can barely hold on for another six months.

It seems that the local militia in Hunan will have to start intensive training immediately. If the banditry in Hunan Province, especially in southern Hunan, spreads throughout the province, next time even the grain and provisions that Guangdong is supposed to provide to Hunan will not be able to be transported in.

Zeng Guofan turned his gaze to Zhang Liangji, whose face was ashen, and Luo Bingzhang, who was almost paralyzed. His tone was resolute and left no room for doubt. It was as if the thunderbolt of the interception of Sichuan's grain and supplies had not broken him, but instead completely aroused the ruthlessness and determination in his bones: "Ruzhai, Shiqing, this is reality! The bandits are so fierce that they have cut off our grain supply and strangled our throats!"

As he spoke, Zeng Guofan stood up, his figure casting a heavy shadow under the lamplight: "Ruzhai, Shiqing, the establishment of the trial bureau and the solicitation of donations that we just discussed are no longer options, but the only way out for Hunan! We can no longer proceed step by step; we must act swiftly and decisively, and achieve immediate results! If we delay even a day, we will all become fish on Peng Gang's chopping board!"

Zeng Guofan glanced at the two men, his gaze sharp as a knife, finally settling on Luo Bingzhang's face: "Ruzhai, Shiqing, we have no time to lament the loss of provisions and funds! We must immediately issue documents to all prefectures and counties, clearly informing officials and gentry of the robbery of provisions and funds in Sichuan! Tell them that when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken! If they do not give their all to help us through this difficult time, the next time their houses and shops will be looted and burned!"

"Tomorrow! The Trial Bureau must be up and running tomorrow! The first priority is to supervise the donations and clear away all obstacles! In times of crisis, severe measures are necessary! Anyone who delays, shirks responsibility, or outwardly complies but inwardly defies orders will be arrested and questioned by the Trial Bureau before being reported to the authorities!" Zhang Liangji made up his mind.

“Disheng, there is a house near the fishpond next to the governor’s office that can be vacated. The trial bureau can be set up there.”

Zhang Liangji personally expressed his support for the Trial Bureau and even suggested that it be located next to the Governor's Office, which was an act of supporting Zeng Guofan.

Zeng Guofan was extremely grateful: "Guofan thanks Shiqing!"

"I'll inscribe the sign for the Trial Bureau," Luo Bingzhang said hoarsely, taking a deep breath, wiping his face forcefully to suppress the turmoil in his heart.

“What Disheng said is absolutely right! We will... we will proceed according to Disheng’s plan!”

The Governor-General of Huguang's office was located in Wuchang, Hubei, but it was currently occupied by that traitor Peng and used as the Northern Prince's residence.

All Luo Bingzhang could do now was to inscribe a plaque for Zeng Guofan's judicial bureau, to show his attitude as the Governor-General of Huguang towards the judicial bureau.

The situation had become so dire that both governors-general and governors-general had no way out. Zeng Guofan was right; only by being ruthless and decisive and taking extraordinary measures could they perhaps find a way out of this desperate situation.

"With the strong support of Ru Zhai and Shi Qing, what is there to worry about in achieving great things?" Zeng Guofan was overjoyed and nodded while stroking his beard.

After leaving the governor's office, Zeng Guofan sought out Ding Shanqing, the headmaster of Yuelu Academy, and Ding Fuchen, the headmaster of Chengnan Academy.

He selected some scholars from Yuelu Academy and Chengnan Academy, two of the most famous academies in Hunan. Some were assigned to work in the Hunan Judicial Bureau, while others were used for militia training.

Immediately afterwards, Zeng Guofan summoned Luo Zenan and his surviving students.

Zeng Guofan decided to use the local militia of Xiangxiang County as the foundation to train the Xiang Army.

Luo Zenan was well-known in Hunan, knowledgeable in military affairs, and nicknamed "Old Liang." He was also from Xiangxiang County and had an irreconcilable blood feud with the short-haired Maoists, making him a very suitable candidate to train the brave.

Zeng Guofan personally selected one by one the two thousand militiamen from Xiangxiang County brought by Luo Zenan. One thousand of them were selected to form the Old Battalion, which was personally led and trained by Luo Zenan, with his younger brother Zeng Guoquan assisting him. The remaining one thousand were temporarily incorporated into the Auxiliary Battalion.

Finally, Zeng Guofan personally inspected the old camp and carefully selected two hundred elite soldiers from the thousand old camp soldiers to serve as his personal guard.

The personal guard battalion was led by Zeng Guohua, Li Chendian, Peng Yuju, Zhu Nangui, Jiang Yili, Xiao Qijiang, Xiao Qingyan, and others who were related to him by marriage or family ties and whom he greatly appreciated and trusted.

Faced with Zeng Guofan's blatant act of reaping the benefits and undermining his foundation, Luo Zenan could only tacitly approve and support it.

Although he boasted of his talent and had considerable influence among the scholars of Hunan, he was ultimately just a minor student.

To get things done, you need to leverage existing resources and have powerful backers.

Previously, Luo Zenan relied on the influence of Zhu Sunyi, the current prefect of Changsha and former magistrate of Xiangxiang County; now he needs to rely on the influence of Zeng Guofan.

The difference is that, compared to Zeng Guofan, Zhu Sunyi was just a sapling, while Zeng Guofan was a true giant tree.

“Disheng, the short-haired people have a navy and are skilled in naval warfare. Last time, the short-haired navy was able to withstand the bombardment of dozens of cannons on the island and occupy it. Now the short-haired navy will only be stronger.”

After Zeng Guofan finished assembling his personal guard, he was about to head to the Hunan Trial Bureau, which was located next to the Hunan Governor's Office, when Luo Zenan caught up with him and said...

"To deal with the short-haired and long-haired people, it is far from enough to just build an army; we also need a navy."

Although Luo Zenan had not participated in the Battle of Changsha, he had heard Jiang Zhongyuan and his brothers, Liu Changyou and others describe how the short-haired navy captured Shuiluzhou in half a day during the Battle of Changsha.

"The rebels from western Guangdong marched north along the Xiang River, out of Dongting Lake, and down the Yangtze River, conquering Baling, the three towns of Wuhan, Jiujiang, Anqing, and even recently occupying Jiangning, Zhenjiang, and Yangzhou. The navy certainly played a very important role," Zeng Guofan said after a moment of contemplation, nodding slightly.

"Does Luoshan have any suitable candidates to oversee the training of the navy?"

"Peng Yulin, a student from Zhajiang, Hengyang County, Hengzhou Prefecture, grew up in Anhui with his father. He has a family tradition of naval warfare. I have met with him several times, and he has a deep understanding of naval warfare. He is a rare naval talent." Luo Zenan recommended Peng Yulin to Zeng Guofan.

“If that’s the case, please invite him to Changsha. I will meet him in person,” Zeng Guofan said.

Luo Zenan hesitated for a moment, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "Disheng, when I led the Xiangxiang warriors into Hengyang, we developed a grudge. I'm afraid he might not be willing to come. I'm afraid this matter will require Disheng to personally intervene."

The "recapture" of Hengzhou Prefecture was the battle that made the Xiangxiang Braves famous. The Xiangxiang Braves were poorly disciplined and brought war to Hengzhou Prefecture when they entered the city.

Peng Yulin, a native of Hengyang, no longer has the same relationship with Luo Zenan, the leader of the Xiangxiang militia.

Meanwhile, a temple on the outskirts of Wuchang was renovated, with blue bricks paving the ground and whitewashed walls, and a brand-new black plaque with gold lettering for Wuchang Normal School was hung high.

On the doorposts on both sides hang vertical plaques inscribed with the words "High academic achievement makes one a role model, upright conduct makes one a teacher."

The small square in front of the school was packed with people.

Standing in the most prominent position in the center of the small square were two hundred young men, aged between thirteen or fourteen and seventeen or eighteen, carefully selected by Peng Gang from the former Beidian Children's Camp. These young men, who had some basic education, would receive a year-long training as the first cohort of students at the Wuchang Normal School.

The group of young men had dark complexions and rough hands. They were all dressed in the new clothes that Peng Gang had prepared for them. Their faces showed curiosity and a bit of unease, and their eyes contained a mixture of awe, bewilderment, and a hint of excitement at being chosen.

This "new attire" does not refer to new clothes, but rather to a new suit that Peng Gang commissioned to be sewn based on the Zhongshan suit.

The fabric was coarse cloth dyed indigo. Students of the fourth class of the Military Academy, students of the Wuchang Administrative School, and now students of the Wuchang Normal School all wore this uniform.

The brass buttons on the new uniforms are engraved with the school's name, which is what distinguishes the uniforms of the three schools.

Peng Gang was planning to use this equipment as tooling for the Hanyang Ironworks and the arsenal.

With the recruitment of four classes of students by the Wuchang Military Academy, the Wuchang Administrative Academy was established.

The intellectuals brought from Guangxi and Hunan have already been thoroughly exploited by Peng Gang.

In terms of cultural foundation, the two hundred young men from Wuchang Normal School were the least well-rounded among the students of the three schools.

There was no other way; expanding the army and redistributing land were the most urgent tasks, and Peng Gang had an even more pressing need for officers and clerks.

In particular, there was a large shortage of clerks, and the requirements for cultural literacy were also higher, which was difficult to achieve quickly. Peng Gang could only send the most culturally literate junior intellectuals from the North Palace to the administrative school as soon as possible.

Although the students at Wuchang Normal School had a relatively poor academic background, Peng Gang gave them more time, including a year of training, which somewhat made up for their lack of academic background.

Peng Gang had carefully considered the situation over the course of a year. Although he governed four prefectures, only Jiangxia County and half of Hanyang County had completed land reform.

In areas where land reform has not been completed, it is difficult for schools to continue operating.

Jiangxia County and half of Hanyang County, which have already completed land reform, are expected to resume production this year.

Only when production returns to normal in the two counties next year will the people in these two places have the resources to send their school-age children to school.

Children in this era were different from those in later generations. As long as they could walk, they were considered laborers in their families and had to undertake some relatively light farm work.

With a steady horn sound.

Peng Gang, who had come from the administrative academy, walked out slowly, accompanied by a group of important civil and military officials from the Northern Palace.

He carried no swords today, only a simple indigo blue cotton robe, and a black square scarf wrapped around his head, resembling a young and serious tutor.

Peng Gang's appearance greatly excited the first batch of 200 students from Wuchang Normal School, as well as the representatives of the Jiangxia County Farmers' Association who came to witness the ceremony.

During his campaigns in Guangxi and Hunan, Peng Gang frequently visited the Tongziying (Children's Camp) and inspected the camp's accompanying schools.

Many of them had met Peng Gang before, but this was the first time they had been so close to him.

Peng Gang walked straight to the plaque, looked up at it for a moment, and then looked down at the vertical plaque with the eight characters "High learning makes a teacher, and true conduct makes a model".

Finally, Peng Gang turned around, faced the eighty young and simple faces below the stage, and said loudly, "Students!"

The familiar address instantly bridged the gap, and the first batch of students at Wuchang Normal School subconsciously straightened their chests.

Most of these students came from the Northern Palace Boys Camp. Back in the camp, the senior students from the third class of the Martial Arts Academy, who often came to teach them, called them classmates.

"Raise your heads and look carefully! Look carefully at these eight characters on the vertical plaque! This is not just decoration for the school, nor is it empty talk! This is the soul that will be etched into your bones and blood in the future!"

Peng Gang raised his voice and said, word by word, "A teacher should be upright. What does it mean to be upright? It doesn't mean to be sanctimonious, to put on a stern face, or to stand up straight! It means to be consistent in word and deed! It means to be upright in character and to treat others with sincerity!"
You will all be the first teachers to stand before these young children! The eyes of those children shine like stars and are as clear as spring water! Whether your hearts are pure or impure, your every word and deed will affect them.

If you yourselves are even slightly crooked, the students you teach will be crooked a great deal. You must be fair and upright, and maintain your moral integrity! You must strive to be a mirror reflecting the true nature of people!

"High academic achievement sets an example!" Peng Gang shouted again, his gaze sweeping over the group of students in front of him.

"This is not about making you take the imperial examination to become top scholars or pedantic bookworms! High academic achievement means that you must be thoroughly familiar with the basic elementary education that is about to be taught, and understand it completely! You must thoroughly understand the sound, form, and meaning of every single word! You cannot be ambiguous about simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division!"
I know that many of you have a shallow foundation in knowledge. But that is precisely why you must study hard in this school! You must recognize every word and understand every arithmetic problem.

Only in this way, when you leave here and go to the countryside, military camps, and streets to serve as teachers in schools and preschools, you will be able to teach those children and brothers and sisters who yearn to learn to read, with dignity and clarity. The more you learn, the more people will understand!
Remember these eight words: "High academic achievement makes a teacher; upright conduct makes a role model." Engrave them in your hearts! In the future, each and every one of you will be a living example of these eight words, passing this principle down from generation to generation!

Finally, Peng Gang's voice suddenly rose, his eyes filled with endless expectations and entrustment for the students before him: "The battlefield of pen and ink is equally magnificent! Equally important! Even more difficult, and requires even more perseverance!"
Tell me, do you have the confidence to uphold the eight characters "High academic achievement makes a good teacher, upright conduct makes a good role model"? Do you have the backbone to become the first generation of teachers for the new people since the dawn of time? Do you have the determination to use your perseverance to bring light to the eyes of hundreds of millions of children in China?!

"have!!!"

"I will heed the instructions of the Northern King! Upright in character and of high learning! Passing on the torch!"

As the roar of the oath resounded, the two hundred students of Wuchang Normal School, like warriors about to go to the battlefield, responded to their leader with firm eyes and powerful voices.

After delivering his speech, Peng Gang personally cut the ribbon to establish the Wuchang Normal School, marking its official establishment that day.

"Sir, I will trouble you to continue to take care of the Wuchang Normal School in the future." With that, Peng Gang led Liu Bingwen into the school, and as they walked, he took out two thin notebooks and handed them to Liu Bingwen for a look.

"These are the regulations for the Wuchang Normal School that I have been drafting these days, as well as the educational outline for the elementary school to be established in the future. Please take a look, and if you have any ideas, you may add them."

Considering that Liu Bingwen was originally from a private school and was Peng Gang's teacher, Peng Gang carefully considered the matter and appointed Liu Bingwen as the principal of Wuchang Normal School.

Firstly, Liu Bingwen himself enjoys teaching and is a professional in this field. Secondly, Liu Bingwen is currently the only Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) to serve Peng Gang, and the status of Jinshi is attractive to traditional intellectuals. Thirdly, it also demonstrates Peng Gang's emphasis on normal schools.

Liu Bingwen went to the principal's office, found his tortoiseshell reading glasses, put them on, and carefully read the charter of Wuchang Normal School and the educational outline of the primary school.

Compared to the charter of Wuchang Normal School, Liu Bingwen was more concerned with the educational outline of elementary schools.

In Peng Gang's outline, the goal is to eradicate illiteracy, requiring only that students who have completed four years of elementary education possess the most basic cultural knowledge and calculation skills.

In terms of the school system, elementary education is divided into two parts: primary elementary education and advanced elementary education. Each part of elementary education lasts for two years, for a total of four years.

Upon completion of elementary elementary education, students are required to master pinyin, learn to use the "Common Character Dictionary," recognize more than 800 of the most commonly used Chinese characters, and be proficient in at least 600 Chinese characters, as well as learn basic vocabulary and sentence construction.

They can understand simple notices, slogans, deeds, letters, IOUs, receipts, and promissory notes, and write simple compositions of no more than 150 characters.

The math requirements include mastering the four arithmetic operations for integers up to 100, addition and subtraction operations for integers up to 1000, and learning to use an abacus.

Advanced elementary education requires students to recognize more than 1,800 commonly used Chinese characters upon completion of their studies, master 1,400 of them, and be able to write basic articles of no more than 600 characters.

In mathematics, students need to learn decimals, calculate tax rates, interest, discounts, and percentages, and master some basic geometry and algebra.

In terms of curriculum, Chinese language is the core course based on language arts, accounting for the largest proportion, followed by mathematics.

In addition to Chinese and mathematics, a natural science course is offered, which systematically explains basic agricultural knowledge such as seed selection, fertilization, and pest control, hygiene knowledge such as cleaning, disease prevention, and first aid, as well as natural phenomena such as thunder, lightning, and rain.

“Literacy is fundamental, and arithmetic is a practical skill. I can understand why Your Highness values ​​arithmetic. However, as for natural phenomena such as thunder, lightning, and rain, although Your Highness has explained them to me, I still don’t quite understand them. I don’t even understand them myself, so how can you teach them?” Liu Bingwen asked, puzzled.

“When I have time, I will personally come to the school to explain this course to the teachers from those normal schools, so that they can understand it before I teach it,” Peng Gang said.

Peng Gang originally planned to offer a science course to briefly introduce some of the latest Western technologies.

However, realistically speaking, there are very few people in China who can even understand common natural phenomena. Offering this course would be like casting pearls before swine. We should first understand the most basic natural phenomena.

"The first class of Wuchang Normal School had as many as two hundred students. With so many people, the cost of food, clothing and other necessities must have been considerable. Did Wuchang Normal School receive funding from the Imperial Treasury, following the system of military and administrative schools?" Liu Bingwen asked about the funding sources and teacher salaries of Wuchang Normal School. "What were the salary standards for the fifteen lecturers of the Normal School?"

“That’s natural. The funding for Wuchang Normal School is the same as the other two schools. Every year, a budget application is submitted and then allocated by the treasury after calculation,” Peng Gang nodded and said.

"The battlefield of pen and ink is also a battlefield. The lecturers of the teachers' college will be paid the same as the company commanders of the regular regiment, and each person will be allocated a courtyard next to the teachers' college."

“The site of Wuchang Normal School was originally a temple. There were no houses nearby, and the shacks of the temple's tenant farmers were burned down by the Hubei governor Chang Dachun’s men during the Battle of Wuchang.” Liu Bingwen paused for a moment before speaking.

“I will send an engineering corps to build next to Wuchang Normal School, and I guarantee that all the lecturers of the Normal School will be able to live in new courtyards next year,” Peng Gang promised. “There are still many vacant houses in the school, and they will live in the school for the time being until the courtyards are built.”

"On behalf of the lecturers, I thank Your Highness." Liu Bingwen thanked Peng Gang.

"The emperor doesn't starve his soldiers, so why would I let my men go hungry and destitute?" Peng Gang waved his hand and said.

After speaking with Liu Bingwen, Peng Gang met with the first batch of lecturers from Wuchang Normal School and rewarded each of them with eight shi of rice, ten taels of silver, and five strings of cash as a settlement allowance for these lecturers.

They promised that if the teaching results were excellent, not only would their professional titles and salaries be increased, but they could also be assigned, according to their personal wishes, to serve as the head of the county education department in counties that had completed land reform, or to serve as the principal or acting head of a branch school after it was established.

Although the student body of Wuchang Normal School was not as good as that of the Military Academy and the Administrative Academy, the quality of its lecturers was by no means low. In addition to Liu Bingwen's students, there were seven lecturers who were second-term trainees specially transferred back from the army by Peng Gang.

After bestowing the pie upon the instructors, Peng Gang encouraged the fifteen lecturers and then summoned representatives from the Jiangxia County Farmers' Association and several major farmers' associations from Hanyang County to the school.

(End of this chapter)