Slaying the Qing: My Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

"Xu Zongyang, I have treated you well, how could you be so ungrateful and betray me? Have you lost your conscience?"

When Yang Xiuqing saw Xu Zongyang open the gates of the mansion and let Wei Changhui's elite troops into the Eastern King's mansion, he was furious and began to curse loudly.

If the many soldiers in the Eastern Prince's Palace fought to the death, they might be able to withstand Wei Changhui's attack and hold out until reinforcements arrived.

After all, Yang Xiuqing had extremely high prestige and enormous influence within the Taiping Army.

There were many generals and troops who were loyal to him.

At that time, they will have a real chance to turn the tide.

But now, with Xu Zongyang's betrayal, all hope is gone.

"Yang Xiuqing, I am a general of the Heavenly Kingdom, and I am loyal to His Majesty the Heavenly King. Yang Xiuqing, your attempt to usurp the throne is an unforgivable crime!" Xu Zongyang retorted directly.

This made Yang Xiuqing so angry that she almost vomited blood.

He has always considered himself the greatest contributor to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Compared to Hong Xiuquan, who was extravagant, dissolute, and pleasure-seeking, he should have been more popular with the soldiers of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Unexpectedly, everyone still supported Hong Xiuquan.

"Yang Xiuqing, you have betrayed the Heavenly King and the Heavenly Kingdom. You are dead! Everyone, kill them all! Don't let a single one escape!" Northern King Wei Changhui coldly issued the order.

He wanted to take this opportunity to uproot the entire Eastern Prince's Mansion.

Then, they carried out a large-scale massacre of dissidents.

At that time, he will replace Yang Xiuqing and become the de facto ruler of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

It's not impossible for him to replace Hong Xiuquan and become the new Heavenly King.

It must be admitted that power can truly lead people astray. It can even make people alienated and cold-blooded!

During the uprising, everyone was brothers, promising to share both hardship and prosperity. But after the uprising succeeded, they turned against each other and became mortal enemies.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

The elite troops led by Wei Changhui were all his confidants, and naturally they obeyed his every command.

"All soldiers, defend the Eastern King, and fight them to the death!" Yang Xiuqing's confidant Hou Qianfang roared.

"Defend the Eastern King!" The soldiers inside the Eastern King's palace responded in unison.

The soldiers from both sides clashed and fought.

Despite their identical attire and their recent alliance in battle, they are now enemies, desperately trying to kill each other.

The soldiers in the Eastern King's Palace were very brave.

But in the end, they were outnumbered.

As the battle progressed, the Eastern Prince's army suffered increasing casualties and was forced into a series of defeats.

Meanwhile, Wei Changhui's elite troops pressed forward relentlessly, continuously wiping out the entire Eastern Prince's Mansion.

Everyone in the Eastern Prince's Mansion, including Yang Xiuqing's family, maids, and the families of other ministers, faced certain death in the face of these fierce elite soldiers.

No one, regardless of age or gender, has a way to survive.

Even worse, those women were not spared from being humiliated before they died.

The elite soldiers that Wei Changhui led are now practically no different from demons.

They not only committed mass murder, sparing neither the elderly, the weak, women, nor children. They also engaged in robbery, rape, and other crimes.

Wei Changhui completely ignored this.

This was what he had promised: after capturing the Eastern King's Mansion, he would let these elite soldiers vent their frustrations.

In this day and age, this is already very common.

In the battles between the Taiping Army and the Manchus, after the Manchus won, they often spared no Taiping prisoners and subjected them to extreme punishment. In particular, many generals were almost all executed by slow slicing.

Women, in particular, would suffer even more humiliation.

Inside the Heavenly King's Palace, Hong Xiuquan, unusually, did not sleep with the queens, but paced anxiously back and forth.

He knew very well that whether or not Yang Xiuqing could be killed tonight was extremely important to him and the entire Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

If he succeeds, his position as king will be secured.

The entire Taiping Heavenly Kingdom will once again be under his leadership, and no one will be able to challenge his authority.

If we fail, we will likely face a fierce counterattack from Yang Xiuqing.

If things go wrong, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom may even face a split.

Under the threat of the Tartars, if the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom were to experience serious internal strife, it would be tantamount to courting death.

"Your Majesty, Marquis Zuotian requests an audience!" the maid reported.

"Announce it quickly!"

Marquis Zuotian, Chen Chengrong, strode in.

"Your Majesty, His Highness the Northern King has led his army into the Eastern King's residence, and a fierce battle is underway. However, His Highness the Northern King has gained an absolute advantage, and even though Yang Xiuqing and his followers are putting up a stubborn resistance, they won't be able to hold out for long. We will definitely be able to kill Yang Xiuqing before dawn!" Chen Chengrong reported.

"Haha, that's great!" Hong Xiuquan laughed heartily.

The anxiety that had been hanging over me can finally be put back down.

"Lord Zuotian, you and the Northern King have rendered great service in this battle to eliminate Yang Xiuqing, who attempted to rebel. Once Yang Xiuqing is killed, I will reward you according to your merits," Hong Xiuquan said.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Chen Chengrong was overjoyed.

The king seemed to be beckoning to him.

He went through all this trouble just to be made a king, didn't he?

For this reason, he did not hesitate to betray Yang Xiuqing and inform Hong Xiuquan, which led to internal strife within the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Inside the orphanage, Hong Tian and the other high-ranking officials also didn't sleep all night.

Although the Eastern Prince's Mansion is some distance from the orphanage.

But Hong Tian seemed to already hear the shouts and screams from inside the Eastern King's Mansion.

Even though he wasn't there in person, Hong Tian knew that Wei Changhui was wreaking havoc inside the Eastern King's Mansion.

The thousands of lives within the entire Eastern Prince's Mansion are likely doomed.

Among them, many may be innocent.

But what can they do when they are Yang Xiuqing's people?

Yang Xiuqing's ambition to seize power was undoubtedly the biggest destabilizing factor in the entire Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Even if Hong Tian wanted to suppress the Tianjing Incident, he absolutely could not allow ambitious figures like Yang Xiuqing and Wei Changhui to live. Otherwise, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom would inevitably split apart as a result.

Therefore, Hong Tian can do nothing now but wait until Wei Changhui succeeds before he can carry out the suppression.

At that time, both the Eastern Prince's faction and the Northern Prince's faction will be eliminated.

Of course, Hong Tian wouldn't kill them all. That would only severely weaken the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. As long as Yang Xiuqing, Wei Changhui, and their confidants were eliminated, the other lower-ranking soldiers could be appeased.

"Your Highness, the Northern King's army has already stormed the Eastern King's residence. Xu Zongyang of the Eastern King's residence has betrayed us, opening the gates directly and allowing Wei Changhui's elite troops to enter the Eastern King's residence," Zhou Yufeng reported.

Zhou Yufeng's subordinates are constantly gathering information and sending it to the orphanage.

"Reconnoiter again! Yu Cheng, have the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Imperial Guards prepare. The 3rd Battalion will remain to guard the orphanage. Also, send a company from the 3rd Battalion to the Wing Prince's Mansion to ensure its safety!" Hong Tian ordered.

Shi Dakai has already agreed to marry his daughter to Hong Tian, ​​so Hong Tian naturally wants to ensure the safety of his future wife and family.

Two battalions should be enough to suppress Wei Changhui and his men.

Even if Wei Changhui had three thousand elite soldiers, Prince Yan Qin Rigang still had two or three thousand men.

But after the great battle with the Eastern Prince's Mansion, how many would be left?

"Yes, Your Highness!" Chen Yucheng and Zhou Yufeng replied.

As time passed, the shouts and cries of battle within the Eastern Prince's Mansion gradually subsided.

Yang Xiuqing, the Eastern King, was killed by Wei Changhui's elite troops.

Hou Qianfang, Yang Xiuqing's confidant, also died not far away.

All resistance forces within the entire Eastern Prince's Mansion have been wiped out.

Wei Changhui and his men were already enjoying the fruits of their victory.

Not only were his men looting and humiliating the women in the Eastern Prince's mansion, but Wei Changhui himself was also enjoying himself with two of Yang Xiuqing's concubines.

Wei Changhui won this battle.

Yang Xiuqing, on the other hand, suffered a crushing defeat. Furthermore, she lost her own life and that of her family.

At 6 a.m., the sky was gradually brightening.

"The 1st Battalion shall depart immediately for the Eastern Prince's Palace to suppress all rebel forces. Anyone who dares to resist shall be killed without exception. The 2nd Battalion shall take control of all city gates of Tianjing City. No one shall leave the city without my order. Anyone who resists shall be killed without exception!" Hong Tian issued the orders.

"Yes, Your Highness!" the officers of the Imperial Guard replied in unison.

Subsequently, the fully armed guardsmen left the orphanage and rushed to the battlefield.

This was undoubtedly the first battle since the formation of the Imperial Guard, and everyone wanted to make a good impression.