Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 11: Sending troops to suppress bandits
The army arrived in a mighty force. Zhenjiang prefect Pan Yi led a group of officials ten miles out of the city to welcome them. After exchanging greetings, they set up camp together in the west of the city.

The local gentry of Zhenjiang Prefecture sent cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens and other meats as well as a large amount of vegetables to reward the troops. The transport fleet going up the river docked at the Guazhou Ferry and set sail again after resting.

After declining the invitation of the prefect Pan Yi to come to the city to welcome him, Zheng Guohui escorted the local officials out of the camp before saying goodbye and returning.

After dealing with all this, Zheng Guohui returned to the central military tent in a bad mood. He paced in the tent with a frown on his face, which attracted the attention of his staff member Dong Huanzhang.

He stepped forward, bowed, and asked, "Young Master, why do you seem so worried?"

"Brother Huanzhang, I have been in the army for over four years and have fought countless battles. I am used to seeing life and death." Zheng Guohui sighed softly, walked to the front of the tent, and looked at the distant green mountains. He continued with a rather lonely look.
"As we traveled along the way, we saw vast expanses of abandoned fields, deserted villages, tattered clothes and corpses lying on the roadside, weeds growing wild in the fields, and wild animals roaming around.

I never thought that after more than a decade of banditry and unrest, the once prosperous Jiangnan region would become so desolate and ruined. It is truly heartbreaking."

These words resonated deeply with Dong Huanzhang. He took a deep look at the general's angular face and said with emotion;

"What the young master said is exactly right. Every time students see such a tragic scene, they feel heartbroken.

It has been 14 years since the Taiping Rebellion. Half of the country in the southeast has been devastated by war, and countless lives have been lost. How many people have died in the displacement?
The Jiangnan region, which is famous for its wealth and abundance, has only 30% to 40% of its population left.

But given the situation, what can we do with our limited strength?"

Zheng Guohui raised his eyebrows when he heard the hidden meaning in his words, and asked with interest, "Brother Huanzhang, do you have other plans?"

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Young Master. I've studied the classics and history for over a decade, and have fought hard in the imperial examinations several times. Fortunately, I've been ranked among the top three. How could I not have a long-cherished wish to govern the country and the people?"

At this point, Dong Huanzhang smiled bitterly and shook his head, then continued;

"It's a pity that the frog in the pond is so shallow after all. Huanzhang's vast knowledge can't withstand the darkness of the court, and he can only bow down for a few pieces of silver.

What a pity, how sad, how lamentable! "

Zheng Guohui's lips curled up a little when he heard this. Dong Huanzhang was facing the despair of contemporary Confucian scholars who were determined to pass the imperial examinations and enter the official career.

Even if you rank among the top three in the imperial examination, you will not be able to hold an official position.

The Taiping Rebellion swept across half of Jiangnan, killing countless Eight Banners and Manchu officials. The old ruling foundation of half of China was uprooted, and the impact was subversive.

After the banditry was cleared up, it did not mean that those Jinshi who passed the special examination would have a chance.

think about it

From the first year of the Xianfeng reign till now, how many Jinshi who passed the imperial examination by special examination have been unable to find official positions?

In addition to the failure of the two Opium Wars, the great powers imposed huge war reparations on the court, which amounted to millions of taels of silver every year. Where did this money come from?

As a result, the practice of donating money to become an official became prevalent. People donated money to become county magistrates, prefects, prefectural governors, juren (academic candidates), and jinshi (academic scholars). In the court, anyone with money was given an official hat. This practice was followed by others, and the officialdom became a mess.

The inn was almost full of candidates for official positions in the capital, so how could it be the turn of Dong Huanzhang, a powerless and "fellow Jinshi"?
I am afraid that even when I am old, I still won’t be able to get the candidate notification from the Ministry of Personnel?

It is no wonder that Dong Huanzhang felt extremely disappointed. He had already stepped onto the road to success, but who knew that a mountain would fall from the sky, telling him that this road was blocked.

Anyone would go crazy if this happened to them, right?

In Zheng Guohui's eyes, this is very good. He needs such talents who are motivated to govern the country and the people, and the more the better, so that they can become his right-hand men in the future.

Of course, the place where their military skills can be used is not in China, but in Southeast Asia.

Dong Huanzhang happened to be his brother-in-law and was already trustworthy. Now he just needed to develop more practical civil affairs skills.

Think of this
Zheng Guohui smiled and said encouragingly, "Brother Huanzhang, there's no need to be so pessimistic. You're also serving the court as part of my staff. You should focus on your duties and accumulate experience before making a breakthrough."

"Students understand and should concentrate on their duties."

After chatting, Dong Huanzhang said goodbye and left.

Zheng Guohui walked back to the tent, staring at the map hanging in the tent, looking thoughtful.

The war is over, and the people who fled everywhere are gradually returning to clean up the ruins of war, pull out weeds in the fields, and resume their pastoral farming life.

This process will last two to three years.

In the mountainous and hilly areas surrounding Zhenjiang Prefecture, Jintan County and Dantu County, there are a large number of refugees fleeing the war and remnants of bandits, who are not the targets of the army's encirclement and suppression.

As long as the land rent is appropriately reduced, these refugees will be attracted and settle around the village, exchanging hard work for a stable life.

During the period of registering house and land deeds in Jiangning Prefecture, Zheng Guohui also acquired a large number of unowned land and houses and shops in the city, the number of which was extremely astonishing.

It is not an exaggeration to say that he was "half a city" because he took advantage of the free time when the prefect of Jiangning had not yet taken office to seek personal gain for himself and the governor of Jiangnan, Fuzhu Hong'a.

Among these were a large number of unowned farmlands in the counties and cities surrounding Jiangning Prefecture. Zheng Guohui recruited a large number of refugees to cultivate the land at a rent price of two coins per mu per year, and the effect was very significant.

Most of the tens of thousands of acres of land have been rented out.

The price of two coins per mu was almost half of the rent for high-quality paddy fields and one-third less than the rent for ordinary fields.

It was the low rent that attracted the refugees. Jiangning Prefecture was also the area that recovered the fastest and best after the war, and now there is still a large influx of population.

The situation in Zhenjiang Prefecture is much worse. If we go to Changzhou Prefecture, the situation may be even worse than here.

Zheng Guohui's eyes searched the hills and mountains near Danyang on the map. There was a group of thousands of bandits here, and they were the target of the army.

This group of bandits was one of the defeated Taiping rebels. They drifted to the hilly areas near Danyang and often attacked villages and county towns, still holding the people hostage and looting food.

The leader of the bandits was Mao Dashuan, a former Taiping Army general. Because he committed many evil deeds and killed countless people, he was nicknamed "Mao the Barber".

This man roamed around the mountains and forests around Danyang County and was one of the bandits who had to be eliminated.

Such a large group of bandits was extremely vicious and neither Zhenjiang Prefecture nor Danyang County could deal with them, and the Huai Army, which was in the process of recuperation, was too lazy to take action. They were a perfect target for the Du Biao Camp.

"Okay, that's him."

Zheng Guohui quickly made up his mind to make a good start with the bandit leader "Mao the Barber" and show the power of the Jiangnan Governor's Camp.

(End of this chapter)