1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 172 The Difficulties of the King and the World

At this moment, the river was still and the distant mountains of Guiping were shrouded in gloom, as if a storm was brewing.

With half his head of silver hair, Lin Zexu, looking emaciated, lay in a side room of the inner hall of the Guiping Prefectural Government Office.

The collapse of the Qing army on the western front, the fall of Wuxuan City, and the abandonment of the city by Xiang Rong and Zhou Tianjue had already dealt a heavy blow to Lin Zexu.

Upon learning of the failed rescue attempt against Zhang Bilu by Wulantai, and then witnessing firsthand the body of his old friend Zhang Bilu lying in a coffin.

Lin Zexu's already frail and critically ill body could no longer withstand the successive blows. He vomited blood several times a day, was bedridden, and unable to perform his duties.

After being in a coma for several days, during a brief resurgence of lucidity, Lin Zexu, for the sake of the greater good, handed over the military and political power of Guangxi to Zhou Tianjue before the arrival of the newly appointed imperial commissioner.

Lin Zexu was not unaware of Zhou Tianjue's character and abilities, but the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Xu Guangjin, was unwilling to get involved in the murky waters of Guangxi, leaving Lin Zexu with no other choice.

Before the rebellion was quelled, the Qing court suffered losses in both civil and military affairs, as well as in border regions.

The authorities in Guangxi were thrown into a state of panic.

Zhou Tianjue was not Lin Zexu. He hastily took over the highest power in Guangxi from Lin Zexu. Although Lin Zexu entrusted him with the power in person, he still found it difficult to win the support of the people.

After all, Zhou Tianjue's performance in suppressing bandits was evident to officers and generals at all levels in Guangxi.

If even a capable official like Lin Zexu couldn't quell the God Society rebels, then Zhou Tianjue was even less of a hope.

When Lin Zexu was critically ill and unable to handle official duties, Guiping City, the central hub for suppressing bandits in Guangxi, was effectively paralyzed.

No secrets stay hidden forever, and the news that Lin Zexu was nearing his end quickly spread among senior Green Standard Army generals and local officials in Guangxi.

The lower-ranking Green Standard Army soldiers and local militia judged that the Imperial Envoy Lin in Guiping City was either dying or incapacitated, based on the dwindling and deteriorating daily rations and the decreasing pay they received.

When Lin Zexu was performing his duties normally, he was still able to keep the officials and generals in Guangxi in check.

Although corruption cannot be completely eradicated, it can still be limited to a certain extent, and the corrupt practices of officials and military officers at all levels are not too bad.

Of the grain and provisions allocated by the imperial court and received from neighboring provinces, about 60-70% were actually used effectively.

Now that Lin Zexu is nearing his death, officials at all levels are no longer bothering to conceal their actions and are embezzling money by selling grain.

Some Green Standard Army officers even withheld the rations of local militia and sold them in the Zijing Mountains, directly to the Taiping Army in exchange for silver.

It seems they want to make up for the money and grain they didn't manage to collect in the first ten months.

The infighting between the Green Camp and local militias, and between the main and auxiliary forces, is becoming more and more frequent and intense.

Although the main force of the Qing army on the eastern front was not lost, its morale was much lower than before, and deserters were increasing day by day. The number of soldiers and militia who died in internal strife each day was even more than the number killed by the Taiping army.

Lin Zexu ultimately failed to resolve the crisis in Guangxi.

On his deathbed, Lin Zexu summoned the officials and generals of Guiping to his bedside and gave them his final instructions.

With Zhang Bilu dead, Lin Zexu could hardly find another capable general like Zhang Bilu by his side.

Lin Zexu forced his eyes open and looked around. In the vast Guangxi province, the only reliable general left was Xiang Rong.

Jiang Zhongyuan was the only person in Guangxi who impressed Lin Zexu on this trip, and he was also capable of being used. However, Jiang Zhongyuan was currently in mourning and was a commoner.

"The cult bandits will then mainly move in two directions."

One possibility is to move east to Guangdong, but most of the religious bandits are from elsewhere, and these people have a deep-seated hatred for the natives of Guangdong, so it is unlikely that the religious bandits would move east to Guangdong.

Secondly, they went north to Guilin and Liuzhou, and even fled into Hunan.

The short-haired cult bandits have already left Xiangzhou City. Judging from the current situation, the most likely scenario is that the bandits will flee north.

Hunan's defenses are weak. If the religious bandits were to enter Hunan, the consequences would be unimaginable. I urge you all to do your utmost to share the burden of the court and the Emperor, and to contain the religious bandits within Guangxi!

Lin Zexu, barely able to speak, gave his instructions.

The rebel army is no longer hiding in the mountains like the Heaven and Earth Society, but a band of outlaws.

Instead, it has undergone a transformation and is now a formidable adversary capable of engaging the government forces in direct combat.

Xiang Rong's entry into Guangxi almost completely depleted the mobile forces that could be transferred from Hunan.

If the communist bandits enter Hunan, the Green Standard Army militia within Hunan will find it difficult to withstand their advance.

Hunan is not like Guangxi.

Guangxi's terrain is relatively closed, so even if the religious bandits cause a great deal of trouble in Guangxi, at most their influence will only reach the Pearl River Basin and affect Guangdong.

If the rebel army enters Hunan, it will be tantamount to opening the entire Yangtze River basin to them. The two rivers of Huguang (Hubei and Hunan) are important tax-paying areas for the imperial court. If they are lost, the very foundation of the imperial court's rule will be shaken.

Lin Zexu no longer expects to eradicate the religious bandits in the short term, nor does he hope to trap the God Society bandits in the two mountains.

He could only hope that the people in front of him could limit the activities of the God Society bandits to Guangxi before the arrival of the new imperial commissioner.

Although everyone had their own thoughts, they maintained harmony at Lin Zexu's bedside and did not undermine each other.

They all nodded in agreement to Lin Zexu's dying wish.

"General Xiang, you are a veteran of the Green Standard Army. Who else but you is qualified to carry out the important task of suppressing bandits? I have already recommended you to the Emperor to be the Governor of Guangxi. Guangxi is now entrusted to General Xiang." Lin Zexu struggled to his feet and said, grasping Xiang Rong's hand.

The Chu army suffered three defeats at the hands of the short-haired Mao, and Emperor Xianfeng was furious. He demoted Xiang Rong, the Hunan Provincial Commander, to a nominal commander and ordered him to serve in Guangxi to atone for his crimes.

Although the title of "Registered Admiral" is only two characters longer than "Admiral," the two are worlds apart.

The governor was a full-fledged governor, in charge of the Green Standard Army throughout the province.

The title of "Registered Admiral" is an honorary rank that is reserved for candidates. Its full name is "Name recorded in the Candidate List of Admirals of the Ministry of War".

Lin Zexu recommended Xiang Rong as the Governor of Guangxi, replacing the substantive post of Governor of Guangxi left vacant by Zhang Bilu after his death.

Although Xiang Rong has come full circle and returned to where he started, it can indeed be considered a promotion.

"Thank you, Lord Lin." Xiang Rong grasped Lin Zexu's old and weak hand and solemnly assured him.

"I will do my utmost, with all my heart and soul, to fulfill my duties and responsibilities, and do everything in my power to stop the cult bandits within Guangxi Province, so as not to allow them to poison other provinces and live up to Lord Lin's trust!"

"The Chu army and Zhengan troops have not yet recovered their strength, and Xiang Junmen cannot return to Hunan for the time being. I will allocate you 80,000 taels of silver and 23,000 shi of grain to recruit soldiers and brave men to suppress the bandits on the spot."

Lin Zexu nodded in satisfaction and, ignoring Zhou Tianjue's objections, allocated 80,000 taels of silver and 13,000 shi of grain to Xiang Rong to rebuild the Chu army.

He entrusted Xiang Rong with 2,300 Fujianese soldiers and rattan shield soldiers brought from Fujian, and 2,500 Chaozhou soldiers brought from Chaozhou Prefecture, hoping that Xiang Rong could successfully stop the Taiping Army within Guangxi and prevent the banditry from spreading beyond the region.

"The Fujian and Chaozhou soldiers I brought from my hometown in Fujian and Chaozhou Prefecture are still of some use. I entrust them to you, General."

"I will do my best," Xiang Rong said, his voice choked with emotion.

Lin Zexu not only gave him money and provisions, but also provided him with elite troops, giving him the right to challenge the rebel army again. This time, Xiang Rong was genuinely grateful to Lin Zexu.

Xiang Rong felt a mix of emotions, wondering who would be sent by the higher authorities to replace Lin Zexu as imperial commissioner.

However, looking at the court and the country, no matter who the next imperial commissioner is, it is unlikely that they will be able to compare with Lin Zexu.

After making arrangements for his affairs, Lin Zexu dismissed everyone and spoke with Jiang Zhongyuan alone.

Jiang Zhongyuan reminded Lin Zexu of a Hunan scholar he had talked with all night on a boat on the Xiang River in the 29th year of the Daoguang Emperor's reign, when they were passing through the Xiang River on their way back: "Hunan is truly a land of outstanding people and abundant talents. If Tao Yuanming knew this in the afterlife, he would surely be pleased."

"You flatter me, Lord Lin," Jiang Zhongyuan said, feeling extremely humbled.

"His Majesty has the ambition to revitalize the dynasty, and Heaven has been inspired to select talented individuals regardless of background. In these turbulent times, Minqiao is young and vigorous, and knowledgeable in military affairs; he will surely find a place to use his talents. I have already secured you the position of prefect; where your future leads depends on Minqiao himself," Lin Zexu said earnestly, grasping Jiang Zhongyuan's hand.

If relinquishing power to Zhou Tianjue and giving Xiang Rong a more important role was a last resort, then it was a necessary step.

Lin Zexu had high hopes for Jiang Zhongyuan.

Unfortunately, he will never see that day.

This high-ranking official of the Daoguang era, whose life was full of twists and turns, eventually reached the end of his life, passing away with resentment and regret.

The Qing army on the eastern front finally collapsed.

Of course, for some people, it was like finally removing the tight shackles binding them, and they were overjoyed.

For example, Zhou Tianjue, the governor of Guangxi, had long lost his military and political power and had to retire to the second line.

After Lin Zexu's death, before the arrival of the new imperial commissioner, Zhou Tianjue was the highest-ranking civil official in Guangxi, and no one could restrain this old horse with undiminished ambition.

Before Lin Zexu's body was even cold, Zhou Tianjue hurriedly mobilized troops, hoping to divide and wipe out the God Society bandits before the arrival of the new imperial commissioner, and to show off his skills.

If I, Zhou Tianjue, can't beat the short-haired one, can't I beat the long-haired one?

Zhou Tianjue was well-known, and Ulantai was not entirely without brains. He refused to obey Zhou Tianjue's orders and openly opposed going into the mountains to suppress the Taiping Army.

Xiang Rong was busy taking over Lin Zexu's old troops and using the money and grain that Lin Zexu had allocated to him before his death to recruit soldiers and brave men, in order to revitalize the Chu army's prestige, fulfill Lin Zexu's last wish, and prevent the God Society bandits from going north to Hunan.

When Xiang Rong was recruiting soldiers, a young man who took the initiative to visit him came into Xiang Rong's view.

(End of this chapter)