Slaying the Qing: My Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

News of the Tianjing Incident eventually reached Yanjing City in the north.

This was the center of the Manchu rule and was also once the target of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Northern Expedition.

Unfortunately, the armies led by the two famous generals, Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang, only managed to reach the vicinity of Tianjin.

This Northern Expedition, with its troops deep in enemy territory, was destined to fail.

Although the Northern Expedition greatly tied down the main forces of the Manchus, it created a favorable opportunity for the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to grow and expand.

However, in Hong Tian's view, this not only caused the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to lose many elite troops, but also resulted in the tragic deaths of two famous generals.

Inside the Forbidden City, the Manchu Emperor Xianfeng was discussing state affairs with a group of high-ranking officials.

Several Grand Councilors and ministers from various departments stood respectfully inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

These ministers included not only Manchus but also Han Chinese.

The Tartars have been in the Central Plains for over two hundred years, to the point that scholars, who are willing to serve anyone who provides them, have long regarded the Tartars as the legitimate rulers and are willing to risk their lives for them.

After all, these scholars believed in the principle of "learning literary and martial skills to serve the emperor"! Now that the Tartars had entered the Central Plains, these scholars would do everything they could to become officials and rise above others.

Otherwise, wouldn't their ten years of hard study have been in vain?

Therefore, it is understandable to recognize a thief as one's father and serve the Tartars like cattle and horses.

"Your Majesty, the Governor-General of Jiangnan has sent an urgent report: In September, a power struggle broke out among the Taiping rebels in Jiangning City, resulting in the deaths of three bandit leaders: Hong, Yang, and Wei. Now, Hong Tiangui, the eldest son of Hong, has succeeded him as the false Heavenly King."

However, Hong Tiangui was not yet seven years old; he was just a toddler.

This servant surmises that the current Taiping Rebellion is likely controlled by Shi Ni and Qin Ni.

Hong Tiangui is nothing more than a puppet put forward by the two of them!

Wen Qingbing, the Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall and the Chief Minister of the Grand Council, reported this.

"What? The Taiping rebels have started fighting amongst themselves? The three bandits, Hong Xiuquan, Yang Xiuquan, and Wei Xiu, are all dead?" Emperor Xianfeng was greatly shocked.

But then, he was overwhelmed with ecstasy.

It should be noted that the Taiping Rebellion had caused enormous losses to the Manchus.

During their campaigns, the Taiping army captured numerous cities and launched systematic attacks on the Manchu cities within them. The Manchu cities of Jiangning, Jiujiang, Anqing, and Wuchang were successively captured. The Manchu city of Cangzhou was also breached by the Taiping army's Northern Expeditionary Force.

During the rule of the Tartars, the Manchu cities held a very important position, and were almost used to suppress various parts of the south.

After the Taiping army captured these Manchu cities, they carried out a large-scale massacre.

This undoubtedly dealt a devastating blow to the rule of the Tartars.

At the same time, a large number of poor people were mobilized, which also shook the foundation of the Manchu rule.

The ruling class of the Manchus had long wished to eradicate the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom completely.

However, in the suppression of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Tartars suffered more defeats than victories and were at a disadvantage.

Even though the Tartars could mobilize more troops and had a significant advantage in manpower and resources, they were often no match for the Taiping Army on the battlefield.

Therefore, the Tartars had no choice but to encourage local militias to be established.

As a result, some Han officials took the opportunity to seize a powerful armed force.

This also caused the Tartar emperor great concern.

They feared that these Han officials, once they held significant military power, might plot a rebellion.

But the Tartar emperor was clearly overthinking it. Those Han officials had long been tamed, willingly serving as their slaves and lackeys. Their minds had been thoroughly corrupted by ingrained loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. Even with a knife to their throats, they would not betray or resist.

"Your Majesty, it has been confirmed. The Taiping rebels have indeed suffered a serious internal conflict. The rebels Hong, Yang, and Wei have all died."

However, to deceive the ignorant masses, the Taiping rebels fabricated the lie that Hong Xiuquan had taken Yang Xiuquan and Wei Xiuquan to heaven. The misled people believed it without question!

Wenqing continued.

"Excellent! Excellent! The Taiping rebels must have suffered a heavy blow. The Qing Dynasty will soon be able to suppress and eliminate the Taiping rebels!" Emperor Xianfeng was greatly encouraged.

He originally thought that he might not live to see the eradication of the Taiping Rebellion.

But unexpectedly, the opportunity has now arrived.

Emperor Xianfeng is only twenty-five years old.

However, because he was premature, he was born weak and quite small. Later, he broke his leg in a fall from a horse, which further affected his health.

In addition, Emperor Xianfeng was a heavy drinker, and every time he drank, he would get drunk. When drunk, he would often lose his temper and beat and scold the palace servants. This behavior not only harmed his health but also accelerated his physical decline.

In addition, Emperor Xianfeng was a long-term opium addict, which not only damaged his health but also hastened his death.

An emperor who was also a drug addict, and the object of loyalty for those scholars.

I have to admit, those intellectuals have all lost their minds.

As an emperor, Emperor Xianfeng also had a large number of concubines in his harem. Excessive indulgence in sex was a common problem for almost every emperor.

It's easy to imagine how bad Emperor Xianfeng's health would have been if all these ailments had piled up together.

In another timeline, Emperor Xianfeng only lived to be thirty-one years old.

He died before witnessing the suppression of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

However, in this timeline, Emperor Xianfeng might have been able to witness the final outcome of the battle between the Qing Dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

But whether the Qing Dynasty will ultimately emerge victorious is very hard to say.

If things go wrong, the Qing Dynasty could end up being destroyed by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!" The Grand Councilors and ministers of various ministries offered their congratulations to Emperor Xianfeng.

This caused Emperor Xianfeng's already sickly face to turn bright red.

"Haha, this is not only a joyous occasion for me, but also for the entire Qing Dynasty!" Emperor Xianfeng laughed heartily.

"Your Majesty, I suggest that we take this opportunity to once again dispatch capable ministers to lead troops, rebuild the Jiangbei Camp and the Jiangnan Camp, and continue the siege of Jiangning," suggested Bai Jun, Grand Councilor and Minister of Revenue.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the Hunan Army and the Hubei Army can march south along the Yangtze River and take the opportunity to launch an attack on the Taiping Rebellion, thus defeating them in one fell swoop!" Grand Councilor Peng Yunzhang also made the suggestion.

Emperor Xianfeng nodded repeatedly, clearly understanding the principle of taking advantage of someone's illness to kill them.

"Do any of you gentlemen have suitable candidates to recommend for the reconstruction of the Jiangbei and Jiangnan camps?" Emperor Xianfeng asked.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Deputy Commander Dexing'a is a capable commander who was able to stabilize the situation when Tuoming'a was defeated. He is qualified to serve as the commander of the Jiangbei Camp!" Wenqing suggested.

Emperor Xianfeng nodded, having already made up his mind.

"By imperial decree, appoint Dexing'a as Imperial Commissioner with the additional title of Commander-in-Chief, and order him to muster his troops, recapture Yangzhou, and rebuild the Jiangbei Camp!" Emperor Xianfeng issued the order.

"Your Majesty is wise!" the ministers all praised.

"Your Majesty, I suggest that He Chun, the Commander-in-Chief of Jiangnan, use troops from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi provinces to rebuild the Jiangnan Grand Camp!" Peng Yunzhang suggested.

Emperor Xianfeng also adopted this suggestion.

"He Chun is hereby appointed Imperial Commissioner to oversee military affairs in Jiangnan, rebuild the Jiangnan Grand Camp, and command the troops in southern Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi provinces!"

In the southern Jiangsu region, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom only controlled Nanjing (also known as Jiangning) and its surrounding areas. The rest of the region remained under the control of the Manchus.

Even places like Suzhou, not far from Tianjing, were under the control of the Tartars.

The crisis in Tianjing City has not been resolved.

"Furthermore, I order Guan Wen, the Governor-General of Huguang, to lead the Hubei Army to attack Wuchang and annihilate the Taiping rebels who occupy it. I order Zeng Bohan to lead the Hunan Army south to attack the Taiping rebels. I order Bi Chengzhao, the Acting Governor of Anhui Province, to lead the Anhui Army to launch an attack on the Taiping rebels!"

Emperor Xianfeng then issued an order.

In order to completely suppress the Taiping Rebellion and eliminate this major threat to the Qing Empire, Emperor Xianfeng was determined to take action.

"Yes, Your Majesty, Your servants (we) obey the decree!" The high-ranking officials all replied in unison.

"Your Majesty, Lord Zeng is currently in mourning, and the Xiang Army is temporarily under the command of Hu Linyi, the Governor of Hubei Province!" Wen Qing reported.

"Then issue an imperial edict to Hu Linyi, ordering him to lead troops to attack the Taiping Rebellion. In addition, appoint Hu Linyi as Imperial Commissioner, in charge of the Hunan Army in all provinces!" Emperor Xianfeng ordered.

"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant obeys!" Wenqing replied.