Slaying the Qing: My Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

"Fellow villagers, greetings! I am Wu Dingyuan, the mayor of Fengqiao Town appointed by the Heavenly Kingdom. From now on, I will serve you, convey the various decrees of the Heavenly Kingdom, and lead you to a better life."

A young man in his early twenties stood in the middle of the grassy field, introducing himself to the people.

This also made the surrounding people aware of the young man's identity.

The young man was appointed by the Heavenly Kingdom as the mayor of Fengqiao Town, who would become the official in charge of these people.

"The Tartars are brutal and have carried out massacres since entering the pass. For the past two hundred years, they have levied exorbitant taxes and levies. Countless people live in poverty and suffer unspeakable misery."

The old Heavenly King could not bear to see the people suffer under the oppression of the Tartars, so he led the people to rise up in rebellion.

Now, the old Heavenly King has completed his mission and ascended to heaven to serve the Heavenly Father.

And the Heavenly Kingdom, under the leadership of the Heavenly King, became even more powerful.

In the recent great battle, we decisively defeated the Tartars in southern Jiangsu, annihilating over 100,000 Tartar troops. The entire southern Jiangsu region is now under the control of the Heavenly Kingdom.

Furthermore, I can assure you.

After occupying the southern Jiangsu region, the Heavenly Kingdom will definitely not leave again. Therefore, there is no need to worry that the Tartars will return.

Wu Dingyuan introduced it to everyone.

This has sparked much discussion among the general public.

The battle between the Taiping Army and the Qing Army in the southern Jiangsu region was exceptionally fierce.

Of course, this refers to the Qing army.

The Qing army suffered enormous losses in this battle. Not only did it lose a large number of troops, but it also lost the entire southern Jiangsu region.

While the people knew that the Taiping army had won, they were unaware that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had annihilated so many Qing troops.

So much so that their eyes were filled with fear when they looked at the Taiping Army.

"Heavens above! The imperial court has lost 100,000 soldiers. Is it really going to be a change of dynasty?" an old farmer with white hair said in a look of horror.

"What government troops? Those are Tartars! Didn't you hear what the town elder said? The entire southern Jiangsu is now under the rule of the Heavenly Kingdom. We are all citizens of the Heavenly Kingdom, and the Tartars can't come back!" A young man's eyes were filled with excitement.

"Whether they are Tartars or the Heavenly Kingdom, what does it have to do with us? We still farm and pay rent, that's been the way of the world for ages!" said another old farmer whose face was etched with deep wrinkles.

His words resonated with many people.

"Perhaps, after the Heavenly Kingdom drives out the Tartars, things will be different this time!" the young man said.

He went to the prefectural city yesterday and saw many different places.

Therefore, I have even greater expectations for heaven.

"Fellow countrymen, the Heavenly King said that we are all children of the Heavenly Father, and we are all equal. In our Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, there will be no oppression or exploitation. The tiller owns the land, and everyone can be allocated their own land," Wu Dingyuan continued to say to everyone.

"Land to the tiller?"

"Will the Kingdom of Heaven distribute land to us?"

This made everyone excited.

It is important to know that people have always had an unparalleled attachment to the land.

This has become so deeply ingrained in the very bones, or rather, in the genes, of the entire nation.

However, throughout history, land annexation has been a serious problem. As a result, for many people, owning land has remained an unattainable dream.

And now, all of this is about to become a reality.

"Heaven will give us land? But does Heaven have so much land? Does His Father have a lot of land to give us?"

Questions were raised.

"I don't know if our Heavenly Father has given us that much land. But I do know that those kneeling landlords and rich people own quite a lot of land!"

Immediately, everyone who heard this sentence had a bright look in their eyes.

Landlords and wealthy men seized vast tracts of land through cunning and force.

The poor people, however, didn't even have a place to settle down and make a living.

Even though peasant uprisings have always broken out at the end of dynasties throughout history, the final outcome still cannot change the fact that peasants are the oppressed and exploited.

Landlords remained the ruling class, high above all others.

Will Heaven be able to change this age-old law this time?

A glimmer of expectation appeared in the previously numb eyes of the people.

"The Heavenly King has announced that all citizens of our Heavenly Kingdom, regardless of gender or age, will be allocated five mu of land per person. Men who are willing to shave their heads will receive an additional two mu. Those whose family members have joined the Taiping Army will receive an extra five mu!"

Wu Dingyuan announced the land allocation plan to everyone.

"Five acres of land for everyone? Regardless of gender or age?"

"Good heavens! There are five people in our family, doesn't that mean we'll have to divide twenty-five acres of land?"

An elderly farmer with white hair stammered.

"That's not all! Old Man Qin, you, Dazhuang, and Xiaosanzi are all men. If you're willing to cut off your queues and shave your heads, your family can get an extra six mu of land!"

Furthermore, if you, sir, are willing to let your third son join the army, the family can even receive an additional five mu of land.

"A young man next to me said."

"Shave your head? Cut off your braid? Well... let's forget about that. Didn't the town elder say that if you cut off your braid, you won't be able to get into the ancestral graveyard after you die?" Old Man Qin said awkwardly.

For many people, they have worn braids since childhood.

So much so that they've all gotten used to it.

"Hmph! You're talking about Scholar Chen, aren't you? I saw it with my own eyes yesterday; he had a completely shaved head!" the young man sneered.

"How is that possible? Didn't Scholar Chen always talk about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, and accuse the Heavenly Kingdom of being traitors? How could they respond to the Heavenly Kingdom's call to cut off their queues?" Many people didn't believe it.

"Because the Heavenly Kingdom stipulates that if you want to become an official or a soldier, you must cut off your queue. Scholar Chen was the first to respond and has already cut off his queue. It is said that he has been appointed as the deputy mayor of the town by the Heavenly Kingdom!" the young man explained.

Everyone was stunned.

However, they all believed that this was indeed something Chen Xiucai was capable of doing.

Chen Xiucai was almost fifty years old. Although he had passed the Xiucai exam, he had been unable to pass the Juren exam for decades.

He's so desperate to become an official he's practically driven mad!

Now that Heaven has presented such an opportunity, how could Scholar Chen possibly let it slip by?

Even if it's just a deputy town mayor, in the Heavenly Kingdom's official system, that's still a fifth-rank official position.

This shows that many scholars like Chen Xiucai were completely opportunistic, treating education merely as a stepping stone to officialdom.

As long as they could become officials and fulfill their long-cherished wish, they would not hesitate to join the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, which they had previously scorned.

"Look everyone, Scholar Chen is here!"

A bald man wearing trousers and a long-sleeved shirt was seen hunching over and whispering something to the town mayor, Wu Dingyuan.

This also broadened the horizons of many people.

"Since Scholar Chen has cut off his queue, then I'll go all out too. There are three boys in our family who have all cut off their queues, that's six acres of land!" Old Man Qin finally made up his mind.

Many other people also made the same choice.

Asking them to cut off their queues might make them hesitate. They might be very reluctant.

However, when faced with a real few acres of land, they will naturally make the choice that is most beneficial to themselves.

In this era, being allocated a few more acres of land meant a larger harvest, which in turn meant more days of plenty for the family.

Especially in the event of a famine, they will have a greater capacity to withstand it. Unlike before, when people would starve to death during a famine, and even have to sell their children, they will no longer face such hardship.

Of course, once these people cut off their queues, they were essentially tied to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

According to the policies of the Manchus, cutting off one's queue was a capital offense!

Even for this reason alone, the people would be more supportive of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Moreover, once they received the land, they naturally didn't want it to be taken away again after all the hard work they had put in.

By doing so, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom undoubtedly gained more popular support.