Chapter 211: Anyway (Part 2)

Tian Deming was unaware of the massive upheaval his decision to switch sides had caused or how many heroes it had drawn forth. Just three days after he announced his decision, and on the second day of his chaotic retreat from Hengyang City, entire Hunan was in turmoil due to civil uprisings. That day alone, there were six uprisings across Hunan, all led by secret societies. The largest group, numbering over a thousand people, rose up outside Changsha under the pretext of restoring Prince Zhu III, shocking the entire city. Smaller groups, consisting of just a hundred or so, also emerged one after another. These secret societies, long lurking in Hunan, would either gather in the mountains or attack officials and towns. Under normal circumstances, such groups were doomed to fail due to their organizational weaknesses, which is why the Tongmenghui had repeatedly tried to suppress them, only to suffer repeated defeats. However, with Tian Deming’s uprising at home and the Black Flag Army advancing from outside, these uprisings achieved remarkable results. Urgent messages flew like snowflakes to Governor Wu, who harbored great ambitions. Especially in southern and central Hunan, where the Black Flag Army was powerful, both officials and local militias chose to avoid direct confrontation by dispersing their forces, only to be defeated one by one by the advancing secret societies. The situation in southern Hunan was particularly dire. Tian Deming’s decision to switch sides shocked the region, leaving many mid- to lower-ranking officers and officials in shock: “The prefect has joined the Black Flag Army! If even he gives up, what should we do?” “What should we do?” was the biggest dilemma for them, yet Tian Deming had already shown them a clear path. Thus, Liu Yu also received numerous messages: “They’re all willing to surrender to us. As soon as my vanguard arrives, they’ll lead their troops to surrender!” In fact, two local militias had already come forward voluntarily. The Black Flag Army didn’t hesitate either. Though they didn’t form mixed units, they sent a company of soldiers and a cannon to assist, forcing these two militias to pledge allegiance. Fighting one’s own people was the most effective tactic. Despite their limited combat strength, these militias’ morale soared at the sight of the Black Flag Army’s equipped troops. Within just a few days, they helped the Black Flag Army find 400,000 jin of grain and plenty of supplies hidden by other militias, and they even captured a village defended by over a hundred militia members. “The situation is dire…” Wu Dacheng said, holding a Song Dynasty porcelain piece while admiring it. “People in southern Hunan are restless, lacking food, and don’t know what to do. General Wang, with your years of experience, do you have any good strategies?” Wang Debang sat below, speaking with solemnity: “The Black Flag Army is advancing fiercely; we must not act rashly!” In reality, he said nothing. Wu Dacheng sighed bitterly: “It’s all Tian Deming’s fault! This scoundrel is to blame!” Wu Dacheng always saw himself as Zhuge Liang, aspiring to emulate the great Zeng Guofan, who led troops as a scholar and dominated the world. Over the past few decades, he believed he had done quite well.

But this encounter with the Black Flag Army dealt him a severe blow—in fact, his 20,000 troops were still on their way in and had not yet engaged the Black Flags in battle. Yet coordinating these 20,000 soldiers left him utterly overwhelmed; just the daily rations, marching, and camp setup drove this self-proclaimed talented governor, Wu Dacheng, to the brink of collapse. Now, the troops feared the Black Flag Army greatly; from the first day of the march, people began to desert, and the number kept increasing—by now, 800 had already run away. Even more disastrous was the fact that while marching within his own territory, they were attacked by bandit groups. These bandits had attacked scattered units six or seven times, causing only thirty or forty casualties, but it still demoralized the troops. He felt that if they continued like this, the army would disintegrate before reaching southern Hunan. Any other commander could barely manage this advance, but Wu Dacheng was completely incapable—he was simply unfit for the task. Like Li Hongzhang, before the Sino-Japanese War, Wu Dacheng enjoyed high praise and was recognized as a capable official. He had performed well in several governorships, was skilled in commanding and training troops, and was widely regarded as knowledgeable and competent in military affairs. Yet it was this same man, well-versed in military strategy, whose performance during the Sino-Japanese War shocked those who had high hopes for him. No one expected this eloquent governor to turn out to be a Zhao Kuo. At the critical stage of the war, he gathered the New Hunan Army and the descendants of Hunan’s military generals in an attempt to launch a counterattack, but by the end of the war, the 200 battalions of the New Hunan Army had yet to reach Shanhaiguan and were already on the verge of collapse. Liu Yu dared to attack Hunan with just 32 combat units precisely because he saw Wu Dacheng as an easy target—he had a very poor impression of Wu Dacheng’s performance during the war. It turned out there was no one stronger than this governor, and Liu Yu’s gamble paid off tenfold. Now, Wu Dacheng could no longer back down from his grand claims, nor did he expect that advancing 20,000 troops by land would be so difficult, but he couldn’t take responsibility—these 20,000 troops were considered the backbone of the Qing Dynasty in Hunan and Hubei. He tried to seek help from Wang Debang, but Wang spoke in an official tone, forcing him to make his own decision: “Since the enemy’s force is so strong, I think it’s better to retreat to Changsha first and plan further!” Wang Debang, an experienced military officer, stood up at these words: “Your Excellency, that won’t do! It’s absolutely unacceptable—that would mean handing over half of Hunan to the enemy! Besides, we’ve already covered two-thirds of the distance; retreating now would severely demoralize the troops!” But Wu Dacheng was more concerned about the difficulties: “Now that Tian Deming has defected to the enemy, southern Hunan is in chaos. Hengyang is no longer under our control. According to reports, aside from Liu Yu’s main force of over 20,000 elite soldiers, there are also thousands of bandits and rebels attacking our troops everywhere. Local militias are too weak to protect themselves, let alone assist our army in fighting the enemy!” “Right now, southern Hunan has no food or rations, and bandits are rampant. Thus, neither the timing nor the terrain nor the morale are in our favor. Therefore…” Wu Dacheng said, “I think it’s better to stay safe.”

He quickly found an excuse for himself: defending Xiangnan was not as good as defending Changsha. The Great Wall fortifications were strong, with a large number of soldiers and civilians, and the local people were fierce. Even the Taiping Rebellion had failed to capture Changsha years ago, let alone now with rebel groups rising near Changsha. He had to ensure Changsha remained under control.
He knew that these 20,000 soldiers were his greatest asset and could not be lost: “Brother Wang, I’ve made up my mind. Stop talking!”
Unlike the overwhelming advance, the 20,000 Qing soldiers retreated slowly and cautiously.
This marked the beginning of the collapse of Hunan’s defense line.