1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 161 Changes in the Landscape
As dawn broke, Peng Gang, Feng Yunshan, and Hu Yihuang moved into the dilapidated Wuxuan County.

The fighting within the city is not yet over.

It wasn't that the defenders of Wuxuan City were putting up a stubborn resistance and engaging in street fighting with the Taiping Army.

Where would these remnants of the Qing army find the courage to fight in street battles?

When the Taiping army entered Wuxuan City, the Qing army inside the city was already in complete disarray.

Many Qing soldiers were unable to break out of the city with the main force and are still hiding in civilian houses within the city to avoid being captured by the Taiping army.

The Taiping soldiers were busy capturing prisoners throughout the city.

The casualty figures for the Taiping Army have not yet been finalized.

However, Peng Gang witnessed firsthand last night that soldiers from the Provisional Seventh and Eighth Battalions were falling from the ladders as they climbed the city wall.

I also heard that a fierce tug-of-war had broken out between the two sides over the control of the North Gate.

The casualties of the Taiping army, especially the casualties of the Provisional Seventh and Provisional Eighth Battalions of the Left Army, must have been considerable.

"After this battle, the Qing demons on the western front are no more!" Hu Yihuang was very excited.

Last night, only two or three thousand Qing soldiers escaped by boat.

The remaining Qing troops were either killed or captured, or were waiting to be captured.

The Taiping army should have killed or captured at least four or five thousand Qing soldiers in this battle!
This was the largest number of Qing troops they had annihilated since the Jintian Uprising! Without a doubt!

This battle not only resulted in the annihilation and capture of a large number of Qing soldiers, but also yielded a considerable amount of spoils.

The rear army was relatively lacking in standard weapons, and after this battle, the equipment level of the rear army will be greatly improved.

Hu Yihuang now truly understands why the troops that had fought alongside Peng Gang's Left Army all wanted to cooperate with Peng Gang's Left Army again.

Based on the results of the Battle of Wuxuan alone, Hu Yihuang was so eager to become Peng Gang's deputy commander.

Peng Gang, however, was not as excited as Hu Yihuang.

Although the Taiping army eventually stormed into Wuxuan City and saved thousands of Wuxuan civilians from the Qing army's slaughter.

However, more than two thousand Wuxuan civilians still suffered at the hands of the Qing army.

Moreover, Peng Gang originally had no intention of launching a strong attack on Wuxuan. Although the battle of Wuxuan yielded fruitful results, it actually disrupted Peng Gang's plans.

"Have Zhou Tianjue and Xiang Rong been caught? I want to see them alive or dead!"

Peng Gang had stayed in Wuxuan City for a period of time, and he was already very familiar with the main streets and alleys of Wuxuan City. After entering the city from the north gate, Peng Gang went straight to the Wuxuan County Government Office and asked his attendants if they had found Zhou Tianjue and Xiang Rong.

Peng Gang originally wanted to leave Zhou Tianjue and Xiang Rong a way out and let them go.

However, Zhou Tianjue and Xiang Rong went too far, actually killing unarmed civilians of Wuxuan City.

Peng Gang now harbors murderous intentions towards Zhou Tianjue and Xiang Rong.

“Zhou Tianjue and Xiang Rong and their gang escaped by boat, but we found this at the county government office.”

Chen Miao, the company commander of the second company of the first battalion in charge of searching the county government office, found a gold-plated hat with a single eye feather inlaid with a small ruby.

Needless to say, this official hat, which is of the second rank, undoubtedly belongs to Zhou Tianjue, the governor of Guangxi.

"What I want is Zhou Tianjue's head! Not his official hat!" Peng Gang slammed Zhou Tianjue's official hat onto the stone slab.

“Zhou Tianjue’s head must be taken, of course.” Feng Yunshan picked up the governor’s hat from the ground and asked.

"Wuxuan City has been captured. What are your plans now?"

"The Central Army is still engaged in fierce fighting with Zhang Bilu's Qing forces at Lianhua Mountain. We will take a day's rest and cross the river to Lianhua Mountain to support the Central Army," Peng Gang said without hesitation.

"The Left Army and the Rear Army have just gone through a major battle, and their soldiers are exhausted. Isn't a day of rest too short?" Hu Yihuang said.

Hu Yihuang felt that a day's rest was far too short, not even enough to count and distribute the captured grain and military supplies.

“We can rest, but the soldiers of the Central Army don’t have time to rest,” Peng Gang said, shaking his head.

"Delay will lead to unforeseen circumstances, and opportunities are fleeting. If we linger too long in Wuxuan City, and the Qing forces on the eastern front react and send troops to reinforce Zhang Bilu, we will have no chance to severely damage Zhang Bilu's Qing army."

If it weren't for the fact that the remaining Qing soldiers in Wuxuan City hadn't been completely captured, and that the soldiers of the Left and Rear Armies were too exhausted after a night of fierce fighting...

Peng Gang now wanted to head straight for Lianhua Mountain and launch a surprise attack on Zhang Bilu's Qing army.

Lin Zexu had not previously dispatched troops to support Zhang Bilu because Wuxuan City was still in the hands of Zhou Tianjue and Xiang Rong, and was guarded by seven or eight thousand Qing troops.

On the surface, Zhang Bilu's flanks and rear were safe.

Now that Zhou Tianjue and Xiang Rong have lost Wuxuan City, Zhang Bilu's left wing of the Qing army is completely exposed to the Taiping army. Lin Zexu cannot remain indifferent.

"We'll follow Military Advisor Peng's arrangements." Feng Yunshan winked at Hu Yihuang.

Feng Yunshan knew that Hu Yihuang was worried that the rear army would not get enough spoils and wanted to stay in Wuxuan City for a while longer.

Peng Gang has always been fair in his dealings, so Feng Yunshan is not worried that Peng Gang will favor the left over the right when dividing the spoils of war.

The Left Army is well-equipped, and the dilapidated guns and rifles of the Wuxuan garrison would likely be of little use to them.

Feng Yunshan felt that Hu Yihuang's worries were completely unnecessary and that he was being petty and judging others by his own standards.

If Peng Gang were a selfish person, why would he have taken the initiative to share the spoils of war with the main force after the Battle of Sanlixu, even giving away the precious heavy artillery?

Around noon, the bodies of thirteen mid- to high-ranking military officers of the rank of garrison commander or above were carried to the county government office.

In the Battle of Sanlixu, Yiketanbu, the deputy commander of the Qingjiang County garrison in Guizhou, who had managed to escape to Wuxuan County, and Han Yongqi, the guerrilla commander of the Guzhou Town in Guizhou, were unable to escape Wuxuan this time.

Both men died in the chaos of the Wuxuan City army.

Ikhtanbu was the highest-ranking Manchu general killed by the Taiping Army since Peng Gang's uprising and also since the Jintian Uprising.

In the half-day since entering the city, Peng Gang has learned the reasons why the Qing army massacred the people of Wuxuan.

The city of Wuxuan was littered with corpses of the starving, and Peng Gang ordered the distribution of porridge to continue to relieve the famine in Wuxuan.

Peng Gang ordered that the Chu army and Liuzhou soldiers who participated in the massacre of Wuxuan civilians be tried and executed on the spot.

At the same time, the staff officers of the General Staff Department were instructed to record this matter in detail as propaganda material for future information warfare.

The entire army was instructed that any Qing troops encountered under the command of Xiang Rong and Zhou Tianjue should be killed on sight, and the Left Army would not accept prisoners of Zhou Tianjue and Xiang Rong.

The Guiping Prefectural Government Office was shrouded in low-hanging clouds, and the sky was dim.

The atmosphere in the entire government office was extremely somber.

Although the news of Wuxuan's fall had not yet reached Guiping City.

However, news of Xiang Rong's 10,000-strong Qing army on the western front being defeated by the short-haired religious bandits at Sanlixu had already reached Guiping City.

Upon learning of the unfavorable situation on the western front, Lin Zexu, Liu Jizu, Ulantai, and others were deeply worried.

Ulantai, who was not very shrewd and had a bad temper, learned that even the heavy artillery had been taken away by the short-haired cult bandits.

Enraged, he lost his composure in public, berating Xiang Rong and Zhou Tianjue for their incompetence and ruining the promising anti-banditry campaign in western Guangdong.

The ups and downs of life, the rise and fall of officialdom.

Lin Zexu experienced all of these things.

Lin Zexu's ability to withstand pressure was much better than that of Liu Jizu, Wulantai, and others.

Although Sanlixu was lost, Wuxuan City still exists.

As long as troops can be deployed in time to keep the rebel army on the western front within Wuxuan County, the situation on the western front is not beyond control.

Inside the West Flower Hall, Lin Zexu, lying on his sickbed, wrote a letter to Xu Guangjin, the Governor-General of Guangdong, earnestly requesting that Xu Guangjin mobilize troops and provide funds to deal with the crisis in Guangxi.

Upon receiving the latest battle report from the front lines, Lin Congyi, urged on by Liu Jizu and Wulantai, tiptoed into Xihua Hall, looking uneasy and at a loss.

Looking at Lin Zexu, who lay on his sickbed, growing more and more emaciated each day, yet whose eyes shone brightly and refused to close, busy with official business, Lin Congyi was in a dilemma.

He simply couldn't bear to tell Lin Zexu about the tragic situation on the western front.

However, if they did not inform Lin Zexu of the appalling situation on the western front, they feared that it would cause problems and make the situation of suppressing bandits in western Guangdong even more difficult to manage.

Lin Zexu was bedridden for several months, but he still insisted on reviewing military reports and allocating food and funds every day, gritting his teeth and struggling to keep the situation in western Guangdong afloat. He was already exhausted both physically and mentally.

Lin Congyi was the son who followed Lin Zexu the longest and was also the son whom Lin Zexu knew best.

Lin Zexu glanced at the bewildered Lin Congyi out of the corner of his eye and knew that another piece of bad news awaited him.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zexu said to Lin Congyi, "Yi'er, speak freely. I have even been to the Western Regions. What obstacle in this life can't I overcome?"

That's what they say, but this time Lin Congyi was genuinely worried that Lin Zexu wouldn't be able to get over this hurdle.

Zhou Tianjue and Xiang Rong are really disappointing, suffering defeat after defeat.
Seeing that Lin Congyi still refused to speak, Lin Zexu's face darkened, and he said displeasedly, "Yi'er! How have I taught you all this time?!"

Urged on by Lin Zexu, Lin Congyi's nose tingled, his eyes filled with tears, and he choked out, "Father, Wuxuan... has fallen!"

Upon hearing of the fall of Wuxuan, Lin Zexu abruptly opened his eyes, sat up straight, and gripped the soft couch tightly with his thin, bony hands until his knuckles turned white: "What did you say?"

The news of the fall of Wuxuan was so shocking that Lin Zexu found it hard to believe and thought he had misheard.

There are seven or eight thousand soldiers and local militia stationed in Wuxuan City.

Xiang Rong and Zhou Tianjue couldn't defeat the short-haired cult bandits in open battle, but surely they couldn't hold a county town with seven or eight thousand men?

Moreover, the battle at Sanlixu had only ended a few days ago. How could the short-haired cult bandits have captured Sanlixu and Wuxuan in such a short time?
Even if Xiang Rong and Zhou Tianjue knew nothing about military affairs, seven or eight thousand men could hold out for ten days or half a month while defending a county town.

"The short-haired rebels launched a night attack on the north side of Wuxuan City, scaling the walls with ladders one after another, but the city walls could not be held. Admiral Xiang, Governor Zhou, Magistrate Li... all abandoned the city and fled, and all the military equipment and supplies were seized. The whereabouts of Qingjiang Deputy Commander Yiketanbu, Guzhou Town Guerrilla Commander Han Yongqi, and others are unknown, and there has been no news of them since; they have probably died for their country."

Lin Congyi had no choice but to tell Lin Zexu the situation on the western front in detail.

It was indeed the truth; the massacre of civilians was a disgraceful act.

Both Zhou Tianjue and Xiang Rong concealed this matter and did not include it in the battle report.

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp "crack" was heard—Lin Zexu had swept the teacup off the coffee table and knocked it to the ground, shards of porcelain flying everywhere.

Lin Zexu trembled all over, as if struck by lightning, and remained speechless for a long time.

Even though Lin Zexu had seen many storms and had a high tolerance for pressure, he was still a formidable opponent.

Even so, Zhou Tianjue and Xiang Rong lost Sanlixu and Wuxuan in less than four days. Not only did they lose their camp and the city, which was then given to the enemy, they also lost tens of thousands of Qing troops on the western front.

If Wuxuan is lost, will Guiping be lost next?

Guiping was lost, then Guilin was lost, until there was nothing left to lose in the entire Guangxi province?
"Abandoning the city and fleeing..." Lin Zexu murmured, then suddenly slammed his hand heavily on the coffee table. "Zhou Tianjue, Xiang Rong, and you..."

He suddenly coughed violently, and a mouthful of blood gushed out uncontrollably, staining the bedding on his chest red.

Lin Congyi hurriedly stepped forward to help Lin Zexu up. Liu Jizu and Wulantai, who were outside the door, also rushed into the West Flower Hall after hearing the commotion inside, to check on Lin Zexu's condition.

Although Ulantai and Lin Zexu did not get along very well.

At this critical juncture, Ulantai also did not want Lin Zexu to make any mistakes.

Although Zhang Bilu was skilled in both literature and martial arts, he was ultimately a warrior.

The imperial court could not allow Zhang Bilu to take charge of the overall bandit suppression campaign in western Guangdong.

If something were to happen to Lin Zexu, it would be before the new imperial commissioner arrives in western Guangdong.

The heavy responsibility of overseeing the suppression of bandits in western Guangdong would fall on the shoulders of Zhou Tianjue, the governor of Guangxi.

Zhou Tianjue's performance in suppressing bandits has been evident to all over the past few months.

If Zhou Tianjue were put in charge of suppressing the bandits, it would be a disaster.

This was not only Ulantai's idea, but also Liu Jizu's.

Under Lin Zexu's leadership, they were still able to barely control the situation, imprisoning the God Society bandits in Zijing Mountain and Pingzai Mountain.

Liu Jizu dared not imagine what the consequences would be if Zhou Tianjue were to preside over the event.

"The defeat at Sanlixu was justified by the excuse that the enemy was unstoppable. But Wuxuan was attacked overnight without any preparation? Were those two blind, or did the rebels have supernatural powers?!" Lin Zexu gritted his teeth, his voice trembling yet deafening.

"While I lay ill on my sickbed, I mobilized troops and sent letters to the governors and viceroys of neighboring provinces to request supplies and provisions. I shamelessly begged for help, borrowing Hunan and Guangdong troops and diverting grain from the granaries. What did I get in return? They lost Wuxuan!"

Lin Zexu mustered all his strength, pounded the table, gritted his teeth, tears welled in his eyes, and whispered, "It is I, Lin... who am incompetent. I have failed the Emperor and have failed to live up to His Majesty's grace."

Everyone inside the room knelt down and wept, not daring to raise their heads.

"If Wuxuan is lost, the rebels can use the waterways to directly attack Xiangliu, then Guilin, and even the Zuojiang River, and perhaps even..."

As he spoke, Lin Zexu began to sense that the landscape of Lingnan was about to change drastically, and he was unwilling to continue.

For nine months, the imperial court has spent millions of dollars to suppress the Christian bandits and has mobilized elite troops from the southern provinces, but it has still failed to wipe out the God Worshippers.

If the God Society's ambitions are grand but their goal is limited to a small corner of southern Guangxi, the consequences of their expansion beyond Guangxi would be unimaginable.

Looking across the Qing army across the country, the only force that remained that had not yet been mobilized and had the potential to wipe out the God Society bandits was the elite force in Shaanxi and Gansu.

Lin Zexu had worked in Xinjiang and knew that the northwest of the Qing Dynasty was not peaceful either.

The Northwest Greens have repeatedly provoked conflict and even colluded with foreign forces outside of Tsarist Russia, acting in concert.

The greenery of the northwest region of Shaanxi and Gansu must be preserved; it cannot be disturbed lightly.
If the Green Bandits in the Northwest were to take advantage of the chaos to launch an uprising, the harm they would cause would be no less than that in western Guangdong.

Thinking of the Qing Dynasty, which was in turmoil and where there was no peace, Lin Zexu was filled with grief and indignation. He couldn't help but cough up another mouthful of blood and slowly closed his eyes.

(End of this chapter)