The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 618 Zeng Guofan, we have decided that you will be the emperor! (Please subscribe and vote)
Weibei, Niujiabao.

Chen Decai stepped on the ladder leading to the city tower with his thousand-layer-soled cloth shoes, and then climbed up step by step.

Outside the Niujiabao city below, Bai Yanhu's personal soldiers were distributing muskets to the strong men mobilized from the Shisanfang Temple - after all, the number of flintlock rifles smuggled in by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was limited, so most of the troops mobilized from the Shisanfang Temple were still using the homemade guns and cannons they made themselves!

Looking at the densely packed tents and troops outside Niujiabao, Chen Decai remembered what King Luo Wu had told him when he left Tianjing - Gansu and Shaanxi were densely populated and poor, and had long been unable to bear the burden. It was truly a powder keg that was bound to explode. The question now was how to blow it up and who would be killed?

Ma Xinyi held the gold-handled Shundao awarded by Li Hongzhang in his hand, and walked back and forth in Ma Chaoqing's camp outside Niujiabao, his eyes full of greed - General Li said that after the chaos in Xi'an was over, he would clean up the mess left by Ma Chaoqing and Bai Yanhu! Ma Chaoqing's people and Bai Yanhu's people would all be his, Ma Xinyi's, subordinates in the future!

In addition, Ma Xinyi and Mathilde also recognized each other as brother and sister - you can't write two "Ma" characters with one stroke!
When General Li ascends the throne in Hezhong Prefecture in the west in the future, Mathilde will be Queen Ma, and he, Ma Xinyi, will be the King's uncle, a true in-law!

"dong dong dong"

A burst of rapid drum sounds was heard. Ma Xinyi turned his head and saw that a red flag had been erected on the wall of Niujiabao with four large characters embroidered on it in black thread - Taiping Righteous Army!
Under the righteous flag, Chen Decai, wearing a bright red bishop's robe, stood solemnly holding the "Sword of the Heavenly King".

The sound of the drum was the signal to gather the troops. Hearing the sound of the drum, tens of thousands of able-bodied men outside Niujiabao gathered under the gate of Niujiabao. They were all wearing white felt hats!

Chen Decai raised the Heavenly King Sword and shouted loudly: "King Luo Wu has ordered us to march south today, not to kill people and plunder money, but to save the people of Gansu and Shaanxi from danger."

There were sporadic responses from below the tower. Ma Chaoqing also climbed up the tower and shouted in a chanting tone: "The three armies of Hunan, Huaihai and Shandong have already killed each other in Xi'an. This is truly a good opportunity given to us by the Heavenly Father, the Emperor God!"

Bai Yanhu shouted in the crowd: "The Hunan Army Huang Paopi Weinan Thirteen Wards, today is the day they should pay for their blood debt with blood!"

Now there was finally some anger outside Niujiabao.

Chen Decai looked at the crowd below the stage and remembered Luo Yaoguo's instructions in the secret letter: "Make sure that the three armies of Hunan, Huaibei and Shandong are defeated together with them, so that the people of Gansu and Shaanxi can be protected from disaster." He took a deep breath and pointed his sword to the south: "March to Xi'an!"

Suddenly, a thunderous roar broke out from the audience. Bai Yanhu drew his scimitar: "Go to Xi'an and capture Zeng Guofan alive!" Ma Chaoqing held up the True Covenant: "Heavenly Father, the Greatest!"

Zeng Guofan woke up in the signing room, his clothes soaked with cold sweat. He dreamed that he was standing in Chenqiao Posthouse, wearing a yellow robe, and all the ministers were kneeling. When he opened his eyes, he found that Li Hongzhang, Du Han, Kong Fanhao and others were really kneeling in the room, and he was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe!

"Teacher!" Li Hongzhang looked up, his eyes flashing with a strange light, "The world is in chaos now, and only you can turn the tide!"

Du Han knelt forward and said, "Mr. Zeng! The three armies of Hunan, Huai and Lu have 300,000 soldiers, and the powerful people in Guanlong are all willing to die for you. This is a golden opportunity sent by God!"

Kong Fanhao held up the "Petition to Encourage the Emperor" and said: "When the Taiping rebels started their war in Jintian, they only had tens of thousands of people, but our Mingjiao has already had 300,000 people!"

Although his subordinates had tried to test him more than once whether he wanted to be the emperor, Zeng Guofan firmly refused every time. But he didn't expect that these people would not listen to him at all and were now forcing themselves to do it!
This is like roasting him on the fire!
Thinking of this, he suddenly pulled off his dragon robe and said, "Ridiculous! How could I, Zeng Guofan, do such a disloyal and unjust thing!"

"General Di!" Luo Zenan suddenly pushed the door open and walked in. "An urgent report from Neixiang says Luo Yaoguo has arrived in Xiangyang. If we don't come up with a plan soon, we will all die without a burial place!"

Li Hongzhang's eyes flashed with joy, and he said quickly: "Teacher, you are wise! Now that the Qing Dynasty has lost its power, the righteous men of the orthodox religion are all thinking about eliminating the violent Qing Dynasty and restoring the orthodox religion to fight for the orthodox religion. If we still hold up the banner of the Qing Dynasty, who in the orthodox religion will be willing to fight? You said before that only by restoring the Qing Dynasty can the orthodox religion unite to resist the Taiping. But since the restoration of the Qing Dynasty, the orthodox religion has become more alienated. It is obvious that the Qing Dynasty is finished!"

Kong Fanhao held up the "Petition to Enthronement" high up and said, "General Di, for the sake of the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, you should become the emperor!"

The people below shouted together: "Di Shuai, you will be the emperor!"

"Shut up!" Zeng Guofan slammed the table and stood up. "I, Zeng Guofan, have prided myself on being loyal and righteous all my life. How could I do such a disloyal and unrighteous thing!"

Zeng Guoquan shouted: "Brother, do you know what happened in the Hunan Army camp last night?"

Zeng Guofan was stunned: "What's the matter?"

"My Jizi Camp has mutinied!" Zeng Guoquan took out a blood-written letter from his sleeve, "They demand that you declare yourself emperor, otherwise they will surrender to the Taiping Army and surrender to Zuo Jigao!"

Zeng Guofan took the blood letter and his hands trembled slightly.

Kong Fanhao took the opportunity to say, "Mr. Zeng, the survival of the orthodox religion depends on this one move! If you don't become the emperor, the orthodox religion will be completely destroyed!"

Suddenly there was a commotion outside the window. Zeng Guofan opened the window and saw flames rising from the direction of the Hunan Army camp. There were also waves of angry voices coming over: "Please let Marshal Zeng be the emperor! Please let Marshal Zeng ascend the throne."

Luo Zenan whispered: "Di Shuai, if we don't make a decision now, it will be too late."

Zeng Guofan looked at the New History of the Five Dynasties written by Ouyang Xiu on his desk and sighed, "That's it."

Moore pushed open the carved wooden window of the watchtower, and the cold wind wrapped in snowflakes blew in his face. Wen Xian held up the monocular telescope, his hands trembling slightly: "At least 3,000 civilians gathered at the north gate"

"What are they waiting for?" Friedrich quickly sketched in his notebook, "Look at those porters carrying baskets. The baskets are definitely not filled with food."

Moore narrowed his eyes: "It must be gunpowder." Wen Xian suddenly took a breath: "Oh my God, is the rebellion about to begin?"

There was a loud noise in the distance, and thick smoke rose from the direction of the North Gate. Friedrich quickly recorded: "On the morning of January 1858, 1, a riot broke out at the North Gate of Xi'an. It is worth noting that most of the civilians who participated in the riot carried homemade firearms."

"This is not just a riot," Moore said, putting down the binoculars. "This is a coup, a revolution."

Wen Xian wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "Coup? Who... Who wants a coup?"

"The Hunan Army, the Huai Army, the Shandong Army, and the orthodox religion!" Moore said, "This is their last chance! The Qing Dynasty has long been in name only. They had previously restored the Qing Dynasty out of inertia when the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom attacked Sichuan, thinking that they could rally the people, but the result was obviously unfavorable. Since maintaining the Qing Dynasty is not favorable, let's change it. The same thing happened in France in 1830 and 1848. The Bourbon Dynasty could not rally the people, so the July Dynasty came to power. Louis-Philippe could not deceive the people, so he replaced it with Napoleon! It's just that the July Dynasty lasted for 18 years, while the signboard of the little emperor Zaichun was no longer effective after a few months."

"Who is going to take the stage?" Wenxian asked again, "Is it Li Hongzhang?"

"No," Moore said, "Zeng Guofan should go first, and if he fails, Li Hongzhang will take over."

Friedrich suddenly pointed to a fire in the city and said, "Look, the Hunan Army camp is also in chaos!"

"Moore," Wenxian asked another question, "Do you think the Ming Church will simply surrender to the Taiping Army?"

Moore shook his head: "That's impossible!"

"Because of faith?" Wenxian asked.

"It's not because of faith," Moore said, "it's because of the economy. If China's economy wants to develop now, it can only devour the rural petty bourgeoisie represented by the orthodox religion. And the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's finances can't support the Hunan Army, the Huai Army, and the Shandong Army, so."

Wen Xian suddenly grabbed Moore's arm and said, "Moore, why do you sound so much like those red ghosts wandering around Europe?"

Moore glanced at Bonham and said, "I'm just saying the right thing! Just watch."

There was the sound of cannon fire in the distance, and Friedrich suddenly shouted, "Look over there!" - A red flag was flying over the north gate of Chang'an.

Moore closed his notebook: "Here we go"

Bai Siwen walked through the alleys of the Bannermen's residential area, followed by three swordsmen he hired. The once empty and tidy streets of Xi'an are now crowded and dilapidated. A Bannerman girl wrapped in a tattered cotton jacket stands on the street corner, with cheap rouge on her face.

"Sir." The girl spoke timidly in Beijing dialect, but was frightened by the swordsman's sword and shrank back into the corner.

Bai Siwen couldn't bear it any longer, so he took out a piece of silver and threw it over: "Do you know where the Russian commander is?"

The girl shook her head and was about to speak when a voice suddenly came from the depths of the alley: "Bai Bai Siwen! Oh my God, are you Bai Siwen? I am Yuan Bao!"

Bai Siwen turned around and saw Guaerjia Yuanbao, wearing a faded yellow jacket, running towards him with a few staggering Eight Banner soldiers. "Old Bai, aren't you an envoy in Europe? Why did you come to this damn place, Xi'an?"

"Yuan Bao." Bai Siwen interrupted him, "Do you know where my family is?"

"Your family." Yuan Bao thought for a moment, "Are they from our Russian neighbors?"

"Yes, yes," Bai Siwen asked, "Where are they?"

Yuan Bao said, "They came to Xi'an together when Beijing fell. I'll take you to look for them."

"Okay, okay, lead the way!" Bai Siwen saw Yuan Bao standing there and didn't leave. He thought that he wanted money. Just as he reached into his pocket, Yuan Bao grabbed his sleeve and said, "Old Bai, the city is not peaceful now. You are dressed like this."

Bai Siwen then realized that his mink coat was particularly eye-catching in the dilapidated Manchu street market. He took off his coat with a wry smile, revealing the coarse cotton jacket underneath: "Let's go."

The two walked through the narrow alleys, with dilapidated banner houses along the way. An old bannerman sat on the doorstep, holding a half-written "Book of Rites" in his hand, muttering to himself: "Rites are broken and music is ruined."

Suddenly, there was a commotion ahead. A group of Hunan soldiers were searching every household, and the leader held up a tin trumpet and shouted, "Investigate and prosecute those who are colluding with bandits!"

Yuan Bao dragged Bai Siwen into a dilapidated courtyard. There were some tattered Manchu clothing piled up in the courtyard, and several Manchu women were dismantling the clothes, their faces full of numbness and fatigue.

"Master Bai," Yuan Bao whispered, "the streets of Xi'an are the graveyard of our bannermen."

At this time, there were several "thunders" in the distance, followed by a huge shout that made their hair stand on end: "The revenge of nine generations can still be avenged."

(End of this chapter)