The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 481: Stop Fighting, I'm Really Xianfeng! (Please Subscribe, Please Vote)

Let's talk about the rice. It rushed back to Huai'an Prefecture without stopping. At this time, the first heavy snow of the year in Jiangbei fell, like cotton wool scattered all over the sky by a goddess. The climate of this year is much colder than that of the 21st century. Even in Huai'an Prefecture south of the Huaihe River, a heavy snowfall can turn the world into a vast expanse of white, like a fairyland of Qiongyao. The cold wind whistled past, and the snowflakes danced like goose feathers. Looking around, there was a solemn and desolate scene all around. In addition to the Huaihe River, which merges with the water of the Yellow River into the sea and is vast and mighty, several other rivers in Huai'an Prefecture have already formed a thin layer of floating ice, just like a layer of crystal armor on the river. When the boat passed by, only the sound of "crackling" could be heard. That was the sound of the floating ice breaking, as if the ice armor was protesting.

The vanguard of Yang Xiuqing's army had crossed the Huai River and set up camp in Jianqiao Town, Yugou Town, and Lai'an Town north of the Huai River. But strangely, they neither marched northward nor attacked cities and territories north of the Huai River. Instead, they took a comfortable rest for the winter, just like a group of tired heroes who found a safe place to rest.

As for the main force of the Eastern Palace, most of them still stayed in the area south of the Huai River in Huai'an Prefecture. Apart from taking advantage of Baoying's victory to capture Huai'an Prefecture City, Funing County, and Yancheng County in one fell swoop, there was no major movement afterwards, like a group of beasts that were tired of fighting and killing, lying there and not wanting to move.

Why did Yang Xiuqing's army not move? Of course, they were not really going to rest for the winter, but were waiting for the rice to grow and testing Luo Yaoguo's results, just like a chess player waiting for the other player to make a move so as to decide the next move.

"Dong Wang, Dong Wang... the rice is back!"

Bian Sanniang's surprised voice was like a thunder in the night sky, suddenly ringing in Yang Xiuqing's ears. Yang Xiuqing, who was standing in front of a topographic map of Jiangbei and Huaibei provided by the Army Staff Department with his arms folded, was thinking about something. He suddenly turned his head and saw Bian Sanniang pulling a rice plant that had returned against the wind and snow, like two swallows returning to their nests, running in from outside. The two female generals ran to Yang Xiuqing, knelt down together, and kowtowed to Yang Dongwang respectfully several times. The action was as pious as believers meeting a god.

Yang Xiuqing first waved his hand and dismissed the people around him like he was shooing away flies, then walked to a chair and sat down, acting like a big boss. Then he looked carefully at the rice, whose face was red from the cold and looked like a ripe apple, and asked anxiously, "Rice, how is it? Luo Yaoguo doesn't know that the Heavenly King has passed away, right?"

"I don't know." Daozi laughed, "If he knew, how could I return home peacefully as if nothing had happened? I'm not a cat with nine lives."

"Good," Yang Xiuqing grinned, revealing his big yellow teeth, "It seems that the Heavenly King has suppressed Brother Tian... He is worthy of being the Heavenly King, he can control the situation wherever he goes."

"Ok!"

Daozi and Bian Sanniang both nodded, with relieved smiles on their faces, as if they had heard some great news.

Yang Xiuqing asked again: "Is Luo Yaoguo unwilling to come to Jiangbei to pay homage to the Heavenly King?"

"The King of the East is wise," Daozi said, "King Luo Wu said that now is a good opportunity to capture cities and expand the territory of our Heavenly Kingdom. He will personally lead three divisions of troops to the north to land in Haizhou and then attack Xuzhou."

Yang Xiuqing snorted, "He is trying to block my way to Beijing. What a wishful thinking! Who does he think he is? I, Yang Xiuqing, am not a pushover." He glanced at Bian Sanniang, "Sanniang, what about that Xianfeng? Did he admit that he is Xianfeng?"

When Bian Sanniang heard Yang Xiuqing's question, her brows tightened, as if she was in a knot, and she shook her head and said, "You still don't recognize the East King. He may really be just a substitute."

It was not difficult to figure out that Jin Aduo was not Xianfeng, because many of the "yellow jackets" with him were also captured by the Yellow Banner Cavalry of the Nian Army led by Du Jinchan, and all of them were handed over to Bian Sanniang for custody along with Jin Aduo. Bian Sanniang only needed to torture them one by one so that they could not collude with each other, and she would soon figure out that Jin Aduo was not Xianfeng at all.

Yang Xiuqing sneered: "Sanniang, I don't care whether that Xianfeng is real or not, I just want a prisoner who admits that he is Xianfeng! In addition, those 'yellow jackets' must also identify that man as Xianfeng! Can you do it?"

Bian Sanniang understood what Yang Xiuqing meant and nodded her head immediately: "Yes! This little thing is not difficult for me, Bian Sanniang."

Yang Xiuqing waved his hand and said, "Go quickly!"

"Yes!"

Bian Sanniang bowed her head, then hurried to strengthen Jin Aduo.

Yang Xiuqing smiled and waved to Daozi: "Daozi, come here!"

"Yes!"

Daozi nodded in agreement, then knelt down at Yang Xiuqing's feet, still resting his forehead against the floor, appearing extremely respectful, like a docile little lamb.

Yang Xiuqing waved his hand and shouted, "Close the door!"

Immediately, the female official who was guarding outside ran over and closed the door of the room where Yang Xiuqing was. There was a stove in the room, and after the door was closed, it soon became warm as spring.

Yang Xiuqing looked at Daozi with a smile: "Daozi, you did a great job!"

"Thank you, Prince Dong, for your compliment." Yang Xiuqing nodded. "I want you to do more! Are you willing?"

"I am willing!" Daozi's cheeks turned red, as if she had applied a layer of rouge. "Whatever the King of the East wants me to do, I will do it. I will go through fire and water without hesitation."

Yang Xiuqing smiled and said, "Okay, but I don't want you to go through fire and water. Stand up and take off your clothes. I want to take a good look at you."

"Yes," Daozi responded in a tender voice.

Yang Xiuqing, like a bee collecting nectar from a flower bush, enjoyed the graceful and beautiful shape of the rice to his heart's content. But Jin Aduo was not so lucky. He was taken to a torture room by a few fierce Taiping soldiers who looked like they had crawled out of hell, like they were carrying a chick. Before Jin Aduo could react, the group of people directly "turned up the intensity".

In the torture room, a tiger bench was placed in the middle. Without saying a word, several Taiping soldiers tied Jin Aduo to it, and then stuffed bricks under his feet like they were free. Jin Aduo felt a sharp pain in his ankle, which felt like thousands of steel needles piercing him at the same time. He screamed in pain, and his voice almost broke through the roof of the torture room.

On the other side, someone quickly lit a stove, and the branding irons were placed on it, burning red like fire snakes spitting out their tongues. Someone else rushed over, tearing Jin Aduo's clothes like a hungry wolf pouncing on its prey. What's more, someone took out a leather whip soaked in water from a water tank nearby. The whip was wet and seemed to carry endless malice.

Seeing this, Jin Aduo thought to himself that this was not good. This was going to be a disaster! Fortunately, he understood the principle that a good man should not suffer a loss in front of him, so he shouted at the top of his voice: "No, no, no... Gentlemen, I will tell you, I will tell you everything!" But the Taiping soldiers pretended not to hear him, and only focused on torturing Jin Aduo.

After being put on the tiger bench, they immediately started to whip him with a whip. The whip soaked with water felt like being cut by a sharp blade, and it hurt like hell. "Stop hitting me, I said..." Jin Aduo couldn't stand such torture. After just two hits, he felt like his soul was about to be whipped away. He screamed miserably, just like a fat pig waiting to be slaughtered.

At this critical moment, with a creaking sound, the door of the torture chamber was slowly pushed open, and Bian Sanniang walked in with square steps, like a killer descending in the dark night. Her face was covered with frost, and she looked at Jin Aduo who was wailing coldly, snorting coldly, "Don't shout, it's useless... They are all deaf, the deaf soldiers of the East Palace!"

"Ah! Ah..." Jin Aduo screamed twice again, "Stop hitting me, stop hitting me, female general, please, spare me!"

Bian Sanniang snorted again and asked, "Are you Xianfeng?"

"No, it's really not..." Jin Aduo hurriedly explained.

But as soon as he said this, Bian Sanniang turned and left. Seeing this, Jin Aduo realized that he had "answered wrongly" and quickly changed his words: "Don't fight, I am Xianfeng... I really am Xianfeng!"

Bian Sanniang's mouth curved up, revealing a smug smile: "Wouldn't it be enough if you admitted it earlier?" As she said that, she waved her hands at the deaf soldiers and made a gesture. The deaf soldiers immediately stopped torturing her and just stared at Bian Sanniang, as if waiting for her to issue a new "torture order".

Bian Sanniang sneered and asked: "Since you are Emperor Xianfeng, will you surrender to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom?"

"Surrender! Surrender...I surrender..." Jin Aduo agreed hurriedly.

"Me? What does the Emperor call himself?"

"It's 'I'," Jin Aduo replied quickly, "I surrender..."

"What was Xianfeng's name?" Bian Sanniang asked again.

Jin Aduo said: "Aisin-Gioro Yizhu Aisin-Gioro Yizhu has surrendered!"

Bian Sanniang smiled and nodded: "Okay, that's right!"

Hall of Supreme Harmony, Beijing.

"The Emperor has arrived!"

Following the eunuch's hoarse voice, a group of Qing officials in Beijing all shouted "Long live the emperor". Then footsteps were heard, followed by Prince Gong. Oh, it was not Prince Gong now, but the new emperor Tongde, who could not hide his smile, said: "Stand up, stand up!"

Today, the coronation ceremony of Emperor Yixin was held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony! When a new emperor ascends the throne, of course the reign title must be changed. The reign title that Yixin set for himself was not "Tongzhi" but "Tongde", which means "brothers share the same virtue". He took the path of "brother catching the younger brother" to take the throne, and he inherited the legal system of his elder brother Xianfeng, so of course he had to share the same mind and virtue with his elder brother.
(End of this chapter)