Slaying the Qing: My Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

Unlike the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which won a great victory in the war, not only annihilating a large number of Qing troops but also occupying a large area of ​​territory, the Manchus were in a state of gloom and despair.

Emperor Xianfeng's face was deathly pale, like a demon crawling out of hell.

But his eyes were bloodshot, as if he wanted to devour someone.

However, to be more precise, it was clearly just a result of the mental euphoria caused by excessive opium use.

For Emperor Xianfeng, whose health was deteriorating, this was undoubtedly a huge burden.

"A bunch of good-for-nothings! What on earth did those lackeys at the front do? Hundreds of thousands of troops besieged the Taiping Rebellion. Not only did they fail to win, but they also suffered heavy losses and lost a lot of land. This is an absolute disgrace!"

"I want all those lackeys beheaded!"

Emperor Xianfeng roared in anger.

All the civil and military officials in the court knelt on the ground, their heads bowed low, not daring to breathe.

Even if the person sitting on the dragon throne is just an opium addict.

However, the accumulated prestige of the Qing Dynasty over two hundred years had long since rendered these ministers afraid to resist, or rather, they had forgotten how to resist.

Those Tartar ministers, well, let's just leave it at that.

And those Han officials had long since been tamed.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! We (your servants) are guilty!"

The ministers had no choice but to keep kowtowing, trying to calm Emperor Xianfeng's anger.

"Calm down? The front lines have suffered repeated defeats, how can I calm down?" Emperor Xianfeng felt his anger rising.

During the reign of his father, the Daoguang Emperor, although the British invaded and caused the Qing Dynasty to suffer a major setback, not only losing face but also signing unequal treaties that humiliated the nation and ceded its sovereignty.

Overall, however, the world is still relatively peaceful.

But why did things turn out this way when he was emperor?

He didn't have any grand ambitions; he only wanted to be an emperor who could enjoy all the riches and honors.

Why can't even his small wish be fulfilled?

"Your Majesty, the fighting prowess displayed by the Taiping rebels in this battle has indeed exceeded our expectations. We originally thought that the Taiping rebels had suffered heavy losses due to internal strife and the deaths of rebels such as Hong, Yang, and Wei."

But it seems that the Longhair's strength remains undiminished.

Furthermore, according to reports from frontline ministers and generals, the Taiping Rebellion had an elite force equipped with a large number of foreign guns and cannons, making them extremely powerful in combat.

The Jiangnan Camp, the Jiangbei Camp, and even Luzhou City were all captured by this army.

This is also the main reason why our Great Qing suffered such heavy losses in this battle.

Grand Councilor Peng Yunzhang reported this.

With the death of Wen Qing, the chief minister of the Grand Council, Peng Yunzhang had become the most senior among the Grand Council ministers.

But whether he can become the chief minister of the Grand Council is very hard to say.

After all, there was no precedent in the Qing Dynasty for a Han Chinese official to serve as the chief minister of the Grand Council!

"My Eight Banners cavalry is unparalleled in the world. When we entered the pass, we swept across the land. Didn't the Ming Dynasty also equip itself with a large number of firearms back then? Yet it was still no match for my Eight Banners cavalry!" Emperor Xianfeng said nonchalantly.

Although the Qing army had been utterly defeated by the British who came from the sea more than a decade ago during the war.

However, many high-ranking officials in the Qing court, including the emperor, believed that archery and horsemanship were the best in the world.

Firearms are nothing more than ingenious tricks and gimmicks.

Many people's thinking is still stuck two hundred years ago.

But they never imagined that over two hundred years, the Qing Dynasty's iron-willed farming had long since rendered the once mighty Eight Banners cavalry useless.

This is why, in the current war, the Qing army has had to rely heavily on the Green Standard Army in various regions, and even local militias and Menggu cavalry.

The Beijing Garrison, composed of Manchu bannermen, was supposedly an elite force of over 100,000 men, but it had long been synonymous with incompetence.

"Your Majesty, times have changed. As far as I know, the Taiping Rebels have always maintained very close trade relations with foreigners. They have purchased a large number of advanced firearms from foreigners."

If our Great Qing wants to defeat the Taiping Rebellion, we must adopt the same methods.

Otherwise, if the Taiping Rebellion cannot be eradicated and instead grows stronger, it will inevitably become a major threat to our Great Qing!

Your Majesty, I humbly request that you allow local governors and military commanders to raise their own funds to purchase muskets and cannons from foreigners, thereby strengthening our military, suppressing the Taiping Rebellion, and safeguarding the Qing Dynasty!

Zhu Fengbiao, the Minister of War, offered his suggestion.

"No! We can't open this door. If local governors and viceroys act arbitrarily and expand their armies at will, what will the court do then?" Minister of War Quan Qing immediately objected.

Many ministers also expressed their opposition.

But looking around, these ministers were either Manchu officials or members of the imperial family.

Even though the Tartars had been in the Central Plains for over two hundred years, they had always been on guard against the Han people.

From the complete burning of all kinds of books and technologies left by the Ming Dynasty, to the prohibition of the development of firearms, to the later suppression of people's thoughts, and the suppression and bribery of scholars all over the country, all of these were done to ensure that the Qing Dynasty's rule would last for thousands of generations.

Unfortunately, there has never been an empire that lasts forever.

The Qing Dynasty's long-standing stagnation and self-imposed isolation have caused it to fall far behind the rest of the world.

This meant that the Qing Dynasty had truly reached a critical juncture.

"Lord Zhu, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi has submitted a memorial stating that the British and the Gauls, under the pretext of the 'Arrow Incident' and the 'Father Ma Incident,' are demanding that our Great Qing open more ports for trade, along with a whole host of unequal conditions."

Governor-General Ye of Guangdong and Guangxi argued his case with reason, but the foreigners were being unreasonable and had already begun mobilizing troops.

I fear that soon, the foreigners will launch another attack on our Great Qing, just as they did more than ten years ago.

"At this moment, how could our Great Qing possibly buy firearms from foreigners again?"

"This was said by Grand Councilor Bo Jun."

Immediately, the court was in an uproar.

Internally, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was growing stronger and stronger, while externally, foreigners were pressing closer and closer.

The Qing Dynasty seemed to be beset by internal and external troubles, teetering on the brink of collapse!

"Shut up, all of you!"

The Taiping rebels bullied me, and now the foreigners want to bully me too. Do you think I'm so easy to bully?

Are all the civil and military officials of my Great Qing Dynasty useless and incompetent?

"By imperial decree, inform Governor-General Ye Mingchen of the absolute order that there must be no retreat. If the foreigners dare to invade, he will lead the troops of Guangdong and Guangxi to resolutely resist. All military affairs in Guangdong and Guangxi will be under Ye Mingchen's full authority!"

Emperor Xianfeng, in a fit of anger, issued the order.

"Yes, Your Majesty! We (your humble servants) obey the decree!"

With Emperor Xianfeng in a fit of rage, of course no one dared to defy him anymore.

Otherwise, I might have lost my life.

"Isn't Zeng Bohan's Xiang Army very capable? Let Zeng Bohan train more Xiang Army troops to besiege the Taiping rebels. As long as he can defeat the Taiping rebels and successfully wipe them out, I will appoint him as the Governor-General of Huguang, or even promote him to the Grand Council!" Emperor Xianfeng then issued the order.

"Your Majesty, Lord Zeng is still in mourning!" Grand Councilor Bo Jun reminded him.

In his fury, Emperor Xianfeng heavily relied on Han officials, which was not a good thing for the Manchu officials in the court.

Once the power of these Han officials expands further, their status and interests will be challenged and threatened.

"Even in mourning, one can disregard the mourning period. At this critical juncture, Zeng Bohan must prioritize the nation!" Emperor Xianfeng said.

Seeing this, the other ministers had no choice but to agree.

"My beloved ministers, you are all pillars of our Great Qing Dynasty. In this battle, we must exert all our strength to wipe out the Taiping Rebellion."

I have decided to no longer restrict the governors and viceroys of the southern provinces from organizing local militias. As long as they can defeat the Taiping rebels, I will allow them to act first and report later!

Emperor Xianfeng clearly regarded the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom as the greatest threat, and was willing to break ancestral rules to do everything possible to destroy it.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" No one in the court dared to voice any objection.

Or rather, given that the situation had already reached this point, they had no other choice but to let Emperor Xianfeng make the decisions.