The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 725: Xianfeng's Military Service

The coal smoke at Charleston Station was so thick that it was hard to open one's eyes. Sitting in the VIP waiting room, Xianfeng, who was waiting for the first train, covered his nose with a silk handkerchief and looked at the noisy South Carolina recruits on the platform. These farm boys in gray cloth uniforms were stuffing rifles and luggage into the carriages, like a group of big-headed ants moving house.

"Zhao!" Brigadier General McMullen, wearing a faded blue uniform, suddenly emerged from the steam. The former governor of Washington Territory and Emperor Xianfeng were old acquaintances. "I heard that President Davis arranged for you to be the chairman of a committee?"

Xianfeng's pockmarked face burst into laughter: "Brother Mike, you are well-informed. I am now the chairman of the American Serf Committee, responsible for promoting progressive serfdom in the United States." He glanced at the star on the other's shoulder strap, "Wow! Became a general?"

"Just Washington's watchdog." McMullen took off his military cap and fanned himself, then quickly walked into the VIP waiting room where Xianfeng was. "The rebel Sherman's Pennsylvania Regiment is only a few dozen miles away from Washington." He suddenly raised his voice and said triumphantly, "Two weeks ago, a rebel infantry regiment composed of Irish immigrants heard that our General Lee was going to attack, and they mutinied in Yorktown, saying that they would rather go home and grow potatoes than work for the vampires on Wall Street."

Prince Vasily suddenly interrupted in Russian: "Serfs are more reliable than free soldiers - Crimean War"

"What did this Russian guy say?" McMullen looked at the bear-like Russian suspiciously. Xianfeng quickly explained: "This is Prince Vasily, an expert on serfdom in Russia. He is here to help us implement advanced serfdom. We have just discussed and come up with the "Provisional Measures for the Eight Banners of the United States."

As soon as the wooden door of the VIP waiting room was closed, Scarlett, who came to the train station to see off Xianfeng and others, ordered Zeng Ke to get something to drink. When the black slave who was going to go to Washington with Xianfeng came back with a silver tray, he heard Xianfeng slapping the "Provisional Measures for the Eight Banners of the United States" and shouting: "As long as we open a window for the black devils to get in through the two white flags, they can help us crush all the rebels in the north!"

"Are you crazy?" McMullen slammed his hand on the coffee table. "Letting niggers serve as soldiers? Aren't you afraid that they will defect to Lincoln?"

Master O'Hara shook off a piece of ash from his cigar: "Thirty black slaves on my estate have signed a blood oath."

“Blood letter?” McMullen’s blue eyes almost popped out of their sockets. “If you know what those blacks did in Haiti, you should know how untrustworthy they are.”

Father Tupolev suddenly made the sign of the cross on his chest: "In the 31st chapter of Numbers, Moses ordered the Israelites to take up their weapons and go to war."

“Father!” McMullen ripped open his collar irritably. “This is America, not fucking Palestine!”

Prince Vasily shook his head and said, "The 1860 census showed that if black slaves were excluded, the eleven southern states of the United States had a population of only about 600 million, while the northern states had a population of over 2000 million. The gap is too big!"

"So we must use the blood of black people to fill this hole!" Xianfeng slammed the table. "These black people are hardworking and strong. As long as we can inspire their fighting spirit, they will definitely be no worse than white people!"

Scarlett suddenly sneered: "Zeng Ke, show the general what you can do."

The black butler put down the tray and pulled out a table knife, while Scarlett took out an apple and threw it towards the door of the VIP lounge. Zeng Ke swung his hand, and the table knife knocked the small red apple right to the ground.

"Good boy!" Prince Vasily took a sip of vodka, "More accurate than the knife thrower in the Moscow Circus!"

McMullen paused and asked, "Hey, you nigger wanna fight?"

"Yes!" Zeng Ke nodded heavily, "As long as I have the chance to be Master Bai!"

McMullen asked, "How many niggers are there like that?"

"We can find a few thousand in Charleston, and hundreds of thousands in the entire South." Xianfeng's pockmarked face was greasy. "Give them a random gun and send them to the most fierce battlefield. Those who survive will be awarded the status of a black flag. If they die, they will be reincarnated as white masters in the next life!"

Suddenly, a long whistle blew outside the window. Another train was coming from the south. McMullen's blue eyes narrowed into slits: "I'm afraid President Davis will not agree."

"He will agree." Xianfeng pulled out a copy of the Charleston Courier. "Lincoln has just formed an alliance with Korea and bought a Korean ironclad ship. I'm afraid there will be some problems with our cotton trade with Europe."

"Damn Koreans." McMullen cursed, then took a big sip of Charleston rum. "Zhao, if you want me to support you, then please command a brigade of blacks to go to the battlefield to fight the Yankees. If the blacks can really fight, then I will support the "Provisional Measures for the Eight Banners of the United States"."

Hearing McMullen's request, Xianfeng couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Okay, okay, it's a deal!"

This is an opportunity to get involved in military power! Knowing how tempting military power is, Xianfeng would never let this opportunity go. Although this military power is a bit "black", "black military power" is still military power. America is now in a chaotic world, and having soldiers in a chaotic world means being a king!

Washington, White House.

Davis stood motionless in front of the French window, with only half of his bourbon in his hand. The battle report brought by Breckenridge was still on the desk - Sherman's Pennsylvania Army was gathering in Yorktown, posing as if it was going to attack Baltimore in the south. Grant had also raised a new army in West Virginia, threatening Washington from the southwest.

"Mr. President, General Lee needs at least five new divisions." The Army Minister's words were suddenly interrupted by a report from outside the door.

"The President, General McMullen and Bishop Zhao are here."

"Oh," Davis turned around, "please ask them to come in."

The door of the Oval Office was opened, and then McMullen and Xianfeng walked in one after the other, both wearing military uniforms. Xianfeng even held the rank of colonel!
"General McMullen, why did you recruit Zhao Si?" Davis looked at Xianfeng in surprise, "He has bad legs and feet, so he is not suitable for military service."

"He's not a soldier," McMullen pointed at Xianfeng's shoulder straps, "He's a colonel. Colonel of the South Carolina militia!"

Davis narrowed his blue-gray eyes, "Colonel? Zhao, can you fight?"

"It will also help America formulate the most advanced serfdom system!" Xianfeng took out the bound "Provisional Measures for the Eight Banners of the United States" and spread it out in front of Davis.

"Nonsense!" Davis picked up the "Provisional Measures for the Eight Banners of the United States" and read it for a while, then jumped up immediately. "Letting niggers hold guns and serve as soldiers? Why don't you let us put the noose directly around our own necks?"

Prince Vasily waved his furry palm and said: "In 1812, my grandfather led the serfs from Ryazan and followed Marshal Kutuzov to drive Napoleon out of Moscow. As long as the master can give the serfs a little bit of benefits, their fighting power is no worse than that of the Tsar's Guards."

"Right, right, right!" Xianfeng spoke English quickly and urgently, "As long as we paint a pie for the blacks to carry two white flags, these blacks who are bent on being white masters will definitely be better fighters than the white soldiers in the South!" He counted with his burnt yellow fingers, "President, don't worry about how many two white flag masters will appear after the war. Kill twelve Northern soldiers and one white flag black man will be produced. Ten thousand white flag black men can kill at least 120,000 Northern troops. This is killing! You do the math, this business is a sure win!"

Breckenridge picked up the battle report on the table and said to Davis: "Grant has recruited 5 miners in West Virginia, and his army has reached 8. The number of the rebel Pennsylvania Army in Harrisburg is approaching 10! And we currently only have about 10 front-line main forces."

Four times the population and forty times the industry are no joke!

"Mr. President, please think about it carefully." The sneer on Xianfeng's pockmarked face twisted into a ball. "Once the gunshots of the slave soldiers are heard, the Yankee's nonsense of 'liberating the slaves' will become a joke! And those European politicians who think they have consciences will completely abandon Lincoln's pseudo-government. By then, North Korea will be the only friend of Lincoln in the world!"

"There is only one Korea left." Davis suddenly grabbed a pen and wrote splashes of ink on the charter: "Form a black experimental brigade in Charleston, with Zhao Zhaosi as the brigade commander." He stared at Xianfeng with blue-gray eyes, "If a black guy turns his gun around."

Xianfeng grinned and said, "I will twist his head off with my own hands!"

At 26 Broadway in New York, in the temporary presidential palace, Lincoln's slender figure was made more rugged by the gas lamp. Secretary of the Navy Wells rushed in waving a telegram: "The devils in the South want to arm the black slaves! They have created an 'eight-flag system' and want to make the black slaves black baoyi, which seems to have been introduced from China."

Secretary of State Seward, who came in at the same time as the Secretary of the Navy, straightened his gold-rimmed glasses and said, "I just asked the Korean envoy Hong In-gan, and he said that the 'baoyi' were the domestic slaves of the Manchu nobles. They could escape slavery and be promoted to the banner class and become nobles by making meritorious contributions."

"What?" Lincoln's sunken eyes showed astonishment. "Isn't it ridiculous that slaves can become nobles through military merit?"

“This is a joke!” Seward said. “The Yankees will be the laughing stock of the world!”

"But we will also become a joke!" Secretary of War Stanton said gloomily, "If our army, under the banner of liberating black slaves, fights against the black slave army of the southern slave owners on the battlefield! Our soldiers will definitely ask: Who the hell are we liberating? Why do those black slaves need to be liberated?"

"Damn it!" Lincoln said with a gloomy face and gritted teeth, "Who gave Davis the idea? It's so hateful! America must not let him go."

(End of this chapter)