Chapter 292: Group Training

Liang Yao received these local Guangzhou merchants at Xiangshan Camp.

The Wu family and the Pan family, who were the first to arrive in California, both benefited from the California Gold Rush, and their financial situation gradually improved as a result.

In addition to the gradually improving financial situation, the two families also have another option to choose, without having to tie the entire family to the dead tree of the Qing Dynasty.

Although the merchants from Guangzhou who arrived later did not eat meat, they at least got a share of the pie.

Those timid and cautious merchants who were still waiting and watching, but did not enter the market, became increasingly restless in their hearts.

During the banquet, there were many businessmen from Guangzhou, even those from Guangxi who had been waiting for a long time to ask Liang Yao about California matters.

Liang Yao naturally welcomes these potential wealthy and high-quality immigrants.

Although three years have passed since he ran California, and California has the most basic industries, in general, California is still in its infancy.

The most lacking talents and funds in the start-up stage are opportunities.

Liang Yao noticed that Pan Zhengwei, Wu Yuanhua and others still looked worried.

It seems that the contrast between the Qing Dynasty and the United States caused them to fall into deep conflicts.

On the one hand, many of them have become naturalized citizens of the United States. On the other hand, they have strong feelings about their country and cannot let go of their concern for their motherland. I hope I can do something within my power to change the current situation in my hometown.

After the banquet dispersed, Liang Yao walked out of the warm spring-like military tent, blowing the cold and wet wind in December in Lingnan.

The winter in Xiangshan in the mid-19th century gave him the most intuitive feeling that it was just like the world, very cold, at least much colder than the winter in Xiangshan in the early 21st century.

Pan Zhengwei knocked the long cigarette stick hanging the cigarette bag against the stone twice, then stuffed a ball of tobacco leaves and pressed it tightly. He took out a box of safety matches from his cuffs and struck three or four matches before successfully lighting the tobacco leaves. .

After the tobacco leaf was lit, Pan Zhengwei took several puffs to make his head clearer.

"What you said to me at the beginning of the year was right. You can never wake up a person who is pretending to sleep. I really regret not listening to you. I almost lost my head in the capital."

The trip to the capital made Pan Zhengwei completely lose hope in this zombie-like court.

"It's the Manchu dignitaries who are pretending to sleep. Not all Chinese people pretend to sleep. Ting Yu, you didn't pretend to sleep." Liang Yao looked up at the deep starry sky, "Since those who pretend to sleep don't want to get up, let them sleep forever. "

The dark night is dotted with countless bright stars. This is the clear and pure starry sky of the agricultural era. In urban San Francisco, California, it was hard to see such a clear and clean starry sky when Liang Yao left San Francisco in the summer.

"I will discuss with the merchants in Guangzhou to raise some silver coins for Hong Junmen to purchase arms."

Pan Shicheng found a secluded place to urinate and came back. Seeing that Liang Yao, Pan Zhengwei, Wu Shangrong, and Wu Yuanhua were all there, he stepped forward and said.

Pan Shicheng is now the general manager of Guangzhou Thirteenth Bank, and he still has this ability.

The Guangzhou merchants who had already taken root in California had a good relationship with Liang Yao. It could be said that they did not dare to offend Liang Yao, so they were still willing to pay for the small amount of money to buy arms.

Guangzhou merchants who had not taken root in California also showed a strong interest in California. They were willing to pay some money as a way to promote friendship with Liang Yao.

Pan Shicheng also knew that California's arms industry was in the hands of Liang Yao, and the money they paid eventually flowed into Liang Yao's pocket.

"It is better to spend a small amount of money to buy arms and strengthen Guangdong's coastal defense than to spend a lot of money to redeem the city from the British and bear the court's share of indemnity if the city of Guangzhou is destroyed."

Wu Shangrong also agreed to raise some military expenditures for the Guangdong authorities to enhance the strength of the Guangzhou garrison.

In the 21st year of Daoguang (1841), the city of Guangzhou was captured by the British army. The imperial envoy Yishan, who succeeded Lin Zexu, was worried about Emperor Daoguang's conviction. In order to get back the city of Guangzhou, he secretly signed an armistice agreement with the British plenipotentiary Yilu.

The British agreed to withdraw from Guangzhou City on the condition that Yishan paid a city redemption fee of 6 million silver dollars and compensated the British businessmen for losses of 300,000 taels of silver dollars, and the money must be paid within seven days.

If the full payment of 6 million silver dollars is not made within seven days, an additional payment of 7 million silver dollars will be required. If the payment cannot be made within fourteen days, an additional amount of 8 million silver dollars will be required. If the payment cannot be made within twenty days, an additional amount of 9 million silver dollars will be required.

Naturally, Yishan couldn't afford the money, so he set his sights on the merchants of the Thirteenth Bank of Guangzhou. Anyway, these merchants were all the money bags of the imperial court.

The merchants of the Thirteenth Bank of Guangzhou ultimately borne one-third of the city redemption fee. The Wu family alone paid 1.1 million silver dollars in city redemption fees.

Of course, this was just the beginning. The compensation from the subsequent Jiangning Treaty, that is, the Treaty of Nanjing, was also allocated to Guangzhou Hongshang.

The heavy burden of compensation and donations was the most direct reason for the rapid decline of the Guangzhou Thirteenth Bank.

Ironically, by using such humiliating means to redeem the city of Guangzhou, Yishan, the imperial envoy of the royal family, not only did not feel ashamed, but instead reported the victory to the court to claim credit, brazenly claiming that he had recovered the city of Guangzhou.

This further caused the Qing court to misjudge the form of war, believing that the advantage lay with us, and rejected the British request for peace talks. Seeing that the Qing government refused to surrender, the British army continued their march north, plundering the coasts of Jiangsu and Zhejiang until they captured Zhenjiang, a strategic point on the canal.

"Mr. Liang, do you think the British will stir up trouble again?"

Wu Yuanhua can be said to have PTSD about the indemnity. Although the Wu family is rich, they can't stand such a toss.

After enjoying a rare sense of security in California, Wu Yuanhua was unwilling to be an honest worker in the Emperor's South Treasury. No matter how much money there is in the Emperor's South Treasury, it belongs to the emperor, not himself.

"That depends on how the old British goods are sold in the Qing Dynasty." Liang Yao did not directly answer Wu Yuanhua's question.

The four looked at each other in silence, and their faces became more and more ugly.

They already had the answer in their hearts. The Thirteen Hongs in Guangzhou also did business with the British East India Company, and many of the goods of the British East India Company were handled by them.

They knew very well how the old British goods were sold in the Qing Dynasty. Except for opium, the sales data of other products of the British East India Company in China were very bleak.

In other words, the British goal of the First Opium War was not achieved, and the performance of the Chinese market was far from the British expectations.

The war twelve years ago seemed to be over, but in fact, the war between Great Britain and the Qing Dynasty had just begun.

"There are long-haired bandits rebelling inside, and the British tigers are eyeing outside. It is really a troubled time." Pan Shicheng sighed.

Pan Shicheng, who has been dealing with the British since he was a child, knows the nature of the British very well. The British are greedy, hypocritical, and profit-seeking. They are completely capable of doing such things.

Pan Shicheng believes that Liang Yao's judgment is correct. As for Wu Yuanhua and Pan Zhengwei, they saw with their own eyes how Liang Yao gained a foothold in the United States. They also believe in Liang Yao's judgment and grasp of the current situation.

"Why is Mr. Pan worried? There are many things in troubled times, but there are also more opportunities."

Liang Yao retracted his gaze from the starry sky and said to Pan Shicheng.

Pan Shicheng is an outlier among Guangzhou merchants. Compared with other Guangzhou merchants, Pan Shicheng has a stronger interest in politics.

This is also due to the family tradition of the Pan family. Although Pan Qi, the founder of the Pan family, was born in the grassroots, he attached great importance to the education of his descendants after he became rich.

In the second generation, Pan Qi's second son, Pan Youwei, the second uncle of Pan Zhengwei, was very proud to pass the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, which opened the way for the Pan family to be both an official and a businessman.

If the Pan family were asked to choose between being an official and a businessman, they would choose being an official without hesitation.

During the period of the second-generation head Pan Youdu, the Pan family wanted to give up business several times and even stopped running Tongfuhang, completely losing the identity of the Pan family as a merchant family and completely integrating into the scholar-official group.

But the court was unwilling to give up the Pan family's cash cow, so the Pan family could only bite the bullet and continue to run Tongfuhang.

Since Pan Shicheng was interested in politics, he was not stingy to give Pan Shicheng some advice.

"Please give me some advice, Mr. Liang." Pan Shicheng bowed to Liang Yao.

"I have heard a little about the Changmao Rebellion. I heard that this group of bandits is extraordinary and is particularly good at winning people's hearts. There are also many people who are good at using troops under the command of the bandit leader Hong Xiuquan. At present, the Changmao Rebellion can be said to be unstoppable in Hunan, and it is said that there are millions of them." Liang Yao said slowly.

"Millions of people may be bluffing, but I think there are still hundreds of thousands of young and strong people." Pan Shicheng said.

"General Pan, do you think that the court can suppress the Changmao Rebellion relying on the Eight Banners and the Green Camp alone?" Liang Yao asked knowingly.

"Ahem, the Eight Banners were already useless during the reign of Emperor Kangxi. As for the Green Camp, it was difficult to suppress the White Lotus Sect during the reign of Emperor Qianlong. This time, the Changmao Rebellion is much more fierce than the White Lotus Sect. In my opinion, it is difficult to rely on the Green Camp to suppress the Changmao Rebellion." Pan Shicheng shook his head and said.

It seems that Pan Shicheng is quite insightful. Liang Yao is satisfied with Pan Shicheng's answer. This Pan Shicheng is worth his advice.

"The Eight Banners and Green Camp are useless, and the Taiping rebels have to be suppressed. The court has no money now, so the court will definitely allow local militias to be trained in the end." Liang Yao said to Pan Shicheng meaningfully.

In fact, in November, Emperor Xianfeng issued an order to allow local militias to be trained to prevent Taiping rebels, but Guangzhou was far away from the capital, and Emperor Xianfeng's order had not yet reached Guangzhou.

"You mean, let me organize militias?" Pan Shicheng reacted quickly.

"The Qing Dynasty has been established for two hundred years, and Han officials have never been able to raise their heads in the court, all because Han officials have no military power. Taiping rebels are rebellious, and the Eight Banners and Green Camp are useless. If the court encourages local militias, isn't this a great opportunity for Han officials to regain military power?" Liang Yao persuaded.

"General Pan is a wealthy man with strong financial resources, so there is no need to elaborate. There are many refugees in Guangdong and Guangxi, so there is no need to worry about the problem of military resources. The arsenal in California can provide General Pan with guns and even warships. This is a good opportunity given to General Pan by God."

Tuanlian has existed since ancient times and can be understood as the militia in ancient China.

During the reigns of Emperor Qianlong and Emperor Jiaqing, local militia was used extensively because the weak Eight Banners and Green Camp could not suppress the White Lotus Rebellion.

However, although the Qing Dynasty allowed local militia to assist the Eight Banners and Green Camp in combat, it had strict restrictions on the scale of local militia and combat in other places.

This is why although local militia was organized during the reigns of Emperor Qianlong and Emperor Jiaqing, it did not eventually develop into a local separatist force during the reigns of Emperor Qianlong and Emperor Jiaqing.

This situation was not broken until the emergence of Zeng Guofan's Hunan Army. At first, the court was also very wary of Zeng Guofan's Hunan Army.

Zeng Guofan was a minister in the imperial court, but he was still an ordinary man. If an ordinary man in the neighborhood called for help, more than ten thousand people would rise up and follow him. This is probably not a blessing for the country! This was the general mentality of the people in power in the capital when the Hunan Army first showed its strength.

Emperor Xianfeng was certainly aware of this, but there was no other way. The Eight Banners and the Green Camp were really useless. In order to quell the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Emperor Xianfeng had to use the Hunan Army and allow the Hunan Army to fight in Hunan, so that the Hunan Army could be transformed from a local militia into a regular army.

Although they were used, the Manchu high-level officials were always on guard against the Hunan Army, and they would cut off the Hunan Army's food and wages every now and then to pressure the Hunan Army.

The Hunan Army's food and wages only came from the lijin collected by setting up checkpoints, extorting local gentry, looting on the spot, and even massacring the city.

The brutality of the Hunan Army's massacre made an outstanding contribution to the family planning of the Qing Dynasty.

There is no specific data on how many people died in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement, and there are claims ranging from 10 million to hundreds of millions.

Even if we estimate it very conservatively, the number of people who died directly or indirectly must have reached tens of millions, while the total population of the United States at the same time was only more than 20 million.

It is undeniable that the sharp decline in China's population during the Xiantong period was caused by the Taiping Army, the Hunan Army, the Eight Banners, the Green Camp, local militia, and the Twisted Army.

However, the Hunan Army, as the mainstay of the Qing Dynasty during the Xiantong period, had the widest combat range and the most records of massacres. It was definitely the most sinful of these forces. Zeng Shave Head was not in vain.

Compared with Zeng Guofan, Sherman, who was known as the Butcher of the North and killed the Southern Confederacy directly, and even the North itself could not stand it, could be regarded as a great good man.

After listening to Liang Yao's speech, Pan Shicheng was moved, but he was still hesitant and could not make up his mind.

"The court has strict restrictions on the number of militias and their garrisons. The Changmao bandits have at least hundreds of thousands of young and strong men. What use can hundreds or thousands of militias be?"

Pan Shicheng also had his own concerns. At present, the Changmao bandits have a great momentum to sweep across the southeast, and governors and governors from all over the country are avoiding them. Everyone is not stupid. They all know that the Eight Banners and Green Camps stationed in various places are useless. No one is willing to be the first to come forward to suppress the Taiping rebels.

Of course, Pan Shicheng also understands that it is precisely because no one is willing to be the first to come forward that officials like him who come from a merchant family have the opportunity to command the army.

"I don't think so. It's not the number of soldiers that matters, but the quality. The troops I sent to Japan were only two regiments with more than 2,000 people. We still defeated tens of thousands of elite soldiers of the shogunate and forced the Tokugawa shogunate to sign a treaty in Edo Castle." Liang Yao said, "Besides, if the court is anxious, it may not be unwilling to relax the scale of militia training."

"Mr. Liang, I heard that the mercenary system is very popular in Western countries. Can we directly hire the California Infantry Regiment for militia training?" Pan Zhengwei's eyes lit up and he expressed his idea.

"The California Infantry Regiment is under the Ministry of the Army. How can it be hired at will? If it is hired, how can I explain to the Ministry of the Army?" Liang Yao rejected Pan Zhengwei's proposal.

The California Infantry Regiment was his most trusted unit, and he would never hire them out easily. He needed a strong army to ensure his absolute control over California.

Moreover, the issue of Mexico's land purchase was still pending, and he also needed a strong army to maintain the border security of California.

"I didn't think it through." Pan Zhengwei also felt that his proposal was too rash.

"But I can form a teaching team to help General Pan practice militia. If the militia is practiced, General Pan can be a minister of the Qing Dynasty's revival, or he can rule a region. No matter how the history of the Qing Dynasty is compiled, General Pan's contribution is indispensable." Liang Yao continued to fan the flames.

"Only when you have a strong army, your money is yours. Otherwise, no matter how much money you accumulate, it will be useless. Sooner or later, the court will suck it out of you."

Liang Yao could say such a treasonous word, and Pan Shicheng and others were not surprised at all. Liang Yao had bluntly called Emperor Xianfeng the old emperor before.

Liang Yao's words also touched their sore spots.

No matter whether it is the Pan family or the Wu family, even if they are the richest in the world, what can they do? They are just the emperor's southern treasury. To say that they are lambs to be slaughtered is to flatter them.

Lambs need to be fattened before being killed, but as long as you want, you can reach into the money bag at any time and anywhere.

"It's a big deal. Let me think about it again." Pan Shicheng, who was entangled in his heart, struggled with the rosary in his hand, and his thumb quickly moved the smooth rosary.

Seeing Pan Shicheng's attitude, Liang Yao knew that Pan Shicheng had his own ideas.

"This world is the world of the Manchus, not the world of the Han people. This world is the world of the Manchu nobles and scholars, not the world of merchants and common people."

Liang Yao turned around and walked towards the direction of his residence, speaking out his treasonous words.