Slaying the Qing: My Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

"Order the artillery battalion to prepare to bombard the Tartar defenses and camps in twenty minutes. I want to see if the Tartars' turtle shell is harder, or if my artillery fire is more powerful!"

Lieutenant General Chen Yucheng, deputy commander of the Guards Corps and commander of the 1st Infantry Division, put down his binoculars.

"Yes, Commander!" Colonel Sun Qiming nodded.

The artillery battalion of the 1st Guards Infantry Division was equipped with 24 75mm field guns.

Although these cannons were all cast in bronze and far inferior to the cannons of later generations, they were still quite advanced compared to the mainstream muzzle-loading cannons of the time. These Type 6 75mm field guns, which used breech-loading ammunition and fixed-load ammunition, were already considered very advanced.

Both its power and range are far greater than those of artillery of the same caliber.

Even the artillery equipped by the foreign devils' army could not compare to it.

Not to mention the artillery equipped by the Qing army.

The Qing army's artillery consisted entirely of old-fashioned muzzle-loading cannons. In fact, most of them fired solid spherical projectiles, which not only had a short range but also very limited firepower.

In this respect, the Guards have an almost overwhelming advantage.

Upon receiving the order, the artillery battalion of the 1st Infantry Division of the Guards Corps immediately began preparations.

One by one, the Type 6 75mm field guns were unloaded from behind the horses and mules and pushed into the prepared artillery positions.

One by one, the cannonballs were unloaded from the horse-drawn carriages and transported to the various gun positions using handcarts.

Just then, the Qing army's camp suddenly opened.

Squads of Qing soldiers filed out from their various camps and lined up in front of the defensive line.

This move by the Qing army greatly surprised the officers and soldiers of the Imperial Guard.

They were originally prepared to launch a decisive attack. But unexpectedly, the Qing army took the initiative to leave their fortified camps and defenses and set up their lines in the open field. Were they preparing to engage the Taiping army in open battle?

"Commander, the Tartars are going to engage us in open battle!" Colonel Sun Qiming exclaimed excitedly.

If the Qing army were to hide behind fortified camps and defensive lines, the 1st Infantry Division of the Imperial Guard might have to exert considerable effort and pay a certain price to break through their lines.

But the Qing army's attempt to engage in open battle with the 1st Infantry Division of the Imperial Guards was an unexpected delight!

"Haha! Very good, excellent. Since the Tartars are courting death, they can't blame us. 2nd Infantry Regiment, deploy in the front. 1st and 3rd Infantry Regiments, defend the flanks. Artillery battalion, prepare fire. Open fire immediately once the Tartars launch an attack. Cavalry battalion, in the rear, are responsible for protecting the artillery battalion. And, prepare for a surprise attack!" Lieutenant General Chen Yucheng issued a series of orders.

"Yes, Commander!" the officers replied in unison.

The 1st Infantry Division of the Guards Corps quickly responded to the orders.

The soldiers, organized by company, prepared to open fire.

There wasn't enough time to build defensive fortifications.

However, soldiers could easily dig a foxhole in a short time. Huddled inside, they could avoid exposing most of their bodies.

Meanwhile, the fire support team quickly built machine gun positions out of mud.

The mortars were deployed in a more rear position.

In addition, the artillery batteries of each infantry regiment, equipped with Type 6 75mm mountain guns, were also ready to fire.

Zhejiang Province was a key source of tax revenue for the Qing government and also a key province for the Manchus to defend.

After the Taiping army captured Jiangning City, renamed it Tianjing City, and established its capital there, the Tartars strengthened the military preparedness in Zhejiang Province.

In addition to the 8,000 Eight Banner soldiers directly commanded by the General of Hangzhou, 50,000 Green Standard Army soldiers were also recruited.

This time, Zhejiang Provincial Commander Deng Shaoliang led a full 30,000 Zhejiang troops to deal with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

"Admiral, the Taiping Rebels' formation is quite strange! They are equipped with a lot of muskets, but we hardly see any spears or broadswords or other melee weapons. Furthermore, most of the Taiping Rebels are lying on the ground."

Furthermore, we also discovered that the long-haired soldiers were generally quite young, appearing to be only seventeen or eighteen years old!

General Rao Tingxuan reported this.

"Seventeen or eighteen-year-old child soldiers? And they were so scared that they lay on the ground? It seems that the Taiping rebels have reached a dead end! Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent even child soldiers to the battlefield."

However, this is undoubtedly a good thing for our Great Qing Dynasty!

"The Taiping rebels can't hold out any longer! We'll soon defeat them and end this war!"

Deng Shaoliang's confidence increased greatly.

Rao Tingxuan nodded repeatedly, looking as if he deeply agreed.

"Send someone to tell the Taiping rebels to lay down their weapons and surrender to the Qing Dynasty immediately. I can guarantee they will be spared!" Deng Shaoliang said.

"Admiral, the Imperial Envoy has demanded that not a single Taiping rebel be spared! Besides, the court has always deeply abhorred the Taiping rebels. Even His Majesty has issued a decree to exterminate them completely," Rao Tingxuan reminded him.

Deng Shaoliang nodded: "I can certainly tell the difference between what's important and what's not. However, if we want to defeat these Taiping rebels and wipe them all out, our brothers in Zhejiang Province must be prepared to pay a considerable price."

If the Taiping rebels could lay down their weapons and surrender, that would be the best outcome.

Although I guarantee that they will be spared.

But you never made any promises!

"At that time, do you need me to tell you what to do?"

"Understood!" Rao Tingxuan immediately understood.

They clearly intended to lure the Taiping Army into laying down their weapons and surrendering to them.

Then, they massacred the unarmed Taiping soldiers.

At that time, the Taiping army will lose the power to resist and will be slaughtered like pigs and sheep.

They will wipe out all the Taiping soldiers with minimal losses and win this battle.

Immediately afterwards, the Qing army sent men to a location less than fifty meters from the position of the 1st Infantry Division of the Imperial Guards and began to shout.

"Listen up, you Taiping rebels! The Admiral is giving you a chance to live. Lay down your weapons and surrender to the Qing Dynasty immediately, and you will be spared."

Otherwise, you will all be beheaded!

The Qing army officer shouted at the top of his lungs.

"What are you barking about, you Qing demon? Kill him!" Chen Yucheng ordered.

"Yes, Commander!" Sun Qiming immediately gave the order.

A sharpshooter immediately took aim at the Qing army officer.

"Bang!"

Gunshots rang out, and the Qing officer's head had already shattered like a watermelon.

Red and white, scattered everywhere.

At a distance of fifty meters, the soldiers of the Imperial Guard can almost always hit the target, let alone sharpshooters.

Although the Type 5 rifle used black powder, its 11mm caliber ensured not only range but also firepower.

The Qing soldiers looked at each other in dismay when they saw their envoy being shot in the head.

Meanwhile, Deng Shaoliang, the governor of Zhejiang Province, had a face as black as the bottom of a pot.

It was his idea to send someone to induce the Taiping army to surrender.

As a result, the Taiping army killed his messenger directly, which was a perfect slap in the face for him!

You must know, the admiral is a high-ranking official of the first rank!

Even during the Qing Dynasty, civil officials were valued more than military officials.

Military officers are high-ranking but have little power.

However, a provincial governor of a first-rank official position is already considered a high-ranking official in charge of a region.

The Taiping Army's actions were utterly disrespectful to him!

Officials are naturally the most concerned about their reputation.

This shows just how much hatred Deng Shaoliang harbored.

"Bastards! A bunch of crude and barbaric peasants dared to shoot an official of the imperial court. They are guilty of heinous crimes and are unforgivable!"

"By my order, launch an immediate attack! Slaughter every last one of those Taiping rebels!"

In a fit of rage, Deng Shaoliang gave the order to attack.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Rao Tingxuan replied immediately.

Orders were issued one after another, and Qing troops launched their attacks upon receiving them.

"Charge! Kill all these long-haired thugs!"

"The lord has ordered: kill one Taiping rebel, and you'll be rewarded with five taels of silver. Kill ten Taiping rebels, and you'll be promoted three ranks!"

The messenger rode back and forth on horseback, relaying orders.

Upon hearing this order, countless Qing soldiers' eyes gleamed with excitement.

In his eyes, the Taiping soldiers had become nothing more than piles of silver and official positions.