GBP Chapter 132 Challenge
Chapter 132 Challenge
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He Chengzong agreed and left. Immediately afterwards, a servant came in to report: "The Governor-General has entered the city through the West Gate and sent someone to tell you to inform the city."
Yu Baocheng slapped his forehead. The governor had finally arrived, but whether his arrival in Guangzhou to take charge of the overall situation was a good thing or a bad thing was unknown, given his tough nature.
In the main hall of the prefectural government office, Wang Zunde sat upright in a grand chair, while the chair's original owner, Yu Baocheng, sat in an inconspicuous corner at the far left. All the civil and military officials present were there, including the provincial governor and other chief officials of the three departments, the imperial censor, the regional inspectors of Haibei and Hainan, and the coastal defense commander.
Wang Zunde glanced at the crowd, his eyes sharp, and his voice resounding: "Gentlemen, the bandits are already at the city gates, yet there has been no news of General He Rubin. I will send someone to investigate the situation in Qiongzhou Prefecture. The most urgent task is to drive away the bandits and relieve the siege of Guangzhou. Such a large city as Guangzhou, with hundreds of thousands of people, is being trapped in the city by a thousand bandits who are bombarding it at will. This is a great disgrace!"
Among the officials present were many who favored appeasement, none of them rejecting the idea of buying peace with silver, or even pacifying the bandits. Mu Tianyan, the Left Provincial Governor of Guangdong, shared this view. He stepped forward and said, “Your Excellency, if General He is indeed defeated in Qiongzhou, then the bandits’ fighting strength is considerable. Currently, there are not many troops in Guangzhou. Although there are hundreds of thousands of civilians, we cannot send them to fight and die…”
Wang Zunde interrupted him bluntly: "What's wrong with selecting able-bodied men and brave soldiers to defend the country and accompany the government troops out of the city to drive out the bandits?"
Mu Tianyan's eloquent words were swallowed back down, and she almost choked, stopping herself in embarrassment.
Wang Zunde was well aware that his tough stance would damage his relationships with officials in Guangdong. Although he held the highest rank, he understood the power dynamics of officialdom, where favors were often bestowed upon those in power. However, these were extraordinary times. The rebels had appeared at the gates of Guangzhou, claiming it was due to his reckless use of force. The unprecedented bombardment of Guangzhou had pushed him to the brink of defeat, and his position as governor-general was already precarious. Even if he appeased them, he might not be able to save his post. If he could turn the tide, completely defeat the rebels, and atone for his past mistakes, there was still a glimmer of hope.
"I have invited you all here today to discuss how to repel the enemy. Does any of you have a brilliant plan?"
The officials of the Guangdong Three Offices and the Haibei Sub-Prefectural Commissioner kept their eyes downcast and remained silent. They were unwilling to take rash action. They had not been enthusiastic about attacking Bofu in the first place, and now that Wang Zunde had stirred up a hornet's nest, they were left to deal with it themselves. They said they had no way to deal with it, and even if they did, they wouldn't say so.
The Imperial Censor Gao Shunqin was one of the few hardliners who had strongly supported Wang Zunde when the army crossed the sea to suppress the bandits. He stood up and said, "If we shamelessly negotiate peace with a mere one or two thousand bandits, what face will the court have left? Even if we are to offer them amnesty, we should drive them out of the Pearl River first. I agree with what the Governor said: select able-bodied men and brave civilians from the city, give them resettlement money, and send them out of the city to drive away the bandits. With such a generous reward, there will surely be brave men. With hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians, surely we can defeat this small group of bandits?"
Seeing Gao Shunqin's support, Wang Zunde stroked his beard and nodded in satisfaction.