1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 226 The Western King's Cannon
Xiao Chaogui was extremely anxious as he failed to capture Changsha within a day.

The following day, Xiao Chaogui learned from the previous day's failure and no longer pinned his hopes on a surprise attack on the city gate with a small number of elite swordsmen.

As dawn broke in the east, Xiao Chaogui ordered Zeng Shuiyuan and Li Kaifang to lead their troops from the Western Palace in a feigned attack on Xiangchun Gate on the north wall of Changsha, Xiaowu Gate on the west wall, and Liuyang Gate, in order to confuse the Qing army and disperse their forces.

The main target remains Huangdaomen on the south wall.

Although the elite troops from the Western Palace brought by Xiao Chaogui launched a fierce offensive, three thousand soldiers were far too weak to attack a large city like Changsha.

Not only did the two consecutive attacks on the city end in failure, but...

Seeing that the Taiping rebels attacking the city were not numerous, Jiang Zhongyuan even sent Chu Yong to descend the city walls to pursue the retreating Western Palace troops who had failed in their siege.

Xiao Chaogui failed to disperse the Qing army's forces; instead, he dispersed his own forces, making it difficult for the three armies to support each other in a timely manner, resulting in a rather chaotic situation.

Xiao Chaogui temporarily halted his attack on Changsha City and, while riding in a sedan chair, observed the situation around the city. He ultimately set his sights on Miaogaofeng, located at the southeast corner of the Changsha city wall.

Miaogaofeng, though called a mountain peak, is actually just a slightly higher mound of earth; it would be more accurate to call it Miaogao Mound. A similar mound outside Changsha is Mawangdui.

Mawangdui gained fame in later generations for the discovery of valuable Han tombs, but Miaogaofeng became even more famous in the mid-19th century.

The reason is simple: at this time, Miaogaofeng was a better location than Mawangdui.

Mawangdui is located in a remote area, while Miaogaofeng, although located in the suburbs, is also situated in a bustling city.

In addition, Miaogaofeng is planted with trees. Against the backdrop of the surrounding barren land, the trees planted on Miaogaofeng, though not very dense or tall, are still a rare sight on the outskirts of Changsha.

The gentry and literati of Changsha often enjoyed climbing to the top of the hill, holding banquets, and composing poems here.

The Western Palace brought four heavy cannons, each weighing five or six hundred pounds, with them to attack Changsha. These four cannons were the Western Palace's prized possessions; the entire army possessed only these four.

Xiao Chaogui pinned his last hope of attacking Changsha on these four heavy cannons.

Xiao Chaogui, eager to get started, led more than two hundred West Palace swordsmen to Miaogaofeng Peak, carrying soil and stones to build a fortification there.

As Xiao Chaogui rode in his conspicuous yellow sedan chair to observe Changsha, Jiang Zhongyuan, who was supervising the soldiers on the city wall to maintain strict defense, had already noticed Xiao Chaogui's very stylish yellow sedan chair.

Jiang Zhongyuan was certain that the long-haired rebel who could ride in the big yellow sedan chair must be of very high status.

Jiang Zhongyuan was troubled by the fact that the large yellow sedan chair was at the edge of the cannon's range and was in a moving state, making it difficult to hit the target when firing.

To avoid alerting the enemy, Jiang Zhongyuan, unsure of his chances, hesitated to order the artillery to kill the Taiping bandit leader, and instead carefully followed the large sedan chair.

Persistence pays off. Jiang Zhongyuan followed Xiao Chaogui's yellow sedan chair all the way to the vicinity of Tianxin Pavilion on the south wall.

Jiang Zhongyuan raised his binoculars and looked into the distance. He saw Xiao Chaogui, dressed in a striking yellow robe, giving orders to two or three hundred strong, long-haired men carrying soil and stones, as if they were building a fortress on Miaogaofeng.

Jiang Zhongyuan found Bao Qibao, the Hunan Provincial Commander who was stationed at Huangdaomen Arrow Tower, and pointed to Miaogaofeng, saying, "Commander Bao, do you see that bandit in the yellow robe? All the other bandits are dressed in plain homespun clothes and have their heads wrapped in headscarves, but this person is dressed in yellow robes. He was just riding in a sedan chair up the mountain. He must be a big boss among the bandits!"

"This is a big fish!" Bao Qibao, who had just stepped out of the arrow tower, looked towards Miao Gaofeng and excitedly rubbed his hands together when he saw Xiao Chaogui in his eye-catching yellow robe.

"Thanks to Prefect Jiang's suggestion some time ago, the red cannons on the west wall were moved to the south wall! The main direction of the cult bandits' attack is indeed the south wall."

Bao Qibao and Jiang Zhongyuan arrived excitedly near Tianxin Pavilion to personally direct and supervise the battle.

At the heavy artillery positions on the high platform of the south wall of Changsha, Tianxin Pavilion, and the crenellations of the south gate, more than ten red-coated cannons were lined up in a row. After being loaded, the cannons were aimed at Miaogaofeng Mountain.

Bao Qibao waved his command flag and ordered the cannons to be fired.

"Fire the cannons—!"

In an instant, the sound of cannons thundered.

Dozens of shells, trailing thick smoke and whistling loudly, hurtled towards Miaogaofeng like meteorites, leaving faint trails of smoke. The summit was instantly shrouded in dust and flying rocks.

The Qing army's artillery hit Xiao Chaogui in the first round of shelling.

Shocked, Xiao Chaogui had no time to react when he felt a jolt in his chest, his vision went black, and before he could utter a sound, he fell backward, his mouth and eyes glazed over, lying dead on Miaogaofeng Peak.

A guard beside him cried out in alarm, "His Highness the Western King has been hit by cannon fire!"

The morale of the Taiping Army in the Western Palace on Miaogaofeng Peak was shaken.

Then came the second and third rounds of shelling, like a torrential downpour, with explosions occurring one after another.

In an instant, the West Palace swordsmen on the summit of Miaogao Peak suffered heavy casualties, with fifty or sixty killed on the spot, their flesh mangled and their cries of agony filling the air.

Upon hearing the news that the Western King had been hit by cannon fire, Zeng Shuiyuan, Lin Fengxiang, Li Kaifang, and others, who were waiting for Xiao Chaogui's orders to attack the city, were horrified. They hurriedly led dozens of guards to rush up Miaogaofeng to rescue the city, but were then bombarded by the Qing army's cannons, round after round of continuous bombardment.

The summit of Miaogao Peak was struck as if by lightning, with flames erupting and dust obscuring the sky.

Even so, Lin Fengxiang and his men successfully moved Xiao Chaogui's body down Miaogaofeng Mountain and out of the range of the Qing army's cannons.

Looking at Xiao Chaogui's chest, which was a bloody mess and had been pierced through, Lin Fengxiang and the others felt dizzy and at a loss, unable to believe that it was real.

Has the backbone of the West Palace fallen just like that?

Coming to his senses, Lin Fengxiang disregarded everything else and hurriedly wrote a secret letter to inform the other princes of the matter.

The crisis facing the Western Palace troops has not been resolved.

Although at this moment, the Qing soldiers cheering on the south wall of Changsha did not know that the yellow-robed bandit leader they had killed with cannon fire was the famous Western King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

But they were certain that the person who had just been hit by the cannonball was a big shot among the religious bandits in western Guangdong.

Before the bombardment had even ended, Jiang Zhongyuan and Bao Qibao, confident in their success, personally led a thousand Changsha Green Standard Army soldiers and a thousand Chu soldiers out of Huangdao Gate and rushed straight to the rear of Miaogaofeng, attempting to wipe out the remaining Taiping rebels and seize the body of the "Yellow Robe Bandit Leader" to claim victory and glory.

Since the God God Society started its uprising, the government troops have suffered heavy losses, with many high-ranking officials, including imperial envoys, admirals, and generals, dying at the hands of the God God Society bandits. The number of officers below the rank of general is countless.

In contrast, the government troops have yet to kill or capture even a single notable leader of the Catholic Church.

Therefore, both Jiang Zhongyuan and Bao Qibao regarded the corpse of the "Yellow Robe Bandit Leader" as an extremely important spoil of war.

The Qing soldiers, armed with muskets, spears, swords, and rattan shields, advanced in formation, fully equipped, under the command of Bao Qibao and Jiang Zhongyuan.

Unexpectedly, after Xiao Chaogui's death, the Western Palace troops did not collapse; instead, they aroused the anger of the Western Palace generals.

When Xiao Chaogui died, Zeng Shuiyuan, Lin Fengxiang, Li Kaifang and others were furious. Apart from leaving Zeng Shuiyuan to protect Xiao Chaogui's body, they also...

Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang led two thousand elite Western Palace troops to intercept the Qing army pursuing them out of the city. Bao Qibao's Hunan Green Standard Army consisted of second-rate soldiers that Xiang Rong had rejected, while Jiang Zhongyuan's Chu Braves were mostly new recruits.

These ragtag soldiers, when facing the elite troops of the Western Palace in open field battles, were no match for them.
Then Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang, two fierce generals of the Western Palace, took the lead and led the Western Palace swordsmen to the front of the battle.

The Qing army could only put up a slight resistance before collapsing and retreating in disarray back to Changsha.

Filled with righteous indignation and eager for revenge, Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang led their troops to the moat outside Huangdao Gate, where they annihilated more than 300 Changsha Green Standard Army soldiers and Xinning Chu soldiers before stopping.

This short, anticlimactic battle left a deep impression on Bao Qibao and Jiang Zhongyuan.

Both men had the idea of ​​killing the Taiping rebel leader, taking advantage of the chaos in the Taiping army to expand their gains, and even annihilate the three or four thousand Taiping rebels.

After this battle, such an idea vanished.

Having never directly fought against the Taiping Army, Bao Qibao had gained some understanding of their combat capabilities.

Jiang Zhongyuan, who had fought against the Taiping Army in Guangxi, found it very unbelievable.

Last year, Chu Yong was only unable to defeat the short-haired Mao, but when he fought against the long-haired Mao, he was able to fight to a draw, or even had a slight advantage.

Today, when Chu Yong went out of the city to pursue the Taiping rebels whose leader had been killed, he was surprisingly no match for them.

This indicates that after more than a year of intense fighting, the Taiping Rebellion's fighting strength has been greatly enhanced.

What Jiang Zhongyuan didn't know was that the Taiping rebels he was fighting today were not ordinary Taiping soldiers.

Instead, they were the most valiant and skilled swordsmen and regular army officers of the Western Palace, the elite troops of the Taiping Army.

Many of these West Palace swordsmen and regular army clerks joined the God Worshippers Society in the 28th year of the Daoguang Emperor's reign and underwent training for more than three years.

Given the relatively small difference in troop strength, it was only natural that Jiang Zhongyuan's half-new and half-old Chu warriors would be no match for the desperate West Palace swordsmen in close combat.

The first person to receive the secret letter from Lin Fengxiang and others was Luo Dagang, who was closest to Changsha and was attacking Hengyang, the capital of Hengzhou Prefecture.

Upon receiving news of Xiao Chaogui's death, Luo Dagang was shocked and incredulous.

Although the North Palace and the West Palace were not so close, they were still part of the Taiping Army system.

If the news of the death of the commander of the First Palace were to spread, it would inevitably affect the morale of the Northern Palace troops who were attacking Hengyang City.

Luo Dagang dared not make a sound, and sent a flying cavalryman to deliver the news to Lingling City.

Inside Lingling City, Peng Gang, who was lingering there, was engrossed in writing a preface for the chapter on Tsarist Russia in a hastily compiled geography textbook.

As for Tsarist Russia, it was like a gluttonous beast on an ice field, devouring land and territory without ever being satisfied.

From Ivan the Terrible disemboweling Rus' to Peter the Great carving a window into the Baltic Sea, their cruelty has only grown. The land of Siberia, once a pasture for the Tatar tribes to hunt deer and graze elk, was now driven by the Russian army with muskets like wild beasts.

The territory of Tsarist Russia stretched from Alaska in the east to Prussia in the west, bordered the Caucasus and Persia in the south, and was separated from the Arctic Ocean in the north. Its southeastern territory was adjacent to China.

Its territory spans tens of thousands of miles, yet the climate is harsh and the soil fertile. Its people are mostly rough and fierce, their customs valuing martial prowess over scholarship, and they are prone to bullying the weak. Their army is skilled in conquest and expansion, but while warlike, they are not adept at warfare.

Its ruler was called the "Tsar," wielding absolute power and enjoying immense wealth and power. All military campaigns and plundering were solely at his command; his subjects dared not utter a single dissent, disregarding morality and shame, obeying his every command. His government was cruel, his punishments severe; anyone who disagreed with him was executed without mercy. He forced people to relocate and imposed endless conscription, leaving the populace as insignificant as weeds.

Since its rise, this country has gradually encroached upon its neighbors, especially the Siberian region. In the beginning, it was just a forest and snowfield, originally a hunting ground for indigenous tribes such as the Tatars, Tungus, and Evenks.

Successive Tsars repeatedly sent troops into the region, either to establish outposts or to open mines. Whenever they encountered a tribe, they either coerced or killed them. Any who resisted were executed along with their entire family, and their villages were burned down. The cruelty with which they exterminated foreign tribes was unprecedented in the world.

Since the reigns of Peter and Catherine the Great, Vietnam has become increasingly influenced by European culture. However, while outwardly displaying Western learning, it harbors deep ambitions. Its army has grown stronger and its artillery more advanced, and the establishment of borders is merely a temporary measure. Its ambition to acquire territory is nothing but insatiable greed. Every time it gains a piece of land, it thinks of taking another step forward, hence the sayings about "gateways to the sea" and "buffer zones."

Tsarist Russia constantly sought to control Ili, Kashgar, and northern Mongolia in order to gain access to the Western Regions, Jilin, and Heilongjiang.

Their methods of border control were gradual and progressive. They would use the guise of trade or the pretext of protecting the faith to first establish churches, then military camps, and then forts. After the military camps, they would build forts. After the forts, they would declare: "This is Russian land, where my people live." They would then attract refugees and prisoners, expel the former masters, and over time, the border region would become a Russian state.

However, the Qing dynasty was blinded by its own deceit and failed to see the truth. Instead, it believed the Qing's rhetoric of being a "friendly neighbor" and allowed the Qing to infiltrate and establish embassies. This will surely become a major problem in the future.

Alas! The threat posed by Tsarist Russia is far greater than that of the British. The British, though greedy for profit, still have market mechanisms to follow and can be kept in check; Russia, however, is craving territory, and will never be satisfied, like someone who sucks the marrow from a bone.

After revising it several times and feeling it was almost done, Peng Gang asked Huang Bingxian, who was standing next to him, to take it to the printing office of Yongzhou Prefectural School and print it according to traditional methods.

When Peng Gang took over Lingling, he took over a fully operational prefectural school printing office for the first time.

During the Qing Dynasty, each province's provincial administration, prefectural schools, and county schools established printing offices, which were official publishing institutions responsible for printing local gazetteers, official school textbooks, and government decrees and documents.

Taking over a properly functioning printing shop meant that Peng Gang had the ability to publish books, which excited him even more than if he had captured cannons from the Qing army.

The textbooks and dictionaries used in the Tongziying School were all handwritten. With the establishment of a book engraving shop, Peng Gang was finally able to print textbooks in batches and publish books.

"Is Your Highness publishing this book for scholars in Hunan?" Huang Bingxian glanced at Peng Gang's manuscript and couldn't help but ask.

"Your Highness's geography textbook introduces many Western countries, so why did you single out Tsarist Russia and compile it into a separate book?"

The textbooks used at Zuojun Academy were all horizontal format. Peng Gang had the printing house print and publish them according to traditional layout. Obviously, this book was not intended for use as a textbook in the academy, but was mostly intended for scholars in Hunan who liked to study geography.

Huang Bingxian had read the geography textbook compiled by Peng Gang, which introduced many Western countries.

Huang Bingxian couldn't understand why Peng Gang didn't single out England, the most powerful country, to supplement its details and compile it into a book, but instead chose Tsarist Russia, which was relatively weak.

"You only read half of the article again, not the whole thing. Didn't the end of the preface already tell you?" Peng Gang got up, strolled to the washbasin, washed the ink and brush on his hands, and said.

He did indeed write this book for the scholars of the Hunan school of practical learning, with Zuo Zongtang as his primary target audience.

Zuo Zongtang was a master of geography. When Lin Zexu was exiled to the Western Regions and was managing the region, he had already noticed the wolfish ambition of Tsarist Russia to nibble away at the Western Regions and regarded Tsarist Russia as a major threat.

On his way back to his hometown from the Western Regions, he passed through Hunan and talked with Zuo Zongtang by candlelight all night.

Zuo Zongtang's later efforts to overcome opposition and advocate for the suppression of Akubo and the recovery of the Western Regions were influenced to some extent by Lin Zexu.

"It was my carelessness." Huang Bingxian scratched his head sheepishly, carefully tidied up Peng Gang's manuscript, and headed to the printing shop.

No sooner had Huang Bingxian left than two secret letters, urgently delivered from Hengzhou Prefecture, were presented to Peng Gang.

Two secret letters, one of which was written to him by Lin Fengxiang.

One of the letters was written to him by Luo Dagang.

(End of this chapter)