1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 331 General Xiang, say something quickly!

“Xiang Rong, He Chun, and the others are known for their elusiveness. It’s too early to say that their escape route is cut off,” Peng Gang said, glancing at the list of spoils that Chen Miao presented.

"Even if the waterways of Dongting Lake and Xiangjiang River are cut off, there is still a land route to escape. It is true that the Qing army's supply lines to Yuezhou camp have been cut off, but the grain and fodder that Xiang Rong, He Chun and others have stockpiled in Yuezhou camp over the past six months is enough to sustain them for two or three months."

Peng Gang does not entirely agree with Luo Dagang's statement.

The Sixth Regiment seized more than 5,600 dan of grain from Pianshan Shuiying.

The food reserves of the Pianshan Water Camp were enough to feed the two thousand Qing soldiers and Dongting auxiliary troops of the Pianshan Water Camp for more than four months. If they ate sparingly, they could even eat for five or six months.

Even if the grain reserves in the Yuezhou camp are less, they should be enough to last for two or three months.

The Yuezhou camp was located at the front line. The main officials of the Hunan authorities were considered capable and competent officials in the entire Qing court. Even in the face of difficulties and confusion, they would not be so foolish as to embezzle large amounts of military rations from the Qing troops at the front line.

"Does Your Highness mean that Xiang Rong and He Chun will hold the fortified camp in Yuezhou and wait for reinforcements from Changsha?" Luo Dagang leaned against the railing of the command deck, pondered for a moment, and then spoke his thoughts.

"Changsha will support the Yuezhou camp, but not with its full strength. No matter how important the Yuezhou camp is, it is not as important as Changsha. The Qing court's foothold in Hunan is Changsha. If Changsha is lost, it is equivalent to losing the entire Hunan."

While Luo Dagang's statement may be somewhat exaggerated, his analysis is not without merit.

Once Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, is lost, the northern part of the country, except for the Miao mountainous area in western Hunan, can be captured in a short period of time.

Between protecting Yuezhou's main camp and protecting Changsha, the provincial capital, the Hunan authorities' officials, gentry, and merchants would certainly prioritize protecting Changsha.

"I'd love for Xiang Rong and He Chun to hold the fortified camp in Yuezhou." As he spoke, Peng Gang turned his head to look at Chen Miao, who was waiting for orders to the side.

"Commander Chen, according to the operational plan pre-determined by the General Staff, block the Xinqiang River and prevent a single Qing soldier from crossing it to escape south."

Yuezhou Camp is bordered by Baling City to the north, Dongting Lake to the west, Xinqiang River to the south, and vast land to the east.

Before the battle, the General Staff devised a battle plan to first break through the Pianshan Water Camp, cut off the waterway to the east of the Yuezhou Camp, and then block the Xinqiang River, blocking the Qing army that was trying to break out and escape north of the Xinqiang River.

With the Pianshan naval camp now destroyed and the waterway around Dongting Lake cut off, the Qing army in the Yuezhou camp wants to flee south back to Changsha, and the Xinqiang River is the only river they can cross.

"Your subordinate obeys." Chen Miao accepted the order and withdrew, preparing to return to direct the three naval battalions of the Sixth Regiment to march south and blockade the Xinqiang River.

As for the remaining naval camp, it was to remain at the Pianshan naval camp according to the pre-arranged battle plan, at Peng Gang's disposal.

After Chen Miao left, Luo Dagang looked up at the five paddle steamers that were steadily moored on Dongting Lake not far away and said, "Western steamships are indeed useful. If those five steamships hadn't participated in the battle, Pianshan Naval Battalion could have won this battle, but it wouldn't have been so easy."

The Western gunners were highly skilled, and their cannons were incredibly accurate. They could hit exactly where they were aimed from a distance of over a mile, suppressing the shore cannons on the Pianshan naval fortress.

Steamships are useful, but unfortunately, we still have to hire Western crew members for now.

The Sixth Regiment suffered few casualties in its attack on Pianshan Shuiying. The suppressive fire provided by the paddle steamers in the deep water area played a crucial role in silencing the Pianshan Shuiying artillery positions.

Peng Gang felt that spending 370,000 taels of silver to purchase six paddle steamers and employing Western captains and crew was a worthwhile investment.

Most of the Western sailors hired by Peng Gang were retired naval soldiers and sailors from Europe and the United States who came to the Far East to seek their fortune. They had some military skills, so it would be strange if they couldn't hit the target.

These days, anyone who dares to be a crew member and sail an armed merchant ship on international routes is hardly a good person.

"Steamships are not like ordinary sailing ships. It will take time before our own navy's crew can operate steamships independently. We can't rush it," Peng Gang said.

"Your Highness, I am not worried about the Qing troops in Changsha." Luo Dagang shifted his gaze from the paddle steamer emitting wisps of coal smoke in the distance and expressed his concerns.

“My army is gathered in Yuezhou, leaving the heartland of Wuhan vulnerable. I am worried that the Qing army in Hubei and Jiangxi will take advantage of this situation to invade.”

With Mr. Zuo in charge of the three towns of Wuhan, Peng Yong with two battalions stationed in Hanchuan to the north, and Hou Jiyong and Li Qi with three battalions stationed in Jiujiang, it's not too weak.

Furthermore, if things change in Hubei and Jiangxi, and they are unable to withstand the overwhelming Qing army, we can sail down the river from Yuezhou and quickly return to the three towns of Wuhan, which will still be enough to remedy the situation.

After speaking, Peng Gang turned around and walked towards the lounge on the Jiangxia.

Upon entering the lounge, Peng Gang closed the door, temporarily shutting out the triumphant clamor from the deck.

Peng Gang sat down behind a mahogany desk covered with a map, picked up a sample of the newly compiled standard codebook, and began to peruse it to check for any omissions.

After an unknown amount of time, a conversation that sounded restrained yet couldn't hide its excitement came from outside the door, accompanied by the crisp sound of leather boots stepping on the deck.

The guards at the door reported to Peng Gang through the door that several representatives from the French and American missions were requesting an audience and asked if Peng Gang would grant them an audience.

Peng Gang closed the book and gestured for the door to be opened so that the representatives could come in.

Peng Gang has reached cooperation intentions with the French and American delegations in areas such as military industry, textiles, machine tools, mining, steel, shipping, and railway transportation.

Mintin and Mashali's men were either busy attending porcelain auctions in Hankou or conducting field investigations in Peng Gang's territory, looking for factory sites and writing reports so that they could return to China as soon as possible to facilitate the approval and implementation of the cooperation project between the two sides.

Mintini, Mashali, and others were curious about the North Palace army's performance in actual combat and requested to accompany them to observe the battle, as this would be another level of assessment.

If the Northern Army performs poorly in its battles against the Qing army, their cooperation will likely need to be reassessed.

The door to the lounge was pushed open, and a group of foreigners, led by the French delegation representative, Mintini, walked in.

The previous reserve and polite skepticism they had shown as observers had vanished from their faces, replaced by excitement and enthusiasm.

After this battle, they were satisfied with the military performance of Peng Gang's newly established regime and became even more determined to promote the establishment of diplomatic relations and cooperation between the two sides.

Min Tini quickly stepped forward to congratulate Peng Gang.

"Your Highness, the Northern King! The performance of your army has impressed me greatly; it is unlike any battle I have ever witnessed in the East!"

His words were like a floodgate opening, and the others echoed his sentiments.

Their previous observations in the East, whether of the Qing Empire's army or the armies of small Southeast Asian countries, largely conformed to their outdated impressions of Eastern armies: disorganized equipment, lax discipline, demoralized soldiers, and incompetent officers. Battles often relied on numerical superiority, and they would collapse at the slightest sign of trouble, resulting in utter chaos and devastation.

They had seen far too many so-called Qing soldiers who smoked opium, had rusty weapons, and lacked any tactical skills.

These soldiers were less like soldiers and more like a group of beggars and thugs armed with outdated weapons.

But today on Dongting Lake, they saw a refreshing Eastern army.

The American delegation representative, Masali, remained relatively calm and replied, "Your Highness, the performance of your river fleet is indeed impressive."

Kim Neng-hyung of the Russell & Co. added, “Those soldiers charging in small boats knew full well that artillery fire and death lay ahead, yet they did not hesitate for a moment, and their charging formation remained so well maintained. Compared to the Green Standard Army and Tatar soldiers we had seen before, they were worlds apart. Your soldiers were more like rigorously trained Western troops!”

“A strong military is not limited to the East or the West. You in the West have your times of strength, and we in the East have our times of strength. The rule of the Tatars in the East is not the norm.” Peng Gang frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Although the representatives from France and the United States were genuinely flattering him, Peng Gang still felt somewhat uncomfortable listening to their compliments.

It's as if Western armies are necessarily strong and Eastern armies are necessarily weak.

Although Peng Gang had reached cooperation agreements with France and the United States, he could still clearly sense that these Western representatives occasionally revealed a sense of superiority.

Smith immediately seized the opportunity and interjected, "The Russell & Co. will continue to provide you with all the supplies you need! Whether it's weapons, medicine, or ships, we can arrange them at the fastest speed! It is our honor to cooperate with a visionary and capable leader like Your Highness!"

"I hope your company can deliver arms as quickly as Mr. Smith can read the room."

Peng Gang slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping over the Western representatives, and said calmly.

"I appreciate your praise, gentlemen. What you have seen today should give you more confidence in our cooperation. The prospects for future cooperation will surely be even broader."

The smoke of gunpowder over the mountainous water camp near Dongting Lake gradually dissipated.

The tragic news that the Pianshan Water Camp had fallen in less than half an hour and that Li Delin, the deputy commander of the Hunan Dongting Army, had committed suicide hung over the Yuezhou camp like an inescapable gloom.

Inside the command tent of the Yuezhou camp, high-ranking officers of the rank of lieutenant general and above gathered to discuss countermeasures.

The short-haired Maoist forces came with great force and momentum, mobilizing a large number of troops from the three towns of Wuhan to Yuezhou. Such a large-scale mobilization was certainly not for a simple attack on a small, remote mountain naval camp.

The senior Green Standard Army officers inside the tent were all well aware of this.

After the Pianshan Water Camp, the next target of the short-haired rebels will likely be the Yuezhou Grand Camp.

The atmosphere inside the command tent was extremely heavy, and the senior Green Standard Army officers inside remained silent.

Xiang Rong, a veteran general of the Green Standard Army, stood with his back to the other generals, his hands behind his back, staring intently at the huge map hanging in the sky. He appeared very calm, but his trembling fingers betrayed the fact that he was actually panicking inside.

During the Battle of Pianshan Shuiying, Xiang Rong observed the entire battle from the shore.

Although the short-haired Maoist navy was strong in Guangxi, the government navy never defeated it.

At least they fought briefly before being defeated, but now the government navy, taking advantage of the terrain to guard the water camp and waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out, couldn't even hold out for half an hour, and the shore cannons didn't even have time to fire a few shots.

The short-haired navy's strength was growing far too fast; they were now even using powerful ships and cannons that the Fujian and Guangdong navies didn't possess. How was this battle supposed to be fought? Xiang Rong grew increasingly agitated.

Xiang Rong, standing to the side, broke the silence in the command tent with a grim face: "With the loss of Pianshan, the waterway is completely cut off, and the supply lines, the supply lines, and the retreat route are all cut off! Commander Xiang, say something quickly and make a decision. We are now trapped like turtles in a jar!"

Deng Shaoliang's hair and beard bristled, and he was as agitated as a caged beast: "Who could have imagined that Li Delin's Dongting naval forces would be so easily defeated! And that traitor Peng's ghost ships have such fierce firepower! Now we are trapped in this land camp, with no reinforcements outside and no supplies inside. Are we really going to sit here and wait to die, and have our entire army wiped out?!"

Deng Shaoliang had followed Xiang Rong since Xiang Rong suppressed the Tiandihui bandits in southern Hunan, and he participated in every battle against the bandits in Guangxi.

Deng Shaoliang, as a matter of course, rose from a lowly garrison commander in the Hunan Army to a deputy general and then a nominal commander-in-chief in just three years, which can be considered a great honor for the Deng family.

Deng Shaoliang had extensive experience fighting against the short-haired Mao, and had more or less figured out the short-haired Mao's tactics.

The short-haired people do not easily wage large-scale wars, but once they do, it will inevitably be a war of annihilation.

Back then, the Chu army was in Wuxuan, and thanks to Zhou Tianjue, the then governor of Guangxi, they were almost completely annihilated by the short-haired rebels within the county seat.

Xiang Rong slowly turned around, forcing himself to remain calm, and said in a deep voice, "What's the panic?! The short-haired barbarians haven't even sent troops to attack the Yuezhou camp yet, and you're already throwing yourselves into disarray and undermining morale. What kind of behavior is this!"

Deng Shaoliang's statement is likely an exaggeration. It is highly probable that there were no external reinforcements. The waterways of Dongting Lake and Xiangjiang River were under the control of the short-sighted Mao. Even if Changsha wanted to send reinforcements to Yuezhou Camp, it would be powerless to do so.

The claim that there are no reserves is utter nonsense. The Yuezhou camp doesn't have much pay, but it has enough grain to last for more than three months, and it also has plenty of gunpowder and lead.

Xiang Rong walked to the sand table and pointed heavily at Yuezhou City and several surrounding points: "Although the waterway is cut off, the land route still exists! Peng's main force is still building camps. It won't be so easy for them to swallow our tens of thousands of troops in Yuezhou camp in one gulp. We can take advantage of the fact that the short-haired rebels have not yet established a firm foothold and find an opportunity to break out!"

With sufficient provisions and ammunition, the Yuezhou camp had 3,000 remnants of the Chu army and 13,000 Zhengan soldiers composed of local youths. These soldiers were rare elite Green Standard Army troops and Xiang Rong's greatest source of confidence.

As for the other miscellaneous soldiers and He Chun's troops, Xiang Rong didn't have much hope.

"Break through?" He Chun and Deng Shaoliang looked at Xiang Rong at the same time.

“Not bad.” Xiang Rong’s gaze sharpened.

"Taking advantage of Peng Ni's newly acquired Pianshan Water Camp, whose foothold is not yet firm and whose deployment is not yet complete, our army should concentrate all its elite troops, choose its weak points, and launch a fierce attack! We may be able to break through to the south and make contact with Governor Zhang and Prefect Jiang in Changsha. Once the Pianshan Water Camp is lost, the Yuezhou Camp is now a dead end and should not be besieged and defended."

"Your Majesty (Deng Shaoliang's courtesy name), immediately dispatch your most capable scouts in multiple directions to thoroughly investigate the area surrounding the Yuezhou camp, especially the defenses of all Peng's rebel land forces in the Changsha direction to the south! I must know within a day where their forces are weak and where there are openings for attack!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Deng Shaoliang immediately accepted the order and hurriedly left the tent to arrange the reconnaissance.

After Deng Shaoliang left, Xiang Rong looked around at the generals, and finally his gaze fell on Zhang Guoliang, the adjutant who had been silent all along.

In his haste, Xiang Rong almost forgot about Zhang Guoliang.

Zhang Guoliang's elite cavalry, numbering around a thousand men, was the only usable force besides his own Chu army and Zhengan soldiers.

Zhang Guoliang, originally from the Heaven and Earth Society, was recruited by Liu Jizu, the prefect of Xunzhou Prefecture, and has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant general due to his bravery and skill in battle.

Xiang Rong glanced at Zhang Guoliang. Although Zhang Guoliang was quite capable, Xiang Rong had always preferred to give important positions to people with clean resumes, like Deng Shaoliang.

Zhang Guoliang, who came from a bandit background in the Heaven and Earth Society and first served Liu Jizu before abandoning his former master to join him, always harbored a complex sense of wariness towards him.

"General Zhang, what are your thoughts? What do you think of the breakout plan?"

Zhang Guoliang, who had been in a daze, seemed to wake up from a dream and immediately clasped his hands in a fist and replied, "General Xiang's insight is brilliant! Breaking through is indeed the only way out at the moment. I will certainly reorganize my troops, obey your orders, and fight to the death to carve a bloody path for you!"

Zhang Guoliang's words were well-chosen, but his eyes flickered uncertainly.

“Select some capable scouts to assist me in investigating the situation of the short-haired bandits around the camp.”

Xiang Rong was in a state of confusion and did not delve into Zhang Guoliang's absent-mindedness. He waved his hand and told Zhang Guoliang to go down and send some capable scouts to investigate the enemy camp.

Zhang Guoliang left the command tent, and the sunlight outside made him squint.

Upon returning to the Jieying camp on horseback, Zhang Guoliang's face instantly darkened, all traces of his previous submissiveness vanishing.

The only way out? Probably a dead end.

Zhang Guoliang couldn't help but sigh deeply.

Peng Gang is incredibly cunning; he must have already set a trap for them, just waiting for them to fall into it! Why would he leave any obvious flaws? Leading a large army to break through by land? That's probably just wishful thinking on Xiang Rong's part; he's just walking into a snare and will only die faster.

Zhang Guoliang recalled his experiences wandering around various places when he was a member of the Heaven and Earth Society, and that almost instinctive sense of danger was awakened once again.

If they were facing the Taiping rebels, the Zhengan soldiers, whom Xiang Rong and Deng Shaoliang had painstakingly trained over the past six months, combined with seasoned veterans of the Chu army, might be able to put up a fight.

But they were facing the short-haired rebels, and the morale of the Yuezhou camp was low, making victory extremely difficult.

He didn't want to drag the Jieying Battalion down with Xiang Rong.

Thinking about this, a bold idea popped into my head.

Zhang Guoliang dismounted and returned to his military tent, dismissing his attendants and leaving only a dozen or so trusted confidants.

These dozen or so people were his old brothers whom he brought from Guangdong and Guangxi; they were trustworthy.

"Brother, is the situation bad?"

Seeing that Zhang Guoliang's expression was off, Feng Zicai, Zhang Guoliang's trusted lieutenant, lowered his voice and asked.

Zhang Guoliang's old buddies address each other by their official titles in public, but prefer to call each other brothers in private.

Although the Jieying camp was far from Dongting Lake, Feng Zicai was unable to witness the battle of Pianshan Shuiying firsthand, but he heard some rumors about it.

At present, the short-haired army is preparing to surround the Yuezhou camp, and officers of the Jieying Army, including Feng Zicai, are also deeply worried about the future of the Yuezhou camp.

To be fair, the Hunan Green Standard Army had achieved some results after the purge, and Li Delin was not a coward. The Dongting Water Conservancy Battalion was a capable water conservancy battalion, comparable to other inland water conservancy battalions in the Qing Dynasty.

The defeat was so swift; the Pianshan Water Camp was completely wiped out in just one hour. It wasn't that the Dongting Army was too weak, but rather that the short-haired rebels were too strong.

The people in the tent were all old brothers that Zhang Guoliang could trust. Zhang Guoliang did not hide anything and told them frankly: "General Xiang and the others are going to organize a large army to break through to Changsha in the south."

"Break through to the south towards Changsha?" Feng Zicai frowned upon hearing this.

"General Xiang is grasping at straws in his desperation. The short-haired rebels will definitely deploy heavy troops to block us in the south. Even if we manage to break through by chance, the waters of Hunan are currently under their control. In the south, there are several rivers such as the Xinqiang River and the Miluo River blocking our way. How will we cross those rivers then?"

"If we can't break through, what can we do?" Zhang Guoliang said with a bitter smile.

"Right now, the Yuezhou camp is a dead end. If Commander Xiang defends the camp to the death, he can still survive for a few more days. But if he tries to break out, his fate is uncertain."

"What does Brother mean?" Feng Zicai looked up at Zhang Guoliang and asked.

"Get ready," Zhang Guoliang instructed.

"The commander told me to send scouts to investigate the enemy camp. You go back and find some old clothes, prepare some dry food and silver. Don't bring too much baggage. Select three hundred trustworthy old brothers. We'll leave now under the pretext of investigating the enemy camp. If we're late, we won't be able to leave."

Zhang Guoliang's confidants were not surprised at all by his words and remained calm. They were all from the Heaven and Earth Society and were used to this life of danger and being ready to pack their bags and run away at any time.

"Brother, where are we going? Are we going to go back to the mountains and become outlaws again?" a trusted confidant asked, reluctant to part with the officer's skin he had finally acquired.

“We’ll do the opposite and head east,” Zhang Guoliang said without hesitation.

"These are chaotic times, and the court needs capable people. We brothers are all capable, so why should we go back to the mountains and become bandits?"

On the way back, Zhang Guoliang had already decided where to go.

Feng Zicai's words make sense; that side is definitely the main direction the short-haired rebels will try to block, and with the river there, it will be difficult for them to escape back to Changsha.

Zhang Guoliang decided to run east. Although Chongyang County in Wuchang Prefecture to the east was the territory of the Duanmao, the area was covered with dense forests. Once he ran into the mountains, he would be safe. From Chongyang County, he could go south into Jiangxi Province, which was under the control of the Qing Dynasty.

"Is Brother going to Jiangxi to seek an audience with Lord Sai?" Feng Zicai asked.

“Sai Zhongtang has no shortage of men under his command. If we brothers join Sai Zhongtang, we will hardly be given important positions and will have little chance of advancement.” Zhang Guoliang shook his head.

"The only capable person under Governor Zhou of Anhui is Qin Junmen. He even recruits Nianzi. Let's go and join Governor Zhou."

“That may be true, but Governor Zhou is capricious and eccentric,” Feng Zicai said hesitantly.

Qin Dingsan surrendered to Zhou Tianjue, the governor of Anhui, after the Xinqianghe camp in Yuezhou Prefecture was breached last year. In Hunan, he was disliked by the people, and coincidentally, a real post of governor of Anhui became available, so he surrendered to Zhou Tianjue.

Just then, Zhang Guoliang's command tent was suddenly slashed open, and He Chun crawled in through the hole, brandishing his sword and shouting, "Zhang Guoliang, what a mess you've made!"

When Xiang Rong was in the command tent, He Chun had already noticed that Zhang Guoliang seemed distracted and something was wrong, and sure enough, it turned out to be just as he had expected.

(End of this chapter)