1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 13 Green Camp
"Brother Dagang, are you going to Bitan Xun?" Shi Zhenlun greeted the bandit leader with practiced ease.

Having encountered two bandit leaders in succession, Peng Gang wasn't surprised to learn that the one leading the raft was Luo Dagang.

After all, Luo Dagang was also a member of the Tiandihui boat army, which was active in the Qian, Xun, and Yu rivers for many years.

The Heaven and Earth Society doesn't pay wages. Xunzhou Prefecture is a godforsaken place, and robbery isn't something you can do every day. People also need to come out and work to eat.

"Come on, Shi brothers, get on the boat! We're going the same way. I'm going to Jiangkou Market to sell fish and timber." Luo Dagang stopped the boat and waved enthusiastically to signal them to get on.

Seeing Shi Zhenlun board Luo Dagang's raft without any hesitation, Peng Gang followed Shi Zhenlun onto the raft.

Along the way, Luo Dagang and Shi Zhenlun chatted, their conversation revolving around complaining about how fishwood prices were dropping day by day while grain prices were rising month by month, and how difficult life was.

Shi Zhenlun seized the opportunity to proselytize to Luo Dagang, inviting him to join the God Worshipping Society, to worship the true God together, and to vanquish demons and monsters. It had a rather childish, adolescent feel to it.

Luo Dagang thought the God Worshipping Society was superstitious and always avoided the government, making it unlikely to achieve anything significant. He had also heard that they held religious services every few days. At this point, Luo Dagang was not interested in the God Worshipping Society and could not stand such constraints.

The Heaven and Earth Society had been rooted in Guangdong and Guangxi for many years. At this time, the Heaven and Earth Society in Guangxi was at its peak, far surpassing the God Worshipping Society in popularity.

In the 26th year of the Daoguang Emperor's reign, the Tiandihui boat army under Ren Wenbing and Li Guanbao launched an uprising in the lower reaches of the Xunjiang River. Last year, the Tiandihui under Luo Sanfeng launched an uprising in Pingluo. Luo Dagang also took the opportunity to launch an uprising in Lipu and once attacked Yong'an Prefecture.

Unfortunately, the members of the Heaven and Earth Society were a mixed bag, and the organization was loose. After entering the city, the brothers only wanted to rob a bunch of people and then break up.

Luo Dagang's Heaven and Earth Society troops were quickly defeated by the assembled Green Standard Army militia, forcing him to return to his old ways on the river and lie low while waiting for an opportunity.

Recently, leaders of the Heaven and Earth Society, such as Zhang Jiaxiang in Guixian County, Chen Yagui and Liang Yajiu in Wuxuan County, Tian Fang in Jiangkouwei, and Qu Zhenzu in Xiangzhou, have been making moves and showing signs of rising in power.

This gave Luo Dagang hope of making a comeback. Perhaps the Heaven and Earth Society could succeed in their next uprising and even capture Guilin, the provincial capital.

Moreover, in terms of years of Christian service, Luo Dagang had a longer tenure than Hong Xiuquan.

Luo Dagang not only opposed the Qing Dynasty, but also resisted the British.

During the Opium War, Luo Dagang participated in the Pingyingtuan, a civilian anti-British organization established by the Shengping Society School in the northern suburbs of Guangzhou.

During his time in Guangzhou, Luo Dagang had contact with local missionaries such as Bai Laimo and Yi Li, and lived in the church for many years, where he worshipped Jesus.

In terms of understanding proper Christian doctrine, Hong Xiuquan may not be as good as Luo Dagang.

As a senior leader of the Heaven and Earth Society, Luo Dagang had no reason to choose to leave the Heaven and Earth Society halfway through and join the God Worshipping Society when the Heaven and Earth Society was showing signs of success.

“This brother doesn’t seem like a roughneck. He looks like a gentleman?” Luo Dagang was getting annoyed by Shi Zhenlun’s preaching, so he turned to Peng Gang to strike up a conversation.

“I used to be, but I’ll soon be a charcoal burner,” Peng Gang said with a self-deprecating laugh.

“Brother Peng was the second-place candidate in the county-level examination last year, and he has also joined our God Worshipping Society,” Shi Zhenlun interjected.

"I, Luo Dagang, am having a lucky day; I've run into the God of Literature," Luo Dagang said.

"Studying is good. Studying can lead to becoming a high-ranking official, unlike a rough man like me who fishes and rafts, working in the wind and rain all day long, sometimes hungry and sometimes full, which is no fun."

“Being an official in the Qing Dynasty was even more boring,” Peng Gang continued, picking up where Luo Dagang left off. “Heroes don’t care about their origins. Don’t be a cowardly fish in the river; be a dragon soaring in the sea. Even fishermen can rise above the rest.”

"Don't be a bream with a shrunken neck in the river, be a dragon with its head held high in the sea." Luo Dagang repeated softly, then asked curiously.

"The person who can utter such a bold statement is no ordinary person. Who said this?"

“Chen Youliang,” Peng Gang replied.

"You say I'm like Chen Youliang?" Luo Dagang thought this gentleman wasn't pedantic, nor did he have the airs of a scholar; he was quite interesting.

“No,” Peng Gang said, pointing to the empty burlap sacks covered in salt stains on the wooden raft.

"You are more like Zhang Shicheng."

Besides fishing and rafting, Luo Dagang also engaged in the illegal salt trade.

"Hahaha, no, no, Zhang Shicheng's fate wasn't much better than Chen Youliang's," Luo Dagang said, shaking his head with a loud laugh.

The fact that two leaders of the Heaven and Earth Society's boatmen have appeared in Qianjiang one after the other is certainly not a coincidence.

Luo Dagang and Zhang Zhao were probably rushing to gather the members of the Heaven and Earth Society in the Jiangkouwei area to start an uprising.

The raft travels downstream from Malay Pass to Bitan, and before you know it, you've reached Bitan.

Peng Gang was not an inexperienced young man who knew nothing of the world. He understood that Shi Zhenlun and the others had accompanied him on this special trip to protect him. There was no reason for the Shi family to pay for the boat fare, so he paid twenty-five coins per person before Shi Zhenlun could.

Luo Dagang dropped the group off near Bitanxun. After landing, Peng Gang and Shi Zhenlun waved goodbye to Luo Dagang.

A group of God Worshippers were sent by the leader of the Heaven and Earth Society's boatmen to the outpost of the Green Standard Army. As expected of the Qing Dynasty, anything could happen.

Bitan Xun was the largest settlement along the 60-mile stretch of the Qianjiang River near Pingzai Mountain. The Qing government established a garrison here and stationed Green Standard Army soldiers to control the Qianjiang River.

The Guangxi Green Standard Army originally consisted of two towns and seven detachments. The two towns were Youjiang Town and Zuojiang Town.

In the fifty-third year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, in order to suppress the Yao people's uprising in Guangdong, Hunan, and Guangxi, the Qing government merged Liuzhou and Qingyuan prefectures, which originally belonged to Guilin Prefecture, and added Liuqing Town. Thus, the Guangxi Green Standard Army formed a structure of three towns and seven detachments.

The seven associations remained unchanged, namely Yining Association, Pingle Association, Qingyuan Association, Wuzhou Association, Xunzhou Association, Xintai Association, and Zhen'an Association.

According to the Green Standard Army's organizational structure, each brigade is divided into five battalions: the central battalion, the left battalion, the right battalion, the front battalion, and the rear battalion. Each locality then sets up sub-battalions according to its specific circumstances.

The highest military commander of the three garrisons in Guangxi was the Governor-General of Guangxi, and all three garrisons were under his control. A garrison was commanded by a General, a brigade by a Deputy General, and a battalion by a Lieutenant General, Lieutenant Colonel, Commander-in-Chief, or Garrison Commander, depending on the specific circumstances.

Below the battalion level, there are garrison posts, which are led by a captain or battalion commander. In some important garrison posts, higher-ranking officers such as commanders or garrison officers may be assigned to lead them, but this is relatively rare.

Below the flood control level, there are designated posts, also known as sub-defense posts. The chief officer of the post is no longer a regular official and is usually an external commissioner, an extra external commissioner, or simply a high-ranking Green Standard Army soldier such as a cavalryman or a combat soldier.

Thus, the Green Standard Army formed a military system consisting of commanders, towns, liaisons, battalions, and garrisons.

The Guangxi Green Standard Army had a total of 46 battalions in 3 garrisons and 7 brigades (including the standard battalions of the Guangxi Governor, Guangxi Commander-in-Chief, and the General Commander of the Three Garrisons of Guangxi), totaling more than 23,600 soldiers. As for the actual number, only heaven knows.

The basic combat unit of the Green Standard Army was the battalion. Each battalion typically had between 400 and 900 men on paper, of which 40% were combat soldiers, 60% were garrison soldiers, and cavalrymen were almost negligible. Usually, each battalion would have 4 to 20 cavalrymen responsible for relaying military intelligence.

In other words, even under the ideal full-strength conditions, let alone a centurion, even a brigade commander or guerrilla officer, as a senior battalion commander, would find it difficult to command a thousand men in wartime.

Bitan Xun belongs to Xunzhou Xiezuo Camp of Youjiang Town. The garrison commander is Chen Xingwang, a Tujia man who was born and raised through donation. He has lived in Xunzhou Prefecture for generations.

According to regulations, there should be 68 guards at Bitan Flood Control Station. However, after Peng Gang walked around Bitan Flood Control Station, he encountered no more than 25 guards in uniform. Half of them were either selling things at stalls or soliciting customers for ferry services on the riverbank.

There was a small dyehouse in Bitanxun, with a wooden plaque that read "Chen's Dyeing Shop" hanging at the entrance, presumably belonging to Chen Xingwang, the garrison commander of Bitanxun.

Shi Zhenlun and his men carried the charcoal to Chen Ji Dye Shop to sell.

His maternal uncle, Xiao Guoying, carried a basket of charcoal collected from that village to the blacksmith's shop to sell.

"Sir, would you like some charcoal? This is fine charcoal made from cedar wood, perfect for blacksmithing."

The blacksmith in the blacksmith shop was a soldier in uniform, a seasoned veteran in his forties, and the people around him called him Blacksmith Wu.

How much would you sell it for?

Wu the blacksmith was relatively polite to Xiao Guoying. At least he didn't bully people like the Green Standard Army soldiers in movies and TV dramas, who would beat people and rob them at the slightest disagreement. He just asked for prices normally.

After haggling for a long time, the two finally reached a deal, exchanging money for charcoal after weighing it.

"Uncle, how much did you make on this deal?" Peng Gang was very curious about how much money his uncle had earned on this trip.

"After deducting costs, I made ninety-two coins. Consider it a small payment for my labor." Not wanting to flaunt his wealth, Xiao Guoying quickly put the money away.

"The charcoal you carried must have weighed at least a hundred pounds, and you only made this little money?" Peng Gang asked. "Was the charcoal bought too expensively, or sold too cheaply?"

Ninety-two coins wouldn't even buy four catties of rice at the current price, and Peng Gang paid for the boat fare from Malay Port to Bitan.

After deducting the 25-coin boat fare, Xiao Guoying's net profit from this trip was only 67 coins.

This amount of copper coins is only one-third of the value of silver.

To put it in a more understandable way, if the price of coal remains constant and the profit per trip is fixed, Xiao Guoying would need to make thirty trips to earn one tael of silver.

Thinking of the substantial silver locks his uncles had given to Peng Gang and his siblings, Peng Gang couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat.

I wonder how many trips they'll have to make to raise enough money to make a silver lock.

"The charcoal was bought from Shi Ji Charcoal Shop. They sell it at a very fair price," Xiao Guoying said, shaking his head and sighing.

"Although Wu the blacksmith at the blacksmith shop lowered the price a bit, it was still a normal price. The price of charcoal has been low these past few years, and life has been tough."

(End of this chapter)