1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 63 Feng Yunshan Loses Power

“A gentleman judges by actions, not intentions. Whether this kid is sensible or not, whether he is arrogant or ignorant, depends on what he has done,” Yang Xun said unhurriedly.

"You really think I let Feng Yunshan and the others go, and let this kid become the head of the militia just for his money?"

"Is the Master intending to put pressure on the Mengchong Wang family?" Master Chen pondered for a moment before asking.

“On my way to take up my post, I heard that Wang Zuoxin was too harsh on the charcoal burners of Zijing Mountain, and the charcoal burners in the mountain had a lot of complaints about the Wang family. During the flood, this fellow still did not restrain himself, and he raised the price of grain in Zijing Mountain to five taels per shi.” Yang Xun gradually raised his tone, his gaze falling on the official hat beside him.

"He's driving those poor folks from Zijing Mountain to the brink of despair. Are they going to be driven to the brink of despair? What good will that do me? If this blows up, Governor Zheng and the Emperor will not only take away my official hat, but also my head."

Although Yang Xun was only interested in making money, he was not completely ignorant of the situation in Guiping County.

He knew very well that Guiping, and even the whole of Guangxi, was a powder keg.

He chose Guiping, a place that was not popular and was in short supply, because poverty limited his choices; it was a choice he had no other option but to make.

The Zijing Mountain and Pingzai Mountain areas are not like the plains along the river. The plains along the river have very convenient water and land transportation. If unrest occurs...

For example, at Jiangkouwei not long ago, if the Green Standard Army and the Patrol and Inspection Office were properly coordinated, even fierce bandits like the boatmen could be quickly quelled.

Zijingshan and Pingzaishan are different. If the peasants of the God Worshippers are driven to desperation and start an uprising, the county may not even be able to muster enough people to go into the mountains to suppress it.

The situation in Zijingshan and Pingzaishan was crucial to whether Yang Xun could leave office with his head. Yang Xun did not want gentry like the Mengchong Wang family to continue to act arbitrarily in Zijingshan.

"Isn't the Master worried that if he shows too much favoritism to that scoundrel Peng Gang, the God Society will grow too powerful?" Master Chen probed Yang Xun's attitude towards the God Society.

"Whether it's the Heaven and Earth Society or the God Society," Yang Xun said with a helpless, bitter smile, "the key reason why they can grow so big is not how good Feng Yunshan and his ilk are at recruiting people, but rather the government and the imperial court."

Yang Xun didn't say the next sentence: If the government were clean and efficient, and the people were harmonious, they could live as well as they did during the reign of Emperor Jiaqing. Why would so many people want to join the association?

It's simply that the government is unreliable, so they're looking for another source of support and solace.

"Recite this with me! When eating, use your right hand to hold the chopsticks; when carrying a gun, use your right hand to pull the trigger; step forward with your left foot first, one, two, one. If you make a mistake, you'll be put in solitary confinement!"

"Lift your left foot first and march in step! March in step, lift your left foot first!"

"How stupid! After practicing for so many days, you still don't know which foot is the left foot! The bare foot is the left foot! The right foot is still wearing straw sandals!"

"Things shouldn't happen more than three times. If you make another mistake, I'll ask the employer to put you in solitary confinement for half a day!"

"As expected of the teaching team, look how beautifully the first and second groups march!"

"Wang Xiangyun! You have a good sense of direction, so you'll be the leader for our group five! Help them distinguish left from right!"

At the charcoal-burning field in Honglianping, ten groups of young men were practicing basic marching drills with great enthusiasm. Some were reciting doggerel, while others were taking turns leading the way with better sense of direction and more experience in marching, using their wisdom to guide the less experienced. Still others were receiving one-on-one instruction from the first and second groups of instructors.

Despite numerous mishaps during training due to confusion about left and right, or even front and back, such as the formation jumping like frogs due to confusion between left and right feet, which Peng Gang jokingly called the "Toad Kung Fu Formation,"...

When changing from a horizontal line to a vertical line, new members, unable to distinguish whether "front" meant facing the direction or the head of the line, would simply sidestep and squeeze into the arms of the next person in the line, causing the entire line to collide like a chaotic ball of flesh, a rather comical sight. However, overall, the lines became increasingly orderly, and the number of new members who couldn't distinguish front from back, left from right, or understand commands gradually decreased.

Under intense training, the three groups of musketeers have gradually developed muscle memory for loading and firing their muskets. Most members are now able to load muskets proficiently at night.

The three groups of musketeers have mastered the basic skills of loading and firing. In order to save the life of the musket barrels, Peng Gang no longer conducts special live-fire training.

They were only allowed to fire a live round occasionally during volley fire training to prevent them from becoming rusty.

Peng Gang was extremely shocked when Feng Yunshan first appeared in Honglianping.

Peng Gang knew that the government couldn't control Feng Yunshan, but Feng Yunshan's return was far too early.

What surprised Peng Gang even more was that Feng Yunshan arrived at Honglianping with two constables, Huang Chao and Huang Ba, who were escorting him back to Huaxian, Guangdong.

"Master Peng, my brother and I have also joined the God Society. From now on, we are brothers in the society!" Huang Chao said with a smile, indicating his new identity to Peng Gang.

Ultimately, he was the creator of God, who started with only two legs and a mouth.

Feng Yunshan was indeed very good at recruiting people; he was able to turn even the two officials who were escorting him back to his hometown against his will in such a short time.

“In that case, I will address you two as brothers from the same clan and will no longer call you officers.” Peng Gang temporarily put aside his work to receive Feng Yunshan and the Huang Chao and Huang Ba brothers.

Feng Yunshan returned to Zijing Mountain first, and then came south to Honglianping.

When Feng Yunshan appeared at Zijing Mountain, the members of the God Society in the Zijing Mountain area all believed that it was a manifestation of the Heavenly Father and Heavenly Brother.

The members of the God-Worshipping Society at Zijing Mountain are now even more devout in their faith in the God-Worshipping Society.

To be precise, it means having a stronger faith in the Heavenly Father, the Heavenly Brother, and their representatives on Earth.

Mr. Feng Yunshan no longer holds the same weight in the hearts of the Catholic Church members at Zijingshan.

To put it more bluntly, Feng Yunshan has lost control of the situation in the Zijingshan area and has been sidelined by Xiao Chaogui and Yang Xiuqing.

In particular, Xiao Chaogui took the lead and recruited the Wei Changhui family, a nouveau riche Hakka family in Jintian Village who had always been ostracized and frustrated, into the God Worshipping Society.

Wei Changhui's membership filled the gap in Xiao Chaogui's material conditions.

Xiao Chaogui now has all the manpower and money he needs, and he even claims to be the Heavenly Brother (Jesus) and Heavenly Mother (the Virgin Mary). He has already replaced Feng Yunshan and Hong Xiuquan as the de facto number one figure in the God Society.

“The entire Wei family has joined the church, which would be a great thing for God. I should be happy about it,” Feng Yunshan said indignantly as he sat down on a nearby wooden stump.

“When the leader and I were arrested, Xiuqing and Chaogui descended to earth in the name of the Heavenly Father and Heavenly Brother to stabilize people’s hearts and rescue the leader. I can understand and am very grateful to Xiuqing and Chaogui.”

But the two of them set a very bad precedent. Now, almost every day in the Zijing Mountain area, people are imitating Chaogui and Xiuqing, constantly staging elaborate dramas about the Heavenly Father, Heavenly Brother, Heavenly Mother, and Heavenly Sister-in-law descending to earth, hoping to become the next Xiuqing and Chaogui. If this continues, what kind of order will this create!

(End of this chapter)