Slaying the Qing: My Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

North of the Yangtze River, there is Yangzhou City.

With the large-scale attack by the Tartars, this place has become the main battlefield between the Taiping Army's Northern Expeditionary Force and the Tartars.

The 1st Army under the Northern Expeditionary Army Corps was stationed in Yangzhou Prefecture.

The 2nd and 3rd Armies were stationed in the surrounding towns.

Since the Tartars launched their major counterattack, the Northern Expeditionary Army has been fighting them on this land for two months.

Although the Northern Expeditionary Army lost vast swathes of territory and could only retreat to a few cities, suffering considerable casualties, they successfully stalled the Tartar advance, firmly keeping them within the territory of Yangzhou Prefecture.

Inside Yangzhou Prefecture, Qin Rigang, the Prince of Yan and commander of the Northern Expeditionary Army, was discussing the current situation with Wei Zhijun, the commander of the 1st Army.

Although Wei Zhijun was the younger brother of Wei Changhui, the Prince of the North, he was not implicated thanks to Hong Tian's protection. He was simply transferred from the Western Expeditionary Army to the Northern Expeditionary Army.

In another timeline, although Wei Zhijun eventually surrendered to the Tartars, he was forced into a corner.

Because of the Tianjing Incident, Wei Zhijun had already been ostracized.

When the Qing army besieged Chizhou Prefecture, Wei Zhijun was completely isolated and helpless, and could not receive any help.

When they ran out of ammunition and food, they had no choice but to surrender and seek refuge with the Tartars.

However, in this timeline, Hong Tian highly recognized Wei Zhijun's abilities and protected him.

This made Wei Zhijun extremely grateful to Hong Tian.

On the battlefield, they performed even more diligently.

"Your Highness, the 1st Infantry Division of the Imperial Guard has begun crossing the river. They will arrive in Yangzhou Prefecture in three days at most. Then, it will be time for us to launch a large-scale counterattack against the Tartars!" Wei Zhijun said excitedly.

Qin Rigang nodded repeatedly: "These past two months have been truly frustrating! The Tartars' forces aren't significantly larger than ours, yet we've been completely suppressed! This has never happened before since the Taiping Rebellion began!"

"Your Highness, there's nothing we can do about it. The Tartars have deployed a large number of cavalry, which is our inherent disadvantage. Our infantry simply cannot withstand the Tartar cavalry's charge in open field battles. Only by defending the city can we offset the Tartar cavalry's advantage." Wei Zhijun was equally frustrated.

The Northern Expeditionary Army consisted of three armies, totaling 40,000 men.

The Tartars deployed 50,000 troops in the Yangzhou area.

The main force consisted of nearly 40,000 Green Standard Army soldiers. However, there were also 10,000 cavalrymen drawn from the northern regions by the Tartars. This was a cavalry unit composed of a mix of Menggu cavalry and Eight Banners cavalry.

Although the Eight Banners cavalry had long since declined, the troops stationed in the northern border regions were still quite capable.

Although the Menggu cavalry has also begun to decline, long since losing the aura that swept across Eurasia in their ancestors' time, these cavalrymen still possessed formidable combat power in the era of cold weapons.

In particular, the impact of cavalry was something that infantry could hardly withstand.

This is also why the Northern Expeditionary Army was suppressed in the two months of fighting and had to abandon a large number of rural areas and retreat to towns.

Only in this way can the advantage of the Tartar cavalry be offset, thereby resisting the Tartar attack.

"Your Highness, the 1st Infantry Division of the Imperial Guard is about to be deployed to the battlefield. They have swept through the Tartars on the southern Jiangsu battlefield. The Tartars have lost nearly 100,000 troops on the entire southern Jiangsu battlefield."

The 1st Guards Infantry Division demonstrated extremely formidable combat power on the battlefield.

Once they arrive, we can launch a counterattack.

Finally, I can vent my anger!

Wei Zhijun had high expectations for the 1st Infantry Division of the Imperial Guards.

Qin Rigang nodded.

If Wei Zhijun had only heard of the Imperial Guard's fighting prowess, then Qin Rigang had at least witnessed the Imperial Guard's combat capabilities firsthand.

During the Tianjing Incident, the Imperial Guard easily suppressed the elite troops of the Northern Prince's Mansion, which greatly shocked Qin Rigang.

He even knew that if he hadn't acted decisively and joined forces with Hong Tian, ​​who was still the young Heavenly King at the time...

He might end up like the Northern King Wei Changhui, shot dead by the Imperial Guard.

The Royal Guard is equipped with powerful muskets and cannons, making it extremely powerful.

The elite troops that Wei Changhui, the Northern King, led when he launched the Tianjing Incident were all seasoned veterans who had fought on the battlefield for many years.

But faced with the overwhelming firepower of the Royal Guard, they were as fragile as paper and were easily torn to shreds.

In comparison, the Tartar cavalry was formidable.

But can they break through the concentrated firepower of the Royal Guard?

Qin Rigang expressed doubt about this.

"On the Eastern Expeditionary Army side, one corps has already begun reorganization. After we break through the Tartars' Jiangbei camp, I will also request His Majesty to allow one corps from our Northern Expeditionary Army to be reorganized," Qin Rigang said.

Wei Zhijun was immediately tempted.

If his troops were reorganized into a standard infantry division, it would undoubtedly greatly enhance the combat effectiveness of the troops he commands.

Which general doesn't want to command an elite force?

Although the Northern Expeditionary Army consisted of three armies, the other two were commanded by Qin Rigang's nephew.

Even to avoid suspicion, Qin Rigang would not prioritize the reorganization of the other two armies.

"Your Highness, it is said that His Majesty once said that once the production capacity of the arsenal is further improved, all the troops of the Heavenly Kingdom will eventually be reorganized," Wei Zhijun said.

Qin Rigang nodded: "Yes! If all the troops of the Heavenly Kingdom were reorganized, then the Tartars would be no match for us at all."

Overthrowing the brutal rule of the Tartars is just around the corner!

On March 2, 1857, the entire 1st Infantry Division of the Imperial Guard crossed the Yangtze River and entered the territory of Yangzhou Prefecture.

The Qing army's scouts quickly learned of this news.

Dexing'a, the commander of the Qing army's Jiangbei camp stationed in Jiangdu, quickly summoned a group of high-ranking Qing soldiers to discuss countermeasures.

Dexing'a commanded these Qing troops with the positions of Imperial Commissioner, Deputy Commander-in-Chief, and Commander-in-Chief of the Jiangbei Camp.

However, among these Qing troops, Senggelinqin, who commanded the cavalry, held a position no less important than Dexing'a.

When the Taiping Army launched its Northern Expedition, Senggelinqin led a large number of Menggu cavalry to participate in the encirclement and suppression of the Northern Expeditionary Army, and finally annihilated the Northern Expeditionary Army.

This also led to Emperor Xianfeng bestowing upon Senggelinqin the title of Prince Bodolegatai.

This is also the origin of the title "King of Monks".

Senggelinqin was also one of the leaders of the Menggu Khorchin tribe, wielding immense influence over the entire tribe. The Khorchin tribe was, in fact, the most staunch ally of the Manchus among the Menggu tribes.

Even before the Qing army entered the pass, the Khorchin tribe was considered the ironclad force of the Manchu Qing.

Even the famous Empress Xiaozhuang, Dayuer, came from the Khorchin tribe.

This further elevated Senggelinqin's status within the Qing army.

"Monk King, generals, the elite Taiping rebels who swept through southern Jiangsu have crossed the Yangtze River and appeared in Yangzhou Prefecture. This will likely have a significant impact on our upcoming operations. What are your thoughts on this?" Dexing'a asked with a serious expression.

On the battlefield south of the Yangtze River, nearly 100,000 troops were wiped out.

The Jiangbei battlefield only had 50,000 troops in total.

Even if we include the tens of thousands of Qing troops in the Jiangpu and Pukou areas north of Tianjing, the total number is only 60,000.

Facing an elite force capable of sweeping across the battlefield, one can imagine the immense pressure these Qing generals endured.

"Your Excellency, if all else fails, we should abandon the siege of Yangzhou and retreat to Jiangdu with all our might. Alternatively, we can withdraw from Yangzhou and retreat to Huai'an to set up defenses!" suggested Hao Guangjia, the general of Jinan Town in Shandong Province.

"If we voluntarily give up Yangzhou, and the imperial court blames us, who can bear the responsibility? After the great defeat in Jiangnan, He Chun and others have all been imprisoned!" Shi Rongchun, the garrison commander of Xuzhou, retorted.

The Qing army generals were immediately speechless.

The disastrous defeat at the Jiangnan camp greatly angered the imperial court. Although the group managed to escape to Jiangbei...

However, they were all taken to Yanjing for trial.

What the outcome will be is anyone's guess.

"When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it! I want to see just how powerful these so-called elite Taiping rebels really are!" Senggelinqin's face was full of confidence.