Slaying the Qing: My Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

"Leader, is the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom trying to annex us? This is simply killing us after we've served our purpose!" Han Laowan, the chief of the Blue Banner, was the first to object.

"Yes! Back when the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was fighting the Tartars, they were at a disadvantage. We helped them tie down a lot of the Tartars' main force. Now that they've defeated the Tartars, do they want to turn around and deal with us?" Su Tianfu, the chief of the Black Banner, was also very angry.

"The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is clearly crossing the river and then burning the bridge. How is their behavior any different from that of the Tartars?" Hou Shiwei, the chief commander of the Red Banner, also expressed his opposition.

"Brothers, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's actions are indeed very unethical. But the problem is that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is currently very powerful. They want to annex us. If we oppose them, then we may be attacked by them," Gong Deshu, the chief of the White Banner, warned.

"Hmph! Others may fear the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, but I don't. Our Nian Army has 100,000 men, while the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom only has a little over 50,000 troops left in Anhui Province. Especially in northern Anhui, they only have 40,000. If a war really breaks out, they may not be our match."

I think we should just use this as an excuse to break ties with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

We launched a preemptive attack, decisively defeating the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's forces in northern Anhui. Then, seizing the opportunity, we marched south, capturing central Anhui and gaining control of most of the province!

Han Laowan suggested.

"If we do that, it will probably please the Tartars," Su Tianfu frowned.

"Yes! The Tartars are eyeing us covetously. If we start a war with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom at this time, it will only give the Tartars an advantage." Hou Shiwei was also very worried.

"If the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom isn't afraid of letting the Tartars get away with it, why should we be? We can use this opportunity to let the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom know that we're not easy to bully! If they really push me too far, I'll just lead my brothers to surrender to the Tartars!" Han Laowan looked like he was absolutely unwilling to accept the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's reorganization.

Zhang Lexing witnessed all of this.

"Leader, what do you think we should do now?" Han Laowan asked directly.

Everyone looked at Zhang Lexing.

"Brothers, I understand what you all mean. If possible, I don't want to be swallowed up by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. None of you want to give up your established businesses either! But the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is powerful. Even if we are unwilling to accept its reorganization, it would be best to part ways amicably to avoid the Tartars getting away with it!" Zhang Lexing said.

"Yes! If we can avoid hurting each other's feelings, that would be the best outcome," Gong Deshu echoed.

The others agreed with this.

"Brothers," Zhang Lexing said, "In that case, I will go and talk to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's envoy again. I hope I can persuade them. If we can all live in peace and not interfere with each other, that would be the best."

"The leader is right. We and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom are not on the same side at all. It's better for everyone if we keep to ourselves!" Han Laowan expressed his support.

He didn't want his troops to be absorbed by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, nor did he want to become an official in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Being a local tyrant and living a carefree life was undoubtedly the best thing for him.

After the meeting, several high-ranking members of the Nian Rebellion returned to their respective posts.

Zhang Lexing and Gong Deshu, the chief of the White Banner, met again later.

Because Zhang Lexing and Gong Deshu started their rebellion together, and since they were both from Bozhou, they had a close relationship.

Among the five banners of the Nian Rebellion, the Yellow Banner and the White Banner were originally considered close allies.

When faced with such a major event, the two naturally shared the same attitude.

"Leader, what should we do now?" Gong Deshu asked with a worried expression.

"The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is pressing forward relentlessly, and their army has already amassed in Fengyang Prefecture and the southern part of Yingzhou Prefecture. If we refuse to accept reorganization, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom will definitely take strong measures to forcibly annex us."

But you've seen the opinions of others. Han Laowan would absolutely not agree to be incorporated into the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Hou Shiwei and Su Tianfu also tended to reject the reorganization of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

However, their attitudes weren't as resolute as Han Laowan's.

Zhang Lexing's expression was serious.

Gong Deshu nodded repeatedly: "Alliance Leader, if the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom tries to forcibly annex us, and we are unwilling, then if war breaks out, do we have a chance of winning?"

"How could they possibly win? Although the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom only gathered 40,000 men in northern Anhui, their troops were all elite. They had already weeded out the old and weak, leaving only the strong and able-bodied. They were all veterans who had seen blood on the battlefield."

Although we have 100,000 people, that includes the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled. The actual number of able-bodied people is only about 30,000 to 40,000.

Although their numbers seem comparable to those of the Taiping Army, don't forget that the Taiping Army defeated the Manchus this time!

Moreover, this was only a portion of the Taiping Army's forces.

If we really push the Taiping Army too far, they can easily deploy even more troops to deal with us.

"At that time, how could we possibly be a match for the Taiping Army?"

Zhang Lexing clearly did not think much of going to war with the Taiping Army.

"What if we surrender to the Tartars?" Gong Deshu asked.

"The Tartars are cruel and tyrannical! We started this uprising because we couldn't live under their brutal rule anymore. How could we possibly surrender to them?"

Even if the Tartars promise us high-ranking positions and generous salaries, we will absolutely not accept them.

Moreover, the Tartars will never trust us.

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had already dealt a heavy blow to the Manchus. In future wars, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom might still have a chance to overthrow the Manchus.

Furthermore, the policies currently being implemented by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, especially the forced confiscation of land from landlords and the redistribution of it to the poor, undoubtedly garnered the support and endorsement of the entire nation's impoverished population.

In other words, this undoubtedly won the hearts of the people!

As the saying goes, "He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world," and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has a great chance of overthrowing the rule of the Manchus in the future.

If we were to side with the Tartars and oppose the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom at this time, wouldn't we be courting death?

Zhang Lexing still had a high opinion of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

He was also truly familiar with the policies currently being implemented by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Gong Deshu nodded repeatedly, agreeing with Zhang Lexing's point of view.

"So what should we do now?" Gong Deshu asked.

"Hmph! Since some people are courting death, let them be. I will inform the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom that I am willing to accept their reorganization. As for the others, let them be."

How the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom deals with them is up to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom itself to decide!

Zhang Lexing said.

"Leader, the White Flag faction is also willing to accept the reorganization of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom!" Gong Deshu made his choice immediately.

He and Zhang Lexing were always meant to advance and retreat together.

He wouldn't object if Zhang Lexing decided to join the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

"Alright, then let's accept the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's reorganization together!" Zhang Lexing was very satisfied with Gong Deshu's choice.

Meanwhile, Han Laowan had already returned to his post.

The Nian Army's Blue Banner troops were stationed and assembled west of Fuyang, the capital of Yingzhou Prefecture, near Runing Prefecture and Chenzhou Prefecture in Henan Province.

After returning, Han Laowan immediately summoned his subordinates and informed them of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's intention to annex the Nian Rebellion.

As expected, this provoked strong opposition from these banner leaders.

No one wanted to be swallowed up by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

"Gentlemen, since the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom wants to annex us after we've crossed the river, they can't blame us for fighting back. Yongjing, contact them immediately and tell them we're willing to accept amnesty!" Han Laowan said.

"Yes, Chief Flag Master!" Liu Yongjing, nicknamed the Hungry Wolf, replied immediately.

Liu Yongjing was originally a bandit, so naturally he was unwilling to accept military discipline.

If the Nian Rebellion were to be absorbed by the Taiping Rebellion, he would naturally be unable to remain.

In that case, it would be better to surrender to the Tartars.

After being defeated by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the Tartars tried every means to resist the threat of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Offering high-ranking positions and generous salaries to win over the Nian Rebellion was also one of their strategies.