The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 210: Go to Shanghai to Cheat, Rob, Rebel

Early morning, Jiangxia County, Qingshankou Wharf.

This port, located on the northeast of Jiangxia County, on the bank of the Yangtze River, has been under the highest level of martial law by the Taiping Army's female battalion since three days ago!

Therefore, the roads leading from Qingshankou Town to the port were all controlled by fully armed female soldiers, and no one was allowed to pass without a pass issued by the Dark Hall.

On the river near the pier, there were Taiping Army division boats carrying female soldiers patrolling everywhere, and no boats without the Dark Hall Pass were allowed to approach.

Even the shops near the pier had closed their doors early, and the owners and their employees took the "New Year's money" given by the Taiping Army and went home to celebrate the New Year.

And now, appearing on the dock amid layers of security is a group of "Qing soldiers" that no one could have imagined!
They all had their heads wrapped in blue cloth, wore brave clothes, and held the standard spears, swords, shields, and muskets of the Qing army. They were all elite soldiers. Looking at their short and sturdy appearance, none of them were "double-gun soldiers."

There were about five hundred "Qing soldiers" in this group, who lined up in five horizontal rows on the dock. Everyone stood straight, with their stomachs tucked in and their chests puffed out, looking very energetic.

A young officer in his twenties, with ordinary looks and a sturdy build, wearing a black official jacket and a warm hat with a gold top and blue feathers, was holding his sword and walking back and forth in front of the column of five hundred Qing soldiers.

"Your Highness, the Angel, General Su, Military Supervisor Wu, and Commander Xu are here!"

Following the announcement, the young officer immediately stood still, then turned right, facing the five rows of soldiers, and then shouted in a Hunan accent: "Everyone. Stand at attention! Turn right. Look forward! At ease!"

After a round of commands, the team, which originally looked very orderly, became even more orderly, already looking a bit like the Beiyang Army!

The Qing army was ready to welcome four high-ranking officials of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, who were dressed in plain red robes and had simple red scarves on their heads. They were Luo Yaoguo, Su Sanniang, Wu Ruxiao and Xu Yuegui.

Luo Yaoguo walked to the front of the team, stood with his hands behind his back and watched for a while, then nodded with satisfaction: "Finally, they look a bit elite, Sanniang, Yuegui, and Wu Jianjun, do you think they look like Zuo Zongtang's Gaozi Battalion?"

After hearing this, Su Sanniang chuckled and said, "Your Highness, are you kidding? This is our Upper Army Training Brigade. It took a lot of effort to train them to this level. This formation is unique in the world!"

Luo Yaoguo laughed and waved to the young officer leading the team: "Wang Dalong, come here!"

"Yes!" The young officer named Wang Dalong immediately took a few steps over, stood at attention, and then gave a standard military salute.

Wang Dalong was one of the twelve disciples. When he was in the lecture class, he had no outstanding qualities except that he was well trained in military training. Later, he was assigned by Luo Yaoguo to lead the troops in the Upper Army Training Brigade, starting as a second Sima and eventually becoming a brigade commander.

Since the Shangjun Training Brigade rarely went to the front line, he did not have much military merit. The reason he was able to get this position was, firstly, because of Luo Yaoguo's trust, and secondly, because the soldiers were indeed well trained.

"Dalong, you did a great job!" Luo Yaoguo first praised his good student, and then asked, "Do your officers and soldiers know what mission they are going to perform this time? Do you have the confidence to complete it?"

"I know!" Wang Dalong's dark face showed a firm expression, "The teaching brigade is determined to complete the mission!"

Luo Yaoguo nodded, then strode to the front of the training brigade and asked loudly: "All officers and soldiers of the training brigade, do you know what your mission is this time?"

"I know!" everyone said in unison.

"What is it?" Luo Yaoguo asked.

"Infiltrate with makeup!"

Everyone answered in unison again.

"Okay!" Luo Yaoguo nodded, "Do you have the confidence to complete the task?"

"Yes! We will complete the task resolutely!" They all said in unison!

Luo Yaoguo turned around and said to Su Sanniang, "Sanniang, our soldiers must be like this in the future!"

"Yes!"

Su Sanniang also imitated the officers and soldiers of the teaching brigade. She stood at attention with her chest held high and her buttocks raised. She looked so heroic!
"Okay, that's it!" Luo Yaoguo smiled and patted his wife's shoulder. "I'll leave the upper army to you. Just follow the command of King Yi before you get outside Jinling City. After you get outside Jinling City, you and King Yi will split up and lead the troops to Songjiang Prefecture. Don't attack any city along the way. You must hurry and march. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Su Sanniang looked at her husband with some reluctance and asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, can't you let someone else go?"

Wu Ruxiao at the side immediately took over the conversation: "Your Highness, Xu Junshuai and I can go, you should go with Lady Angel. Wu Jianzhang, the governor of Shanghai, and I are old acquaintances. We both worked in Thirteen Hongs."

Luo Yaoguo shook his head and said with a smile: "It's okay, my identity is all real. Wang Kui will prepare the official certificate issued by the Qing Dynasty for me in a while. Dalong and Sanxiang also have them. They are all real, and it's okay to take them to Beijing."

"Moreover, Wang Kuiyi himself is the official prefect of Hengzhou, and he also brought a note with the seal of the Hunan governor! I was the deputy magistrate of Hunan, who was ordered by Hunan Governor Luo Bingzhang to go to Shanghai to purchase guns, artillery and gunpowder for Zuo Zongtang's Gaozi Tenth Battalion."

"Once we get to Shanghai, I'll see if I can hire a few foreign generals and engineers, and I'll also have to contact the consuls of various countries if I have the chance."

"Besides, there are many of our people in Shanghai. As long as I go to Shanghai, nothing will happen to me, and I will definitely be able to take over Shanghai! If Xiao can't do these things, I must go there myself."

When Luo Yaoguo was about to say a few more words, Xu Yuegui's voice suddenly rang in his ears again: "Your Highness, a large ship has arrived and will soon dock. It should be Wang Kuiyi and Zhang San."

Luo Yaoguo turned his head and saw that indeed, a 2,000-ton ship with a black flag had passed the cordon formed by several division ships on the outer perimeter and was beginning to approach the dock.

"Dalong, be on guard!" Luo Yaoguo ordered.

"Order!"

Wang Dalong responded immediately, and then immediately ordered his 500 elite soldiers to spread out on the dock, with sword and shield and spearmen in the front and musketeers in the back, and began to load ammunition and light the fuse. Their movements were extremely fast, and it was obvious at a glance that they had worked hard.

Luo Yaoguo nodded with satisfaction, thinking: "As long as we can equip them with foreign rifles and find a few foreign generals to train them, the training brigade will be a success!"

"Your servants Shengbao and Yuanbao, and your humble servant Bai Siwen, pay their respects to His Majesty."

On the same morning, in Beijing, in Prince Gong's Mansion, Shengbao, Yuanbao, and Bai Siwen were kowtowed to Prince Gong Yixin together to pay their respects!
The three of them came to say goodbye today. Although it was close to the end of the year, they all had to go to Shanghai on business trips, and they would definitely spend New Year's Eve on the road. Among them, Shengbao had only returned to Beijing three days ago. He had only spent two days with his wife and children, and today he had to go out to do "foreign affairs" for the emperor.

"Everyone, stand up and take your seats!" Yi Xin looked at his three capable subordinates, nodded with satisfaction, and said with a smile: "There are not many bannermen who work as hard as you three. Shengbao, Yuanbao, you and Yiliang are quite familiar with each other, right?"

"Yes," Shengbao said with a smile, "He is my uncle, and they are both from the Guaerjia clan."

"That's good!" Yi Xin said with a smile, "He is the governor of Jiangsu and an old advocate of foreign affairs. When we were at war with the English, he was also the governor of Guangdong. He and Lin Wenzheng banned foreign cigarettes and fought against foreign soldiers. You must learn from him."

"twitter!"

Shengbao, Yuanbao and Bai Siwen all agreed.

Yi Xin nodded in satisfaction, then handed Shengbao an envelope and instructed: "When you meet the English and French, you must talk to them more about demons. Tu Lama said that foreigners care a lot about this. This is his "Secret Report on the Existence of Demons in China" written in Rakshasa and French. Take it to the English Consul Aliguo, the French Consul Aitong and the American Consul Ma Hui in Shanghai.

In addition, Wu Jianzhang, the governor of Shanghai, wrote in a memorial that he had signed contracts with three major foreign companies in Shanghai, namely, Jardine Matheson, Qichang, and Po Shun, to purchase foreign guns and cannons, and that a large number of foreign guns and cannons would be shipped in soon!

(End of this chapter)