1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 50: No one is rich without windfall
The arrival of able-bodied soldiers from Shangdongtang on the battlefield became the final straw that broke the morale of Zhang Zhao's remaining bandits.

Faced with the high-spirited, swarming soldiers rushing towards them, the hungry, thirsty, and exhausted bandits scattered and fled in panic.

The charcoal-burning boys at the Lianhuaping charcoal-burning plant witnessed this scene firsthand.

After a day of stalemate with them, Zhang Zhao's remaining bandits finally collapsed. Peng Gang, of course, would not let go of this golden opportunity to strike a fatal blow and eliminate them completely.

"Groups one and two! Everyone, follow me out of the charcoal burning plantation and pursue the remaining bandits! Avenge our fallen brothers and comrades!"

Peng Gang grabbed a musket and kicked Shi Shilong and Wang Tianli, who were still engrossed in drinking chicken soup.

In an instant, the offensive and defensive positions shifted.

For seven or eight years, the arrogant and domineering old bandit boatman was chased all over the mountains by a group of charcoal burners and young soldiers.

The bounty for a veteran pirate in the boat army has risen to forty taels.

These old bandits from the boat army, who were fleeing in a sorry state, had become walking silver coins in the eyes of the soldiers and young men of Shangdongtang. They were not about to let them escape.
Faced with the relentless pursuit of the young and strong soldiers and the menacing charcoal-burning boys, the old bandits of the boat army were terrified and ran away without looking back, wishing they had two more legs.

"Big head! The bandit with the brown braid is the bandit leader Zhang Zhao! Chase after him!" Peng Gang, who was leading the charge, shouted.

Peng Gang's shout reached Zhang Zhao's ears. Without saying a word, Zhang Zhao flicked his braid, coiled it around his neck, and took off his short jacket to cover his head and neck.

Zhang Zhao's obvious action, in turn, pointed Peng Gang to his target: "The one with his head covered by a jacket is Zhang Zhao!"

Xie Bin acted unusually fiercely, as if he wanted to vent all the resentment that had been building up in his heart for many years on these old bandits in the submarine force.

After using his fish-head knife to chase and kill two veteran bandits from the boat army, Xie Bin immediately set his sights on the veteran bandits in short jackets and turbans as his next target.

To be fair, under normal circumstances, Peng Gang's current speed is definitely not enough to catch up with Zhang Zhao, the big-headed sheep who has been swimming in water and exploring mountains since he was a child.

But now.

Peng Gang and the group of charcoal-burning boys ate and drank their fill, while Zhang Zhao hadn't had a proper meal in over half a month.

The two were not evenly matched in terms of physical ability, and the distance between them gradually decreased.

When Peng Gang was only six or seven steps away from Zhang Zhao, he seized the opportunity, raised his hand and fired a shot. As a pungent smoke rose in the woods, Zhang Zhao's shoulder was bleeding, and he fell into a pile of weeds up to his knees. He then pulled out his waist knife for a final desperate fight.

Xie Bin, who was close behind, gave Zhang Zhao no chance to resist. He swung his knife with all his might and severed Zhang Zhao's right hand, which was holding the knife, along with the knife.

Knowing he could not escape his fate, Zhang Zhao hardened his heart, drew the dagger from his waist with his left hand, and repeatedly stabbed himself in the heart.

When Xie Bin snatched the dagger from Zhang Zhao's hand, Zhang Zhao already had three holes in his chest, his heart was pierced, and blood was gushing out like a pillar.

"Damn it! We can't catch them alive! They really are ruthless, those old Guangdong pirates!"

Looking at Zhang Zhao, who was bleeding profusely and on the verge of death, Xie Bin stamped his foot and sighed.

"Commander Xie has killed Zhang Zhao, the leader of the submarine force. Congratulations!"

Peng Gang congratulated Xie Bin.

With Zhang Zhao's head as a major figure, Xie Bin's position as a battalion commander is secure based solely on this achievement.

As the sun set, Peng Gang and Xie Bin's two teams carried the bodies of the bandits back to the charcoal burning site to regroup.

The bodies of the bandits were counted, and there were a total of thirty-four bodies, including Zhang Zhao's.

With Zhang Zhao's body still there, Peng Gang and Xie Bin weren't too concerned about the two who had escaped. "Give them all to me?" Overjoyed, Xie Bin stared at Peng Gang in disbelief, pinching his thigh hard. It wasn't a dream!
"Zhang Zhao, the big-headed sheep, along with thirty-three old bandits from the boat army, are worth more than two thousand taels of silver! You're giving them all to me?!"

This is an immense achievement. Not to mention promoting Xie Bin to the rank of battalion commander, it's enough to elevate Huang Zhenyue, the battalion commander of the Xunzhou Left Battalion, directly from garrison commander to division commander.

It's hard to say whether Luo Dagang and Tian Fang's heads are real or fake, but Xie Bin's Zhang Zhao's head is definitely real and cannot be faked.

"It's all yours!" Peng Gang said readily.

The corpses of Zhang Zhao and these old bandits from the submarine force could only be exchanged for a sum of money from Peng Gang, money from which they might not even live.

In Xie Bin's hands, it could not only be exchanged for money, but also for an official robe, thus maximizing its value.

Peng Gang intended to befriend and win over Xie Bin, a Hakka military officer who was somewhat capable but had fallen on hard times.

Putting everything else aside, if Xie Bin gets promoted and becomes a favorite of the Xunzhou Green Standard Army, it will be much easier for him to procure military supplies from the Green Standard Army in the future.

"Master Peng! I will remember this favor!" Xie Bin said without any hesitation, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"But let me make this clear: you can have the corpse, but I want 80% of the money on it."

The bodies were all given to Xie Bin, and Peng Gang originally intended to keep all the gold, silver, and valuables on the old bandits of the submarine force.

However, considering that they had contributed to the suppression of bandits in Shangdongtang and that a young man and a soldier had died during the pursuit, Xie Bin needed money to reward and compensate them.

The corpses of Zhang Zhao and the old bandits of the boat army were indeed worth more than two thousand taels of silver, but there was no certainty as to when that silver would be received.

With this in mind, Peng Gang left Xie Bin 20% of his gold, silver, and valuables.

The gold and silver valuables buried by Zhang Zhao's old bandits before they went up the mountain have been found. After being counted, they are worth about 2,250 taels of silver and 150 taels of gold, including gold and silver jewelry.

If Xie Bin gets 20%, Peng Gang will receive 1,800 taels of silver and 120 taels of gold.

The gold and silver valuables recovered from the bandits killed last night amounted to 856 taels of silver and 92 taels of gold. Peng Gang would not have to share this fortune with Xie Bin.

After the battle, Peng Gang acquired a total of 2,656 taels of silver and 212 taels of gold, making a substantial windfall.

With so much gold and silver, we can confidently expand our team.

It's a pity that the gold and silver that Zhang Zhao's boatmen painstakingly seized from Jiangkouwei, intended for their comeback, all ended up benefiting Peng Gang and Xie Bin.

"Two percent! Two percent!" Xie Bin readily agreed. He would get two percent too, which was four hundred and fifty taels of silver and twenty-four taels of gold.

With this cash, it would be barely enough to reward and compensate the able-bodied soldiers who participated in the war, and to smooth things over.

One family rejoices while another grieves. Just as Peng Gang was celebrating his success in eliminating Zhang Zhao's boatmen and bandits, having amassed a considerable sum of gold and silver and taking his rebellion to the next level, he was filled with joy.

"Mr. Feng and Master Hong have been arrested by the Wang brothers, Wang Zuoxin and Wang Dazuo!"

The news spread like wildfire through the Zijingshan Mountains, quickly reaching the thousands of members of the God Worshippers Society in the Zijingshan area.

Feng Yunshan and Hong Xiuquan were arrested almost simultaneously, leaving the God Society leaderless and in a power vacuum, which sowed the seeds for the later tragedy of infighting between the Heavenly Father and Heavenly Brothers.

In every crack of the old order, mycelium of new power creeps.

The highest secular power of the God Society is undergoing its first reshuffle, and the end of the Feng Yunshan era is inevitable. A brand new era is anxiously unfolding, quietly peeking out.

(End of this chapter)