1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 312 Judging the Northern King by the standards of a petty person
Chen Miao came prepared. Given that a full-strength standing navy of more than 3,000 men had suffered more than 100 casualties in a single battle, Chen Miao believed that Peng Gang would definitely take charge personally, given his personality.

Peng Gang took the list presented by Chen Miao and carefully read through it.

Although Chen Miao's handwriting has improved compared to when he was in Pingzaishan, the characters are still crooked and uneven in size, and there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Fortunately, Peng Gang was already used to his students' scribbles, so browsing Chen Miao's list wasn't too difficult for him.

After all, compared to some of the second and third cohorts of trainees, the handwriting of the first cohort trainees was already quite neat.

Chen Miao copied the list very carefully. The list did not contain just a single name, but clearly noted the hometown of the wounded and injured soldiers, the time they joined the Northern Palace, and the severity of their injuries in a table format.

Chen Miao did not return all the things Peng Gang had taught them when he was in Pingzaishan, which made Peng Gang quite gratified.

However, after seeing the list, Peng Gang's slightly improved mood vanished.

Of the thirty-seven soldiers of the Sixth Regiment who died in battle, half of them were old comrades from the Pingzai Mountain period.

With a gloomy face, Peng Gang ordered Huang Dabiao to bring Chen Ajiu to the West Flower Hall.

Before long, Chen Ajiu appeared in front of Peng Gang.

Peng Gang said expressionlessly, "The great victory in the Battle of Junshan in Dongting Lake is gratifying. The soldiers of the Sixth Regiment have made great contributions, which makes me very happy. The soldiers of the Sixth Regiment should be commended. Each soldier of the Sixth Regiment who participated in this battle will be rewarded with five taels of silver. Those who performed outstandingly and made great contributions during the battle, please compile a list and give them additional rewards."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ajiu grinned and was about to say a few words of modesty when he saw Peng Gang turn his head and stare intently at Chen Ajiu. Peng Gang then subtly changed the subject and asked Chen Ajiu, "Chen Ajiu, merit should be rewarded and demerit should be punished. Don't you think that's the way it is?"

Chen Ajiu's smile instantly froze. After a moment of stunned silence, he replied, "Although I am a rough man, I have been following Your Highness in this uprising for more than two years. I understand this principle."

"In this battle, 37 soldiers of the Sixth Regiment were killed in action, and many were seriously wounded. Half of the fallen soldiers were old brothers from Ping and Shan. Is this true?" Peng Gang's tone was tinged with regret as he calmly stared at Chen Ajiu, who was already drenched in sweat.

Chen Ajiu's initial excitement was suddenly dampened, as if doused with cold water, and his high spirits gradually subsided.

He smacked his lips, his bushy beard twitched, and his voice became much softer: "Uh...yes, the Qing army fought like cornered beasts, and some ships fought fiercely, losing some good brothers in the boarding maneuvers..."

This battle did indeed result in the loss of eighteen of Ping Zai Shan's old comrades, eight of whom were old comrades from Chen Ajiu's time as a submariner.

As the euphoria of victory faded, the exact figures of comrades' casualties became clear and stark.

Peng Gang stood up, walked to Chen Ajiu, poured him a bowl of hot tea, and handed it to him.

"Ajiu," Peng Gang called out Chen Ajiu's name, speaking earnestly.

"Silver is a good thing, and food is the foundation of life. But they are ultimately inanimate objects. If they are gone today, they can be taken again tomorrow. But we, these old brothers who have survived a hundred battles, are all priceless treasures. We are the backbone and seeds that no amount of silver can buy. If one is lost, we will lose one more."

The dangers of naval warfare far surpass those of land warfare. Naval warfare requires even more strategic planning and tactics, and cannot be achieved solely through brute force. I know you are the bravest warrior in the army, always leading from the front in every battle. From Wuxuan County to Quanzhou, Shuiluzhou, and now the Battle of Junshan on Dongting Lake, I remember all the merits you have made.

However, a great general must know how to love his soldiers like his own children and to plan carefully before acting. If you still can't shake your impatience and inflexibility, you'll barely be able to become a regimental commander, let alone a general.

Chen Ajiu held the bowl of hot tea, head bowed, listening silently.

Peng Gang patiently explained, "For example, this time, if you could adopt Chen Miao's suggestion to suppress Yu Wanchun's garrison fleet with firepower, disrupt their formation, or use a feint to divert their forces and disperse their fleet, or annihilate them one by one, or directly attack Yu Wanchun's general's ship, wouldn't that reduce the casualties of the Sixth Regiment's soldiers when boarding the ship? Wouldn't that force more Qing soldiers to surrender instead of fighting to the death?"

He patted Chen Ajiu's strong arm: "I'm not nitpicking, after all, you won this battle. But I hope you can go even further. You should not only be a fierce general who charges into battle, but also a wise general who can achieve the greatest victory with the least cost."

At this point, Peng Gang's tone became serious: "Ajiu, you need to calm down and reflect on your actions. Don't go back to Yuezhou for now; stay in Wuchang and carefully review the entire battle. Write a detailed battle report and submit it to me."

Not only do you need to write about how you won, but you also need to clearly explain whether the suggestions made by your deputy regimental commander Chen Miao before the battle were reasonable, and why you did not adopt them. Where did you encounter unexpected resistance? What were the shortcomings in our tactical arrangements? What caused the casualties? Was it due to poor coordination during boarding and jumping, or insufficient firepower suppression? You need to summarize all these experiences and lessons for me, one by one.

After you've written it, submit it to me. Think carefully about how we can fight even better next time, and how to ensure more brothers return safely with their spoils and achievements to celebrate their victory.

The objective of intercepting the supplies and provisions of the Qing army in Sichuan and Hunan has been achieved. The Sixth Regiment will not have any new combat missions in the near future, so Peng Gang can take this opportunity to hone Chen Ajiu's skills.

Chen Ajiu put down his teacup and said, "Your Highness's teachings have been remembered by Ajiu! I was blinded by victory and forgot the blood our brothers shed! Your Highness, rest assured! In future battles, I will never just seek pleasure, but will use my brain more to reduce the bloodshed of our brothers!"

But as you know, Your Highness, I'm a rough man who can barely read or write, let alone write battle reports.

"Your Highness, I acted impulsively during the battle, my mind was solely focused on defeating the enemy and achieving merit, and it was indeed my negligence and mistake not to heed Deputy Regiment Commander Chen's advice. Let's forget about this battle report; how about you confine me for a few days? What do you think?"

Chen Ajiu had a strong sense of江湖 (jianghu, the world of martial arts and chivalry) and always regarded Chen Miao as his younger brother rather than the deputy commander of the Sixth Regiment.

Chen Miao had not intended to complain to Peng Gang about this matter. Peng Gang was looking forward to taking this opportunity to temper Chen Ajiu's江湖 (jianghu) habits and style, so how could he allow Chen Ajiu to bargain?

"Chen Ajiu, are you trying to bargain with me?" Peng Gang's face darkened, and he said unhappily.

Peng Gang's officers mainly fall into three categories.

The first category consists of officers he trained himself, who came from the military academy. This type of officer was the most numerous and formed the backbone of the Northern Palace army.

The second category consists of officers from the Green Standard Army, represented by Xie Bin, Yang Huwei, Li Rui, and Chang Sheng, who joined the Northern Army halfway through their service.

The third type is like Chen Ajiu of the Heaven and Earth Society, an officer who was a leader of the Heaven and Earth Society.

Among them, the best and most satisfactory officers were the military academy officers he had trained himself. These officers were absolutely obedient to Peng Gang and had a certain level of education.

Although most of them, apart from the regimental commanders and staff officers carefully trained by Peng Gang, do not have a very high potential, they have a high minimum potential and will basically not cause any trouble during wartime.

Xie Bin, Hou Jiyong, Yang Huwei, Li Rui, Chang Sheng, and other officers who were not completely corrupt and had undergone reformation were all trained officers in the Green Standard Army. They had received relatively complete and systematic military education and had led troops for many years, so they were not lacking in experience in commanding troops and fighting.

When they were put in command of a decent army with sufficient food and pay, they performed remarkably well, showing a stark contrast to their performance in the Green Standard Army.

As for officers like Chen Ajiu who came from the Heaven and Earth Society, they performed exceptionally well in the early and middle stages of the uprising. However, as the Northern Palace army became more and more standardized, the negative effects of the Jianghu habits that Chen Ajiu and others had picked up during their time in the Heaven and Earth Society became increasingly apparent.

Apart from Luo Dagang, the other officers from the Heaven and Earth Society still fought with the mindset of bandits.

"I dare not, but the Sixth Regiment needs someone to lead it. If I stay in Wuchang for too long, what will happen to the soldiers of the Sixth Regiment?" Chen Ajiu hurriedly said.

"The affairs of the Sixth Regiment will be temporarily handled by Deputy Regiment Commander Chen Miao," Peng Gang said coldly.

“But,” Chen Ajiu said, sounding a little anxious.

“There are no buts, Ajiu. You really should be locked up for a few days to reflect on your actions. Go down and receive your five-day confinement sentence.” Peng Gang’s face showed undisguised disappointment.

“Since you are illiterate, I will give you a chance now. After you finish your confinement, report to the Wuchang Military Academy and attend classes with the new students of the fourth class. When you can write a combat report and truly realize your problems, I will let you return to the Sixth Regiment as your regimental commander.”

After speaking, Peng Gang waved his hand, signaling Huang Dabiao to take Chen Ajiu away and put him in solitary confinement.

"Your Highness, the Sixth Regiment still cannot do without Chen Ajiu for the time being. This matter..." Chen Miao stammered after Chen Ajiu was taken away.

"What, you can't lead the Sixth Regiment?" Peng Gang frowned.

The Sixth Regiment, also known as the Naval Regiment, was the most complex in terms of personnel organization among all the regiments under Peng Gang's command.

The soldiers in the naval corps must be proficient in swimming and able to operate ships; these two requirements alone can exclude many new recruits.

Therefore, the Sixth Regiment had a relatively large proportion of its members who were former members of the Heaven and Earth Society's river bandits, as well as surrendered Qing soldiers, such as the Fujian and Chaozhou militias, accounting for slightly more than half of the total number of personnel. This proportion is unimaginable in other regiments.

Even Yang Huwei's Guizhou Battalion, Li Rui's Miao and Yao Battalion, and Chang Sheng's Sichuan Battalion, although the soldiers in these battalions were mainly composed of their former subordinates.

However, the main officers of these three battalions were all second- or third-term graduates, and these three battalions were assigned to different regiments, accounting for only a quarter of the personnel in their respective regiments.

“The only officers I can lead are those from the submarine force. Some of them only obey Chen Ajiu, not me, so they’re a bit troublesome to manage,” Chen Miao said after a moment’s hesitation.

“There are many factions within the Sixth Regiment. The veterans and officers from the submarine force and the Heaven and Earth Society are arrogant, like to form sworn brotherhoods, and are particular about seniority. They look down on new recruits and have even bullied the Sixth Battalion's sailors who come from the Fujian and Chaozhou militias. If this continues, it will inevitably affect the Sixth Regiment's combat effectiveness and morale,” Peng Gang said, looking at Chen Miao.

"The reason I sent Chen Ajiu to the Military Academy for further studies and appointed you to act as commander of the Sixth Regiment is to solve this problem. It's time to rectify the Jianghu habits and military discipline within the Sixth Regiment. If you are not confident in handling this alone, I will send Zhang Ze and He Qingfeng, the captain of the military police, to Yuezhou Prefecture to assist you in this matter."

"Correct the bad habits of the old officers from the submarine force and the Heaven and Earth Society if possible. If they are truly beyond redemption, allocate them some good, fertile land in Hanyang and let them farm there."

The soldiers are a reflection of the officers. If Chen Ajiu, as the commander of the Sixth Regiment, was like this, one can only imagine how the other officers under the Sixth Regiment were, especially those from the boat corps and the Heaven and Earth Society.

"With the assistance of Staff Officer Zhang and Captain He, I guarantee I can complete the task Your Highness has assigned!" Chen Miao suddenly raised his voice. "I heard that when the Imperial Treasury was collecting work point cards in the Sixth Regiment last time, several soldiers from Fujian in the Sixth Regiment took out more than 3,700 work points and exchanged them for nearly 500 taels of silver. Is that true?" Peng Gang suddenly remembered an unusual thing that Peng Yi and He Qingfeng had told him.

During the period of separate camps, the North Palace implemented a compensation system. To facilitate daily life and transactions, Peng Gang tacitly allowed the work point cards issued by the North Palace to circulate within the North Palace.

Therefore, when collecting work point cards, the veterans of the North Palace could take out dozens or even hundreds of work points to exchange for silver.

Peng Gang was quite surprised that a soldier, especially one from Fujian who had only officially joined the Northern Palace during the Hunan Shuiluzhou Campaign, could exchange several thousand work points for silver in one go. He thought that such a business acumen and ability to make money was a waste of his talents; he was better suited to do something else.

"Those Fujianese guys?" Chen Miao thought for a moment and said.

"The 3,700 work points were just the work point cards they used to exchange for silver. They still had some work point cards on them, saying that they could be sold as antiques in the future. They refused to exchange them for silver and even offered to pay extra silver to buy back the old work point cards issued in Guangxi when they were working there."

"Have them come to my residence to await my orders," Peng Gang said.

"Yes, Your Highness." Chen Miao nodded, then immediately thought of the Sichuan camp prisoners of war from the Battle of Junshan in Dongting Lake.

"What does Your Highness intend to do with those prisoners from Sichuan?"

“Right now, we are short of manpower for spring plowing. Let’s hand it over to Liu Zhenghao and Chen Nanshan of the POW Management Office, and let the POW Management Office organize these POWs to go to Jiangxia and Hanyang, where land reform has been completed, to help with spring plowing. Regardless of whether they are officers or soldiers, they will be given food and vegetables according to their labor,” Peng Gang said without hesitation.

Huangmei County, Huangzhou Prefecture.

The ongoing drought and the scars left by war have made this already barren land appear even more desolate.

The fields were barren, the villages were desolate, and the people looked pale and sickly, their eyes filled with bewilderment and hunger.

Yang Xun, who had recently surrendered to the Northern Palace but remained as the magistrate of Huangmei County, stood at the entrance of the dilapidated county government office, looking at the deserted streets, his brows furrowed in worry.

The meager grain reserves in Huangmei County's official granaries and community granaries were completely wiped out by the Eastern Palace's troops when they passed through the area, leaving the granaries empty. Even the rats in the warehouses had run away from hunger.

Yang Xun, who had neither money nor food, felt utterly helpless in the face of the spring famine in Huangmei County.

The advisor, Chen Kerang, also sighed, "Master, there's still no reply from Wuchang. Huangmei County is on the front line. Does His Highness not care about the lives of the people in Huangmei County?"

As a seasoned financial advisor, he was all too familiar with the bureaucratic practices of waiting, relying on others, pushing things along, and delaying. By the time the grain was approved, Huangmei County would probably already be littered with corpses of the starving.

Chen Kerang could almost picture Peng Gang's cold, perfunctory reply, or even a reprimand.

After all, his father-in-law, Yang Xun, was a surrendered official who had not made any contributions. Yet, he asked for grain, and the amount he asked for was eight thousand shi (a unit of dry measure).

The more Chen Kerang thought about it, the less likely it was that the disaster relief grain from the North Palace would be allocated. Even if it was allocated, it would only be a few hundred stones as a formality, and the blame for the poor disaster relief would be placed on him and Yang Xun.

They used his and Yang Xun's lives to quell the anger of the people of Huangmei County.

Thinking of this, a chill ran down Chen Kerang's spine.

Compared to the actual 8,000 shi of grain, a surrendered county magistrate and a few clerks were indeed insignificant and of little importance.

“His Highness shouldn’t be that kind of person,” Yang Xun muttered.

Although Yang Xun said that, he was just as uneasy and uncertain as Chen Kerang.

After all, Huangmei County served as a buffer zone protecting the rear of Wuhan, so it's not hard to understand why Peng Gang wouldn't allocate disaster relief grain to Huangmei County.

If Yang Xun were in Peng Gang's position, he would also be more inclined to pour more resources into Wuchang and Hanyang prefectures, while Huangzhou prefecture would ultimately be just a dispensable existence.

Just as Yang Xun and Chen Kerang were frowning in worry, a yamen runner rushed into the county government office, his voice trembling with excitement: "Your Excellency! He's here! He's here!"

Yang Xun suddenly stood up, excitedly grabbing the yamen runner's shoulder and asking, "Has His Highness the Northern King issued the official document allocating spring famine relief grain to our Huangmei County?"

"It's not His Highness the Northern King's official document that's arrived, it's grain, grain ships! So many grain ships! Grain ships flying the Northern King's flag have already arrived at the Xinkailu Wharf on the Yangtze River. The chief of grain transport has ordered us to go and receive the grain for disaster relief!"

Yang Xun could hardly believe his ears. He staggered out of the county government office, mounted his horse, and prepared to head to the dock at the newly opened road.

Upon arriving at the city gate, Yang Xun was greeted by Hou Jiyong, the deputy commander of the Fifth Regiment, who was already waiting for him. Together with Yang Xun, they went to the Xinkai Road Wharf to collect the disaster relief grain.

Yang Xun rushed to the newly opened road, and the scene before him left him completely stunned.

Looking around, the area around the Xinkai Road Wharf was filled with mule carts and handcarts laden with heavy loads.

The scene before him made Chen Kerang look ashamed. The Northern King had not abandoned the people of Huangmei County; he had been judging the Northern King by his own petty standards.

Near the dock, soldiers, boatmen, and sailors dressed in the Northern Palace cross-collar military robes were carrying bags of grain off the grain barges and loading them onto carts.

The grain carts were piled high with sacks, and each cart had a small apricot-yellow flag. The soldiers from the Northern Palace escorting the grain were dusty from their journey, but they were very disciplined.

Qiu Zhongliang, the tax police battalion commander in charge of escorting and assisting in the distribution of disaster relief grain in Huangmei County, saw Hou Jiyong and Yang Xun, who was wearing an official hat, arrive at the dock. He quickly walked towards Yang Xun, handed him an official document, and said, "Magistrate Yang! By order of His Highness the Northern Prince, eight thousand shi of disaster relief grain have arrived in Huangmei County! Please immediately count, receive, and distribute the relief grain without any mistakes!"

“Eight…eight thousand shi?!” Yang Xun took the heavy document, his hands trembling violently, his heart unable to calm down for a long time.

He had only hoped that Peng Gang would eventually grant him three or four thousand shi of grain to tide him over, but he never expected that Peng Gang would be so generous and grant him eight thousand shi of grain without any discount!
Moreover, the collection and transportation work was completed in just six days, and the grain was transported from Wuchang to Huangmei. What amazing efficiency and courage this was!
Yang Xun hurriedly opened the document, which indeed contained the seal of the Northern Prince's Mansion and Peng Gang's clear instructions, requiring him to immediately organize relief efforts, appease and provide relief to the people of Huangmei County, and restore production.

“Magistrate Yang?” Qiu Zhongliang nudged Yang Xun on the shoulder.

"This humble official will now count and receive the disaster relief grain," Yang Xun nodded hurriedly.

After confirming that the grain was accounted for, Yang Xun accepted the grain.

As Yang Xun watched the bags of rice being carried away by the soldiers of the Northern Palace, his eyes involuntarily welled up with tears, and he recalled his time as an official in the Qing Dynasty.

Last year, when he was still the magistrate of Huangmei County under the Qing government, he had to bribe officials at every level and be mindful of his superiors' moods in order to get a discount on the grain transport. It was common for official documents to be exchanged for months at a time.

As for the grain to be distributed to disaster victims, even if the imperial court approved the relief, after layers of exploitation, the amount of grain that actually reached him was far less than the amount stated in the official documents.

When have we ever seen such decisive, efficient, and cost-free disaster relief? When have we ever seen such swift and effective efficiency?

"This...this is what it truly means to get things done! His Highness the Northern King is indeed a wise ruler!"

Yang Xun murmured to himself, overwhelmed with shock and emotion.

His previous surrender might have been partly out of necessity and due to the circumstances, but now he was truly convinced, and a sense of urgency to die for a friend surged within him.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Yang Xun said to Chen Kerang beside him, "His Highness the Northern King has treated me and the people of Huangmei so kindly. How can we, Yang Xun, continue to hold our positions without contributing anything and live in complacency?! We must do our utmost to govern Huangmei County into a peaceful and prosperous place, only then can we repay this profound kindness!"

“What the Master says is true,” Chen Kerang nodded in agreement.

As the two were talking, Qiu Zhongliang walked towards them again, looked Chen Kerang up and down, and said, "Master Chen, His Highness wants you to go to Wuchang."

"Going to Wuchang?" Chen Kerang asked, puzzled. "What for?"

"His Highness knows that Master Chen is well-versed in matters of finance and wishes to invite him to be a lecturer at the Administrative School." As he spoke, Qiu Zhongliang looked at Yang Xun.

"Would Magistrate Yang really be reluctant to part with it?"

"Commander Qiu, you flatter me. Both Master Chen and I work for His Highness the Northern King. We are His Highness's men and are at His Highness's beck and call."

"That's good." Qiu Zhongliang nodded in satisfaction. This Magistrate Yang has quite a high level of awareness.

"When do we set off?" Chen Kerang asked.

"Now gather your family and get ready. I'll vacate a boat for you. Once you're all settled, board the boat and head to Wuchang. Someone will escort you," Qiu Zhongliang said.

He was to lead two companies of tax police battalions and soldiers to distribute the disaster relief grain with Hou Jiyong and Yang Xun, and he couldn't leave for the time being. He could only send a group of soldiers to escort Chen Kerang to Wuchang.

(End of this chapter)