Slaying the Qing: My Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

On the evening of November 16, 1857, off the coast of Jinshanwei, on the steam frigate HMS Fury, the flagship of the Allied fleet.

The high-ranking officers of the allied forces gathered again in the small conference room.

However, every high-ranking official present had a very grim expression.

The ground troops had only just landed, and within a single day, they were completely annihilated by the Taiping army.

What humiliated them even more was that General Grant, commander of the British Expeditionary Force, and other generals all surrendered to the Taiping Army.

This was undoubtedly a fatal blow to the coalition forces.

It can be said that this war between the British Empire and the Gallo Empire against the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom ended as soon as it began.

With their ground forces almost completely wiped out, how could they possibly defeat the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom? How could they possibly conquer it?

No matter how powerful the allied fleet is, the warships cannot land.

Not to mention, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom also possessed powerful coastal fortifications, which caused the Allied fleet to suffer considerable losses.

"Gentlemen, according to the reports from the soldiers who escaped, the Allied ground forces have been completely annihilated. The main force of the Allied ground forces, led by General Grant and General Colino, was ambushed by the Taiping Army north of Jinshanwei."

The Taiping army possessed formidable firepower. Furthermore, they had an absolute advantage in troop numbers.

In this battle, the Allied ground forces suffered a crushing defeat and were surrounded by the Taiping army.

Faced with a desperate situation, General Grant had no choice but to issue the order to surrender.

Only a few Allied soldiers who remained at Jinshanwei, seeing the situation was not good, fled back to the fleet in advance.

Jinshanwei was also regained control by the Taiping Army.

"So, gentlemen, what should we do now?"

Count Elgin, the commander-in-chief of the Allied forces, was in a real predicament.

He never expected that the war would suffer such a huge defeat at the very beginning.

First, in yesterday's battle, the Allied fleet clashed head-on with the Wusongkou Fortress, resulting in the loss of more than ten warships. At the same time, it also completely eliminated the Allied fleet's possibility of advancing westward along the Yangtze River and entering the heart of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

In today's ground battle, the coalition's more than 3,000 ground troops were completely wiped out in just one day.

This undoubtedly rendered the Allied forces completely incapable of continuing the fight in the ensuing battle.

"Your Excellency, I'm afraid we can only return to Hong Kong Island for the time being and launch a new attack after reinforcements arrive. Otherwise, we are simply unable to continue our attack on the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom," suggested General Meng Douban, commander of the Gallic Empire's expeditionary force.

The other high-ranking coalition officials also nodded in agreement.

Although they were unwilling to admit defeat, the reality was what it was, and they had no choice but to accept it.

"We will have another 30,000 troops arriving later. At that time, we will definitely be able to defeat those damned yellow-skinned monkeys!" said Admiral Seymour, commander of the British Empire's Far East Fleet.

This crushing defeat was undoubtedly a disgrace for them. They hoped to have the opportunity to wash away this shame.

"Very well, gentlemen. Let the Allied forces return to Hong Kong Island for now. But what about our captured officers and soldiers?" Count Elgin asked.

"Your Excellency, perhaps we can use diplomatic efforts to persuade the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to release those captured officers and soldiers. I think, through this battle, we have to admit that we completely underestimated the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom."

They possess immense power. Even we must maintain a high level of respect for such a powerful nation!

Therefore, many of our previous strategies need to be changed.

Baron Gros, the plenipotentiary representative of the Gallic Empire, said.

Count Elgin frowned.

Originally, the British Empire and the Gallic Empire planned to wage war against the Qing Empire.

However, because the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had occupied their concessions and arrested their consuls and diplomats, they temporarily changed their target and decided to defeat the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom first.

But to everyone's surprise, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was not a pushover, but a tough nut to crack.

Not only did it completely thwart all their plans, but it also cost them dearly.

Furthermore, the military strength displayed by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom also caused them great concern.

Even though a large number of reinforcements were already on their way, would these reinforcements be able to defeat the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom once they arrived?

Or rather, what price will they have to pay for this?

"Your Excellency, gentlemen. According to our understanding, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has achieved a major victory in its war against the Qing Empire. Furthermore, our troops have personally experienced the strength of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom."

Continuing to be enemies with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom would undoubtedly be a mistake.

I think we should go back to the original plan.

That is, we should target the Qing Empire, rather than the powerful Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Only in this way can we achieve a major victory and substantial benefits at minimal cost.

Baron Gros continued.

The other high-ranking coalition officials nodded in agreement.

If they could, they certainly wouldn't want to be enemies with the powerful Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

If it were merely a matter of dealing with the corrupt and backward Qing Empire, it would undoubtedly be much easier.

"Then what about our captured officers and soldiers, as well as the arrested consuls and other diplomatic personnel?" Count Elgin asked.

"Your Excellency, perhaps we can resolve these issues through diplomatic means. The British Empire is the world's superpower, and the Gallic Empire is also one of the world's top powers. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's leadership should also be aware of this."

They cannot win if they are our enemies. It would be better for both sides to put aside their differences.

If the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is willing to unconditionally release our officers, soldiers, consuls, and diplomatic personnel, and compensate us for some of our losses.

We will end our hostile relations with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Conversely, if the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is unwilling to give up and continues to be our enemy...

Therefore, our only suggestion is that the country mobilize even stronger forces to completely crush them! We are willing to pay any price for this!

Baron Gros continued.

"Your Excellency, we can give it a try. But I think the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom will not be so easily subdued. In the end, everything will inevitably return to war," said Count Elgin.

"Your Excellency, we can give it a try, no matter what. Even if things get worse, they can't get any worse than they are now," Baron Gros insisted.

"Alright, gentlemen, if there are no objections, then let's make a diplomatic attempt. Hopefully, those damned guys will understand just how powerful the country they're dealing with is."

The Empire and the Gallo-Baltic Empire were willing to forgive them and give them a chance.

But if they don't know what's good for them and aren't willing to seize this opportunity, then we have no other choice but to completely destroy them!

Count Elgin addressed the crowd.

All the high-ranking officers of the coalition nodded in agreement.

Even though the allied forces suffered heavy losses in this battle, they still maintained an arrogant attitude and did not believe that the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom could compete with the British Empire, the world's hegemon, or the Gallo Empire, a top-tier world power.

It was as if their willingness to resolve the war through diplomacy was an act of pity for the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, a way of giving them a chance.

After the Allied high command made its decision, Baron Gross stayed behind to travel to Nanjing to negotiate with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's leadership. Meanwhile, Count Elgin led the Allied fleet back to Hong Kong Island to await the arrival of reinforcements.

Baron Gross also sent someone to contact the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom early the next morning, hoping to obtain permission to go to Tianjing City to meet with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's high-ranking officials.

He hoped to obtain what he could not gain on the battlefield at the negotiating table.

However, this is clearly unlikely.

Since ancient times, what cannot be obtained on the battlefield can not be obtained at the negotiating table!