The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 460: His Royal Highness Prince Wu Enters Guangzhou, a City Loyal to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
Early morning of November 1854, 11.

It was very lively here at Guangzhou Tianzi Wharf! A group of people wearing the Qing Dynasty style jackets and long gowns gathered here, and they all had red scarves on their heads, representing the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. At first glance, they looked like a group of "red-headed people".

The reception pavilion and the painted memorial archway were also built to the highest standards. In the past, the inauguration of the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi did not have such a grand ceremony. At least it was when the emperor was on a southern tour to Guangzhou. Outside the wharf, the official road leading to Guangzhou City was lined with common people wearing red headscarves, each holding a pot or a basket in their hands. This scene was the legendary "baskets of food and pots of drink to welcome the king's army."

It must be said that the efficiency of these prominent figures in Guangzhou City is so high! The Battle of Xiangshan was just over seven days ago, and the great news of "the defeat of the Qing army and the British army" was confirmed five days ago. Yesterday, the two unlucky guys Ye Mingchen and Bai Gui were captured as tokens of surrender. Today, the painted archway and the "tools" to welcome the royal army are all ready.

It’s so neat and efficient. No wonder the market economy will be so successful in the future.

Looking at Wu Chongyao, Zhang Jingxiu, Pan Shicheng, Yin Dazhang, Chen Kai, Li Wenmao, and Gan Xian, who were fighting to the death on the battlefield yesterday, they are now like nothing happened and are getting along like brothers. It turned out that several old predecessors of the Guangzhou Tiandihui came out last night. Wu, Zhang, Pan, and Yin set up a table of good wine and food at Pan's Haishan Xianguan, apologized to Chen Kai, Li Wenmao, and Gan Xian, and gave them 500,000 silver dollars as apology. Once the white silver was shown, plus the words of the old men "the Hongmen in the world are one family", all the hatred and resentment disappeared instantly.

At this moment, the leaders of the Guangdong militia and the Red Army were chatting and laughing happily while eagerly waiting for His Royal Highness King Wu to arrive. This scene looked harmonious and happy.

However, there were also people who were not happy. There were three prisoner cars parked at the Tianzi Wharf. Ye Mingchen, Bai Gui and the former Huaxian County Magistrate Chongling were squatting pitifully inside. Ye Mingchen was quite good at pretending. He closed his eyes and sat there cross-legged like an old monk. Bai Gui was not so good. He sobbed and cried miserably, like a tearful man. While crying, he complained to Ye Mingchen in the prison car next to him: "Ye Kunchen, you have hurt me so much! If you hadn't insisted on going against King Hong, would His Royal Highness the King of Wu have brought his army across the ocean to come here? He would not have asked the Roman heavenly soldiers for help..."

Ye Mingchen pretended not to hear him and closed his eyes and ignored him. Hesheli Chongling in the prison car next to him couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted, "Master Bai, we are all loyal ministers of the Qing Dynasty. At this point, the worst that can happen is that we die for our country. What's the point of saying so much?"

When Bai Gui heard this, his eyes widened and he looked at Chong Ling viciously: "Chong Ling, you have hurt me so much! It was you who led people to dig up the ancestral tombs of King Hong Tian and King Feng Nan. You are digging up the ancestral tombs of the emperor and the prince! My life has been ruined by you! Woo woo..."

Chongling snorted, closed his eyes, and stopped talking. He knew very well that he, like Ye Mingchen, had no chance of survival. He was the one who led people to dig up the graves of the grandfathers of Hong Xiuquan and Feng Yunshan. If he was taken back to Tianjing, death by slow slicing would be the lightest punishment. So now, like Ye Mingchen, he started a hunger strike. He had been hungry for two meals, and was still wondering when he would be able to starve to death and be free. Fortunately, Guangzhou was not close to Jiangning Road, so he thought he would not be cut into pieces alive.

"Woo woo..." Chongling was counting on his fingers how many days he had left before he starved to death, when suddenly a shrill whistle sounded. His heart skipped a beat, and he felt something was wrong. He immediately opened his eyes and looked over, only to see a steam ship as big as a "mountain", emitting black smoke, rumbling towards Tianzi Wharf.

As soon as Chongling saw the steamship, he knew it was broken! Oh my god, if he and Ye Mingchen were to take this thing to Jiangning, it would only take a few days. Now it's all over, it looks like they will starve to death before they can get there!
Even starving to death has to hurry
When Chongling thought about being cut into pieces, his tears flowed like a faucet, unable to stop...

"We respectfully welcome the Prime Minister of the Holy Angel King Wu... kneel!"

After this shout, the red-headed men on Chaotianmen Wharf all knelt down in unison. Then Luo Yaoguo, who was walking briskly from the Dingyuan, was full of vigor and vitality, as if he was not stepping on the deck, but on the red carpet leading to the pinnacle of life.

What made him so proud was not that he could soon enter the city of Guangzhou, which had been loyal to him for a long time, but that a few days ago, he led the Taiping Army under the banner of the Crusaders and defeated the British Indian Infantry dressed in Eight Banners uniforms.

And this victory was won beautifully, with a huge score! After the battle, more than a thousand British and Indian officers and soldiers were killed or captured, with a loss rate of up to 70%!

Not all those who were dealt with were Indians. There were also more than 80 white British soldiers among them. Half of them were captured alive and are now being held in prison in Macau - these are all hard bargaining chips!

If the British commander wants to get these officers and soldiers back, he has to agree to Luo Yaoguo's conditions, otherwise forget it!
Besides, the Xiangshan Battle fully proved that the 21st century advanced trench digging and squatting tactics adopted by the Taiping Army were simply a magic weapon to defeat the enemy. The arrogant British imperialist expeditionary force could only bow down to this tactic.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was able to defeat the British Expeditionary Force. It was a powerful country. Since it had become a powerful country, it could naturally throw aside the "unequal treaty" such as the Treaty of Nanjing, and it had to fight for the rights and interests that the powerful countries deserved.

Luo Yaoguo was happily thinking about these good things, and he had already walked up to Wu Chongyao, Zhang Jingxiu, Pan Shicheng, Yin Dazhang, Chen Kai, Li Wenmao, and Gan Xian. He did not let them get up, but put his hands behind his back, like a king inspecting his territory, and looked at the "red ocean" in front of him with squinted eyes.

"Your Highness, Prince Wu, this is a small gift from the Guangzhou business community. You must accept it!"

Wu Chongyao was like a spring, he took out a thick gift list swiftly, raised his hands high, and presented it to Luo Yaoguo as if he was presenting a treasure. The Guangzhou business community gave Chen Kai, Li Wenmao, Gan Xian and others 500,000 yuan in compensation, and the amount given to Luo Yaoguo must be several times more!

Although Guangzhou's current import and export volume and monthly tax revenue cannot compare with that of the "nouveau riche" city of Shanghai, in the eyes of other cities across the country, Guangzhou is the unattainable tycoon, and other cities cannot even catch up with Guangzhou.

Take Guangzhou's business community, for example. The Thirteen Hongs are the most wealthy. Compared with Guangzhou's business community, the upstarts in Shanghai are nothing. Hui merchants, Hu merchants, Dongting Mountain people, and Yangzhou salt merchants all have to bow down to Guangzhou's merchants. Take the Guangzhou merchant leader Wu Chongyao, for example. His wealth is conservatively estimated to be no less than 20 million taels! His industries are not only spread across Guangdong, but he also has investments in the United States and Southeast Asia. He is a transnational tycoon.

However, without the protection of a powerful leader like Luo Yaoguo, no matter how rich Wu Chongyao was, he would be just a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered. He could be fleeced and chopped into pieces at any time. "Maria, take it!"

Luo Yaoguo didn't even raise his eyelids, and directly asked Maria who was following him to collect the gift list. The kneeling Guangzhou black and white leaders stared at Maria with their eyes wide open, muttering in their hearts: This foreign woman is too beautiful!

"Everyone, get up." Luo Yaoguo waved his hand, like an emperor granting amnesty to the world.

Wu Chongyao, Zhang Jingxiu, Pan Shicheng, Yin Dazhang, Chen Kai, Li Wenmao, and Gan Xian agreed in unison as if they had discussed it beforehand, and then stood up one after another.

"Where are Ye Mingchen and Chongling?" Luo Yaoguo asked again.

Chen Kai quickly bowed and replied: "King Wu, these two guys and the Tartar Guangdong Governor Bai Gui have been captured, and they are in those three prison cars." As he spoke, he pointed to the three prison cars not far behind him like a tour guide pointing out a scenic spot.

Luo Yaoguo nodded and asked, "I heard that Ye Mingchen is on a hunger strike. Is that true?"

When everyone heard this, they were all wondering: He knows all this? His Royal Highness the King of Wu is simply a living god who can predict the future!

Chen Kai said quickly: "Your Highness the King of Wu is indeed very smart. These two thieves and Chongling are on a hunger strike, trying to escape the punishment of lingchi!"

"They can't escape!" Luo Yaoguo sneered, "The Geely will arrive soon, and they both have to take the ship north. They won't have time to starve to death! As for Bai Gui..."

When Luo Yaoguo and Chen Kai were talking, Ye Mingchen, Chongling, and Bai Gui were all listening attentively. Ye Mingchen and Chongling knew they were doomed, so they could only pray silently in their hearts that they would starve to death quickly so that they would suffer less.

Bai Gui was different. He still wanted to live in disgrace. When he heard Luo Yaoguo mention him, he immediately shouted in the prison car: "King Wu, spare my life. I, Bai Gui, am willing to surrender!"

"If he is willing to surrender, then let's keep him in Guangzhou for now." Luo Yaoguo said with a smile, "Although this spineless guy has no backbone, he may be of some use if he is kept."

When Bai Gui heard this, he kowtowed hard in the prison car like a praying mantis: "Thank you, master, for not killing me!"

Luo Yaoguo laughed loudly, then turned his gaze to Wu Chongyao, Zhang Jingxiu, Pan Shicheng, Yin Dazhang, Chen Kai, Li Wenmao, Gan Xian and others, pointed at Maria beside him, and asked: "She is a foreigner, can she enter Guangzhou?"

"Yes, of course!"

"Guangzhou is now the territory of His Majesty the King of Wu. Whoever His Majesty the King of Wu wants to enter can enter!"

How could these Guangzhou leaders dare to say "no" to Luo Yaoguo? The current Guangzhou City is determined to follow His Royal Highness the King of Wu.

"Good!" Luo Yaoguo nodded with satisfaction and announced loudly: "I now declare that Guangzhou will be open to the outside world from now on. Merchants and visitors from all countries can enter the city to trade and visit... Later, I will also open up the Guangzhou Special Economic Zone. The system will be the same as Shanghai, open to the outside world, and welcome investment and trade from all countries!"

"His Royal Highness King Wu is wise!"

The prominent figures of Guangzhou city below shouted in unison as if they had rehearsed their speech, without anyone singing a different tune.

"Very good!" Luo Yaoguo said with a smile, "Lead the way! I want to go to Guangzhou and have a good look around!"

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)