1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 250 The Current Situation in Hunan
Zuo Zongtang only said that he would receive good news about the Taiping Army's capture of Yuezhou in a few days, without mentioning Changde.

Peng Gang astutely grasped the key information: "Mr. Zuo means that if Yuezhou can be taken, Changde may not be so easy to capture?"

Zuo Zongtang walked quickly to the map of Hunan Province and pointed to Yuezhou Prefecture and Changde Prefecture on the map, explaining in detail: "Yuezhou Prefecture only has two Green Standard Army battalions, namely the Yuezhou Battalion of the Huguang Naval and Land Commander and the Dongting Naval Battalion. The two battalions have a regular troop strength of only about 800 men."

Excluding vacancies, Yuezhou actually only had about 500 Green Standard Army soldiers. If Sai Shang'a and Luo Bingzhang had transferred troops from Yuezhou to reinforce the defenses of Changsha, the garrison in Yuezhou would have been even smaller.

"Don't even mention the Wing Palace alone conquering Yuezhou; even one or two standing regiments from the Northern Palace could take it."

Zuo Zongtang studied military geography for many years, and his students were all over Hunan and Hubei. He was already very familiar with the Qing army's deployment in the Hunan and Hubei region.

According to Zuo Zongtang's account of the Qing army in Yuezhou, the Northern Palace could indeed take Yuezhou with just one or two regiments.

"What about Changde?" Peng Gang pressed for details about Changde.

The progress of the auxiliary and wing halls is crucial to the next steps in the construction of the North Hall.

Peng Gang paid even more attention to the progress of the allied forces in these two palaces than to the siege of the East and West Palaces in Changsha.

Yang Xiuqing, Lin Fengxiang, Li Kaifang and others have been besieging Changsha for more than ten days.

According to Feng Yunshan's calculations, Hu Yihuang's vanguard should have already arrived at the gates of Changsha.

The main force of the Taiping Army besieged Changsha for more than ten days, but there was still no positive news.

This indicates that Yang Xiuqing and his men's attack on Changsha was not successful, and there was a hidden danger of repeating the same mistake as Guilin.

If Changsha fails, the logistical pressure on the entire army, including the northern palace, will increase sharply.

It is no exaggeration to say that the progress and performance of the Auxiliary and Wing Halls are related to the very survival of the Heavenly Kingdom.

Hopefully, Wei Changhui and Shi Dakai will not disappoint them.

"It's not that I, Zuo, underestimate Fu Dian, but compared to Yuezhou, Changde is not so easy to attack."

Changde is the land defense hub of northwestern Hunan, controlling the throat of Sichuan and Guizhou, and guarding the gateway to the Miao region. It bears the responsibility of suppressing the Tusi (local chieftains) and preventing Miao uprisings in Guizhou and Yunnan.

In addition, Changde is also a land of fish and rice, a major grain-producing area, and supplies 100,000 shi of grain to the Grand Canal every year.

During the Kangxi era, Wu Sangui, the Prince of Pingxi, entered Hunan from western Hunan. Western Hunan has always been a key area for the Qing government to deploy troops in Hunan, and most of the Hunan Green Standard Army troops were stationed in western Hunan.

The land in western Hunan is barren and the people are poor. The local produce in western Hunan cannot support so many Green Standard Army soldiers, and they rely heavily on the assistance of Changde.

Therefore, Changde Prefecture was garrisoned by four land battalions (left, right, and center) under the command of the Huguang Naval and Land Commander, and one naval battalion (Dongting Assistant Battalion). These battalions were all large, with 700 men each. The prefecture's Green Standard Army numbered at least two to three thousand, and the local militia, which regularly assisted in suppressing local chieftains in western Hunan, were even more valiant.

Zuo Zongtang's finger slid westward from Yuezhou Prefecture to Changde Prefecture, paused briefly, and then continued.

"This is what I learned about Changde when I was in Baishuidong. Whether the Assistant Minister can take Changde depends on two things: first, the Assistant Minister's own strength, and second, how many Changde soldiers Luo Bingzhang and Bao Qibao have transferred to reinforce Changsha's defenses."

"Even if we don't capture Changde, capturing Yuezhou can still solve our immediate crisis." After listening to Zuo Zongtang's detailed explanation, Peng Gang already had a better understanding of the situation.

"Your Highness, is your journey north here to launch a full-scale attack on Changsha?" Zuo Zongtang turned around and asked Peng Gang.

Luo Dagang had already escorted the children's camp, women's camp, and elderly camp to Changsha.

The Qing troops in Yong and Chen have been driven back, and it will only be a matter of one or two days before Peng Gang leads the rearguard to Changsha.

Zuo Zongtang wanted to know Peng Gang's attitude towards Changsha.

To be honest, Peng Gang didn't really want to attack Changsha; he preferred to bypass Changsha and attack Wuchang directly.

Although both were provincial capitals, Wuchang, located at the crossroads of nine provinces, was not only poorly defended and easier to attack than Changsha, but also much wealthier.

From both a military and economic perspective, attacking Wuchang would be far more cost-effective than attacking Changsha.

From a political perspective, Yang Xiuqing's pretext for attacking Changsha was to avenge Xiao Chaogui, the Western King. Therefore, the political reasons for attacking Changsha were more compelling than those for attacking Wuchang.

I learned this from conversations with Zuo Zongtang and Guo Kuntao these past few days.

The gentry and mainstream public opinion in Changsha Prefecture were very unfriendly to both the "long-haired" and "short-haired" groups.

The loyalty of Changsha gentry to the Qing court and the misunderstanding of the Changsha people towards Zuo Jun could not be resolved in a short period of time.

Of course, whether or not Changsha will be attacked depends on Yang Xiuqing's performance in the siege of Changsha.

If Yang Xiuqing shows any signs of taking Changsha, Peng Gang's Northern Palace would not mind lending Yang Xiuqing a hand to help him take Changsha.

"Based on your understanding of our army and the Qing army in Changsha, do you think our army can take Changsha?" Peng Gang did not directly answer Zuo Zongtang's question, but asked instead. Zuo Zongtang pondered for a long time, smiled bitterly, and replied, "If it were two or three months ago, there would have been some hope that we could take Changsha through a fierce and bloody attack."

Changsha's defenses were already quite strong; otherwise, the Western King wouldn't have perished on Miao Peak.

Now, Sai Shang'a has brought in elite troops from the north to Changsha. Changsha has plenty of soldiers and food, and the people of Changsha have deep prejudices and hostility towards the Taiping Army. Furthermore, prominent local gentry such as He Yuan, Ouyang Zhaoxiong, Huang Mian, and Sun Guanchen have strongly supported Luo Bingzhang.

Luo Bingzhang and Sai Shang'a had no shortage of geographical advantages, popular support, funds, and military strength. The only way to capture Changsha was to besiege it for a long time and exhaust the city's food supplies.

However, a prolonged siege carries too many uncertainties. To use our weaknesses against the enemy's strengths and engage in a war of attrition with the Qing army would undoubtedly be suicidal.

Zuo Zongtang was from Changsha Prefecture, and Hunan is his hometown.

From a personal perspective, Zuo Zongtang certainly hoped that Peng Gang could take Changsha and then establish Hunan as his base of operations.

However, personal feelings and objective reality often conflict.

After careful consideration, Zuo Zongtang remained rational and gave an objective answer.

"Sir, pack your bags and come north with me." Peng Gang nodded approvingly. It was commendable that Zuo Zongtang could set aside his hometown sentiments and offer rational and objective advice.

"Whether it is to take Changsha as the foundation of his hegemony, or to enter Dongting Lake where fish can leap freely and birds can fly high, he must first go north to see the situation in Changsha with his own eyes before making a decision."

After telling Zuo Zongtang to return to the inner quarters to pack his belongings, Peng Gang summoned Peng Yi, intending to inquire about the logistical situation of the North Palace in person.

Peng Yi is at the age where he is growing. Last year, Peng Yi was not even up to Peng Gang's chin, but now the top of Peng Yi's head can reach Peng Gang's nose.

Even in terms of demeanor, Peng Yi has become much more composed.

He is no longer the helpless, tearful teenager he once was.

"You've grown quite a bit taller, and this robe is a bit too short. Managing the Holy Treasury may keep you busy, but don't deprive yourself of it. Find some good cloth and make a few decent outfits."

Peng Gang gestured to show Peng Yi's height and then pulled Peng Yi to sit down with him.

Compared to the other palaces, the emperor of the North Palace has the best reputation in Hengzhou Prefecture.

It's not just because the number of royal officials in the North Palace is small, with only three people.

The key is that the emperor of the Northern Palace does not disturb the people or indulge in pleasure.

Peng Gang, Peng Yi, and Peng Min are siblings.

In fact, since 1848, Peng Gang has played a more fatherly role than an elder brother role.

Because of the short time they spent together, Peng Gang did not know much about Peng Yong's character and personality.

Peng Yi and Peng Min had spent a long time with Peng Gang, so Peng Gang understood their character.

Under Peng Gang's guidance and influence, both of them are relatively simple-minded and do not yet have much pursuit of material enjoyment.

“Amin, my second sister-in-law, and my third aunt made me long robes, but I found them cumbersome and didn’t wear them,” Peng Yi said after sitting down.

"I'm used to wearing short jackets and blouses, so wearing a long robe feels uncomfortable and inconvenient. Shorter sleeves and hem are just right."

Peng Gang nodded and asked, "Is Saint Ku still short of manpower? If so, go to the third batch of students and pick out some smart and upright students to help you."

"When we first arrived in Lingling, the Sacred Treasury had never received so much money and grain before, so we were a bit overwhelmed, but we're used to it now," Peng Yi said with a relaxed expression.

“At present, the Holy Treasury is only sending money out and not receiving any, so it doesn’t need too many people. Besides, the tax police battalion can lend a hand now.”

Peng Gang inquired about the situation of the Sacred Treasury: "Ayi, how many days can our Sacred Treasury's grain reserves last? How much silver is currently in the Sacred Treasury?"

"The grain reserves are enough to feed the more than 150,000 mouths of our Northern Palace for 33 days. Our Northern Palace's grain ration is higher than that of other palaces. In times of crisis, we can save some rations for the elderly and weak soldiers and supply them to the standing army. It shouldn't be a problem to last for 40 or 50 days," Peng Yi said as if reciting a familiar story.

"In terms of money, if we convert copper coins into silver, the current treasury contains 2.39 million taels of silver, in addition to 43,500 taels of gold."

Peng Gang understood the situation: "These funds and provisions are the foundation of our business, and we cannot afford to lose them. We must keep a close eye on them. If you need more manpower, just let me know."

"We acquired a lot of books in Hengyang this time, especially the collection of Mr. Wang Quan and the books confiscated from the Chang family in Hengyang. It would probably take four large ships to hold them all," Peng Yi suddenly remembered something and said.

"Although the books are light, they are vulnerable to water in war zones. Could Third Brother approve four large ships in good condition to transport the books?"

“Mr. Wang and the original Chang family’s collection of books are mostly ancient and rare editions, so we need to be extra careful and use good ships to transport them.” Peng Gang nodded and said, “Transfer five well-maintained cargo ships from my fleet to carry the books.”

(End of this chapter)