广西“匪患”与金田起事——基于清方军事部署的考察

Evil of Banditry in Guangxi and Jintian Rise:A Case Study Based on Military Deployment of the Qing Government

广西"匪患"对于金田起事的影响并非学术界从前认为的那样有利。相反,拜上帝会的强势让清方很快便将原本用于清剿各地"匪患"的外省精兵全数调往金田。清方剿捕重点的转移使拜上帝会于起事后不久便面临着重兵围困,形势相当险峻。负责"剿匪"事务的李星沅亦因此压力陡增,因其必须尽快一举剿灭金田"会匪",否则将因各地"匪患"未靖而陷入顾此失彼的困境;而李的急于"进剿"对拜上帝会恐更为不利。虽然官军对金田"贼巢"的"进剿"过程颇为不顺,稍后各地"匪患"的再度加剧也令李星沅颇感焦虑,但胜负的天平实已倾向官军。

Evil of banditry in Guangxi was not so conducive to Jintian Rise as it was thought to be. On the contrary, the burgeoning Society of God Worshipers attracted the crack Qing troops to Jintian, which had been quartered in other provinces to exterminate banditry spreading over the country. As the new extermination object of the Qing troops, the Society of God Worshipers was soon heavily besieged and in a vulnerable position. Li Xingyuan. who was in charge of the extermination task, was hard pressed, for he would have to exterminate the ＂worshiper bandits＂ as soon as possible, or an intractable predicament due to the unquelled banditry was no exception. Li＇s itch for extermination was even more unfavorable to the So- ciety of God Worshipers. Though it was not smooth for the Qing troops to suppress the Jintian ＂banditry＂, and the aggravating banditry afterwards was annoying Li seriously, the balance of war was in the favor of the Qing troops.