1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 237 Short hair less than 10,000, but invincible with 10,000!
"Over 100,000?!"

The scouts didn't dare get close enough to the Xiang River to get a clear look, so how could they know how many short-haired rebels had gone south to Quanzhou? They just gave a random number to try and fool them.

"You're just spouting nonsense! Tell me honestly, have you never actually seen the Shorthair fleet with your own eyes?" Xiang Rong roared in fury, slamming his fist on the table.

"Guards! Drag him out and give him twenty lashes, then parade him around the camp with arrows stuck in his throat as a warning to others!"

Xiang Rong himself was a seasoned veteran who had worked his way up from the bottom; he wasn't so easily fooled, and he saw through the scout's intentions.

Tens of thousands of short-haired soldiers? Are you kidding me?
Even if the short-haired rebels plundered all the land in Yongzhou and Hengzhou prefectures, they still couldn't support a hundred thousand soldiers.

Moreover, raising soldiers with short hair is not about raising them in poverty, but rather in abundance.

Xiang Rong somewhat regretted sending Zhang Guoliang east to Chenzhou to pursue the Taiping rebels.

Although Zhang Guoliang has a questionable past, he is more reliable and competent than the people currently under his command.

The success in pursuing the retreating Taiping rebels in Guilin was largely due to Zhang Guoliang's effective reconnaissance and his ability to ambush the Taiping rebels' elderly and weak troops with pinpoint accuracy.

That was the most satisfying battle Xiang Rong had fought since he began suppressing the religious bandits in western Guangdong.

"Ahem, the short-haired barbarians don't have a hundred thousand or so soldiers, but they should have twenty or thirty thousand," Li Mengqun said after coughing twice.

Because of his meritorious service in suppressing the Taiping rebels in Guilin, Li Mengqun, although still officially serving as the magistrate of Guiping County, was also granted the title of prefect by Emperor Xianfeng and served under Zhou Tianjue, leading his troops.

"The short-haired rebels have come in such a grand manner, surely to rescue the long-haired rebels in Quanzhou City. How should we respond?" Zhou Fengqi, the general of Xunyang Town in Hubei, uttered a useless and pointless statement.

"What good strategies do you all have?" Zhou Tianjue, with saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth, looked around at the Qing officers and generals in the command tent and asked.

“The short-haired rebels come from the waterways. Why not retaliate in kind by setting up hidden stakes underwater in the Xiangjiang River to intercept and ambush them?” Zhou Fengqi proposed his idea.

"The reason why Duanmao was able to ambush Li Qinchai at Huangsha Pass was because Li Qinchai's army marched north along the Xiang River from Quanzhou and returned to Lingling." Xiang Rong pondered for a moment, then shook his head, realizing that the plan was not feasible.

"The short-haired Maoist forces are coming from Lingling upstream, so their boats aren't going fast. Even if they're careless and the boats in front hit underwater bollards, the damage won't be too severe. The boats in the middle and behind can easily retreat downstream. How can we ambush them?"

Jiang Zhongyuan has used this trick before, and so has Duanmao.

Short-haired animals are known for their cunning, so it's impossible for them to be completely unprepared.

Furthermore, the short-haired army advanced against the current, and retreated with the current; they did not have a single force that dared to raid the short-haired army's rear and intercept them.

Zhou Fengqi's ideas are as unreliable as he is.

Looking at Zhou Fengqi, Xiang Rong couldn't help but think of the gaps in the city wall that the Taiping rebels had filled in within Quanzhou City.

To blast such a large opening, at least two thousand kilograms of gunpowder would be needed, and it would have to be good gunpowder.

Xiang Rong is now beginning to suspect that when Duan Mao passed through Liuzhou, Qin Dingsan and Zhou Fengqi, who were stationed there at the time, had made some kind of deal with him.

Otherwise, how could there be so much gunpowder on the short-haired one?

As for the newly recruited scoundrels under Zhou Fengqi and Qin Dingsan.

Xiang Rong did not believe they were capable of defeating the short-haired troops in Luorong County. The so-called Luorong victory was probably the result of a shady deal with the short-haired troops.

However, Xiang Rong currently lacks concrete evidence and cannot confront him directly.

"Xiang Titai, in your opinion, how should our army deal with the short-haired rebels?" Zhou Tianjue wanted to hear Xiang Rong's opinion.

Zhou Tianjue suffered repeated defeats at the hands of Duanmao and almost became his prisoner.

He no longer has many soldiers under his command to squander.

Zhou Tianjue has become much more docile, no longer as arrogant and impetuous as he was when he first entered Guangxi.

"The enemy's advance is fierce. Our army has been besieging Quanzhou City for a long time without success. Our drums are tired, our flags are drooping, and our morale is low," Xiang Rong said after a moment of contemplation.

"It would be better to temporarily avoid the short-haired rebels' sharp edge. The short-haired rebels came to support the long-haired rebels in Quanzhou City. Quanzhou is already out of food, so the short-haired rebels will certainly not stay in Quanzhou City for long. After the short-haired rebels withdraw, our army can also recapture Quanzhou City. In this way, we can preserve our troops, have the merit of recapture Quanzhou City, and also have something to report to the Emperor."

After a slight hesitation, Zhou Tianjue slowly made a decision: "Set up hidden stakes underwater in the Xiangjiang River near Shuitang Bay, and send out some capable scouts to scout out the strength of the short-haired rebels heading south. If the short-haired rebels are few in number, we will ambush them near Shuitang Bay."

If the short-haired rebels have a larger force, then follow Xiang Titai's strategy: temporarily retreat to avoid their sharp edge and preserve the entire army.

"I will obey Your Excellency's command!"

The Qing army officers in the command tent received their orders and dispatched scouts to Huangsha Pass to investigate the enemy's situation.

Before long, the various scouts sent out reported that the short-haired fleet heading south to Quanzhou consisted of more than 400 ships of various kinds. The exact number of troops was unknown, but a rough estimate suggested that the short-haired forces were definitely more than 10,000.

Short hair is less than 10,000, but more than 10,000 is invincible.

In the past, they struggled to win against even a few thousand short-haired soldiers in Guangxi, and were at a loss. How much more difficult would it be against tens of thousands of short-haired soldiers?

Furthermore, there are still several thousand Taiping rebels in Quanzhou City.

Those who know the current affairs are handsome.

This time, whether it was the old man with lofty ambitions or the cunning Xiang Rong, they all chose not to engage in battle with the short-haired Mao, thus avoiding war and preserving their forces.

The Qing troops outside Quanzhou City gradually broke camp and retreated southwards towards Guilin City.

“Your Excellency, I would like to try to persuade the short-haired barbarians to surrender.”

Before leaving the camp outside Quanzhou City, Li Mengqun, feeling unwilling, said to Zhou Tianjue.

The short-haired bandits have gained momentum and are difficult to eradicate quickly.

Previously, they attempted to kidnap Liu Bingwen, the teacher of Peng Gang and Shi Dakai, to coerce Peng Gang and Shi Dakai into accepting bribes.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bingwen's family was taken away by the Xunzhou guerrilla Green Standard Army soldiers they had sent out to lead people, and the plan to pacify the short-haired Mao and Shi Dakai's long-haired Mao failed to be implemented.

Li Mengqun wanted to try to appease Peng Gang. "Things are different now. The short-haired tyrants are in power now, occupying two prefectures, and they will definitely demand exorbitant prices," Zhou Tianjue sighed.

“In the past, our attitude toward appeasing the short-haired rebels was not decisive enough, which allowed them to grow so powerful. If we do not appease them today, I am afraid they will continue to grow stronger,” Li Mengqun said, expressing his concern.

He wondered to himself if things would have turned out differently if he hadn't pushed Peng Gang too hard back when Peng Gang was still the chairman of the Zijingshan Youth League and had instead tried to win him over.

"Since you have this intention, then go ahead and give it a try. At most, I will save face and bear the infamy to recommend Peng Gang as a deputy general. I can't do anything more than that." Zhou Tianjue offered the highest price to pacify Peng Gang.

The Qing army broke camp and retreated, a fact observed by the Taiping generals within Quanzhou City.

The first to notice signs that the Qing army was about to withdraw was Shi Xiangzhen, who was stationed near the Wengcheng (outer city wall) of the West Gate.

When Peng Gang captured Quanzhou City, he used a hole to blow up a section of the west wall.

The west wall was the weakest point in the defense of Quanzhou City and also the main direction of the Qing army's attack.

Therefore, Feng Yunshan, who was in charge of the defense of the entire city, sent the most valiant and skilled Shi Xiangzhen to the west wall, and also transferred 500 elite soldiers from the South Palace to be commanded by Shi Xiangzhen.

"Your Highness, the Qing army has retreated!" Upon realizing that the Qing army was showing signs of withdrawing from the siege, Shi Xiangzhen immediately reported this to Feng Yunshan.

"It must be the Northern Palace's forces coming to meet us." Feng Yunshan breathed a sigh of relief, then asked.

"Which direction did the Qing demons retreat in?"

He finally completed his mission, buying precious time for the brothers of the Shentian family.

"The Qing demons are retreating south, towards Guilin," Shi Xiangzhen asked Feng Yunshan for instructions.

"In the past, when we withdrew from Guilin, the Qing demons repeatedly raided our old and weak camps. The Northern Palace's forces will soon arrive in Quanzhou City, and Quanzhou City will be safe. Today, why don't we retaliate in kind, pursue and annihilate the Qing demons who are withdrawing from the siege, and avenge our brothers and sisters who died along the way?!"

"How many troops is Inspector Shi willing to lead to pursue the Qing demons?" Feng Yunshan looked up at Shi Xiangzhen and asked.

"Five hundred elite soldiers are enough!" Shi Xiangzhen replied confidently.

Shi Xiangzhen did not lead a large number of Qing troops out of the city to pursue them, and he only led the troops from the Wing Palace.

Shi Xiangzhen was eager for battle, and Feng Yunshan thought for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Inspector Shi, go and return quickly, and do not linger in battle, lest you fall into the trap of the Qing demons."

With Feng Yunshan's permission, Shi Xiangzhen led 1,500 troops from the Wing Palace out of the city to pursue the retreating Qing army, killing and capturing more than 500 Qing soldiers along the way.

They pursued the Qing army for over thirty li, then, seeing the advantage, withdrew without losing heart and returned to Quanzhou City.

Upon learning that the Qing army besieging Quanzhou City had retreated without a fight, Peng Gang, like Zuo Zongtang and Guo Kuntao, felt disappointed.

Of course, Peng Gang's disappointment stemmed from different points compared to that of Zuo Zongtang and Guo Kuntao.

Peng Gang was disappointed that Zhou Tianjue and Xiang Rong wouldn't even give him a chance to practice.

Zuo Zongtang and Guo Kuntao were utterly disappointed by the Qing army's cowardice and incompetence, their fear of the enemy like tigers.

Zhou Tianjue was an old regional official, and Xiang Rong was also a veteran of the Green Standard Army. They retreated before the battle even started, and they didn't even have the courage to engage the enemy. It was truly utterly shameful.

Before the Qing army withdrew, the only effort it made to hinder the Zuo army's southward advance was to lay hidden stakes under the Xiangjiang River near Shuitang Bay.

This forced Zuo Jun to temporarily anchor his boats on the Xiang River and send sailors into the water to clear hidden stakes and traps before continuing his advance.

"If I had known that the Qing army was so cowardly and lacked even the courage to fight, I wouldn't have brought so many soldiers. After all that work, the new recruits from Hunan didn't even have a chance to practice."

Inside the forward cabin of the ship where the Northern King was seated, staff officer Qiu Zhongmin couldn't help but complain.

“Without so many troops, how could the Qing army have retreated without a fight?” Deputy Chief of Staff Zhang Ze said rather magnanimously.

"Besides, the new officers and soldiers in Hunan at least learned how to organize long marches and how to divide tasks and cooperate, so our efforts were not in vain."

“That makes sense.” Qiu Zhongmin felt that Zhang Ze’s words made sense and he was not so angry anymore.

"Even Zhou Tianjue has become so pragmatic. It will probably not be so easy to annihilate large Qing forces in the future," Chief of Staff Huang Bingxian remarked.

"The Qing army isn't just Zhou Tianjue and Xiang Rong's force; there are many other Qing troops that we haven't fought against, such as the Qing troops near Changsha," Peng Gang interjected after listening to the staff officers' conversation, as he walked from the middle cabin to the front cabin to get some fresh air.

Although the staff officers already felt that the Northern King's ship, which had been converted from a grain transport vessel, was large enough.

Having sailed on cruise ships weighing tens of thousands of tons, Peng Gang still felt that this ship was somewhat cramped and crowded, poorly ventilated, and unstable, making the ride less than comfortable.

"His Royal Highness the North King!"

As Peng Gang passed by the front cabin, the five staff officers in the front cabin saluted him.

"Go on with your work." Peng Gang waved his hand and walked straight through the forward cabin to the deck at the bow of the ship to enjoy the river breeze.

Not long after they had boarded the deck, Xie Bin, the battalion commander of the third battalion, rowed over in a fast boat to report: "Your Highness, a puppet Qing official is requesting an audience?"

"Oh?"

This was the first time an official from the Qing court had come to him of his own accord, and he asked...

"Who is it? What official is it?"

Xie Bin smiled and said, "It's an old acquaintance of ours from Guiping, Li Mengqun, the magistrate of Guiping."

"Li Mengqun? Just him?" Peng Gang pressed.

"He only brought two attendants," Xie Bin asked. "Will Your Highness see him or not?"

“Bring him over here,” Peng Gang said to Xie Bin.

"Alright." Xie Bin replied, then turned and urged the soldiers on the speedboat to row faster to pick up Li Mengqun.

(End of this chapter)