1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 189 You Gentlemen Have Misled Me!

Emperor Xianfeng personally issued an edict ordering Yu Wan, the general of the Sichuan Northern Garrison, to muster 4,000 elite Sichuan soldiers and rush to Guangxi to provide immediate assistance, and to report to Xiang Rong.

Yu Wanqing dared not be negligent and selected four thousand barely presentable "elite" Sichuan troops to march south into Guangxi.

At the beginning of the 30th year of the Daoguang Emperor's reign, which was last year, Zhang Bilu led a little over two thousand Sichuan soldiers to fight in Guangxi.

The two thousand Sichuan soldiers selected by Zhang Bilu were the most elite and capable soldiers in the Sichuan Green Standard Army, representing the core of the Sichuan military.

Most of these Sichuan soldiers are now in the Left Army's prisoner-of-war camps.

The quality of the 4,000 soldiers that Yu Wanqing selected to enter Guichuan this time was far inferior to that of before.

Yu Wanqing's journey south to Guangxi went very smoothly.

An unexpected incident occurred when they were passing through Yongzhou Prefecture in southern Hunan, just one step away from entering Guangxi.

Emperor Xianfeng's newly appointed imperial commissioner, Li Xingyuan, was currently stationed in Lingling, the capital of Yongzhou Prefecture.

The predicament faced by the pro-independence camp in Hunan is exactly the same as that faced by the pro-independence camp in Sichuan.

When Xiang Rong entered Guangxi at the beginning of last year, he also undermined Hunan's economic development, except for Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province.

Most of the Green Standard Army soldiers from other towns and garrisons in Hunan who were capable of fighting were transferred by Xiang Rong to Guangxi to suppress bandits.

Li Xingyuan knew that as a civil official who had not commanded troops for a long time, he would definitely not be able to control the various troops from diverse backgrounds in Guangxi, nor would he be able to manage the various garrisons, without a strong and loyal army.

Without troops at your disposal, you lack backbone.

He couldn't just go to Guangxi alone and become a powerless imperial envoy who couldn't be ordered around by anyone.

Initially, Li Xingyuan set his sights on the Green Standard Army in Changsha, Hunan Province.

However, news of the Taiping Army's northward advance had already reached Hunan.

The governor of Hunan, Zhang Liangji, and the newly appointed Hunan commander, Bao Qibao, were on edge and refused to transfer a single soldier from Changsha to Li Xingyuan.

However, Zhang Liangji did not go too far. Considering that Hunan and Guangxi were closely interdependent, protecting Guilin was protecting Hunan. He still raised 60,000 taels of silver and 15,000 shi of grain for Li Xingyuan.

Li Xingyuan was ordered to recruit local militia in the fiercely independent Xiangnan region. An imperial edict was issued instructing all prefectures and counties in Xiangnan, especially Xu Jiarui, the prefect of Yongzhou Prefecture, to cooperate and assist Li Xingyuan in recruiting local militia.

Zhang Liangji also had the responsibility of guarding the territory, and he also faced his own difficulties.

To be fair, Zhang Liangji has already done a very good job.

Aside from the soldiers in Changsha, Zhang Liangji gave Li Xingyuan everything he could and helped her in every way he could.

Li Xingyuan felt embarrassed to continue shamelessly asking Zhang Liangji for troops after taking his money and provisions, so he went to Yongzhou Prefecture to recruit soldiers.

Among the various garrisons in Hunan, the most elite Green Standard Army was not the one stationed in Changsha, the provincial capital.

Instead, it was the Yongzhou Garrison, which controlled the strategic pass between Guangdong and Guangxi and suppressed the Heaven and Earth Society and prevented uprisings by the Yao people for many years. The Yongzhou Garrison's defense area covered Yongzhou Prefecture and Guiyang Prefecture.

In this respect, the Hunan and Guangxi Green Standard Army camps are quite similar. The most elite troops of the Green Standard Army in both provinces are stationed in the most important military strongholds within their respective provinces, while the Green Standard Army in the provincial capitals is slightly weaker.

However, the elite and formidable Xiangying garrison of Yongzhou is a thing of the past.

At the beginning of last year, Xiang Rong led the Chu army into Guangxi, and the main troops he transferred were from Yongzhou Town.

All that was left for Liu Changqing, the general of Yongzhou Town, were the old, weak, sick, and disabled people who were left over from Xiang Rong's selection.

The local militia had been recruited, and Li Xingyuan was worried that the regular army was not up to the task.

General Yu Wanqing of Northern Sichuan led four thousand decent Sichuan soldiers through Yongzhou.

This was like a long-awaited rain for Li Xingyuan.

Li Xingyuan immediately detained Yu Wanqing's four thousand Sichuan soldiers and kept them for his own use.

Yu Wanqing also knew that in order to suppress the God Society bandits, even Zhang Bilu, the top general of the Green Standard Army in the Southwest, had his entire army wiped out and died in Dateng Gorge.

The God Society bandits were no ordinary group, and their campaign against them in Guangxi was fraught with peril. Yu Wanqing was naturally happy to stay in the relatively safe Yongzhou Prefecture with Li Xingyuan for the time being.

Xiang Rong was counting on these four thousand Sichuan soldiers to turn the tide of the war.

Li Xingyuan withheld the four thousand Sichuan soldiers that were originally intended for Xiang Rong, completely disrupting Xiang Rong's plans and deployments.

Upon learning that four thousand Sichuan soldiers had been detained by the new imperial envoy Li Xingyuan, Xiang Rong was furious, pounding his chest and stamping his feet.

Without these four thousand Sichuan soldiers, how could Xiang Rong dare to provoke the Taiping Army's Left Army, which was strong, well-equipped, and in high spirits?

Xiang Rong's plan to join forces with Qin Dingsan and Zhou Fengqi's Qing troops in Liuzhou to attack Yongfu County and annihilate the short-haired rebels thus failed.

As if things weren't going to go wrong, two pieces of bad news arrived in Pingluo Prefecture at that very moment.

One piece of bad news was that the short-haired cult bandits in Yongfu County had launched an eastward offensive with unclear objectives. They might be heading north to Guilin, the provincial capital, or they might be targeting Pingluo Prefecture, where Xiang Rongjun was stationed.

Another piece of bad news was that the vanguard of the Taiping Rebellion captured Zhaoping County in the southern part of Pingluo Prefecture in just two days.

After capturing Zhaoping County, the Taiping rebels did not stay there but continued north along the Gui River, heading straight for Pingluo Prefecture, where they were now only a hundred li away. Scouts from both sides had already made contact.

"First Zhou Tianjue misled our Chu army! Then Lao Chongguang misled our Chu army! Now even the newly appointed Imperial Commissioner Li Xingyuan is misleading our Chu army!"

The situation for the Chu army took a sharp turn for the worse. Xiang Rong, a veteran of countless battles, could no longer contain his anger and vented his discontent. "The Emperor has issued a strict decree to stop the religious bandits. If you fail to stop them, you will all be criminals!"

Inside the command tent, the generals of the Chu army were also filled with righteous indignation and resentment.

Since the Chu army entered Xunyang to fight, they have been repeatedly betrayed by a group of incompetent teammates, missing precious opportunities time and time again. They have almost witnessed the God Society bandits grow stronger step by step.

Who could have imagined that just a year ago, a group of bandits who were huddled in the Zijing Mountains and the valleys of Ping would now have the ability to threaten the provincial capital and leave tens of thousands of Green Standard Army militia members from eight provinces—Hunan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Fujian, and Hubei—helpless?

"If Lao Chongguang had been more decisive, even four or five days earlier, we would still have had a chance to besiege Yongfu County." Deng Shaoliang lamented the Qing army's missed opportunity.

The Taiping rebels near Cangwu City were supposed to be suppressed by two powerful officials from the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, Zhou Tianjue and Xu Guangjin. But not only did they fail to be suppressed, they managed to escape right under their noses!
How utterly incompetent!
“Talking about these things now will only cause more trouble!” Xiang Rong sighed, closing his eyes tightly with a pained expression.

Opportunities in war are fleeting; the brief strategic window of opportunity is gone forever.

This was Xiang Rong's last chance to besiege or even wipe out the short-haired cult bandits.

Xiang Rong was full of confidence beforehand, but unexpectedly it ended in such a hasty manner.

The short-haired Maoist group moved eastward, while the long-haired Maoist group moved northward.

Their target is likely to be a pincer attack on the Chu army, Zhengan soldiers, Chaozhou soldiers, and Min soldiers in the Pingluo and Lipu areas.

Xiang Rong is now in a very dangerous situation. He must decide whether to defend Ping Le and Li Pu or abandon them as soon as possible.

Let's defend it. If the short-haired cult bandits in the northwest cut off the Li River waterway connecting Pingluo Prefecture to Guilin Province, we'll have nowhere to run.

If we give up, we can only watch helplessly as the long-haired and short-haired rebels join forces and calmly attack Guilin, the provincial capital.

"General, the situation is extremely unfavorable for our army. As long as we survive, we can always rebuild." Zhang Guoliang mustered his courage and approached Xiang Rong, whispering to him.

Last time, Zhang Guoliang was scolded by Xiang Rong for interrupting Chu army affairs.

This time, Zhang Guoliang learned his lesson and dared not speak loudly about Chu army affairs.

Perhaps he was already disheartened, or perhaps Zhang Guoliang was right.

This time, Xiang Rong did not reprimand Zhang Guoliang or tell him to get out of the command tent.

Xiang Rong was a shrewd man. Without much hesitation, he decisively issued the order: "The entire army shall immediately break camp and march north at full speed. Anyone who wants to live, run for their life! We must advance to Guilin before the short-haired rebels block the Li River!"

Heading to Guilin and relying on its fortified city for defense is the only way to survive at the moment.

Upon Xiang Rong's order, the Chu army, Zhengan soldiers, and Fujian braves abandoned even their cooking utensils, finding them cumbersome, and fled north towards Guilin City by boat, horse, or on foot, lightly equipped.

Chao Yong was greedy and insatiable, valuing money over life. He thought Xiang Rong was just exaggerating and used the same trick to deceive them into marching.

After all, last time Xiang Rong tricked them into going to Pingluo and Lipu by falsely claiming that the Taiping rebels were chasing them.

When they arrived in Pingluo and Lipu, they didn't see a single hair of the long-haired people.

As most of the Chu army, Zhengan soldiers, and Min soldiers gradually left Pingle City.

The situation in Ping Le City gradually spiraled out of control. Without restraint, Chao Yong ran rampant within the city, indulging his lust and living a life of debauchery.

The local people, and even the officials and gentry, were helpless against these thugs and ruffians from Chaozhou Prefecture.

These hooligans, though scoundrels, are still somewhat useful to some extent.

Before leaving Pingluo Prefecture, Xiang Rong led his hundred or so personal guards to run around the streets of Pingluo City, shouting and trying to win over these Chaozhou thugs: "The Taiping rebels are less than a hundred miles away from Pingluo City. You won't live to spend this money!"

"Stop trying to fool us! Commander Xiang, we've seen your tricks before!"

"Back then, we brothers from Chaozhou believed your lies and crossed countless mountains to get to this godforsaken place, Pingle!"

"I can live a carefree and prosperous life in Pingle, so I'm not leaving!"

"Farewell, General Xiang, for good!"

Chao Yong and Xiang Rong argued back and forth, laughing and joking, refusing to go with Xiang Rong no matter what.

Even having the scouts who had just returned from the south speak for themselves was of no use.

In the past, if the soldiers and local militia spoke to him like that, they would have dragged him out and given him a hundred lashes, then paraded him through the camp with arrows stuck in his throat.

Unfortunately, the Sichuan army had not yet arrived, and with only the remnants of the Chu army and Zhengan soldiers under his command, he was no match for the local militia, whose numbers were two or three times that of the main army. Xiang Rong had no choice but to appease these big shots in order to get them under his control.

"Happy? In terms of happiness, can Pingluo be as happy as Guilin, the provincial capital? Can the girls in a small place like Pingluo be as beautiful as those in Guilin? Can the food in Pingluo be as good as in Guilin? Can Pingluo be safer than Guilin? Since you are unwilling to go to Guilin with me, I will take my leave!"

After speaking, Xiang Rong turned his horse and rode away.

Chaozhou soldiers were easily swayed by this approach. After careful consideration, these ruffians realized that Xiang Rong's words made sense. After a brief hesitation, many of the Chaozhou soldiers still followed Xiang Rong and left Pingle for Guilin.

With his silver tongue, Xiang Rong managed to gather seven or eight hundred Chao soldiers from the chaotic Ping Le City.

A strong will to survive unleashed the potential of this last remaining Qing army force in Guangxi.

Xiang Rong led his diverse team northward along the Gui River and the Li River, traveling day and night towards Guilin City without daring to stop for even a moment.

(End of this chapter)