1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 269 Obeying His Highness the Northern King's Arrangements

The Qing army pursuers hesitated and did not advance.

This gave the soldiers of the Northern Palace, who had traveled all the way from Hengyang to Hanyang and Hankou, a rare opportunity to rest.

The instructor battalion commander Huang Dabiao and the second regiment commander Li Qi, who were enjoying a rare moment of leisure, set up their respective teams' camps, each carrying a bag of fine rice, and met up with their old classmates from the first class, He Qingfeng and Hu Daniu, whom they hadn't seen in a long time, at a restaurant outside Chaozong Gate in Hanyang City.

Hanyang and Hankou were under the actual control of the North Palace. The people of Hanyang and Hankou were not forced to participate in the Latin movement, and the system of separate halls for men and women was not implemented.

In addition, the soldiers of the Northern Palace were well-disciplined, did not disturb the people, and did not forcibly requisition houses and shops.

Local commerce was not greatly affected, and the people continued to live their lives as usual.

"Please come upstairs, gentlemen. The view from upstairs is excellent; our restaurant offers a direct view of the river."

As the four men, who looked like short-haired military officers, entered the restaurant, the waiter approached them with a beaming smile and warmly welcomed them to a private room on the second floor. He quickly wiped the lacquered octagonal table clean and invited the four men to sit down.

"This is truly a grand restaurant, so sophisticated!" Huang Dabiao exclaimed, praising the attentive service he had never experienced before.

"You flatter me, sir. You are our guests, and it is my duty to serve you well." The bartender said with a smile. "What would you like to eat, sirs?"

Before the four could answer, the bartender poured them tea and recommended, "Since we live by the river, we eat from the river. Our specialty is a whole fish feast. I wonder if you gentlemen have any dietary restrictions on fish?"

“We’re all rough men, we don’t have any dietary restrictions,” Huang Dabiao said casually. “Then let’s try your restaurant’s whole fish feast, and also bring four jugs of good wine.”

As soon as Huang Dabiao finished speaking, Li Qi raised his hand to stop him: "There's no need to drink anymore, alcohol is prohibited in the army."

"It's rare for us brothers to get together, it wouldn't be fun if we didn't drink, so let's have a pot." Huang Dabiao suddenly felt a little disappointed.

Hu Daniu also offered some advice: "Brother Dabiao, you often serve by His Highness's side. His Highness has repeatedly ordered a ban on alcohol in the army. If you knowingly violate this rule and His Highness smells alcohol on you when you return, you will inevitably be confined for three to five days. Let's just have some tea for now."

Upon hearing that he would be put in solitary confinement, Huang Dabiao had no choice but to give up and stop mentioning drinking.

Upon hearing the title "Your Highness," the bartender suddenly noticed that one of the officers had scrutinized Huang Dabiao closely and realized that this was the short-haired officer who had led his troops into Hanyang City a few days ago. He was actually one of the short-haired prince's men!

With this in mind, the bartender became even more respectful and cautious.

Li Qi and Hu Daniu handed the four bags of fine rice they brought to the bartender: "We don't eat for free. You can serve dishes that are worth whatever this rice is worth."

Like the other halls, the North Hall only provided food and clothing, but did not pay salaries.

The four of them still had some work point cards, but these cards were only valid within the North Hall and were not recognized by outsiders.

Therefore, the four of them could only bring about twenty kilograms of fine rice that they had saved up to pay for the meal.

I've recently heard Zhang Ze and Huang Bingxian say that His Highness the Northern King has a plan to distribute salaries, but there's still some time between the plan's formulation and its official implementation. It's certain that salaries won't be distributed in the short term.

"It is an honor for our humble establishment that you gentlemen have graced our shop with your presence. How could we possibly accept anything from you?" The bartender was somewhat surprised, not expecting these short-haired military officers to be so disciplined.

Compared to the Green Standard Army soldiers and government officials who used to eat at their shop on credit or even freeload, it was like heaven and earth.

"Just take it if I tell you to guard it!" Huang Dabiao slammed his hand on the table and said impatiently.

The bartender nodded hurriedly and accepted the money, then immediately brought out a large plate of offal for them to have something to eat first.

Before long, dishes such as steamed Wuchang fish, braised catfish, and poached catfish soup were served.

The four of them ate and chatted, reminiscing about the past.

“Da Niu, Qing Feng, you both came from the same class. Every classmate from the same class is a colonel or lieutenant colonel. Only the two of you are still only majors.” Huang Da Biao said to Hu Da Niu and He Qing Feng as he spoke.

“You can’t earn any merit as instructors in the reserves, and there’s no future in it. Why don’t you two apply to His Highness for transfers to the regular army? Even just becoming a company commander would be better than being an instructor in the reserves! After a few battles, why worry about not being promoted to lieutenant colonel?”

Huang Dabiao wasn't mocking Hu Daniu and He Qingfeng.

Back in Honglianping, he became close friends with Hu Daniu and He Qingfeng.

He genuinely hoped that his old friend, with whom he had burned charcoal, shared meals, and slept in a dormitory in Honglianping, would have a better future.

“Da Biao’s words make sense; there are more opportunities to make contributions on the front lines,” Li Qi also advised.

“Your Highness has your reasons for doing this.” Hu Daniu didn’t care about military rank. He smiled, picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth, chewing as he spoke.

“There’s nothing wrong with being an instructor and training new recruits in the reserves. I’ve trained just as many soldiers as you have. Which regiment or battalion of yours hasn’t had soldiers trained by me? Not to mention company commanders, I’ve even trained three battalion commanders.”

“Da Niu is right. There are only about twenty of us old classmates in our first batch. His Highness needs people for many places, and in each place, he needs to keep some of our old classmates from the first batch as a foundation.” He Qingfeng, who was also a reserve instructor, agreed with Hu Da Niu’s point of view.

"We are all serving His Highness to repay his kindness, each doing our own job." "That's right, some of our old brothers from the first batch were even assigned to the prisoner-of-war management office in the prisoner-of-war camp," Hu Daniu said.

The four talked for a long time. It wasn't until Li Qi took out his copper pocket watch and checked the time, realizing it was almost time, that they agreed to meet again next time, reluctantly said goodbye, and returned to their respective camps.

Hu Daniu and He Qingfeng had just returned to the reserve camp and were about to inspect the internal affairs of the two new camps composed of Wuchang refugees.

Unexpectedly, Li Ruzhao had been waiting for Hu Daniu in the instructors' tent for a long time: "Hu Daniu, where have you gone? I sent people to look for you but couldn't find you! Quickly pack your things and come with me to see His Highness!"

When Hu Daniu heard that Peng Gang had specifically asked to see him, he dared not delay. He immediately tidied himself up and dressed neatly before going with Li Ruzhao to see Peng Gang. He was glad that he hadn't drunk any alcohol along the way.

If he were to meet the Northern King, he would inevitably be imprisoned for smelling alcohol on his breath.

Upon meeting Hu Daniu, Peng Gang inquired about Hu Daniu's training as a reserve officer.

Hu Daniu reported the facts to Peng Gang.

After speaking, Peng Gang handed the revised and supplemented military regulations to Hu Daniu, and told Hu Daniu that he was going to form a military police force, promote him to lieutenant colonel, and make him the captain of the military police force.

"Your Highness wants me to be the military supervisor?" Hu Daniu, holding the military regulations, pondered for a long time before he realized what was going on.

"Pretty much, what? Are you afraid of offending people and don't dare to be the military police captain?" Peng Gang asked.

The military police needed experienced cadets to keep order, and that's when Peng Gang remembered Hu Daniu, who was always low-key and followed the rules.

"Serving His Highness, what do I have to be afraid of? I will definitely do a good job as the captain of the military police!" Hu Daniu patted his chest and assured Peng Gang.

"It's good that you have this intention. Come with me to inspect the third batch of trainees." With that, Peng Gang provided Hu Daniu with a chestnut-colored Mongolian warhorse as his mount.

"Since you're the captain, you should have a decent mount. This horse is yours."

"Thank you for the reward, Your Highness!" Hu Daniu, flattered and overwhelmed, quickly expressed his gratitude.

Peng Gang had four warhorses for changing mounts.

These included a white horse, a black horse, a leopard-patterned horse, and the chestnut horse that was now being bestowed upon him.

Mounting his horse, Peng Gang led Hu Daniu to inspect the training school for the third cohort of students outside the city. He personally interviewed and selected twenty well-behaved and high-performing students from the third cohort, handing them over to Hu Daniu as the core members for forming the military police force.

Most of the second batch of trainees serve as mid- to high-ranking officers in various battalions and regiments.

It is somewhat inappropriate to select officers for the military police from the second batch of trainees; it would be more appropriate to select them from the third batch of trainees who have not yet had any contact with the military.

As for the ordinary military police, Peng Gang inspected the reserve camp, which he hadn't visited in a long time.

Three hundred young men were selected from the few remaining Guangxi reservists to be trained as military police.

After finishing these tasks, Peng Gang returned to the Northern Prince's Mansion, staring at the map of Hubei Province hanging on the wall, his gaze falling on Jiangling, the capital of Jingzhou Prefecture.

Apart from the three towns of Wuhan, the Qing government's most heavily armed city in Hubei was Jiangling, the capital of Jingzhou Prefecture.

Jiangling, the capital of Jingzhou Prefecture, is located on the Jingjiang section of the Yangtze River. It is a thoroughfare connecting seven provinces: southwest (Sichuan and Yunnan), southeast (Jiangsu and Zhejiang), south China (Guangdong and Guangxi), and the Central Plains. It occupies a vital position in the Chu region and serves as a key to the north and south, making it of great strategic value.

The four major Manchu city hubs of the Qing government in the Yangtze River basin were Chengdu, Jiangning (Nanjing), Hangzhou, and Jingzhou.

Jingzhou, situated in the center, could support Chengdu upstream and provide support to Jiangning and Hangzhou downstream, making it a core fulcrum for the Qing government to control the Yangtze River defense line.

Historically, the Qing government used Jingzhou to provide logistical support to the Xiang Army, helping them capture Anqing and aiding the Jiangnan region.

Whether Peng Gang chooses to establish himself in Wuhan or elsewhere in the Yangtze River basin, it doesn't matter.

Jingzhou, as the central hub of the four major Manchu cities in the south, must be attacked.

Even if other palaces have no intention of attacking Jingzhou, they should still give it special treatment because of the presence of the Manchus in Jingzhou, so as to remove this major cancer of the Qing court in the south.

Knowing yourself and the enemy is the only way to survive a hundred battles.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Taiping army had just occupied the three towns of Wuhan and was busy collecting taxes and levies, while the Qing army was still in Hunan and hesitant to advance, the Qing army seized the opportunity.

Peng Gang summoned Qiu Ersao and Liu Tongwei from the intelligence bureau and asked them to contact the Heaven and Earth Society in Jingzhou to obtain information about the enemy in Jiangling, the capital of Jingzhou Prefecture.

At the same time, Luo Dagang was instructed not to rush to Hanyang, but to stay temporarily in Baling, the capital of Yuezhou Prefecture, awaiting further orders.

(End of this chapter)