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Wei Changrong stood on a street corner outside Guilin and slowly read the words on a notice. "If the government troops trespass on private property, the people can kill them on their own." Not far away, the residents of Guilin were curiously looking at Wei Changrong and the troops behind him.
When Wei Changrong arrived outside Guilin, it was daytime. Similar to other cities in this era, because of the rapid increase in population, there were also a large number of residential areas outside the city. The impact of the war on the residents outside Guilin seemed to be very limited. Seeing Wei Changrong appear outside the city with his troops, the residents were only a little nervous and a little curious, but there was no sign of them running away.
In his original wishful thinking, Wei Changrong thought that when he suddenly appeared outside the city with his troops, the people living outside the city would be scared out of their wits and then spread the news inside the city. But now the people were so calm, and the Taiping army strictly harassed the people, so Wei Changrong could only obediently accept the people's onlookers.
There were also streets in the residential areas outside the city, and some notices were posted on the street corners. Wei Changrong was literate and had followed the army to learn culture. It was his first time in Guilin, and he was unfamiliar with the people and the place. After seeing the notice, he couldn't help but read it. After reading it, Wei Changrong was stunned.
Vézé had said that plans couldn't keep up with changes, and Wei Changrong now deeply believed it. As Vézé's confidant, Wei Changrong had participated in the formulation of all the plans. From Wuzhou in the south to Guilin in the north, from the division of troops to crossing the river, to the current army's westward advance. The plan was always changing. Even Wei Changrong, who was used to constantly changing plans, was confused about the situation in Guilin.
The Taiping army, the Qing Army, the Guilin government, and the people of Guilin. These four forces were probably the main forces of Guilin City.
The Taiping army and the Qing Army were enemies with the Guilin government, and the Guilin government were enemies with the Taiping army. They even publicly wrote an announcement, requesting the common people to kill the Qing Army themselves if they encountered the Qing Army burglary. The common people were the most miserable. They didn't even have the ability to protect themselves. Even if the common people killed the Qing Army, the Qing Army was organized and disciplined. They couldn't be killed as they wished.
Wei Changrong couldn't help but wonder if he could make use of this contradiction. Just as he was thinking, he heard someone shouting from afar, "The imperial army is snatching people! Kill them! Kill them!"
Turning his head to look, he saw someone shouting while flying towards Wei Changrong and the others. The soldier immediately stopped the man in ordinary clothes. However, the man was not afraid. He shouted, "Master of the Taiping army, please help me! The soldiers went to my house to steal my things. I beg you to help me! "
Although he was worried that there might be an ambush, this was a rare opportunity. Wei Changrong immediately ordered two Majors to lead the soldiers to follow the common people. He himself would lead the investigation network, and the main force would follow behind the two Majors.
Before he finished arranging everything, he saw that the two Majors had already caught a few Qing Army members and returned. The Qing Army members had really gone to the houses to rob. After they were blocked, they couldn't escape in time and were captured alive.
"Kill them!" "Kill them!" The common people outside of Guilin, who originally didn't dare to get too close to Wei Changrong's troops, now came over and shouted.
"Kill them all!" Wei Changrong naturally didn't want to go against the common people's wishes at this time.
Hearing Wei Changrong's shout, the Qing Army members felt that this was a serious matter. They straightened their necks and shouted, "Master of the Taiping army, please spare our lives! Master of the Taiping army, please spare our lives! A few days ago, Master of the Taiping army, who was still here, had an agreement with us to mind our own business. We won't fight with the masters of the Taiping army, and the masters of the Taiping army also won't … "
Wei Changrong listened to the words of the Qing Army. The more he heard, the more he felt that something was wrong. He pulled out the knife from his waist and slashed each of the Qing Army members. There was often a tacit understanding between the Taiping army and the Qing Army. The Qing Army refused to fight the Taiping army to the death. The Taiping army's strength was much smaller than the Qing Army's. The Taiping army naturally welcomed the Qing Army's unwillingness to fight. When the two sides fought head-on, they just pretended to go through the motions to fool the upper echelons of the Qing Army.
Precisely because he knew this, Wei Changrong had no choice but to kill them to shut their mouths. His current purpose was to go to Guilin and harass the Qing Army. Moreover, Wei Changrong had another idea. If he could go to the ferry and seize the boats, he would be able to transport the troops across the Li River. This was not the time to build a good relationship with the lower echelons of the Qing Army. Building a good relationship with the local people of Guilin was the most important thing.
Putting away his knife, Wei Changrong shouted, "Fellow villagers and elders of Guilin, we, the Taiping army, also came from a poor background. We could not live any longer, that's why we rebelled. We are originally common people, naturally we will not rob common people, we will not kill common people. If you see Qing Yao looting, you can talk to us, the Taiping army. We, the Taiping army, will naturally support you! "
These were just polite words, so Wei Changrong had to shout them out. He did not expect that as soon as he finished shouting, some common people would rush forward crying, saying that their homes had been looted, and that they hoped the Taiping army would give them justice.
"My fellow countryman, where is your home? Is Qing Yao still in your home?" Wei Changrong asked.
The common people cried and said, "Laoye! The government troops robbed our things, they are selling them in the barracks! "
The Qing Army's military discipline was corrupt, they looted everywhere. They set up a market in the barracks and publicly auctioned the looted goods. The local magistrate of Guilin was very angry with this group of looting officers and soldiers. He ordered the common people to kill the Qing Army, who had broken into their homes and looted in self-defense. Originally, when the Taiping army besieged Guilin, the Qing Army did not dare to run outside the Taiping army's control to loot; they only looted the villages near their respective garrisons. Now that the Taiping army had crossed the river to the north, the Qing Army, who had been drooling over the rich Guilin residents for a long time, immediately killed their way out of the city and began to sweep the area.
Xiang Rong, who was guarding Guilin, did not care about the lives of the common people. The Guangxi Inspector-General, Zou Minghe, hid inside the city and did not come out. In order to prevent the Taiping army from raiding, he had sealed the city's gates and could only rely on ladders and ropes to enter and exit the city. Naturally, he turned a blind eye to what was happening outside the city. That was why the local magistrate of Guilin wrote a notice that said, "If the government troops trespass into the homes of the common people, the common people may kill them."
"Where is Qing Yao's camp?" Wei Changrong asked.
Hearing Wei Changrong's question, the common people outside Guilin who had been looted by the Qing Army one after another volunteered to lead the way for Wei Changrong.
Wei Changrong promptly said, "Gentlemen! If we attack Qing Yao's camp, I am afraid Qing Yao will be able to see us from afar. If we can't defeat them, it will not be a good thing. Why don't you all go straight to Qing Yao's camp, and we will follow behind. When we reach the gate of Qing Yao's camp, we will suddenly attack from behind. Qing Yao will be caught unprepared, and it will be easier for us to succeed! "
Looking at the people's hesitant expressions, Wei Changrong continued, "We only want Qing Yao's weapons and rations. We will not take a single cent of the loot from their camp. Fellow villagers, after entering Qing Yao's camp, you may retrieve the loot on your own."
What he said was actually half the truth and half a bluff. Wei Changrong really did need the Qing Army's rations, especially the Qing Army's gunpowder. Wei Changrong was also interested in the Qing Army's silver. As for the other items, they would be a burden if they were to carry them while marching.
However, it was impossible for Wei Changrong to trust the people. Therefore, he let the people walk in front. If they encountered any unexpected situation, Wei Changrong could lead his troops and run. If the people were unwilling to do so, Wei Changrong could use the excuse of not being able to get close to the Qing Army's camp to refuse their request.
Unexpectedly, the people only thought for a moment before they angrily expressed their willingness to stand in front of Wei Changrong and help Wei Changrong get close to the Qing Army's camp.
The Qing Army's camp was not set up inside the city. Inside the city were Xiang Rong's city guards. When the Taiping army besieged Guilin, many of the Qing Army's troops surrounded the city from all over. After the Taiping army withdrew and headed north, only a portion of the Qing Army chased after them. A considerable portion of the Gui Yong, Dian Yong, Dong Yong, Zhuang Yong, and other local troops set up their camps outside the city. These foreign troops had nothing to do with the people of Guilin. They were the main force of looting.
The people of Guilin didn't care where these troops came from. They couldn't tell where these troops came from, just as they couldn't tell the difference between the troops of the Taiping Rebellion Kings and the troops of the Taiping Rebellion Vézé. What they knew was that the troops of the imperial court were looting them. The Taiping army, whether it was the troops that besieged Guilin before or the troops that appeared in Guilin now, neither looted nor killed the people.
For the people, knowing this was enough. Knowing this, they understood who they should rely on, who they should avoid, and who they should attack.
Very soon, over a hundred people were in front, and Wei Changrong's troops were behind. The group of people headed straight for the nearest Qing Army's camp. The Qing Army's camp was built around occupied residences. It wasn't a field camp, and it wasn't heavily guarded. These days, the people viewed the imperial army as scourges and fierce beasts. They didn't want to get close to the imperial army. Therefore, this "camp" didn't have any barricades or guards. It was like a big den of thieves.
The Qing Army, who were going in and out of the den of thieves, didn't seem to know that a Taiping army was already in front of them.
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