1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 337 Marching the Army to Changsha
"The Heavenly Army has been invincible, winning battle after battle. According to the latest news, His Highness the Prince has led the Northern Expeditionary Army into the territory of Henan Huaiqing Prefecture, Henan Province," Li Ruzhao replied as if reciting a familiar story.

Huaiqing Prefecture was located in Henan, which is now Qinyang in northern Henan, a thousand miles away from Tianjing (Nanjing).

Hanoi is located north of the Yellow River. The capture of Hanoi indicates that the main force of the Taiping Army's Northern Expedition had crossed the Yellow River and entered the North China Plain.

At this time, only two months had passed since the Northern Expeditionary Army led by Wei Changhui, Lin Fengxiang, Li Kaifang, and others set out northward.

In just over two months, they marched from Pukou and Chuzhou all the way to Huaiqing Prefecture in northern Henan, a feat that can truly be described as invincible and incredibly rapid.

There was a time lag in the information exchange between Peng Gang and Wei Changhui, Lin Fengxiang, Li Kaifang, and others.

Peng Gang learned that the Northern Expeditionary Army had taken over Huaiqing Prefecture and governed Henan. Given the Northern Expeditionary Army's strategy of advancing rapidly northward and sweeping through Youyan, they must have already entered Shanxi, or even the heartland of Zhili Province, the territory of the Qing government.

“Your Highness, the cities that the Prince Fu, Prime Minister Lin, and Prime Minister Li have captured along the way, including important cities like Fengyang, Bozhou, Shangqiu, and Zhuxian Town, are not being defended by troops. They are only eager to advance north quickly and penetrate deep into the heart of the Qing territory. This is probably not a good thing,” Huang Bingxian said upon hearing this.

"The Prime Ministers Fu Wang, Lin, and Li have mobilized 40,000 to 50,000 elite troops from the Fu and Xi Palaces for a northern expedition. Recently, they have also brought along many laborers from Anhui and Henan. The daily food and fodder consumption for tens of thousands of able-bodied men and horses is enormous. Relying solely on the enemy for food and the city for sustenance without relying on supplies from Tianjing is not a long-term solution and is too risky." Zhang Ze also agreed with Huang Bingxian's viewpoint.

Huang Bingxian and Zhang Ze, the two most senior staff officers in the Northern Palace, did not think that the rapid progress of Wei Changhui, Lin Fengxiang, and Li Kaifang's Northern Expeditionary Army was a good thing.

The Northern Expeditionary Army was only interested in speed and was unwilling to leave troops to garrison the large cities it captured along the way. It captured and abandoned them in an instant and was unwilling to maintain even a relatively fragile logistical supply line. It only cared about rushing towards the capital.

This was utterly incomprehensible to the North Palace staff, who always placed great importance on logistics.

This time, the Northern Palace launched a western expedition on its own doorstep, targeting neighboring Hunan. Just preparing for the logistics and troop deployment took more than two months, and more than 10,000 laborers were specially conscripted to transport the supplies.

Only when everything was in place did they engage in a decisive battle with the Qing army at the Yuezhou camp.

"The idea of ​​relying on the enemy for food and the city for sustenance is the Eastern King's will. Even if the Auxiliary King, Prime Minister Lin, and Prime Minister Li are unwilling, they are powerless to change it. Speed ​​and stability cannot be achieved at the same time, and the Eastern King has chosen speed," Peng Gang continued to ask Li Ruzhao.

"How is the progress of the Southern King's southward journey to Suzhou and Hangzhou?"

Before Yang Xiuqing established the Hundred Crafts Office after the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom established its capital in Nanjing, Wei Changhui managed the sacred treasury of the main Taiping army and was responsible for the Taiping army's logistics.

Lin Fengxiang, Li Kaifang, and others were all top-notch generals in the Taiping Army, and they certainly understood the importance of logistics.

Perhaps Wei, Lin, Li and others have not yet suffered a major setback in their northern expedition, and now they have become complacent and reckless. They are overly optimistic about the future war, thinking that they can quickly capture the capital. They are unwilling to divide their troops to defend even the large cities they have captured along the way, and instead choose to concentrate their main force to continue northward.

However, Peng Gang believes that the key reason for the rapid progress of the Northern Expeditionary Army lies in Yang Xiuqing's eagerness for quick success. His strategy of taking the army by unconventional means and rushing to Yandu was too bold and reckless.

“The progress of the Southern King and the Marquis of Dingtian’s southward advance is much slower than that of the Auxiliary King, Prime Minister Lin, and Prime Minister Li. After capturing Wuxi, the Southern King and the Marquis of Dingtian have already taken Suzhou. However, the Southern King and the Marquis of Dingtian have suffered heavy losses and need to rest and reorganize before they can march south into Zhejiang to attack Xiushui, the capital of Jiaxing Prefecture,” Li Ruzhao replied.

Compared to the Northern Expeditionary Army, the Southern Expeditionary Force led by Prince Feng Yunshan and Marquis Qin Rigang, which marched south into Zhejiang, made much slower progress.

The military strength of the South Palace was not outstanding among the palaces. The only one with some strength, Hu Yihuang, was poached by Yang Xiuqing and kept in Tianjing. Peng Gang was not surprised that Feng Yunshan suffered heavy casualties in his southern expedition.

Compared to leading troops into battle, Feng Yunshan was more suited to staying in Tianjing to manage the internal affairs of the Heavenly Kingdom. However, with Yang Xiuqing already in Tianjing, it was difficult to accommodate another Feng Yunshan.

Having learned about the progress of the Taiping Army's Northern Expedition and Southern Expedition, Peng Gang and Luo Dagang convened a military meeting with five staff officers and several senior officers of the Northern Palace, who had already arrived in Xiangyin at the deputy regimental level or above, to discuss the next operational plan.

Peng Gang stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the map of Hunan hanging on the main wall. Yuezhou, Xiangyin, Yiyang, Yuanjiang and other places had been outlined in red ink, indicating that these places had been recovered by the Northern Expeditionary Army.

Peng Gang's gaze was focused on the Xiangjiang River, a waterway that runs through Hunan and meanders northward, and on the majestic provincial capital of Changsha on its banks.

After all the attendees had arrived, Peng Gang walked to the main seat in the main hall and took his seat to begin today's military meeting.

Despite his continuous battles, Peng Gang showed no signs of fatigue; on the contrary, his eyes shone brightly, and his spirit was even stronger than before.

Luo Dagang sat to the left of Peng Gang.

Lu Qin, Huang Dabiao, Xie Bin, Huang Bingxian, Zhang Ze, Zhang Handai, Qiu Zhongmin and other core officers of the Northern Palace in Xiangyin sat on both sides, their faces showing the excitement of the consecutive victories in the Western Expedition.

"Gentlemen," Peng Gang said slowly, "Yuezhou has been pacified, and Xiangyin, Yiyang, and Yuanjiang are all in our hands. Our army's advance has reached the Xiangjiang River again."

At this point, Peng Gang paused, then pointed precisely to two points west of Changsha on the Hunan map on the front wall.

"I intend to conquer Shuiluzhou and Yuelushan, and establish a large camp there. What do you all think?"

This western expedition was the most expensive battle Peng Gang had fought since he raised his army. After more than a month of fighting, the military expenses alone amounted to 620,000 taels of silver.

The strategic goal of annihilating the Chu army and Zhengan troops has been achieved, and the heartland of the three towns of Wuhan has gained a broader strategic depth as desired. The newly liberated areas are also enough for Peng Gang to digest for some time.

As for Changsha, the stronghold of the Qing army in Hunan, Jiang Zhongyuan's Chu soldiers were old rivals who fought alongside Bei Dian from Guangxi to Hunan. There were also the Guangfu soldiers under Wulantai, who were said to be equipped with Western weapons that Wulantai had purchased from Hong Kong and Macau at great expense.

Chu Yong and the Guangfu soldiers were no match for the Northern Palace in open battle, but they were more than capable of defending the city with their strong fortifications.

The gentry and wealthy merchants of Changsha Prefecture, whose lives, land, and shops were all tied to Changsha City, were still determined to support the Qing government. They provided money and grain as needed, and even organized local militias to help defend Changsha.

Now, even with an army of over 20,000, we can take down Changsha, a fortified city with impregnable defenses, regardless of the cost and with all our might.

However, the cost of conquering Changsha and the subsequent high cost of governance were unacceptable to the Northern Palace, which had not even fully digested the original four prefectures.

The troops that Peng Gang brought to the west were all elites of the Northern Palace. If they suffered too many losses, it would be difficult for them to recover their strength in less than one or two years.

The Northern Palace's base in Hubei was a battleground on all sides, with Qing troops still stationed in Anhui, within Hubei itself, and in the Jiangxi direction.

If you save people but lose land, you can save both people and land; if you save land but lose people, you can lose both people and land.

It is not a wise choice to sacrifice a large number of elite troops in exchange for a major city that is hostile to the Northern Palace.

Furthermore, although Peng Gang's troops were elite, their numbers were still fewer than those of the garrison in Changsha. With more than 20,000 men besieging Changsha, they were somewhat stretched thin.

At this point, attacking Changsha would be far less cost-effective than first capturing Jingzhou, another important geographical location within Hubei province.

Peng Gang fought against Xi Dian in Jingzhou last year. The capital of Jingzhou, Jiangling City, was in ruins and had no heavy troops to defend it. Even if a detachment was sent, it would be possible to take Jingzhou, or even Yichang, at a relatively low cost. It seemed wiser than attacking Changsha directly.

Although Peng Gang did not attack Changsha, the Northern Palace had already occupied Xiangyin in the lower reaches of the Xiang River. Taking advantage of the Xiang River waterway, Peng Gang planned to set up a large camp on Shuiluzhou Island on the Xiang River and Yuelu Mountain on the west bank to contain and monitor the Qing army in Changsha.

The Qing army's elite troops capable of field battles in Hunan and Hubei were mostly in Changsha. As long as the Qing army in Changsha, especially the Chu troops, were tied down and their every move was monitored, the Northern Palace would have a greater initiative in the Hunan and Hubei region.

As soon as Peng Gang said this, the atmosphere in the hall immediately became lively.

Luo Dagang was the first to applaud, "Your Highness is brilliant! You've struck at the heart of the matter! Occupying these two places is like putting a knife to the nose of Changsha! I'm afraid Luo Bingzhang and Zhang Liangji won't be able to sleep peacefully in Changsha from now on."

"Mount Yuelu commands a high vantage point, and Shuiluzhou controls the heart of the river. With these two locations secured, every move the Qing army makes in Changsha will be under our watchful eyes!"

What does it feel like to have an enemy camp right under your nose? Luo Dagang, who had been locked in a stalemate with the Qing troops under Xiang Rong, He Chun, and Deng Shaoliang at the Yuezhou camp for over half a year, had the deepest understanding and the most authority to speak on this. Although the Qing troops at the Yuezhou camp had made several unsuccessful attempts to attack Baling City, the fact that the enemy was right under his nose, constantly harassing the outskirts of Baling City, still drew away most of Luo Dagang's attention, making him feel like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat, uncomfortable and nauseous.

Chief of Staff Huang Bingxian was more cautious, worried that his troops, like the Northern Expeditionary Army, had stretched their supply lines too long, and that setting up a large camp under the noses of the Qing army in Hunan was too risky: "Your Highness's proposal is exceptionally bold. Yuelu Mountain is a natural barrier to the west of Changsha, controlling the land routes west of Changsha, while Shuiluzhou stretches across the Xiang River, dividing the waterways and locking the north and south. If we can control these two places, we can indeed create a overwhelming pressure on Changsha, making the Qing officers and generals in Changsha restless."

However, these two places are too close to Changsha City. The heavy artillery on the west wall of Changsha City can directly hit the area east of Shuiluzhou. Shuiluzhou and Yuelu Mountain are important to us, and also to the Qing army. The enemy knows their importance and will definitely fight back desperately.

Our army has recently captured Pingjiang and Xiangyin, and the battle line is already somewhat stretched. If we were to further divide our forces to defend these two locations, it would be too risky, as our strength would be too dispersed and our supply lines would require heavy troop maintenance.

Deputy Chief of Staff Zhang Ze interjected, “Chief of Staff Huang’s concerns are not without merit. However, our army marched south with the momentum of a great victory, and our morale is high. It is the perfect time to press our advantage and expand our gains. The Qing army has just suffered a defeat, and their morale has plummeted. Even if they launch a counterattack, their strength will be diminished. The key is how to deploy our defenses after occupying these two locations, ensuring they support each other rather than being isolated strongholds. As for maintaining the supply lines, we have steamships, and our navy is stronger than the Qing navy. We only need our navy to maintain supplies to the Shuiluzhou and Yuelushan camps; we do not need a large force.”

Xie Bin, quick-witted, pondered for a moment, stood up, walked to the map of Hunan Province on the main wall, and, referring to the map, stated his idea: "Gentlemen, Shuiluzhou and Yuelu Mountain face each other across the river. If we can establish strong fortifications at these two locations, station elite troops, and equip them with artillery, then Yuelu Mountain can overlook the western part of Changsha and monitor the city. Our field artillery has a long range; setting it up on Shuiluzhou can even allow us to directly bombard the western part of Changsha, holding our own against the Qing army in artillery duels."

Shuiluzhou could control the Xiangjiang River waterway, block north-south waterway connections, and monitor or even intercept enemy naval forces, which goes without saying.

The Qing army's provisions and pay in Changsha came from three sources: taxation within the province, subsidies from Guangdong, and subsidies from Jiangxi.

The grain and provisions supplied by Guangdong to Hunan were mostly transported to Changsha via the Xiangjiang River. Cutting off the Xiangjiang River waterway was tantamount to cutting off part of the grain and provisions supply to the Qing army in Changsha.

Furthermore, both Shuiluzhou and Yuelu Mountain are strategically important locations, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Establishing large camps in these two places, close to each other, allows for rapid support by both land and water, creating a perfect defensive formation! If the Qing army attacks Yuelu Mountain, the cannons on the island can strike its flanks and rear; if they attack Shuiluzhou, the troops on Yuelu Mountain can descend to reinforce and launch a pincer attack! This would leave the Qing army in Changsha city in a difficult position, unable to defend themselves effectively!

Xie Bin didn't think it was a big problem. Both Yuelu Mountain and Shuiluzhou had been attacked by Beidian during the siege of Changsha. During that time, the Qing army had also launched several counterattacks on Shuiluzhou and returned in disarray.

This shows that as long as they establish a foothold in Shuiluzhou and Yuelu Mountain, and support each other, it will be difficult for the Qing army in Changsha to recapture Shuiluzhou by crossing the river and launching a strong attack.

Moreover, the Northern Palace has already occupied Xiangyin County and has steamships capable of traveling upstream.

As long as Xiangyin is managed well, the logistical supply of troops stationed in Yuelu Mountain and Shuiluzhou will not be a problem at all.

Most importantly, the positions of Yuelu Mountain and Shuiluzhou can be used to harass the Qing army in Changsha by creating a siege, thus disrupting their food and supplies. In the long run, this will increase the cost for the Qing government to maintain its garrison in Changsha, gradually weaken the Qing army in Changsha, and pave the way for a future attack on Changsha.

Qiu Zhongmin added, “Not only that. Occupying these two places is like driving two nails into the throat of Changsha. Not only can it keep watch and restrain the main force of the Qing army in Changsha, preventing them from attacking easily, but it can also intimidate the whole of Hunan. Taking advantage of the Xiang River, we can not only provide food and supplies to the anti-Qing secret society forces in southern Hunan, but also send troops to harass the rear of Hunan. At that time, Changsha will be an isolated city, and our army will be deployed in the field. The initiative will be in our hands! Whether to besiege or attack, to trap or lure, it will all be up to us.”

Qiu Zhongmin believed that by establishing camps at Yuelu Mountain and Shuiluzhou, and controlling the Xiangjiang River waterway, he could not only provide material support to the anti-Qing forces in southern Hunan, but also take advantage of the Xiangjiang River waterway to send his elite troops to southern Hunan to carry out guerrilla warfare, attack and eliminate the Hunan Qing troops outside Changsha, especially the Hunan troops based in southern Hunan, thus achieving two goals at once.

Peng Gang listened quietly to the discussion. The analysis of the staff officers coincided with his strategic vision.

Compared to the beginning of the incident, these senior officers and five staff officers have matured considerably.

After everyone had expressed their opinions, and the vast majority of people supported setting up camps at Shuiluzhou and Yuelushan, Peng Gang stood up, walked to the map, and firmly traced the Xiangjiang River with his finger before pressing it heavily onto Shuiluzhou and Yuelushan.

"There are risks in setting up camps at Shuiluzhou and Yuelushan, but the opportunity is fleeting! The Qing army has just suffered a defeat and is in a state of panic. This is the time to press on and expand our gains! If we wait until the Qing army has caught its breath, mobilized reinforcements, and strengthened the city's defenses before trying to establish a foothold at Shuiluzhou and Yuelushan, the cost and difficulty will be much greater!"

Peng Gang looked around at everyone and made the final decision.

"The decision has been made! The army will rest briefly, and once the main force of the Sixth Regiment has arrived at Linzikou, we will advance by land and water, heading upstream!"

Within a few days, Chen Miao gathered the main force of the Northern Palace Navy, which had been scattered in Yiyang, Yuanjiang and other places, and they arrived at Linzikou one after another.

Standing on the small dock, Peng Gang noticed only five steamships on the river near Linzikou and asked Chen Miao, "Where is the other steamship?"

"Your Highness, the American chief engineer on the Huanggang says that the Huanggang's engine has malfunctioned and it cannot sail normally. It is currently anchored on the Yuanjiang River. The steamship is too big and our ship can hardly pull it. We can only barely pull the Huanggang from Dongting Lake to the waters near Yuanjiang City."

Captain Horn requested that I send one of my steamships as a tugboat to pull the Huanggang back to Wuchang. However, the war was urgent, and we didn't have many steamships to begin with; each one had to be used wisely. I didn't grant Captain Horn's request and told him to wait on the Yuan River.

As he spoke, Chen Miao took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Peng Gang.

"This is a specific mechanical malfunction. I am too dull to understand it. Please take a look, Your Highness."

Peng Gang took the letter from Chen Miao and began to read it.

The high-intensity use of the Huanggang over the past month has led to material fatigue, bent piston rods due to overload operation, and broken connecting rods, resulting in a complete interruption of power transmission.

In addition, the cylinder of the Huanggang also had a minor crack, resulting in a high-pressure steam leak.

The Huanggang was damaged in its core propulsion system, and Beidian currently does not have a dry dock capable of repairing the propulsion system of a paddle steamer.

The project to relocate the Shanghai repair dock to Hankou by Russell & Co. and Li Ming & Co. will not be finalized until the end of the year at the earliest.

For the next six months, unless Peng Gang allows Russell & Co. to tow the Huanggang to a repair dock in Shanghai for repairs, the Huanggang will remain a mere decoration until the repairs are completed.

Without the supporting industrial facilities for maintenance, even the most advanced weapons are just disposable consumables.

Although the paddle steamers purchased from the two trading companies, Russell & Co. and Li Ming & Co., were not warships but armed merchant ships, they proved to be very effective in small inland waterways and lakes through actual combat.

Not only was its firepower somewhat excessive for the Qing army, but its carrying capacity was also considerable, making it extremely efficient at transporting supplies and personnel.

Over the past month, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that these six paddle steamers are the hardest-working ships in the Northern Navy.

"I understand. You handled this matter correctly. How are the other steamships?" Peng Gang asked about the condition of the other five paddle steamers.

"Before we came, I specifically instructed the chief engineers of each steamship to inspect them inside and out. Apart from the thick layer of scale buildup in the boiler of the Daye and the broken propeller of the Hanchuan, the rest of the ships were fine. The captains of the Daye and Hanchuan said that although their ships had some minor problems, they could sail for a while longer and continue to participate in the battle," Chen Miao replied.

Peng Gang understood and nodded, saying, "Understood. Take Lu Shi's brothers and head south."

The Northern Palace's western expeditionary force, consisting of both land and naval troops, completed its assembly at Linzikou and then sailed south up the Xiang River towards Shuiluzhou, near Changsha.

The Qing army was prepared for the Northern Palace's westward expeditionary force's attack on Changsha. They set up more than a dozen large and small iron chains, some dead and some alive, near Jinggang in an attempt to block the Northern Palace's fleet from heading towards Changsha.

There are two types of iron chains used to block the river: movable chains and fixed chains. Some are fixed, while others can be extended or retracted to facilitate the passage of friendly vessels.

The iron chains blocking the river in Jinggang have both movable and fixed locks, with four or five of the fixed locks being recently installed.

A mere dozen or so iron chains blocking the river could not stop Peng Gang's fleet. Peng Gang ordered Lu Qin to lead two battalions and a provisional regiment, totaling one and a half regiments, to attack Jinggang directly from the land, occupy the stone house at Jinggang Jiaoguan, control the winch of the iron chains blocking the river, and gain control of the movable iron chains that could be released and withdrawn.

As for the deadlock, after occupying Jinggang, we can directly cut off the source of the problem by destroying the anchor piles that secure the iron chains on the shore.

The iron chains blocking the river could only be effective if the Qing troops at Jinggang could hold the riverbank facilities.

Clearly, according to the scouts' reconnaissance, the two thousand-plus Green Standard Army soldiers and militiamen in Jinggang were not capable of holding the city against the more than twenty thousand troops marching south from the Northern Palace.

(End of this chapter)