The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 462 Are you willing to be the running dogs of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom? (Please subscribe and vote)

With a "creaky" sound, the door of a cell in King Wu's headquarters was gently pushed open.

The two people in the cell, who were like two huddled shrimps, were startled by the noise. The morning sun, like a naughty ghost, "whoosh" into the dark cell. The two people squinted their eyes, put one hand in front of their eyes like a parasol, and stretched their necks to look at the door, muttering in their hearts: "I hope it's not the executioner who comes to behead us, we still want to live a few more days!"

Why did they think so? It turned out that one of them was the former Guangdong governor Bai Gui, and the other was Mukden, the deputy governor of the Eight Banners stationed in Guangzhou. Bai Gui was captured together with Ye Mingchen, like two brothers in distress. As for Mukden, after Jierhanga left the city, he stayed in the inner city of Guangzhou to look after the house. As a result, he was tied up by a group of Eight Banners soldiers who joined the Tiandihui in his own government office and given as a gift to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. This was really unlucky.

Luo Yaoguo knows the backbone of these two people. Hey, these are two of the Guangdong "threesome" during the Second Opium War in history! Another unlucky guy is Ye Mingchen, who is now sitting on the Jili with Chongling, heading to Tianjing... It is estimated that before he starves to death, he will be ordered to be cut into pieces by Hong Xiuquan! Anyway, this "Six No Governor" Ye Mingchen is quite capable. In history, he forced Bao Ling Bao to step down. He is also a talent. But Bai Gui and Mukdena are as soft as noodles. In history, the two of them worked as lackeys of British and French imperialism together, helping them govern Guangzhou City.

Since they are so talented in being lackeys, they can't waste it. So Luo Yaoguo thought about it and came up with a clever plan to drive the dog to eat the wolf. He planned to use these two "dogs" and a group of Eight Banners, Green Camp, and militia to deal with the "ungrateful wolf" in the south!
But they didn't know what Luo Yaoguo was thinking. So last night, they were like ants on a hot pot, and they didn't sleep all night, just scared to death. They were scared all night, thinking that they might die here today!
Just as he was thinking, he saw Wu Wang Luo Yaoguo walking in with big strides. My goodness, he was wearing a yellow robe with a dragon pattern today, which was so impressive, with a round-top hood on his head, a pistol and a sword hanging from his belt, and he was as majestic as a god descending from heaven. Behind him followed several personal soldiers, each holding a pistol, following closely. Yin Dazhang and Zhang Jingxiu also followed behind. When the door opened, Luo Yaoguo glanced and saw two Qing officials who had been stripped of their official uniforms and braids, with their hair like a chicken coop, crawling towards him. But he didn't dare to get too close, so he kowtowed like pounding garlic two steps away.

Luo Yaoguo looked at their useless appearance and asked with a smile: "Bai Gui, Mukdena, are you two willing to worship the Lord of Heaven?"

What? You can still worship God? This means you can save your life!

"Yes! Yes! Your servant Bai Gui is willing to worship God and join the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. I will follow you from now on!"

"I, Mukdena, am also willing to follow the Kingdom of Heaven and His Majesty the King of Wu. If you point east, I will never go west!"

Luo Yaoguo laughed loudly after hearing this, and turned to look at Yin Dazhang and Zhang Jingxiu: "Huoran, Liangfu, tell me, can Heavenly Father and God believe their lies?"

Yin Dazhang, who sold out his adoptive father to join God, smiled evilly and said like an old fox: "Your Highness, I think that the Heavenly Father and God cannot just listen to what they say, but also look at their actual actions."

Zhang Jingxiu continued with a fake smile: "Your Highness, why don't you just give them a chance to redeem themselves and perform well?"

"Are you two willing to make amends for your crimes?" Luo Yaoguo immediately asked, following their words.

"Yes! I am willing!"

"I am willing to go through fire and water for God and His Majesty, and I will never frown!"

"Okay!" Luo Yaoguo nodded, "Then I will give you a chance and let you go to Zhaoqing."

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I will present Zhaoqing to you as a gift to you!"

"I swear to God that I will present Zhaoqing to you, Your Majesty..."

"I don't want you to offer Zhaoqing to me," Luo Yaoguo waved his hands immediately, as if shooing away a fly. "There is no city in Guangdong and Guangxi that I and King Shiyi can't take. How can you not take Zhaoqing, a small place, seriously?"

Don't want to give the city? Then what do you want? Bai Gui and Mukden were stunned for a moment, staring at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment, as if their acupoints were pressed.

Luo Yaoguo, with his hands behind his back, said slowly: "I feel that there are too many people in Guangdong and Guangxi who are lacking food and clothing, like ants! The land that can support them is pitifully small... What should we do?" As he spoke, his eyes swept across the faces of Yin Dazhang and Zhang Jingxiu like a revolving lantern.

Yin Dazhang clenched his fist and said loudly: "That's easy. We need to add more land and find a big place for the people to have enough food to eat!"

Zhang Jingxiu quickly added: "Your Highness, Annan is a vast land with few people, and it was once a vassal state of China. It is obviously a piece of fat meat. It is just right... to carry out the will of Emperor Yongle and take it!"

Luo Yaoguo nodded with satisfaction, and then looked at Bai Gui and Mukdena: "Are you two willing to be my vanguard, leading the bannermen in Guangzhou City, entering Guangxi through Zhaoqing. Then find a way to bring Lao Chongguang along, and then bring along the Green Camp, militia, and gentry in Guangxi, and rush into Annan together?"

"Your Highness, the King of Wu, are you trying to use the strategy of driving the tiger to devour the wolf?" Bai Gui was familiar with the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and he immediately understood Luo Yaoguo's thoughts. "I am willing. I will definitely lead the way for the King and flatten Annan for the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!"

Mukdena was also unequivocal. He patted his chest and promised, "I will never let you down! Your Majesty, just wait and see how I perform!"

"Okay," Luo Yaoguo turned his gaze to Yin Dazhang and Zhang Jingxiu, "Huoran, Liangfu, you two should also take the elite troops of Xinhui and Dongguan, and go to Guangxi with Baigui and Mukden. All the captured brown bass will be given to you... If we can establish Annan and Guangnan provinces in the future, you two will definitely be promoted to high-ranking positions such as general governor, general manager, and director general!"

"My subordinates have the order!"

"I will definitely live up to your trust, my Lord!"

When Yin Dazhang and Zhang Jingxiu heard this, they were overjoyed and immediately accepted the order.

Now, most of the Tiandihui Red Soldiers in Guangdong have a "registration", although it is only a small regiment of five silver dollars a year, or one silver dollar a month plus five dou of rice, but it is at least a formal regiment. But the militias in various parts of Guangdong have not been "registered" yet! The militias in Xinhui and Dongguan have a large number of people, and their equipment and training are also quite good. If they are allowed to disband, they may turn around and fill the original "shortage" of the Red Soldiers and go to cause trouble in the local area. And their "official capital" will be wasted.

If the two of them could lead thousands or tens of thousands of armed militiamen, together with the Guangzhou bannermen led by Bai Gui and Mukdena, and rush into Guangxi together, and then bring a large number of people into Annan, they could really turn that land upside down and perhaps accomplish something great!
Governor's House, Hong Kong.

Bao Ling Bao was sitting in the living room at this time, gnashing his teeth at Wu Chongyao who had just arrived by boat! Li Taiguo was sitting next to Bao, with gauze wrapped around his head and one arm wrapped with gauze and hung around his neck. Fortunately, his life was saved!
Bao Lingqiang suppressed his anger and listened patiently to Wu Chongyao's words. His eyes suddenly became like a mad bull, full of anger, and it felt like it would burst out and burn everything in the next second. He waved his fists like a convulsion and shouted angrily: "What did you say? The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is a great power? They are worthy of being called a great power? They didn't even take over half of China's territory! What? Luo Yaoguo also made a big fuss, saying that we British people will lose everything in Hong Kong forever? What on earth does he want to do? Is he trying to snatch Hong Kong Island from the British Empire? Don't forget, according to the Treaty of Nanjing, Hong Kong was ceded to us British Empire forever, forever!"

Wu Chongyao was so frightened when he saw Bao Ling's "volcanic eruption" that he quickly turned on the soothing mode and said with a smile on his face: "Master Bao, please don't be anxious and angry. Diplomacy, to put it bluntly, is just like bargaining in business. You have to bargain. I am just a messenger. If you think there is still room for discussion between the British Empire and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, then please go to Guangzhou. King Wu said that if there is money, everyone can make money together. As long as Britain and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom sit down and have a good talk, they will definitely be able to come up with a treaty that is beneficial to both sides and allows both sides to make a lot of money!"

What? There is such a good thing? Is there really such a magical treaty?
As a senior British diplomat who had worked in the diplomatic circle for many years and whose background was as hard as a rock, Bowring was 100% skeptical. How could this be possible? The British Empire must make all the money!

However, he believed Luo Yaoguo's words that the British would never make money in Hong Kong. Why? It turned out that the British Empire had basically not made any money from Hong Kong during the more than ten years of its rule over Hong Kong, and it had always been in the red.

The former Governor Bonham racked his brains and finally managed to cut a lot of expenses. As a result, once Shanghai was fully opened, Hong Kong's income plummeted like a roller coaster. If Guangzhou is fully opened next, it will be even more serious. Who would have nothing to do to go to a deserted island to do business? It's so convenient to go directly to Guangzhou, which is lively and profitable. It's unnecessary to ship Guangzhou's goods to Hong Kong for transshipment.

Bao Ling felt depressed when he thought of this. He had no choice but to grit his teeth, nodded, and squeezed out a sentence: "Okay... I'm really looking forward to meeting the King Wu of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and seeing what he is up to. My predecessor, Sir Bonham, had a very high opinion of him!"

(End of this chapter)