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Volume 1: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 289: The Dilemma of the Hunan Army

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    After returning to the back hall and sitting down, Hai Tingchen ordered the servant to change the refreshments. The tea that was replaced was steaming. Hai Tingchen said with a smile: "Junmen, Yuanfu, come and try this Yunfeng Maojian.  There are only these last few taels left.¡±

    Zeng Guoquan looked hesitant and refused to drink the tea. He waved his hand and said: "Hai Gong, we have been drinking this tea for a long time. When we talk about this matter today, you have to make it clear no matter what. The squires and elders in Xiangxiang City  We finally collected tens of thousands of taels of silver, but you can't raise them all to Yiyang. We Xiangxiang soldiers are all waiting for this money to be paid."

    Hai Tingchen put down the tea cup and smiled lightly, then sighed softly and said: "Yuanfu, I know the difficulties of the Vice Minister, but it is difficult for me to be a good person when I am caught between the Governor and the Vice Minister. According to the rules, Xiang Yong  The money and food are all raised by oneself, and the money and food in my county government must be supplied to the army. From last year to now, my Xiangxiang area still owes more than 100,000 taels of silver. The governor is also pressing for money and food. You  I want this too, there are people asking for money everywhere, but I only care about this three-acre land, where can I turn it into money?"

    Ronglu was minding his own business while sipping tea. Next to him sat Cheng'en and Zabudonak, both of whom were drinking contentedly. Apparently they had seen too much of this kind of lawsuit.

    But while Ronglu was drinking tea, his mind was spinning rapidly.  It seems that the Hunan Army today is much more miserable than in history. In the early days of the Hunan Army, most of the military expenses and food supplies came from the sale of official and academic titles, that is, donations from officials and gentry, and a small part came from the governor's office or the court's appropriation.  The biggest feature of this source of military expenditure is that it is unstable. Therefore, in history, it was common for the Hunan Army to be in arrears of pay or to receive half pay in the early stages.  But it's not like this, where I can't even eat anymore.

    After thinking about it, Ronglu already knew where his mistake was. His old friend of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had conquered Changsha. In addition, places east of the Xiangjiang River such as Hengyang, Xiangyin, Yueyang and other places were all in the hands of the Taiping Army.  It can be said that most of the wealthy areas in Hunan were lost.  However, the Hunan Army in history was formed by raising money and food in Changsha. The current Hunan Army lacks the rich places such as Changsha and Hengyang, so it is not surprising that it lacks money and food.  Although Zeng Guofan, Guo Songtao, Luo Zenan and others also had some wealth, it was still very difficult to supply thousands of Xiangyong to fight.  It can be said that the Hunan Army has encountered the biggest problem at present, and that is the source of money and food. If there is no money and food, let alone sending troops to fight the Taiping Army, one day the Xiangyong Army may just disperse.

    Zeng Guoquan gritted his teeth and said in a low voice: "Hai Gong, don't spend even a dime. We don't want more of the 80,000 taels of silver raised by the gentry in Xiangxiang city. You can allocate 30,000 taels and let Xiang Yong respond for a while."  After breaking through Changsha, I will have a lot of money to pay you back."

    Hai Tingchen laughed dumbly and said: "Zeng Laojiu, Zeng Laojiu, what Xiangxiang is recruiting is an official photo issued by the imperial court. What does it do to you, Xiangyong? This is worse than the governor of Yinzi. He has personally intervened and is going to be transferred to Yiyang.  It¡¯s very useful. Not a penny less. Besides, we are not a small business among the people. Is there anyone who can bargain? Break Changsha? Humph, just with the four or five thousand people of Xiangyong, they can break Changsha¡¯s two  Wan Changmao?"

    Zeng Guoquan doesn¡¯t have a good temper. When he arrived, Zeng Guofan had repeatedly told him to be cautious but to be patient. However, Hai Tingchen had been going around with him for a long time in the morning without giving him a clear answer. Now, Hai Tingchen robbed him of his innocence.  Zeng Guoquan couldn't bear it any longer, and immediately slapped the table, causing the tea and pastries on the table to jump up and down, "Hai Gong. I, Zeng Laojiu, have thousands of brothers who all have to eat. If there is nothing to eat, let's slap him twice."  Scattered, if Changmao comes over, everyone will just die in a pile here!" Then Zeng Guoquan looked at Ronglu with wide eyes and said: "Rongjunmen, since the imperial court has appointed you as the minister to co-organize the group training, please give me a message  Bar."

    Hai Tingchen was startled by Zeng Guoquan. Ronglu slowly put down his tea cup and smiled, thinking that although Zeng Guoquan was a well-educated person, his temper was not much different from that of people in the market. He waved his hand and said: "Yuan  Brother Fu, please sit down first. Let's talk slowly. You are also a Gongsheng student after all, so you can't be so angry when something happens. Mr. Hai just told the truth. I haven't spoken yet, so you don't have to worry."

    Zeng Guoquan slowly calmed down at this time. Although he was helping his brother in charge of Xiangyong and was born in Gongsheng, he did not have an official position yet. The two people in front of him were both imperial officials. He lost his dignity by showing his teeth and claws.  Sit down.

    Rong Lu looked at Zeng Guoquan and said: "Since I am the minister appointed by the imperial court to co-organize the group training, I and the minister who is assisting the group training, Mr. Zeng, are naturally one and the same. They will both be prosperous and suffer losses. Naturally, I will take Xiang Yong's affairs to heart.  Now that Xiangyong is starting up, it costs money everywhere. I heard that Zeng Gong sold a lot of his family property to meet the needs of the army, which really makes us ashamed."

    After hearing this, Zeng Guoquan's face gradually became better, and Ronglu continued: "Brother Yuanfu, I am new here. After I finish discussing official matters with Mr. Hai, I will naturally go to Hunan."  Yongying pays a visit to the Vice Minister. Don't worry. I will definitely give you an explanation regarding Xiangyong's money and food. You go back first and bring a message to Zeng.Sir, Ronglu will come to visit you later.  "

    Zeng Guoquan stood up dejectedly and bowed his hands, but said rudely: "Rongjunmen, today I, Zeng Laojiu, will listen to you and go back first, but I hope you won't keep your words." After that, he turned around and left.  go.

    Cheng En, who was beside Ronglu, was furious. He stood up and pointed at Zeng Guoquan's back and said, "Damn, what kind of birdman is this?"

    Hai Tingchen hurriedly advised: "Three adults, please don't blame me. Zeng Laojiu has this temper. He is a bit more straightforward, but he doesn't have any bad intentions."

    Ronglu smiled and waved his hands and said: "No problem, I can see that he is really anxious." Following Ronglu, he looked at Hai Tingchen and asked: "Is Xiangyong really embarrassed about money and food? I have arrived in Yiyang.  I met Zhang Futai, but he didn¡¯t mention this matter.¡±

    Hai Tingchen sighed softly and said: "Speaking of the brave men from Xiang, last year they attacked Xiangxiang. If they hadn't fought desperately, Xiangxiang would not have been saved. The lower officials appreciate their feelings. Fortunately, it was Shilang Zeng.  If we try our best to maintain it, the Green Camp soldiers and the Eight Banners soldiers nearby would have started to make a fuss if they had not been paid for a month. Zeng Shilang's Xiangyong had not been paid for four or five months, but he could still suppress it. The lower official still admired Zeng Shilang  Yes. If it weren¡¯t for Mr. Futai¡¯s order, Xianguan wouldn¡¯t have given much help to Xiangyong. Unfortunately, the land under Xianguan¡¯s charge is not rich either, so he has more than enough ambition but not enough energy.¡±

    Ronglu smiled faintly and said thoughtfully: "How much have the local squires donated?"

    Hai Tingchen sighed and said: "Most of the rich lands in Hunan are occupied by Changmao, and the remaining lands in western Hunan are not very rich. Just like our land in Xiangxiang, last year there were several waves of Xiangyong and Lvying from other provinces.  People and horses, the local squires have donated more than ten times. I heard that Tao Shutao's family has donated more than ten times. The family has no money for a long time, let alone other wealthy squires. This time, eighty percent of the donations were received.  It¡¯s really shameful to say that my official brought people to the door to force him to donate. The imperial court didn¡¯t have much money to allocate, and even if it did allocate money, it would be treasure money that no one dared to use. Even Futai Master didn¡¯t dare to pay.  . The military and political expenses of a province all depend on this little money, how can this be enough?"

    Hai Tingchen went on to talk about Xiangyong's lack of money and food. It turned out that apart from the fact that the Hunan area controlled by the Qing army was not very prosperous, from last year to this year, the Qing army and the Taiping army had been fighting fiercely in Hunan. The Qing army came  There are several waves of people from all over the country, and local team training is also organized. Every time, all kinds of donations are overwhelmed. Even the powerful local Tao Shutao family can't support it, let alone other wealthy squire families?  Xiangdi gives people the feeling of fishing in a dry land, and I am afraid that there will be no more oil and water to squeeze out.

    When this happened, Zeng Guofan had no choice but to promise that the owed wages would be paid. Xiangyong was mostly recruited by Zeng Guofan's clan, friends, and teachers, and most of them were fellow villagers. Everyone also trusted Marshal Zeng.  So it's pretty passable.  Slowly, Zeng Guofan discovered that these arrears had almost turned into deposits for soldiers.  A soldier who has paid a deposit has to think twice when he wants to escape.  In addition, this deposit has a greater effect. When he retires from the army, he will be able to get a considerable amount of cash at once, which can be used as capital to make a living after he returns to his hometown, so as not to create a large number of people who will only kill people in the village.  Refugees who were unable to produce were greatly beneficial to the stability of the countryside after the war.  Therefore, the Hunan Army later simply stipulated that only half of the soldiers' pay would be paid, and the other half of the soldiers' pay would be deposited in the "public office".

    Rong Lu hummed and said: "The matter of money and food is nothing more than increasing revenue and reducing expenditure. The current war is about motivating the soldiers. It is absolutely impossible to reduce expenditure. Then we should think more about how to increase revenue. I am in Jiangbei.  We also encountered this shortage of money and food when we were in the camp. Then we thought of a twist and came up with a method of levying taxes. Now it is quite effective in central Jiangsu and northern Jiangsu. This time when I came to Hunan, the imperial court also issued a tax  According to the decree, all localities should follow the example of the Soviet Union in raising wages."

    Hai Tingchen snorted and said: "I have also read the Di newspaper, and it is true that you can get a lot of money with your money-making strategy, but our land in Xiangxiang is close to Changsha, and we often have fierce battles with long-haired bandits, and there are not many merchants.  I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be enough.¡±

    Ronglu smiled slightly and said: "Methods are dead, but people are alive. We will slowly come up with a plan if we plan slowly. I am here to pay a visit to Mr. Hai, and to see the landforms of Xiangxiang."  , then I will counterattack Changmao, which will probably be launched from Xiangxiang, and I also ask Mr. Hai to give you more help when the time comes."

    Hai Tingchen didn't quite believe that the man in front of him had reached the position of commander-in-chief when he was less than twenty years old. Although he heard that he had suppressed the bandits in Shanghai and had contributed to the strategy of offering gold, the Jiangbei camp in front was breached, and he was still  He turned the tide and saved Yangzhou, but in Hai Tingchen's opinion, Ronglu was able to reach a high position at such an early age, mostly because of the shadow of his father and grandfather, and also because he was a Manchu.  At this moment, I heard Ronglu said that he would counterattack Changmao, and he really didn't believe it. "There are tens of thousands of Changmao soldiers in Changsha, Hengyang, Xiangyin, and Yueyang, and there are boat divisions to support them. The Rongjunmen can't be careless."

    Ronglu smiled slightly and said: "At the end of the long-haired thief's crossbow, Lai Hanying is not an all-round general. He still has some abilities."It's a big flaw. I'll see if I can defeat the enemy later.  Mr. Hai just needs to prepare his manpower, warehouses, and camps, and then my officers and soldiers will arrive.  After saying that, he stood up and said goodbye: "All the necessary requirements are stated in the official document. I also ask Mr. Hai to handle the errands as soon as possible. I will go to Xiangyong Camp to see Mr. Zeng now."  "(To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature, the novels will be better and updated faster!
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