1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 23 The Angry General Chen

"No, no, no, how could I dare to lend money at exorbitant interest rates to my fellow students?" Qiu Zhongliang quickly waved his hand in denial.

"Why is that? You don't owe me any money or favors," Peng Gang asked, puzzled.

“I’ve also seen your family’s land and houses. At the market price, they’re worth over three hundred taels of silver. My father took advantage of the situation and bought all your land and houses for two hundred and thirty-two taels of silver,” Qiu Zhongliang said.

“My father has done too many immoral things, and I want to accumulate some good karma for him. Besides, without you, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to become Mr. Liu’s apprentice, would I?”

If Peng Gang hadn't brought Liu Bingwen to his door, Qiu Zhongliang would have married Wang Jingcheng's precious daughter from the same county—a woman weighing over 200 pounds with a volatile and easily angered temper—by the end of the year at the latest. Just imagining married life was enough to send chills down one's spine.

"That day you whispered a reminder in my ear, was it also to accumulate good karma for your father?" Peng Gang asked curiously.

“Not entirely.” Qiu Zhongliang shook his head thoughtfully and said, “Brother Peng, if you consider me a friend, then you can accept this money.”

“How about this, if you don’t charge interest, consider this money a loan from me, and I’ll write you an IOU,” Peng Gang said. “Taking your money for no reason, you’re doing your father a favor, but I’m doing myself a disservice.”

"Alright." Qiu Zhongliang thought it over carefully and nodded slightly in agreement.

After writing the IOU and pressing his fingerprint, Peng Gang found Hong Xiuquan's original trilogy and handed it to Qiu Zhongliang: "These three books are the interest on the money I borrowed from you."

Peng Gang has read Hong Xiuquan's original trilogy several times.

Frankly speaking, none of these three books can be considered masterpieces in terms of writing style, content, or theme. Peng Gang doesn't quite understand why such mediocre books can have such a large audience in Guangxi.

Perhaps it is because there are too many desperate people in Guangxi who have exhausted all their efforts to survive but are still forced to the brink of death that they cling tightly to the rope offered by others.

On the third day, Peng Gang and his group of thirty people finally crossed mountains and rivers to reach Bitanxun.

The first thing Peng Gang did upon arriving at Bitan Flood Control Station was to pay a visit to Chen Xingwang, the station's garrison commander.

During the Daoguang era, more than one-third of the Green Standard Army's garrison troops were stationed at various garrisons. Of the 600,000 Green Standard Army soldiers nationwide, at least 200,000 were garrison troops stationed at various garrisons. As the saying goes, there was a garrison every hundred li and a pond every ten li.

The area around Bitanxun is a vast mountainous region with a sparse population. Bitanxun, as a single fortress, is responsible for maintaining security within a radius of forty to fifty miles.

In terms of nature, the functions undertaken by Bitan Xun were more similar to those of the police stations of later generations. The soldiers of Bitan Xun and the soldiers of Shangdongtang were more like public security police than soldiers.

"These lawless bandits! They took my money for safety and still dared to rob me in my garrison, causing me to get ten lashes from Huang Shourong!" Chen Xingwang covered his buttocks, which had been beaten black and blue by the Qianjiang garrison commander, with one hand, and pointed at a group of garrison soldiers kneeling in the main hall, cursing them mercilessly.

"What am I keeping you around for! You're scared by just twenty-odd bandits, and you can't even stop a few merchants who came to complain! If you had stopped them from settling things privately, I wouldn't have had to take these ten lashes!"

"It's not that we can't stop those merchants, but they're asking for an exorbitant amount, demanding a thousand taels of silver right off the bat."

"They're asking for an exorbitant price, why don't you beat them up to lower the price?"

"If we beat them up, they'll definitely report us to Huang Shourong. These merchants have always been generous to Huang Shourong; how could they swallow this insult?"

"They can't swallow this insult, so it's only me who has to swallow it, right?" Chen Xingwang said indignantly, rubbing his swollen cheek.

"Huang Shourong gave them three months to wipe out this band of mountain bandits and recover the stolen goods."

"I still have ten lashes on Huang Shourong's tab. If we can't wipe out this gang of bandits and recover the stolen goods within three months, those ten lashes on Huang Shourong's tab will be your reward!"

Chen Xingda had a loud voice, and Peng Gang, who was standing at the gate, could hear his conversation with the soldiers clearly.

I had heard that the Green Camp was rotten, but I never imagined that it had degenerated to the point that a single garrison of soldiers could be intimidated by a dozen or so petty bandits.

As the saying goes, both kindness and severity must be applied. If someone like Chen Xingwang only uses severity and not kindness, how can the soldiers be willing to risk their lives?

The Green Standard Army's pay was officially set in the fourth year of the Shunzhi reign (1647). It wasn't until the eighth year of the Tongzhi reign (1869) that the Qing government, taking advantage of the momentum from suppressing the Taiping Rebellion and the Nian Rebellion, gradually disbanded the Hunan, Huai, and Chu armies and reformed the Green Standard Army, reducing troops and increasing pay, which slightly improved the treatment of Green Standard Army soldiers.

However, by then the Green Standard Army had been renamed the Patrol Battalion.

The monthly salary of Green Standard Army infantrymen was one tael, infantrymen were one tael and five mace, and cavalrymen were two taels, plus three dou of rice per month. This treatment has remained unchanged for two hundred years.

Moreover, this was only the pay on paper. In reality, after being skimmed off by officers at various levels, only 60-70% of the pay actually reached the pockets of the Green Standard Army soldiers. This was far from enough to support their families.

I'm afraid that when the time comes, these Green Standard Army soldiers of Bitan Flood would rather endure ten strokes of the military rod from Chen Xingwang than risk their lives against the bandits for a monthly wage of one or two taels and a monthly allowance of three dou of rice that they often owe.

After Chen Xingwang finished scolding him, Peng Gang was finally able to enter the hospital and see Chen Xingwang. Chen Xingwang had seen Peng Gang before; the last time they met, Peng Gang hadn't given Chen Xingwang a single penny, so naturally Chen Xingwang wouldn't give Peng Gang a friendly look.

"Chen Barong, I came in a hurry last time and only had some coins on me. I was afraid they wouldn't be of much use to you, so I didn't have the heart to offer them to you. I hope you won't take offense." As he spoke, Peng Gang stuffed a five-tael 93-yuan Guangding ingot into Chen Xingwang's hand.

He is currently of lowly status and has not yet achieved any real power. Even a minor officer like Chen Xingwang is someone he cannot afford to offend.

Chen Xingwang weighed the five taels of Guangding silver in his hand, which were of good quality and weight, and his stern face finally relaxed.

"After all, you are a learned man who understands things. I heard you want to start a charcoal-making business in Honglianping. Do you have a license?"

"Please take a look, Chen." Peng Gang took out the mountain area license that he had prepared beforehand and handed it to Chen Xingwang for inspection.

Chen Xingwang was not illiterate; he had a basic understanding of literature and knew some simple, commonly used characters.

A low-ranking officer like him naturally couldn't afford to hire a secretary, but Chen Xingwang had his own methods for verifying the authenticity of licenses: observing the paper material and distinguishing the authenticity of the seal.

Determining that the paper and seal on the license did not appear to be something that could be forged by ordinary people, Chen Xingwang returned the mountain area license to Peng Gang.

“Recently, bandits and thieves have been rampant in this area. Honglianping is high in the mountains and densely forested, and it is far from the floodgates. You should keep a close eye on things. If you find any bandits or thieves, send someone to inform me immediately,” Chen Xingwang said.

"Commander Xie from Shangdongtang is closer to Honglianping. You can visit Commander Xie there so that we can help each other in the future."

Peng Gang kept this in mind, bid farewell to Chen Xingwang, and went to the blacksmith shop in Bitanxun to purchase iron tools.

After Peng Gang left, Liu Chengying, a cavalryman under Chen Xingwang, said, "Chen Balong, does this kid intend to get rid of us with a mere five taels of silver?"

"Idiot! You don't know anything!" Chen Xingwang rolled his eyes at Liu Chengying.

“This kid’s charcoal will always be sold outside, how could he possibly bypass our Bitanxun? Once he opens his charcoal yard, won’t the dozens of people in Honglianping have to buy their food, clothing and other necessities from our Bitanxun? This is a long-term business, this five taels of silver is just a small token of appreciation.”

Although Chen Xingwang was just a minor official at the bottom of the Green Standard Army system, his business was doing quite well, with an income of twenty or thirty taels of silver every month. He really didn't care about five taels of silver.

"Commander-in-Chief's insight is brilliant!" Liu Chengzhu suddenly realized that their commander-in-chief had a far-sighted view.

Upon arriving at the blacksmith's shop, Peng Gang asked Wu the blacksmith and bought thirty machetes, twenty axes, ten hoes, thirty daggers, twenty catties of iron nails, and other iron tools.

When Wu the blacksmith, who was working on the blacksmith's shop, realized that Peng Gang was a big customer, he hurriedly welcomed him into the shop and treated him well.

Peng Gang noticed that Wu the blacksmith's shop also sold frame saws and knife saws, so he bought three frame saws and five knife saws on a whim.

He bought too many things, and Wu the blacksmith's shop couldn't produce so many ready-made iron tools at once. Apart from the saw, more than two-thirds of the iron tools had to be made on the spot.

Upon learning that Peng Gang was going to start a charcoal-making business in Honglianping, Wu the blacksmith became even more enthusiastic, wanting to retain this long-term potential customer.

After they got to know each other better, Peng Gang asked if the gun head could be used for shooting.

Wu the blacksmith patted his chest and said there was no problem. As long as the money was enough, he would make a gunhead that was even better than the gunheads used by the soldiers of Bitan.

Banditry was rampant in Guangxi, so it was normal for people to make weapons for self-defense, and Wu the blacksmith didn't see anything wrong with it.

After resting overnight at Bitan, the next day, Peng Gang bought seven shi of rice, seven shi of sweet potatoes and potatoes, and three shi of cornmeal at the ford, which he divided into small packages and distributed to the boys in the group to carry.

Having learned that there were carpenters in Bitanxun who could build sheds, he hired Qin, the carpenter with the best reputation in Bitanxun, for 300 coins a day.

Another carpenter, hearing that there was work available, rushed over and offered to lower the price to 260 coins, hoping that Peng Gang would hire him because of the cheaper price.

The carpenter who arrived earlier, Qin, immediately objected, accusing the later carpenters of being less skilled, which was why they were able to accept lower wages.

The two first argued, and then started fighting over the job.

Peng Gang watched the two carpenters, who were locked in a fierce fight, neither willing to give in. He was both amused and exasperated.

Seeing that the two carpenters were also wearing baggy and tattered Green Standard Army uniforms, he was speechless. It turned out that all the Green Standard Army soldiers in Bitan were ordinary people. Except for those who knew how to fight, they had all kinds of talents.

Finally, Peng Gang hired both carpenters for 210 coins a day, including two full meals a day, to settle the dispute.

(End of this chapter)