1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 127 Emperor Xianfeng
The Taiping army tasted success in the Battle of Dateng Gorge and realized the importance of controlling the river.

Peng Gang's proposal to control the Qianjiang River channel, manage the Longshan and Lianhuashan mountains in Guixian County on the south bank, and expand the strategic depth of the Zijingshan and Pingzaishan base areas received support.

However, Yang Xiuqing and others failed to do as Peng Gang wished, and did not send Shi Dakai's Shi family generals to assist Peng Gang in managing the Longshan and Lianhuashan base areas.

Instead, Qin Richang, who was not so close to Peng Gang, was sent to develop the Longshan and Lianhuashan base areas on the south bank of Qianjiang River.

Qin Richang was a miner from the Longshan Silver Mine in Guixian County and was quite familiar with the situation in Guixian County.

This arrangement was reasonable, and Peng Gang didn't say anything more.

Even if headquarters were unwilling to send people to manage the Longshan and Lianhuashan base areas, Peng Gang would send people himself.

The Battle of Dateng Gorge had just ended, and Xiao Chaogui was now making preparations to attack Pingnan County.

They wanted to capture Pingnan County before the foreign troops entered Guangxi, in order to replenish the Shengku.

It was also unrealistic to send the entire First Army to the south bank of the Qian River to establish a base area.

The weapons seized this time were quite plentiful.

The acquired muskets were enough to equip one and a half companies.

The Taiping Army gained fame after the Battle of Dateng Gorge, and many of the Tiandihui boatmen who were originally wavering in their attitude towards the Taiping Army in the Qianjiang, Xunjiang, and Yujiang rivers chose to join the Taiping Army.

Taking this opportunity, Peng Gang carried out a limited expansion of the army.

The organization of one army with six battalions remains unchanged. Units below the battalion level will each be expanded by one subordinate unit, changing the three-three system to a four-four system.

The group of twelve remained unchanged.

After the expansion, each platoon consisted of four groups of 48 people, each company consisted of four platoons of 192 people, and each battalion consisted of four companies of 768 people.

The number of regular troops increased from 2,592 to 4,608.

After the Battle of Dateng Gorge, the Guangxi authorities realized that the Green Standard Army in the province alone was no longer able to suppress the Taiping Army, so they put up with a slackening policy and shifted their focus to the Heaven and Earth Society, which was relatively easier to suppress.

News of the "death in battle" of Min Zhengwen, the governor of Guangxi, was also urgently sent to the capital.

Pingzai Mountain then enjoyed a brief period of peace.

Peng Gang knew that this calm was just the calm before the storm, and a violent storm was about to break.

Taking advantage of this last precious window of time, Peng Gang seized the time to train and produce troops, and formulated three major disciplines and eight points of attention, which he required not only the regular soldiers of the Sixth Battalion of the Left Army to abide by.

The male reserve troops must also comply, especially those teams that go out to nearby villages and markets to purchase supplies.

Peng Gang's lack of intention to attack Pingnan County does not mean that he will not fight during this period.

The local tyrants and bullies in Guiping County and Guixian County still need to be dealt with.

Firstly, these low-intensity battles can at least provide some training for the officers and soldiers under his command.

Secondly, it was to raise supplies in order to cope with the upcoming encirclement and suppression by the Qing army.

In the spring of 1850, Emperor Daoguang, Aisin-Gioro Minning, who had held power in the Qing Empire for thirty years, died at the Shende Hall in the Yuanmingyuan Garden at the age of sixty-nine.

At the young age of twenty, the fourth prince, Aisin-Gioro Yizhu, ascended the throne and changed the era name to Xianfeng.

Since Daoguang's eldest son, Yihui, had passed away in the eleventh year of Daoguang's reign (1831), and his second and third sons had both died young.

For a long period before Yizhu ascended the throne, he was already the de facto eldest son of the emperor.

Rumors circulated both in the outer court and among the common people that the sixth prince, Yixin, was more intelligent and robust, and therefore more suitable as the crown prince of the Qing Empire.

However, when Emperor Daoguang announced Yizhu as the Crown Prince on his deathbed, and the edict of succession behind the "Zhengda Guangming" plaque in the Qianqing Palace was made public, the rumors and gossip in the outer court and among the people became insignificant.

The supreme power of the Qing Empire was transferred to Yizhu relatively smoothly.

When the Daoguang Emperor passed away, he left his son Yizhu a vast empire riddled with problems, its national strength declining, its people impoverished, its opium-infested, and its enemies surrounded by powerful nations.

At this time, the newly enthroned Emperor Xianfeng, Aisin-Gioro Yizhu, was only twenty years old and full of enthusiasm, determined to make a difference and revitalize the Qing Dynasty.

However, fate dealt Yizhu two blows to his newly enthroned throne, seemingly trying to dampen and extinguish his enthusiasm and ambition.

The Heaven and Earth Society and the God Society in Guangxi conquered cities and territories, amassing tens of thousands of followers and gradually spreading like wildfire.

The urgent messages about Min Zhengwen, the Guangxi military commander, who had defeated the God Worshippers in the Dateng Gorge area of ​​Guiping County and died in battle, were gradually delivered to the Imperial Study and presented to Yizhu.

Not long after the late emperor's death, Emperor Xianfeng, during his period of mourning, often resided in the Imperial Study to be closer to his teacher, Du Shoutian. Du Shoutian had served as Xianfeng's tutor since he was six years old.

Emperor Xianfeng was not as intelligent as his sixth brother, Yi. As a child, he fell from his horse while hunting and became crippled for life.

Whether it's academic ability, physical condition, or appearance.

Emperor Xianfeng was at a disadvantage in the struggle for the throne against his sixth brother, Yixin.

Emperor Xianfeng's victory in the succession struggle was largely due to the contributions of his teacher, Du Shoutian.

Although Du Shoutian's ability to govern the country was as mediocre as that of the students he taught.

When it comes to political maneuvering, he is a master among men, possessing the ability to control the hearts of emperors.

Du Shoutian was well aware of the importance that Emperor Daoguang highly valued and emphasized in his later years: "benevolence and filial piety." He prescribed the right medicine, deliberately teaching Yizhu to present himself to the world based on "virtue" rather than "talent."

During the hunt in Nanyuan, Yizhu followed Du Shoutian's plan and "did not shoot a single arrow," saying, "In spring, all things are growing and flourishing, and I cannot bear to harm life." This move greatly pleased Emperor Daoguang.

When Emperor Daoguang fell seriously ill and summoned his two sons, the struggle for succession entered a heated phase.

Du Shoutian also instructed Yizhu to "prostrate himself on the ground and weep to show his sincere filial piety," while his rival Yizhu spoke eloquently about strategies for governing the country at the bedside of Emperor Daoguang.

In contrast, Yizhu's image of "filial piety and benevolence" better matched Emperor Daoguang's expectations for a ruler who could maintain the status quo, so he made the decision to pass the throne to his fourth son, Yizhu.

Emperor Xianfeng greatly trusted and relied on Du Shoutian, the imperial tutor who had taught him in the Imperial Study since he was six years old.

Emperor Xianfeng chose to observe mourning in the Imperial Study for two reasons.

Firstly, he lacked a sense of security after ascending the throne, and a familiar environment could give him more security.

Secondly, his teacher, Du Shoutian, worked in the Imperial Study, and he was in mourning there, so it was convenient for him to summon his teacher for advice at any time.

The first report received was from Zheng Zuchen, the governor of Guangxi, regarding the Battle of Dateng Gorge.

Emperor Xianfeng was very puzzled.

Didn't the Guangxi governor Zheng Zuchen always say that Guangxi was peaceful and the people lived in peace and contentment under his rule?
How could so many rebellious traitors suddenly appear?

Since Guangxi Governor Min Zhengwen fought bravely and died for his country, defeating the God Society bandits, why did Zheng Zuchen still need to ask the imperial court for help? Isn't that a contradiction?
It wasn't until he consulted Du Shoutian that Emperor Xianfeng understood the reason behind it, and he was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table despite his leg ailment.

"Outrageous! I have just ascended the throne, and Zheng Zuchen dares to deceive me. It is utterly despicable! Since I took the throne, I have not had a single day of peace. How can I allow bandits to wreak havoc in the southern border?"

Emperor Xianfeng was furious and summoned the Grand Councilors to the Imperial Study for a meeting.

Upon receiving the summons, the Grand Councilors entered the Imperial Study to discuss matters.
In a short while, Mu Zhang'a, Sai Shang'a, Qi Junzao, and others entered the study one after another. They all knelt down, their faces ashen. The matter in western Guangdong could not be kept secret forever.

As for Du Shoutian, he was already standing beside Emperor Xianfeng at this time.

"Are you all aware of what's happening in Guangxi?" Emperor Xianfeng, sitting upright, coldly questioned his ministers.

Rebels emerged in Guangxi, two groups in fact, causing Emperor Xianfeng great distress.

At the beginning of Emperor Xianfeng's reign, the court officials were mainly divided into two factions. One faction was the "Imperial Tutor Faction," led by Du Shoutian and Qi Junzao.

The other faction consisted of former officials from the Daoguang era, led by Mu Zhang'a.

Emperor Xianfeng intended to purge former officials of the previous dynasty, promote his own teachers, and build his own faction, so as to create a glorious story of restoration between the emperor, his ministers, and his students.

However, he had just ascended the throne, and the situation was not yet stable; it was not the time to purge the former officials of the previous dynasty.

Mu Zhang'a kowtowed first: "Your Majesty, we were just ordered to read this quickly and were all shocked. Although this bandit comes from the countryside of Guangxi, his words are rebellious, and he has killed officials and plundered cities. He is no ordinary bandit."

Qi Junzao also whispered, "I believe that this traitor is using the guise of a foreign religion and inciting the old members of the Heaven and Earth Society. The ignorant masses are easily swayed by him. Western Guangdong is a dangerous place with many mountains, making it extremely difficult to wipe him out. We should send strong generals and heavy troops as soon as possible to eliminate him completely."

Mu Zhang'a and Qi Junzao belonged to different political camps and their relationship was not harmonious, but they were consistent in their attitude towards the two rebel groups in western Guangdong.

They had discussed this matter before entering the study.

The Heaven and Earth Society had plagued the south for many years, and the ministers in the Imperial Study were quite familiar with this gang of bandits.

As for the exact nature of the God Society, they were not entirely clear. For now, let's treat them as equivalent to the Heaven and Earth Society.

The two bandit groups in western Guangdong must be suppressed. The only disagreement was about who should be sent to suppress them, which was also the reason why Emperor Xianfeng summoned them.

Emperor Xianfeng raised his hand slightly and said, "Get up, all of you. There is chaos in the southern border now. It is the time to test your loyalty and talents and share my burdens. Tell me, who should be sent to take charge of the bandit suppression in western Guangdong?"

(End of this chapter)