Slaying the Qing: My Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's various policies to win over the hearts and minds of the people in southern Jiangsu were a great success.

Countless impoverished people were allocated land.

In order to receive more land, most people chose to shave their heads and cut off their queues. This naturally tied these people completely to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

If the Tartars were to return and defeat the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom...

Then, those people who cut off their queues would surely die.

Even for this reason alone, they were determined to fully support the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in defeating the Tartars.

Moreover, the land had already been distributed to them. Having finally obtained their own land, they were even more reluctant to give it up. For this land, they would fight to the death against the Tartars!

In addition, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom also eliminated the landlords and gentry in southern Jiangsu, which completely severed the foundation of the Manchu rule in southern Jiangsu.

Most of the landlords and wealthy people were either beheaded or sentenced to prison.

Their property, including land, houses, gold, silver and other valuables, was also confiscated.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom would distribute land and similar resources to the poor free of charge. The people who cultivated this land would only need to hand over approximately 10% of their harvest each year. The rest would belong to them.

Those houses and real estates were then considered government property.

As for gold, silver, and other valuables, they were all turned over to the national treasury.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom needed to fight the Manchus and expand its army. At the same time, it also needed to establish a sound financial system, all of which required large sums of money. Not to mention, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom also needed to vigorously develop industry and transportation.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom itself clearly could not afford such a large sum of money, so it had to find other ways.

The wealth and resources plundered by these landlords and rich peasants became the target of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

In any case, this wealth was originally obtained by landlords and wealthy people through trickery and plunder. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom confiscated this wealth, which can be considered as taking from the people and using it for the people.

Of course, in this process, it is inevitable that some people will be accidentally injured.

But there's nothing we can do about it.

It's better for one family to cry than for every family to cry, right?

This country has fallen far behind. It must do everything in its power to develop.

For enlightened landlords or gentry who have not actually stained their hands with the lives and blood of ordinary people, leniency can be shown.

However, they would also have to give up those lands and most of their wealth.

This can be considered their contribution to the entire country and nation.

In this way, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom quickly consolidated its rule in southern Jiangsu and won over the hearts and minds of the people in the region.

During this process, the various propaganda teams dispatched by the Ministry of Education also played a significant role.

The entertainment options for people in this era were undoubtedly very limited. Especially after dark, apart from eating dinner early and going to bed, there were virtually no other recreational activities.

This led to a surge in popularity for the plays performed by the various propaganda teams under the Ministry of Education.

"The White-Haired Girl" resonated deeply with the general public.

Many people realized that the story depicted their own miserable lives.

They were oppressed and exploited by landlords and rich people, living a precarious existence. Meanwhile, the landlords and rich people lived a life of luxury.

This further boosted public recognition of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and garnered greater support for it.

As for other plays, such as "The Ten Days of Yangzhou," they inspired the nationalistic spirit of the people. Many people, after watching them, wished they could fight the Tartars to the death.

In particular, the willingness of young people to join the army has increased significantly.

No one wanted their family and compatriots to be slaughtered by the Tartars again. If the Tartars dared to harm them, they would fight them to the death.

More than two hundred years ago, the Tartars terrified all the Han people in the world through large-scale massacres, and they dared not resist anymore.

As a result, for more than two hundred years, the Tartars could take whatever they wanted from the Han people all over the world.

But now, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has once again inspired the courage of the people. It is no longer possible for the Manchus to rule the Han people as easily as before.

At the end of April 1857, Hong Tian summoned Prime Minister Hong Rengan, Minister of Agriculture He Zhenchuan, and Minister of Education Su Sanniang, among others, to the Heavenly King's Palace to inquire about the corresponding promotion effects in the southern Jiangsu region.

"Your Majesty, the Heavenly Kingdom has already fully implemented the land redistribution policy in all prefectures of southern Jiangsu. Approximately one-third of the counties have begun land redistribution. The other counties are also carrying out various preparatory work. It is expected that by next month, the land in southern Jiangsu will be basically distributed, allowing all the people of southern Jiangsu to receive land and achieving the goal of 'land to the tiller'!" He Zhenchuan said excitedly.

Distributing land to the general public is almost the Ministry of Agriculture's main task going forward.

This was also the main means by which the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom competed with the Manchus for the hearts and minds of the people.

The Ministry of Agriculture will therefore become the most important ministry among all the ministries in the cabinet.

As the Minister of Agriculture, He Zhenchuan was naturally able to gain more merit.

In the future, there may be an opportunity to be made a king because of this.

Hong Tian nodded, and the land redistribution plan, which had been in preparation for a long time, was finally put into practice.

If the entire plan is implemented, countless impoverished people will reap enormous benefits, thus completely winning them over to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and placing them on its side.

"What is the public's reaction?" Hong Tian asked.

"Your Majesty, the people are overjoyed. The majority of them have chosen to shave their heads and cut off their queues. This undoubtedly shows their true feelings," He Zhenchuan replied.

Hong Tian knew that the main reason why people were willing to cut off their queues was probably because the Heavenly Kingdom's policy was that if they were willing to shave their heads, they could get two more acres of land.

This is something that is hard for the public to refuse.

As for the Manchus, cutting off their queues was a capital offense.

However, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had already achieved significant victories on the battlefield. This undoubtedly gave the people great confidence. People were no longer as afraid of the Manchus as they had before.

"Excellent! Gentlemen, through the land redistribution plan, we have successfully won over the people and gained their support. Or rather, we have bound the people to us, enabling us to build a broader popular base."

This will make us invincible in the struggle for popular support against the Tartars.

Next, the Ministry of Agriculture will fully promote the land redistribution plan throughout the entire southern Jiangsu region, ensuring that every prefecture, county, and village implements the land redistribution plan so that every poor person can receive land that belongs to them.

Furthermore, the process of land distribution must be strictly enforced to ensure fairness and impartiality as much as possible, and any acts of favoritism or abuse of power must be prevented to the greatest extent possible.

We have finally gained the support of the people, and we cannot afford to lose their support again due to these oversights.

Hong Tian reminded him.

Although the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had only been established for a few years, it had already begun to show signs of indulging in pleasure.

This can be seen from Hong Xiuquan's indulgence in sensual pleasures and debauchery.

The other higher-ups naturally followed suit.

Hong Tian did not want the Heavenly Kingdom to begin to decay before the rule of the Tartars was overthrown.

Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven will focus on preventing these aspects next.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" He Zhenchuan nodded repeatedly.

He saw this as a shortcut to becoming a king, so naturally he would never allow any problems to arise in this regard.

"The Ministry of Education's propaganda efforts over this period have yielded tremendous results. The propaganda teams from various regions have been very effective. This has not only given the general public a deep understanding of the Heavenly Kingdom, but has also reignited their hatred," Hong Tian said.

"These are all His Majesty's methods; I am merely carrying them out," Su Sanniang replied.

"Next, after the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Education have achieved success in southern Jiangsu, they will promote this model to northern Jiangsu."

Furthermore, the Heavenly Kingdom dealt a heavy blow to the Tartars in this battle. We will take over the entire Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi provinces, and part of Hubei province.

These regions will also need to undergo land redistribution, and publicity efforts will be intensified. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Education need to increase manpower and develop plans to carry out land redistribution and publicity work in these provinces!

Hong Tian gave the order.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" He Zhenchuan and Su Sanniang both replied.