1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 183 The Cangwu System [Do not subscribe repeatedly!]

Peng Gang's left wing is advancing step by step according to the established plan, and the vanguard is about to reach the Guilin Basin.

After the main force of the Taiping Army captured Cangwu, the capital of Wuzhou Prefecture, and entered Cangwu, they were captivated by the city's prosperity and intoxication.

Perhaps the main force of the Taiping Army obtained a large amount of food and supplies in Cangwu City.

The Taiping army that entered Cangwu City, except for the first two days after entering the city.

Hong Xiuquan, the Heavenly King, had the ambition to return to his hometown in glory and wanted to fight his way back to Huaxian County in Guangzhou to show off to the villagers who had mocked him in the past.

They dispatched a vanguard by boat down the river in an attempt to breach the gateway to Guangzhou, outside the city of Zhaoqing, but took no further action.

Cangwu City is located at the border of Guangxi and Guangdong.

The Taiping army's capture of Cangwu City had actually crossed the red line for Xu Guangjin, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi.

Xu Guangjin didn't care how chaotic Guangxi was, but if the Taiping Army were to invade Guangdong, even if there was only a hint of it, Xu Guangjin would not hesitate.

Xu Guangjin moved his governor's residence from Zhaoqing Prefecture to Fengchuan County, which was closer to Cangwu City. Accompanying Xu Guangjin north were the Guangdong Navy under the command of Guangdong Naval Commander Hong Mingxiang and the elite local militia of Guangdong.

A full year into the Taiping Rebellion, the troops under the command of Xu Guangjin, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, entered Guangxi for the first time.

Xiao Chaogui was leading his vanguard down the West River in an attempt to expand his gains when he ran headlong into the Guangdong navy sailing upstream.

Compared to the powerful ships and cannons of the West, the red-boats, rice boats, and fast crab boats equipped by the Guangdong Navy were naturally no match for them.

However, these "giants" with displacements of over two hundred tons and equipped with a dozen or twenty cannons are a devastating blow when they enter the inland waterways of Guangxi.

Leaving aside the other ships, the ship that Guangdong Naval Commander Hong Mingxiang used was a red-ship with a displacement of over 400 tons.

Half of the ship's guns were second-hand British 12-32 pound muzzle-loading smoothbore cannons smuggled in, and the other half were Western cannons copied by the Guangdong Arsenal.

The firepower of this single ship exceeded that of all the heavy firepower of the Taiping Army.

Back then, Guangdong pirates such as Luo Dagang and Zhang Zhao were driven into Guangxi by the Guangdong navy.

Even Luo Dagang's boat army was no match for the Guangdong navy, let alone the half-baked naval forces of the Taiping army's main force.

Xiao Chaogui and Hong Mingxiang met unexpectedly. Xiao Chaogui, who had never fought a proper naval battle, did not know how to deal with the giant ships of the Guangdong Navy. The vanguard brothers on the river and on both banks were bombarded by the Guangdong Navy and were in a daze.

Fortunately, the Guangdong Navy's ships were large and sailed upstream at a slow speed.

Although Xiao Chaogui's vanguard suffered losses of three or four hundred men, the main force was able to remain intact and retreat back to Cangwu City.

Upon learning that Xu Guangjin had led the elite Guangdong navy up the West River and had already repelled the vanguard of the God Society bandits who were attempting to enter Guangdong.

Zhou Tianjue in Guiping was overjoyed, as the morale of the Qing army in Guiping had been boosted for the first time since Lin Zexu's death.

Zhou Tianjue led the Qing army from Guiping down the Xun River to the east, where they joined forces with Xu Guangjin to besiege Cangwu.

The situation faced by the main force of the Taiping Army deteriorated again as they were surrounded by Qing troops from Guangxi and Guangdong in the Cangwu and Tengxian areas.

The defeat of the vanguard's eastward advance dealt a heavy blow to the Taiping Army, and Hong Xiuquan made no further mention of returning to Huaxian in glory.

Xiao Chaogui's vanguard was defeated by the Guangdong navy.

While Yang Xiuqing was in Cangwu City pondering how to force Hong Xiuquan to make him a king, he hurriedly made iron chains overnight.

Five iron chains were laid at the narrowest section of the Xijiang River near Jiaotangkou, and all the Taiping Army's heavy artillery was concentrated near Jiaotangkou to block the river and prevent the Guangdong navy from advancing further west and threatening Cangwu City.

Unable to advance further west, the Guangdong navy sought to capitalize on its victory in the Xijiang naval battle and recapture Cangwu City in one fell swoop.

Seeing that the Xijiang River was blocked by the iron chains, Xu Guangjin ordered Hong Mingxiang, the Guangdong naval commander, to lead his troops ashore, capture Jiaotangkou, and dredge the Xijiang River so that they could advance further west and recapture Cangwu City.

The Guangdong navy's decisive naval victory over the Taiping army's elite forces inflates Xu Guangjin's confidence, leading him to underestimate the enemy.

Xu Guangjin felt that the rumored God Society was nothing special and believed that the Guangdong Army could win the battle and wipe out the church bandits in Cangwu.

However, Xu Guangjin soon paid the price for underestimating his enemy.

The Guangdong navy was skilled in naval warfare, but its performance in land warfare was lackluster.

Yang Xiuqing's central army defeated the attack of the Guangdong navy and local militia near Jiaotangkou, killing and capturing seven or eight hundred Guangdong Green Standard Army soldiers and local militia, thus winning back a point for the Taiping Army.

On the other side, Zhou Tianjue, full of confidence, led the Qing army from Guiping, but before they could even reach Cangwu, they were ambushed and defeated by Shi Dakai and Qin Richang, who were stationed in Tengxian. More than 500 of them were killed or wounded, and they had no choice but to retreat to Mengjiangwei.

Zhou Tianjue's plan to join forces with Xu Guangjin to annihilate the main force of the Taiping Army failed, and Cangwu City was temporarily out of danger.

Cangwu City was the first commercial pass in Guangxi, connecting the trade routes between Guangdong and Guangxi.

The city of Cangwu was occupied by the Taiping Army, thus cutting off the most important trade route between Guangdong and Guangxi.

Wealthy merchants from Guangdong and Guangxi who made their fortunes through business in the two provinces were in a state of panic.

For these wealthy merchants from Guangdong and Guangxi, not making money is equivalent to losing money.

For every day the Taiping army occupied Cangwu City, they suffered another day of losses.

For the first time, wealthy merchants from Guangdong and Guangxi took the initiative to donate grain and provisions to the Qing army, hoping that the Qing army could recapture Cangwu as soon as possible, open up trade routes between Guangdong and Guangxi, and restore trade between the two provinces.

The Qing army's food and pay problems were thus alleviated, and they were ready to continue their advance on Cangwu.

With the situation stabilizing somewhat, the Taiping army's high command in Cangwu City did not realize that the crisis was not yet over, nor did they show any signs of leaving Cangwu City to fight elsewhere and continue to contend with the Qing army.

Hong Xiuquan kept his bold promise and held an imperial examination in Cangwu City. Feng Yunshan, who had just been granted the title of "Seven Thousand Years Old" and was busy perfecting the official system of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, took the time to participate in the examination and achieved the excellent result of being ranked first among the scholars.

With the Taiping Army's first capture of a prefecture-level city, the matter of bestowing titles of kings was put on the agenda by Yang Xiuqing and Xiao Chaogui.

Hong Xiuquan was clearly unwilling to be granted the title of king.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had no emperor on earth; instead, it worshipped the Heavenly Brother as its emperor.

Hong Xiuquan himself was just a king.

If he were to be granted the title of king, it would further squeeze out the little power that Hong Xiuquan had left.

If Hong Xiuquan was a king, and Yang Xiuqing and Xiao Chaogui, who had the power of the Heavenly Father and Heavenly Brother descending to earth, were also kings, then Hong Xiuquan would not even have the ability to suppress Yang Xiuqing and Xiao Chaogui in terms of title.

The traditional imperial ideology that a country cannot have two emperors made Hong Xiuquan extremely cautious about the issue of titles and honors.

Hong Xiuquan, unusually firm, refused to grant the title of king, arguing that it was a distorted practice in the mortal world and did not conform to the core values ​​of the God Worshippers Society. He claimed that granting the title of king offended the Heavenly Father and Heavenly Brother.

However, in order to appease Yang Xiuqing and Xiao Chaogui, Hong Xiuquan still bestowed upon several of his divine brothers and brothers the title of "Your Excellency" and granted them all the treatment of a prince except for the title of prince.

Yang Xiuqing, who held supreme command of the Taiping Army, was honored with the title of "Nine Thousand Years Old".

Xiao Chaogui, who commanded numerous fierce generals, was honored with the title of "Eight Thousand Years Old".

Feng Yunshan, a founding elder and missionary of the God Society, is honored with the title of "7,000 years old".

Peng Gang, who had made outstanding military achievements and repeatedly defeated the Qing demons, including breaking the Qing demons' siege of Zijing Mountain, was honored with the title of "Six Thousand Years Old".

Wei Changhui, an angel investor and former biggest financier of the God Society, was honored with the title of "Five Thousand Years Old".

Shi Dakai, a hero of Guixian County and an outstanding warrior, was honored with the title of "Four Thousand Years Old".

But could Yang Xiuqing, Xiao Chaogui, and others who held military power tolerate not having a royal title and having a title that did not match their status?

To be crowned a king or emperor is the dream of the vast majority of men.

This is especially true for grassroots heroes like Yang Xiuqing and Xiao Chaogui, who have already achieved some success.

The allure of the title of king to them cannot be evaded by a mere honorific title of several thousand years.

Wasn't Hong Xiuquan's title of Heavenly King earned through the hard work of his brothers, one sword at a time?
If Jesus, the Heavenly Brother, is a King, then Hong Xiuquan, as the second son, can also be made a King. Why can't his brothers and brothers-in-law be made Kings?

Hong Xiuquan was deeply troubled by the matter of being granted the title of king. Feng Yunshan, on the other hand, did not value the title of king and was of one mind with Hong Xiuquan.

Wei Changhui followed Xiao Chaogui's lead without question.

Peng Gang was far away in Liuzhou Prefecture.

Shi Dakai had limited experience and little ambition.

In reality, Hong Xiuquan did not want to be crowned a king; the only people he needed to win over were the most ambitious Yang Xiuqing and Xiao Chaogui.

The matter of bestowing titles of kings was mainly brought up by these two people.

The matter of bestowing the title of king was temporarily put on hold, and the matter of bestowing official titles was put on the agenda.

Feng Yunshan's new official system was introduced, changing the title of military commander to marshal, and establishing the positions of supervisor, general, general, commander, inspector, prime minister, and military advisor above the military marshal.

The position of strategist can only be held by the Father’s son and son-in-law; no one else may ever take it.

Therefore, the position of prime minister was the highest-ranking official position that members of the God Society outside of the Ascended Family could obtain.

This time, only two chancellors were appointed as prime ministers.

One of them was Qin Rigang, the Prime Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

After entering Cangwu City, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had even more words to avoid, and the rules became stricter than before.

The names of all members of the Shentian family must be avoided.

Qin Richang changed his name to Qin Rigang to avoid using the character "Chang" in the name of Wei Changhui, who was known as the "Five Thousand Years Old".

The other prime minister was Hu Yihuang, the chief prime minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Qin Rigang's status is higher than Hu Yihuang's; he is the number one person under a thousand years old in the Shentian family.

The prime minister was divided into six officials, whose titles were based on the seasons of heaven, earth, spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Each official was further divided into four prime ministers: chief, deputy chief, vice chief, and vice vice chief.

There were a total of twenty-four positions for the position of Chancellor.

However, this time Cangwu only appointed two prime ministers, leaving the remaining prime minister positions vacant for future appointments.

In addition, the thousand-year-olds of the Shinten family invented the term "Kokujō" (National Sovereign) and established the Kokujō system outside of formal official positions.

In reality, they are all members of the royal family. The difference is that the Shentian family is a special family built on religious ties, which is different from ordinary families.

Including Hong Xiuquan himself, the earthly relatives of the other six so-called sons-in-law of God in the small family of the divine heaven can also be listed as the national clan.

These seven sons-in-law of God are referred to as the "National Ancestors" among their peers in the mortal world, the "National Earls" among their elders, and the "National Chancellors" among their juniors. To outsiders, they are collectively referred to as the "National Ancestors."

The Emperor's position was below that of the other emperors but above that of the prime minister.

There were two types of "national leaders" in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom: one was the "Admiral National Leader" who was sent to the front lines to fight, and the other was the "Idle National Leader" who did nothing but eat, drink and have fun.

The Hong family had the most unaffiliated clansmen, the two most famous being those who killed Yang Xiuqing and Wei Changhui during the Tianjing Incident.

Hong Xiuquan was suspicious of the princes who were not of the same surname, including his eldest brother Hong Renfa, who was enfeoffed as the Prince of An, and his third brother Hong Renda, who was enfeoffed as the Prince of Fu. They jointly participated in political affairs, thus using this to control Shi Dakai.

However, Hong Xiuquan's two brothers were utterly incompetent and not fit for governing the country. Instead, they had the opposite effect. After the Tianjing Incident, the last surviving leader of the uprising, Shi Dakai, left in a huff.

The system of the national patriarchal clan benefited Wei Changhui and Shi Dakai the most, while Yang Xiuqing and Xiao Chaogui were the most weakened.

Both of them had large clans, and their clans included many capable members.

Hong Xiuquan was very proud of his founding of the state and believed that he had killed two birds with one stone.

He not only treated the Hong family relatives who followed him well, but also indirectly weakened Yang Xiuqing and Xiao Chaogui.

Yang Xiuqing lost her father at the age of five and her mother at the age of nine. She had no brothers or nephews, only an older sister who married far away.

However, Yang Xiuqing was always very clever. He immediately recognized many of the Yangs in the Central Army as his kinsmen and changed their names to the Qing generation, giving them the same privileges as members of the imperial clan.

The Yang family in the central army were eager to have him, and they all recognized Yang Xiuqing as their kinsman and changed their names to include the character "Qing".

One of the more well-known ones is Yang Jinsheng from Guiping, nicknamed "Seven Pockmarks," who recognized Yang Xiuqing as a relative and changed his name to Fuqing.

Later, Prince Wei, Yang Xiongqing, Yang Yiqing, Yang Yingqing, and others all recognized Yang Xiuqing as their kin and enjoyed the same treatment as the imperial clan.

"Big brother!"

Yang Fuqing, Yang Xiongqing, Yang Yiqing, Yang Yingqing and others were overjoyed. Regardless of their age, they all bowed to Yang Xiuqing as their elder brother to express their gratitude for his life-saving grace.

"Good good!"

Overjoyed, Yang Xiuqing happily accepted these new brothers.

Hong Xiuquan's supposedly brilliant move turned out to be a disastrous one.

Wei Changhui's power increased greatly due to the establishment of the imperial clan system, and he was no longer as obedient to Xiao Chaogui as before.

Xiao Chaogui was a reckless man, skilled in scheming and political maneuvering, and his abilities in governing the country and the army were no match for Yang Xiuqing's.

Previously, Xiao Chaogui was able to rival Yang Xiuqing by relying on the strength of his vanguard, the abundance of fierce generals under his command, and the assistance of Wei Changhui.

In the Battle of the West River, Xiao Chaogui was defeated by the Guangdong navy.

Yang Xiuqing then achieved a great victory at Jiaotangkou, defeating Xiao Chaogui's Guangdong army and turning the tide, stabilizing the situation in Cangwu City.

After this battle, Xiao Chaogui and Yang Xiuqing were already at a disadvantage in their power struggle.

Under Hong Xiuquan's series of actions, Xiao Chaogui gradually lost the ability to rival Yang Xiuqing and maintain a balance of power.

Yang Xiuqing thus became superior to all the other emperors, and his desire to become king grew even stronger.

Of course, Yang Xiuqing's recognition of Yang Fuqing, Yang Xiongqing, Yang Yiqing, Yang Yingqing, and others as his own family, and his granting of them the same treatment as members of the imperial clan, also had its downsides.

This aroused dissatisfaction among the non-Yang-surname generals of the central army who had followed Yang Xiuqing for many years and had made outstanding military achievements.

Chen Chengrong, Lin Qirong, and others felt resentful and dissatisfied because they were not surnamed Yang and were overshadowed by Yang Fuqing, Yang Xiongqing, and others whose merits were not as great as their own. They felt that Yang Xiuqing had not treated everyone equally.

Chen Chengrong and Lin Qirong, who shared the same plight, got drunk together.

Even a drunken stupor couldn't dispel Chen Chengrong's melancholy, and he couldn't fall asleep for a long time, so he left the camp to clear his mind.

As they strolled along, Chen Chengrong suddenly spotted two people whispering and cuddling in the grass under the cover of darkness.

At first, Chen Chengrong didn't care much.

The Taiping Army implemented separate camps for men and women. This was fine for a month or two, but after a while, people inevitably developed pent-up desires and had to find ways to relieve them.

"Hmm~"

A soft moan from the bushes dispelled Chen Chengrong's drunkenness.

No, that voice... it's a woman's!

This violates the prohibition against separate camps for men and women and challenges the authority of the emperors!
Apart from a few emperors and the chief minister, no one else in the Heavenly Kingdom has the right to bring female relatives with them! The prohibition of separating men and women in separate camps must be strictly observed.

Even the Emperor is not allowed!
The eight-thousand-year-old adoptive father, Emperor Xiao Yusheng, had been unable to bear the hunger and thirst for a few days, so he secretly went to the women's camp at night to lure his wife out.

The two only kissed a few times and exchanged pleasantries, but before they could do anything else, they were accidentally caught by someone.

The Ninth Prince and the Eighth Prince showed no mercy, beheading the Emperor and his wife as a warning to others.

Chen Chengrong was very curious about who was so bold as to commit the crime against the wind. He swallowed and quietly moved closer to observe.

　I'm so frustrated! I've revised this chapter several times, but it still hasn't passed. There wasn't anything borderline or offensive, so I'm just deleting and reposting it. If the 182nd chapter that was reviewed is released later, please don't subscribe to it again!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)