Slaying the Qing: My Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

At the end of October 1856, Guan Wen, the Governor-General of Huguang, and Hu Linyi, the Governor of Hubei Province, were meeting.

"Lord Hu, have you received His Majesty's decree?" Guan Wen asked.

"Your Excellency, I have received His Majesty's decree!" Hu Linyi was extremely respectful in front of Guan Wen.

Guan Wen can be considered Hu Linyi's current direct superior.

Furthermore, being a Manchu, he enjoyed the deep trust of Emperor Xianfeng and a group of high-ranking Qing officials, naturally wielding considerable power.

To avoid being constrained, Hu Linyi bribed Guan Wen's concubine. He even recognized Guan Wen's concubine as his god-sister.

In this way, they obtained Guan Wen's non-interference and restriction on the Hunan Army.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy for the Hunan Army to grow powerful in the southern provinces.

Although Zeng Bohan was the true leader of the Xiang Army, during his period of mourning, he could only remotely command the Xiang Army through letters.

At present, the Hunan Army is controlled by Hu Linyi.

In order to further strengthen the Hunan Army, Hu Linyi naturally tried every means possible.

In order to gain Guan Wen's support, Hu Linyi would submit a memorial to Guan Wen to request credit after each victory of the Xiang Army.

Guan Wen also knew that he wasn't cut out for warfare. Therefore, he let Hu Linyi and others command the troops in battle.

In Guan Wen's eyes, these Han officials were nothing but lackeys.

They risked their lives on the front lines, yet they took all the credit—it couldn't be better.

Guan Wen nodded: "Lord Hu, His Majesty deeply abhors the Taiping Rebellion. Since the Taiping Rebellion began, it has caused significant losses to our Great Qing and has become a source of chaos throughout the land."

Now, the Taiping Rebellion is in turmoil, with the rebels Hong Xiuquan, Yang Xiuquan, and Wei Xiuquan all dying in the infighting. This is undoubtedly a golden opportunity for our Great Qing Dynasty.

We must seize this opportunity to wipe out the Taiping Rebellion in one fell swoop and restore peace to the world!

If this goal can be achieved, His Majesty will surely reward those who have made contributions.

At that time, Lord Hu and the other Hunan Army generals will naturally enjoy endless wealth and honor.

"Your Excellency understands. Please rest assured, Governor-General. The entire Xiang Army will do its utmost to suppress the Taiping Rebellion. We will be loyal to His Majesty and the Qing Dynasty!" Hu Linyi immediately declared.

Upon hearing this, Guan Wen nodded repeatedly, showing great satisfaction with Hu Linyi's attitude.

"Lord Hu, then you should make your preparations! We must move out before the end of next month. The Hubei Army will attack Wuchang and recapture the city. The task of launching an attack down the Yangtze River against the Taiping rebels will have to be left to the Hunan Army!" Guan Wen said.

"Yes, Your Excellency understands!" Hu Linyi replied.

After leaving the Governor-General's Mansion and returning to the Governor's Office, Hu Linyi immediately ordered a meeting of the high-ranking officers of the Hunan Army and instructed them to prepare for war.

At this time, the total strength of the Xiang Army exceeded 60,000.

It possessed not only infantry, but also cavalry and navy. The navy, in particular, was the backbone of the resistance against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in the Yangtze River basin.

In addition, Hu Linyi personally wrote to Zeng Bohan to inquire about his opinion on launching a large-scale attack on the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom on the orders of the Qing court.

In Zeng Bohan's eyes, this was undoubtedly an opportunity to annihilate the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and at the same time strengthen the Xiang Army, so he absolutely could not miss it.

Zeng Bohan considered himself a high-ranking official of the Qing Dynasty, so how could he let go of this opportunity to demonstrate his loyalty?

Zeng Bohan personally wrote to Hu Linyi and other high-ranking officials of the Xiang Army, urging them to do their utmost in the upcoming battles to quell the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and serve the imperial court.

At Zeng Bohan's request, the Hunan Army's top brass also began to actively prepare for the upcoming battle.

After discussion, it was decided that Li Xubin would lead 6,000 cavalrymen from Hubei Province into Anhui Province to assist the Anhui army in launching an attack on the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Peng Yulin and Yang Yuebin led the navy down the Yangtze River to control the river and ensure the logistical supply and transportation of the ground troops.

Meanwhile, Bao Chao led his infantry into Jiangxi Province to cooperate with local troops in launching an attack on the Taiping Army that controlled northern Jiangxi.

We must strive to achieve victory in Anhui and Jiangxi provinces and push the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's forces to the southern Jiangsu region.

Ultimately, they were annihilated.

In order to wipe out the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in one fell swoop, the Xiang Army was going to use all its strength this time.

Not only were all the cavalry and navy mobilized, but most of the infantry were also deployed.

At the end of December 1856, the Hunan Army troops, having completed all preparations, set off for the front lines.

At the same time, under the orders of Governor-General Guan Wen of Huguang, the Hubei Army also began to besiege Wuchang City, attempting to recapture this important city.

However, the Taiping army had already strengthened its defenses over Wuchang.

Originally, the Taiping Army only deployed one army in Wuchang, and it was not even at full strength, with only a little over 10,000 men.

However, after the Western Expeditionary Army was formed, at Hong Tian's request, the Taiping Army strengthened the defenses of Wuchang by adding an army. Both armies were at full strength.

This brought the Taiping Army's garrison in Wuchang to over 27,000 men.

Wuchang was originally a fortified city, and the Taiping army was fully capable of resisting the Qing army's attack thanks to its strong defenses.

In addition, the Hubei army's combat effectiveness was not very good to begin with, and it was even inferior to the Hunan army.

It was naturally very difficult to capture Wuchang, a city heavily fortified by the Taiping Army.

This will only result in both sides suffering huge losses and costs under the walls of Wuchang.

Furthermore, the losses suffered by the Hubei army were significantly greater than those of the Taiping army.

At this point in time, the Taiping Army's elite field troops were still very formidable in combat.

Even the Xiang Army was no match for the Taiping Army, let alone other Qing army units.

In another timeline, the Xiang Army's fighting strength surpassed that of the Taiping Army, also after the Tianjing Incident.

After a large number of elite troops were taken away by Wing King Shi Dakai, the remaining second-line and garrison troops were naturally much less effective in combat.

However, in this timeline, the Tianjing Incident was suppressed by Hong Tian, ​​Shi Dakai did not leave, and the elite forces of the Taiping Army still existed, making their combat power much stronger.

It is easy to imagine how difficult it would be for the various Qing army units to defeat the Taiping army.

When the Xiang Army began to move out, the Tartars' siege of Tianjing also began again.

Imperial Commissioner Dexing'a led an army of 50,000 men southward from Huai'an Prefecture in Jiangsu Province to attack Yangzhou. At the same time, another 10,000 troops advanced northward from Chuzhou in Anhui Province towards Tianjing City, establishing defensive lines in Jiangpu and Pukou, north of the Yangtze River, in an attempt to besiege Tianjing from the north.

Under the leadership of Prince Yan, Qin Rigang, the Taiping Army's Northern Expeditionary Corps engaged in fierce battles with the Qing army in Yangzhou and other places.

However, the Northern Expeditionary Army consisted of only three armies, totaling 40,000 men.

Facing the Qing army, which had a numerical advantage, victory was not possible in a short period of time.

Meanwhile, the Southern Expeditionary Army also encountered attacks from the Hunan Army and a portion of the Jiangxi Army in places such as Jiujiang Prefecture and Chizhou Prefecture.

Outnumbered, both armies of the Southern Expeditionary Army had no choice but to retreat and defend their fortified cities.

In the southeast of Tianjing City, Imperial Commissioner and Governor-General of Jiangnan He Chun, with the assistance of General Zhang Guoliang of Southern Jiangsu and General Zhou Tianshou of Northern Jiangxi, led an army of 80,000 to re-establish the Jiangnan Camp south of Tianjing City.

Faced with the superior strength of the Qing army, the Taiping army's eastern expeditionary force could only passively defend itself.

In a short time, the Tartars returned with renewed force, posing a significant threat to Tianjing City once again.

This plunged the entire Taiping Heavenly Kingdom into another immense crisis at this time.

Not only in Tianjing City, but also among the people, there was widespread panic.

Even many high-ranking officials of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom were deeply worried.

The old Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan led the Eastern King Yang Xiuqing and the Northern King Wei Changhui to ascend to the Heavenly Kingdom, while the new Heavenly King Hong Tian had just turned seven years old.

Faced with the overwhelming force of the Tartars, could the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom withstand the attack this time?

If they couldn't withstand the attack, the entire Taiping Heavenly Kingdom would likely be doomed.

The Tartars always killed Taiping Heavenly Kingdom officials, soldiers, and ordinary people without hesitation.

It is easy to imagine what would happen to everyone once the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was destroyed.

This inevitably plunged many people in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom into panic.

At the same time, this is also a huge test for Hung Tin, who has just succeeded to the throne and become the second-generation Heavenly King.

If he cannot lead the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom through this crisis, then everything will come to an end.

Conversely, if Hong Tian can lead the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom safely through this crisis, his prestige will undoubtedly be further enhanced. No one in the entire Taiping Heavenly Kingdom will look down on him because of his age anymore.