Slaying the Qing: My Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

The Taiping army's strength was something that the Tatar generals and officials were well aware of.

In particular, the Tartars suffered heavy losses in this battle, including the loss of a large number of troops and vast tracts of land.

Many Tatar generals and officials had developed a sense of panic regarding the Taiping Army.

They even believed that the Taiping Army was very difficult to defeat.

If they could, they would even prefer to simply join the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

However, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom actually distributed land to peasants and forcibly confiscated the land and property of landlords, gentry, and officials. This was undoubtedly unacceptable to the generals and officials of these Manchus.

Therefore, the Tatar generals and officials had no choice but to abandon this path and remain on the Tatar side, hoping that the Tatars could turn the tide of the war and suppress the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in one fell swoop.

In this way, their wealth and prosperity can be guaranteed.

Therefore, these generals and officials were also actively looking for other ways to deal with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

This was also because they wanted to achieve greater merit in order to receive rewards from the Qing court.

For the generals and officials of the Tartars, promotion and wealth were often linked.

Once you get promoted, opportunities to make money will naturally follow.

As the saying goes, "A clean prefect for three years can amass a fortune of 100,000 taels of silver."

Accumulating enough silver during their official careers to last a lifetime or even several lifetimes was undoubtedly the dream of many Manchu officials.

Under such circumstances, it is evident how corrupt the officials of the Tartars could be.

It's no wonder that they preyed on the local people, colluded with officials and businessmen, and treated human life as worthless.

"Lord Wu, the foreign countries are powerful. If the Taiping rebels kill a foreigner, the foreigners will definitely not let it go. At that time, the foreigners will surely send a large army to deal with the Taiping rebels."

My Great Qing Dynasty can then interact with the mountain and reap the benefits without lifting a finger.

"At that time, we two will surely receive a great reward from the imperial court for this."

General Zhang Yuliang of Southern Jiangsu made the suggestion.

Wu Xu, the prefect of Songjiang Prefecture, couldn't help but have his eyes light up.

He also believed that this was a very feasible approach.

It was simply impossible for them to defend Songjiang Prefecture and withstand the Taiping Army's attack on their own.

If they hold out to the death, they will eventually fall into the hands of the Taiping Army, and their fate will be uncertain.

If they abandoned their land and fled, they would be punished by the imperial court.

Even if one manages to save their life by pulling strings, it's highly unlikely they'll be able to continue holding office.

This was undoubtedly unacceptable to an official like Wu Xu.

Therefore, seeking help from foreigners and dragging them into the conflict, even relying on their strength to deal with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, seemed to be the only solution.

Furthermore, if this plan succeeds, it's obvious that the imperial court will bestow generous rewards upon them.

These are all real benefits!

"General, it seems this is the only way. I have a good relationship with the consuls of both the British Empire and the Gallic Empire in Songjiang Prefecture. I will personally go to the Zhonghai Concession to ask the British Empire and the Gallic Empire for help."

I'm sure they'll lend a helping hand and give us a boost!

Wu Xu said.

Zhang Yuliang's expression was rather unpleasant; Wu Xu clearly wanted to run into the foreign concession!

If the foreign reinforcements don't arrive in time, wouldn't he be doomed?

"Lord Wu, why don't you just write a letter and send it to the China International Foreign Concession? After all, you are the Prefect of Songjiang Prefecture, and you have a responsibility to defend the territory!" Zhang Yuliang suggested.

"General, how can a letter convey the sincerity of personally requesting aid? Besides, the foreigners simply cannot understand our letters. If we delay, it will be a real problem."

General, please rest assured, I will definitely go and return as soon as possible.

Although I am a civil official, I can also ride a horse. It's only a few dozen li from Huating to Zhonghai; a round trip can be done in half a day, without delaying anything!

Wu Xu said.

As the saying goes, a wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall. Huating was about to be attacked by the Taiping Army, so Wu Xu was naturally unwilling to stay here.

Using the pretext of seeking help from foreigners to go to the concessions in Zhonghai would be much safer.

"Alright, Lord Wu, you must go and return quickly!" Zhang Yuliang had no choice but to compromise.

"Please rest assured, General, I will bring back reinforcements as soon as possible!" Wu Xu assured him.

Subsequently, under the protection of several trusted confidants, Wu Xu rode directly to the concession area of ​​Zhonghai County.

Fortunately, Wu Xu is not very old; he is only forty-eight years old this year.

If it were an older official, he probably wouldn't be able to ride a horse at all and would have to ride in a sedan chair.

In that case, it would truly be too late.

The Taiping army launched a major offensive against Songjiang Prefecture, which also attracted the attention of the British and the Gauls.

In the joint concession of Zhonghai County, Henry Benson, the Consul General of the British Empire in Songjiang Prefecture, and Ai Tang, the Consul General of the Gallic Empire in Songjiang Prefecture, also received the news.

This made both of them very angry.

They all originally thought that the intimidation of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had been effective.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom did not dare to launch an attack on Songjiang Prefecture.

Unexpectedly, in just a few months, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom actually launched an attack.

This is a complete slap in their face!

They solemnly assured all the foreigners in the concession that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had been intimidated by their displayed power and would absolutely not use force against Songjiang Prefecture.

But now, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has given them a slap in the face, making them lose face completely.

"Damn it! Those damned yellow-skinned monkeys, they actually dared to launch an attack despite the Empire's warnings. They have absolutely no respect for the Empire!" Henry Benson's face turned ashen.

"Your Excellency, this is indeed a provocation against us. However, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has already launched an attack. This means that we are probably in trouble."

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had already won its war against the Qing Empire. The Qing Empire suffered a crushing defeat, losing over 200,000 men. Even though the Qing Empire still possessed considerable strength to contend with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, it could no longer pose a significant threat to them in the short term.

I think this is also why the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom launched an attack on Songjiang Prefecture at this time.

Ai Tang said.

Henry Benson nodded; he understood as well.

"We must find a way to protect the concession, no matter what. Otherwise, our interests in the Far East will suffer a severe blow. That would be a disaster for both of us," Henry Benson said.

Ai Tang nodded repeatedly, agreeing with this point.

If a diplomat is unable to safeguard the interests of their country, they will inevitably face criticism from home and may even be dismissed.

Henry Benson and Ai Tang naturally did not want that situation to occur.

"Can the foreign gunners fight?" Henry Benson asked.

"In the past few months, the foreign gun corps has expanded to more than two thousand men. The main force consists of more than nine hundred white men from Europe and America. There are also more than a thousand mercenaries from the Luzon Islands."

After several months of training and adjustment, the foreign rifle team has become a combat-ready unit.

Even compared to the armies of various European countries, its combat effectiveness is in no way inferior.

In the Far East, absolutely no army could compare to the foreign-trained troops. Even the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's army was no exception.

The only problem was that the foreign-trained troops were still too small.

Ai Tang said.

"Excellent! If the foreign-trained troops can defeat the Taiping Army in this battle, then we can increase our support for them and allow them to expand their forces!" Henry Benson said.

Ai Tang also expressed her support for this.

"Your Excellencies, the Prefect of Songjiang Prefecture of the Great Qing Empire requests an audience."

At that moment, the secretary walked in.

"It seems the Qing people have come to us for help." Henry Benson immediately guessed Wu Xu's intention.

"We can't just stand by and watch the Taiping Army take Songjiang Prefecture. We have to stop them!" Ai Tang said.

On this issue, the two undoubtedly reached an agreement.