1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 33 Hong Xiuquan

Pingzai Mountain is located on the mountainside near Fengmen'ao, a steep and precipitous peak in the northeast of Lianhuaping.

Hong Xiuquan, the spiritual leader of the God Society, and Feng Yunshan, the de facto supreme leader, stood with their hands behind their backs on the mountainside, enjoying the chilly spring breeze of the south.

Fengmen Pass is a strategic valley pass at the southern end of Zijing Mountain, stretching for more than ten miles. It faces Rhinoceros Ridge of Jintian Village to the east and is a vital passage for entering the Zijing Mountain area from the Xinwei Plain.

Hong Xiuquan looked eastward over the Xinwei Plain, which lay prostrate at his feet, and spoke to Feng Yunshan beside him.

"In spring, there was a famine and little food. Starving people lay dead in the fields, bandits rose up everywhere, and the surrounding areas were in turmoil."

The various branches of the Heaven and Earth Society have long been harassing the floodplains and markets in Xunzhou, Wuzhou, Nanning and other places, and the local militia and government troops have repeatedly failed to defeat them.

When I first arrived in Guixian last year, Zhang Jiaxiang and others launched an uprising in Longshan, Guixian.

Now, Luo Dagang, Zhang Zhao (Big Head Sheep), Tian Fang (Big Carp), and others have gathered again near Jiangkouwei, intending to raise their flags and start an uprising once more, and they seem poised to succeed.

Faced with the ever-increasing and increasingly powerful Tiandihui in Guangxi, Hong Xiuquan was deeply moved, and his mentality gradually changed.

Hong Xiuquan did not have the idea of ​​rebelling against the Qing Dynasty from the very beginning of founding the God Society.

His mindset gradually changed with the external situation and his own experiences.

After failing the imperial examination for the third time, Hong Xiuquan fell seriously ill, dreamt of heaven, and became delirious, but he still did not give up his obsession with obtaining fame and fortune.

Otherwise, Hong Xiuquan wouldn't have returned to the private school to teach while preparing for the fourth provincial examination.

Even after failing the exam for the fourth time, smashing Confucius's memorial tablet, and causing his friend Feng Yunshan to lose his job as a tutor, he encouraged Feng Yunshan and others to leave their hometown and go to Guangxi to spread Christianity.

Hong Xiuquan, until he abandoned his work halfway and returned to Guangzhou to live in a church, where he wrote books and established his doctrines.

At that time, all he thought about was changing the world and influencing people's hearts through moral teachings, so that he could have a stable life. He did not have any intention of rebelling against the Qing Dynasty or challenging the existing ruling order.

Hong Xiuquan truly conceived the idea of ​​overthrowing the Qing Dynasty when he entered Guangxi for the second time at the end of last year (1847).

When Hong Xiuquan entered Guangxi for the second time, the situation in Guangxi had changed significantly since his first entry.

By 1847, the security situation in Guangxi was spiraling out of control, with class antagonism and ethnic conflict becoming increasingly intense.

Hong Xiuquan never expected that his friend Feng Yunshan would be so helpful, selfless and kind.

With unwavering will and extraordinary perseverance, Feng Yunshan not only developed three to four thousand followers in Guangxi in just three years, but also remotely recognized Hong Xiuquan as the leader of the religion.

After a long period of silence following the uprising of the Heaven and Earth Society, Hong Xiuquan, unwilling to remain idle, wanted to seize this opportunity to make a difference, further strengthen the power of the God Worshipping Society, and enhance his own prestige as the so-called second son of God within the religion.

Unlike Hong Xiuquan, who later completely abandoned his post and bluntly stated that he could rule the country even while sleeping soundly, Hong Xiuquan at this time still had his own ideas. He was not content to exist merely as the spiritual leader of the God Society, but wanted to firmly grasp the power of the God Society in his hands.

Despite Feng Yunshan recruiting influential figures such as Shi Dakai and Qin Richang into the church in Guixian County last year.

However, this has not changed the fact that the center of the God Society remains at Zijing Mountain.

Although Hong Xiuquan was the supreme spiritual leader and Feng Yunshan was the nominal supreme leader of the God Society, they were still the two leaders.

However, their control over the followers of the God Worshippers in Zijing Mountain was limited, and most of the followers in Zijing Mountain were actually controlled by local powerful figures such as Xiao Chaogui and Yang Xiuqing.

The rise of local power in Zijing Mountain was clearly detrimental to Hong Xiuquan and Feng Yunshan.

Hong Xiuquan was determined to seize the great opportunity presented by the impending uprising of the Heaven and Earth Society and the government's inability to attend to the Zijing Mountain area, and to make a big move to change the power structure within the sect.

"The people of the Heaven and Earth Society are never tight-lipped. We all know this, and the government couldn't possibly have missed a single word. Luo Dagang and Zhang Zhao are probably in grave danger this time as well."

Compared to Hong Xiuquan, Feng Yunshan, who had been operating in the Zijingshan area for three years, had a different view.

"The Guangxi Heaven and Earth Society has achieved its current status thanks to its two-hundred-year history of operation in Guangxi, which has deep roots. The God Society, on the other hand, has shallow roots and still needs to bide its time and not confront the government and local gentry at this time."

Feng Yunshan believed that the God Society and the Heaven and Earth Society were different, as the Heaven and Earth Society had been rooted in Guangxi for a long time and was already quite powerful.

After the Guangdong Heaven and Earth Society was suppressed by Xu Guangjin, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, the remaining members fled to Guangxi to avoid the Guangdong government forces. They joined forces with the Guangxi Heaven and Earth Society, further strengthening its power. This gave the Guangxi Heaven and Earth Society the means to confront the Guangxi government.

The Guangxi Heaven and Earth Society possessed all of these conditions that the God Society did not.

Furthermore, Feng Yunshan had been in contact with the Heaven and Earth Society before founding the God Society, and he was quite familiar with it.

The Heaven and Earth Society prioritizes the hall over the society. Its members only know about the hall, not the society, and they only recognize the hall master, not the society leader.

There is a lack of communication between the various branches, and there is no one with absolute authority to make decisions.

Such a loose and fragile organizational structure is clearly not suited for great things.

From the very beginning of the founding of the God Society, Feng Yunshan placed great emphasis on instilling in believers the idea that God is the only true God in the world, and continuously deified Hong Xiuquan.

The hope is that this will enhance the organization and cohesion of believers, so as not to follow in the footsteps of the Heaven and Earth Society.

"Hesitation only leads to more trouble. Yunshan, since you know that the Guangxi Heaven and Earth Society has a deeper foundation than us, have you ever thought about where our God Society would be placed if the Heaven and Earth Society succeeds?"

Hong Xiuquan was now preoccupied with making a big splash in Zijing Mountain, destroying all the temples and statues in the area, and making all the people of Zijing Mountain believe in God, the only true God in the world, and venerate him as their leader. He was no longer listening to Feng Yunshan's advice.
“Last year and at the beginning of this year, we already smashed the Lei Wang Temple and some local temples. If we want to continue smashing temples, we can only smash the Gan Wang Temple. The Gan Wang Temple is different from the Lei Wang Temple and local temples. There are many believers in Gan Wang in Zijing Mountain, and the incense of Gan Wang is the most popular.”

The Ganwang Temple on Zijing Mountain was built with funds from Wang Zuoxin, a student from Mengchong, and the golden statue of Ganwang was sculpted with funds from his cousin, Wang Dazuo. Wang Zuoxin is a director of the Zijing Mountain community, and the Wang family is quite wealthy. If we can recruit Wang Zuoxin into the association, our God Worshippers Society will be greatly strengthened.

Feng Yunshan disagreed with offending the Wang brothers to death and advocated for winning them over to join the association.

He was not optimistic that Luo Dagang and his group would succeed in Jiangkouwei this time. He felt that if they wanted to take control of the sect, they could do it gradually and there was no need to rush.

After all, Xiao Chaogui and Yang Xiuqing were illiterate, and the power to write and interpret the scriptures was still in the hands of Feng Yunshan and Hong Xiuquan.

As long as they held the power to write and interpret scriptures, no matter how powerful Xiao Chaogui and Yang Xiuqing became, they could not replace Feng Yunshan and Hong Xiuquan's position within the religion.

"The Wang family has worshipped demons and evil gods for generations. Wang Zuoxin is not only a student but also a member of the Zijing Mountain gang and a henchman of the Qing demons. How could he possibly join my God Society?"

Although Hong Xiuquan was now the leader of the God Society, he had not completely let go of his deep-seated obsessions. When he heard that Wang Zuoxin was a student, Hong Xiuquan spoke with a sour tone.

“The local militia is the local militia, and the government is the government; they cannot be treated the same.”

Despite Hong Xiuquan's resolute attitude, Feng Yunshan still tried to persuade him.

"Ganwang Temple not only has many believers in Zijing Mountain, but also in Wuxuan and Xiangzhou, especially Xiangzhou, where the incense of Ganwang Temple is particularly prosperous. If we smash Ganwang Temple now, we will not only break off relations with the Wang brothers in Mengchong of Zijing Mountain, but also take our anger out on the gentry in Wuxuan and Xiangzhou who worship Ganwang."

The work of preaching and spreading the gospel should be carried out gradually and not rushed.

If the Ganwang Temple is destroyed, it will offend not only the Wang family, the largest household in Mengchong, Zijing Mountain, but also the villagers and gentry in Wuxiang who are devout believers in Ganwang, and they will also turn their anger on the God God Society.

With the God Society currently thriving in Zijing Mountain, and with the Shi family from that village in Guixian County as an external ally, Feng Yunshan naturally has no fear of the Wang family of Zijing Mountain.

Feng Yunshan was worried about making too many enemies, which would involve the local gentry and militias in Wuxuan and Xiangzhou, making the still weak God Society the target of the militias in Guiping, Wuxuan and Xiangzhou.

“My God Society has the protection of the Heavenly Father and Heavenly Brother. What is there to fear from the mere gentry of Wuxiang? Yunshan, how can you accomplish great things if you are so hesitant and timid?” Hong Xiuquan waved his hand impatiently, somewhat displeased.

"My mind is made up. The idols in the Ganwang Temple in Mengchong must be destroyed! The crimes of the Gan demon must be made public!"

Only in this way can Heavenly Father and Heavenly Brother bless Zijing Mountain and rescue the people of Zijing Mountain from the clutches of evil spirits! Only then can I, as the leader of the sect, gain the respect of the masses.

"Stop talking about anything else and get this matter settled immediately."

"Yes."

Unable to persuade Hong Xiuquan, Feng Yunshan sighed helplessly and set off to the mountains to secretly discuss the matter with Xiao Chaogui and Yang Xiuqing.

　There was a problem with the automatic update, sorry. Chapter 33 has been re-uploaded.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)