1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 329 Hunan's Difficulties

After the wedding, the guests gradually dispersed.

Yi Dian Shi Zhenlun made a special trip to visit Peng Gang, firstly to say goodbye, and secondly to purchase some military equipment from Bei Dian.

Yidian had its own territory. After capturing Anqing, the capital of Anhui Province, Shi Dakai also asked Yang Xiuqing for some craftsmen from the former Anhui Military Equipment Bureau, which Yang Xiuqing provided.

Using the original artisan battalion of the Wing Palace as its core, Shi Dakai established the Wing Palace's artillery, lead weight, iron, and saltpeter departments in Anqing to manufacture cold and hot weapons for the Wing Palace troops.

However, the system implemented in Anqing was the same as that in Tianjing, with the establishment of workshops for various craftsmen and government offices for all kinds of artisans.

The Zhujiang Camp was mainly engaged in the production of large-scale military engineering projects and military supplies.

The government offices dealing with ordnance were responsible for the production and maintenance of weapons.

The artisans in charge of manufacturing cannons at the Yidian Cannon Office mostly came from Hubei and Anqing.

These artisans had low levels of recognition and loyalty to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and were not very active in production.

In addition, the Wing Palace lacked a stable supply of high-quality iron, copper, saltpeter, and sulfur, so the output of firearms and gunpowder in the Wing Palace's military industry department was always low.

Furthermore, the quality of the firearms and gunpowder they produced was far inferior to that of similar products manufactured by the Northern Palace at the Hanyang Arsenal.

In the Battle of Mancheng in Jiangning, the main force of the Taiping Army captured a large number of foreign guns and cannons and gifted a small number of foreign guns and cannons to Shi Dakai's wing.

Shi Dakai was very fond of foreign guns and cannons, considering them powerful weapons.

When Shi Dakai heard that Peng Gang had purchased a considerable number of foreign guns and cannons from foreigners, he ordered Shi Zhenlun, who had a good relationship with Peng Gang, to take advantage of the opportunity to attend Peng Gang's wedding in Wuchang to purchase some foreign guns and cannons from the North Palace.

Currently, Beidian, based in the three towns of Wuhan, faces mainly Qing troops from Hunan and Hubei provinces, especially the Qing troops from Hunan, which comprise a large number of elite Manchu soldiers.

The defensive pressure is the greatest among all the halls.

Based in the area along the Yangtze River from Hukou to Wuhu, Yidian faced mainly Qing troops from Jiangxi led by Sai Shang'a, Fu Cheng, and Li Mengqun, as well as Qing troops from Anhui led by Governor Zhou Tianjue and Anhui Militia Minister Li Jiaduan.

Its defensive pressure is second only to the North Palace.

Of course, since Tianjing has launched a northern expedition, the defensive pressure on the Wing Palace in the Anhui direction has been greatly reduced.

The Northern Expeditionary Army led by Wei Changhui and Lin Fengxiang marched from northern Anhui into Henan. The Qing army in Anhui was too busy to care about its own situation, let alone Shi Dakai in Anqing.

Knowing Shi Zhenlun's purpose, Peng Gang pondered for a moment and said to Shi Zhenlun, "Since Inspector Shi has asked for this, and we are fellow townsmen from your county, I am naturally willing to help."

"Thank you, Your Highness the Northern King! Your Highness is truly a man of honor!" Shi Zhenlun was a straightforward and rough man. When he heard Peng Gang say that he was willing to help with this matter and provide the Wing Palace with foreign guns and cannons, he was overjoyed and thanked Peng Gang with a smile.

"Brother Shi is still the same old man," Peng Gang said with a smile.

"But right now, the Northern Palace is about to launch its western expedition, and we can't spare such foreign guns and cannons for the time being. When the second batch of foreign guns and cannons that I ordered from the foreigners arrives, I will spare eight hundred foreign guns and six foreign cannons for the Wing Palace."

Upon hearing this, Shi Zhenlun frowned slightly and was about to speak when Peng Gang interrupted him.

"Of course, I won't let Inspector Shi make a wasted trip this time. I'll have the Hanyang Arsenal and Ironworks prepare eighty flintlock muskets, six hundred improved soldier's muskets, 1,500 catties of copper, and five thousand catties of iron for Brother Shi."

Peng Gang would definitely not sell the foreign guns and cannons to Yi Dian now.

Remembering that Shi Dakai had once provided cannons for the Northern Palace when he was in Baling, Yuezhou.

Shi Dakai's Taiping army was the closest Taiping army force to Hubei at the time, and the two sides could support each other. Peng Gang couldn't let Shi Zhenlun go back empty-handed to report to Shi Dakai.

Besides, they didn't take it for free; they came with real money to buy it.

While foreign guns and cannons cannot be provided, Peng Gang can still supply some improved Qing Dynasty matchlock muskets, soldier arquebuses, and copper and iron materials to the Wing Palace.

"Zhenlun thanks Your Highness the Northern King," Shi Zhenlun said, clasping his hands in thanks.

The Northern Palace was indeed going on a western expedition, and Peng Gang had already agreed to provide a batch of weapons and raw materials. Shi Zhenlun couldn't bargain with Peng Gang, so he agreed and went with Peng Yi to the warehouse in Hanyang to retrieve the weapons and copper and iron materials.

After Shi Zhenlun left, Chen Xingwang, the director of the Hankou Tax Bureau, accompanied by a man dressed as a merchant, came to the main hall of the Northern Prince's Mansion to meet Peng Gang.

Peng Gang planned to hold an auction to sell fine porcelain pieces to foreign merchants in foreign trading companies at high prices. He had previously instructed Chen Xingwang and Qiu Zhongliang, who worked in Hankou, to search for antique dealers in Hankou who knew about porcelain to host the auction.

"Your Highness, I have found the antique dealer you asked me to find. This is Manager Hu Yongfa of Zhenbaozhai in Hanyang." Chen Xingwang introduced the antique dealer he brought to Peng Gang while presenting him with a silver note worth 100,000 taels of silver.

"Manager Hu is willing to offer 100,000 taels of silver, hoping that Your Highness will allow this auction to be held at Zhenbaozhai, and will not take a single penny of commission."

Chen Xingwang was quite shrewd; he managed to raise 100,000 taels of silver by holding an auction without spending a single penny.

Peng Gang wasn't very interested in antiques and didn't know much about the antique shops in Hankou.

But to be able to come up with 100,000 taels of silver to secure the right to host the auction, they must have considerable financial strength.

Even if this silver was borrowed at high interest rates, borrowing more than ten thousand taels of silver in Hankou at high interest rates was not something an ordinary small antique dealer could obtain.

Peng Gang ordered Li Ruzhao to bring the auction's rules and regulations to Hu Yongfa, and said to Hu Yongfa, "Manager Hu, this is the first time we've held an auction, and I don't want any mistakes to happen. The rules and regulations cover everything. Just follow them carefully. Do you understand?"

"I understand. It is a great blessing for Zhenbaozhai to have Your Highness's trust in organizing this antique auction. I will definitely do my best to make it perfect for Your Highness." Hu Yongfa hurriedly took the plan from Li Ruzhao and said with a bow and scrape.

“Those attending the auction are all heads and representatives of major trading companies from Britain, France, and the United States. These people are not short of money. If you bid too low, they will think you are not classy. They will just keep raising the price, especially the price of imperial porcelain. If you bid too low, they will think you are losing face,” Peng Gang explained.

The best porcelain that Western merchants could access in the past was export porcelain; they could not access official kiln porcelain through legitimate channels.

The first auction of official kiln porcelain will surely result in a high premium for the pieces.

“Your Highness, I understand. If I may be so bold as to ask, could Zhenbaozhai sell a few of its own antiques at the auction?” Hu Yongfa mustered his courage and made his request.

"Granted, but let me make this clear: you are not allowed to sell counterfeit goods and ruin the reputation of the North Palace Auction House. If I find out, you know what the consequences will be." Peng Gang emphasized his words.

These merchants from all walks of life in Hankou were incredibly shrewd, and they certainly wouldn't waste those 100,000 taels of silver.

As long as they are obedient and honestly pay the taxes they cannot avoid, Peng Gang doesn't mind taking them along to make money from foreigners.

“That’s natural, that’s natural,” Hu Yongfa nodded repeatedly.

In mid-May, at the West Flower Hall of the Hunan Provincial Governor's Office in Changsha, Hunan.

As summer approaches, the central Hunan region is already experiencing sweltering heat.

Although the West Flower Hall of the Hunan Provincial Governor's Office had four windows open and thin bamboo mats hung down in an attempt to improve air circulation and lower the indoor temperature.

However, the effect was not obvious, and the West Flower Hall remained as stuffy as a steamer.

Zhang Liangji had no choice but to order his men to ask wealthy local families in Changsha for some ice to cool down and beat the heat.

To make the most of the ice, Zhang Liangji also instructed his servants to put some watermelon and plum juice into the ice chest.

With the ice cooling down, the temperature inside Xihua Hall gradually dropped, and high-ranking officials from the Hunan authorities arrived one after another at the Xihua Hall of the Governor's Office to discuss matters.

The plum juice in Bingjianli Town was already emitting a slight chill, but apart from Wulantai, none of the high-ranking officials from Hunan Province in Xihua Hall had any interest in drinking it.

The Hunan governor, Zhang Liangji, with a sallow complexion and sunken eyes, broke the silence in Xihua Hall by holding a document from Sai Shang'a in his hand.

"Sir Sai is going too far. He has a piece of paper with a lot of lofty ideals, yet he expects us to send troops to Yuezhou Prefecture and Baling to help him snatch chestnuts from the fire in Jiangxi. Where is the money? Where is the grain? The Jiangxi treasury can't produce silver. Do you think the Hunan treasury can magically produce mountains of rice and flour out of thin air?"

Sai Shang'a repeatedly urged Hunan to send troops to the three towns of Wuhan to deal with the short-haired rebels.

At first, it was just urging, but now it has even escalated to the point that Emperor Xianfeng has impeached Zhang Liangji for playing the role of a bandit and making himself important, which has resulted in Zhang Liangji being reprimanded by Emperor Xianfeng.

Zhang Liangji also longed to send troops to recapture Baling, the capital of Yuezhou Prefecture, and firmly control Baling, the key to northern Hunan, in his own hands.
However, even a skilled cook cannot cook without rice.

At the beginning of the year, the grain and provisions sent from Sichuan were seized by the short-haired navy at Junshan on Dongting Lake, and not a single penny of the grain and provisions from Sichuan reached the grain depot in Hunan.

Hunan now needs to not only maintain the Green Standard Army, but also expand the Chu Army and train the Xiang Army. Each and every one of these things requires money, and a lot of money at that.

Hunan's finances have long been in deficit.

Fortunately, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Xu Guangjin, actively contributed funds, which allowed the current situation to be maintained and the soldiers to avoid mutiny.

Zhang Liangji felt that it was already quite an achievement that he had managed to keep Hunan from spiraling out of control. Sai Shang'a's attempt to get him to send troops based solely on his words was simply asking the impossible and was going too far.

Governor-General Luo Bingzhang of Huguang sat upright to one side. Compared to Zhang Liangji, a Xinjiang official, Luo Bingzhang, as a veteran Xinjiang official, appeared much more composed.

Luo Bingzhang disliked cold things, even in summer. He slowly picked up the warm Junshan Silver Needle tea, took a sip, and without asking to see the document in Zhang Liangji's hand, he sighed helplessly and tried to smooth things over between Zhang Liangji and Sai Shang'a: "Minister Shi, please calm down. Minister Sai is carrying out the Emperor's orders to oversee the troops in Jiangxi. He has been stationed there for several months and is eager to open up the situation in Jiangxi, which is understandable. Hukou is the key to the Yangtze River. If Shi rebels occupy it, the waterways in Jiangxi will be blocked. Minister Sai is anxious and urges us to send troops, which is also out of public interest."

Prefect Zhu Sunyi of Changsha couldn't help but interject: "Public-mindedness is one thing, and the truth is another. Lord Sai was also in Changsha last year, and I believe he is well aware of the situation in Hunan. Last year, when Lord Sai left Hunan to lead troops to Jiangxi, he withdrew a considerable amount of money and grain from the Hunan provincial treasury."

Although Jiangxi lost Jiujiang Prefecture, it still possesses thirteen prefectures and one state. With only Jiujiang Prefecture lost, the rest remain. Jiangxi is far wealthier than Hunan. Minister Sai's army not only receives its pay from the Emperor but is also supported by the Jiangxi Provincial Governor, so it need not worry about money or provisions. Unlike Hunan, where how many prefectures and counties along the Xiang River haven't been ravaged by the Taiping Rebellion? To be fair, we don't ask Minister Sai to use Jiangxi's grain and provisions to aid Hunan, but given Hunan's current difficulties, shouldn't Minister Sai at least return the funds he took from the Hunan Provincial Governor's grain depot last year for Hunan's benefit?"

Zhu Sunyi is now Zhang Liangji's man, so he will definitely side with Zhang Liangji and speak on his behalf.

Sai Shang'a was a Manchu, and Emperor Xianfeng trusted him immensely. When Sai Shang'a first took office as imperial commissioner, Emperor Xianfeng not only allocated more than two million taels of silver to Sai Shang'a for military expenses.

Now that Sai Shang'a is lingering in the prosperous land of Jiangxi, and can move Jiangxi's grain and provisions around, he is naturally not short of money and grain. It's easy for him to talk when he's not in the same boat, and he can't truly understand the difficulties Hunan is facing.

General Wulantai of Jingzhou, who was eating a slice of watermelon and drinking a bowl of chilled plum juice, became impatient: "Governor Luo, Governor Zhang! How can we sit idly by in this predicament? Peng Yue now occupies Wuchang and Hanyang, controls Yuezhou and Huangzhou, and recently occupied half of Jiujiang. He seems to have a great momentum and is very powerful, but in reality, he has divided his troops to guard the area, and is weak everywhere."

The seat of Yuezhou Prefecture, Baling, is the foundation of Peng's western front. If we can take it swiftly with elite troops, we can cut off one of Peng's arms, consolidate our northwestern gateway to Hunan, and shake up the rebel stronghold in Wuchang, making it impossible for them to attend to both ends.

At that time, we will coordinate with Sai Zhongtang in Jiangxi. Sai Zhongtang will launch a fierce attack on Hukou and Jiujiang in Jiangxi. Peng will definitely divide his troops to rescue them, and he will be unable to defend both fronts. The dilemma between Hunan and Jiangxi will be resolved! I am willing to personally lead my elite troops and go to Xiang Junmen's camp in Yuezhou to transfer some more elite troops to serve as the vanguard and recapture Baling!

Do you all still remember the Battle of Dagutang? Our army achieved great victories in the Battle of Dagutang. What does this show? It shows that the rebels are no longer the same as before. Apart from the rebels from Guangxi, the rest are not a threat.

And how many old traitors from Guangxi are rebelling? We'll gamble everything and take Baling head-on; our chances of winning are quite high.

"Once we capture Baling, we can march straight to the three towns of Wuhan. Then, what need will we have for provisions and supplies?"

Ulantai did not go to Hunan to fight, but returned to Guangdong to train new troops. He had not fought against the rebels he mentioned for more than a year and was not very clear about the current strength and situation of the short-haired rebels in the three towns of Wuhan.

Based solely on reports from the Battle of Dagutang and information provided by Li Mengqun, Wulantai concluded that the quality and combat effectiveness of the Taiping Army's soldiers were now significantly inferior to what they had achieved in Guangxi.

Ulantai felt that instead of being stuck in Hunan and complaining to each other, it would be better to take a gamble while things were still in a desperate situation.

Relying on Guangdong's assistance all the time is not a long-term solution.

As soon as Wulantai said this, the West Flower Hall fell silent, and almost everyone stared wide-eyed.

Luo Bingzhang, in particular, looked at Wulantai as if he were caring for a mentally challenged child.

Zhang Liangji once suspected that these Manchus were all brainwashed, and Ulantai's thoughts were almost identical to Saishang'a's.

The consensus among the Hunan officials and generals who had fought against the short-haired rebels was that the long-haired and short-haired rebels should not be generalized.

Short-haired Mao could even transform captured Green Standard Army soldiers and make them work for him, not to mention the new recruits he made in southern Hunan and Hubei.

Short Hair granted land to his bandits and their families. Even if those non-Guangxi bandits who received land were not as strong as the old Guangxi bandits, how much weaker could they be?

Xiang Rong and He Chun of the Yuezhou camp had already tested the waters of the short-haired rebels at the city of Baling to see if they could handle the situation.

If it were the Taiping rebels who remained in Wuhan, they would indeed have had a better chance of winning. They would have launched an attack long ago, and wouldn't be in such a predicament today.

"General Wu's loyalty and bravery are witnessed by heaven and earth!"

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Jiang Zhongyuan quickly stepped forward to smooth things over for his old benefactor, saying that Ulantai was a man who was unpredictable and illogical.

However, Ulantai did indeed have a great influence on Jiang Zhongyuan. If it weren't for Ulantai's support in Guangxi, Jiang Zhongyuan would not have been able to advance so quickly and achieve such heights in just two or three years, completing a journey that most successful candidates could not finish in their entire lives.

"General Wu, the short-haired people are not the same as the long-haired people. It goes without saying that the short-haired people were more difficult to fight than the long-haired people when they were in Guangxi. Now the short-haired people occupy four prefectures, with well-trained soldiers and ample supplies, even more so than before."

And what is the state of our army now? Disheng's Hunan Army is still in its infancy in Hengzhou, lacking complete equipment and familiar formations, and is not ready for field warfare.

My eight or nine thousand Chu soldiers are equipped with outdated guns and cannons, and half of them have tattered uniforms. Even more urgent is that since last month, each soldier in the battalion has only received one tael of silver per month, and there is already discontent within the camp. How can we easily set off now?

Following Jiang Zhongyuan's words, Xu Youren, the Hunan Provincial Treasurer, chimed in: "What Minqiao said is all true. To be honest, the provincial treasury is almost empty. Even the soldiers' monthly salary of one tael of silver was borrowed from various banks and banks in Changsha by me and Governor Zhang, and we'll have to pay interest later. If we want to send troops to Yuezhou, where will this huge sum of money come from?"

"Just because of a shortage of money and food, should we sit idly by and watch the rebels grow stronger?" Ulantai argued, the veins on his forehead throbbing.

"If the army's pay is insufficient, we can inform the three armies that we should recapture the three towns of Baling and Wuhan, and massacre the city in three to five days. All the wealth in the city can be used to reward our merits! Since we are currently short of food and pay, we can ask the local gentry and merchants for it! By protecting Changsha and Hunan, we are protecting their wealth, so it is only right that they contribute some money!"

"General Wu!" Upon hearing this, Luo Bingzhang frowned and abruptly interrupted Wulantai, raising his voice abruptly.

"If Baling City were so easy to conquer, Qin Dingsan and Zhou Fengqi wouldn't have failed in Yuezhou, and Zhou Fengqi even lost his life."

The Yuezhou camp of General Xiang and General He is less than 20 miles from Baling City. They also have tens of thousands of men under their command. If Baling were really so easy to attack, they would have attacked it long ago.

As for the gentry and merchants of Changsha, they contributed money, supplies, and labor to defend Changsha last year, train the Hunan Army this year, and even to help the army when it was short of food and pay. Are you trying to drive them to their doom?!

As members of the Eight Banners, they openly discussed topics like massacring entire cities without any restraint, which made Luo Bingzhang and the others feel somewhat uncomfortable.

This kind of thing is not honorable after all. It's better to keep such thoughts to yourself than to say them out loud in public, which inevitably makes people feel uncomfortable.

Despite his displeasure, Luo Bingzhang had no choice but to endure it and serve this "Lord of the Capital" as Wulantai was the General of Jingzhou.

Otherwise, if Ulantai were to become displeased, he could submit a secret memorial, and Luo Bingzhang, and indeed the entire Hunan officialdom, would suffer the consequences.

Luo Bingzhang had no choice but to steer the conversation back to the issue of food and pay.

The wealthy merchants and gentry of Changsha were not stingy. During the Battle of Changsha last year, they not only donated money and grain but also sent people. Their attitude was very proactive and they were much more reasonable than the merchants and gentry in other places.

This year, Zeng Guofan, along with the Xiang Army, once again wreaked havoc on the entire Hunan province, especially the gentry and merchants of Changsha Prefecture.

The Hunan army was short of money and food on weekdays, and often extorted money from the gentry and merchants of Changsha.

Sending troops to attack Baling would require a considerable amount of money and supplies, and whether or not they could capture it was uncertain.

It is not advisable to further burden the gentry and merchants of Changsha now. If they are driven to the brink of ruin, Changsha may fall on its own before the short-sighted rebels even arrive.

To put it another way, Luo Bingzhang not only kept his position as Governor of Hunan, but has now been promoted to Governor-General of Huguang. The gentry and merchants of Changsha also contributed and made contributions. He can't be the kind of person who would renege on the debt after the fact.

As for the common people, Zeng Guofan had already squeezed every last drop of profit from them in order to train the Hunanese warriors. Squeezing them again would only cause public resentment to boil over, which was not worth it.

This year's grain and salary can only be secured after the summer taxes and autumn harvest, or by praying that Xu Guangjin will have a sudden burst of kindness and provide a large sum of money to Hunan.

Clearly, the former is more realistic.

The West Flower Hall was once again shrouded in gloom and fell into a deathly silence.

Ulantai opened his mouth, looked at Zhang Liangji and Xu Youren's faces filled with helplessness and exhaustion, and then looked at Luo Bingzhang and Jiang Zhongyuan's increasingly cold and hard expressions. His enthusiasm seemed to have been doused with ice water. He sighed heavily and slumped down.

After a long silence, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps came from outside the flower hall. A soldier from Xiang Rong's personal guard rushed in without announcing himself, knelt on one knee, panting, and presented a military report with both hands: "Your Excellency, urgent report from Tangma on Changsha North Road! Commander Xiang and General He have learned that the rebel leader Peng Gang has significantly increased his troops in Yuezhou Prefecture, Baling!"
Several groups of short-haired bandits have been found to have sailed up the river, carrying large quantities of military supplies and provisions to Baling. The number of bandit boats patrolling the river is twice the usual number, and there are even several giant ships that emit smoke, make whistling noises, and have large wheels, each as big as several cargo ships!

This ship is unlike any ship of our Great Qing Dynasty, nor could it be built by the short-haired Mao. I wonder where the short-haired Mao got these ships from.

The general judged that Peng's rebellion showed strong signs of soon marching south to plunder Hunan. He urged his superiors to make a swift decision!

The news came like a bolt from the blue, leaving everyone in Xihua Hall stunned for a long time.

"Steamships? Could it be that foreigners have also gotten involved with the bandits?" Ulantai gasped.

Ulantai was formerly the military governor of Guangzhou. He had served in Guangzhou for a long time. Foreign steamships often sailed on the Pearl River. As soon as he heard Xiang Rong's personal guards' description, he realized that these were Western steamships.

Ulantai was very interested in the ingenious skills of Westerners, especially firearms.

Among the troops that Ulantai brought from Guangdong, the most elite troops were equipped with 1,200 self-propelled muskets and ammunition purchased from Hong Kong at a high price.

"Foreign religions and foreigners are indeed the work of foreign forces. Foreigners will destroy our Great Qing!" Zhu Sunyi said indignantly.

"Those traitors, that bunch of short-haired traitors, have already colluded with the foreigners so quickly!"

Luo Bingzhang remained silent, sensing that things weren't so simple.

Most of the foreigners who were able to come to Wuchang and make contact with the short-haired Maoist were from Shanghai. Although the foreigners from Shanghai also visited the long-haired Maoist in Jiangning, they were given a cold reception by the long-haired Maoist and the two sides parted on bad terms.

Long-haired people believed in foreign religions, while short-haired people did not.

There's no reason why foreigners would associate with the short-haired instead of the long-haired ones.

Luo Bingzhang became more and more confused the more he thought about it.

However, he doesn't have much time to speculate or analyze the reasons behind it.

"Tell General Xiang and Commander He that they must hold the Yuezhou camp and await reinforcements! Do not allow a single soldier of the Duanmao to advance south. If the Duanmao advance straight into Changsha, I will hold him accountable!" Luo Bingzhang issued a death order to Xiang Rong and He Chun with a gloomy face.

The Yuezhou camp is the most important barrier for Changsha City, and it cannot be lost under any circumstances.

Although there are still some city walls behind the Yuezhou camp that can be relied upon, they are all small city walls and cannot stop the short-sighted rebels.

“Ru Zhai, with the short-haired leader deploying heavy troops in Baling, the three towns of Wuhan will inevitably be left vulnerable. Should we inform the Chongfutai and Suxi (Luo Raodian) in Hubei to march south to Hanyang? Even if we can’t take Hanyang immediately, at least it will relieve some pressure on Hunan,” Zhang Liangji said, biting his lip.

(End of this chapter)