The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 712: Fire, Journey to the West

Outside Chang'an City.

The spring in Guanzhong Plain should have been a time of green wheat and vitality, but outside Chang'an City, it was a gray dusty place. Hundreds of thousands of people and tens of thousands of carriages and horses were like a winding dragon, slowly crawling westward.

The gentry rode on skinny horses, wearing Confucius clothes, with swords hanging from their waists and hair in a bun, followed by two-wheeled carriages with their families carrying gold and silver, and some ragged servants pushing wheelbarrows loaded with books, ancestral tablets and food. They often formed teams based on villages, winding their way west, looking back every three steps.

The team of descendants of the Shandong Kong family led by Kong Fanhao was undoubtedly the most conspicuous among the famous religious groups heading west. Hundreds of horse-drawn carriages formed a long line on the official road, and in front and behind were Kong Mansion knights guarding with revolvers on their belts - these revolvers were all made according to the revolvers produced by the Shanghai Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau in the fourth year of the Tianli period. Although they were a bit rough and the spare parts were difficult to find, they could not be considered industrialized products at all, but they should be enough to "protect the road and the religion" in Central Asia.

However, the Kong clan members who had followed all the way from Shandong to Shaanxi and were now embarking on the long journey westward all had fear written all over their faces. They looked back from time to time, gazing at the majestic Zhou capital Chang'an under the sun.

Kong Fanhao was riding in a carriage that was more than one size larger than an ordinary two-wheeled carriage. A plaque with the words "Yanshenggong Mansion" was hung on the shaft. The curtains were closed, and it seemed as if the Yanshenggong inside didn't want to even look at this chaotic world.

The most eye-catching ones were the "foreign lancers" Li Hongzhang brought from Suiye - they wore half-worn cotton armor, carried short-barreled cavalry rifles, had sabers hanging around their waists, rode tall Don horses, and had stern eyes. They were once the elite troops of the Huai River, and now they were the sharp swords for Li Hongzhang to open up the Anxi Tang Dynasty.

Yao Baiwan's caravan was at the front, his mules and horses carrying food, cloth, ironware, and even a few dismantled cannons. He rode a tall Arabian horse, and from time to time he looked back in the direction of Chang'an City, muttering, "Let's go, let's go, and never come back."

From time to time, the sound of babies crying, old people coughing, and wheels rolling over gravel could be heard in the team. There were also some scholars carrying books and holding long swords, heading west in groups. They were all students of the Imperial College of the Great Zhou Dynasty. They recited the Analects as they walked, as if they were not fleeing, but spreading the flame of Confucianism to the Han and Tang dynasties in the west.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" A group of cavalrymen galloped past, raising a cloud of dust. They were the Hui cavalry under Ma Xinyi, and this time they were responsible for serving as the vanguard of the westward migration army. The leading officer galloped while shouting, "The pontoon bridge has been prepared at the Weihe River crossing. All troops should cross the river in order!"

Li Hongzhang rode his horse to a four-wheeled carriage in the center of the team and knocked gently on the window.

"Your Majesty," he whispered, "are you looking for me?"

The curtain of the car window was opened by a skinny hand, revealing Zeng Guofan's face as pale as paper. His beard was already gray, his eye sockets were deep, and only a pair of triangular eyes were still sharp.

"Shao Quan." He coughed twice, "How is the team going?"

"Still in good order," Li Hongzhang replied, "My cavalry has held its ground and there is no sign of collapse for the time being. But..."

"Just what?"

"The consumption of food and fodder is faster than expected. Yao Baiwan said that at this rate, we will have to kill mules and horses to satisfy our hunger before we reach Lanzhou."

Zeng Guofan closed his eyes and sighed deeply: "Tell Yao Baiwan that from today on, the food rations of all the gentry will be reduced by half. As for the slaves." He paused, "Those who are willing to follow will be given one liter of grain every day; those who are unwilling will be dismissed on the spot."

Li Hongzhang frowned: "Your Majesty, this..."

"Shao Quan, don't worry that we don't have enough people in the west!" Zeng Guofan's voice was very soft and his tone was cold. "What's the use of having more people? The Qing Dynasty had 40 million people, but it still perished. My Great Zhou had 30 to 40 million people, but it still perished. Shao Quan, if you want to open up a piece of territory in the west, the key is not to have more people, but to have ruthless people!"

Li Hongzhang was shocked: "He is a cruel person?"

As night fell, the troops set up camp on the north bank of the Wei River. Zeng Guofan's carriage was specially placed on a high ground, guarded by the most elite foreign lancers.

When Li Hongzhang walked into the carriage with the medicine bowl, he found Zeng Guofan reviewing documents under the dim oil lamp. His fingers were so thin that they were just skin and bones, and he kept shaking when holding the pen, but he still insisted on stamping his seal on every document.

"Your Majesty, it's time to drink medicine."

Zeng Guofan put down his pen, took the medicine bowl and drank it all without frowning.

"Shaoquan, sit down." He pointed to the seat opposite, "I have something to tell you."

Li Hongzhang looked at his teacher who didn't have much time left, sighed, and sat down respectfully.

"I don't have much time left." Zeng Guofan said straight to the point.

"Your Majesty, why do you say that? Lanzhou's soil and water nourish people. You've been there."

Zeng Guofan waved his hand and interrupted him: "I know my own body well." He looked out the window at the campfires in the camp, "Ji Ze can't keep this business."

Li Hongzhang did not respond.

"After I die, I will leave a will." Zeng Guofan's voice was very soft, but every word was clear, "I will pass the throne to you." Li Hongzhang raised his head suddenly, with a flash of surprise in his eyes: "Your Majesty! This..."

Zeng Guofan smiled bitterly, "Shaoquan, please stop pushing it!" He shook his head, "The Great Zhou is now in name only. The Great Zhou has never really existed. It is just the spark of the orthodox religion. What we do as master and disciple is to keep this spark alive for the orthodox religion! Shaoquan, tell me, how do you plan to shoulder this heavy responsibility?"

The night wind blew through the cracks in the carriage, causing the oil lamp to flicker. Li Hongzhang was silent for a long time, and finally spoke:
"Your Majesty, when we get to the river, I plan to follow the example of the Western Zhou Dynasty."

"Oh?" Zeng Guofan raised his eyes slightly.

"The capital will be located in the blessed land surrounded by the Fergana Mountains, and the five vassal states will be located on the banks of the great rivers and in the oases." Li Hongzhang's voice was low and firm. "The rituals of the orthodox teachings will be practiced in the capital to preserve the vitality of Confucianism; the five vassal states will be established according to local conditions to ensure the safety of the people in the river."

Zeng Guofan closed his eyes, as if thinking. After a while, he slowly said, "What a good saying, 'Famous teachings in the capital, and peace for the people in the five vassal states.'"

He opened his eyes, his gaze was sharp, and his words were kind: "But you have to remember - don't think about restoring the Middle Earth, and don't mess with the industrial industry. Hezhong is not as good as Guanzhong, we don't have that much money to fight the Taiping Army with guns and cannons."

Li Hongzhang bowed deeply and said, "Student understands."

"If the truth doesn't work, I'll take a raft and float on the sea," Zeng Guofan murmured, as if he was talking to himself, or as if he was warning Li Hongzhang.

At dawn the next day, the horn sounded and the team continued to march westward.

Li Hongzhang led dozens of "foreign lancers" to guard the side of the four-wheeled carriage ridden by the Great Zhou Emperor Zeng Guofan. In the four-wheeled carriage, the terminally ill Great Zhou Emperor leaned on the cushions, looking at the gradually brightening sky outside the window, and just whispered: "Shaoquan, the way of the orthodox religion depends on you!"

Washington, United States of America. June 1861, 6.

Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House was already crowded with people. President Davis and his senior adviser, Emperor Xianfeng, stood side by side on the marble steps, watching the last group of Confederate soldiers march past the White House to the beat of drums.

Robert Lee rode his gray warhorse named Traveler at the front of the team. Behind him were five thousand Russian mercenaries, all wearing gray clothes and carrying Minié rifles, their boots clicking neatly on the cobblestones. These veterans of the Ninth Russo-Turkish War had no expression on their faces, as if they were just going to a hunt.

"Too slow..." Xianfeng suddenly spoke, his voice low enough for only Davis to hear, "It took several months of delay to gather 55,000 men and more than 80 guns... How can we defeat the North with such a small force?"

Davis' fingers were pinching a gold coin in his suit pocket - a commemorative coin given to him by the Georgia State Legislature, engraved with the words "States' Rights Supremacy".

"The President of the United States is not a dictator." He said calmly, but with unquestionable firmness, "The army of the United States is composed of state militias. The federal government has no right to forcibly recruit without the approval of state governments. I cannot buy even one more cannon before Congress approves the war appropriation."

Xianfeng turned his head and looked at the profile of the southern president. The morning light reflected on Davis's gold-rimmed glasses, and the eyes behind the lenses exuded a clarity that should not be there. Xianfeng thought: Lao Liu and I must have been as stupid as you are now, and we had no idea what the Qing Dynasty was!
"Mr. President, what are you protecting, the Constitution..." Xianfeng said softly, "or the cotton and plantations?"

Davis' expression finally showed a crack. He turned his head sharply, and his pupils behind his glasses shrank slightly: "Mr. Zhao, what do you mean by this?"

In the distance, the Confederate artillery convoy was slowly passing by. The barrel of the twelve-pound Napoleon cannon looked majestic, but it was outdated.
"The North has factories, railways, steel..." Xianfeng looked at the cannons, his voice as calm as if he was discussing the weather, "while the South only has cotton. Mr. President, do you really believe that with these" he pointed to the marching troops, "we can really win an industrialized war?"

Davis was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

"Mr. Zhao, you don't understand America." He took the gold coin out of his pocket and turned it over between his fingers. "We do have factories in the North, but the European powers all support us!"

They also once supported the Qing Dynasty. Xianfeng looked at Davis with sympathy.

"The textile mills in Lancashire, England, consume half a million pounds of cotton from the South every day." Davis' voice was filled with an almost pious certainty. "London bankers can pretend to care about black slaves, but they will never stop their machines."

Xianfeng looked at the army marching away and suddenly sighed.

"Mr. President, have you ever thought..." he whispered, "What if one day the British found a new source of cotton? For example, India? Or Egypt?"

Davis' smile froze on his face.

At this moment, the silence was broken by the sound of rapid horse hooves. A messenger came galloping over, pulled the reins in front of the steps, and raised the front hooves of his warhorse high.

"Urgent news! The main force of the Union Army is gathering in Harrisburg! There are at least 70,000 soldiers!"

Davis' fingers clenched the gold coin tightly. Xianfeng glanced at his white knuckles, shook his head slightly, and then said in a firm tone: "We will win this time! But the South needs to gather more troops as soon as possible!"

(End of this chapter)