1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 230 Zuo Zongtang

The Northern Palace monopolized the main cities of Yongzhou and Hengzhou prefectures, and all the grain and wealth of the two prefectures belonged to the Northern Palace.

In the short term, Peng Gang need not worry about logistical issues.

He then focused on recruiting new people, training new soldiers, and strengthening his forces. He also purchased a large number of boats and ships, and mobilized craftsmen in Lingling and Hengyang to hire local craftsmen to modify the boats in preparation for the next operation.

In Changsha, the vanguard of the Western Palace temporarily retreated.

Sai Shang'a, holding the imperial edict in his mouth, led the vanguard troops into Changsha, temporarily relieving the crisis in Changsha.

The high-ranking officials in Hunan, both civil and military, as well as Sai Shang'a, who had just arrived in Changsha, were overjoyed by this.

However, the Manchu officials in Changsha didn't even have time to celebrate for long, and they hadn't even finished their victory banquet.

The news of the fall of Hengyang, the capital of Hengzhou Prefecture, cast a shadow over Changsha once again.

Aside from the fact that he had never fought against the Taiping Army before, Sai Shang'a, in his ignorance, held an optimistic, or perhaps overly optimistic, attitude towards the upcoming bandit suppression campaign.

The remaining Qing officials had mixed feelings of joy and sorrow.

After the Taiping rebel leader was killed by cannon fire, Bao Qibao and Jiang Zhongyuan personally led the most elite soldiers in Changsha out of the city to pursue and annihilate the leaderless Taiping rebels. However, they were instead slaughtered by the Taiping rebels and fled back into the city in a sorry state, which shows how fierce the Taiping rebels were.

Sai Shang'a brought many soldiers from Shaanxi and Henan to Changsha, bolstering the city's defenses.

Of the Shaanxi, Gansu, and Henan soldiers brought by Kesai Shang'a, only the three thousand Shaanxi and Gansu Green Standard Army soldiers were somewhat presentable.

The rest of the soldiers were not even as good as the local soldiers in Changsha.

Jiang Zhongyuan was the official in Changsha with the most experience in dealing with the religious bandits in western Guangdong. The officials of all ranks in Hunan had much of their knowledge of the religious bandits in western Guangdong from Jiang Zhongyuan's personal account and Li Mengqun's "Collection of Information on Bandits".

According to Jiang Zhongyuan and the "Collection of Thieves' Information," the most ferocious of the religious bandits in western Guangdong were not the long-haired ones, but the short-haired ones.

The development of the battle situation in Hunan seems to confirm this.

After entering Hunan, the Taiping rebels successfully captured small, poorly defended cities like Daozhou and Guiyangzhou.

The short-haired rebels not only captured county and state cities with ease, but they also captured two prefectural cities within a month.

Under Luo Bingzhang's leadership, officials in Changsha City compiled and reviewed the battle records of the Long-Haired and Short-Haired Rebels.

After reviewing and analyzing the situation, they were surprised to find that the short-haired cult bandits had an extremely high success rate in attacking cities.

From Wuxuan and Xiangzhou, then to Quanzhou, Lingling, and Hengyang.

Of the cities that the Short-Haired Mao attacked, only Liuzhou Prefecture's capital, Ma Pingxi, was an extremely strategically important military town, easy to defend and difficult to attack. It was also thanks to the effective defense by Generals Qin Dingsan and Zhou Fengqi that the Short-Haired Mao failed to conquer it.

As for other cities, there is no city that the short-haired tribe cannot conquer if they want to attack.

The short-haired army captured far more cities than the long-haired army.

The claim that the religious bandits in western Guangdong were not good at attacking cities does not seem to apply to the short-haired Mao.

It was the Short-haired Mao who captured Hengyang, the southern gateway to Chu.

Although officials in Hunan were not entirely sure whether the Taiping rebel leader they killed was Wei Zheng, they were certain that he was a man of considerable influence.

The religious bandits in western Guangdong will definitely make a comeback, leading more and more elite troops to Changsha for revenge.

Sai Shang'a came to oversee the overall campaign against bandits.

Given the bigger picture, Sai Shang'a's troops would certainly not remain in Changsha for long.

After all, there were also religious bandits active in Baoqing Prefecture, Guiyang Prefecture, Chenzhou and other places in western Guangdong. Sai Shang'a could not possibly turn a blind eye to the religious bandits in these places, otherwise he would not be able to explain to Emperor Xianfeng.

Furthermore, the withdrawal of the Taiping rebels from Changsha gave Sai Shang'a a great deal of confidence. Sai Shang'a also seemed to have the idea of ​​waiting for the remaining troops to gather in Changsha before sending troops south to suppress the bandits and clean up the chaotic situation in southern Hunan in one fell swoop.

Thinking of this, Luo Bingzhang realized that defending Changsha could not rely entirely on the northern troops brought by Sai Shang'a, but still had to rely on the local forces of Hunan.

Luo Bingzhang was troubled by the lack of a capable local advisor among his staff to coordinate the overall situation of the local militia and integrate the scattered militia forces from various places.

The Green Standard Army is not to be trusted. If the scattered local militias could be integrated and trained to the level of the Chu army, they could at least hold Changsha city, if not wipe out the religious bandits in western Guangdong.

Luo Bingzhang thought of Zuo Zongtang, whom the local gentry in Hunan had recommended to him. Just then, Luo Bingzhang also received a letter from Hu Linyi, the acting prefect of Anshun, Guizhou.

In his letter, Hu Linyi also strongly recommended Zuo Zongtang to him.

Although Hu Linyi was the brother-in-law of Zuo Zongtang's son-in-law, the two were close friends and relatives by marriage.

Considering that Zuo Zongtang was able to gain the recommendation of Hunan scholars and the affirmation of Tao Shu and Lin Zexu, he must have had some talent.

Luo Bingzhang then summoned three trusted family members.

One of them carried a letter he had written and invited Guo Songtao, a close friend of Zuo Zongtang and a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) from Xiangyin County who was in mourning, to act as an intermediary and invite Zuo Zongtang to join his staff.

The other two brought generous gifts and letters to Zuo Zongtang's door to invite him to serve.

When the Taiping Army entered Hunan, many local gentry in Xiangyin County, north of Changsha, chose to hide in the deep mountains to avoid the bandits and soldiers.

Zuo Zongtang was among them. About twenty days ago, he moved his entire family from Liuzhuang to Baishuidong in Dongshan, Xiangyin, where they cut bamboo and thatch to build a house and live in seclusion to protect themselves.

The two brothers, Guo Songtao and Guo Kuntao, also hid in Baishuidong in eastern Xiangyin.

The two families' temporary residences were separated by only one ridge.

When Luo Bingzhang's two family members visited him with generous gifts and letters.

Zuo Zongtang did not accept Luo Bingzhang's generous gift, but instead wrote a reply refusing to take up a post.

"My husband prides himself on being a 'hidden dragon' from Xiangyin and often laments that his talents are not recognized. Now, the situation in Hunan is extremely precarious. Governor Luo has a discerning eye and has extended a warm invitation to me. Why did you refuse his kindness without even considering it?"

Zuo Zongtang's first wife, Zhou Yiduan, felt that being able to serve as a staff member for a provincial governor was already a high starting point, and besides, refusing so decisively was a bit too cold-hearted.

"Does Madam think I'm putting on airs?" Zuo Zongtang strolled to the bamboo chair in front of the thatched hut, lifted his robe, and sat down.

"A little," Zhou Yiduan said with a playful smile.

"Showing face to others is leaving room for yourself. He is, after all, a provincial governor; you should at least show him some face."

"Madam also knows that the situation in Hunan is extremely precarious. There are times when we should talk about feelings. Now is not the time to talk about these empty formalities. All things in the world go wrong because of feelings."

"Let's not talk about distant examples, just take Zheng Zuchen, the former governor of Guangxi. If Governor Zheng hadn't shown any mercy and ignored Pan Huaitang's (Pan Shi'en) letter, and had instead exposed the corrupt situation in Guangxi to the late emperor, what would have happened to the religious bandits in western Guangdong?" Zuo Zongtang shook his head and said.

"The staff of a provincial governor are either arrogant people who think they have some talent, or people who have connections and are good at scheming. Working with these people and getting them to listen to your husband will not be so easy."

If I were to easily enter into a power struggle, it would seem beneath me and lower my standing. How could I possibly command the respect of these colleagues? If they don't submit to me, my work will be constantly hampered, and I won't be able to accomplish anything. It would ruin my reputation and make the world think that I, Zuo Zongtang, am nothing special, merely a figurehead, someone to make fun of in our spare time.

Zuo Zongtang believed that if the Guangxi governor Zheng Zuchen had not been so considerate and had not glossed over the truth, but had instead brought up the deteriorating situation in Guangxi, things would have been different.

There will definitely be banditry in Guangxi, but at most it will be the kind of Heaven and Earth Society bandits like Li Yuanfa in southern Hunan, which will not be difficult to quell.

It is highly unlikely that such a monstrous band of bandits as the Taiping Army would have been bred.

Zuo Zongtang did have the idea of ​​coming out of retirement and showing his abilities.

Zuo Zongtang believed that Luo Bingzhang only sent two family members to invite him and asked him to be an ordinary staff member without giving him any real power. He felt that Luo Bingzhang's sincerity was insufficient and that even if he joined the staff, it would be difficult to achieve anything. Therefore, Zuo Zongtang rejected Luo Bingzhang's invitation to join the staff.

As Zuo Zongtang and his wife were talking, the door of their simple thatched courtyard was knocked on again.

Zuo Zongtang assumed that Luo Bingzhang's family members were unwilling to give up and had returned to persuade him to join their staff. He was quite annoyed and opened the door, intending to scold them away.

Upon opening the bamboo door, he saw two familiar faces. Zuo Zongtang then suppressed his anger and smiled, saying, "So it's Yunxian and Zhongyi. I thought they were still those two clueless servants. Please forgive me."

"I just received half a basket of good tea, and I brought it here specifically to taste with Ji Gao and discuss the current situation," Guo Songtao said, raising the bamboo basket in his hand. With the Guo brothers and Luo Bingzhang's family arriving one after the other, Zuo Zongtang had already guessed their purpose.

As Zuo Zongtang welcomed the Guo brothers into the courtyard, he muttered, "This basket of fine tea, could it be a gift from Governor Luo?"

Having known each other for many years, Guo Songtao understood Zuo Zongtang's temperament and readily admitted, "As expected of the 'Sleeping Dragon of Xiangyin,' your foresight is uncanny. 'He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding; he who takes another's gift is bound to do his bidding.' Since I've accepted Governor Luo's tea, I should at least make a trip for him, shouldn't I?"

During Zuo Zongtang's period of political setbacks and seclusion in the countryside, he married into the Zhou family, and even the Liuzhuang manor where he lived was built by the Zhou family.

Zhou Yiduan was also Zuo Zongtang's capable wife. When Zuo Zongtang was drawing up a map of the whole country, he received a lot of assistance from Zhou Yiduan.

Zhou Yiduan held a high position in the family and did not need to avoid Zuo Zongtang's friends.

After Zuo Zongtang accepted Guo Songtao's tea, Zhou Yiduan personally took the tea and went to boil water to brew tea for the guest.

Zuo Zongtang's residence in Baishuidong was a simple, hastily built dwelling. He moved tables and chairs into the courtyard to receive the Guo Songtao brothers.

"I wonder what Ji Gao's opinion is on the religious bandits in western Guangdong?"

After the three were seated, before tea was served, Guo Songtao asked Zuo Zongtang for his opinion on the religious bandits in western Guangdong.

The religious bandits in western Guangdong are currently a hot topic among scholars in Hunan.

"My knowledge of the religious bandits in western Guangdong is based on hearsay and I don't know much about them."

When the religious bandits started their uprising in western Guangdong, I heard that there were only 20,000 to 30,000 people. Counting the days, it had only been less than a year and a half since the religious bandits in western Guangdong raised their flags to start the uprising.

The rebel forces in western Guangdong not only amassed hundreds of thousands of followers but also besieged the provincial capital twice. In the more than two hundred years since the founding of this dynasty, there has never been a rebel army that has grown so rapidly and captured so many cities.

This shows that the religious bandits are deeply popular, and it also shows how badly the country has deteriorated! Zuo Zongtang said without any scruples.

"So, according to Ji Gao's opinion, these religious bandits in western Guangdong cannot be quelled?" Guo Songtao asked with a slight frown and deep concern.

"Although the religious bandits in western Guangdong have won the hearts of the people, most of those who follow them are illiterate scoundrels. They believe in a so-called foreign God and do not believe in any other gods. They smash everything in their path, even the Confucian temple. This is a major blunder by the religious bandits in western Guangdong, which has pushed all the scholars in the country to the opposite side. Even if they can conquer half of the country, they will not be able to hold onto it for long."

Furthermore, throughout history, countless people have used religion to win over the hearts of the people and seize the opportunity to start uprisings, from the Taiping Dao in the past to the White Lotus Sect in recent times.

However, they all used local doctrines as a rallying cry, while the religious bandits in western Guangdong used foreign religions for their own purposes, which was truly unwise. Foreigners sold opium, forced us to open ports for trade, extorted indemnities from us, and ceded our territory; all discerning people in the world harbored deep resentment and anger towards foreigners.

The Taiping Rebellion will eventually fail because of these two things, but…

Halfway through his speech, Zuo Zongtang began to waver and stopped talking.

"But what? Ji Gao, stop keeping me in suspense," Guo Songtao urged.

"It's not that I'm keeping you in suspense, but I really can't be sure." Zuo Zongtang took the teacup from Zhou Yiduan and gestured for Guo Songtao to drink the tea.

The Guo brothers thanked Zhou Yiduan, picked up their teacups, blew on the steam, took a small sip of tea, and held the cups in their hands, waiting for Zuo Zongtang to continue.

Zuo Zongtang took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and continued, "I have read the 'Collection of Information on Bandits' compiled by Li Shaoqiao (Meng Qun), the son of Li Qinggu, the Provincial Judge. Li Shaoqiao was the magistrate of Guiping County. The rise of the religious bandits originated in Guiping County. Li Shaoqiao witnessed the rise of the religious bandits in western Guangdong firsthand. What he wrote should be credible."

Li Shaoqiao said in his book that the religious bandits in western Guangdong were divided into "long-haired" and "short-haired" groups. The long-haired bandits believed in religion, while the short-haired bandits did not.

Some local gentry who fled from southern Hunan to Changsha Prefecture for refuge also said that the short-haired Mao Zedong was indeed not religious and did not vandalize the Confucian temple.

So I'm very confused and unsure.

You say these religious bandits in western Guangdong are from the same tree, how come they bear two different kinds of fruit? Or are you saying that the long-haired and short-haired people are two completely different trees?

Li Mengqun was one of the first grassroots officials to come into contact with and understand the God God Society, and also the official who worked the hardest to collect intelligence about the God God Society.

Li Mengqun's "Collection of Information on Bandits" even received recognition from Lin Zexu, Zhou Tianjue and others. The first edition was published last year and distributed to officials in Guangxi, Guangdong and Hunan for reference.

Zuo Zongtang also managed to obtain a copy for his perusal through his own connections.

His understanding of the Taiping Army, besides hearsay, came from Li Mengqun's book, "A Compilation of Information on the Taiping Army."

Based on the information he had, Zuo Zongtang felt that the Long-haired and Short-haired Rebels could not be generalized and seemed to be two different bandit groups that had only temporarily come together to resist the court.

"Whether they are long-haired or short-haired, whether they believe in foreign religions or not, they are all, in the end, a group of rebellious bandits. The country is in ruins, and we must quell these rebels before we have the resources to maintain order," Guo Songtao said, looking at Zuo Zongtang who was speaking eloquently.

"Rectifying the government and suppressing religious bandits are not contradictory," Zuo Zongtang said, shaking his head.

"If the court is not upright and the officials are not clean, how can we quell the religious bandits? Even if we manage to quell the religious bandits by chance, other bandits will raise their flags and cause trouble. We can't eradicate them all; the more we try to suppress them, the more they will appear. When will this ever end?"

"The banditry in Hunan and Guangxi is rampant, and the religious bandits in western Guangdong are attacking cities and seizing territory. The calamity of the world is just beginning. Ji Gao has devoted himself to the study of geography and military strategy for many years. Tao Wenyi and Lin Wenzhong both think you are a genius. Hu Kuangsheng (Hu Linyi) has also recommended you many times."

Currently, the religious bandits in western Guangdong are causing chaos in Hunan and Guangxi, their arrogance is rampant, and it's only a matter of time before they invade our hometown. This is precisely the place where Ji Gao's vast talents can be put to good use, so why would Ji Gao refuse?
Ji Gao wanted to live a simple life as a farmer in Baishuidong, just to survive in this chaotic world. But if Changsha fell, and the whole of Hunan was rejected by the religious bandits in western Guangdong, how could Ji Gao possibly remain unscathed? Guo Songtao earnestly advised him.

Zuo Zongtang repeatedly failed the imperial examinations, and Zuo Zongtang felt sorry for his close friend, not wanting Zuo Zongtang to be buried in obscurity in the countryside.

Joining Luo Bingzhang's staff as a guest and offering advice is undoubtedly a shortcut to making a name for oneself.

Many talented individuals who failed the imperial examinations in the past rose to prominence by becoming advisors or retainers.

Guo Songtao's visit to Zuo Zongtang's residence to persuade him to join his staff was not only at the request of Luo Bingzhang, but he also wanted to find a good job for Zuo Zongtang.

“Since Yunxian also thinks I am full of talent and a great talent, how can a great talent be used in a small way? In Governor Luo’s office, there are not only many Juren (successful candidates in the provincial examinations) but also many Jinshi (successful candidates in the imperial examinations). If I join his office, I will only be an ordinary staff member. I cannot influence the overall situation, so what can I do?” Zuo Zongtang was a straightforward person and was used to being direct.

"Even Governor Liu had to visit Zhuge Liang three times to persuade him to come out of seclusion, and Governor Luo has only written one letter. He hasn't even visited my humble cottage yet, so what's the rush?"

"You keep mentioning Zhuge Liang, and Governor Luo isn't Liu Bei either," Guo Songtao said with a smile. "Governor Luo carries the heavy responsibility of Hunan Province. The rebels haven't gone far, and they might be stationed at Changsha again someday. How can he leave Changsha so easily? Ji Gao, you're a pragmatic person. Why bother with these formalities? If you want to sit in the chief seat but are too embarrassed to ask, I'll go to Changsha for you and ask Governor Luo on your behalf."

“Yunxian, I don’t care about these formalities.” Zuo Zongtang paused and said, “Zhuge Liang asked Liu Bei to visit his thatched cottage three times not only to test Liu Bei’s sincerity, but also to show the old men like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.”

Even if Liu Bei is sincere and adopts Zhuge Liang's strategies, what use are they if Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others do not follow them?

Furthermore, the chief rank you obtained for me from Governor Luo is different from the chief rank that Governor Luo gave to me voluntarily.

No sooner had Zuo Zongtang finished speaking than a series of urgent knocks sounded on the tightly closed bamboo door. The person knocking called out loudly, "Is Mr. Zuo here?"

"Who is disturbing our peace and quiet again?!" Zuo Zongtang cursed and told his family to open the door and see who was being so presumptuous and rude.

As soon as the door opened, a young man in his early twenties, who looked extremely anxious and disheveled, rushed in, ran to Zuo Zongtang, and knelt down on the ground: "Mr. Zuo, you have been looking for me for so long."

Zuo Zongtang and Guo Songtao stared intently at the young man, and it was Guo Kuntao who recognized him first: "Isn't this the young master of Li Zixiang's family?"

The Guo family of Xiangyin and the Li family of Xiangyin had some dealings. Guo Kuntao and Li Xingyuan's son, Li Huan, had met a few times and thus became acquainted.

As the Taiping army entered Yongzhou and Hengzhou prefectures, bandits in Changsha prefecture also became active.

Not long after Li Huan entered Changsha Prefecture, he was targeted by Changsha bandits and kidnapped as a hostage. He was only able to escape after his family paid a ransom.

Peng Gang had asked Li Heng to ask Zuo Zongtang to retrieve the body of his father, Li Xingyuan, because Li Heng had already wasted too much time being kidnapped.

Li Huan did not go to Changsha to find Luo Bingzhang first, but went straight back to his hometown of Xiangyin and went to Liuzhuang to find Zuo Zongtang.

However, Zuo Zongtang was hiding in Baishuidong to avoid the chaos, and was not in Liuzhuang.

After making inquiries from various sources, Li Huan finally found Baishuidong.

"I hope Mr. Zuo can step in and save my father," Li Huan pleaded with Zuo Zongtang, tears streaming down his face.

"Imperial Envoy Li is still alive?" Zuo Zongtang was very surprised.

“My father has already died for his country, but his body is still with the short-haired cult bandits.” As he spoke, Li Huan took out a letter that had already been opened from his sleeve and handed it to Zuo Zongtang.

"This is a letter from Peng Gang, the leader of the Short-Haired Cult and the pseudo-Northern King, to Mr. Zuo. He said that he would only return my father's remains if you intervened."

(End of this chapter)