1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 217 Road
Although Peng Gang was unable to attend the statewide decision-making meeting due to objective reasons, as one of the seven kings of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, he had the right to know about the top-level meeting of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom as soon as possible.

Yang Xiuqing has already led his troops to Daozhou, with his sword pointed at Guiyangzhou and Chenzhou. He will not come to Lingling.

As for whether Hong Xiuquan will come, although there is no clear news yet, Peng Gang judges that Hong Xiuquan is unlikely to come. Even if Hong Xiuquan wanted to come, Yang Xiuqing might not agree.

The one that can now pose a real threat to Yang Xiuqing's power is no longer Xiao Chaogui's West Palace, but Peng Gang's North Palace.

Xiao Chaogui was brave but lacked wisdom; he couldn't outwit Yang Xiuqing, a centenarian, when it came to scheming and power plays.

Furthermore, it is no longer the era of the Tuanying Order. After Cangwu was enfeoffed as a king, Yang Xiuqing's strength in the East Palace has surpassed that of the West Palace. It is very difficult for Xiao Chaogui to have a chance to turn the tables and replace Yang Xiuqing.

“Each king has the right to establish his own government. They issue their proclamations, and I issue mine. There is no conflict,” Peng Gang said.

Feng Yunshan revered the Zhou rites, and under the system he personally created, the power of the kings of the Heavenly Kingdom was indeed very much in line with the style of the feudal kings of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Each king had independent military and administrative power and could enfeoff territories.

The excessive decentralization of power is just one of the flaws in the design of the Kingdom of Heaven's system; it can also be seen as a product of compromise among all parties.

This is not to blame Feng Yunshan, the chief architect of the Heavenly Kingdom system. The core members of the seven kings of the Heavenly Kingdom's initial uprising and the Tuanying Order were all from Guangxi.

As an outsider with no real connections, Feng Yunshan needed to delegate power to local strongmen in order to expand the God Worshippers' Society in a short period of time.

If Feng Yunshan and Hong Xiuquan had held onto power from the beginning, the local God God Society leaders would not have had much motivation to proselytize, recruit new members, and expand the God God Society. It would have been even more impossible for the God God Society to develop into a powerful armed force in just a few years.

The decentralization of power can be prevented from becoming disorderly and a balance maintained by establishing a system of checks and balances.

Given Yang Xiuqing's political talent and administrative ability, it would not be difficult for him to do this.

The most fatal problem is not the dispersion of power, but the misalignment of power.

Hong Xiuquan, as a religious leader, held no real power, while Yang Xiuqing, who controlled both military and political affairs, was not a religious leader. Furthermore, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's top-level structure was a bizarre political system combining a dualistic theocracy with a figurehead monarchy.

Unless Yang Xiuqing overturns the current religious narrative of the God Society.

Alternatively, Hong Xiuquan, the leader of the God Society, could relinquish his remaining symbolic political and religious power, retreat to the background and honestly become the pope, correcting the misplaced power and concentrating authority in Yang Xiuqing's hands. Otherwise, this problem would be unsolvable.

"Even the power granted to the Prince of Qin by Emperor Gaozu of Tang to establish his own government was thwarted by the Xuanwu Gate Incident. With six princes establishing their own governments, can the Heavenly King and the Eastern King maintain control?" Liu Bingwen was not very familiar with the political structure of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Based on his current rudimentary understanding of this power system, he felt that giving such great power to the princes below him would inevitably lead to problems sooner or later.

"Teacher, please take a look at the manifesto first." Peng Gang gestured for him to do so. Whether he could handle it or not, history had already given the answer.

Liu Bingwen realized he had been too talkative; this was not something he should be concerned with or involved in.

He held the manifesto written by Peng Gang and read it carefully.

The proclamation was arranged in the traditional vertical format, which made it much easier for Liu Bingwen to read than the horizontally formatted "Dictionary of Commonly Used Characters".

A proclamation issued by Heaven to punish the Manchu barbarians.

It is said that the Huaxia people belong to China, not to the lair of barbarians; their attire is a legacy of sages and worthies, not adornments of dogs and sheep! Since the time of Nurhaci, the founder of the Huaxia dynasty, a wolf by nature, who coveted Liaodong, his descendants have usurped the imperial title and seized the throne, defiling our Central Plains with their stench and staining our clothing—a fate that has lasted for over two hundred years! Their crimes are heinous, arousing the wrath of both gods and men; their depravity is well-known and beyond description! Now, we hereby proclaim to Heaven and Earth the immense treachery and evil of the Manchu barbarians, and call upon our loyal and righteous followers to jointly punish these vile barbarians and restore China!
The first crime is: stealing the country and usurping the throne, slaughtering people across the fields, the crime is rebellion!
Those Jurchens of Liaodong, with their small and weak forces, took advantage of the internal strife of our China and brazenly attacked our gates. The Yangzhou Massacre, the Jiading Massacre, and the Jiangyin Massacre lasted eighty-one days! Wherever they went, white bones were exposed in the fields, and for a thousand miles, not a rooster crowed! Their butcher's blades were pointed not only at righteous resistance fighters, but also at innocent women and children.
The second crime is: destroying my clothing and severing my cultural lineage, the crime is to destroy the Way!

The decree forcibly imposed a shaving of the head and a change of clothing, declaring, "Keep your head, lose your hair; keep your hair, lose your head!" This decree sent the entire nation into grief and indignation! The practice of wearing hair tied up and fastening the robe on the right has been the symbol of the legitimate Chinese civilization since the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the embodiment of propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame. These barbarians, with their vulgar customs of wearing gold and rat tails, have imposed this upon our nation of civilized people.
The three crimes are: treating the people like dirt, exploiting and plundering them, and the crime lies in abusing the people!
They treated hundreds of millions of Han people like cattle and horses, imposing exorbitant taxes and levies. They seized farmland to feed their Eight Banners troops; they favored Manchus over Han, blocking all avenues for talent. Manchu nobles enjoyed riches while Han people suffered from hunger and cold. Furthermore, their corrupt officials were like tigers, exploiting the people at every level, ensuring that the people's hard-earned money flowed into their pockets.
The four crimes are: being complacent and self-enclosed, being ignorant and muddle-headed, and thus harming the country!

They closed themselves off from the world, becoming arrogant and self-important. They rejected new knowledge from around the globe and severed ties with people from all over the world.
The five crimes are: fawning on foreign powers and harming one's own people, which constitutes treason!
Surrounded by powerful nations, instead of focusing on national prosperity and military strength to defend against external aggression, they intensified their oppression and exploitation of the Han people. They viewed the Han people as a greater threat than foreign invaders.
Therefore it is said: If we wish to defend the righteous path of our Chinese nation, we must first execute the slave chieftain Xianfeng! If we wish to preserve the true teachings of Confucius and Mencius, we must first overthrow the Qing dynasty! We shall punish the guilty in accordance with Heaven's will, restore order to the nation, expel the barbarians, and restore China!

Now, the Qing dynasty's fate is sealed; destiny rests in our hands.

All descendants of Yan and Huang, those with blood in their veins, should sharpen their swords and restore our honor! Let us avenge the millions of compatriots who perished in Yangzhou, Jiading, Jiangyin, and other places! Let us seek justice for the loyal souls who died unjustly over the past two hundred years! Let us fight so that our descendants will never again be slaves!

Wherever this proclamation reaches, obedience or rebellion will be immediately judged!
Those who grew their hair long, donned their clothes, and took up arms to resist the invaders are the backbone of China, their merits will be remembered for a thousand years!
Those who donated grain to aid the army and sacrificed their families to relieve hardship are the pillars of the revival and will be remembered in history!
Those who defect and surrender the enemy chieftain are considered to have realized their mistakes and been pardoned for all their past sins!

Those who stubbornly aid and abet tyranny, willingly becoming henchmen of the barbarians! Then, wherever the heavenly army arrives, it will surely plow their courts, sweep away their dens, and exterminate all the vile ones, leaving not a single blade of grass! On the day Yanjing is captured, the blood of the entire Aisin Gioro clan will be used to commemorate our ancestors and the heroic spirits of those who died in the war! Do not say you were not warned, for you will bring about the extermination of your clan!

Heaven above, Earth below!
Our ancestors' spirits bear witness!
Expel the Tartars and restore China!

Equalize land ownership and establish a new dynasty!
Peng Gang, the Northern King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, issued a proclamation to the entire world.

April 5th, 6549th year of the Yellow Emperor's reign.

It goes without saying that expelling the Tartars and restoring China was a great achievement.

As far as I can recall, after the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom entered Hunan, it also issued a proclamation to punish the Manchu Qing dynasty, proposing the political slogan of expelling the Manchus and restoring China.

As for the path to take after overthrowing the old system and equalizing land ownership, whether it should be constitutionalism or a republic, Peng Gang has carefully considered it.

After much deliberation, it is clear that the people of China are currently not enlightened enough to even have the fertile ground for constitutionalism, let alone a republic. Taking too big a step can easily lead to trouble. Everything needs to be done step by step. Blindly applying unsuitable systems may not necessarily result in an outcome much better than that of the Qing Dynasty.

The most successful republic at present is the United States, a major American power that has just fought the Mexican-American War.

Many Third World countries blindly adopted the American republican system and implemented the separation of powers after World War II.

The result was that few succeeded. It's not that there's anything wrong with the American system, but rather that it's a system that American politicians have compromised and figured out over a long period of time, a system that suits the constitution of the American people.

The founders of the United States were a group of Puritans who temporarily united to resist taxes. The country has a mature civil society, a deep-rooted tradition of self-governance, and a tradition of checks and balances based on the rule of law. Furthermore, America's early industrialization supported a stable middle class.

Even the geographical conditions of the New World were exceptionally favorable. There were no powerful monarchies around it that feared the export of American republican ideology and would forcibly interfere in American domestic affairs.

These conditions are not only absent in most countries after the war, but also in China today.

A republic takes time. At the very least, it requires the completion of a period of political tutelage, the development of wisdom, and the cultivation of a middle class from an industrial society. Only after establishing a certain social foundation can there be hope for pursuing a republic.

Otherwise, even if a republic is nominally established, it will be all show and no substance, merely a facade, repeating the absurd chaos of the Beiyang government.

It's too early to consider these things now. The most urgent task is to strengthen our forces, seize a stable base, and overthrow the corrupt Qing dynasty. Otherwise, everything will just be a mirage.

After reading the entire document, Liu Bingwen discovered that it was a traditional manifesto, which made no mention of religion or denouncement of Confucianism.

The date at the end of the signature uses the so-called Yellow Emperor Era, rather than the Heavenly Calendar of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, or the reign title of the former Ming emperor.

It is clear that Peng Gang's ambition was to expel the Manchus, restore China, and open up a new world, and he had no intention of worshipping foreign religions, worshipping foreign gods, or restoring the old Ming Dynasty.

Liu Bingwen could not hide his joy and said, "There is no problem with the manifesto. A few sentences are not fluent, but they can be copied and posted after a few minor modifications."

Liu Bingwen hesitated to express whether he was willing to help Peng Gang because he did not understand or know Peng Gang's political views.

Frankly speaking, Liu Bingwen was similar to Zuo Zongtang in some ways. Liu Bingwen was also a frustrated scholar of state who harbored dissatisfaction with the status quo of the Qing Dynasty.

However, compared to the Qing Dynasty, Liu Bingwen found it even more unacceptable to a regime that, under the guise of a foreign religion, destroyed Confucian temples and burned ancestral halls.

Having clearly learned of Peng Gang's position from the manifesto, Liu Bingwen finally felt relieved.

"Hunan is a land of many talented people. Do you know which great talents are in Hunan?" Peng Gang asked Liu Bingwen.

Liu Bingwen was also a former official of the pragmatic school. Most of the books he collected in his Daxu Study were works of the pragmatic school. His idol was Tao Shu, a representative figure of the pragmatic school in Hunan and an important minister during the Jiaqing and Daoguang reigns.

Liu Bingwen should have some understanding of the capable statesmen of Hunan who advocated practical governance.

Hunan is the stronghold of the Hunan School of Practical Learning. Thanks to the seeds of practical learning sown by Wang Fuzhi in Hunan and the careful nurturing by Tao Shu, Wei Yuan and others, the Hunan School of Practical Learning has now taken root and sprouted, producing many talented individuals.

Many people are just missing a stage to showcase their talents, and Peng Gang can provide that stage for them.

Peng Gang, an official from the Hunanese school of economics who was already in the Qing court system, did not expect them to abandon their evil ways and join the new government. However, Peng Gang, a talented but unappreciated man from the Hunanese school of economics, still wanted to try to win them over.

If he could gain the allegiance of the pragmatic people of Hunan, it would undoubtedly be a great boost to his rebellion.

Of course, being able to win over some members of the Hunanese pragmatic faction would be the icing on the cake, which would be even better.

If we can't win them over, we can always cultivate our own talent gradually.

When a topic of interest was mentioned, Liu Bingwen immediately perked up, his eyes shining brightly: "Have you ever heard the saying that Hunan has three bright spots, and that if you get one of them, Hunan can be cured?"

"I know a little bit, but I only know the current Liang, Zuo Zongtang. As for the other two Liangs, one seems to be Luo Zenan? I really can't remember who the other Liang is," Peng Gang replied after thinking hard.

Liang refers to Zhuge Liang, a prime minister whose talent is rare throughout history. The three Liangs of Hunan compared themselves to Zhuge Liang, although this may be an exaggeration.

However, the fact that such a claim could be made suggests that the abilities and knowledge of these three individuals have been recognized within the Hunanese school of economics and practical affairs, indicating that their credentials are quite valuable.

Liu Bingwen knew Peng Gang's family background very well. Peng Gang knew that there were three outstanding people in Hunan and could even name two of them. Liu Bingwen was already quite surprised.

In this era, there are strict information barriers, making it difficult for ordinary people to access information outside their social circles.

"The term 'Three Brights' is used by scholars in Hunan. The Three Brights are: Luo Zenan (Old Bright), Liu Rong (Young Bright), and Zuo Zongtang (Modern Bright)," Liu Bingwen said slowly, stroking his beard.

(End of this chapter)