Chapter 33: Su Shun Dies for His Remonstrance with Xianfeng

  The governor of Yuezhou gazed at the Han army below with a heart as dead as ashes. Today, he received two official documents: one from Imperial Envoy Xu Guangjin, ordering him to defend Yuezhou to the death; and another from Xiang Rong, also instructing him to hold his ground in Yuezhou, as reinforcements would arrive soon. He had already made preparations for a desperate last stand, and his family had been sent out of the city.

  The blasting team dug a tunnel at the west gate and put explosives in sealed boxes, because experiments had shown that this would enhance the power of the explosives. Seeing that the First and Second Armies were ready for the assault, the blasters crawled into the tunnel to light the fuse. A moment later, there was a loud explosion, and the western wall was breached - a fissure appeared in the city wall wide enough for three people to stand abreast. Without needing to be ordered, the army charged into the breach and took Yueyang.

  Yueyang has been a strategic location for military operations since ancient times. The Qing government had stockpiled large quantities of grain, military rations, and weapons here to supply the Qing army stationed in Changsha. Someone reported that thirty cannons left behind by Wu Sangui's troops were buried under the prefectural government office. Li Yunzhong excavated them and tested them, except for two damaged ones, the rest could be used.

  Under Jiao Liang's orders, the Third Army and a large number of Tiandihui members rounded up all the boat households on both banks of the Yangtze River to Yueyang, totaling over 800,000 people. Gong Yu, the governor of Hubei Province, had secretly installed underwater stakes in various areas along the waterway, which took three months to complete. Li Yunzhong ordered these sailors to remove the underwater stakes, clearing a channel for the ships to pass through, and it only took one day and night to clear a passage.

  The army stayed in Yueyang for only two days, and on February 8th, they ordered the entire army to board ships and advance towards Wuchang. Since there was enough food to eat, Jiao Liang ordered the third army to burn all buildings along the way, take in refugees, and arrived outside Wuchang City in just three days. Only then did they see the mighty Han army, with thousands of large and small boats moored on the river outside Wuchang City.

  Beijing

  Xianfeng looked at the memorial about Yuezhou being captured by the Taiping Army, his heart was heavy with worry. In these few months, he had dismissed and punished several ministers in charge of suppressing the rebels, but bad news still kept coming one after another. Yuezhou was lost, Wuchang was in danger, and there were no more strongholds between the two places. If Wuchang fell again, then all provinces in the southeast, central China, and Sichuan would be within the attacking range of the rebel army.

  "It is decreed that Xu Guangjin be dismissed and left in office, Qi Shan be appointed as the Imperial Commissioner to defend Henan and block the Taiping Army's advance into the Central Plains. Liangjiang Governor-General Lu Jianying be appointed as the Imperial Commissioner, specifically responsible for military affairs in Jiangsu, Anhui and Jiangxi provinces, to resist the Taiping Army." Xianfeng had never before consecutively appointed two Imperial Commissioners.

  "Your Majesty, Grand Councilor Su Shun requests an audience." a small eunuch said to Xianfeng.

  "Pass on" or "Transmit"

  Xu Shun walked into the imperial study and bowed to the emperor: "Your humble servant pays his respects to Your Majesty."

  "No gift"

  Hearing Xianfeng's listless voice, Su Shun guessed that there was again news of defeat in the southern war and asked: "Your Majesty, is it true that the war in the south has not gone well?"

  Xianfeng Emperor wanted to confide in someone, saying: "The war on the front lines has been losing one after another, and Yueyang has already fallen. The provincial governor died for the country, and now it's likely that Wuchang will also... This great bandit has successively occupied Yong'an, Daozhou, Guilin, Changsha, Xiangyin, and Yueyang. The prosperity of the army is unprecedented, could it be that the Great Qing has really reached its demise?"

  Su Shun hastily comforted him, saying: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The reason why the Han bandits have been able to conquer everywhere is that our government troops are all busy blocking the Taiping Army, and the Han bandits are good at taking advantage of the Taiping Army, which has allowed Li Zongren to become powerful. Now that Xiang Rong's troops are focusing on besieging them, I believe they will achieve great merit under the city of Wuchang."

  Xianfeng took out Xiang Rong's memorial and said, "The imperial court has allocated 30 million taels for the suppression of bandits. Now the national treasury is empty, how can Xiang Rong's troops exert their strength to suppress the bandits? If the rebels attack Jiangnan, then what about the national treasury..."

  Xu Shun thought ahead that the treasury would be empty, and he had a solution: "The court can issue paper money to reward the meritorious generals on the front line, and cast large coins as military salary."

  Xianfeng was overjoyed. In the past, when he asked his ministers about the empty treasury and how to deal with it, they all said to increase taxes and levies, eager to take advantage of the situation. The Qing emperor had a long-standing tradition: to prevent the Qing from following in the footsteps of the Ming dynasty, no additional taxes were allowed to be imposed on the people. Now, hearing a practical and useful suggestion, he was truly overjoyed and felt relieved at heart, thinking that this great Qing dynasty was not just his own concern alone!

  Su Shun saw that Xianfeng's face was flushed with excitement and his heart was stirred, and he continued: "Your Majesty, I have another plan, which can save a large amount of silver every year."

  Xianfeng thought that Su Shun was referring to the palace's expenses, and he felt somewhat displeased. He had already cut back on unnecessary expenditures during his father's reign, and he hadn't increased spending since taking the throne. "What strategy do you have? Speak up."

  Su Shun, still kneeling on the ground, said: "When we Manchu people entered the pass, there were only a few million of us. At that time, in order to stabilize the hearts of the people, from the imperial princes to ordinary banner people, everyone had to issue some silver to support themselves. At first, it was only 10 million, but now every year several tens of millions of taels of silver are spent. If this expenditure is reduced..." Seeing Xianfeng wave his hand, Su Shun stopped speaking.

  Xianfeng left his seat, went to Su Shun's side and helped him up, saying: "This matter is of great importance. The foundation of our Qing dynasty lies in the banner people. Is this not a case of quenching thirst by drinking poison?"

  "In the previous dynasty, when the country was on the verge of collapse, every member of the royal family had wealth in the millions, but not a single hair was lifted to help. The Chongzhen Emperor only imposed heavier taxes, and ultimately met his demise at the hands of Li Zicheng at Coal Hill. Not one of those members of the Ming royal family managed to escape! They were all slaughtered, their property confiscated and left with nothing. It will be the same for our Qing dynasty - when the country falls, they won't even be able to protect their own families."

  Su Shun saw Xianfeng and remained silent, adding: "At the beginning of the Qing dynasty, people from any banner could go to battle and kill enemies. Now, people from the banners are really too stupid and muddle-headed, not only do they only know how to ask the imperial court for money, but they also refuse to make an effort for the country."

  "Now it's not the time yet, but don't leak this out, in case the people of the banner get panicked. When the imperial court really can't come up with the money, you'll be responsible for this matter and must implement it swiftly."

  Xu Shun, seeing that Xianfeng agreed, was very encouraged and took out a letter from his bosom and handed it to Xianfeng: "This is a letter from the Minister of War Zeng Guofan to me. I have read it and think it makes sense. Please Your Majesty take a look."

  Xianfeng took the letter with interest, reading it as he said: "Is this the same Zeng Guofan who rose ten ranks in seven years? Is he a protégé of Mu Zang'a? I have already decided to dismiss him from office."

  Xianfeng saw that the content of the letter was very reasonable, and he couldn't help but read it out loud: "The bandits are in control, while the government troops are always on the defensive. Therefore, the bandits have time to spare, while the government troops are busy. The bandits often set up ambushes and lay traps for the government troops, who frequently fall into their trap. According to military strategy, 'one should plan before fighting, and a good general controls others but is not controlled by them.' The bandits understand this principle, but the government troops do not. This is why the government troops have been defeated repeatedly. If we want to defeat the bandits, we should build more forts and have the government troops camp in strategic locations, advancing step by step, gradually closing in on the enemy. The bandits will not want to be surrounded by the government troops, so they will definitely come out to fight a decisive battle with them. Then, the government troops can turn the tables and defeat the bandit army."

  Xianfeng exclaimed after reading it, "Good, well written. If Li Xingyuan, Sai Shang'a and Xu Guangjin had done this, how would the situation have turned out?"

  Xu Shun said: "I also found that the imperial army's victories were often due to the bravery of the troops, while the Green Standard Army and the Eight Banners were insufficient. I humbly request that Your Majesty allow officials and gentry to organize local militias."

  Xianfeng shook his head and said, "Many of the leaders of the militia and village braves are Han people. The previous emperor often disbanded them because he was afraid that these people would collude with each other and plot something evil."

  Sushun saw that Xianfeng did not agree, and stubbornly said: "The current situation is different from the past, the rebels are rampant, and the government army cannot suppress them. If this continues, the Qing dynasty will also perish!"

  Xianfeng saw that he had a sarcastic intention, and angrily said: "How dare you, are you cursing the Great Qing? Are you cursing me as a ruler of a doomed country?"

  Xu Shun was not afraid, and replied directly: "The words I spoke are all from my heart, please Your Majesty think thrice, and permit the establishment of a militia to suppress the rebels."