1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 88 Xiuqing Trains Troops [Bonus Chapter, Please Add to Favorites! Please Read On!]

Xiao Chaogui, Yang Xiuqing, and others used Jintian Village as a springboard to infiltrate the God God Society's influence into the Xinwei Plain.

The Xinwei Plain is where the Huang family's ancestral property is located.

Since the end of last year, the Huang family has been preventing the God Society from preaching in the Xinwei area.

The God Society and the Huang Family Militia clashed five or six times near the Xinwei Plain, with the Militia usually suffering losses in the end.

Huang Tizheng, that old tyrant, probably wanted to get revenge on Xiao Chaogui and Yang Xiuqing for the losses they suffered at their hands, and treated him like an easy target for the God Society.

Huang Tizheng was a very influential figure in Xunzhou Prefecture. He not only had a close personal relationship with Gu Yuankai, but also had connections with Governor Zheng Zuchen.

Yang Xun was just a minor county magistrate; seeking his help wouldn't solve the problem.

It must be admitted that the Huang family's move was indeed vicious, hitting him where it hurt.

The human heart is like water, so deep that it cannot be known; the people's movements are like smoke, so chaotic that they cannot be predicted.

The eight or nine hundred people around Honglian Village rely on selling charcoal to make a living.

The disruption of charcoal sales channels is tantamount to the severing of the cash flow, making it impossible to convert charcoal into cash and exchange it for grain.

These eight or nine hundred people had become accustomed to selling charcoal to Peng Gang in exchange for grain.

The consequences of running out of food would be unimaginable.

The only good news is that the coal that had been piling up in inventory at the end of last year has been sold, bringing back more than nine hundred taels of silver.

Including the original silver deposits, it can still support the operation of Honglian Village for two months.

The only way to sell the charcoal now is to sell it in small quantities, but that's just too inefficient.

The Huang family isn't stupid; they'll definitely notice if he sells too much and will try to cut off his sales channels.

Peng Gang set his sights on the valuable timber in the mountains: "Wang Dalei, can you find buyers for valuable timbers such as camphor wood, nanmu wood, and sandalwood?"

“It is possible to find them, but the amount of precious timber in the mountains is already small. Every piece sold is one less, and the supply won’t last long.” Wang Dalei had managed the Pingzaishan mountain area when he was still with the Wang family, so he had a rough idea of ​​how much precious timber was in Pingzaishan.

"You keep selling for now, sell as much as you can, and I'll figure out what to do with the rest," Peng Gang instructed Wang Dalei. Then, he led two groups of people and rode north to Mengchong to find Xiao Chaogui and Yang Xiuqing.

Beyond Dachong lies the territory of Xiao Chaogui and Yang Xiuqing.

After seven or eight months of management, the Zijingshan area has been transformed by Xiao Chaogui and Yang Xiuqing into a place with distinctive God Society characteristics.

As we passed through Fulukou, the mountains were still dark, with only a sliver of pale gray visible on the horizon. From near the threshing ground, we could already hear a low, orderly chant with a somewhat strange melody.

Peng Gang looked in the direction of the sound and saw that it was the God's Church members in Fulukou singing hymns in the early morning.

Hundreds of people stood on the threshing ground, their feet on the muddy ground still wet with night dew, wearing faded homespun clothes.

A few members of the congregation were still wearing straw hats. Men and women stood side by side, facing east, their eyes reflecting the rising sun.

Their singing was deep and rhythmic, without any fancy melodies, simple and unadorned.

"The Lord resides in the heavenly court, and all things obey His command..."

"The Holy Son, the Great Lord, has appeared, redeeming all people..."

The hymn concludes with "Amen".

The crowd knelt down in unison, their foreheads touching the ground, and softly murmured, "May the Lord bless us, may the evil spirits be eradicated."

Feng Yunshan began preaching at Zijing Mountain in the 24th year of the Daoguang Emperor's reign, and it has been only five years since then.

God has a strong following among the people of Zijing Mountain.

Qing Yao
Since they had removed Wang Zuoxin as an obstacle and completely controlled Zijing Mountain, Xiao Chaogui and Yang Xiuqing had stopped pretending after Zhang Jiaxiang started his uprising.

After passing through the rolling mountains shrouded in morning mist, we finally arrived at Mengchong.

Wangjiaweibao in Mengchong has now become the headquarters of the God Worshippers Society.

The open space in front of the fortress was trampled into mud, and the air was filled with the smell of straw, soil and sweat.

This place was originally the Wang family's threshing ground, but now it has become the training ground for the God's Society's troops. With money and provisions in hand, Xiao Chaogui and Yang Xiuqing have begun to put their skills to use, conscripting men for full-time military training.

Yang Xiuqing stood on the playground, dressed simply and down-to-earth.

He wore a short gray robe and straw sandals, with a fish-head knife tucked into his waistband. He stood with his hands behind his back, overseeing the assembled congregation.

He wanted to forge and temper this ragtag group of peasants into a divinely ordained army.

"Form three rows!" Yang Xiuqing shouted sharply, his voice like tearing silk. "Drummers, sound the drums!"

His words carried a powerful and commanding presence.

Beside Yang Xiuqing, a group of young men dressed in tattered homespun jackets, holding bamboo spears and wooden knives, staggered across the slippery fields.

These young and middle-aged people were mostly charcoal burners, farmers, porters, hunters, and a very small number of impoverished lower-class intellectuals who had nothing left but their faith.

After half a year of training, this group of commoners from various backgrounds have now begun to learn how to recognize commands by the sound of drums.

"Practice marching! Left foot first, three feet apart!"

As Yang Xiuqing was walking in the procession, he suddenly drew his riding whip from his waist and pointed it at a boy who was a beat slower than usual.

"Are you visiting relatives or going to the market? If you mess things up again, I'll whip you!"

The boy was startled and gritted his teeth to readjust his movements.

In one corner of the training ground, a group of 120 to 130 former mountain heroes were practicing a sword and shield formation under the supervision of Lin Fengxiang.

They lined up in a row facing the straw dummy, holding shields in their left hands and knives in their right, skillfully changing formations to hack at the straw man.

The men led by Lin Fengxiang were menacing and their formation was well-organized; they were clearly elite soldiers from the God Worshippers Society.

Further away, a small squad of firearms soldiers were practicing with cannons and muskets.

Accompanied by the muffled thuds of homemade guns and muskets, sparks flew and gunpowder smoke filled the air.

Loading, firing, and shooting—each step was repeatedly demonstrated to the new recruits by a veteran musketeer.

"Remember!" Yang Xiuqing shouted as she walked through the ranks.

"You are not slaves, but soldiers of the Heavenly Father, an army to punish the traitors on behalf of the Heavenly Father! Your swords are not for intimidation, but for cutting off the heads of the wicked thieves! Behave yourselves and don't embarrass yourselves!"

"Brother Xiuqing is very skilled at training troops." Peng Gang dismounted and walked towards Yang Xiuqing.

Peng Gang wasn't just being polite; the eight or nine hundred soldiers training on the parade ground already had the bearing and presence of an army.

Aside from their inconsistent uniforms and rudimentary weapons, they resembled an army more than any Green Standard Army unit Peng Gang had ever seen.

"The manual you gave me is really useful. I had them practice according to the diagram. It's a blessing for our God Society to have such a capable person like you."

Yang Xiuqing put away his whip and the seriousness on his face, and stepped forward to greet Peng Gang with a warm smile. He glanced curiously at the twenty or so musketeers tying up the horses behind Peng Gang and exclaimed in surprise.

"You have so many cavalrymen?"

Peng Gang couldn't help but chuckle as he pointed to the group of students behind him, covered in mud and bruised: "What kind of cavalry are you? They're all just learning to ride horses, and they fell all the way from Honglian Village to Mengchong."

“Take your time learning. No one is born knowing how to walk. I have a few members here who come from Yunnan caravans. They’ve been riding horses and trading since they were young, and they’re very good at horsemanship. I’ll pick two or three for you later and have them teach your soldiers how to ride.” Yang Xiuqing said as she led Peng Gang into the fortified village.

"That would be wonderful, thank you very much, Brother Xiuqing," Peng Gang said happily.

There aren't many people in Guangxi who are good at riding horses; they're even rarer than drivers were at the beginning of the reform and opening up.

The only person Peng Gang knew who was good at horseback riding was Xie Bin, and he originally planned to hire Xie Bin as his student's riding instructor.

However, Xie Bin had already been transferred by Li Dianyuan to Guixian County to suppress Zhang Jiaxiang before the Lunar New Year, and it was uncertain whether he could return or when he would return.

Peng Gang had no reason to refuse Yang Xiuqing's kind offer.

Upon entering the fortified village, Peng Gang did not see Xiao Chaogui. He turned to Yang Xiuqing and asked, "Is Brother Chaogui not in Mengchong?"

(End of this chapter)