1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 360 Garrison Militia
During the period around the Lunar New Year, which is the off-season for farming, Peng Gang summoned the general secretaries of the agricultural associations of various prefectures, states, and counties in Wuchang, Hanyang, Huangzhou, and Yuezhou.

One purpose was to explain the arrangements for next year's spring plowing, and the other was to train the militia.

After the western expedition, Peng Gang's territory expanded rapidly, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will launch an expedition against Xiangfan the following year.

Peng Gang will also take control of Anlu Prefecture, Jingmen Prefecture, Xiangyang Prefecture, and even Yunyang Prefecture in central and northwestern Hubei.

Peng Gang's demand for second-line garrison troops has surged.

In the past, Peng Gang would give newly trained troops the name of "provisional" to distinguish them from the old troops. The treatment of provisional troops was slightly worse than that of the old troops, except during wartime.

However, due to the frequent warfare, the provisional units would shed their provisional designation after participating in several actual battles and quickly become front-line field troops.

Therefore, Peng Gang does not currently have a long-term second-line force under his command.

Currently, the troops stationed in Beidian to defend against the enemy are all field troops, although the security situation under Peng Gang's rule is not good at the moment.

Apart from the counties surrounding Wuhan, rebellions by local landlords and militias occurred frequently, and the bandit problem was only slightly better than under the Qing government.

Using all of our precious field troops to suppress local rebellions and bandit raids is indeed overkill and a waste of our field forces.

Peng Gang planned to organize peasant associations within the administrative divisions where land reform had been completed, with instructors from Wuchang, to train local militia as a second-line garrison force.

Going forward, these second-line garrison troops will be responsible for the defense and security of key passes and administrative districts within the territory, while also serving as a supplement and reserve force for the field army.

This would free up the field troops stationed on the enemy's side for use in the fighting on the front lines.

"During the slack season before and after the Lunar New Year, farmers in Huangzhou Prefecture, especially those in the Dabie Mountains, are prone to gambling, which easily leads to fights and brawls," said Qiu Ersao, the general manager of the Huangzhou Prefecture Farmers' Association.

Qiu Ersao agreed to select able-bodied young farmers to train as militiamen and incorporate some of them into the army so that they would not be idle and the local security would be better.

The directors of the agricultural associations of the prefectures and counties under Huangzhou Prefecture also agreed, saying that since the start of the off-season, the agricultural associations have been busy either mediating fights caused by gambling or on their way to do so, keeping the directors extremely busy.

Gambling during the off-season was not an isolated case in Huangzhou Prefecture, but a widespread phenomenon.

Unable to find work during the off-season, and with little entertainment available in this era, coupled with the need to repay old loans around the end of the year, people would inevitably gather together to gamble in order to try their luck and make some money.

Although Peng Gang eliminated the debts of local farmers in the areas where land reform was completed, so they no longer had to repay the usurious loans they had previously taken out, the strong inertia could not be changed in a short period of time.

Even in the 1990s and early 2000s, which Peng Gang experienced in his previous life, gambling was rampant around the Lunar New Year, and it was basically done in villages.

Peng Gang couldn't understand why these people, who were usually so frugal, would be willing to squander thousands or tens of thousands of yuan they had painstakingly saved up over a year, or even money sent back by their relatives who had been smuggled abroad to work illegally, at the gambling table.

Until he witnessed his uncle win over 300,000 yuan in a single Chinese New Year game, he lost interest in all work and devoted himself to this gamble until he disappeared with a mountain of debt.

"Could it be the Green Standard Army's system of combat and garrison troops?" Xiao Guowei, the general manager of the Hanyang Prefecture Farmers' Association, couldn't help but think of the Green Standard Army's system of combat and garrison troops.

The system of classifying soldiers in the Green Standard Army of the Qing Dynasty and the hierarchical mobilization system of modern Western countries are two completely different things.

The core essence of the Qing Dynasty's Green Standard Army's rank system for soldiers was the internal military system of positions and pay grades.

Whether they were cavalrymen, combat soldiers, or garrison soldiers, it was more like the job titles of Green Standard Army soldiers, who received different salaries.

A brigade or battalion may contain all three types of soldiers. This division is primarily intended to save on military pay and to select soldiers who receive slightly higher pay and undertake heavier combat missions, rather than to clearly separate the entire unit into two types of troops with different functions.

Of course, this idea of ​​getting more money for more work and less money for less work only exists in theory.

Based on Peng Gang's experience fighting against the Qing government's Green Standard Army, the reality was often that the Green Standard Army's garrison troops were rushing to conduct local training exercises, while the Green Standard Army's combat soldiers and cavalry mostly acted as supervisors, pushing the garrison troops forward. Getting more done for less was the norm.

The core strategic and tactical function of the hierarchical mobilization system in Western countries is specialization, with each department performing its own duties and having a clear division of labor. It is a military mobilization and combat system designed by modern nation-states to cope with large-scale foreign wars.

There was also a huge gap between their military philosophies. The core purpose of the Qing government's Green Standard Army system was to maintain internal stability and border security.

Its extremely decentralized system of military posts was designed to effectively control every corner of society with military force, and to achieve security functions such as catching thieves, cracking down on smuggling, and protecting the people.

Preventing internal rebellion and military commanders from becoming too powerful was the political priority in its design, rather than dealing with external military powers of equal strength.

Western strategic thinking originated during the Napoleonic Wars and reached its peak in the 19th century through the Prussian General Staff system.

Its core idea is to mobilize the entire nation's resources for a short but intense decisive battle, with the goal of annihilating the enemy's main force. This requires a highly professional field army capable of rapid assembly and deep maneuvering, as well as a reserve system that can continuously provide it with manpower and logistical support.

In reality, let alone military powers of equal strength, even neighboring countries with unequal military strength would be difficult for the DPP to deal with.

During the Qianlong era, the Green Standard Army's performance in the Qing-Burmese War was surprisingly poor, which surprised the vassal states and enraged the Qianlong Emperor.

The war twelve years ago already provided the answer to which system was superior.

“The Green Standard Army’s cavalry, combat troops, and garrison troops are mixed together. Our local garrison militia is not mixed with the regular army and does not participate in high-intensity offensive battles. They are only responsible for defending the local area,” Peng Gang said, shaking his head.

"How many militiamen should each prefecture train? What are their salaries and benefits? Are the militiamen's provisions, pay, and weapons allocated by the Imperial Treasury?" Xiao Guoying, the general manager of the Wuchang Prefecture General Association, was more concerned about the number of units allocated to each prefecture, as well as the provisions, pay, and sources of the militiamen.

“These are the militia’s regulations.” Peng Gang gave Li Ruzhao, the Palace Attendant, a wink.

Li Ruzhao understood and distributed the militia regulations he had prepared in advance to the members of the farmers' association in Xihua Hall for review.

According to the militia regulations, each prefecture was given a militia unit of one garrison regiment. In terms of food and pay, the militia provided 80% of the staple food of a field regiment and 60% of the military pay.

A regiment in the Northern Palace, when fully staffed, had a little over three thousand men, while a typical prefecture in the Qing Dynasty usually had at most a thousand or so regular soldiers on duty.

The deployment of 3,000 militiamen per prefecture was sufficient to handle the local garrison work.

Peng Gang originally envisioned maintaining half a regiment's strength during normal times and conscripting the other half during the off-season to minimize the impact on local agricultural production.

However, considering that it was wartime and Hubei was a battleground surrounded by enemies on all sides, the Northern Palace had a great need for troops. After weighing the options, Peng Gang decided to keep the local garrison regiments at full strength.

Peng Gang was a little tired after assigning spring plowing and militia tasks to the four prefectures' farmers' associations. He was about to go back to his inner residence for a nap when, before he even reached the inner residence, Hu Chunfang, the deputy magistrate, came to report that Remy, the manager of the Liming Foreign Firm, was bringing several shareholders and a group of interpreters fluent in French to request an audience. He asked whether Peng Gang should see him or not.

After thinking for a moment, Peng Gang decided to have Hu Chunfang bring Remy and the others to the main hall of the Northern Prince's Mansion to see him.

Upon meeting Peng Gang, Remy presented him with the share certificates of Liming Trading Company: "After discussion by the board of directors of Liming Trading Company, we unanimously agree that Your Highness will invest. Your Highness, this is your share certificate. You are now the largest shareholder of Liming Trading Company, holding 50% of the shares."

After discussion, we, the shareholders, have decided to relocate the headquarters of Liming Trading Company to Hankou. What is Your Highness's opinion?

Peng Gang directly invested in Russell & Co. and Li Ming & Co.

Many of Russell & Co.'s shareholders are not in China, but in the United States, and the shareholding has not yet been transferred.

Liming & Co. was founded by French merchants in China, with most of its shareholders operating in China and the Far East. Therefore, Liming & Co. was the first to complete the equity change.

Liming & Co. did not have much of an interest in Shanghai and Guangzhou, and it could not compete with British trading companies in those cities. After discussion, the shareholders of Liming & Co. decided to move its headquarters to Hankou, away from the traditional sphere of influence of British trading companies, and focus its operations in Hankou.

"The headquarters of the foreign firm was located in Hankou, which made it convenient for Liming Foreign Firm to conduct business in Hankou," Peng Gang said. "It's just that the name Liming Foreign Firm isn't very good."

As he spoke, Peng Gang picked up the pen given to him by the French consul, Mintini, and wrote the four characters "Limin Trading Company" on the paper.

The French consul Mintini and the American minister Marshal both gifted Peng Gang with fountain pens made in their respective countries.

At that time, American civilian goods were basically synonymous with inferior quality, so the American fountain pen was quickly given by Peng Gang to Liu Bingwen and Zuo Zongtang. The French fountain pen, however, was always carried and used by him.

The name "Liming" doesn't sound as appealing as "Limin." Liming Trading Company is no longer a purely French-owned firm, but a joint venture with Peng Gang holding half the shares. Therefore, Peng Gang had the idea of ​​changing the name.

Remy and his companions ventured to the three towns of Wuhan for tangible profits in the inland market, and were not particularly attached to the name of their trading company.

Furthermore, if they want a purely French-owned trading company, they can simply establish another French-owned trading company after completing this transaction and taking the profits. There's no need to offend their benefactor over something as trivial as the name of the trading company.

Moreover, Peng Gang has invested in more than just their Liming Trading Company; he has also invested in Qichang Trading Company. If they have a falling out with Peng Gang over this matter, and Peng Gang subsequently neglects Liming Trading Company while giving more preferential treatment to Qichang Trading Company, this is not what they want to see.

After all, Peng Gang holds the dominant position in the production and sales of lucrative commodities such as Hankou tea and silk, and even porcelain recently transported from Jiujiang and other places.

After a brief discussion, the shareholders of Liming Trading Company present quickly agreed to change the name to Limin Trading Company.

"The name 'Benefit the People' is indeed more elegant than 'Benefit the Name.' According to Chinese custom, Your Highness's name change is a stroke of genius," Remy flattered.

"You've come here today for more than just to deliver share certificates, haven't you?" Peng Gang glanced at the eight interpreters Remy had brought. Five of them were Chinese, two were French, and there was even a swindler who looked somewhat Vietnamese.

To Peng Gang's surprise, one of the two interpreters, who appeared to be Gauls, was a beautiful woman in her early twenties. Her attire and demeanor were noticeably better than the other male interpreters, making her seem unlike a proper interpreter.

“There are two other things. One is that Your Highness, all of our goods have been loaded onto the ship and will be ready to depart soon,” Remy said.

“My navy is in Jiujiang. Once we reach Jiujiang, they will escort the Limin Trading Company’s fleet safely across Jiangxi,” Peng Gang said. “Is there anything else?”

“These are the French interpreters we have selected for Your Highness.” Remy turned to face the eight French interpreters, and then introduced the female interpreter to Peng Gang. “This is my niece, Laura. My brother came to the Far East with me when he was young, but he died young due to the change in environment. I raised Laura. Laura is fluent in French, Chinese and some dialects, and she also knows some Spanish. I hope she can provide Your Highness with some assistance in terms of language.”

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness," Peng Gang nodded and said.

Peng Gang was quite tired, so he left Laura as the court language tutor, summoned Peng Yi, and asked Peng Yi to receive Remy and the others on their behalf, while he returned to the inner quarters to rest.

When Peng Gang woke up, he went out of the bedroom to get some fresh air and saw Wang Yunheng, who was heavily pregnant, talking to Su Sanniang.

Su San Niang and Qiu Er Sao were originally in charge of managing the women's camp in the North Palace. After the North Palace abolished the separate camps for men and women and land reform was completed in some areas, both of them were assigned to the position of general director of the prefectural farmers' association.

Su San Niang served as the general manager of the farmers' association in Yuezhou Prefecture, while Qiu Er Sao served as the general manager of the farmers' association in Huangzhou Prefecture.

Although the head of the farmers' association was not a senior official in the Northern Palace, he was very important. Peng Gang valued the head of the farmers' association no less than the county magistrate.

Currently, the general director of the county-level farmers' association can go to the Northern Prince's Mansion to submit a visiting card and directly meet Peng Gang.

Two of the four prefectural-level general managers of farmers' associations who have already been appointed are Peng Gang's maternal uncles, which shows the high value of this position.

Peng Gang convened a meeting of the heads of the agricultural associations at the county level and above at the Beiwang Mansion in Wuchang, and Su Sanniang was among them.

"Third Sister greets Your Highness." Upon seeing Peng Gang enter the courtyard, Su San Niang quickly rose and bowed to him.

"Please rise, Third Sister." Peng Gang gestured for Su Third Sister to stand up, then asked, "Third Sister, have you encountered any difficulties in Yuezhou? Please tell me."

"Your Highness is always responsive to the farmers' association's requests. What difficulties could there be?" Su Sanniang said with a smile. "Now that Your Highness is awake, it is not appropriate for Sanniang to disturb Your Highness and the Princess. Sanniang will take her leave."

After Su San Niang left the inner courtyard, Peng Gang helped Wang Yunheng into the house and complained, "You're pregnant, so you should see people inside. Be careful not to catch a cold if you meet them outside."

Stepping inside, Wang Yunheng unbuttoned her cloak and said, “There’s a stove, so we won’t get cold. Besides, it gets stuffy and uncomfortable to stay inside for too long.”

"I just overheard you and Su San Niang talking about Luo Dagang. Are you trying to arrange a marriage between them?" Peng Gang helped Wang Yunheng to a seat.

“Su San Niang has long harbored feelings for Luo Da Gang, and I intend to bring them together. However, Su San Niang is worried that Luo Da Gang will look down on her as a widow, and she doesn’t know what Luo Da Gang thinks,” Wang Yunheng said.

Su San Niang's original surname was not Su; Su was the surname of her deceased husband.

Su San Niang was a beautiful widow known far and wide in the Heaven and Earth Society, and her ex-husband left her a fairly substantial fortune.

Back then, there were quite a few Heaven and Earth Society forces in Guangxi who wanted to exploit Su Sanniang's extinction and annex her, but in the end, Su Sanniang chose to cooperate with Luo Dagang.

“If Luo Dagang had no feelings for Su Sanniang, he would have taken a wife and concubine long ago, even though our palace abolished the order separating men and women in different camps more than a year ago,” Peng Gang said.

“Luo Dagang is in his forties and it’s not right for him to be single all the time. This year, I’ll summon him back to Wuchang for the New Year and ask him about it in person. If he is interested, I’ll grant him a marriage and help them get married.”

In addition to Luo Dagang, Li Qi, the commander of the Second Regiment, was also stationed at the Yuelu Mountain camp. Peng Gang kept watch over Changsha without attacking, and occasionally harassed it.

It's hard to say whether Li Qi could independently organize an army of tens of thousands to attack the heavily defended city of Changsha.

However, there is certainly no problem in holding the main camp at Yuelu Mountain and stabilizing the situation at the front line.

During the Spring Festival, Luo Dagang was briefly summoned back to Wuchang and Changsha, so nothing went wrong.

Meanwhile, Lü Xianji, Li Hongzhang, Yuan Jiasan, and Zhao Yun arrived in Anhui by boat, passing through Tianjin, Shandong, and northern Jiangsu, just as the Northern Expeditionary Army was blocking the Grand Canal.

The situation in Anhui was extremely dire for the Qing government.

Under the instructions of Zhou Tianjue, the governor of Anhui, and Emperor Xianfeng, Qin Dingsan, the governor of Anhui, and Li Jiaduan, the minister of militia, captured Pukou, which was across the river from Jiangning City. They confronted the Taiping rebels in Jiangning City across the river. In fact, the troops of Qin Dingsan, the governor of Anhui, and Li Jiaduan, the minister of militia, were not in Anhui, but in Pukou, Jiangsu.

Anqing, the capital of Anhui Province, was still in Shi Dakai's hands.

Although Shi Dakai intercepted Sai Shang'a's Shaanxi-Gansu troops, along with Jiangxi Governor Zhang Fei and Jiangxi Provincial Militia Minister Li Mengqun, in order to protect Madang and block Jiangning, the defenses of Anqing were somewhat weakened.

Zhou Tianjue attempted to recapture Anqing twice, but both attempts failed, as he was defeated by Shi Zhenji, Shi Zhenchang, and other fierce generals of the Shi family who remained in Anqing.

Besides the Taiping Rebellion, the Nian Rebellion bandits in Anhui also colluded with the Taiping Rebellion and were extremely arrogant.

The only saving grace was that Zhang Guoliang, the deputy general of Shouchun Town recommended and promoted by Zhou Tianjue, was effective in suppressing the Nian Rebellion in Yingzhou Prefecture and Fengyang Prefecture in northern Anhui. Although he had not yet wiped out the Nian army, he had managed to control the situation in northern Anhui.

As for the outside, there are also short-haired troops stationed in southwestern Anhui, at the border of Anhui and Hubei.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Anhui is beset by both internal and external troubles.

Since they couldn't go to Anqing, Lü Xianji, Li Hongzhang, Yuan Jiasan, and Zhao Yun discussed the matter and finally decided to set up the old camp of the Anhui Army militia in Hefei, the temporary provincial capital of Anhui.

Firstly, whether it was the Taiping rebels marching east from Wuchang the year before last or fleeing north last year, they did not pass through Luzhou Prefecture in the heart of Anhui. Luzhou Prefecture was less affected by the war, which made it easier to raise funds and supplies.

Secondly, Li Hongzhang was from Hefei and had many relatives and friends in Luzhou Prefecture, giving him a strong foothold and making it easier to recruit soldiers.

Thirdly, the Li family was a prominent family in Luzhou Prefecture. The Luzhou militia leaders who originally belonged to Li Jiaduan were either students of Li Hongzhang's father, Li Wen'an, or childhood friends of the Li brothers. After hearing that Li Hongzhang was serving as the head of the Anhui militia, they received an invitation letter from Li Hongzhang.

These militia leaders, whether from their hometown of Modian or from the front lines in Pukou, all flocked to Luzhou to join Li Hongzhang.

After all, Li Jiaduan was from Shuntian Prefecture in Zhili Province, and there was no kinship between them. As for his ability to command troops and fight, Li Jiaduan's performance was also hard to describe.

After weighing the options, these militia leaders in Hefei felt that returning to Luzhou to serve their ally Li Hongzhang was more promising than serving Li Jiaduan.

Originally, Li Hongzhang's training of soldiers in Hefei went relatively smoothly. With the help of the Li family's wealth and the support of his classmates and childhood friends, as well as the generous donations from the local gentry in Hefei and Modian, he was able to recruit more than 1,800 young men from Hefei. Some of these young men had even participated in the suppression of the Nian Rebellion and the recapture of Pukou.

Li Hongzhang finally managed to establish the foundation of the old camp.

However, the plan cannot keep up with the changes.

Hefei served as the temporary capital of Anhui Province, and the governor of Anhui, Zhou Tianjue, also resided in Hefei.

Zhou Tianjue was a man who liked to act superior and act like a senior when he received Lü Xianji, a younger man.

However, Lü Xianji was also arrogant. He considered himself a high-ranking official and a favorite of the court, and felt that Zhou Tianjue, a former official who had been dismissed from office and was guilty of failing to suppress bandits, had no right to show off in front of him.

Their several meetings ended abruptly without any fanfare.

It is true that Zhou Tianjue was a dismissed official of the previous dynasty, and it is also true that he is currently serving in office while still under punishment.

But Zhou Tianjue was, after all, a provincial governor, wielding real power over the remnants of Anhui.

How could Zhou Tianjue possibly swallow this insult?

He then created obstacles for Lü Xianji and others. Faced with the requests from Lü Xianji, Li Hongzhang, Yuan Jiasan, and Zhao Yun to help raise funds and supplies, as well as to allocate weapons and guns, Zhou Tianjue repeatedly made excuses.

Lu Xianji refused to tolerate Zhou Tianjue's bad temper and, in a fit of anger, led Li Hongzhang and others to Shucheng, southwest of Hefei, to train their troops.

Upon hearing that Lü Xianji had moved his headquarters to Shucheng, most of the 1,800-plus young men from Hefei whom Li Hongzhang had painstakingly recruited immediately left, with only about 400 loyal followers willing to go to Shucheng with Li Hongzhang.

Faced with Lü Xianji's capricious move to relocate his camp to the small county town of Shucheng instead of staying in the perfectly good city of Hefei, this was a truly capricious decision.

Li Hongzhang, Yuan Jiasan, and Zhao Yun were so angry that their blood pressure soared.

Zhou Tianjue is eighty years old this year. He can hardly speak anymore. He's practically halfway to the grave and doesn't seem to have much time left.

Lu Xianji is only fifty after the New Year; he could outlive Zhou Tianjue if he just held on.

With Zhou Tianjue dead, as long as their performance in training troops in Anhui is not bad, even if Lü Xianji cannot become a full minister for the time being, the court has no one else to use right now, and no Manchu or Mongol nobles are willing to wade into the muddy waters of Anhui. It would be a piece of cake for Lü Xianji to take over Zhou Tianjue's substantive post as governor of Anhui.

With Lü Xianji appointed as the governor of Anhui, it will be much easier for the three of them to organize and train militias in Anhui.

Unfortunately, Lü Xianji was oblivious and insisted on getting angry with Zhou Tianjue, a man who didn't have much time left.

None of the four of them were from Shucheng. In Shucheng, it was difficult to recruit soldiers, raise food and wages, or even more difficult to procure weapons and guns.

How can one cultivate courage under such circumstances?
Lu Xianji is almost fifty years old, but Li Mengqun, who is not even in his early twenties, has a clear understanding of life.

In order to establish the Jiangxi militia, Li Mengqun even went so far as to arrange a marriage between himself and Cheng Yucai, a disgraced official in Nanchang.

After arriving in Shucheng, Lian Yong encountered numerous difficulties, which were significantly less smooth than in Hefei.

Li Hongzhang, Yuan Jiasan, Zhao Yun, and others found it unbearable and went to the gate to see Lü Xianji, hoping to persuade him.

It would have been better if I hadn't seen him; seeing him only made my blood pressure rise even higher.

(End of this chapter)