Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 94 Siege and Negotiation

After receiving the news that the Qing army in Guangdong was about to march westward into Guangxi, Li Yi immediately ordered the main force of the Restoration Army to assemble in Teng County and prepare for battle.

On the second day of July in the first year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign in the Qing Dynasty, the main force of the Restoration Army in Xunzhou and Xinyi finally withdrew from the front line and assembled in Teng County.

After the army took a short rest, Li Yi quickly made a decision to march eastward to capture Wuzhou and keep the enemy out of the core territory of the Restoration Army.

The Restoration Army has now begun to carry out land distribution work in Tengxian, Pingnan, Xunzhou and other places, and is trying to establish a foundation.

Li Yiruo didn't want the land division work to fail and all his efforts in farming during this period to go to waste.

Then, he had to keep the Qing army out of his core area, that is, to keep the enemy out.

In order to achieve this goal, Li Yi's best option at the moment is to capture Wuzhou before the main force of the Qing army in Guangdong advances westward, and to build a defense line in Wuzhou and prepare to meet the enemy.

On the fifth day of July, the Restoration Army, under the banner of "expelling the Tartars, restoring China, rebuilding the country, and equalizing land rights," marched eastward along the Xunjiang River in a mighty force.

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, the Restoration Army captured Anping, and on the tenth day, they captured Chishui Market. On the afternoon of the thirteenth day, the vanguard of the Restoration Army had already reached the outskirts of Wuzhou Prefecture.

Along the way, the Qing troops fled at the sight of them.

No one dares to confront us!
On the contrary, it was the local militias that posed certain obstacles to the Restoration Army.

The reason was simple: the news that Li Yi was "fighting the local tyrants and dividing the land" in Cenxi, Tengxian and other places had spread.

Faced with the Restoration Army marching towards Wuzhou with great momentum, the landlords and gentry whose vital interests were affected would naturally stand up and spontaneously make things difficult for the Restoration Army.

But for the Restoration Army, the obstruction of these militias is nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Although the people of Guangxi are tough and their soldiers are of outstanding quality, the gap between the real army and the militia is like an insurmountable chasm.

Not to mention, the soldiers on the Restoration Army side were all allocated land, although since most of them were new recruits, they might be lacking in combat effectiveness.

But morale and fighting spirit are at their highest point.

Dealing with the militia organized by some gentry and wealthy families is naturally not a problem.

Well, it’s just right to use them to gain experience for the new recruits.

Li Yi rode up a small hill outside Wuzhou City and looked at the city not far away with a telescope.

Looking at the Qing army defenders on the city wall who were somewhat panicked, Li Yi's originally heavy mood eased a little.

Taking a deep breath, Li Yi spoke.

"Order our artillery to launch an artillery attack on Wuzhou City."

Upon hearing this, the messenger beside him immediately clasped his fists in response.

Soon, the Restoration Army deployed its troops outside Wuzhou City, set up artillery positions, and prepared for the siege.

Thirty ten-jin cannons were lined up in a row, with the black muzzles aimed towards the direction of Wuzhou City.

These thirty ten-jin cannons are all the siege cannons currently in the hands of the Restoration Army.

Some of them were even transported by water to the front line to participate in the war right after they came off the production line.

It is worth mentioning that after more than two months of development.

As the number of equipment increases, the number of workers grows, and the workers' proficiency in various equipment and production processes improves.

Nowadays, the production capacity of various types of military equipment in the Restoration Army Arsenal has made great progress.

The production capacity of breech-loading rifles increased from 500 per month to 700 per month.

The artillery production capacity increased from 30 guns per month to 40 guns per month.

The gunpowder production capacity increased from 20,000 jin to 40,000 jin.

The production capacity of fixed-load paper shell bullets has also been further increased to 150,000 rounds.

This is still limited by the limited number of craftsmen in the territory currently occupied by the Restoration Army and the shortage of various raw materials.

Otherwise, production capacity can be further improved.

Although this development speed is far slower than the first two months after the arsenal was built, it is still not slow.

The reason why the production capacity of the Restoration Army's arsenal expanded so rapidly in the early stage was mainly because Cenxi was rich in various mineral resources, and there was no shortage of private mines and various small workshops in the area.

There are quite a lot of craftsmen here!
These craftsmen all have skills. After Li Yi recruited them to the arsenal, they only needed a simple training to familiarize themselves with the equipment, and then they could start operating directly.

It’s just that the scrap rate is higher at the beginning.

As you do it more and become more proficient, there won’t be any problem.

However, since Cenxi was drained, it has not been so easy for Li Yi to expand production at the arsenal.

Because, apart from the special case of Cenxi, it was difficult for Li Yi to recruit enough craftsmen whether in Tengxian, Pingnan, or Xunzhou.

Therefore, the expansion speed of the Restoration Army's arsenal slowed down.

But this is not a big problem.

Once Li Yi led his troops to Guangdong and captured Guangzhou, all these problems would naturally be solved.

You know, Foshan at that time was the handicraft center of southern China.

What we have the most is all kinds of craftsmen!

……

boom! Boom boom!

The roar of heavy artillery resounded through the sky.

One shell after another was fired towards the city of Wuzhou.

There were a total of thirty siege cannons, which were divided into three batches and fired in turns to suppress the Wuzhou city with firepower.

The shells landed on the city wall of Wuzhou Prefecture, and cracks were created on the wall. The bricks and stones collapsed and kept falling down.

At the same time, a considerable number of five-jin cannons were also continuously firing and delivering firepower.

Although its power is not as fierce as the ten-jin cannon, it has the advantage of being more numerous, so the firepower is more intensive.

Shells were fired one after another, and soon the walls of Wuzhou City were smashed beyond recognition.

A large amount of bricks and stones fell off, exposing the rammed earth layer inside.

The shells hit the rammed earth layer, and smoke and dust billowed.

The most conspicuous target, the city gate tower, had collapsed under the sound of artillery fire.

The Qing troops on the city wall were obviously in a panic.

……

In Wuzhou City, there is a large house in Zhangjia Alley in the west of the city.

On the plaque of the mansion are two large gold-plated characters, "Zhang Mansion".

In the secret room of Zhang's house, Li Liang was sitting on a chair with his legs crossed, and opposite him, Zhang Erhe, the leader of the Wuzhou Tiandihui, was holding a teacup and sipping tea.

A horse's face was full of confusion and hesitation.

"My Restoration Army has now arrived outside Wuzhou City. The recovery of Wuzhou is just around the corner. Now is not the time to hesitate."

"Whether to support the army in attacking the city and achieve this unprecedented feat, Brother Zhang should make plans early."

Li Liang tapped the table lightly and tried to persuade him earnestly.

Zhang Erhe heard this, sipped the tea in his cup, and said with a conflicted look on his face.

"Logically speaking, we are all brothers in the fight against the Qing Dynasty. It is only right for our Tiandihui to lend a hand when your army attacks the city."

"I just wonder if your army is going to distribute the land in Wuzhou after it captures it?"

The reason why Zhang Erhe asked this was because the leaders of the various gangs under him, including himself, were all wealthy and naturally had a lot of land.

If the Restoration Army wanted to distribute their land to the poor after conquering Wuzhou, this was something they could not accept. It was also because of this that Zhang Erhe was quite hesitant about whether to support the Restoration Army's siege from inside the city.

Upon hearing this, Li Liang spoke directly.

"The land must be divided."

"Equal land rights, this is the slogan of our Restoration Army, the guiding principle of our army, and the code of conduct."

"Wuzhou is no exception!"

Upon hearing this, the expression on Zhang Erhe's face instantly turned cold, and there was even murderous intent in his eyes as he looked at Li Liang.

Your Restoration Army is fighting against the Qing Dynasty, I can help you!

After all, the Tiandihui has been shouting the slogan of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty and restoring the Ming Dynasty for so many years. After shouting it for such a long time, they naturally have a certain liking for the anti-Qing forces.

However, I have a good impression of you, but if you want to divide my land, that’s definitely not possible.

If the Restoration Army insisted on dividing their land after conquering Wuzhou, then Zhang Erhe would have no choice but to gather people and assist the government in defending the city against the thieves!
Well, although Zhang Erhe is the leader of the Tiandihui, this does not prevent him from being a loyal official of the Qing Dynasty.

There is no contradiction between the two.

When the Tiandihui was first established, it may have really had beliefs and ideals, and its goal was truly to overthrow the Qing Dynasty, and there were countless people of noble character and lofty ideals willing to sacrifice and fight for it.

However, time is enough to change everything.

After two hundred years of evolution, the Tiandihui has long since changed.

For the Tiandihui, anti-Qing had become a mere slogan.

There are even people who have begun to collude with the government and act as its white gloves, relying on oppressing the good to make profits for themselves.

In the eyes of these people, their own interests always come first.

Of course, there are all kinds of birds in a big forest.

There is no shortage of bad people in the Tiandihui who collude with the government and make profits by oppressing the good, but naturally there are also heroes who truly have anti-Qing ideals and are willing to fight for them.

It’s just that Zhang Erhe happens to be the former.

Just as Zhang Erhe was about to smash the cup as a signal to have the executioners rush forward and chop down the man in front of him, Li Liang continued.

"What? You want to do something to me?"

"Master Zhang, please consider the consequences."

"The main force of our Restoration Army is now gathering outside Wuzhou City. There are hundreds of artillery pieces with the army. It is only a matter of time before Wuzhou changes hands."

"If Master Zhang moves me now, when my Restoration Army breaks into the city, I'm afraid Master Zhang won't be able to bear the consequences."

As soon as Li Liang finished speaking, the artillery of the Restoration Army outside Wuzhou City began firing and bombarded the city.

The rumbling sound of artillery fire was as dense as drumbeats, reaching directly into the city.

Li Liang pointed outside and said.

"Did you hear that? This is the artillery of our Restoration Army firing."

Zhang Erhe took a deep breath, forced a smile on his face and said.

"It is fine to divide the land. The gentry and landlords in Wuzhou are so greedy and cruel that I have long been fed up with them."

"It would be great if your army could act on behalf of the people and punish these landlords and gentry."

"However, our Tiandihui and your army are allies after all. When it comes to dividing the land, can you show some leniency to our Tiandihui?"

After complimenting Li Liang for a while, Zhang Erhe stated his request.

He was still unwilling to give up his thousands of acres of fertile land!
After hearing this, Li Liang thought for a while and then spoke.

"Since Xiangzhu Zhang has spoken, I can't afford to offend Xiangzhu."

"When our Restoration Army distributed land in Cenxi and other places before, we also showed leniency to the enlightened gentry and gave them a quota of 200 acres of land. Only land exceeding this quota would be redeemed by the Governor's Office and then distributed."

"How about this, since we are all comrades in the fight against the Qing Dynasty, I can apply to the Grand Commander to grant you 300 acres of land."

"As long as it does not exceed this amount, it will be fine."

"For amounts exceeding this amount, the Grand Commandery will redeem them. What do you think, Master Xiang?"

Zhang Erhe heard this and said after pondering for a while.

"Five hundred acres!"

"I want a quota of 500 acres. 300 acres is too little."

Although Zhang Erhe was also a landlord, he made his fortune by relying on the Tiandihui's network to engage in smuggling and selling opium.

As for land, due to the small size and dense population of Guangxi, he actually only has about 1,000 acres of land.

If he could keep half of them and the Restoration Army could buy out the remaining half instead of robbing them, it would be acceptable to him.

Upon hearing this, Li Liang knew that Zhang Erhe was actually ready to give in, and he shook his head expressionlessly.

"Four hundred acres at most."

"Unless you have made sufficient military achievements, the generals in my Restoration Army will also receive this amount. No more."

In order to limit land annexation, Li Yi directly made restrictions at the policy level after dividing the land, stipulating that the maximum amount of land each household could own was 200 acres.

If the land exceeds this limit, the Governor's Office will forcibly redeem it and then distribute it to landless or land-poor farmers for cultivation.

Of course, this quota is limited to ordinary landlords and gentry.

Li Yi is going to relax the quota within the Restoration Army a lot.

Li Yi allocated 400 acres of land to the officers of the Restoration Army.

Of course, this is not absolute. If you have made military achievements, you can also use them to increase the quota and obtain more land.

It is almost a variation of the military merit system.

Only by making military achievements can you legally occupy more land, thereby motivating the Restoration Army to fight bravely on the battlefield.

And external expansion...

Zhang Erhe opened his mouth when he heard this, but after hearing the rumbling sound of artillery fire outside, he nodded and said.

"Okay, 400 acres is 400 acres!"

"As the leader of the Tiandihui, Zhang should remember the teachings of his ancestors and take it as his duty to fight against the Qing Dynasty. He should accept the loss and not argue with your army over such matters."

Li Liang heard this and said with a smile.

"Master Zhang is so righteous!"

He knew that Zhang Erhe was a bad person.

However, no matter how bad Zhang Erhe was, he was still a member of the Tiandihui.

It would be easy for the Restoration Army to kill him, but how would they explain this to the Tiandihui afterwards?

Now there is very close cooperation between the Restoration Army and the Tiandihui.

In addition to buying intelligence from the Tiandihui, the Restoration Army also smuggled much of the saltpeter, sulfur, cloth, medicine, food, iron and other materials needed for the army's expansion through the Tiandihui.

Even if it is to maintain the relationship with the Tiandihui, Zhang Erhe cannot be killed.

Not only should you not kill him, you should also treat him kindly.

This is also the reason why Li Yi sent Li Liang to risk his life to enter Wuzhou and contact the Wuzhou Tiandihui before the Guangfu Army attacked the city...

……

PS: I would like to recommend a book by my friend, "Anti-Qing 1850", which is also about anti-Qing literature. Interested readers can go and take a look.

(End of this chapter)