Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 634 Entering Hunan

"Your Majesty~"

"emperor!"

"Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"

The Grand Council summoned Mu Zhang'a, who was temporarily acting as the head of the Grand Council, and presented him with a military report delivered by express courier.

The young Emperor Xianfeng fainted on the spot after reading the military report.

After a flurry of frantic first aid efforts, she finally woke up.

"Awooooo~~~"

Upon regaining his senses, Emperor Xianfeng couldn't help but burst into tears.

They cried extremely sadly, a truly heart-wrenching wail, a truly devastating cry.

"My mighty army~~~"

In this battle on the banks of the Xiang River, under the attack of Lin Dao, the Qing army was annihilated and prisoners were captured, with a total of more than 20,000 troops on both land and water.

But in reality, according to the company's records, this is a solid army of 100,000.

Moreover, these were not the local militias that rose to prominence later; they were legitimate imperial troops, regular soldiers.

This disastrous defeat was similar to that of Emperor Wu of Han's brother-in-law, who lost 70,000 soldiers in a single battle.

Of course, the actual loss is definitely not as much as 70,000, less than half, but it has already caused serious damage.

As for Emperor Wu of Han's brother-in-law~
Not every brother-in-law is like Wei Qing and Huo Qubing.

"what to do."

The Emperor Xianfeng, suffering from a splitting headache, spoke weakly, "You all come up with a plan."

The Grand Councilors looked at each other, wondering what they could do!
This is very similar to the war against the foreigners ten years ago. They couldn't win on the battlefield, and even the bigwigs in the imperial court couldn't do anything about it.

"How about we offer them amnesty?"

Someone whispered a suggestion to appease the bandits, which was a common occurrence.

If you can't beat them, offer them high-ranking positions and generous salaries to lure them in—a tactic the Qing Dynasty is very familiar with.

"The bandits have already occupied the entire province of Guangxi, what can they use to recruit people?" Someone immediately retorted, "At least they should be compared to Wu Sangui back then!"

He granted them the title of king, granted them land, provided them with money, and supported their army, making it almost a state within a state.

"Moreover, the thieves will definitely take advantage of the situation to enter Hunan, and at that time, it will not be something that a single province can appease."

The person who proposed appeasement immediately retorted, "If that's the case, then tell me, how should we respond?"

Now they were all silent.

Those who can get into the Military Intelligence Bureau are all shrewd and capable people.

They all clearly understood that whoever made the suggestion was responsible for it.

Appeasement is out of the question, because the cost is too high to afford. Even if it were given to foreigners, it would only be a secret cession of a deserted island.

To win over a rebel, you need at least a province!

Who dares to take the blame for such a huge mistake?

Who can carry that?
If appeasement is not an option, then suppression is the only choice.

If it can be eradicated~
Imperial Commissioner Sai Shang'adu has been killed in battle!
At this point, whoever proposes to suppress the rebellion will most likely become the next imperial envoy to the front lines.

What else could I do but lower my head and pretend to be dead?

Others can feign death, but Mu Zhang'a, who is temporarily acting as the head of the Grand Council, cannot. His position dictates that he must speak.

Having no other choice, he had to bite the bullet and step forward to pay his respects.

"The only solution now is to select key officials to go to the front lines to oversee the battle."

"Mobilize elite troops from all over the country to surround and suppress them."

Before Emperor Xianfeng could even ask, he preemptively offered his choice: "Lin Yuanfu has long been experienced in local affairs, and his efforts in pacifying the people and suppressing bandits have been remarkably effective."

Before he even spoke, Mu Zhang'a had already decided to push Lin Yuanfu, who was still recovering from an illness, to take the blame.

At least let's get by with the immediate situation for now.

Next, I need to find a new scapegoat, or simply quit the Military Affairs Department.

In any case, we can't end up like Saisanga, who went to the front lines only to die in battle.
Although Mu Zhang'a was born into the Bordered Blue Banner with impeccable revolutionary credentials, he had long since abandoned the archery and horsemanship skills of his ancestors. He was a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations.

Send him to the front lines to fight?
He couldn't even ride a horse properly.

Just as they were vigorously promoting Lin Yuanfu, a messenger from outside delivered an urgent report.

"An urgent report from Fuzhou Prefecture!"

The military officer who was reading the urgent report from behind the curtain instantly changed his expression.

"Lin Yuanfu has passed away."

In ancient times, when a high-ranking official died, he was generally referred to as "卒" (zú).

But with Mite Clear, it's a little different.

When an ordinary official dies, it is referred to as "passing away".

The death of a minister with a title or power is called "薨".

Lin Yuanfu was given the title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, so this title is appropriate.

Mu Zhang'a, who was speaking eloquently, was instantly stunned.

The old face gradually lost its color, turning deathly pale.

We're still pushing Lin Yuanfu hard on our side, and then they send word that he's gone?!

This is clearly putting oneself on the hottest stove.

Without Lin Yuanfu, who had been pre-selected as imperial envoy, to take the blame, and with other qualified ministers unable to make connections at this point, it meant...
As expected, the sickly Emperor Xianfeng waved his hand.

"You can discuss and decide on the matter of treating them well."

"As for the rebels in Guangxi, Mu Zhang'a, you go."

After a moment of silence, Mu Zhang'a, swaying slightly, knelt down to pay his respects.

"You lackey~"

"Yes, sir!"

The other Grand Councilors in the hall all secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"There are quite a lot of mountains in Hunan."

Riding a horse along the forest path, looking around, all I could see were mountains upon mountains. "It felt like I was still in Guangxi."

“Head of the association,” Jiao Liang’s younger brother, Jiao Hong, said from the side, “Hunan is like that, it has a lot of mountains.”

"This is actually not much; the Xiangxi region is truly all mountains."

"There's mostly flat land around Dongting Lake."

Jiao Liang was the same Tiande King who had been killed by Xiang Rongping. He joined the Heaven and Earth Society in Hunan and established the Zhaode Hall to oppose the Qing Dynasty.

He sent his younger brother to Guangxi to contact the God Worshipping Society, preparing to jointly overthrow the Qing Dynasty and seize Hunan.

But before Lin Dao's army could enter Hunan, he raised the banner of rebellion ahead of time.

As a result, Xiang Rong, who learned of the news, quelled the situation.

Because letters between him and the Taiping Army were found, Xiang Rong identified him as a major leader of the Taiping Army and sent him to the capital to claim credit.

Jiao Hong, the younger brother who came to make contact, had no choice but to stay and act as a guide.

"How is your brother?" Lin Dao asked casually.

"They've already been escorted to the capital." Upon hearing this, Jiao Hong's face immediately turned sorrowful. "It seems... it seems they can't escape the execution grounds."

More than that!

The historical Jiao Liang personally sought out Hong Xiuquan, even changing his name to Hong Daquan, and considered himself Hong Xiuquan's elder brother.

After Hong Xiuquan's victory in the fighting, he erected a stone tablet to commemorate the princes who had died along the way, with Prince Min, Hong Daquan, ranked twenty-first.

After being escorted to the capital, he was not only executed at Caishikou, but also subjected to the death by a thousand cuts.

He died a horrible death.

"Ah."

Lin Dao nodded. "Once we capture Xiang Rong, we'll hand him over to you for disposal."

Jiao Hong, who had been wiping away tears, was overjoyed and thanked him profusely.

"The meeting begins!"

Shi Dakai, riding a horse, galloped back to report, "The vanguard troops have entered Yongzhou Prefecture."

"Oh?" Lin Dao frowned. "The Qing army is so easily defeated?"

The vanguard troops didn't bring cannons, so it would be difficult for them to attack the city.

But the city fell as soon as they arrived outside it?

A general as renowned as Xiang Rong could not possibly be so incompetent!

"There are no garrison troops in the city, only some yamen runners patrolling."

Sure enough, Shi Dakai's news confirmed Lin Dao's speculation: "Xiang Rong has run away, and it is said that he has run to Hengzhou Prefecture."

"He is indeed a smart one."

Xiang Rong still had some troops, numbering several thousand.

Including the local militia recruited by Jiang Zhongyuan, there were probably tens of thousands of people.

It's definitely not feasible for open field battles; it could probably hold out for a day or two if it were to defend the city.

But he was very decisive in retreating and running away.

Having fought against the Taiping Army and learned about the specific battle situation from the defeated soldiers at Huangsha Pass, Xiang Rong was certain that he could not win in either open field battles or city defense.

In this situation, running away is the best option.

And the timing was perfect.

His immediate superior, the Imperial Envoy, has already passed away.

The local officials in Hunan couldn't control him, and the capital hadn't yet sent a new imperial envoy.

There was no doubt that this was a power vacuum on the front lines, and Xiang Rong could run away whenever he wanted; local involvement was irrelevant to him.

"That's it."

Lin Dao instructed, "Just follow the previous regulations. Let Yang Xiuqing start the work and arrange for the work team to go to the countryside."

Historically, the Taiping Army had no base of operations and fought wherever they could, only settling down in Nanjing.

The current Lin Dao is different; he is no longer a bandit. He will carry out large-scale reforms in the places he takes over.

The first thing to do is naturally to clean up the trash.

Starting with the government, they took down officials, clerks, jailers, inspectors, tax collectors, and even grooms and sedan chair carriers.

Then came the public trial, where local residents were invited to report and expose crimes to confirm the guilt.

Once the crimes are determined, these people will be handed over to the angry populace for punishment. After all, we've seen all sorts of tricks back in Guangxi.

The Taiping army, on the other hand, went directly to raid homes and collect supplies.

If someone is truly innocent and no local people report them as guilty, the Taiping Army will not falsely accuse them, but will instead let them go home.

Of course, in the dark and hopeless environment of the Mite-Cleansing Colony, there are no such people at all, at least I haven't encountered any yet.

The work team then went deep into the towns and villages outside the city.

Landlords, gentry, and other landowners who owned more than fifty acres of land were all treated the same: handed over to the local people for a public trial and denunciation meeting.

This also includes local temples, etc.

Monks in temples collaborated with landlords and government officials, distributing interest to force farmers into bankruptcy; such practices were commonplace.

Where did their so-called temple property come from?

It's just plundering the people's property!

Once these people were dealt with, the remaining tasks were to distribute land, determine land tax standards, dismantle clan power, recruit auxiliary soldiers, and organize a militia, among other things.

At the same time, the crackdown on the almost ubiquitous mountain bandits and brigands never stopped from beginning to end.

Lin Dao's attitude towards bandits remains consistent across different times and spaces.

Eliminate them decisively!

The harm caused by bandits is too great; they must be eliminated.

In addition, various local associations and sects were basically classified as bandit organizations and were suppressed and eliminated.

Lin Dao had ample supplies and plenty of manpower.

Under the powerful sweep, all resistance was dismantled like autumn leaves swept away by the wind.

The darkness that had obscured the sky for two hundred years was finally dispelled.

As the news spread, unrest broke out in various places.

Uprisings of varying sizes broke out one after another.

The landlords and gentry also began to diverge.

Some chose to flee, while many more chose to form militias and fight to the death.

The local militias in Hunan expanded rapidly and soon began to gravitate towards Jiang Zhongyuan's banner, gaining immense momentum!
However, when the Taiping army marched towards Hengzhou Prefecture, Xiang Rong and Jiang Zhongyuan retreated and fled to Changsha Prefecture without saying a word.

Compared to those landlords who clamored to kill all the Taiping Army soldiers, these two truly understood the Taiping Army's real strength.

Once you reach Changsha Prefecture, it will be difficult to travel any further.

The newly appointed Imperial Commissioner, Mu Zhang'a, finally arrived here after much beating around the bush.

(End of this chapter)