1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 366: Hard-to-hard

After instructing Li Ruzhao to urge the Englishman again and to speak more forcefully, Peng Gang took the telegram to the flower hall of the Northern Prince's Mansion, opened it, and began to read it.

After reading it, Peng Gang handed the telegram to Hu Chunfang, the official in charge of public affairs, and ordered Hu Chunfang to read these earlier telegrams aloud to the officials and assistants in the West Flower Hall.

The telegram contained both good and bad news.

The good news is that both armies that were conquering Xiangyang and Fancheng made good progress. In just one month, they captured the entire territory of Jingmen Prefecture and Anlu Prefecture with almost negligible casualties.

The entire central Hubei region was now under the control of the Northern Palace.

Further upstream from Anlu Prefecture lies Xiangyang Prefecture, where Xiangfan is located.

As for the concerns, they were only minor. The only concern was that the large Ming-style warships were temporarily unable to sail to Xiangfan and thus could not provide fire support for the attack on Xiangfan.

After hearing the contents of the telegram, the officials in Xihua Hall all congratulated Peng Gang.

Based on the current progress, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Xiangfan should be captured before winter.

With the capture of Xiangfan, the defensive pressure on the Northern Palace in the north will be greatly reduced.

Peng Gang didn't take it seriously and didn't think there was anything to be happy about.

There were no major troops stationed in Anlu Prefecture and Jingmen Prefecture, and the troops under the command of Lu Qin and Xie Bin had more new recruits than before.

However, in terms of both the quantity and quality of troops, the army led by Lu Qin and Xie Bin to conquer Xiangfan had an overwhelming advantage over the Qing troops in Anlu Prefecture and Jingmen Prefecture.

If we can lose this, let alone continue to serve as the commander of the troops that conquered Xiangfan, we might as well give up our positions as the commanders of the First and Third Regiments.

Peng Gang himself did not personally lead the expedition to Xiangfan.

This was because the Qing army in Hubei was relatively weak compared to its previous opponents.

Peng Gang intended to give his senior officers an opportunity to train and demonstrate their abilities.

Given the vastness of China, there are countless strategic locations to conquer in the future, and it is impossible for Peng Gang to personally lead every battle.

We still need some generals under our command who can stand alone and are capable of independently organizing and commanding tens of thousands of troops in expeditionary operations.

Peng Gang had no intention of micromanaging the battle in Xiangfan, hundreds of miles away, from Wuchang.

He simply replied to Lu Qin, Xie Bin, Zhang Ze, and others, telling them to arrange and deploy the next steps for attacking Xiangfan as they saw fit.

Finally, Peng Gang instructed Hu Chunfang to deliver the telegram to the General Staff Headquarters, so that the General Staff Headquarters could update the sand table in a timely manner.

After finishing today's military and political affairs, Peng Gang stepped out of the West Flower Hall and headed towards the inner courtyard.

Peng Gang's second brother, Peng Yong, followed Peng Gang into the inner courtyard, poured him a cup of tea, and said with a smile, "Third brother, have some tea."

"Second brother wants to go to Xiangyang?"

Peng Gang took the teacup but wasn't in a hurry to drink. He had long seen through Peng Yong's little scheme; Peng Yong had simply heard about the progress at the front and was itching to join the fight so he could get rid of the "deputy" title in his military rank as soon as possible.

"I'm afraid if we don't go to Xiangyang soon, the battle in Xiangfan will be over before we even reach Xiangyang Prefecture," Peng Yong said anxiously.

"Xiangyang Prefecture is not like Anlu Prefecture. Anlu Prefecture is located on the front line, and Chonglun and Luo Raodian have not managed it much."

Xiangyang was the temporary capital of Hubei Province under the Qing government, and Qing troops from Hubei were concentrated in Xiangfan. The fighting in Xiangfan wouldn't end anytime soon, so Second Brother should focus on training troops at the Shahu camp; there will surely be an opportunity for him to demonstrate his abilities.

Peng Yong is currently the deputy commander of the First Regiment. Considering Peng Yong's personality and status as a national leader, Peng Gang did not allow Peng Yong to follow Lu Qin in the campaign against Xiangfan before the war.

Peng Yong was a brave and fierce soldier. Two years ago, when attacking Hengyang, the capital of Hengzhou Prefecture, he made great contributions by being the first to scale the city walls and capturing Tao Enpei, the prefect of Hengzhou Prefecture. As a result, he entered the ranks of senior officers in the Northern Palace.

With Peng Yong's abilities, being a vanguard would definitely not be a problem.

However, Peng Yong's special status and eagerness to make merits, coupled with his impatient personality, would inevitably hinder Lu Qin and Xie Bin's campaign against Xiangfan if Peng Yong were to accompany them, disrupting their battle plans and rhythm.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Peng Gang decided not to let Peng Yong participate in the campaign to conquer Xiangfan. Instead, he transferred Peng Yong to the Shahu camp on the northern outskirts of Wuchang to train the newly arrived recruits from Huang'an and Macheng with Wang Xin and others. Once these recruits were trained, they would be directly assigned to Peng Yong's command.

"Given the current pace of progress Lu Qin and Xie Bin are making, my third brother might be willing to give me a chance, but Luo Raodian and Bao Qibao might not," Peng Yong pleaded.

“Look, you’re in such a hurry. The world is still unsettled, and the last thing we lack right now is opportunities. After Xiangyang Prefecture, there’s still Yunyang Prefecture to fight,” Peng Gang said patiently.

"More than opportunities, I'm worried about not having enough soldiers. We should go back to the Shahu camp and train them properly. The soldiers in the Shahu camp are all promising talents. Train them well and lead them to conquer a vast territory for me."

To minimize unnecessary complications in the attack on Xiangfan and avoid affecting the overall situation in Hubei, Peng Gang did not allow Peng Yong to participate in the campaign against Xiangfan along with Lu Qin and Xie Bin.

However, after capturing Xiangfan and stabilizing the overall situation in Hubei, Peng Gang was still willing to give Peng Yong some opportunities to clean up the remaining territories in Hubei, such as attacking Yunyang Prefecture and Shinan Prefecture, which were located in the mountainous areas of western Hubei, in order to conclude the war in Hubei.

As long as Peng Yong performs reasonably well in the campaigns to conquer Yunyang Prefecture or Shinan Prefecture, his promotion from deputy to full-fledged position will be a natural progression.

Peng Yong knew that Peng Gang disliked his impatient and impulsive nature, as well as his special status, which was why he did not let him go on the expedition with Lu Qin.

Seeing that Peng Gang had already said this much, he did not insist any further. Before leaving, he asked Peng Gang for three hundred flintlock muskets and fifty barrels of gunpowder to take back to the Shahu camp for training purposes, in preparation for the attack on Yunyang Prefecture after the Xiangfan campaign ended.

Peng Yong didn't need to specifically seek out Peng Gang; he could simply go through the normal procedures to receive the fifty barrels of gunpowder.

However, flintlock muskets are still a scarce military resource in the North Palace, and military commanders of each battalion and regiment are scrambling to get more flintlock muskets for their troops.

The allocation of more than one hundred flintlock muskets required Peng Gang's personal approval.

Peng Gang is known for his integrity. Since he has already promised to let Peng Yong take charge of attacking Yunyang Prefecture, the possibility of finding someone else is extremely slim.

After receiving the approval slip from Peng Gang, Peng Yong bid farewell to Peng Gang and headed to the Shahu Camp with satisfaction.

"Actually, Your Highness doesn't need to avoid suspicion. It's common for the royal family to lead troops. The Yi King's clan is almost entirely composed of generals, and many royal family members hold important military positions in the East Palace and the Auxiliary Palace." Huang Dabiao, standing next to Peng Gang, said as he watched Peng Yong walk away with Peng Gang's approval slip.

"Are you teaching me how to do things?" Peng Gang glanced at Huang Dabiao expressionlessly and said.

"I wouldn't dare! I was too talkative!" Huang Dabiao suddenly realized he had spoken out of turn and quickly bowed his head to Peng Gang to admit his mistake.

"I'll let it go this time since you didn't mean it," Peng Gang said as he walked towards the inner courtyard with his hands behind his back.

"The Shi brothers were the leaders of the local militia in Guixian County six years ago. They started by leading the militia into the mountains to suppress bandits. After the Jintian Uprising, they were veterans of many battles. It was no problem for the Wing King to let them lead troops."

As for the generals of the Eastern Palace and Auxiliary Palace, weren't they all veterans who had fought their way up from the Purple Thorn Mountain? Peng Yong, though brave, still lacked experience in commanding troops and needed further training.

Peng Gang's delay in promoting Peng Yong to the rank of regimental commander was not solely to avoid suspicion; it was a result of considering multiple factors.

Compared with other regimental-level officers, Peng Yong lacked practical combat experience.

The other regimental-level officers were all personally trained by Peng Gang and fought their way from Pingzaishan to the three towns of Wuhan, while Peng Yong did not start fighting until the Battle of Hengyang.

Moreover, Peng Yong has only participated in two real battles so far: the siege of Hengyang and the Battle of Yukou, which blocked the Qing army from Xiangyang from advancing south to Hanyang.

He was promoted to deputy regimental commander based on his merits in two battles; this is a very fast promotion.

Promoting Peng Yong to the rank of regimental commander too early, and letting him lead a regiment alone, is not a good thing for Peng Yong, given his personality.

The next day, Peng Gang was washing up when he heard Zhou Jishen, the clerk on duty that day, come to report that Jardine Matheson, the manager of Jardine Matheson & Co., was requesting an audience.

Peng Gang guessed that Li Ruzhao's harsh words to Matthias and his fellow British businessmen at Jardine Matheson yesterday had worked, which was why Matthias was so eager to see him early this morning.

After brushing his teeth, Peng Gang rinsed his mouth and took the towel Cheng Lingnan handed him to wipe it. "Let him wait a while." Peng Gang did not plan to meet with Ma Dichen now, nor did he plan to meet with Ma Dichen in person.

After leaving Ma Dichen waiting for a while, Peng Gang finally gave Peng Yi some instructions, asking Peng Yi to meet with Ma Dichen on his behalf.

As Peng Gang had predicted, Matthias was indeed worried that Peng Gang would rather lose the 3,000 taels of silver deposit than give up the order and instead buy Guttas from the Dutch.

The water network density in Hunan and Jiangxi is very high, and the underwater cables to be laid are not just one or two sections, so Peng Gang has a large demand for Guta adhesive.

The first batch of Guta glue orders signed between Peng Gang and Jardine Matheson & Co. was worth as much as 60,000 taels of silver, and it was a premium purchase with a high profit margin. Compared to the total value of the order, 3,000 taels of silver was nothing.

Moreover, given Peng Gang's current ambition to extend telegraph lines to every major city under his jurisdiction, the demand for Guta glue will only increase in the future.

Although the quality of the gutta-percha produced by the Dutch is not as good as that produced by the English, the requirements for inland waterway underwater cables are not as stringent as those for submarine cables.

If Peng Gang really wants to make do with Dutch Guttas rubber, that's not impossible.

Judging from Peng Gang's tough stance in dealing with the British Indian soldiers who were sexually harassed last year, he is certainly capable of doing such a thing.

Matthias was indeed worried that Peng Gang might actually buy rubber from the Dutch in a fit of anger.

What puzzled Mattison most was how Peng Gang knew that the Dutch also had Gutagua? There were no Dutch people in Hankou.

As for whether it was the Frenchmen and Americans who were on good terms with Peng Gang who leaked the information that the Dutch also had Guttas to Peng Gang.

Matthias thought it was unlikely, as France and the United States were also laying a large number of telegraph lines, especially the United States, which had a great demand for gutta-percha.

Both countries rely on imports of Guttas rubber from England, and being subject to England's control, they are not inclined to say anything on this matter.

After waiting for more than two hours, when someone finally came to the main hall of the Northern King's Mansion to receive him, Ma Dichen hurriedly stepped forward to greet him.

As he approached, he discovered that it was Peng Yi who came out to greet him, not Peng Gang himself, which displeased Ma Dichen.

However, Matheson did not show his displeasure on his face. He took off his beaver fur hat and bowed to Peng Yi.

"Greetings, Your Majesty the Emperor."

"Sit down," Peng Yi said calmly, gesturing to the empty seat beside him.

Peng Yi really couldn't understand the thought process of these foreigners, wearing such thick leather hats in the sweltering heat.

Although Mattison is bald and needs to wear a hat to cover it up, there's no need for him to wear such a thick hat.

Moreover, Peng Yi had met very few Englishmen who weren't balding.

Those few Englishmen who aren't balding have incredibly thick hair, and they're most likely wearing wigs; they're actually bald.

"In recent years, the demand for Gutarubicin in Europe and the Americas has exploded. Gutarubicin can only be obtained from trees in specific regions of Southeast Asia, and the harvesting is inefficient. The supply growth is far behind the demand."

Guta rubber merchants are hoarding and speculating, driving up prices, making rubber extremely scarce in the market. It's not that we're unwilling to deliver, but rather that production is indeed extremely limited. We hope Your Majesty will convey our difficulties to His Highness the Northern King and request some time to avoid canceling the order.

If the order is cancelled, not only will Jardine Matheson & Co. suffer a loss, but you will also lose your deposit.

Martin immediately poured out his grievances to Peng Yi, hoping to get some more time and not cancel the order.

"So, Mr. Matheson is also one of your country's unscrupulous merchants who hoard and speculate on the price of Guta rubber?" Peng Yi sneered and said unhurriedly.

"Or does Mr. Martin think that this deposit of three thousand taels of silver is very important to us, and that he can use it to manipulate us at will?"

“Your Majesty is joking. I am an honest and trustworthy businessman and would not do such an immoral thing,” Madichen said.

"The quality of Dutch gutta-percha is poor. If you switch to buying gutta-percha from the Dutch now, you will not only lose your deposit, but also incur additional time costs. Moreover, the gutta-percha you receive will be of poor quality. I feel sorry for you."

"Whether it's worth it or not is none of your business to judge," Peng Yi said, frowning.

"Further words are pointless. Even if the production of Guta gum is limited, it shouldn't have taken ten whole months to deliver a single pound. Is this your sincerity in doing business?"

“Your Excellency, please let me explain. We are Jardine Matheson,” Matthias said hastily.

"Enough!" Peng Yi raised his hand without any politeness, interrupting Ma Dichen's sophistry.

"I will plead with His Highness to grant you one more three months. If not a single pound of glue is delivered within three months, the order is void. Guards, show them out!"

"I assure you in the name of God that I will do my best to urgently procure a batch of Gutagua for Your Excellency, but the quantity cannot be guaranteed." Matheson stood up, bowed slightly to Peng Yi, put on his top hat, and left without saying a word or looking back.

After seeing Matthias off, Peng Yi went to Xihua Hall to report to Peng Gang, who was handling government affairs there: "Foreigners are really despicable. They're all a bunch of people who only listen to force and never to be coaxed. They won't listen to polite words and have to put on a show of being rude."

"So, Madi has submitted?" Peng Gang asked, putting down the official document in his hand.

"That fellow swore to God the Father that he would urgently procure some Guta glue, but whether he can actually get a batch of Guta glue within three months, only God the Father knows." Peng Yi did not have high hopes for Ma Dichen.

"Third Brother, should we still keep in touch with these Dutch merchants?"

“Why not contact them? We can’t put all our eggs in one basket,” Peng Gang said.

"Isn't Tang Zhengcai in Tianjing? Let him go to Shanghai and see if he can contact the Dutch. If he can't get in touch with them in Shanghai, we might as well send someone to Guangzhou to try."

"If we could establish a supply chain for Dutch corkage purchases, those British merchants like Matthias wouldn't dare keep us hanging like this."

Early June, Xiangyang City.

Inside the office of Luo Raodian, the Minister of Militia Training in Hubei, the atmosphere was even more stifling and unbearable than the sweltering summer heat.

News of the fall of Anlu Prefecture had reached Xiangyang City, where panic had already gripped the city.

Even Luo Raodian was somewhat at a loss.

Initially, the Qing troops in Xiangfan and Fancheng still held onto a glimmer of hope, thinking that the short-haired rebels would only take Anlu Prefecture and Jingmen Prefecture and would not advance further north to Xiangfan and Fancheng.

Yesterday, the short-haired army captured Liushuigou in the southeast of Xiangyang Prefecture and is continuing its advance towards Yicheng County in the southwest of Xiangfan, completely shattering the last glimmer of hope of the Qing army in Xiangfan.

What the short-haired guerrillas were after was far more than just the territory of Jingmen and Anlu.

Yicheng is less than 100 li away from Xiangyang. It will only take two or three days for the short-haired army to reach the walls of Xiangyang.

What infuriated Luo Raodian and Bao Qibao was that the Qing troops at the front collapsed without a fight and fled back to Xiangfan one after another. To this day, they still don't know exactly how many troops the short-haired rebels who marched north to Xiangfan have.

Some said fifty or sixty thousand, some said seventy or eighty thousand, some said one hundred thousand, and some even said a million troops, leaving Luo Raodian and Bao Qibao speechless.

A million-strong army? Let alone the short-haired rebels in Hunan, even if we include the long-haired rebels in Jiangning, the rebels still couldn't muster a million-strong army.

If the rebels could truly muster a million-strong army, the country would have already changed hands long ago.

As for the more conservative figures of fifty or sixty thousand, seventy or eighty thousand, which seem to be in line with reality, Luo Raodian also felt they were not credible.

If the Mao Zedongs had been able to spare 50,000 to 60,000 troops to conquer Xiangfan, they wouldn't be in this predicament today, merely guarding Changsha without actually attacking it.

Luo Raodian estimated that there were about 20,000 to 30,000 of the short-haired soldiers who could actually march north to Xiangfan.

However, this is genuine short-haired turbans, and even with 20,000 to 30,000 short-haired turbans, given the current situation in Xiangyang and Yunyang prefectures, it would probably be difficult to cope.

(End of this chapter)