Chapter 7

On the return journey, everyone hurriedly marched, as their families were still in Yong'an, and they had already been out for seven days. The thought of returning to Yong'an with so much loot and receiving rewards, especially the chance to reunite with their families, made everyone eager to get home.

Wei Ze sent Zhang Yingchen with two comrades to report back to Yong'an first, while he led the main force. Despite carrying a large amount of supplies, the journey that took six days on the way out took less than three days on the way back. After all, when they set out, they were exploring and had to clear the way, but on the return trip, they only needed to hurry along. They traveled by day and rested at night, finally reaching the rendezvous point agreed upon by Wei Ze and Zhang Yingchen on the morning of February 12th.

At the rendezvous point, waiting for Wei Ze was not only Zhang Yingchen but also a two-thousand-strong force sent from the city, led by Lin Fengxiang, a bodyguard of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Lin Fengxiang was one of the original forty brothers from the Jintian Uprising and was now a high-ranking official, serving as a bodyguard to Hong Xiuquan. Although his rank was the same as Wei Ze's, his status was much higher.

Wei Ze and Lin Fengxiang had met before, and they had even fought together before Wei Ze's穿越 (time travel). They were familiar with each other. Seeing that Lin Fengxiang had come in person, Wei Ze understood the high regard the Taiping leadership had for the loot.

Lin Fengxiang personally inspected each bag of loot that Wei Ze's team had brought back. He grabbed Wei Ze's hand and said excitedly, "Commander Wei, you have truly worked hard! With these supplies, we have a chance to defend the city."

Hearing these passionate words, Wei Ze was taken aback. Had the situation of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom deteriorated to the point where even Lin Fengxiang felt they could not hold on? However, Wei Ze did not point this out. He smiled and said, "With Commander Lin here to meet us, we can return more easily. Have you arranged the route back to the city? Shall we leave now?"

"We have to wait until it gets dark," Lin Fengxiang replied regretfully. "After Commander Wei's troops set out, Xiang Rong moved his camp forward again, almost reaching the Red Temple."

"What?" Not only did Wei Ze widen his eyes, but his subordinates were also shocked. It had been ten days since they left Yong'an, and they had no idea that the situation had changed so drastically.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's defense system in Yong'an was not just based on the city walls. They also held several outposts outside the city. One of the key positions to the north was the Red Temple.

Xiang Rong, the commander of the Qing army's Northern Camp, and Wulan Tai, the commander of the Southern Camp, had been thoroughly defeated by the Taiping at Guancun Ridge. Xiang Rong was subsequently dismissed from his post. After the Taiping captured Yong'an, Xiang Rong was reinstated. Since then, he had changed his strategy, abandoning the idea of a full-scale battle and instead focusing on positional warfare. He personally led the Qing army's Northern Camp from a distance of 30 li to 15 li from the Taiping.

Lin Fengxiang briefly explained the situation to Wei Ze. Not long after Wei Ze's team left Yong'an, Xiang Rong moved his camp again, bringing the Qing army's Northern Camp to within 7-8 li of the city walls, right in front of the Red Temple.

Xiang Rong's move not only brought the Qing army closer to the Taiping but also cut off Wei Ze's route back to Yong'an. Even if they could still find a way through, they might encounter Qing army patrols at any moment. Wei Ze's team, each carrying 40 jin of loot and having marched and fought for several days without rest, were already at their physical limits. If they were discovered and attacked by Qing patrols, they would not only lose the loot but also their lives.

Seeing Wei Ze's shock, Lin Fengxiang smiled and said, "Don't worry, brothers. Before I left, the Southern King had already ordered the Wing King to the Red Temple. Once I report to the Wing King, he will send troops to engage Xiang Rong. Another team will come to assist us in transporting the loot back to the city."

"That's great! We will follow Commander Lin's orders," Wei Ze said, relieved to know that a large force would be supporting them.

Lin Fengxiang immediately sent someone to report. By the afternoon, over twenty more brothers arrived to help with the transport. Soon, they heard the sounds of battle and gunfire in the distance. Wei Ze, who had been fighting for three months, knew that most of the gunfire was coming from the Qing side, while the Taiping only fired occasionally, and their cannons were silent.

But this was not their concern. Lin Fengxiang led the transport team, carrying the loot and avoiding the battlefield, heading straight for Yong'an. The brothers who came to assist knew that Wei Ze's team was exhausted, so they did not let Wei Ze and his men carry the loot. Each of the assisting brothers carried about 20 jin, and they ran for an hour over ten li. Midway, another fifty brothers joined them, and the speed increased. They finally reached Yong'an as the sky was darkening.

At the northern gate, they saw many Taiping soldiers standing guard on the walls and below. The news had spread quickly. To Wei Ze's surprise, there was a prince in a yellow robe among the crowd, and upon closer inspection, it was the Southern King, Feng Yushan, responsible for the city's defense.

After the Taiping captured Yong'an, they established a system and appointed the Four Kings of the East, West, South, and North, as well as the Wing King, Shi Dakai. The Southern King, Feng Yushan, was the second most powerful figure after the Eastern King, Yang Xiuqing. The fact that Feng Yushan had come in person to welcome them showed that their efforts were highly valued by the leadership, and Wei Ze felt a sense of pride. He stepped forward and greeted Feng Yushan, "Your subordinate, Wei Ze, greets the Southern King." Feng Yushan acknowledged him casually and then went straight to inspect the loot. Confirming that the bags contained salt and gunpowder, Feng Yushan turned to Wei Ze and said, "Brother Wei, you have done a great service!"

Despite his happiness, Feng Yushan's mind was on military affairs. After praising Wei Ze, he turned to his aides and ordered, "Send this salt and gunpowder to the Holy Treasury immediately."

When Zhang Yingchen arrived at the city gate, he was almost out of breath. However, he noticed that even after his long journey, he was not slower than the brothers who had come to assist them. Some of the assisting brothers had even cramped up from running.

On the way, Wei Ze had often talked about the consequences of not eating salt. When they were together, everyone was in the same boat, and it was not noticeable. But in the past few days, they had had enough salt and even some cured meat. Compared to the brothers inside the city, their physical condition was not inferior. Zhang Yingchen was now certain of Wei Ze's contribution.

Seeing such a high-ranking figure as Feng Yushan come to greet them, Zhang Yingchen was very excited. However, Feng Yushan was busy with official duties and did not give much praise to the contributors, which left Zhang Yingchen somewhat disappointed. Just as he was feeling unhappy, he saw Wei Ze step forward and say to Feng Yushan, "Southern King, I acted on the orders of the Eastern King. Sending this loot to the Holy Treasury is appropriate, but I request that you send a brother with me to see the Eastern King, so I can report back to him."

Seeing Wei Ze do this, Zhang Yingchen became nervous. In the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, after the Heavenly King, the Four Kings of the East, West, South, and North held the most power. The Eastern King, Yang Xiuqing, was the military advisor and commander of all the kings. The Southern King, Feng Yushan, was the second most powerful figure. Wei Ze's tone and demeanor were respectful, but his words implied a lack of trust in Feng Yushan. Zhang Yingchen felt a chill.

However, Feng Yushan did not get angry. He laughed and said, "I was so happy that I forgot about this. Let's go see the Eastern King together, and I will explain the situation to him."

Since Feng Yushan said this, Wei Ze had nothing more to say. He ordered his subordinates to rest, and then he followed Feng Yushan into the city.

On the way to the Eastern King's residence, Feng Yushan told Wei Ze that the previous afternoon, "Heavenly Father" had descended and spoken to the Taiping, saying that the current difficulties would soon be overcome, and they should learn from the kings and fight hard to achieve victory. Wei Ze's return with the loot would surely boost the morale of the Taiping.

Although his face showed no expression, Wei Ze could not help but feel like laughing. He had always had a problem with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's God Worshipping Society. As a young man from modern China, Wei Ze was a staunch anti-religious person. However, based on his anti-religious beliefs, he quickly realized that the Heavenly King, Hong Xiuquan, who rarely appeared in public and liked to write doggerel to explain his teachings, might genuinely believe in the God Worshipping Society he had founded. None of the other Taiping kings, including the famous Wing King, Shi Dakai, believed in the God Worshipping Society. Shi Dakai's attitude towards it was almost openly hostile.

As for Feng Yushan himself, he was the true promoter of the God Worshipping Society in Guangxi. Hong Xiuquan was the religious leader responsible for writing the scriptures, while Feng Yushan's role was that of the practical pope. The Eastern King, Yang Xiuqing, was the military advisor and commander of all the kings. Despite his secular position, he had adopted "Chinese-style religious methods" to influence the God Worshipping Society. Hong Xiuquan claimed to be the second son of Heavenly Father and the reincarnation of Jesus. Yang Xiuqing claimed to be possessed by Heavenly Father, and when possessed, he was Hong Xiuquan's "father" and the highest deity with authority surpassing Hong Xiuquan.

For Wei Ze, an anti-religious person, the religious methods were comical, but he very much approved of the political strategy. Knowing that he had inadvertently helped Yang Xiuqing, Wei Ze was quite pleased.

Regardless of how many people truly believed in the possession by Heavenly Father, Yang Xiuqing was consistent in his actions. After each possession and the issuance of "supreme directives," he would rest for a while to show that the possession was a heavy burden on a human body. At that moment, Yang Xiuqing was "resting and recovering."

After a few more words, the conversation naturally turned to recent military affairs. Wei Ze was not concerned about the Qing army tightening the encirclement. Seeing Feng Yushan's serious expression, Wei Ze smiled and said, "Southern King, Xiang Rong and Wulan Tai are just our defeated enemies. To defeat them, we only need to lure them into a field battle. Dragging the Qing army through the mountains a few times will make them more reckless. Setting an ambush at the right time will surely annihilate them."

Feng Yushan asked, "What if the Qing demons do not pursue our troops but take advantage of the weakened city defenses to intensify the siege of Yong'an?"

Wei Ze replied, "Then we will simply abandon Yong'an. As long as we can eliminate the Qing demons pursuing us, retaking Yong'an will be easy. Why should we care about the loss of one city or another?"

"Why should we care about the loss of one city or another...," Feng Yushan smiled but said nothing more. The Taiping kings lived in concentrated residences, and their palaces were in several large houses near the city hall. The city was small, and they soon reached the Eastern King's residence. Feng Yushan did not comment on Wei Ze's views but led him directly into the Eastern King's palace.

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