Chapter 10: Weize (Ten)

The coiled bun is a traditional hairstyle of the Han people. The Qing dynasty feared the most that the Han people would restore the Han family's rule. In the past, the Qing dynasty killed countless rebels to force the Han people to wear the queue hairstyle. For the Qing, adopting Han hairstyles without the queue was a nightmare. If all Han people were to revert to Han clothing and hairstyles, the Qing's queue-wearing bannermen would be immediately highlighted. At that time, it would not merely be a matter of losing a country; the bannermen would undoubtedly face the most ruthless slaughter from the Han people. The loss of a nation and the extermination of a race is certainly not just a metaphor. The Qing dynasty was extremely sensitive about the issue of the queue.

The rather unfortunate situation is that Ulan Tai attempted to pull out the nails but was repeatedly defeated, unable to dislodge the Taiping Army's stronghold outside the city. Xiang Rong advocated for surrounding three and attacking one, but not only did he fail to achieve victory in the field battles, he also suffered considerable losses.

As a long-time adversary of the Taiping Army, Xiang Rong had already led troops to encircle the Taiping Army shortly after the Jintian Uprising. The two sides fought for six to seven months, and on September 11, 1851, the Taiping Army abandoned their base at Zijing Mountain and broke through towards Pingnan. Xiang Rong pursued and blocked them, but was ambushed by the Taiping Army at Guancun, resulting in a complete rout of his forces. Xiang Rong was deeply disheartened by this sudden defeat and lamented: "Having been in the military for several decades, I have never encountered such a foe; in my engagements against this foe, both large and small, I have never suffered such a defeat!" Subsequently, he retreated to the county seat of Pingnan and feigned illness to avoid further involvement. The Taiping Army was able to transfer their forces with ease. The Qing court, attributing the delay to Xiang Rong's negligence, dismissed him from his position.

The master looked at Rong with indifference and simply mentioned the famous "Soul Calling Case" from the Qianlong era. The case itself was not remarkable; it was merely a civil economic dispute. The local officials dealt with the involved parties quite straightforwardly. In the official documents, the local official was also inexperienced; who knows what he was thinking, as he included a rumor that appeared in the case details in the official documents.

Xiang Rong is 60 years old this year and is a veteran of the Manchu Qing dynasty. Given his level of composure, even if he cannot completely conceal his emotions, he is able to see through many matters. However, at this moment, Xiang Rong finds it difficult to remain indifferent to the events unfolding. His concern is not solely due to the nearly one thousand pounds of saltpeter. Regardless of the difficulties in transportation in Guangxi, the Qing army at the Yong'an North Camp does not lack for such supplies. What truly worries Xiang Rong is whether the imperial envoy Sa Shanga will support his strategy for suppressing bandits. Regardless of the difficulties in transportation in Guangxi, the Qing army at the Yong'an North Camp does not lack for such supplies. What truly worries Xiang Rong is whether the imperial envoy Sa Shanga will support his strategy for suppressing bandits.

The steward shook his head and said, "My lord, it would be prudent for you to investigate the matter regarding the rebel who was mentioned by the imperial guards during the banquet."

The clerks have all received an education. The phrase "since the time of binding the hair" is quite common in literature, but it is a concept that did not exist during the Manchu Qing dynasty. Upon learning from the imperial guards that there were actually individuals among the rebels who had bound their hair, the clerks understood that this matter could not be taken lightly

Oh? Xiang Rong has already received the letter from Saishang A, which was delivered to him by the imperial guards, but he has not yet opened it to read. Upon hearing the clerk's words, Xiang Rong immediately opened Saishang A's letter, and after just one reading, his furrowed brow completely relaxed. The letter did not mention anything else; Saishang A ordered Xiang Rong to dismiss one thousand "unwilling to fight" Guangxi Zhuang soldiers. These Guangxi Zhuang soldiers were not originally under Xiang Rong's command, and to dismiss them, it was sufficient for Saishang A to issue the order. The letter did not mention anything else; Saishang A ordered Xiang Rong to dismiss one thousand "unwilling to fight" Guangxi Zhuang soldiers. These Guangxi Zhuang soldiers were not originally under Xiang Rong's command, and to dismiss them, it was sufficient for Saishang A to issue the order. However, Saishang A specifically assigned this task to the commander of the Northern Camp, Xiang Rong. Aside from this, there was no other content in the letter.

Indeed, Xiang Rong is an experienced veteran, and he is better able to absorb the lessons of failure. After his resurgence, he changed his previous approach and actually adopted the tactic of "surround and attack" advocated by Ulan Tai. He first moved his camp from 30 li away from Yong'an City to a location 15 li away, and launched a fierce attack on the Taiping army's stronghold in the northern part of the city. He aimed to eliminate the peripheral strongholds of the Taiping army before advancing to the foot of Yong'an City. In January, Xiang Rong continued to move his camp forward several times, and after a series of bloody battles with the Taiping army, he finally moved his camp to a position right in front of the Taiping army's outpost.

Thus, this originally trivial case was repeatedly stirred up, causing a great uproar

"Sir, your concerns are indeed unnecessary," the advisor said calmly while savoring his tea, fully aware of Xiangrong's worries.

Not long ago, three imperial guards arrived at Xiangrong's location. The leading guard, Colonel Duo, repeatedly inquired about the nature of the Taiping Army. What exactly is the purpose of the "Worship of God"? In particular, what kind of hairstyles do the Taiping soldiers have? Xiangrong initially found this quite perplexing. Fortunately, that secretary was indeed not an idle person; upon further questioning of the Qing army's Liu Bazong, who was in charge of escorting the grain transport, he learned that the attackers of the grain convoy had hairstyles resembling those of Taoist priests. At last, Xiangrong's secretary began to understand what had transpired.

"Sir, since the envoy possesses such a disposition. Wulantai has not performed well in his duties, and his efforts to suppress the bandits have been fruitless. The Emperor is already dissatisfied with him, so the envoy, having suffered losses at their hands, will naturally not repeat the same mistakes." The advisor replied calmly, "In my humble opinion, within this letter, the envoy will convey to you his current thoughts."

Thus, the conflict erupted. Since no one is without fault, neither side is willing to admit their mistakes. Xiang Rong and Ulan Tai both believe that the other is unwilling to willingly play the supporting role to highlight the main character, and the contradictions intensified. The commanders of the southern and northern armies were at odds, making it impossible for the two armies to cooperate in battle. After besieging for half a year, there were ultimately no achievements.

At noon, the Taiping Army suddenly launched an attack, forcing Xiang Rong to lead his troops to confront them at the Northern Camp. However, the Taiping Army seemed to be engaging in some sort of trickery, as they only caused a disturbance before retreating. In the afternoon, Xiang Rong recalled his troops, and upon returning, he learned that three imperial guards had arrived at the Northern Camp

There is no deep-seated enmity between Xiangrong and Wulantai based on personal reasons; rather, it is a case of traditional discord between generals. Yong'an is surrounded by mountains on all sides, making it relatively easy to encircle Yong'an. The purpose of the Qing army establishing the northern and southern camps was to surround it from all directions in order to annihilate the Taiping army. As capable generals who have both suffered defeats under the Taiping army, the two had significant strategic disagreements.

The matter of transforming military strategies can be done but not spoken of, and Xiang Rong does not wish for the imperial envoy to use this as an excuse to suppress him. He is even less inclined to allow Ulan Tai to gain control over the war.

Ulan Tai advocated for the strategy of "surround and attack," aiming to gradually eliminate the Taiping forces' strongholds outside Yong'an City by systematically removing their support. Ultimately, this led to the complete annihilation of the Taiping army within Yong'an City. In contrast, Xiang Rong proposed the strategy of "allowing them to escape while encircling them," which aligns with the traditional tactic of "besieging a city while leaving one side open."

The leaders of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom were in good spirits, which meant that the Qing army leaders were likely not feeling too well. Just as Wei Ze was transporting the recovered items to Yong'an City, Feng Yunshan received Wei Ze on the same night from Yang Xiuching. The commander of the Qing army's Northern Camp in Yong'an City, Xiang Rong, finally finished hosting the imperial envoy Sa Shang'a's dispatched imperial guards and returned to his main tent with a serious expression.

Xiang Rong, upon hearing this, suddenly realized that since the Qing army had large camps in Yong'an, whichever camp the imperial envoy arrived at to oversee the battle would become the main camp. Xiang Rong immediately replied, "In that case, I will write a letter now, inviting the imperial envoy to come to the North Camp"

The Yong'an North Camp was led by Xiang Rong, while the South Camp was commanded by Ulan Tai. Both of these individuals were Qing military generals who had been engaged in combat against the Taiping Army since the onset of the Taiping Rebellion, and both had suffered defeats under the Taiping forces.

Upon learning of this matter, Qianlong seemed to be invigorated as if someone had kicked him hard in the groin, and he immediately launched a grand investigation into the issue. The queue was a symbol of the Manchu's rule over the Han people; having the queue cut meant the end of the Manchu's dominance over the Han.

In matters of the officialdom, the advisor is undoubtedly more knowledgeable than Xiang Rong. He immediately advised, "My lord, it has come to our attention that the Son of Heaven has urged the special envoy, Sir Sai Shang'a, to conduct an inspection nearby. If the special envoy still wishes to rely on individuals like Yao Ying and Ulan Tai as before, he will naturally oversee the operations at Xinwei. However, up to this point, the special envoy has not mentioned this matter at all. Instead, he has dispatched imperial guards to our Northern Camp. This indicates the special envoy's intention to oversee operations at the Northern Camp. Since the special envoy has such plans, I urge you, my lord, to promptly invite the special envoy to the Northern Camp for oversight."

The rank of the imperial guards naturally cannot be compared to that of Xiang Rong, but they are individuals who can directly reach the ears of the heavens. Moreover, the three of them are here to deliver a letter from the imperial envoy, Saishang A, so Xiang Rong cannot afford to neglect them. One of the three imperial guards was injured, and Xiang Rong personally went to comfort him before hosting a banquet for the other two guards. It was only in the evening that everything was concluded.

The profession of a master clerk is not to be taken lightly; they must be well-versed in history and thoroughly acquainted with the rules and regulations of the officialdom. A master clerk who is familiar with these matters naturally understands the importance the Qing court placed on the queue hairstyle

The content of the rumor is absurd, claiming that someone can turn the person whose braid has been cut into a lifeless puppet, akin to a zombie.

How should this be handled? Xiang Rong, coming from a military background, has no concept of these matters. He only believes that what the master said is correct, yet he cannot think of anything that can immediately clarify the internal issues regarding hairstyles in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Many matters in the officialdom do not require explanation; a simple command conveys its meaning clearly. The envoy, Saishang'a, has expressed firm support for Xiangrong.

"Sir, in recent days, more and more members of the Tiandihui have escaped from Yong'an City. It would be advisable to inquire with them." The assistant provided a more detailed method.

However, Ulan Tai, who was responsible for the suppression of the Taiping Army, suffered repeated defeats. Therefore, shortly after Rong was dismissed from his position, he was again appointed to the military committee of the Northern Camp and was reinstated.

"How to say?" Xiang Rong said anxiously, as he had great trust in the master.

Xiang Rong is actually not concerned about this matter at all. He believes that as long as the Taiping Army can be destroyed and all the rebels killed, the remaining issues are insignificant. The top priority is to quickly invite the imperial envoy to the Beidaying to oversee the battle and to swiftly annihilate the Taiping Army within Yong'an City.

Hmm! Xiang Rong replied blandly. A few months ago, Sai Shang'a felt that Xiang Rong was unreliable, and all actions were based on Ulan Tai's suggestions. Additionally, Sai Shang'a's military advisor, Yao Ying, was completely biased towards Ulan Tai, and Yao Ying and Ulan Tai joined forces, leaving Xiang Rong "wanting to see Sai Shang'a to complain but unable to do so." It seems that such a situation will not occur again this time

After reading the letter carefully several times and ensuring that no details were overlooked, Xiang Rong's anxious heart finally settled back into his stomach. He handed the letter to the steward, and Xiang Rong, feeling completely relieved, picked up his teacup and began to drink tea. The steward also read the letter carefully several times, and with a beaming face, he said: "Congratulations, my lord, this time you will no longer have to suffer from Yao Ying's slander."