Slaying the Qing: My Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

Xianggaoguan Shafu.

All the generals of the Hunan Army gathered at the newly built Huguang Governor's Office.

The previous Governor-General of Huguang, Guan Wen, was dismissed from his post and transferred back to Yanjing by the imperial court due to his unsuccessful attack on Wuchang.

The imperial edict appointing Zeng Bohan, the leader of the Xiang Army, as the Governor-General of Huguang by Emperor Xianfeng had also been delivered urgently.

Originally, the seat of the Governor-General of Huguang should have been in Wuchang City.

But Wuchang had already fallen. Furthermore, after the Qing army's crushing defeat in this battle, even more prefectures and cities in Hubei province were bound to fall.

Therefore, Zeng Bohan temporarily placed the Huguang Governor's Office in Changsha Prefecture.

Zeng Bohan was originally from Changsha, and now he has become the Governor-General of Huguang, which is a high-ranking official. He can be considered to have returned home in glory.

Even the residence of the current Governor-General of Huguang was donated by a wealthy merchant.

This demonstrates the high status and influence Zeng Bohan held in Hunan Province.

"Congratulations, Governor!" The generals of the Hunan Army were all beaming with joy.

Zeng Bohan's successful rise to power undoubtedly opened up a path for them to advance!

Next, all they need to do is continue climbing up the passage.

As the saying goes, "When one person ascends to heaven, even their chickens and dogs attain enlightenment."

It seems like the good days for the Hunan Army are just around the corner!

Zeng Bohan was in high spirits, as if the adverse effects of the Xiang Army's previous crushing defeat on the battlefield had completely vanished at this moment.

"Fellow colleagues, I am honored by His Majesty's favor in being appointed Governor-General of Huguang. I will certainly do my utmost to repay His Majesty's kindness. I also hope that all the soldiers of the Xiang Army can work together with me to defeat the Taiping rebels and restore peace and prosperity to our Great Qing!" Zeng Bohan said to the crowd with high spirits.

"Yes, sir!" the generals of the Xiang Army replied in unison.

Everyone knows that the main reason why the imperial court heavily relied on Zeng Bohan was that the Qing army suffered a major defeat on the battlefield, not only incurring heavy losses but also losing a large number of prefectures and counties.

The imperial army was powerless against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Therefore, they could only place their hopes on the Han Chinese officials and generals who held significant military power.

This is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity for everyone.

Once you seize this opportunity, you'll soar to new heights!

"Your Excellency, it's still a pity that Ru Jiu is gone!" said Hu Linyi, the governor of Hubei Province.

As another leader of the Hunan Army, Hu Linyi also had a great influence within the Hunan Army.

During Zeng Bohan's period of mourning, the Xiang Army remained under his command.

The "Ru Jiu" mentioned by Hu Linyi is Li Xubin, the commander of the Xiang Army's cavalry.

Li Xubin, a fierce general of the Hunan Army, commanded the most powerful cavalry unit in the Hunan Army, which had always been the elite force of the Hunan Army.

But this time, the Hunan Army's cavalry, numbering over six thousand, was completely wiped out on the battlefield in Anhui Province.

This was undoubtedly a very heavy blow to the Hunan Army.

This also made Zeng Bohan very dissatisfied with Li Xubin's failure to lead the Hunan Army to withdraw from Anhui Province in a timely manner.

However, to avoid being perceived as harsh and heartless, he could only keep his dissatisfaction deep inside.

In Zeng Bohan's view, it didn't matter if Li Xubin sought his own death, but he shouldn't drag down the main force of the Xiang Army!

Now that things have come to this, Zeng Bohan has no other recourse but to feel a heart-wrenching pain.

"Ru Jiu was tricked by Bi Chengzhao! He believed Bi Chengzhao's lies and really thought he could withstand the Taiping Rebellion's attack in Luzhou City. As a result, he not only lost himself, but also the most elite cavalry of my Xiang Army. He's simply inhuman!" Xiang Army general Bao Chao said with a face full of dissatisfaction.

He led the Xiang Army infantry in a fierce battle against the Taiping Army's 1st Southern Expeditionary Army in Jiujiang Prefecture, and victory seemed imminent.

Unexpectedly, the situation changed drastically, forcing them to flee back to Hunan Province in disgrace.

Fortunately, he did not suffer a defeat and die like Li Xubin.

But this also made Bao Chao very dissatisfied.

After all, the Hunan Army was a unified entity.

Li Xubin's defeat will make the entire Hunan Army pay the price!

"Alright, death is the greatest loss. Besides, Ru Jiu was one of our comrades, who died fighting the Taiping rebels on the battlefield. Even if he did make some minor mistakes, let's not dwell on it," Zeng Bohan said.

"Yes, Your Excellency!" the generals of the Hunan Army replied in unison.

"Your Excellency, the most important thing we face now is how to deal with the Taiping Rebellion's attack."

The Taiping rebels are launching a major offensive into northern Jiangsu, northern Anhui, southern Jiangxi, and Hubei province. The imperial court, already suffering heavy losses, is powerless to stop their advance. Otherwise, it wouldn't have issued an edict encouraging us to raise our own military funds and organize local militias.

While this loosens our restrictions, it also demonstrates that the threat posed by the Taiping Rebellion was indeed too great.

Peng Yulin, commander of the Xiang Army's navy, said.

Zeng Bohan nodded. He had served as a vice minister in Yanjing and knew very well how wary the emperor and other high-ranking officials were of Han officials.

If we weren't forced to, how could we possibly give them such an opening, allowing them to organize and train their own militia?

Isn't this because the Qing army has been severely damaged by the Taiping army and is temporarily unable to resist the Taiping army's attack, so they can only place their hopes on the local militia?

"Gentlemen, that is indeed the case. So, this is both an opportunity and a great test for us."

I hope we can seize this opportunity, soar to new heights, and make the Hunan Army an even stronger force. I also hope everyone can have a brighter future!

Zeng Bohan addressed the crowd.

"Yes, Your Excellency!" the generals of the Hunan Army replied in unison.

To strive for a bright future is the goal of everyone.

"However, don't be too happy yet. We all know how powerful the Taiping Rebellion is. Our Hunan Army has also suffered considerable losses on the battlefield."

Furthermore, we will face even fiercer attacks from the Taiping rebels.

Everyone must actively contribute ideas and strategies to resist the Taiping Rebellion's attack and completely defeat them.

Otherwise, let alone getting ahead, getting promoted, or making a fortune, you might even lose your life.

If we allow the Taiping rebels to run rampant across Hunan, causing countless people to be murdered by them, then we will be the sinners of the entire province of Hunan!

Zeng Bohan said with a serious expression.

"Yes, Your Excellency!" The expressions of the Xiang Army generals also became solemn.

"Your Excellency, the reason why the Taiping rebels have won one victory after another on the battlefield is mainly because they are equipped with advanced firearms. If we could also equip ourselves with such advanced firearms, we could also defeat them easily."

We, the sons of Hunan, will absolutely not be inferior to anyone else on the battlefield!

Zeng Guoquan, Zeng Bohan's younger brother, said.

Although Zeng Guoquan was Zeng Bohan's younger brother, he was also known as the Ninth Marshal in the Xiang Army because he was the ninth in his family.

This person is a ruthless killer.

In another timeline, the troops that massacred Taiping Heavenly Kingdom soldiers after capturing Nanjing were led by this man.

"The Taiping rebels' firearms are formidable, which is indeed a problem. We need to find a way to buy more advanced firearms from the foreigners. Otherwise, it would be very frustrating to always be suppressed by the Taiping rebels with their firearms on the battlefield," Bao Chao said.

This was also agreed upon by Zeng Bohan.

"Zhu Sheng, I'll put you in charge of contacting the foreigners and purchasing their firearms!" Zeng Bohan said.

"Alright, no problem! However, the imperial court has reported that foreigners are assembling a fleet and troops in Guangdong Province, clearly intending to wage war against our Great Qing again. It will be very difficult for us to buy firearms from foreigners at this time," replied Hu Linyi, the governor of Hubei Province.

Zeng Bohan nodded: "Let's give it a try. If we can buy it, that would be best. If we really can't buy it, we'll find a way to make it ourselves."

"Can a living person really die from holding their pee?"

"Yes, Your Excellency!" Hu Linyi and the other high-ranking officers of the Hunan Army replied in unison.

Although firearms played a very significant role on the battlefield, they still believed that human beings were the most important thing.