1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 380 Even with axes and halberds at his feet, he dared not disobey the king's command.

These words were like a final blow, completely shaking some of the deep-seated beliefs in Aleksandr's mind.

He remained silent for a moment, then shifted his gaze from the dock to the Wuchang suburbs across the river, where construction was in full swing.

There, new government offices, schools, and even what is said to be textile factories are springing up, complementing the efficient wharves on the Hankou side and together creating a vibrant scene.

“Mr. Madischen.” Aleksandr turned his head, slowly shifting his gaze from the northern suburbs of Wuchang across the Yangtze River back to the Hankou Wharf.

"I think many of our past views on this ancient people were somewhat one-sided."

We are used to labeling them with arrogance, apathy, greed, cunning, cowardice, and diligence. But we seem to have overlooked a key variable—the ruler.

Everything that happened here fully demonstrates that when the Han people were freed from the parasitic oppressive rule of the Tatars, under the organization of a regime established by their own people with clear goals and great vision, their discipline and the potential they could unleash were astonishing.

They are fully capable of establishing and operating a clean and efficient system. Their organizational and learning abilities are in no way inferior to those of superior European nations!

Al-Alibaba participated in the trade war against China twelve or thirteen years ago.

Besides surprise, glory, and the pound sterling, the war also brought him confusion.

For example, in the Battle of Zhenjiang, which they fought quite hard, the defending forces in Zhenjiang caused them considerable trouble.

To Alcock's and many British generals' great surprise, during the siege, the Manchu general guarding Zhenjiang, Hai Ling, the deputy commander of Jingkou, actually massacred Han people in the city.

Aleksandr later learned that the Tatar general was worried that the Han Chinese in the city would collude with the British army to seize Zhenjiang.

Aleksandr was initially puzzled by Hailing's absurd actions during the war, until he gained a deeper understanding of how the Tatars seized control of the land, and only then did he begin to grasp the Tatar general's thought process.

That Tatar general probably projected his own views onto them, treating them as outsiders who had entered the pass by sea and were trying to collude with the Han people to overthrow Tatar rule. That's why he committed the unbelievable act of massacring the Han people in Zhenjiang during the war.

After arriving in Wuchang, Aleksandar imagined and simulated what would have happened if the ruler they faced during the trade war twelve or thirteen years earlier had been a Han Chinese rather than a Tatar, such as the Northern King in the Wuchang Prince's Mansion.

The conclusion he presented that convinced himself was that the Royal Navy of the British Empire could still easily win in naval battles, but the situation on land would probably not be so easy.

As a businessman, Martin had a slightly different feeling about Aleksandr's remarks, which contained political and cultural reflections, but he agreed with the factual judgments contained therein.

"Without a doubt, Your Excellency. Doing business with Wuchang will significantly reduce our costs in the short term, make our risks more manageable, and yield higher profits. No one would refuse a predictable, stable, and trustworthy business partner."

At this point, Matheson changed the subject, paused slightly, and continued, "But this is only for short-term business cooperation. From the perspective of longer-term interests, a regime that is organized, disciplined, principled, and clearly exudes a strong sense of national self-confidence and autonomy is probably a double-edged sword for us."

If they can manage the Hankou Customs so well, they can certainly apply that capability to the military as well. I've heard they've recently captured quite a bit of new territory.

A deeply empathetic yet more complex expression appeared on Ali's face.

On the one hand, he appreciates and enjoys the diplomatic and trade facilitation brought about by this emerging trend.

On the other hand, there was the instinctive vigilance and concern of diplomats from the colonial era. A strong, efficient, and confident China was clearly not in line with the long-term strategy of the British Empire to pursue maximum privileges and interests in China.

Wuchang embarked on a massive construction project in Wuchang and Hanyang, building factories and buildings. In export trade, Wuchang preferred to export finished products rather than raw materials.

This indicates that Wuchang is not content to merely serve as a source of raw materials; it also wants to capture profits from the midstream processing and manufacturing sectors.

In the long run, this is not good news for their British-owned trading company, once the factory in Wuchang is built and the production line is successfully put into operation.

Their relationship with Wuchang in the business field will be more competitive than cooperative.

“You’re right, Mr. Martin,” Aleksandar said with a final sigh.

Matthias lit a match, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and pointed through the swirling smoke at the piles of cargo being loaded onto ships at the dock. He said with a hint of resentment, “Look at those goods. According to the usual practice in Shanghai or Guangzhou, these top-quality goods, the first to hit the market, should have been given priority to supply our British Empire. Our merchant ships should have had the right to select and ship them first! But what about now?”

The Wuchang authorities are prioritizing the needs of the French and Americans, leaving us behind to pick up the leftovers from the French and American bumpkins, or wait for later batches! This is utterly putting the cart before the horse!

Aleksandr interrupted Matthias's complaints because a more crucial mistake was weighing heavily on his mind: "What you call priority for goods is certainly regrettable. But that might still be possible to fight for through subsequent negotiations and our competitiveness, breaking the existing pattern. What I truly regret is that we lost an opportunity to cooperate with the Wuchang regime on customs matters."

They chose to cooperate with the hillbillies of America, not with us.

Martin also fell silent instantly. As a seasoned businessman, he understood all too well what it meant to be involved in the other party's customs affairs.

It's not just a tax issue; it concerns the formulation of trade rules, the acquisition of information and intelligence, and its influence on the economic lifeline of the entire port.

Although Peng Gang only hired American Smith as a customs consultant to assist Liu Qixian and Liu Sijin in managing Hankou Customs, Smith and the other American employees had no real power and could not control Hankou Customs.

At least the Americans had staff at the Hankou Customs, which allowed them to access firsthand business intelligence and even the Wuchang regime's foreign trade policies more quickly than the British.

Two days later, Peng Gang summoned Hai Ying, the former prefect of Xiangyang Prefecture who had recently joined the Qing government, and Pang Gongzhao, the former magistrate of Pingjiang County in Yuezhou Prefecture who had joined the Qing government during the western expedition last year, to the West Flower Hall of the Northern Prince's Mansion.

Pang Gongzhao was delighted to learn that he was going to Xihua Hall to meet the Northern King.

The North Hall was used for secret political affairs, while the Main Hall was usually used for holding large meetings to discuss minor matters or to receive envoys.

Important decisions were mostly made in small meetings held in Xihua Hall.

Being qualified to enter Xihua Hall is itself a great honor and recognition.

Pang Gongzhao was somewhat envious of Haiying. In order to wait for the opportunity to enter the Prince's Mansion Flower Hall, he worked diligently as the magistrate of Baling County for a year, until his eyes were blurry and his legs ached, before he finally obtained the qualification to enter the West Flower Hall.

Haiying had only been working for the company for a short time when she was given the opportunity to enter the West Flower Hall.

Upon entering the Prince's residence, the two were led by a palace attendant to a dressing room in a side room, where they changed into scarlet official robes.

Pang Gongzhao, dressed in a scarlet official robe, was very excited. The official robes of the North Palace followed the system of the Ming Dynasty. Being able to wear this robe meant that Peng Gang had summoned the two of them to promote them to a rank of no less than the fourth grade.

Currently, the bureaucracy in the North Palace is not large, and there are even fewer high-ranking officials, so there is no overabundance of officials.

The number of people qualified to wear the scarlet official robe can be counted on two hands.

After dressing properly and tidying their appearance, the two arrived at the West Flower Hall, led by a servant from the Prince's Palace.

Dressed in black casual clothes, Peng Gang sat upright in the main seat, calmly glancing at the two people standing solemnly below.

Standing on the left side of the hall is Hai Ying, the former prefect of Xiangyang who has recently joined the government.

Haiying was somewhat uneasy, her back slightly leaning forward, her posture extremely humble.

On the right is Pang Gongzhao, the former magistrate of Pingjiang County, Yuezhou Prefecture, who surrendered during the western expedition last year. Compared to Haiying, Pang Gongzhao appeared more composed, his joy and excitement evident in his expression.

These two men had different official positions and backgrounds when they joined the Northern Palace, but they had one thing in common: they were outsiders with shallow roots in the most powerful group of civil officials from Huguang, especially Hunan. "Prefect Hai and Magistrate Pang, please sit."

After the two finished bowing, Peng Gang pointed to two embroidered stools that had been prepared beforehand, indicating that the two should sit down.

Haiying and Pang Gongzhao quickly bowed and expressed their gratitude: "Thank you, King of the North!"

Peng Gang nodded slightly, said no more, and cut straight to the point: "This year marks the first time I have levied taxes in Jiangxia and Hanyang counties. This matter concerns the people's livelihood and also my prestige, and cannot be compromised. However, it is hard to guarantee that no one will take chances, outwardly comply but inwardly defy, and line their own pockets."

Therefore, I have decided to establish a temporary supervisory and auditing position during this tax collection period, specifically to oversee and inspect the collection, transportation, and retention of taxes, and to audit the accounts of money and grain, in order to strictly prevent embezzlement, apportionment, and deficits.

The Integrity and Audit departments are permanent departments, but Peng Gang described them as temporary positions in front of them.

Firstly, it provides them with sufficient motivation for their work; secondly, it temporarily appeases the emotions of officials from the Hunan clique.

The sudden appointment of two high-ranking officials of the fourth rank, neither of whom were from Hunan, would inevitably cause some resentment among officials from the Hunan clique.

Haiying and Pang Gongzhao tensed up, knowing the main event was about to begin. They held their breath and listened with even greater focus.

"Haiying," Peng Gang called out.

"The minister is here."

"I hereby appoint you as the Inspector of the Inspectorate, a fourth-rank official, holding the King's token. You are authorized to inspect tax collection sites in various prefectures and counties, handle public complaints, report on hearsay, and focus on investigating whether officials have committed any illegal acts."

"Pang Gongzhao".

"The minister is here."

"You are appointed as the Auditor of the Audit Department, a fourth-rank official, responsible for reviewing the accounts of money and grain submitted by the two counties, verifying income and expenditure, and auditing receipts. You have the right to question, reject, or even request a thorough investigation if there are any unclear accounts, discrepancies in figures, or improper expenditures."

Fourth rank!
Pang Gongzhao was overjoyed; this was an exceptionally high promotion!
Pang Gongzhao was originally just a county magistrate of the seventh rank. Although he was the magistrate of a county attached to the city, he had a better chance of promotion than ordinary county magistrates. But in the end, he was still a county magistrate.

As for Haiying, he was also satisfied. In the Qing court, he was a prefect of the fourth rank, and he had been promoted to a substantive post of the fourth rank, which could be considered a promotion.

Moreover, there are few officials in the North Palace; those from the fourth rank and above can all be considered high-ranking officials.

Although being an inspector was a risky and troublesome job, Haiying, as a demoted official, had long been mentally prepared for it.

However, the two had one more concern: Peng Gang had not yet mentioned arranging subordinates for them.

Although the two of them were only responsible for auditing two counties, it was simply impossible for them to handle the auditing work in both counties by themselves.

Peng Gang noticed their subtle reactions and continued, "To ensure that you two can carry out your duties smoothly, I have selected more than ten cadres from Anhui and Jiangxi provinces from the administrative school and local officials to serve as your subordinates and await your orders."

Furthermore, I have ordered the training camp to assign two platoons to be responsible for the safety of you two and the officials under the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Audit Department. I hope that you two will uphold impartiality and avoid favoritism, and handle this first tax collection task clearly and transparently.

Peng Gang personally assigned them guards, which shows how much he valued these two newly established departments.

Their last lingering concerns vanished, and they quickly exchanged a glance, both seeing the resolve in each other's eyes. They had no way out but to move forward.

Haiying took a deep breath, lifted her robe, and knelt down first: "Your subject accepts the imperial decree and expresses gratitude! I will certainly perform my duties diligently, be impartial and incorruptible, to repay Your Highness's kindness. Even if I am brought down by the axe, I will not dare to fail the king's command!"

Pang Gongzhao also knelt down, speaking earnestly: "Your Highness has promoted me so generously, how could I not devote myself wholeheartedly? I will scrutinize the accounts, investigating every single detail! I will ensure that the amount of money and grain is crystal clear!"

As a civil official who had passed the imperial examination and had been immersed in officialdom for a long time, he spoke with a string of literary phrases.

"Good!" Peng Gang smiled faintly. "Get up. Remember what you said today. I have prepared two horses and travel gear for you two. The location of the yamen has also been chosen, and your subordinates will be waiting for you there."

After you've collected your horses and luggage, go to the yamen (government office) to meet with your subordinates. The regulations for the Inspectorate and the Auditorate will be delivered to you by the Imperial Clan Association later.

Peng Gang has already chosen the locations for the offices of the Inspectorate and the Auditorate, which will be situated in two vacant residences not far from the Northern Prince's Mansion on the front street.

After expressing their gratitude, Haiying and Pang Gongzhao got up and left Xihua Hall. Led by the eunuchs of the Prince's Mansion, they took their horses, luggage, and robes and headed to their respective government offices.

After Haiying and Pang Gongzhao left, Li Ruzhao came in with two officials in charge of the imperial lectures, carrying a thick stack of teaching materials.

"Your Highness, all the teaching materials for Morrison School are here. The thirty-six interpreters promised by the Morrison Church have arrived in Wuchang and are waiting in the main hall."

Morrison School was the first church school in modern China to spread Western learning.

Founded in Macau in 1839 by Englishman Winston and American missionary Brown, it was originally the Anglo-Chinese College founded by Morrison in Malacca (Singapore) in 1818.

The school uses English textbooks for all its Western-style courses. The school is taught in both Chinese and English, with subjects such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, geography, chemistry, physics, biology, and music all taught in English.

The school was affiliated with the Morrison Educational Society, but it closed in 1848 due to financial problems.

Of the students trained at Morrison College, two are still studying in Britain and the United States, while the others have all taken up positions at major British and American trading companies such as Jardine Matheson, Jardine Matheson, and Russell & Co.

The Morrison Church wanted to expand its missionary work into mainland China. After several rounds of bargaining, Peng Gang obtained thirty-eight outstanding students from the Morrison Academy, including Yung Wing, who was studying medicine at the University of Edinburgh in the UK and literature at Yale University in the US, as well as the Morrison Academy's teaching materials.

In exchange, Peng Gang allowed the Morrison Church to build a church in Hankou. However, Peng Gang did not agree to the Morrison Church's proposal to cooperate with him to open a church school in Hankou to train relevant personnel for him.

Peng Gang allowed the Morrison Church to build a church in Hankou, mainly for the thirty-eight students who had already received systematic education in natural sciences.

Although these people only have a secondary school education and most of them do not yet have the ability to pass the entrance exams of prestigious British and American universities, they are already considered rare high-level talents in the Far East.

As for cooperative education programs, they were not within Peng Gang's considerations, especially since they were conditional.

Moreover, in order to acquire these thirty-eight talents, Peng Gang paid the breach of contract fees owed by the foreign firm to them. Part of these fees ended up in the pocket of the Morrison Church, so Peng Gang didn't owe the Morrison Church anything.

None of Peng Gang's officials were fluent in English, but Laure's English was not bad.

The teaching materials delivered to Peng Gang's case had already been categorized.

There were two stacks of textbooks. One stack contained the main textbooks for Morrison School, namely the theology textbooks.

The other stack contains textbooks for natural sciences such as arithmetic, algebra, geometry, geography, chemistry, physics, and biology.

Peng Gang didn't even bother to glance at the theological textbooks, and told Li Ruzhao to put them aside.

The textbooks for natural sciences were left on the table for him to browse and review.

(End of this chapter)