Zhang San, the captain, had just been scolded out when Huang Shi Jie, Huang Master, and Zhang Dingxiang, Captain Zhang, rushed in eagerly.
"Governor, have you heard that someone from the Imperial Commissioner Zhan Chengtang has arrived?"
"Governor, did Zhan Chengtang agree to endorse both myself and Huang Ziying?"
Huang Shi Jie and Zhang Dingxiang have been going crazy these days, trying to gather money and people for their militia. They have disturbed all sorts of places inDaozhou City, including opium dens, gambling parlors, brothels, and commercial firms... no matter how crooked the methods or strong the backing, they have been leading their militia, wielding letters of introduction from Wang Governor.
In short, they are determined to gather as much money as possible, and after this batch, they don't plan to stop.
The group led by Huang Master has also done well in gathering people for their militia. In a short time, the number of militia members has increased from 300 to 1200. Although 200 people were dispatched to protect hundreds of relatives and servants on their way to Changsha, there are still over a thousand left in Daozhou City!
It's Zhang Dingxiang who isn't very successful in persuading Yu Wanqing's former troops to join. The Green Banner troops there are all enlisted, unwilling to join the militia, and in the past two days, more than a dozen of Yu Wanqing's subordinates have returned. One of them is even a lieutenant, which is much higher-ranked than Zhang Dingxiang.
However, a militia of over a thousand people is sufficient. Huang Shi Jie and Zhang Dingxiang both believe that Sai Shang A will definitely recommend them for a higher-ranking official.
But Wang Kuili's words left them feeling disappointed. "Ziying, Captain Zhang... Mr. Huang has already known of your loyalty to the throne. In his letter to me, he praises both of you greatly and says that if we can hold out in Daozhou, he will definitely recommend you for higher positions!"
"Even more so, must we hold onto Daozhou?" Huang Shi Jie's face turned green, "Two thousand elite Green Banner troops under Yu General have been wiped out... how can we possibly hold our ground with only a few of us?"
"F**k it, what kind of imperial commissioner is this? What kind of leading military official? Why are they so confused?" Zhang Dingxiang cursed out loud, "Governor Wang, we can't just follow his orders!"
Wang Kuili quickly waved his hand to stop the two, the militia leader who had started to act arrogant due to having a few more troops, and said, "Calm down, Mr. Huang. Mr. Huang is not unreasonable. He just wants us to hold out in Daozhou for a few days... he has ordered General Xiong and Liu Zongzhen's army of 5000 to come to the rescue in Daozhou. The reinforcements are already on their way, and within five days, Zhang Guoliang's advance guard will arrive!"
"Five days, this..." Huang Shi Jie is slightly moved, it's always good to hold onto Daozhou.
However, Zhang Dingxiang shook his head repeatedly, "Governor Wang, the people in the city are restless these two days, and the rebel army has divided into two forces..."
Wang Kuili saw that Zhang Dingxiang was the only one with the intention of running away, so he sternly spoke in his official tone, "Here is Mr. Huang's handwritten note. Captain Zhang, are you intentionally disobeying orders?"
This responsibility... is that something a captain can shoulder?"
Ah...
Yes, there is a collaboration between the rebels and the Westerners.
Are they that powerful?
Huang Shi Jie and Zhang Dingxiang were both taken aback.
Huang Shi Jie and Zhang Dingxiang both have personal interests in Guangdong and have participated in the First Opium War. They are well aware of the threat posed by the British.
Could it be that the rebels are supported by the British?
The British's guns are formidable. It seems that it's definitely impossible to hold onto Daozhou!
...
Not long ago, Zhang San, the captain, who had just been scolded out of the Daozhou City Hall, had changed into casual clothes and brought two men with him, sweating profusely through the impending storm of Daozhou City. He arrived at an inconspicuous alleyway.
There were already several people with long queue braids at the alley entrance, wearing short jackets and showing off their heavily sun-burned, muscular arms. Their belts were openly carrying two Taiping knives, and their eyes were particularly fierce. It was obvious that they were all tough guys with a reputation for carrying heavy burdens of crime!
However, Zhang San the captain wasn't here to arrest anyone. He simply lifted his thumb up with the rest of his fingers extended, waved them at his chest, and then pulled out a white paper fan. He snapped it open. The few Red Rods immediately parted to create a passage, each bowing and greeting him in turn.
Zhang San snapped the white paper fan shut again with a loud sound, lifted his robe, and hurried into the alley. His few attendants followed closely behind, guarding him as he darted into a rundown courtyard.
There were also many strong men crouching in the courtyard. Seeing Zhang San come in, they all stood up, staring at him with eager eyes. Zhang San quickly scanned the area and muttered, "Where is the vice-secretary?"
One of the men with dragons and tigers tattooed on his arms stepped forward and bowed, "Military advisor, the vice-director is currently having a meeting with the thirty-sixth path sect heads."
Zhang San laughed a few times and walked towards a grand room with tightly closed doors, not knocking but simply pushing open the door and walking in. Inside was an extremely spacious hall with many long benches, on which sat dozens of people, all facing away from the door. At the farthest end of the room was a desk and three chairs facing the door, where Jiao Hong and two buxom women were seated.
There were many candles lit in the hall, but the lighting wasn't very good. Jiao Hong and the two women did not recognize the newcomer, and one of the women shouted loudly, "Clear the Ming and restore the Qing! Motherland is above, fatherland is below. What is the origin of your group?"
Zhang San's voice boomed, "Huang Madam, what time is it? Why are we still adhering to the traditional secret codes and phrases?"
"Is it Captain Zhang?" The woman was taken aback, "Why are you here? Does this mean the government..."
Zhang San walked in big steps, saying on his way, "Wang Kuili that silly official said that the Triads of the Heavenly and Earthly Dynasty are planning to rebel!"
Jiao Hong slapped the table and roared, "He is right! We must rebel!"
The woman called "Huang Madam" also shouted loudly, "That's right! The Taiping Army is about to arrive in Daozhou with tens of thousands of troops... We have gathered all thirty-six path sect heads here. If we don't rebel now, when will we?"
"That's right!" Another woman also slapped the table loudly, shouting fiercely, "Let's go all out. If it fails, we'll just be beheaded, and in 18 years, we will be good men and women again!"
Zhang San had already reached the table, where an "Commander-in-Chief of the Army" flag was originally inserted. Two tall men holding their Quemoui sticks stood in the shadows on either side.
The two women looked very much alike, both in their late twenties, and they were both wearing embroidered red brocade jackets on top, with red pants that were easy to move around in below. They had also applied a little face powder, making them look quite beautiful.
These two were sisters, with the older one named Xu Xianggui, the wife of Jiao Hong, and the younger one named Xu Yueliu, the wife of Hong Daquan. Their father was named Xu Zuochang, like Hong Xiuquan, he was also a literate man who couldn't pass the county examinations. However, Mr. Xu didn't join "Worshiping God," but instead joined the Heavenly and Earthly Society and became a leader of the society in Chenzhou area. His two daughters married Jiao Hong and Jiao Liang (Hong Daquan), which could be considered as a match made in heaven.
Jiao Hong, Jiao Liang (Hong Daquan), Xu Xianggui, Xu Yueliu, and their white paper fan military advisor Zhang San had been planning to welcome the Taiping Army into Hunan and rise in rebellion since the early morning. Jiao Liang (Hong Daquan) personally went to Guangxi to make contact, while the other four were secretly networking with various branches of the Heavenly and Earthly Society in Daozhou, accumulating strength for the uprising.
However, the Heavenly and Earthly Society always tends to be chaotic when they rise in rebellion. All sorts of masters and heads gather together, with everyone talking nonsense. They will not decide to act unless they are discovered by the government and will soon be suppressed.
Zhang San probably felt that the atmosphere in the scene was not tense enough, so he said again, "Huang Madam is right! Wang Kuili, this dirty official, has already ordered the militia camp to capture us... If we don't rebel now, we may be in real danger!"
This caused the "thirty-six path sect heads" in the hall to erupt in chaos.
"They have rebelled, they have rebelled!"
"Rebellions are sure death! Even if we don't rebel, we're still as good as dead... Might as well rebel!"
"They have rebelled... Revere the Qing and restore the Ming!"
"It's not about revering the Qing and restoring the Ming, but welcoming Taiping... killing the clear demons, slaying the mean gentry, opening the city gates to welcome Taiping, and once Taiping arrives, we will redistribute lands!"
Seeing that the moment was right, Xu Yueliu shouted, "Bring up the silver given by Lord Luo, the Angel of Taiping, to our Heavenly and Earthly Society warriors! First, let's divide the silver! Any member of our Heavenly and Earthly Society who joins will receive 3 taels of silver immediately. Once the event is successful, there will be another 3 taels!
