The world of film and television begins with the God of Medicine.

Chapter 1662 The Great King

Zaiheng, Duanhua, Yi, and others were all highly valued by Emperor Xianfeng. At this moment, most of those in the Hall of Mental Cultivation were Emperor Xianfeng's regents and the true rulers of the Qing Dynasty.

The foreign lords, who had been beaten black and blue and put under immense pressure, were actually no match for Wang Yan. They were beaten so badly that they fled in disarray, covering their heads. This was a huge shock to these bullied masters.

At this point, they remembered that the foreigners had abandoned their second attack, which was why the incident had been started but quickly quelled. At that time, they thought it was because Wang Yan had killed a foreigner, which had provoked him.

In retrospect, it seems that the foreigners may have known for a long time that Wang Yan posed a significant threat, but had no way to deal with it. Therefore, they could only invest resources in the Qing Dynasty to suppress Wang Yan, thereby protecting their interests in China.

It wasn't that the foreigners were kind-hearted and gave up on plundering the Qing Dynasty; rather, they had no other choice...

This time, the Qing Dynasty was truly in dire straits.

After feeding the medicine and asking a few questions, Empress Dowager Cixi left the Hall of Mental Cultivation with the toddler Tongzhi, who was barely able to walk, surrounded by a retinue of attendants.

At this time, Empress Dowager Cixi's status was due to her son, but she didn't have much real power; she was merely Emperor Xianfeng's concubine. Even after Emperor Xianfeng's death and the ascension of Emperor Tongzhi, with Cixi ruling from behind the curtain, her power didn't reach the point of absolute control. There were still regents appointed by Emperor Xianfeng at that time.

Even after the Xinyou Coup, Empress Dowager Cixi didn't have absolute power; there was still Empress Dowager Ci'an and Prince Gong. She gradually seized power, ascending to the highest position...

"Cough cough..."

Emperor Xianfeng coughed twice, covering his mouth, and said weakly, "The Wang traitor is powerful; even the foreigners have been utterly defeated. Now, Di and Jiang are unable to withstand the offensive, and the three provinces of Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangxi are likely lost. In the north, Jiang Wuyang has already reached Anyang and will soon advance his troops into Zhili to attack Shijiazhuang. Moreover, the Taiping rebels are eyeing us covetously. Our Great Qing is already in grave danger. Do any of you ministers have any good strategies?"

"My lord, that traitor Wang has already occupied all of Sichuan and Guanzhong, and now he is also conquering Yunnan, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Gansu, the border regions, and the plateau. He is also learning from the foreigners to develop industry, and the guns and cannons he makes are better than those of the foreigners, causing the foreigners to flee in terror. There are many things that the foreigners can produce that they can also produce. I heard that he has also developed some kind of chemical fertilizer, and the grain yield is increasing year by year. He has also built small houses for the people to live in."

Master, the traitor Wang's power is already secured, I'm afraid we are..."

"We can't rely on foreigners, and we can't defeat the Wang traitor. The people below are also eager to let the Wang traitor invade. My lord, this time, I'm afraid our Great Qing... I'm afraid we really can't hold on. We should make plans as soon as possible."

Even knowing that Emperor Xianfeng was in poor health, these ministers still spoke the truth, causing Emperor Xianfeng's chest to heave rapidly.

After all, we've reached a critical juncture of life and death. There's no time for idle talk. We have to say what needs to be said. There's no chance to pretend that everything is peaceful now; we have to face the harsh reality.

Emperor Xianfeng, having caught his breath, looked at Yi: "You had contact with that traitor Wang, and some of your men were doing business with him. Tell me about it."

"Your Majesty, what the ministers said earlier is correct. The rebel king has already gained the upper hand and has nothing to fear from the foreigners. Even if we have the help of the foreigners, we are still separated by oceans, and their military strength is insufficient. In the end, the foreigners come to our Great Qing to make money, not to give us money. If they lose too much, they will definitely cut their losses and withdraw in time. Therefore, the foreigners cannot be relied upon."

Now that the traitor Wang has gained the upper hand, if he can maintain this momentum steadily, he will conquer the world. Your Majesty, under such circumstances, whoever is in charge will not back down. No matter what conditions we offer, it will be useless. After all, if he destroys us, what benefits won't he gain?"

Yi spoke the truth more bluntly, "Your Majesty, there are still the Taiping rebels. Seeing the Wang traitor's rapid advance, they certainly won't want to fall behind. It won't be long before they launch an attack on our Great Qing, probably within the next year or two. There's no way to save us. Your Majesty, we should consider a way out... Your Majesty? Your Majesty!"

Before Yi could finish speaking, he saw Emperor Xianfeng on the bed coughing violently, his face turning red. He hurriedly went over to comfort him...

In Tianjing, snow fell in different places, but all of them were the same.

In the Heavenly King's Palace, Hong Xiuquan stood in the warm room, looking at the snow scene outside through the glass window.

After several years of peaceful life, the once strong man had become overweight, and his face had become rounder. However, after the Tianjing Incident, his energy and spirit were damaged, and he had not been doing well these days, becoming quite thin.

He certainly received the news as well, even faster. Although Su Zixuan is currently with Wang Yan, she hasn't completely broken away from the Heavenly Kingdom and will still provide it with some intelligence from Wang Yan's side.

Although the Heavenly Kingdom did not directly engage in battle with Wang Yan, it faced the same problem as the Manchus. After all, the Heavenly Kingdom and the Manchus had fought for several years, and their strengths were roughly on the same level.

However, Wang Yan's war against the Manchus was a steady, methodical advance. Seeing that they were unstoppable, advancing step by step, any attempts to use strategy were futile because the Manchus were not greedy for quick success and made no progress. He could only retreat, retreat, and retreat again. Until finally, with nowhere left to retreat, he was utterly defeated. Just thinking about it is enough to make one feel suffocated by the immense pressure.

As for the foreigners, they had already demonstrated their strength to the fullest during the Opium War, defeating the Qing Dynasty with only 20,000 troops and forcing them to kneel and beg for peace, signing the Treaty of Nanjing.

Of course, now that Wang Yan has brought the weapons gap between the two sides to a draw, it is still not enough that the foreigners' 20,000 troops plus the tens of thousands of troops of Di and Jiang were still defeated and routed by Wang Yan.

The result was that they were utterly defeated by Wang Yan, and the troops of Di and Jiang dwindled in number as the battle progressed. Even the foreigners lost their will to fight and fled in disgrace.

"Heavenly King, you are a wise man, and I believe you have also seen that the King's army is invincible and unstoppable. After he destroys the Qing Dynasty, he certainly will not want to see the Heavenly Kingdom hinder his unification efforts."

However, if you join forces with the Qing Dynasty, and with our help, the situation will be different. The King is indeed powerful, but he cannot withstand your combined forces. We have already reached an agreement with the Qing Emperor; he is willing to ally with the Heavenly Kingdom, and if the King is destroyed, he is willing to share half of China with you.

"My Lord, this is the last path, the final choice. If you refuse again this time, you will face utter annihilation and lose everything. Are you truly willing to let all your hard-earned achievements vanish into thin air?"

Right behind the Heavenly King, a foreigner was trying to persuade him in broken Chinese.

He was a British naval officer who loved Chinese culture, collected many antiques, and diligently studied Chinese, becoming proficient in both writing and speaking.

The Heavenly King remained standing with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed intently on the snowflakes drifting like willow catkins outside the window—a truly rare and heavy snowfall.

After a long silence, the Heavenly King turned around and said, "Even if I die, I will never cooperate with you. You should give up on that idea."

"Your Majesty, you should think this through. If you disagree, you will truly face utter ruin. This magnificent empire will be given to Wang Yan for nothing."

"That's still better than letting you off easy, better than letting the Manchus off easy. Why did you come to me? It means you're afraid. You can't beat Wang Yan, and you're afraid you won't be able to continue robbing the Chinese for silver. Share China with me? How could you be so kind? Don't think I don't know that if I really destroy Wang Yan, you'll definitely target me. Because I don't traffic opium, I don't like you foreigners, and I don't obey your orders, you'll still end up supporting the Manchus."

Looking at the somewhat unpleasant-looking foreigner, the Heavenly King sneered, "You probably don't know, but Wang Yan analyzed the situation before, and he had more confidence in me than I did myself. Do you know what he said?"

"what?"

"He said I would never cooperate with the Qing Dynasty, nor would I allow foreigners to bully me. That's why, when he's fighting now, the troops stationed in the areas bordering my Heavenly Kingdom are few, practically undefended!"

It would be better if Wang Yan gained control of the country; he understands your industry and can instill fear in you. Once he establishes himself, given his temperament, your retribution will come. If he can build ironclad warships, he can even invade your homeland.

"Besides, if Wang Yan gains power, I certainly won't die. He'll definitely let me die a peaceful old age. You're different. You've tried to assassinate me quite a few times over the years, probably only fewer than Wang Yan."

The Heavenly King fairly acknowledged Wang Yan's status as the "King of Assassins," and he simply couldn't imagine how Wang Yan had survived all these years. It was as if every single day had been spent facing assassination attempts, with all sorts of methods constantly being devised. His life was just too tough…

"Heavenly King, you will regret this."

"I regret cooperating with you! Get out!"

The Heavenly King waved his hand, ending the exchange.

The foreigner left the Heavenly King's Palace in anger, but his heart was filled with despair.

Because they were truly out of options. Wang Yan's battle lines were advancing day by day, and soon his troops would be at the gates of Beijing. Although they couldn't destroy the Qing Dynasty, they could drive it out of the capital, at which point the Qing Dynasty would essentially be finished. By then, with this overwhelming force sweeping across the land, other regions would automatically surrender, accepting whatever they were given without any resistance.

If the Heavenly Kingdom and the Manchus fought to a draw, then the Manchus' fate could be applied to the Heavenly Kingdom, resulting in almost the same outcome: inability to resist.

Their source of income here is about to be cut off...

Wuchang has undergone a dramatic transformation in just a few months.

Previously, apart from soldiers, there was no one left alive here. But now, this city, with its convenient water and land transportation, is bustling with activity once again.

A group of people, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, re-registered and allocated land. Factories were also built outside the city, their chimneys billowing thick black smoke, and numerous trucks came and went daily.

The docks on both sides of the Yangtze River have been renovated, and boats of all sizes are busy traveling back and forth, transporting goods and people.

The city began to bustle with life again, shops opened, and people went about their work. That's how the city started to function...

Su Zixuan followed Wang Yan slowly along the road, looking at the city's environment.

"I never expected that Wuchang City would change so much in such a short time."

"As long as there are people, there's nothing that can't be done." Wang Yan said, his hands behind his back, as he felt the city beginning to recover.

After walking and chatting for a while, Su Zixuan said, "Why does it feel like the world situation has suddenly changed so drastically? Is it because of the fight against the foreigners?"

"You should understand, back then, even with 20,000 foreign troops, they could wipe out the Qing Dynasty. Now, with the same 20,000 troops, they were utterly routed by Shi Dakai. Many people's impression of foreigners is still stuck in the past; they think foreigners are invincible, so they bow down and show utmost respect to them."

Now that they've discovered even the foreigners can't beat us, they're naturally panicking. Desperate, they're grasping at straws, running around like headless flies, trying to find a way to kill us.

People's thoughts have inertia. The foreigners were not given lightly; they left a deep impression on the people of this land, instilling fear in their very bones.

It's easy to imagine: ironclad warships, unlike anything we've ever seen before, billowing black smoke as they sailed in, their cannons roaring and killing hordes with each shot, their muskets clattering and mowing down lives like grass. Such a vast disparity in strength was bound to inspire terror.

When fear becomes a habit, and the belief that foreigners are invincible takes root, it becomes difficult to shake off. Even in the post-pandemic era of the 21st century, some people still firmly believe that foreign countries are better…

Su Zixuan then said, "The Heavenly King sent a letter saying that the foreigners are trying to win him over and want to join forces with the Manchus to fight us. The Heavenly King refused. He doesn't want to completely align himself with the Manchus and the foreigners. He also said that if he aligns himself with them, he will definitely not have a good ending. If he surrenders to you, he can still live a peaceful life as a prince."

“It’s not a matter of whether he wants to or not. The chaos in Tianjing previously severely damaged the Heavenly Kingdom’s vitality and caused unrest in the army. Just like I told you before, he cannot go against his principles, otherwise he won’t live long.”

Wang Yan shook his head and then said, "It's a good thing that he doesn't join forces. If he really joined forces with the Manchus and foreigners to fight us, we would be in a real predicament. This is their only option at the moment."

Although the Heavenly King has been blinded by a life of comfort, he remains steadfast in his principles. However, the Manchus and foreigners are ruthless and cunning; if he doesn't cooperate, they might incite his subordinates to mutiny. When you reply to him, remind him not to be caught off guard and end up dead, unable to live a life of ease as a prince.”

Of course, the Kingdom of Heaven is not monolithic. Even setting aside the Kingdom of Heaven, there are various forms of betrayal and treachery among the people of Huoshan, which currently holds the upper hand and has a bright future, because they are the ones who benefit.

If Huoshan under Wang Yan's command is like this, then one can only imagine how the declining Heavenly Kingdom is, riddled with internal conflicts, with each person in power harboring their own agenda. At times like these, people are easily stirred up with ambition, willing to take risks for even greater gains.

Moreover, at this time, both the Manchus and the foreigners were willing to invest heavily. One was making a desperate struggle, while the other was unwilling to lose such a huge and lucrative market, and even had to deal with an enemy who might turn against them...

　I want to express my sincere gratitude to all the kind readers who have given me generous support through tips, monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and those who have been reading quietly!

　　(End of this chapter)