The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1639 Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
In the Far East in 1853, the Taiping Army first captured Nanjing and established its capital in Tianjing. Then, it promulgated the "Land System of the Heavenly Kingdom" and began its westward and northward expeditions, showing a strong momentum to establish its rule over the Central Plains.

The Forbidden City, the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The courtiers knelt and prostrated themselves, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

Emperor Xianfeng remained seated, though he looked slightly tired.

A eunuch flicked his whisk and shouted.

"If you have the foundation to start a memorial, if you don't have the foundation to retreat from the court."

The Minister of War stepped forward first and spoke.

"I have something to report. The rebels are fleeing northwest, and Prince Sengge has already deployed his elite troops to wait for them. I believe they will be wiped out in no time!"

Next to step forward was the Minister of Justice.

"I also have something to report. In recent days, reports of banditry in various parts of Jiangnan have decreased significantly. This shows that the governors and officials are working hard and effectively suppressing the bandits, and the people are eager for stability."

Grand Secretary Qi Junzao also spoke.

"In my opinion, this is a desperate attempt by traitors to disrupt the capital. However, the military might of our Celestial Empire is overwhelming, how can mere bandits shake the nation?"

Although the national treasury is currently somewhat strained, I have urged all regions to expedite the collection of taxes and have already discussed with foreign firms to raise funds for loans, which will ensure that military pay is not a problem.

However, at this moment, a minor official stepped forward and spoke.

"The three gentlemen's words are somewhat ambiguous. The rebels are not merely on the run, but are actually being suppressed. Moreover, the rebels' movements are already close to the capital."

With the national treasury empty and foreigners greedy, how should we conduct ourselves?

"You are a mere civil official, sitting comfortably in the capital, unfamiliar with military affairs. How dare you spout such nonsense here?"

The officials were clearly furious, but Emperor Xianfeng still had some inside information, since what the ministers said every day was completely different from the news sent by the Imperial Guard.

"My dear minister, let him continue."

The minor official immediately spoke.

"Your subject is Hu Youquan, a principal officer in the Ministry of War. Today, after reviewing reports from various regions and conducting secret investigations, I have learned that the bandits are no longer ordinary thieves. They have established a puppet dynasty in Nanjing, changed the reign title, and launched the imperial examination system. Their intention is to seize the throne of our Great Qing!"

Their Northern Expeditionary Army was not 'wandering,' but rather advancing towards the capital region in a planned and targeted manner, capturing cities and territories along the way. Our army was routed at the mere sight of them, and the people suffered terribly! The capital was not as solid as a rock; its defenses were weak. If we do not prepare early, the consequences will be unimaginable!
As for the national treasury, it is by no means 'slightly tight', but is already on the verge of being depleted!

The Ministry of Revenue's so-called "donations" and "loans" are nothing but self-destructive measures! Donations lead to further corruption among officials, who lack any sense of morality; loans embolden foreigners with insatiable greed, pushing them further and further undermining the dignity of our Great Qing, which may leave us vulnerable to being controlled by others in the future!

Emperor Xianfeng felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this; no wonder he had been having nightmares lately.

The Minister of War immediately glared angrily at his subordinate and shouted sternly.

"Our Great Qing has a million mighty soldiers and hundreds of millions of common people. Our soldiers are fighting bravely and we are of one mind. Yet you are here boosting the morale of others and diminishing our own prestige. And you even use the words 'conquest' and 'attack'?"
"How dare you, a mere rebel, speak of conquest? What are your intentions? Are you perhaps secretly colluding with those sorcerers of the Taiping Cult, working together from within?"

The Minister of Revenue also jumped out, his fat body trembling, his face flushed red with anger.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Hu Youquan is spreading alarmist rumors and misleading the public. He deserves to be executed, and his intentions should be punished!"

A minor official in the Ministry of War dared to speak recklessly about state affairs. He questioned our ability to manage finances, which I could tolerate, but he dared to say that the national treasury was empty. Little did he know that the people of our Great Qing live in peace and prosperity because our ancestors had a plan to store wealth among the people!

"I will not share the world with this barbarian!"

Grand Secretary Qi Junzao added insult to injury. "I've heard that Lord Hu is extremely wealthy and frequently associates with Huizhou merchants. I wonder..."

Immediately, officials from the Ministry of Justice stepped forward.

"I have long heard that there are many disputes between Huizhou merchants' banks and foreign firms over profits. Is it possible that they are taking money from others and then doing their bidding to solve their problems?"

"Lord Hu is merely a minor official in the Ministry of War; how could he possess such vast wealth? I humbly request Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly, for this scoundrel may harbor some unspeakable secret!"

Emperor Xianfeng was also furious. He had thought this man was a pillar of the state, but he never expected him to be so despicable.

"Hu Youquan, do you have anything to say?"

"I am innocent! Your words are clearly a frame-up."

Hu Youquan kowtowed repeatedly. He was just a minor official in the Ministry of War. He did have to use some means to find out the truth about some things. Moreover, officials in this era would have some dealings with each other.

Mu Zhang'a served as a Grand Councilor for twenty years during the Daoguang Emperor's reign. During the Opium War, he obstructed Lin Zexu's efforts to ban opium, framed and persecuted pro-war officials, and signed the Treaty of Nanjing.

At the beginning of his reign, Emperor Xianfeng angrily denounced him for "protecting his position and being greedy for glory, hindering the virtuous and harming the country," and ordered him to be dismissed from his post and never to be employed again.

However, the fact that this person appeared in the Golden Palace at this moment makes it difficult to explain certain things. He seized the opportunity and immediately stepped forward and said.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Hu Youquan's words may have come from a place of loyalty, but his wording is extreme, contains many untrue statements, and is even suspected of slandering important officials of the court."

When he spoke of our Great Qing, he seemed to feel powerless to reverse the situation. This was treasonous and an attempt to shake the Emperor's mind. It was a heinous crime!

Your Majesty, I humbly request that you allow us to investigate this matter thoroughly, so that your intentions may be revealed.

Emperor Xianfeng looked at Hu Youquan.

"What else do you have to say?"

"The rebels have already established their capital in Nanjing! Their army is at its peak and is heading straight for the capital. The Jiangnan Grand Camp has long been a mere shell of its former self, and the Green Standard Army is demoralized and cowardly."

What's even more hateful is the financial corruption. When the Ministry of Revenue mentioned the empty treasury, they shifted the blame to years of military campaigns, while actually enriching themselves!

Disaster reports were concealed in various places, and relief funds were embezzled at every level. People were displaced, starving and freezing, which led them to take desperate measures and be forced to join the rebels! The danger of our Great Qing Dynasty lies not only in the calamities of war, but also in the corruption of officials and the alienation of the people.

If this continues, our Great Qing Dynasty will perish!

"How dare you! Drag him out of here!"

In fact, the civil war in the Far East caused considerable losses to both Britain and France. On the one hand, opium became more difficult to sell, and on the other hand, the supply of tea and silk was decreasing.

The most frightening thing is that not only are there people competing with them for the market, but they are also trying to replace their position.

In some ways, Britain and France were even more anxious than the Qing Dynasty. However, they were not concerned with who won or lost; what they cared about was whether they could have a regime that guaranteed the treaty and their interests.

At this time, trade between the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and European countries also moved from secret transactions to the open. However, Hong Xiuquan, who had a stable base, did not want to continue the treaties signed by the Qing Dynasty, nor did he want to sell his assets at a low price.

In reality, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom wanted to open ports mainly to subsidize military expenses and purchase military supplies such as grain, firearms, and medicine. The items used for exchange were naturally silk and tea.

This sounds very much like the free trade that the British have always advocated, but for Britain and France, doing so would mean giving up the privileges they have worked so hard to gain over the years.

Everything had to start all over again, with tariffs alone costing British merchants tens of millions of taels of silver annually. Not to mention the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's opposition to the opium trade, which was widely known to be a crucial means for Britain and France to offset their trade deficits.

If the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had defeated the Qing Dynasty, a massive outflow of precious metals might have occurred again.