1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 98 This is about restoring the land, not rebellion.
No sooner had Min Zhengwen's battalion been transferred than Chen Yagui raised the banner of kingship and even threatened to attack Guilin, the provincial capital.

Zheng Zuchen, who was stationed in Guilin, deeply regretted the hasty decision he made in his anger.

It's true that Min Zhengwen is useless, but his brigade is still somewhat usable.

Zheng Zuchen was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He hurriedly ordered Min Zhengwen to ignore the so-called God Society and deal with the Heaven and Earth Society bandits under Chen Yagui first.

No matter how important God is, it is not as important as the safety of Guilin, the capital of Guizhou Province.

Zheng Zuchen is still in Guilin!

Chen Yagui's Heaven and Earth Society troops were in high spirits, while Zhang Jiaxiang's troops, who had ravaged Xunzhou and southern Liuzhou prefectures, were experiencing a decline in morale.

The number of people leaving the group is increasing day by day.

Meanwhile, Li Dianyuan and Sheng Jun, the two Guangxi Green Standard Army members, after regrouping and re-training their troops, relentlessly pursued Zhang Jiaxiang.

Upon learning of Chen Yagui's claim to the throne, Zhang Jiaxiang gathered his troops and launched a fierce attack on the pursuing militia of Li Dianyuan and Sheng Jun.

Having dealt a heavy blow to Li Dianyuan and Sheng Jun, Zhang Jiaxiang made a decision that shocked all his fellow rebels in Guangxi.

With the Heaven and Earth Society in Guangxi enjoying a very favorable situation, Zhang Jiaxiang extended goodwill to the government, expressing his willingness to accept the imperial court's offer of amnesty.

To show his sincerity, Zhang Jiaxiang released the Green Standard Army prisoners and civilians he had captured.

Upon learning that Zhang Jiaxiang intended to be recruited, Zheng Zuchen, who had been frowning for days, was overjoyed, as if he had seen a glimmer of hope.

Zheng Zuchen strictly ordered Gu Yuankai, the prefect of Xunzhou Prefecture, and Li Mengqun, the magistrate of Guiping County, to make this matter a success!

Min Zhengwen's elite battalion had barely arrived in Xunzhou Prefecture when they turned back to Guilin before they could even settle in.

Gu Yuankai and Li Mengqun were busy with the matter of pacifying Zhang Jiaxiang and had no time to attend to the God Worshippers Society.

It must be said that God has been incredibly lucky along the way, as if protected by the Father and the Brother.

He served as the magistrate of Guiping County, the prefect of Xunzhou Prefecture, the deputy commander of Xunzhou, the governor of Guangxi, the governor of Guangxi, and the governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi.

If there were even one person who was truly dedicated and faithful to his duty, God would certainly not allow him to become too powerful.

The fact that God could rise to power right under the noses of the government only shows that the Guangxi bureaucracy, from top to bottom, inside and out, civil and military officials, is rotten to the core.

Everyone should lay their hearts and lungs out in the sun, wash them clean, and tidy them up.

Peng Gang had previously worried that he was being targeted by Li Mengqun and might be forced to revolt before the regiment's order was issued, but now it seems that his worries were completely unnecessary.

Given Min Zhengwen's incompetence and ineptitude, he certainly won't be able to subdue Chen Yagui in the short term.

Although Chen Yagui could not capture Guilin City, he could still easily bring his troops to the city's gates.

Zhang Jiaxiang was not granted amnesty under duress, but rather while still in a position of advantage, and therefore had to negotiate with the government.

The process of recruiting and repatriating people is probably more complicated than getting married.

Several letters were exchanged between Xunzhou Prefecture and Guilin Prefecture, and a month or two passed in the blink of an eye.

Gu Yuankai and Li Mengqun were able to facilitate Zhang Jiaxiang's release from prison within a month after the New Year, which was quite an achievement for them.

Xie Bin was not seriously injured, but he has a large scar on his chest that will stay with him for the rest of his life and cannot be removed.

They learned that the Guangxi government was negotiating with Zhang Jiaxiang about pacification.

Xie Bin was quite surprised. He first sighed a few times, then felt disheartened and unwilling to talk about the matter anymore.

"Have the brothers' pensions arrived yet?"

The first thing Xie Bin did after recovering was to ask Hou Jiyong if his pension had been received.

Xie Bin vaguely remembered that half of the soldiers from Bitan who had followed him to suppress the bandits under Zhang Jiaxiang's command did not return.

"Pshaw! Compensation money?" Hou Jiyong scoffed.

“Their rations and pay haven’t been paid for three months. If it weren’t for the help from Honglian Village, which provided jobs for the widows and orphans of our deceased brothers, those orphans and widows would still be struggling to make a living.”

"Help me to Honglian Village. I owe them a debt of gratitude, and I should go and thank them in person." Xie Bin struggled to get out of bed.

Hou Jiyong did not help Xie Bin out of the house, but instead helped Xie Bin sit down on the edge of the bed.

After Xie Bin sat down, unaware of what was going on, Hou Jiyong solemnly kowtowed three times to Xie Bin.

"Why are you kowtowing?" Xie Bin asked, puzzled.

"I've come to say goodbye to my elder brother. These three kowtows are to express my gratitude for your care over the years," Hou Jiyong said.

"You want to be with Peng Gang?" After a brief moment of surprise, Xie Bin saw through Hou Jiyong's thoughts.

"Following Mr. Peng is comfortable and uplifting, and I can learn a lot. I have now learned pinyin, can write my own name, and can do arithmetic," Hou Jiyong said frankly without hiding anything.

"Even you call him Mr. Peng now, what kind of spell has he cast on you?" Xie Bin asked with a sigh, quite helplessly, "Is it really that uncomfortable to be with me?"

Hou Jiyong started calling Peng Gang "sir," presumably during the time Peng Gang was in a coma.

From Bitanxun to Shangdongtang, Peng Gang has thoroughly infiltrated every corner of the area.

"Following my elder brother is comfortable, but following the Green Standard Army and the imperial court is not," Hou Jiyong said.

Xie Bin remained silent for a long time, then solemnly said to Hou Jiyong, "He's planning a rebellion, do you understand?" "Yes," Hou Jiyong replied crisply.

"Then you're still willing to be with him? Rebellion is a capital offense, punishable by death and the extermination of nine generations of your family." Xie Bin's expression was solemn.

“It’s hard to survive in this world without rebelling. Rather than being a slave to the Manchus and their superiors in the camps and detachments, and suffering their wrath, it’s better to live a life of glory,” Hou Jiyong said bluntly.

"Did he teach you to say that too?" Xie Bin asked.

"No, I figured it out myself," Hou Jiyong shook his head.

"This land originally belonged to the Han people, not the Manchus. Why should the Manchus be emperors and loyal subjects, while we Han people do all the hard, tiring, dirty, and dangerous work? We are simply reclaiming our land; this cannot be considered a rebellion."

"Have you forgotten how the Manchu Eight Banners treated us back in Guangzhou?"

"This kid's got some tricks up his sleeve, guiding you all to figure these things out yourselves." Xie Bin glanced at Zhou Songqing and the others who were arriving one after another. "Are you all here to kowtow to me too?"

Zhou Songqing and the others nodded earnestly and knelt before Xie Bin.

"Get up, all of you! What are you kneeling for?!" Xie Bin struggled to his feet and complained.

"Are you going to abandon your elder brother and enjoy all the wealth and glory for yourself? We all swore an oath before Lord Guan! To live and die together! You bunch of brats, is your elder brother as stubborn as you think? You're not even taking him with you on this great undertaking of rebuilding our land!"

"Big Brother is also willing to work with Mr. Peng?" Hou Jiyong, Zhou Songqing and others said happily.

The originally dull and suffocating atmosphere instantly became relaxed and pleasant.

More than half a year later, Xie Bin returned to Honglian Village and his eyes were opened wide.

Peng Gang now has about 350 muskets, 11 mountain-splitting cannons, and nearly 100 self-propelled muskets.

"You made this musket yourself?" Xie Bin asked with admiration, fiddling with a musket with a fishtail stock.

"Even the muskets made by the Guangdong Ordnance Bureau aren't as good as the ones you make yourself."

Xie Bin was playing with guns and touching cannons.

Except for the lack of heavy artillery, this kid has everything he needs.

According to Xie Bin's understanding, let alone the pro-independence camp in Xunzhou.

If this kid knows even a little about military tactics, even Min Zhengwen's elite battalion might not be able to do anything to him.

Maybe following this kid will actually lead to success.

"Has General Xie figured it out?" Peng Gang warmly welcomed Xie Bin's arrival.

"If you don't think things through more clearly, you'll end up all alone," Xie Bin asked with a helpless smile.

What can I do for you?

"Help me straighten those pikemen." Peng Gang led Xie Bin to the line of pikemen practicing hitting straw targets.

Xie Bin walked intently past each spearman, pointing out their flaws and demonstrating techniques.

"Arm follows waist movement, not bad, but you're moving your waist too much. Watch how I use a gun!"

"Lida, your spear tip is so soft and flimsy, no wonder it can't pierce the straw target!"

"You can't just use brute force when using a gun; you also need to use skill!"

After giving some pointers, Xie Bin stepped out of the spearmen's formation and returned to Peng Gang. Seeing that Peng Gang was watching him very intently as he pointed out the spearmen's flaws, Xie Bin was not angry at all. Instead, he nodded approvingly in agreement.

Xie Bin was very surprised: "I'm nitpicking like this, and you're not angry?"

"I'm so grateful to you, why are you angry?" Peng Gang said very frankly.

He himself was not skilled with a spear, and Hou Jiyong was trained with swords and shields and was not proficient with spears either, so the help he could provide was limited.

His weakness was that the spearman was not proficient with the spear and only knew how to thrust and parry.

Xie Bin, who has formal training and experience in training professional riflemen, is willing to give him advice and guide his riflemen. He is more than happy to do so than angry.

"This kid has a good capacity for tolerance," Xie Bin thought to himself with admiration.

"I shouldn't be nitpicking like this. Your boys march very well and have plenty of energy, but they're not good with the spear. Pointing, thrusting, picking, blocking, flicking, stabbing, and striking—without guidance from an expert in this art, unless you accumulate experience with blood and your life, you'll hardly grasp the essence."

"However, they are more than capable of dealing with the Green Standard Army of Xunzhou. It's only when they encounter the veteran spearmen of the standard battalion that they fail to defeat them in one blow and suffer losses after getting entangled in a protracted battle," Xie Bin said apologetically.

He did indeed have the intention of deliberately provoking Peng Gang and testing his temper.

Looking back now, I realize that my behavior was somewhat childish.

Peng Gang is a very magnanimous person who is open to advice.

"Would you be willing to train them for me?" Peng Gang asked.

"I couldn't be happier to train such disciplined and disciplined young soldiers!" Xie Bin assured Peng Gang with excitement and anticipation.

"You've laid a solid foundation for these young men. Give me a little time, and I'll train them into elite soldiers, one in a thousand!"

For Xie Bin, training these young soldiers who have already laid a solid foundation and can understand military orders is a pleasure he couldn't ask for.

(End of this chapter)