The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 60 We workers have power! (Shang Sanjiang, please collect and read, it will be available on Friday!)
"Master Jiao, please give me a bite to eat!"

"Master Jiao, for the sake of the Zhongyi Hall, please give me some rewards!"

"Master Jiao, we are all brothers of the Tiandihui, you can't just watch us starve to death!"

Most of the beggars begging for food on the streets of Daozhou are unemployed miners, boatmen, dock workers, or blatant disciples of the Tiandihui!

Even though the Daozhou government was already arresting members of the Tiandihui, they still called Jiao Hong the leader, still called him the "Loyalty and Righteousness General Hall", and still called themselves brothers of the "Tiandihui". They were not cowardly at all.

Because they are just a group of unemployed workers who are starving to death
Because the Taiping Army invaded Hunan from Guangxi, the Xiangjiang River waterway in Yongzhou Prefecture had long been closed by the government and no ships could sail there.

Once the Xiang River was shut down, the Xiang River's tributary, Xiaoshui, naturally could not be used by ships. Once the Xiaoshui was shut down, the privately-owned mines in Daozhou naturally had to stop working - they couldn't stop working, because the ore they mined couldn't be shipped out, and they couldn't let the mine owners keep putting money in, right?

Although miners, boatmen and dock workers earn much more than farmers these days, most of them live from work to income, and they are lucky to have enough savings to live on for three or two months.

Therefore, the mining and shipping industries in Daozhou area stopped for less than a month, and the city of Daozhou was filled with unemployed miners, boatmen, and dock workers begging for food!

These people are different from the beggars in Mr. Huang's house in Etang. The beggars in Etang suffered from "chronic starvation". They had been starving for a long time before bankruptcy. After bankruptcy, Mr. Huang opened a porridge factory, so they could suffer from "chronic starvation". They were thin first, and then starved to death. The "illness" progressed very slowly, and by the time they were about to die, they could no longer rebel.

The miners, boatmen, and dock workers who gathered in Daozhou could have had enough to eat! They were doing heavy physical work, so how could they survive without enough to eat?

When they took off their clothes, they were all muscular and strong! And at least eight out of ten of them had scars on their bodies - these were left from fighting over territory!

But if you want to engage in group fights and seize territory, you need to be organized!

So they are just a group of muscular men who like to fight together. Now they are collectively suffering from "acute starvation"!
The muscles are still there, the tissues are still there, the ruthlessness is still there, but their jobs are all gone, and they are about to "acutely starve to death". You don't even need to read "Anti-Scripture" to know what to do.

This situation is even more dangerous than that in Etang Town.

Historically, an important reason why the Tiandihui in Guangdong and Guangxi rebelled every year after the Opium War was that the transfer of trade ports and the extremely sharp contradiction between population and land resulted in a large number of unemployed boatmen, miners, and dock workers.

In fact, many old brothers of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom were also miners in the Zijing Mountain area and unemployed boatmen (boat bandits) on the Xijiang River.

Jiao Hong was not afraid of being exposed. After entering the city, he deliberately slowed down his pace. As he walked, he clasped his hands and bowed to the beggars on both sides of the road: "We have it all, we have it all, hurry up, give the brothers some copper coins!"

"Don't grab it, don't grab it, everyone has it!"

"Those who have no food to eat, come to my army hall. I, Jiao, have united the 36 halls of the Hunan Tiandihui to provide relief to the brothers. Come to the army hall! Everyone knows where the army hall is, right? Come, come."

This was the style of the Tiandihui boss in the far-flung southern Hunan during the early years of Emperor Xianfeng's reign!
There is no need to hide, the only thing left is to hang up a sign that reads "Tian Di Hui Recruiting Army Hall" on the street.

In fact, even if he really died, what could Wang Zhizhou do? When Yu Wanqing's troops were still there, he could ask Yu Wanqing to send troops to suppress it. Now Yu Wanqing has become Yu Mieqing, and Yu Wanqing's dozen godsons who worship God are now following Jiao Hong - the troops left by Yu Wanqing are all under their control! Wang Zhizhou can't control them.

As for Mr. Huang, who had instigated Wang Kuiyi to issue a letter of credit to extort money from people, he actually had no intention of arresting the Tiandihui at all. He just wanted to extort some money and recruit some able-bodied men from the merchants in Daozhou City and the gentry who had fled into the city.

Most of the merchants who were extorted by him, Wang Kuiyi and Zhang Dingxiang had joined the Tiandihui. However, none of the gentry were members of the Tiandihui. In history, the literati had to wait until the Qing Dynasty abolished the imperial examination before joining the Hongmen, Qingbang and Gelaohui in large numbers. Now they still dream of taking the exam to become officials and look down on those gangsters who are "in the underworld".

And now, the dozens of gentry who had been hiding in Daozhou City might have realized that something was wrong. They all gathered in the Huang family mansion in Daozhou City, discussing the situation one after another.

"Brother Ziying, what should we do? There are rebels from the God Worshipping Society outside the city, and the city is full of unemployed miners, boatmen, and dock laborers who have joined the Heaven and Earth Society." "Brother Ziying, those strong workers who make a living in the mines, on the boats, and on the docks are all vicious and cruel people!"

"Brother Ziying, we are now worried that the Taiping rebels will attack from outside and the secret societies will cause chaos inside."

"What should I do? What should I do?"

Looking at this group of gentry who were almost dying of anxiety, Mr. Huang knew that he had found the right person.

According to Volume 2 of "The Anti-Scripture", the description of the rebellion of the gentry and the knowledge about organizing militia that Mr. Huang learned from his mentor Luo Zenan, this militia cannot be organized by relying on miners, boatmen, and dock workers. These people are all disciples of the Tiandihui!
This militia can only rely on the gentry's relatives, teachers and apprentices, and fellow villagers as the backbone, and through those backbones they can recruit simple peasants who are related to them as soldiers. Only in this way will the recruited militia be obedient and able to fight!
These gentry who looked helpless were Mr. Huang's relatives, fellow villagers, and classmates. It was impossible for them to enter the city alone, and they must have brought able-bodied men with them. If they were all gathered together, there would be hundreds of militiamen. Adding the 300 people led by him and Zhang Dingxiang, the number of people left by Yu Wanqing in Daozhou City might number thousands.

Jiang Zhongyuan managed to become a prefect with the help of a few thousand militiamen. He has less, only a few thousand or so. It shouldn't be too much for him to become a county magistrate, right?

Thinking of this, Huang Shijie bowed to the group of gentry below and said, "Everyone, please be patient. I, Huang Shijie, have been valued by the Imperial Envoy, Military University, and Grand Secretary Sai Zhongtang, and have been ordered to organize a Daozhou militia to help suppress the Guangdong bandits. Sai Zhongtang also guaranteed me a position as a county magistrate!"

This Huang Shijie actually got the appreciation of Sai Zhongtang?
And he also recommended a county magistrate?

Is he going to be the second Jiang Zhongyuan?

Huang Shijie was originally the leader of the literati in Daozhou and had great prestige in the local area. The gentry he invited today were all on good terms with him, so they naturally believed his words and showed envious expressions.

Seeing that the time was almost right, Huang Shijie said again: "Are there any of you who are willing to join Shijie in protecting our hometown, making achievements, and serving the court? Let's do it together. Even if Daozhou City cannot be protected for the time being, as long as we have soldiers and generals, we will eventually be able to restore our family business, and maybe we can even make achievements and be awarded an official title!"

After hearing Huang Shijie's promise, the gentry, who already believed in him, were immediately tempted.

"Brother Ziying, we are willing to follow in your footsteps!"

"Brother Ziying, we are willing to follow your lead!"

"Brother Ziying, lead us!"

Huang Shijie breathed a sigh of relief. With so many classmates and fellow villagers following him, his militia would be able to stand up well.

But the atmosphere in Daozhou City these days is not right! It looks a lot like the situation before the "explosion" in Etang Town! No, I have to send my family's valuables out as soon as possible.

Thinking of this, Huang Shijie said to everyone: "I see that a war will break out in Daozhou soon. You and Huang's family should not stay in the city. It is better to send them to the provincial capital as soon as possible. Huang also has a big house in the north of Changsha. Why don't we put our families there and squeeze together so that we can take care of them!"

A group of gentry in Daozhou also felt that something was wrong in the state capital, and they also knew that Huang Shijie's wife had fallen into the hands of thieves in Etang Town. It was a profound lesson! They had to send all the women in the family away quickly.

"Okay, okay, then I'll take care of Brother Lao Ziying!"

"Brother Ziying, please!"

"Everything depends on Brother Ziying's instructions."

(End of this chapter)