The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 693 Xianfeng: Look carefully, this is the rebellion of the princes in the Anti-Classic

In the small hall of the Prime Minister's Office in Tianjing, the air was filled with sandalwood incense. Luo Yaoguo sat on a red sandalwood armchair, tapping the armrests with his fingers, making a dull sound. The shadow of the sycamore leaves outside the window cast a shadow on half of his face, making him look particularly gloomy.

"Dingtian Hou Hong Daquan and his wife Xu Yuegui are here!"

Following the guard's announcement, Hong Daquan and his wife crossed the threshold and knelt down five steps away from Luo Yaoguo. Hong Daquan rested his forehead on the ground, while Xu Yuegui performed a standard Taiping salute.

"Get up." Luo Yaoguo raised his hand and said slowly, "You have worked hard in Japan these years."

Hong Daquan kowtowed again before he stood up and took out a roll of yellow silk from his bosom: "I dare not complain. This is the list of the various halls of the Japanese Zhenyue Sect and the list of tribute this year. Please have a look, King Wu."

Luo Yaoguo took it but didn't look at it, and directly handed it to Feng Yunshan beside him. Feng Yunshan unfolded the yellow silk, his eyes swept over the densely packed list, and his brows gradually frowned.

"What's going on with King Dong recently?" Luo Yaoguo suddenly asked.

Hong Daquan's Adam's apple rolled. "Reporting to King Wu, the King of the East sent 300 Rakshasa Hall warriors to Osaka Castle last month, saying that they were protecting the Zhenyue Sect's dojo. But according to my observation, those people seemed to be there to supervise the concubine Inako."

Luo Yaoguo and Feng Yunshan exchanged glances.

"Tell me what you think." Feng Yunshan said.

Hong Daquan took out a memorial from his sleeve and presented it with both hands: "I have the audacity to write a memorial about the situation in Japan. The Japanese samurai are deeply rooted, and the King of the East only wants to drain blood to supplement Korea. In the long run..."

Luo Yaoguo took the memorial and his eyes moved quickly across the paper.

Your Excellency Hong Daquan respectfully reports:

I have heard that when a sage ruler comes to power, he must observe the changes in the four barbarians; when a wise king governs, he must guard against dangers at his elbows and armpits. I am originally from southern Hunan, but I have been promoted by the Heavenly Kingdom and appointed as the Archbishop of Japan for five years. Now I dare to report the situation of the island barbarians with all my heart.

1. The difference between customs: Although Japan and China share a common border and a common writing system, their customs are martial and their people are fierce. Samurai run rampant with swords and regard human life as worthless; the feudal lords are divided and each has its own private army. The roots are deep and intertwined. The so-called "loyalty and righteousness" in that country is actually private favor; the "Way of Heaven" they respect is nothing more than plagiarizing the superficial knowledge of Confucianism and Buddhism. In the past, the Western Catholic religion was introduced to the East, but was eventually usurped by samurai and transformed into the heresy of "Kirishitan"; now that we really follow the Way of God, I am afraid that we will also be inevitably "samuraiized".

2. The danger of political and religious difficulties: His Majesty the Eastern King wants to suck the blood of Japan to enrich Korea. This is indeed a strategy of quick success and instant benefits. However, I have observed that the samurai in Kyushu and Choshu are all dependent on rice for their lifeblood and swords for their souls. If they are forced to collect taxes, it will surely cause turmoil. Last year, the Choshu domain destroyed our Kumamoto lecture hall, falsely accusing it of "blasphemy against Shinto", but in fact it was because they were afraid that the authority of the Kingdom of Heaven would overwhelm their old customs. The turmoil in the Republic of Nagasaki lasted for more than a year. Although it was a strategy of the Eastern King to nurture the enemy, it also shows that there are still countless patriots in the country. Moreover, although the emperor of that country is like a puppet, the people's hearts are solid; although the shogunate is in decline, the samurai's ambitions are still there. It is like carrying firewood to put out a fire. If the firewood is not exhausted, the fire will not go out.

3. Advice on the Three Long-term Strategies (I) Temporarily restrain them and take it slow: We should follow the example of Emperor Taizong of Tang in treating the Turks, allow them to trade, and grant them honorary titles. Now that American merchant ships frequently come to Yokohama, we can use the "Heavenly Kingdom-Japan-America" ​​triangular trade to drain their financial resources with Western toys and high-priced and inefficient military equipment, and use opium to undermine their ambitions.

(2) Cultivate internal support and divide their forces: I have observed that the lord of Satsuma, Shimazu Hisamitsu, admires China and dislikes the shogunate, so we can secretly send envoys to form an alliance. Also, select those who are frustrated among the ronin, give them the "Anti-Scripture" and "True Contract", and provide them with gold, silver, guns and cannons, so that they can become leaders of the revolution and eliminate the source of the internal strife in Japan.

(3) Prepare strong troops to control their changes: Since the Eastern King has no intention of reforming Japan, we should quickly increase the navy of Busan. If the island barbarians rebel in the future, we can follow the example of Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty in conquering Japan, use ironclad ships to cut off their sea transportation, and use blasting cannons to destroy their strong cities. However, we must remember not to repeat the mistakes of the Mongols and Yuan Dynasty, and we should first store food and fodder and survey the sea routes.

4. The key points of the supplementary discussion on North America: Before I left, I learned that Hong Renzheng's actions in the United States were hasty but generally correct. I would like to ask for three suggestions: First, the West Coast railway should be completed quickly, but the Rocky Mountain Pass will block it, making the east and west of the United States unable to take care of each other; second, select Mongolian warriors to teach the Indians to roam, and exchange horses for our firearms, so that the Great Plains can serve as a barrier for California; third, if the American civil war is bound to break out, we should attach ourselves to the north in the open and ally with the south in secret, like Bian Zhuang stabbing a tiger, waiting for the two disadvantages.

I risk my life to offer this advice, and I humbly hope that His Highness the King of Wu will consider it.

On the tenth day of the first lunar month in the tenth year of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Japanese Archbishop Hong Daquan presented this memorial.

Luo Yaoguo finished reading Hong Daquan's memorial and nodded approvingly: "Do you also think that the True Contract Sect will be assimilated into Bushido in Japan?"

Hong Daquan replied, "King Wu, Japan has a special national situation. When Buddhism was introduced, it was transformed into 'Buddhist enemies can be killed'; when Confucianism was introduced, it became 'loyalty to the king is like a dog'. Now the Shinyo sect is in Japan. Some samurai have begun to misinterpret the doctrine, saying 'killing the enemy will make you go to heaven'. I am worried."

Hong Daquan suddenly stopped talking halfway through, and the hall was silent for a moment.

Luo Yaoguo suddenly laughed: "If the King of the East wants to play with fire, let him. As long as the trade route between China, Japan and the United States continues, he can do whatever he wants." He stood up, walked to the window, looked at the snowy scene outside, and turned his back to the two of them. "If Japan rebels, we will send ironclad ships to fight it."

Feng Yunshan coughed lightly and said, "Hong Daquan, King Wu means that the matter of Japan should be put on hold for the time being. You will go to North America to take over Hong Renzheng as the archbishop."

"I understand." Hong Daquan bowed his head and replied, but couldn't help asking, "What is the route of Lord Hong?"

"Go ahead." Luo Yaoguo turned around, his face showing approval. "It's a long-term plan to dye the West Coast yellow. Hong Renzheng has done a good job, but he has been a little too proud of himself in the past two years. I'm afraid he will wear a yellow robe in California after the outbreak of the American Civil War. The time is not right yet!"

He paused, and then said, "In addition, what you mentioned about the 'North American Supplementary Discussions' is very much in line with my opinion. It seems that you have been paying attention to North American affairs in recent years. Very good, I did not choose the wrong person!" Then he glanced at Xu Yuegui, "Daquan, Yuegui, North America is handed over to you two. Remember, the True Contract Faction is pursuing a separatist strategy in North America. Don't get too involved in the civil war on the East Coast. If you have to stand on a clear side, you must stand on the North! The world's second largest industrial country will not lose to a group of rural slave owners."

When the guards reported again, Hong Daquan and his wife were leaving the hall. Daozi and Maria came in one after the other, and Daozi's clogs made a crisp sound on the blue brick floor. The winter in Charleston was not too cold. In the study of the O'Hara family on Oak Street, Xianfeng was sitting or standing around a sand table with a dozen southern gentlemen. The kerosene lamp cast their shadows on the wall, like a group of ignorant ghosts.

"Gentlemen," Xianfeng said in English, his finger tracing the plains northeast of the Appalachian Mountains on the sand table, "This is your Achilles' heel."

Senator James Chestnut frowned: "Bishop Zhao, are you talking about our geographical disadvantage in the south?"

Xianfeng picked up a teaching stick and pointed at Washington on the sand table: "If Wu Sangui had not dared to cross the Yangtze River and invade the Central Plains, he might have gone south to Burma to expand his territory and establish a separatist regime in the southwest to last longer." He then moved the teaching stick to Charleston, "But you are too close to Washington, and there is no strategic location to defend."

James Hammond stroked his beard: "We have cotton, and the British will support us."

"During the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms, the princes also thought that they could win with money and food." Xianfeng sneered, "But when the war really started, they found that victory cannot be bought." He walked to the bookshelf and took down a handwritten book. "This is the fourth volume of the "Anti-Scripture" I wrote. It talks about the way the princes rebel."

Robert Toombs looked closely at the Chinese characters and asked, "Can you explain it?"

Xianfeng opened the booklet and said, "Looking back at China's 3,000 years of history, whenever the princes rebelled, they either quickly took the center, like Li Yuan entering Chang'an, or took a remote place with natural barriers, like the Western Xia taking the Helan Mountains." He glanced at the crowd and said, "You dare not attack Washington immediately, and you don't have the natural barriers like the Rocky Mountains, and you are so close to the territory of the Northern Federation. Why do you think you can succeed in independence?"

The study was silent. In fact, these southern country bumpkins had no idea about the rebellion, otherwise they would have rebelled long ago. Why would they watch the North grow stronger day by day?

"So what do you think we should do?" young Wade Hampton III couldn't help but ask.

Xianfeng took out a map of the United States from the drawer of his desk: "Three options. First, immediately send troops to occupy Washington and organize a Confederation government in the name of protecting the Constitution and states' rights; second, go west to Texas and establish a defense line with the Mississippi River as the boundary; third." He paused, "abandon slavery and negotiate with the North to see if we can keep low tariffs."

"No way!" William Lowndes slammed his fist on the edge of the sand table. "Slavery is our sacred right!"

"And we can't possibly abandon our homes on the East Coast and retreat to Texas!" Lawrence Kitt said, "We just want to withdraw from the Union and live our own lives."

Xianfeng calmly put away the map and said, "Then prepare to fight a war that is bound to fail." He turned to Davis and said, "Mr. Senator, you have read Chinese history. You must have seen many cases of failed rebellions, right?"

Davis' face was gloomy: "Bishop Zhao, you are too pessimistic. There are 100,000 well-trained militiamen in the South."

"You only have 100,000 well-trained militiamen!" Xianfeng interrupted him. "The ancestors of the Qing Dynasty only had 60,000 elite soldiers when they rebelled outside the Great Wall. But that was not the era of industrialization. The Ming army was too weak to consume 60,000 Eight Banner troops. But the northern industrial states are not that weak. They have the second strongest industrial strength in the world! The second strongest in steel, the first strongest in railways, and the second strongest in shipbuilding."

Scarlett O'Hara suddenly pushed open the door, holding a silver tray with wine on it. Her father O'Hara followed behind her, his face flushed, obviously having drunk a lot.

"Gentlemen, take a break." Scarlett said with a smile, her green eyes sparkling under the light. "Bishop Zhao, would you like a drink too?"

Xianfeng took the wine glass, and the sound of ice cubes colliding was crisp and pleasant. He watched Scarlett deftly pour wine for everyone, and suddenly said to Chiyoko beside him in Chinese: "These people are like the Eight Banners children during the Daoguang period."

Chiyoko nodded slightly and whispered in Chinese: "But they don't even have a court in their hands."

O'Hara laughed and patted Xianfeng on the shoulder: "Bishop Zhao, stop talking about those obscure histories! Come, cheers for the cotton in the South!"

Everyone raised their glasses, and the French wine swayed in the British glass. Xianfeng took a sip, his eyes passing through the British glass on the window and falling on the sailboats in the distant harbor. Those ships would soon transport cotton from the south to Britain and then bring back British weapons. But Xianfeng knew that this would not change anything.

"Bishop Zhao," Davis leaned over and asked in a low voice, "Do you really think that we have no chance of winning if we withdraw from the Federation?"

Xianfeng put down his wine glass and took out a booklet from his bosom: "This is a summary of the Anti-Scripture that I wrote. I have asked someone to translate it into English. It contains cases of rebellion in China over the past two thousand years. You can refer to the successful and failed ones."

Davis took the booklet and opened the first page. On it was a line of words circled in red pen: "When the princes rebel, the most important thing is to be indecisive."

As the night went on, the guests left one after another. Xianfeng stood under the porch, watching the carriages leave one by one. Chiyoko put a coat on him and said, "Master, do you think they will listen to your advice?"

"I don't know." Xianfeng looked at the starry sky, "But it doesn't matter. The success or failure of the South is not important. What's important is that I can sit at the table again."

"Again?" Chiyoko was stunned. "Why again?"

Xianfeng smiled and patted his simple-minded but very obedient wife: "Don't think too much, just follow me and watch how I stir up the storm in America!"

(End of this chapter)