1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 223 Magical Clash
The Hunan officials in the main hall, regardless of their rank, couldn't help but chuckle when they heard Bao Qibao, the dignified Governor of Hunan, solemnly make such an absurd suggestion.

The only ones who managed to hold back their laughter were Bao Qibao's deputy general and Jiang Zhongyuan.

Jiang Zhongyuan did not completely dismiss Bao Qibao's suggestion as a joke, but remained silent and pondered it carefully.

"Does Bao Titai mean to use clay Buddhas to guard the city?" Cang Jingtian, the prefect of Changsha, asked, suppressing a laugh.

"What do you know, you who have never been soldiers?" Bao Qibao said irritably after being ridiculed by the Hunan officials.

"Morale is paramount in war! What Changsha lacks most right now is not soldiers who are trained to be brave, but morale! Without morale, even if the number of soldiers is large, they are just a burden and a waste of money and food."

Why were those peasants from western Guangdong willing to risk their lives in battle? It was because they believed in some kind of divine intervention or protection.

If the Taiping rebels could get foreign gods to protect them, why can't we get the City God of Changsha to protect us?

Bao didn't know whether the short-haired Maoists would smash temples, but the long-haired Maoists did smash temples all the way, including not only the Confucian temple but also the small temples of various mountain gods and local deities.

Even if the City God of Changsha doesn't want to bless us, he still has to come out and help us protect Changsha in order to safeguard his own temple, right?
The City God of Changsha is known for his efficacy, and he has many local believers. Most of the soldiers and militia guarding Changsha are also locals.

Placing the City God statue on the Changsha city wall would embolden the soldiers.

Bao Qibao explained his intentions in detail, and the Hunan officials in the main hall of the governor's office gradually stopped laughing.

That seems to be the case.

Jiang Zhongyuan also agreed with Bao Qibao's seemingly absurd argument.

The Qing Dynasty never lacked soldiers; what it truly lacked was courage—the kind of brave and fierce warriors who dared to fight bandits face-to-face and draw blood.

Jiang Zhongyuan has a deep understanding of this point and feels it most profoundly.

"The City God enjoys the incense offerings of the people of Changsha, so he should naturally protect the peace of this region and has the responsibility to safeguard the land and its people. Bao Titai is indeed worthy of being a veteran of the Green Standard Army; his insights are spot on. At present, the people of Changsha are in a state of panic, and it is indeed the priority to stabilize the morale of the soldiers and civilians in the city." Jiang Zhongyuan was the first to stand up and support Bao Qibao.

"If the soldiers and civilians in Changsha are of one mind, the three or four thousand Taiping vanguard will not be able to cause any trouble."

Jiang Zhongyuan was afraid of the short-haired rebels and the long-haired rebels who had joined forces. He didn't really believe that the three or four thousand long-haired rebel vanguard had the strength to take Changsha, a city that brought together the best of Hunan.

Furthermore, the 7,500 garrison troops in Changsha City were not all of Changsha Prefecture's trump cards.

With the lifting of restrictions on local militias, they flourished in all counties of Changsha Prefecture, especially in Xiangxiang County, the hometown of Vice Minister Zeng, where outstanding talents emerged and the militias were the best organized.

Of the twelve counties and one prefecture of Changsha Prefecture, except for Changsha and Shanhua counties which were attached to Changsha, the local militia were gathered in the provincial capital of Changsha for joint defense.

The local militias in other counties haven't been mobilized yet.

Although the local militia in Changsha Prefecture were mostly composed of new recruits, if they were properly deployed and managed, they could still harass and restrain three or four thousand Taiping vanguards, which would hinder the Taiping soldiers and prevent them from concentrating their efforts on attacking Changsha.

Bao Qibao wanted to cause trouble, so he used the City God to boost the morale of the soldiers and civilians in Changsha. Let him do whatever he wanted.

If we can boost the morale of the soldiers and civilians in Changsha, that would be best. If not, we can still hold Changsha as usual.

Bao Qibao was pleased that Jiang Zhongyuan stood up to support him. He glanced at the bulging belly of Cang Jingtian, the prefect of Changsha, and said sarcastically, "Prefect Jiang is more knowledgeable about military affairs and has seen more of the world than some of those wine-and-meat prefects."

Enraged that a mere military man had exposed his shortcomings in front of so many people, Cang Jingtian stood up in anger, pointing his finger at Bao Qibao's nose, ready to retaliate.

Before Cang Jingtian could even begin to curse, Luo Bingzhang stepped forward and stopped him: "Enough! What Bao Titai said makes sense. Right now, there are two issues that I am most worried about regarding the defense of Changsha."

Firstly, Changsha has enjoyed a long period of peace, and the city walls have not been repaired for a long time, resulting in many sections collapsing. Outside the city walls, especially near the city gates, there are many shops and residences.

In the past, when the religious bandits in western Guangdong attacked and captured Cangwu City and Quanzhou City, they all took advantage of the cover provided by the houses and sheds outside the city.

Right now, we must not only speed up the repair of the collapsed and loose parts of the city wall, but also demolish the houses and sheds near the city gate and city wall. Not only must they be demolished, but they must be completely demolished so that there is not an inch of hiding place for the religious bandits.

Prefect Cang, this matter will be personally overseen by you, along with the magistrates of Changsha and Shanhua.

Our lives and fortunes depend on the safety and well-being of Changsha. We must not be negligent!

More than a month ago, Luo Bingzhang had already submitted a memorial to Emperor Xianfeng requesting funding to repair the Changsha city wall.

At that time, the Taiping army had not yet entered Hunan. The Qing central government was not only short-sighted but also harbored wishful thinking, not believing that the Taiping army would enter Hunan and threaten Changsha, the capital of Hunan province.

Therefore, Emperor Xianfeng delayed approving the funds. Despite the lack of approval, Luo Bingzhang withstood the pressure and diverted 20,000 taels of silver from the Hunan Provincial Governor. He also gathered wealthy households and gentry in Changsha to donate some silver for the repair of the city walls.

However, the wealthy gentry in Changsha were too stingy with their donations, contributing very little silver. In addition, the officials and clerks in charge of repairing the city walls were exploiting the system at every level, each wanting a share of the profits. As a result, the repair of the city walls was very slow.

With the Taiping rebels about to besiege Changsha, we can no longer afford to slack off and must speed things up.

Luo Bingzhang ordered the prefect of Changsha and the magistrates of the two surrounding counties to personally oversee the repair of the city walls.

Since Luo Bingzhang had already spoken, Cang Jingtian had no choice but to swallow back the words of curse he wanted to utter and accept the task assigned to him by Luo Bingzhang: "I will obey Your Excellency's orders!"

"As for the second point, it is that the people of Changsha are not united and fear the religious bandits in western Guangdong like tigers and wolves," Luo Bingzhang said clearly.

"With unity of purpose, even mountains can be moved; uniting people's hearts is the top priority now."

As Boutitai said, cults have their own evil gods, so do we not have our own gods to protect us?

Are our gods less powerful than the gods of foreigners?
We should not only invite the City God to the city wall to help us guard the city, but also carry the City God in a procession throughout the city to boost the morale of the soldiers and civilians of Changsha!
If Changsha can escape this calamity, what harm is there in me commissioning a golden statue of the City God?
"Bottega Veneta, this suggestion was yours, and you are personally responsible for it."

Luo Bingzhang was taught by the sage Confucius that "one should not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits," and his attitude towards ghosts and spirits was one of respect but keeping a distance.

So-called religions and deities have always been a good way to fool the masses.

The City God of Changsha is very efficacious, and the local people have a deep faith in him.

There is no better or simpler way to boost morale and unite people than directly bringing out the City God.

Moreover, inviting a deity is not only cheaper than directly increasing the pay of the soldiers and civilians guarding Changsha, but may also be more effective.

Why not do this?

“Yes, sir!” Bao Qibao replied.

After arranging the repairs to the Changsha city wall, we invited the City God to perform the rituals.

The Hunan officials then discussed the deployment of Changsha's defenses before adjourning the meeting.

Bao Qibao was a rather superstitious person.

He genuinely hoped to receive the City God's protection and ensure the safety of Changsha.

It was evening when the meeting ended, and Bao Qibao announced that he would fast, bathe and change clothes that very night.

After bathing, Bao Qibao unusually entered a state of sagehood, refraining from engaging in sexual activity with his wives and concubines, and instead sleeping alone in a room, pondering the matter of inviting the City God.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Bao Qibao got up, took another bath, and went out wearing only a clean, plain dress instead of his official or military uniform.

Bao Qibao's behavior greatly puzzled his wives and concubines. They didn't know why their master's temperament had changed so drastically after returning from the governor's office. He no longer ate meat or had any interest in women. In the past, it was rare to see this rough man take a bath once every ten days or half a month. Now, he had taken two baths in less than half a day. Was he going to become a monk?
Bao Qibao was too lazy to explain. He simply led more than two hundred personal guards, prepared incense and offerings, and marched in a grand procession to the City God Temple next to Jia Taifu Temple, burning incense and candles and shouting all the way.

Bao Qibao personally conducted a grand Buddhist ceremony in front of the City God Temple in Changsha.

After the ritual was completed, Bao Qibao kowtowed before the clay statue of the City God, chanting: "Disciple Bao Qibao, on behalf of all the people of Changsha, respectfully invites the City God to come to Changsha and bestow his power to protect our city from the scourge of the religious bandits of western Guangdong."

After defeating the cultists, I will build a temple for the City God and sculpt a golden statue! This will ensure that the people and soldiers of Changsha will continue to worship the City God year after year, and that your temple will never be without incense offerings.

Bao Qibao set an example, leading the Green Standard Army officers around him to kowtow to the ground with devout expressions, praying for the City God's blessing.

After completing the procedures, and seeing that the City God did not object, Bao Qibao tacitly agreed that the City God had agreed to come to Changsha to bless them.

Amidst the deafening sound of firecrackers, Bao Qibao had his personal guards carry the clay statue of the City God onto a bamboo cart, secure it, and then have the guards carry the deity in a procession, with gongs and drums clearing the way, attracting the attention of soldiers and civilians throughout the city, creating quite a spectacle.

The commotion only subsided temporarily when the City God was carried to the Huangdaomen Arrow Tower in Changsha.

When the soldiers and militia of Changsha near Huangdaomen heard that the Taiping rebels were about to attack Changsha, they were filled with anxiety and their faces turned pale. The Changsha Green Standard Army soldiers and local militia were also drawn to the commotion at Huangdaomen and gathered around the Huangdaomen arrow tower to watch the spectacle.

As for why Bao Qibao carried the City God to Huangdao Gate, the reason is quite simple: although Changsha, located on the west bank of the Xiang River, had nine gates, four of them faced the river, making it impossible for troops to deploy effectively. The Taiping army's navy was weak and could not possibly attack Changsha from the four riverside gates.

The Taiping army came by boat from the south, and Changsha was blocked by cannons. The Taiping army's first choice to attack the city gate was Huangdaomen, the only gate on the south wall.

(End of this chapter)