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卷427 列傳二百十四 王懿德 曾望颜 觉罗耆龄 福济 翁同书 严树森

Volume 427 Biographies 214: Wang Yide, Ceng Wangyan, Jue Luo Qi Ling, Fu Ji, Weng Tongshu, Yan Shusen

Chapter 427 of 清史稿 · Draft History of Qing
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Chapter 427
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Biography 214
2
使使調 西使
Wang Yide, whose courtesy name was Shaofu, came from Xiangfu in Henan. He passed the jinshi examination in the third year of the Daoguang reign and was appointed a principal clerk in the Ministry of Rites before being promoted again to director. He was posted as prefect of Xiangyang in Hubei, then promoted to intendant of the Yan-Yi-Cao-Ji circuit in Shandong. He held the posts of Shandong salt transport commissioner and Zhejiang surveillance commissioner in turn before being transferred back to Shandong. In his thirtieth year of service he was promoted to provincial treasurer of Shaanxi. In the first year of Xianfeng he served as acting governor and memorialized to waive more than eighty thousand dan of grain that commoners had owed for years to the ever-normal granaries; he was then promoted to governor of Fujian.
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西 使便
In the second year he submitted a memorial that began: "The Han worried about a lack of cash and coined money to sustain the state; the Song issued jiaoyin, qianyin, and jiaochao; the Yuan and Ming established paper-note systems with denominations worth as much as one thousand or five hundred cash, among others. Our dynasty matches spending to yearly income and seeks profit only where the people profit; the treasury has long been ample—why fret needlessly? Since coastal defense grew troubled, expenditures have steadily risen; western Guangdong campaigns and river-work appropriations run to many millions, and funds are already tight—what remedy is there for the aftermath? Even generous voluntary donations are no more than a spoonful poured into a great vat. Press the levies too hard and you only harm ordinary households in lane and alley alike. Rather than scheming for ever more silver, we should switch to circulating paper notes. A survey of the capital region, Shandong, and the northeast shows widespread use of money notes; even in Fujian's subordinate districts silver, cash, and foreign bills circulate side by side, easy to carry and treated like ready money, and merchants and commoners already trust paper currency. How much more so for the sovereign of the realm and the weight of the national treasury: imperial treasure notes, once ordered struck, would circulate all the more readily. The note design should stay simple, with one tael as the standard, issued through provincial treasuries and explained to all four classes of society; allow them for land tax and customs, and circulation will not stall. Some fear that if treasury silver pours out and everything turns into notes, silver will dwindle day by day and notes depreciate. They do not understand that the court does not hoard treasure for its own sake but applies the empire's wealth to the empire's needs; able both to take in and to pay out, it can always find a way through." When the memorial arrived, the throne ordered the Grand Council and the Board of Revenue to deliberate and carry it out. He also served as acting governor-general of Fujian and Zhejiang. In the third year he reported that bandits in Fujian were banding together and growing bolder, and asked that penalties on local officials for lax surveillance be eased so that capturing robbers could redeem their faults; the request was granted.
4
Secret-society rebels were rising on every side; they burst into Haicheng county, stormed the jail and killed officials, then raided Tong'an and Anxi, and troops were sent for a joint campaign. Zhangzhou fell suddenly to the rebels, and both the garrison commander and the circuit intendant were killed. Ranger Raotingxuan was away leading troops elsewhere; when he heard the alarm he turned back to reinforce the city. Villagers near the city and gentry inside it made a secret pact, let Raotingxuan in, seized the rebel leaders Xie Hou and others, killed several hundred bandits, and recovered the city. Yanping came under attack as well; Vice Commander Li Shouchun beat the rebels back. Bandits broke into Datian and Dehua; local gentry led militia and killed several hundred of them. Yongchun was held by rebels until Ranger En Pei and others joined local braves, routed the bandits, captured their chiefs, and drove the rest away; he received an imperial commendation. Rebels also harassed southern Taiwan; Yide reported on defense and suppression. An edict read: "The gentry and militia of Fujian have always understood what is right. Earlier, righteous men of Tong'an county killed bandits, and retired Vice Commander Lü Dasheng of Quanzhou and others volunteered to raise troops and cross to Taiwan—clear proof of their spirit. You must rouse their morale and destroy this pack of villains." Soon Haicheng, Tong'an, Xiamen, Anxi, and Xianyou fell one after another; he memorialized asking that officials be punished, and the case was sent to the judicial authorities. He ordered Participation Commander Li Huang and Battalion Commander Gu Feixiong to defeat the rebels; Youxi county town was lost but quickly retaken. Naval Commander Shidegao and Jinmen Garrison Commander Sun Ding'ao attacked the rebels at Jinmen and broke them. Xiamen and Xianyou were both recovered. In the fourth year the upper districts were pacified in turn; the rebel chief Lin Junshang died in a fire; Yide was formally appointed governor-general of Fujian and Zhejiang.
5
貿
When the Board of Revenue debated limiting note circulation, he memorialized: "Notes circulate not because they are issued but because they are redeemed. From the ministry treasury and every customs office inward, and from land tax, salt monopoly, deed duties, and all other levies outward, if the state would accept notes in full without quota and make clear that nothing but notes would do, the people would rush to buy them. Households that hold silver would find notes light and easy to store; taxpayers would face a fixed standard without loss; merchants would profit from easy transport and lower costs. The ministry had not seen so far; fearing that notes would be taken in but silver refused, they capped the proportion. If you call them useless, neither notes nor silver can be eaten or worn; if you call them useful, notes and silver cannot be valued unequally. Today, when notes are issued, they are confined to one province and require ministry notice before they may circulate. If the state lacks confidence in its own notes, how can the people be forced to accept them? This only opens a door for pretexts and profiteering. He asked that ministry officials and every governor-general and governor issue and redeem with the same notes, for every item of expenditure, and show the empire that nothing but notes would be accepted. The silver taels received in exchange for notes would pile up in the ministry and provincial treasuries as reserve capital. If notes circulate without regard to provincial boundaries, silver will grow more plentiful day by day and the monetary foundation will deepen." When the memorial arrived, it was sent to the ministry for deliberation and was blocked from taking effect.
6
西 西 西 西
In the fifth year he asked, on grounds of illness, to be moved to a capital post; the request was denied. In the seventh year Guangdong rebels slipped in from Jiangxi, took Guangze and Tingzhou, and both places were soon recovered. He sent Major General Raotingxuan to reinforce Zhejiang and Jiangxi. In the eighth year, at the capital inspection, an edict praised Yide for repelling foreign threats and pacifying the interior, with every arrangement well judged, and ordered him considered for promotion. Guangdong rebels again broke in from Jiangxi and took Pucheng, Songxi, Zhenghe, and other counties, while Shaowu, Guangze, and Liancheng also came under attack. Zhou Tianpei's force came to reinforce; the rebels slipped back into Jiangxi, and the cities were all recovered. In the tenth year he asked to resign on grounds of illness. In the eleventh year he died and was given the posthumous title Jingyi.
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祿 使 西 西
Ceng Wangyan, whose courtesy name was Zhan Kong, came from Xiangshan in Guangdong. He passed the jinshi examination in the second year of Daoguang, entered the Hanlin Academy as a bachelor, was made a compiler, and later became a censor. In the fifteenth year he memorialized in detail fourteen measures to reform the examination system, and all were adopted as he proposed. He was promoted to supervising secretary and then to vice minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments. Because Wangyan spoke boldly whenever matters arose, the emperor praised and encouraged him and moved him to vice minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. In the sixteenth year he was promoted to prefect of the Shuntian metropolitan district. In the twentieth year he was posted as provincial treasurer of Fujian. In the twenty-third year the deficit in the Board of Revenue silver vault came to light; Wangyan had once inspected the vault as a censor but had not exposed the fraud, and was stripped of office and ordered to pay a share of restitution. He was soon reappointed as a principal clerk. In the third year of Xianfeng he was ordered to await appointment as a fifth-rank capital official and was given the post of vice commissioner of the Court of Transmission. In the sixth year he was again made prefect of Shuntian and then promoted to governor of Shaanxi. In the seventh year Guangdong rebels from Zhushan in Hubei raided Pingli in Shaanxi; Wangyan sent Ranger Chang You and others to join Hubei forces in retaking Zhushan. The rebels fled to Wudang Mountain in Junzhou; he again sent Major General Long Zehou with Hubei troops to pursue them and nearly wiped them out. In the eighth year Guangdong rebels entered Jitou Pass and invaded Shangnan; he sent troops and drove them back.
8
In the ninth year he served as acting governor-general of Sichuan. Guangdong rebels entered Sichuan, attacked Xuzhou, and soon withdrew. The Yunnan rebels Lan Chaozhu and Li Yonghe rose in revolt and, in league with local bandits around Xuzhou, spread havoc. Wangyan sent troops against them and beheaded the rebel chieftain Li Zuzi and others. In the tenth year he sent Regional Commander Kong Guangshun and others to storm the rebel stronghold at Dayanjian Mountain and captured its leader Wang Daizhou. Yunnan rebels attacked Qianwei, fled from Jianban chang to Hekou, and were preparing rafts to cross the river; Regional Commander Zaosheng struck them from land and water and drove them off. Wangyan also feared the rebels would cross the river and strike Jiading, and sent Major General Zhantai and others to intercept them. The rebels held Guanyin chang; government forces advanced from Huangge Temple, fought them at Luocheng pu, and defeated them. The rebels fled to Gongjing, Tianchi Temple, and other places and built dozens of stockades; he ordered Zhantai and others to suppress them. Guizhou rebels led by Li Zhigao held the stockades around Changqianba; he sent troops to attack and destroy Changqianba. Major General Hu Songlin advanced from Chengjiachang against Gongjing and also sent troops against the rebels at Zhuoshui, capturing their chiefs He Shiyu and others. Although several columns scored victories, Yunnan rebel power grew daily: Lan Chaozhu harassed Qingshen and Xuzhou, Li Yonghe attacked Jiading, and the provincial capital was placed under martial law. An edict rebuked Wangyan for failing to control the rebels and referred the case to the judicial authorities.
9
Supervising Secretary Li Peihu memorialized to impeach him for willful misconduct, reckless recommendations and padded accounts, and letting his son interfere in affairs. Governor-General Le Bin of Shaanxi and Gansu, together with Acting Governor Tan Tingxiang, were ordered to investigate. Their report found no corruption in Wangyan himself, but said his promotions and impeachments of subordinates were often careless and wrong, and he could not control his sons, younger kin, and servants. The ministry recommended stripping him of office, but he was ordered to remain temporarily in his acting post. He was impeached again by Prefect Weng Zulie; General Chongshi was sent to investigate; repeated testimony implicated his son Jiekui and his servants; he was relieved of duty but ordered to remain in Sichuan. In the eleventh year he was ordered to return home. In the first year of Tongzhi he was summoned to the capital to await appointment as a fourth-rank capital official. In the fifth year he was appointed a reader in the Grand Secretariat. In the ninth year he died.
10
西調 調 使 調 西
Jueluo Qiling, whose courtesy name was Jiufeng, belonged to the Plain Yellow Banner. He began as a clerk in the Ministry of Works, passed the provincial examination in the seventeenth year of Daoguang, rose to principal clerk in the Ministry of Justice, and was promoted repeatedly to director. He was posted as prefect of Guangxin in Jiangxi and then transferred to Nan'an. He served in turn as acting prefect of Jianchang, Fuzhou, Ji'an, and Yuanzhou. In the third year of Xianfeng he was transferred to the provincial capital to run the official militia bureau. When Guangdong rebels attacked Nanchang, Qiling helped defend the city and was awarded the peacock feather. He was soon made prefect of Ganzhou. In the fifth year he was promoted to intendant of the Ji-Nan-Gan-Ning circuit. Rebels fled to Yining, and Qiling led troops to reinforce. In the sixth year he became provincial treasurer, was ordered to garrison Raozhou, and with Bi Jinke and others set up divided camps to hold the line. Rebels attacked on three fronts; Jinke pursued them in victory, but the Ganzhou camps were overrun and the city fell. They soon joined forces, defeated the rebels, and retook the city. He was ordered to move his army to Nanchang. Vice Minister Zeng Guofan wrote: "At Raozhou Qiling has rallied local militia and shielded the northeast. Now that Jiujiang's main forces have all gone to the provincial capital, Qiling should remain at Raozhou and should not be transferred." At the time many Jiangxi officials commanded troops; Zeng Guofan and Educational Commissioner Lian Zhaolun praised Qiling, while criticizing Governor Wen Jun. In the seventh year Wen Jun was dismissed by edict and Qiling was promoted to governor.
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西 西 西 調 西
Half of Jiangxi's districts had fallen to rebels; only Nanchang, Guangxin, Raozhou, and Ganzhou still held out, and the fighting depended largely on the Hunan army. Before long Zeng Guofan and his brother Guoquan went home to Hunan to mourn. The siege of Ji'an dragged on; after Guoquan left, the army lacked unified command and grew weaker. Qiling memorialized to bring Guoquan back to command the Ji'an army, and the force revived. In the seventh month Liu Tenghong took Ruizhou. In the twelfth month Liu Changyou took Linjiang. In the fourth month of the eighth year Li Xubin took Jiujiang, while Xiao Qijiang and Liu Kunyi took Fuzhou. In the eighth month Zeng Guoquan took Ji'an. An edict recalled Zeng Guofan to command operations toward Zhejiang, and he reached Nanchang in the ninth month. When Guofan had first reached Jiangxi in the fifth year, troops and funds were both strained, local officials were dismissive and obstructive, and nearly everything was difficult. By then Qiling obeyed every order scrupulously, civil and military leaders worked in harmony, and the campaign steadily improved. In the third month of the ninth year Nan'an was taken. In the sixth month Jingdezhen was taken. For the moment all of Jiangxi was declared pacified. In the ninth month he was transferred to governor of Guangdong. The Guangdong rebel Zhai Mingkai attacked Anyuan in Jiangxi from Nanxiong; Qiling sent troops across the border to lift the siege. In the eleventh year rebels fleeing defeat from Anyuan passed through Pingyuan into Fujian and took Wuping; Qiling sent detachments to recover it.
12
谿 調
In the first year of Tongzhi he was ordered to lead troops into Fujian to aid Zhejiang and was made governor-general of Fujian and Zhejiang. Guangdong rebels took Chuzhou; Qiling sent Major General Qin Ruhu and others along separate routes until they were at the city walls. The rebels fled to Jinyun; he then took Chuzhou, recovered Jinyun, and went on to retake Fenghua. In the second year he advanced to take Tangxi, Yongkang, Wuyi, Longyou, Lanxi, and other counties, along with Jinhua city, and eastern Zhejiang was largely pacified. He was transferred to the post of general of Fuzhou. He soon died; the court granted funeral honors and gave him the posthumous title Kejin.
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祿滿 調調 殿 使 調 西 西使使 調
Fu Ji, whose courtesy name was Yuanxiu and who belonged to the Bilu clan, was a Manchu of the Bordered White Banner. He passed the jinshi examination in the thirteenth year of Daoguang, entered the Hanlin Academy as a bachelor, and was made a compiler. He rose to lecturer, was promoted four times to junior guardian of the heir apparent, scored second grade in the great examination, then rose three more times to vice minister of war, while also serving as Mongol vice commander of the Bordered White Banner and superintendent of the Imperial Household Department. He was moved to the Ministry of Works, then to the Ministry of Personnel, and also served as commander of the Right Wing. In the twenty-eighth year he was ordered to accompany Right Sub-Reader Luo Bingzhang to investigate affairs in Henan, Jiangsu, and Shandong. Guide Prefect Hu Xizhou was found greedy and corrupt; the facts were proved at trial and he was sentenced under the law. The Jialu River project in Henan wasted money through false reporting; when the work was finished the river silted up again, and Governor E Shun'an and his subordinates were all punished. Suzhou Prefect Zhong Dianxuan and others had abused punishments and concealed banditry; the facts were proved and they were sentenced under the law. He also investigated Shandong Salt Transport Commissioner Wei Decheng for impeaching Governor Chong'en; Wei was forced to vacate his post and was referred to the Ministry of Justice for arrest. He was transferred again to the Ministry of Revenue. In the twenty-ninth year he was appointed commander of the Plain White Banner guards. He was ordered to join Vice Minister Chen Fu'en in investigating Shanxi Governor Wang Zhaochen for corruption; Wang was punished. In the thirtieth year he became commander of the Left Wing. Physician Xue Zhizhong was convicted of spreading heterodox talk; the case implicated Fu Ji, who lost his office. He soon received fourth-rank insignia, served as acting surveillance commissioner of Shanxi, and was appointed surveillance commissioner of Shandong. In the second year of Xianfeng he became prefect of Fengtian and was promoted to director-general of the Southern Rivers. In the third year he was made director-general of grain transport and temporarily ordered to supervise Huaibei salt administration.
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調 調
Guangdong rebels then held Jiangning and raided north of the Yangtze; Fu Ji joined Qishan in defeating them at Yangzhou and was appointed governor of Anhui. Fu Ji moved six hundred grain-transport banner troops from Linhuai Pass to Luzhou and asked that Qishan send two thousand elite troops to hold Guanshan and Jianxi and block a northern rebel breakout; he also asked to keep supervising Huaibei salt revenue to fund the Anhui army—all were approved. In the fourth year he reached Luzhou; local bandits took Lu'an, and the case was sent to the ministry for disciplinary action. Fu Ji wrote: "After reaching Luzhou I found mobilized troops numbering about twenty thousand, with monthly pay of no less than 150,000 to 160,000 taels. I ask that the governors of Zhejiang, Shandong, Shaanxi, and Shanxi be ordered to contribute funds." He also asked that former Jiangnan Rivers Director Pan Xi'en and Anhui Educational Commissioner Sun Ming'en jointly handle defense in Huizhou, Ningguo, and Guangde—all were approved. Regional Commander He Chun served as imperial commissioner over military affairs; Fu Ji joined the combined force to take Lu'an and recover Yingshan and Huoshan. In the tenth month of the fifth year Luzhou was taken; he received the title Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent and first-rank insignia. Lujiang, Chaoxian, and Wuwei were then recovered in turn; he was specially commended and given an imperial cotton robe, feather tube, thumb ring, and pouch. In the eleventh month he shifted his forces to Tongcheng.
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調 調 西 調
In the seventh year Wuwei and nearby counties fell again; Tongcheng was besieged but repeatedly beat the attackers back. In the second month a large rebel force arrived; Fu Ji broke out of the encirclement and withdrew to Luzhou. An edict rebuked his poor command and referred the case to the ministry for discipline. Soon Lu'an fell again; Fu Ji, citing illness, asked to give up the governorship and focus on military affairs alone—the request was denied. Anhui itself had no provincial troops at the time; military affairs were really run by He Chun. Rebels held Anqing; several southern Anhui districts were cut off and governed remotely from Zhejiang. Nian rebels spread across northern Huai under Yuan Jiasan, while the governor's authority reached only a dozen counties. After the fighting the land lay waste, taxes could not be collected, pay ran short and troops mutinied, and he lost the governor's seal; he asked for severe punishment, but the emperor excused him with only a light rebuke. When the Jiangnan great camp collapsed, He Chun left to command in the field; only the forces of Major Generals Qin Dingsan and Zheng Kuishi remained for defense. Large Guangdong rebel columns entered Anhui from Hubei while Nian rebels ranged along the Anhui-Henan border; the province fought over transferring Dingsan and Kuishi. The memorials were approved, but Fu Ji wavered without saying yes or no. Dingsan had long failed to take Tongcheng; Kuishi arrived as ordered; the two armies quarreled over pay; rebels seized the chance to storm the camps and caused a great rout. In the eighth year Chuzhou, Lai'an, Fengyang, and Huaiyuan fell one after another. Fu Ji asked for sick leave; an edict rebuked his long failure, stripped his palace rank and first-rank insignia, and ordered him to Beijing. He was soon made a grand secretary, given vice commander rank, and appointed minister for Xining affairs. In the ninth year his first-rank insignia was restored for settling surrendered tribal groups. In the tenth year he became vice minister of works, acted as governor-general of Shaanxi and Gansu, and also commanded the Hanjun of the Plain Yellow Banner. In the eleventh year he was made general of Chengdu and transferred to governor-general of Yunnan and Guizhou. When Emperor Wenzong died, Fu Ji asked to attend the coffin; the request was denied; an edict accused him of evading Yunnan-Guizhou military duties, stripped his office, gave him fourth-rank insignia, and still sent him to Yunnan under Acting Governor Pan Duo.
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西 調
In the first year of Tongzhi he was given vice commander rank to investigate affairs in Tibet, but the route was blocked and he never went. In the fourth year he went back to the capital. In the sixth year he became assistant minister at Kobdo and was transferred to minister at Buluntuohai. In the eighth year he was made general at Uliastai. In the ninth year Hui rebels took Uliastai and he was stripped of office. In the twelfth year he donated silver for famine relief. Zhili Governor-General Li Hongzhang cited his earlier service in Anhui, and his original rank was restored. In the first year of Guangxu he died and received funeral honors according to the governor precedent.
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沿西 調
Weng Tongshu, whose courtesy name was Yaofang, came from Changshu in Jiangsu and was the son of Grand Secretary Xincun. He passed the jinshi examination in the twentieth year of Daoguang, entered the Hanlin Academy as a bachelor, and was made a compiler. He repeatedly scored second grade in the great examinations and was promoted to palace aide. In the first year of Xianfeng, answering an imperial edict, he presented four proposals: relief for unemployed common people; investigation and recommendation of incorrupt, people-loving local officials; repair of waterworks in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Huguang; training of the Lingnan coastal navy. In the third year he was sent to Jiangnan to assist Imperial Commissioner Qishan in military affairs. He rose to expositor of the Hanlin Academy, became a reader there, and was appointed junior guardian of the heir apparent. In the sixth year he wrote from camp: "To pacify the people you must first have enough troops; to have enough troops you must first manage finances. With the Yunnan copper route blocked, he asked to set up mints in Yunnan and ship coin to Jingzhou for army supplies and river works. With river defenses on alert and Huainan salt certificates stalled, he proposed sending Zhejiang salt to Jiangxi and switching Suzhou, Changzhou, Zhenjiang, and Taicang to Huai salt. Jiangsu and Zhejiang tribute grain now went by sea, less than half the old canal volume; he asked to split shipments and hire civilian boats to continue canal relay transport. Horse administration had decayed; he asked to cut camp horses by several tenths and sell surplus pasture horses into the treasury. Provincial garrison troops should fight where needed; he asked that the wounded and sick be sent home. Phantom rations and empty ranks should be cleaned up in earnest. In wartime, county granaries were either looted or drained for supplies, leaving almost nothing; he asked local officials to urge wealthy households to donate grain to granaries with suitable rewards." He also proposed five river-defense measures—hold key crossings, link land routes, cut shore traitors, use fire attack, and add small boats—and all were sent to the ministry. After Qishan died, Tuoming'a became imperial commissioner, and Tongshu stayed on to assist in military affairs. Guangdong rebels took Yangzhou again; Tuoming'a was dismissed; Dexing'a replaced him; Tongshu was ordered to help manage military affairs. Dexing'a retook Yangzhou and Pukou, pressed toward Guazhou and Zhenjiang, and the campaign steadily improved—largely thanks to Tongshu's planning. After Guazhou fell, he was ordered to await appointment as vice minister and given the yellow riding jacket.
18
西
In the sixth month of the eighth year he became governor of Anhui. Luzhou had fallen again; Guangdong and Nian rebels were in league, and both sides of the Huai were nearly ruined. The emperor ordered Tongshu to assist Imperial Commissioner Sheng Bao; all Anhui forces were placed under his command. Tongshu moved to Dingyuan; rebels from Tianchang attacked Sanheji; he defeated them and retook Tianchang. Nian rebels harassed Dingyuan and Guangdong rebels attacked as well; Tongshu led troops and beat them back. In the ninth year a large Nian force took Lu'an and attacked Dingyuan; Tongshu and Sheng Bao struck from both sides, routed them, and retook Lu'an. Nian rebels joined tens of thousands of Guangdong rebels; Dingyuan fell; Tongshu withdrew to Shouzhou; the case went to the judiciary; he was stripped of rank but kept in office. Tongshu wrote: "Of the forces available today, none match the Hunan army. Intelligence says the Hunan army is coming downriver and has already taken Shipai. If we send another strong column by a side route to rush to Ying and Huo and then work toward Huaiyuan and Dingyuan, that is the best plan. If the Hunan army cannot push deep in its campaign, use Miao Peilin with government troops to take Huaiyuan first—that is the middle plan. If neither works, let Sheng Bao attack Mingguang, Li Shizhong cross Qingliu Pass to hold the east, I hold Shouzhou with Fu Zhenbang and Guan Bao in support, and contain the great Nian leaders Sun Kuixin and Liu Tianfu in the west—that is the worst plan." When Kuixin attacked Yingzhou, Tongshu sent troops, routed him, and recovered Huoshan. In the tenth year he sent troops to attack Luqiao, burned rebel camps, struck Shucheng relief forces, and destroyed the rebel fort at Wangjiahai. Sheng Bao wanted to recruit Kuixin; the emperor asked Tongshu, who said the army was attacking the rebel nest at Chengjiayu and there was no need to appease him. Soon Chengjiayu fell.
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退 使
When the Anglo-French allies attacked the capital, Sheng Bao asked to summon Miao Peilin's militia; Tongshu was ordered to convey the edict; Tongshu also asked to give up the governorship and lead them north—soon both requests were denied. Chen Yucheng attacked Shouzhou; Tongshu held firm and the rebels soon withdrew. Miao Peilin had always been unreliable; troubled times made him bolder; he feuded with Shouzhou militia leaders Xu Lizhuang and Sun Jiatai; after Lizhuang killed several of his men, he besieged Shouzhou. Tongshu secretly reported Peilin's arrogance; an edict ordered Yuan Jiasan to investigate jointly. Peilin defied orders, tightened the siege, and let his troops raid everywhere. Lizhuang's men were mostly old Nian rebels who had long harassed the people; in the eleventh year he was executed for colluding with the Nian. Sun Jiatai was also jailed and committed suicide. Meng Shizhong was handed to Peilin, but Peilin still would not stop fighting. Tongshu was recalled to Beijing; Jia Zhen served as acting governor. Tongshu had Acting Provincial Treasurer Zhang Xuepeng persuade Peilin, and the siege was finally lifted. He wrote: "Peilin still shows he can reform; please console him appropriately, charge him to fight the Nian to atone, and let Yuan Jiasan and Jia Zhen handle the aftermath." .
20
In the first year of Tongzhi Zeng Guofan impeached Tongshu for fleeing Dingyuan to Shouzhou when the city fell, then mishandling affairs so that gentry militia turned on one another. When Shouzhou fell, his reports contradicted one another; he was stripped of office and arrested. Princes and ministers tried him jointly and recommended execution. His father Xincun was dying; he was temporarily released to nurse him. After Xincun died, he was ordered to mourn a hundred days and then return to prison. In the second year he was sentenced to exile in Xinjiang. In the third year Duxing'a asked him to serve in the Gansu army; after victory at Huamachi he captured rebel chief Sun Yibao and received fourth-rank insignia. He soon died; his rank was restored posthumously; he was given Right Censor-in-Chief and the posthumous title Wenqin.
21
西 使 使
Yan Shusen, originally named Shusen and courtesy name Weichun, came from Xinfan in Sichuan though his ancestral home was Weinan in Shaanxi. He passed the provincial examination in the twentieth year of Daoguang and bought appointment as a Grand Secretariat secretary. He became a magistrate, was assigned to Donghu in Hubei, and purchased promotion to subprefect. For defense and suppression work he was promoted to prefect and served as acting prefect of Wuchang. Governor Hu Linyi recommended him; in the eighth year he became intendant of Jing-Yi-Shi and then surveillance commissioner. In the tenth year he became provincial treasurer and was promoted to governor of Henan.
22
鹿 鹿 調調西西 調
Anhui Nian rebels ranged across Henan, while Runing bandit Chen Daxi and Jinlou sect rebel Gao Yongqing were also rampant. In the first month of the eleventh year Nian leader Jiang Tailing attacked the capital from Guide; when reinforcements arrived he turned south, took Tang county, attacked Nanyang, besieged Dengzhou and Yuzhou, and did not return to his base until the third month. Sun Kuixin raided Guangzhou and Chenzhou and likewise did not withdraw until the third month. Miao Peilin's faction joined Chen Daxi and others in harassing the Chenzhou and Runing border. In the fifth month Lei Yan besieged Luyi and withdrew only after a month. In the seventh month Liu Gou's main force split into black, white, and flower banners, raided Guide, and joined Jinlou rebels to attack Mamu stockade. Shusen moved to Chenzhou to direct suppression. In the eighth month Liu Gou reached Zhuxian and attacked the provincial capital. Shusen rushed back with troops; the rebels fled through Qishui and Gong, raided Heishi Pass, doubled back through Zhengzhou, and returned to base by Guide. Jiang Tailing also struck Shenqiu and Yuzhou, crossed Fancheng, re-entered Jingzi Pass, raided the Nan and Ru districts, and withdrew through Zhecheng and Luyi. In the tenth month Liu Gou again marched to relieve Jinlou stockade but government troops blocked him. Miao Peilin rebelled again, joined Zhang Luoxing, linked with rebels across Runing, Zhengyang, and Xi, and prepared to invade Henan. Shusen and Militia Commissioner Mao Changxi jointly asked to bring in Yichang commander Li Xuyi and Bao Chao's officer Chen Youli, each to raise three thousand Hunan braves for Henan, plus one thousand Jilin cavalry; afterward monthly subsidies of twenty thousand taels each from Shanxi and Shaanxi were approved. Shusen was a seasoned administrator who had long served under Hu Linyi in Hubei; stubborn and self-willed, he clashed with Mao Changxi and they obstructed each other. After more than a year in Henan he had some victories but never mastered the campaign; he was transferred to governor of Hubei.
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西 西
In the first year of Tongzhi Chen Decai moved from Nanyang toward Shaanxi; Nian rebels entered Yongning and spread to Luonan. Shusen wrote: "Today's rebels are not the main worry if they push south together; the real fear is a stealthy move into Shaanxi. Xi, Tong, and Feng hold Shaanxi's heartland; we should drive the rebels out of the passes at once and crush them from both sides to preserve that intact region." In the fifth month rebels raided Yunxi; he sent Major General He Shaocai to defeat them at Hejiadian. When Circuit Intendant Jin Guochen went to Yun to coordinate, he sent Zhou Fengshan to clear Zhengyang and Luoshan, destroy rebel nests, and take Xingjiaji, Longjing, Dougou, and Minggang. Xuzhou and Nian rebels together took Suizhou; Chen Daxi took Jingshan; Ma Ronghe took De'an; Shu Bao defeated the De'an rebels; Mu Zhengchun retook Jingshan and Yingcheng; northern Xiangyang calmed somewhat. Citing a celestial anomaly, he impeached Imperial Commissioner Sheng Bao. He also wrote: "Provincial treasurers and surveillance commissioners hold heavy responsibility and must not seek military merit registration on their own. Garrison vacancies should be filled with combat troops. Unpaid death benefits should be convertible into donation credit for descendants, with official ranks and titles granted. Capital officials of fifth rank and below should receive full pay without discount." The ministries were asked to deliberate and implement each item separately.
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西使 使 西使 使
In the second year Nian rebels raided the city; Shusen went to Huangzhou to take command and drove them off with Shu Bao and Mu Zhengchun. In the third year Guangdong and Nian rebels from southern Shaanxi converged on Hubei; Governor Guan Wen was ordered out to command; Shusen stayed to defend the capital. Guan Wen impeached Shusen for monopolizing military power and placing all old camps under the governor's banner. The throne rebuked his arbitrary ways and reduced him to circuit intendant. In the fourth year he became surveillance commissioner of Guangxi while Guizhou Governor Zhang Liangji was impeached for neglecting troops and embezzling pay. On charges of indulging violence and harming the people, Shusen was ordered to rush there and investigate. In the fifth year he became provincial treasurer of Guizhou. Shusen delayed and never arrived; he reported on the impeachment case before he got there. In the sixth year he asked to resign; an edict accused him of evasive trickery, stripped his office, and sent him to Yunnan for assignment. In the eleventh year he received fourth-rank insignia and served as acting surveillance commissioner of Guangxi. In the first year of Guangxu he became provincial treasurer and was then promoted to governor. In the second year he died and received funeral honors.
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The commentary says: Wang Yide governed Fujian before the fiercest rebels could penetrate deep inland. He pacified local unrest and still held the province together. Ceng Wangyan was respected as a censor but knew no military art, and the Sichuan rebellion took shape under him. Qiling worked well with the Hunan army and succeeded mainly by relying on others. Anhui was starved of troops and pay, enemies ringed the province on every side, and Fu Ji could offer no workable plan at all. Weng Tongshu, too, clung to a perilous post and came to ruin. Yan Shusen was talented but small-minded; he tried to imitate Hu Linyi and achieved the opposite.
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