1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 378 Deserves Commendation
"I will certainly live up to Your Highness's expectations!" Wang Quan cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Peng Gang, accepting the task, and then asked further questions.

"Does Your Highness, the Deputy Examiner, have a preferred candidate? When is the specific date for the imperial examination? I would like to coordinate this matter accordingly."

In the two years since taking control of Wuchang, Peng Gang has spared no effort in restoring Han customs and emphasizing education in the occupied areas. Taxes in Jiangxia and Hanyang counties will only be officially levied starting this autumn harvest, while other areas are currently exempt from taxes.

Bei Dian was already quite popular in the Huguang region, and now, with the victory in Xiangfan, he controlled the entire Hubei province. Xie Bin had even led his troops north to Nanyang.

It already shows some signs of a new dynasty.

Last year, when the Northern Palace held its first imperial examination, more than 1,800 scholars from various regions took the exam, including some from Anhui and Jiangxi who risked their lives to participate.

Of the more than 1,800 scholars who participated in the special imperial examination, most of those who passed were granted substantive positions, while those who did not pass received honorary titles such as Jinshi (进士) and were given the opportunity to study at Wuchang Administrative School, Wuchang Normal School, and Wuchang Military Academy.

Among those who entered the Wuchang Administrative School for further study, some of those with mediocre grades, such as those who passed the imperial examinations, entered the Qingtian Team, and some were even granted substantive deputy positions.

Although their starting point was lower than that of a proper Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), at least they secured a substantive post.

Given the success of last year's special examination, the number of candidates taking the exam this year will definitely be higher than last year.

Wang Quan wanted to know who the deputy examiners were this year and when the imperial examination would be held, so that he could make good preparations for the special imperial examination and avoid being caught off guard.

"Mr. Liu, this year you and Mr. Liu will serve as deputy examiners to assist Mr. Wang in presiding over this special imperial examination."

As for the time, let's set it for early December. By then, the autumn harvest will be over, farming will be less busy, and scholars from nearby areas will have enough time to prepare and travel. You can choose an auspicious day as the specific date.”

After careful consideration, Peng Gang decided to appoint Liu Rong, the principal of Wuchang Administrative School, and Liu Bingwen, the principal of Wuchang Normal School, as deputy examiners.

As for Liu Qixian, who served as the deputy examiner last year, considering that the British orders for tea, silk, and porcelain were all due for delivery soon, and that Liu Qixian was busy with customs duties, it would be inappropriate to transfer him out to preside over the special examination work at this time, as it would inevitably delay the customs affairs of Hankou Customs.

In terms of time, as long as the preliminary examination can be completed before this year, it will be fine, so that a formal examination can be held again next year.

"Your Highness is wise!" the crowd said, bowing and clasping their hands in greeting.

On such a joyous day, we should celebrate.

He led everyone to the inner courtyard for a banquet.

After Peng Gang got married, the internal affairs of the Prince's Mansion were usually managed by Wang Yunheng, with Peng Min assisting.

On the eve of Wang Yunheng's delivery, Peng Min took charge of the internal affairs of the Wang Mansion. Peng Gang instructed Peng Min to bring out the treasured rice wine and the foreign wine given by the French to entertain the guests.

After a few snacks and drinks, slightly tipsy, Zuo Zongtang put down his chopsticks and couldn't help but ask Peng Gang about the situation in Nanyang: "Your Highness, have you heard anything from Commander Xie and Emperor Guozong in Nanyang? It's already early September, winter is approaching, the earth is hard in autumn and winter, and the land in Nanyang is flat, which is conducive to the movement of the Qing army's cavalry. We should end the battle in Nanyang as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications."

Except for a small number of elite Qing soldiers, none dared to venture out of the city for open battle. Open battle was our army's forte. If Commander Xie and Emperor Guozong could not quickly capture Nanyang, it would be better to leave a portion of the troops to contain the city's soldiers, while the remaining forces first attacked and captured the passes surrounding the Nanyang basin, controlling the strategic passes to prevent the Qing army from the north from advancing south and trapping Nanyang like a dog trapped inside a trap.

It was no secret that the Northern Expeditionary Army led by Wei Changhui and Lin Fengxiang had suffered setbacks in its months-long attacks on the capital.

Zuo Zongtang held a rather pessimistic view of the Northern Expedition led by Wei Changhui and Lin Fengxiang, believing that Wei Changhui and Lin Fengxiang would definitely lift the siege of the capital and retreat to Tianjin to rest and reorganize before winter arrived.

Once the defensive pressure on the capital is relieved, Emperor Xianfeng will most likely send Qing troops from the north south to try to recover the strategic locations of Nanyang and Xiangfan, in order to change the Qing army's current unfavorable strategic situation.

Although the Qing cavalry inside the Great Wall was completely rotten and useless.

However, the cavalry outside the Great Wall still retained a trace of courage and bravery, and the main force fighting against the Northern Expeditionary Army in the north this time was the cavalry outside the Great Wall.

These cavalry units were the last remaining assets of the Qing government. Having fought against the Northern Expeditionary Army for over a year and been tempered by the flames of war, their strength was certainly greater than that of the general Green Standard Army, and they were also highly mobile cavalry units.

To be on the safe side, Zuo Zongtang felt that if Nanyang could not be captured quickly, they should change their tactics and first attack the key passes around Nanyang to control the passes leading into Nanyang and block the Qing army from the north from advancing south.

As for the Qing troops inside Nanyang City, they would leave the city and join forces with the southward-bound Qing cavalry to launch a pincer attack.

Zuo Zongtang was not worried.

Firstly, Nanyang City was surrounded, and the Qing army camps inside the city had lost contact with the outside world, making it difficult to establish contact and form a tacit understanding with the Qing army in the north.

Secondly, the Qing troops in the wilderness are easier to deal with than those inside the city walls. The Qing troops defending Nanyang City going out to fight is probably the situation that the soldiers on the front line in Nanyang most want to see.

"Whether Nanyang City can be captured or not, we should have news in the next few days," Peng Gang said.

Xie Bin had served in the army for many years and was an old man who had fought his way out of Pingzhai Mountain with Peng Gang. Zhang Ze was steady and reliable, Peng Yong was brave and fierce, and Lu Qin was stationed in Xiangyang to provide support. Chen Miao must have already taken Biyang County by now and led his main force to Nanyang to join Xie Bin and others.

This is the best lineup Peng Gang can field for the Northern Expedition at the moment. These generals are among the most capable generals in the Northern Palace after Luo Dagang.

Just then, Li Ruzhao, the Palace Attendant, carrying a stack of newly translated telegrams, hurried through the corridor and arrived at the private room where Peng Gang and others were having a banquet.

Li Ruzhao did not make a loud noise, but respectfully leaned down and whispered a few words in Peng Gang's ear.

Peng Gang paused slightly in his hand holding the wine glass, and a look of joy appeared on his face.

Peng Gang put down his wine glass, took the telegram from Li Ruzhao, and began to read it carefully. Seeing this, everyone at the table gradually stopped talking and focused their attention on Peng Gang.

A moment later, Peng Gang raised his head and laughed loudly, "What I was saying has come true! Gentlemen, we just received a telegram from the generals at the front in Nanyang. Nanyang City has been successfully captured!"

After the war began, Peng Gang ordered the telegraph bureau to expedite the construction of the main telegraph line in the north.

The construction progress of the Jiujiang line and the Yuelushan Daying line was temporarily slowed down in order to concentrate more cables and workers on the construction of the telegraph line to Xiangyang.

Today, the northern telegraph trunk line has been laid to Xinglong Town in the southern part of Anlu Prefecture.

Under pressure from Peng Gang, the British firm Jardine Matheson finally managed to squeeze out some gutta-percha and transport it to Wuchang.

Although the quantity was not large, the three towns of Wuhan were very close to each other, with Wuchang, Hanyang, and Hankou facing each other across the river. These ancient tower rubbers were more than enough to lay underwater cables connecting the telegraph offices of the three towns.

With the underwater cable, the telegraph network centered on Wuchang was finally able to overcome the obstacles of rivers and complete the connection, forming a whole, and the information transmission efficiency of the North Palace was greatly improved.

Once telegraph service was available in all the major cities under his jurisdiction, Peng Gang planned to open the telegraph office to the public and allow civilians to use the telegraph.

Although Peng Gang's telegraph technology was introduced from an American electromagnetic telegraph company, his operational model for telegraphs was more similar to that of traditional European land powers such as France and Prussia.

The main driving force behind the development of the telegraph industry in the United States was commercial capital, namely private telegraph companies.

After inventing the telegraph, Samuel Morse attempted to persuade Washington to invest but failed, ultimately turning to private capital. Hiram Sibley, the "King of the Telegraph," and others, through fierce market competition and mergers, eventually consolidated to form the Western Union Telegraph Company, a telecommunications behemoth in North America. This commercial company monopolized the American telegraph industry.

The U.S. government adopted a laissez-faire attitude and policy toward the domestic telegraph industry, with almost no regulation of the industry and the government's role limited to granting patents.

Even during the Civil War, military telegrams were sent in plain text by telegraph companies, and it was common for telegraph operators from both the North and South to sell military intelligence to each other.

As for launching antitrust investigations against telegraph giants, that was a thing of the late 20th century.

The situation on the European continent was quite the opposite, with states and governments dominating the domestic telegraph industry.

The Prussian government recognized the strategic and military value of the telegraph early on. During the European revolutions of 1848, the Prussian government quickly established telegraph lines to coordinate military operations in suppressing rebellions.

The Prussian telegraph system was owned and operated by the government from the outset, and was regarded as the national nervous system and a strategic tool. The later German Empire also inherited this model.

As a country with a relatively high degree of centralization in Europe, France's telegraph system is also mainly operated by the government.

The French government viewed the telegraph as a national infrastructure and a tool for centralized management, and strictly controlled its use. Under this model, there was little room for commercial capital, and the telegraph primarily served government administration, military affairs, and public matters, while commercial applications were secondary.

The situation in the British telegraph industry lies somewhere between that of America and continental Europe, operating under a business model regulated by the government.

In the early days of the British telegraph, private companies such as the Electric and International Telegraph Company were the main force in setting up telegraph lines.

Once the telegraph lines were completed, Parliament quickly passed legislation to strictly regulate the telegraph industry, considering it to be a public utility.

Finally, in 1870, the British government nationalized the domestic telegraph industry, which was then operated and managed by the Post Office.

"it is good!"

"Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations, Your Highness!"

"Another great victory!"

Upon learning that Nanyang City had fallen, a chorus of congratulations immediately filled the hall.

As Peng Gang's father-in-law, Wang Quan was beaming with joy, repeatedly saying, "Double happiness! Truly double happiness! We just received a thousand pieces of gold, and now we have recaptured the important town of Nanyang. This is a blessing from heaven!"

Zuo Zongtang, Liu Rong, and others also raised their glasses to congratulate Peng Gang, their faces beaming with excitement.

Once Nanyang falls, it won't be long before they can take over the other prefectures and counties within the province, bringing their military might directly close to the Central Plains. This is of great strategic significance.

Peng Gang smiled and accepted everyone's congratulations. He then handed the telegram to Zuo Zongtang beside him, indicating that he should read it. He added, "Attached to the good news is a handwritten letter of apology from Xie Bin. Please take a look at it as well."

The telegram and Xie Bin's letter of apology circulated among Zuo Zongtang, Liu Rong, Wang Quan, and others.

When they saw that Xie Bin, in order to preserve the integrity of Nanyang's city walls, abandoned his more proficient method of tunneling and instead chose a more costly and forceful attack by filling the city walls, resulting in casualties during the siege phase exceeding those during the previous attack on Xiangfan, which had more complete city defenses, everyone's expressions became somewhat surprised and subtle.

The Qing army garrison in Xiangfan was larger than that in Nanyang, and the city's defenses were more complete.

Logically, the casualties in attacking Nanyang should have been less than those in attacking Xiangfan.

Liu Rong pondered for a moment and said, "General Xie's military tactics have always been prudent, so why this time... The casualty figures are indeed higher than expected. Xiangfan is the place where the Hubei Governor and the Minister of Militia are stationed. The city is strong and the moat is deep. The remaining soldiers of Hubei are gathered here. As for the Qing troops in Henan, most of them went to the capital to defend the emperor. Logically, they should not have suffered more than four hundred casualties in the attack on Nanyang."

Wang Quan frowned slightly: "Yes, if we use underground explosives to attack the main city, we might be able to reduce the number of troops lost."

After carefully reading the details of the battle report, Zuo Zongtang put down the telegram and felt that Xie Bin's actions were not problematic: "Your Highness, gentlemen, I believe that Commander Xie's actions are not only without fault, but also quite farsighted, and can even be described as courageous."

His single sentence drew everyone's attention.

Zuo Zongtang continued his analysis: "Firstly, Xiangfan is already in our heartland, and Nanyang will serve as a frontline fortress directly facing the Qing army in the north for a long time. The value of a Nanyang with intact city walls and well-maintained defensive facilities is far greater than that of a city with dilapidated walls."

Commander Xie's decision to choose the more difficult option over the easier one demonstrates his long-term strategic vision and foresight. Although the attack on Nanyang resulted in higher casualties, in the long run, it preserved a complete and solid strategic stronghold.

Secondly, during the final assault, Commander Xie boldly deployed the new recruits from Macheng and Huang'an under Peng Yong's command as the main force. New recruits, inexperienced in battle, are unlikely to become elite troops. Commander Xie's willingness to use combat as training in such a crucial siege, providing these new recruits with an opportunity to hone their skills, while risky, was also an effective way to improve their overall combat effectiveness.

The battle report also stated that most of the casualties were concentrated on the two new recruits. The veterans and key personnel of the other units suffered very few casualties. The new recruits, having been tempered in the fire, will become veterans next time.

Despite the large number of casualties in the Battle of Nanyang, we actually gained a complete strategic stronghold at an acceptable cost and trained a new army that had seen bloodshed.

Commander Xie's overall command and decision-making were in accordance with the principles of military strategy, emphasizing both sacrifice and reward. To criticize him harshly for the relatively heavy casualties suffered in the attack on Nanyang would discourage the frontline soldiers from adapting to local conditions and taking on responsibilities. In my opinion, he should not only not be punished, but should be commended, and the fallen soldiers should receive generous compensation to reassure the troops.

Zuo Zongtang felt that Ding Liurong and Wang Quan's evaluation of Xie Bin was superficial and overly critical.

In the past, the North Palace had a very good casualty ratio, which was based on the high proportion of veteran soldiers who participated in the war.

Xie Bin's campaign in Nanyang had the lowest proportion of veterans in all previous campaigns.

Apart from Xie Bin's own Third Regiment and part of Chen Miao's naval forces, which were veterans serving as ballast, the rest of the troops that marched to Nanyang were all new recruits from Hubei.

Xie Bin was able to refrain from taking credit at crucial moments, not giving the greatest credit for the capture of Nanyang to his own Third Regiment, but instead boldly appointing Peng Yong's new recruits from Macheng and Huang'an. This was something Zuo Zongtang found very rare.

Especially considering that Xie Bin is a general from the Green Camp, it is all the more commendable that he could make such a decision during wartime, accepting less credit for greater responsibility, and maintaining a humble attitude after a great victory.

Furthermore, the casualty ratio of the Battle of Nanyang was only slightly worse compared to past battles. In reality, the casualties of over 400 men were not bad compared to the casualty ratio of 3,700 Qing soldiers and militia killed or captured in the Battle of Nanyang. On the contrary, it was a very impressive result.

Peng Gang also agreed with Zuo Zongtang's view that three-quarters of the more than four hundred casualties were new recruits.

Giving new recruits a pension is better than having a large number of veterans buried under the walls of Nanyang.

It may sound harsh, but war is never a place for sentimentality. The value that veterans can provide far exceeds that of new recruits. All veterans have gone through this process.

Moreover, Peng Gang originally intended for Lu Qin, Xie Bin, and others to lead troops independently in this campaign against Xiangfan and Nanyang, in order to cultivate their ability to take charge on their own.

If they are too concerned about casualties, they will inevitably become hesitant and timid in future battles.

Peng Gang raised his glass: "Mr. Zuo's words resonate deeply with me. The battles of Xiangfan and Nanyang were both great victories, and Lu Qin and Xie Bin should both be commended."

(End of this chapter)