Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 170: For the sake of the Qing Dynasty, let the people suffer a little more!
As for where to collect food and grass?

Of course, they were going to steal food from the people living near Jiangning.

Right now, the Taiping Army in Jiangning City may take the initiative to attack the Jiangnan camp at any time.

The Qing army did not have enough time to collect food and fodder from one prefecture to another.

For the sake of the Qing Dynasty, the only option is to make the people suffer even more!

Xiang Rong pondered for a while, then nodded in approval.

"Okay, let's do it!"

"Xiang Jixiong, Deng Shaoliang, I will leave the task of collecting the food and fodder needed for the army to you."

"I'll give you three days to collect 30,000 shi of food and fodder and transport it back to the camp. There must be no mistakes."

"Don't let me down!"

Upon hearing this, Xiang Jixiong and Deng Shaoliang could not help but show joy on their faces and clasped their fists together.

"I will obey your orders!"

The reason why the two were so happy was, of course, because there was profit in it.

Otherwise, would he really be happy that he could make contributions to the Qing Dynasty?

Although it is said to be collecting food and fodder, how can it be simply collecting food and fodder?

If the army was really dispersed, according to the military discipline of the Qing army, it would be normal for them to kill someone, rob some money, and rape a few women while collecting food and fodder!
In order to give an explanation to their superiors after the looting, it is natural for the ordinary soldiers under them to share the profits with them.

By then, these two main generals will be able to share a lot of profits!

Therefore, they are both very happy now.

Taking a deep breath, Xiang Rong continued.

"If we gather more food and grass, the Jiangnan camp might be able to hold out longer against the siege of the bandits."

“But in the long run, it’s definitely not going to work.”

"We must find a way to break the impasse, otherwise the Jiangnan camp will be destroyed sooner or later."

Hearing this, Hechun made another suggestion.

"General, how about we ask for help from the court and request the court to transfer the troops from the Jiangbei camp to Jiangnan to support the war?"

However, just as he finished speaking, Zhang Guoliang on the side could not help but sneered, and then said in a sarcastic tone.

"Haha, Jiangbei Camp?"

"My Lord, are you talking about the Jiangbei camp that allowed the bandits to cross the river without firing a single shot?"

He Chun looked very unhappy when he heard this, but he had no way to refute it.

Because what Zhang Guoliang said is true.

That bastard Qishan is almost bringing shame to the Qing Dynasty and the Eight Banners!

Xiang Rong saw that the atmosphere between the two was not right, so he patted the table and spoke to ease the tension.

"Okay, stop talking."

"It would be better for the Jiangbei Camp to continue to be stationed in Yangzhou."

"If you need assistance, we may consider the monk king's troops currently stationed in Shandong."

At present, there are two double-flowered red sticks in the Qing Dynasty.

One was Xiang Rong, and the other was Senggelinqin.

If Senggelinqin could lead his troops to help, Xiang Rong would not only have the confidence to defend the Jiangnan camp.

He even dared to think about leading troops to recapture Jiangning!
Well, after lifting the siege of Jinan, Senggelinqin took the opportunity to station in Jinan.

If the court approved Xiang Rong's request for help, then Senggelinqin would lead his troops south along the canal and would reach Jiangnan in a short time.

As long as Senggelinqin leads his troops to Jiangnan, the war situation in Jiangnan will definitely improve.

Upon hearing this, all the generals spoke in unison.

"The handsome and wise man!"

Deng Shaoliang on the side spoke again.

"Marshal, I heard that Changmao had contact with foreigners in Shanghai, but because Changmao's Taiping Heavenly Kingdom doctrine was very different from the foreigners' Christianity, the conversation between the two sides was not pleasant."

"I think we can also send people to contact the foreigners in Shanghai and borrow their troops to help suppress them."

"Even if we can't borrow troops to help suppress the rebellion, it would be good to buy a batch of foreign guns and cannons from the foreigners to strengthen the weapons of the soldiers."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Rong couldn't help but look thoughtful.

"Who is in charge of the treaty port in Shanghai and the specific liaison with foreigners?"

Hechun replied.

"In reply to the Marshal, it should be the current Susongtai Daotai Wu Jianzhang."

When Xiang Rong heard this, his expression changed and then he spoke.

"But this matter cannot be handled directly by us. We should report it to the court first and ask the court to make the decision!"

The Guangzhou general could make the final decision on secretly contacting foreigners and borrowing troops from them, but Xiang Rong could not.

This was because the Guangzhou general was a member of the Eight Banners, and even if he overstepped the line, there would be people above him to cover it up for him.

But Xiang Rong was only a Han Chinese, so he naturally had to be careful and cautious in doing things, so as not to give his political enemies the opportunity to seize his mistakes and attack him.

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

……

Since leaving Changsha, Yang Yiqing has been rushing towards Tianjing without stopping.

On the night of June 5th, he finally returned to Tianjing.

Regardless of the fact that it was late at night, upon returning to Tianjing City, Yang Yiqing rushed to the Prince's Palace and requested to meet with Yang Xiuqing.

After the notification, he was taken to the study of the Eastern Prince's Palace by the attendants, waiting to be received by Yang Xiuqing.

The attendants were also very considerate and served Yang Yiqing tea, cakes, and fruits.

These attendants, who were always very arrogant in front of outsiders, now behaved unusually respectfully towards Guozong, who was highly regarded by Yang Xiuqing.

Yang Yiqing sat in the study, drinking tea and waiting for Yang Xiuqing to come and meet him.

In his mind, he was constantly thinking about how to explain to Yang Xiuqing after meeting him that he had given him the gift but the alliance was not concluded...

Yang Yiqing didn't have to wait long before Yang Xiuqing came in from outside with several attendants.

Yang Xiuqing had just finished a military meeting with Wei Changhui and was lying down to rest. When he heard that Yang Yiqing was coming to ask for a meeting, he got up without delay and came to ask for a meeting immediately.

Pushing the door and entering the study, Yang Yiqing hurriedly stood up to greet everyone.

"Your humble servant Yang Yiqing pays homage to the King of the East!"

Yang Xiuqing waved his hand to indicate that it was not necessary, then sat down in the main seat and motioned Yang Yiqing to sit down as well.

After rubbing his eyes to slightly relieve the itchy and dry feeling, Yang Xiuqing asked.

"Yiqing is back. Was this mission to Tang effective?"

When Yang Xiuqing was in Guangxi, he worked as a charcoal burner. Perhaps his eyes were damaged by the smoke at that time, but he had no money to receive treatment.

By now, his eye disease had become more serious.

I need to take a lot of medicines internally and externally every day, and go to bed early and get up early to get some relief. Today, I just stayed up all night discussing military affairs with Wei Changhui, and the symptoms recurred.

Upon hearing this, Yang Yiqing spoke.

"To reply to King Dong, there are some results."

"The King of Tang accepted the gift and agreed to sell foreign guns and cannons to our Heavenly Kingdom. In addition, he also softened his stance on the alliance..."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiuqing couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

"Just loosened up?"

Yang Yiqing said with a slightly grim expression.

"The King of Tang has no objection to the alliance between the two sides, but he does not agree that the Tang Kingdom and the Heavenly Kingdom should divide Jiangxi equally with Jiujiang as the boundary. Instead, he wants to take all of Jiangxi."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiuqing couldn't help but frown.

"This Li Yi is really greedy. Why didn't I notice it when we were in Jintian before?" Yang Yiqing asked cautiously.

"King Dong, should we agree to Tang's request?"

Yang Xiuqing thought for a while and said to himself.

"After lifting the siege of Tianjing, the Heavenly Kingdom's next major military deployment will be the Northern Expedition and the Eastern Expedition. Taking Anhui will be enough to ensure the safety of the western part of Tianjing."

"If we can use this to gain Tang's support for our northern or eastern expedition, then a little concession in the west would be acceptable."

Anyway, the Heavenly Kingdom has not yet been able to take over Jiangxi, and even Anhui and Jiangsu are still under the control of the Qing court.

Even if I agree to Li Yi's request, it won't matter.

After pondering for a moment, Yang Xiuqing made the decision.

"Yiqing, after Heavenly Kingdom breaks through the Qing demons' Jiangnan and Jiangbei camps, you will go to Hunan on behalf of Heavenly Kingdom and tell Li Yi that Heavenly Kingdom has agreed to his request to occupy all of Jiangxi."

"And discuss with Li Yi the details of both sides sending troops together to attack the Qing monsters."

As for whether this matter should be notified to Hong Xiuquan?
Yang Xiuqing thought it was unnecessary.

The greatest contribution that the King of Heaven can make to the Heaven is for him to recite his sutras and hold his party instead of giving orders blindly.

As for the specific military and political affairs of the Kingdom of Heaven, it is enough to have him, the King of the East, take charge of them.

Upon hearing this, Yang Yiqing bowed immediately.

"The King of the East is wise!"

Yang Xiuqing nodded slightly and then spoke.

"When you go to Hunan this time, bring more silver. Didn't Li Yi agree to sell some foreign guns and cannons to our Heavenly Kingdom?"

"You should go there this time to finalize the matter. First, buy 3,000 foreign rifles and 20 foreign cannons, and then use them to equip my guards..."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yiqing couldn't help but ask.

"King Dong, how should we hand over these foreign guns and cannons?"

"Now, we have to communicate with the Tang Kingdom through the area controlled by the Qing army."

"It would be difficult to conceal such a large batch of foreign guns and cannons from inspection."

Yang Yiqing complained in his heart, this was not only difficult, it was simply a fantasy and completely impossible.

The foreign guns are easier to deal with, maybe they can be passed off after being packed in boxes.

But there’s nothing we can do about foreign artillery!

The small box can’t hold it, and the big box looks abnormal.

No matter how careless the Qing soldiers were, they wouldn't just sit there and watch dozens of artillery pieces pass by them and remain indifferent, right?
After hearing this, Yang Xiuqing thought for a while and said.

"Don't worry, we will hand it over when our Heavenly Kingdom and Tang Kingdom meet in Jiangxi."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yiqing nodded to show that he understood.

After explaining all this, Yang Xiuqing waved his hand to signal Yang Yiqing to leave, as he was going to rest.

Upon seeing this, Yang Yiqing bowed and took his leave.

……

Mid-June of the second year of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

More than ten days had passed since Wei Changhui led his troops back to Tianjing.

During these ten days, the Taiping Army's Northern Expedition finally completed its rest and was ready to fight again.

Yang Xiuqing acted decisively and sent Wei Changhui, Qin Rigang, Hu Yihuang and others to lead troops to launch an offensive against the Qing army's Jiangnan camp outside the city of Jiangning.

That day, the sky was clear and the air was fresh, with not a single cloud in the sky.

Outside the Jiangnan camp, the Taiping Army gathered a large number of troops.

The black mass of soldiers and horses gathered together like a tide, stretching as far as the eye can see.

Large flags fluttered in the wind, and the dull and powerful sound of war drums resounded across the plains.

Xiang Rong stood on a lookout tower inside the Jiangnan camp, holding a monocular telescope and looking at the Taiping Army outside the camp.

Unconsciously, a layer of fine beads of sweat appeared on Xiang Rong's forehead.

"The Longhair army is very powerful!"

Xiang Rong spoke with a complicated expression.

His heart was beating fast and fast.

"Marshal, the long-haired ones should be launching an offensive."

He Chun on the side also spoke with a serious expression.

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a burst of artillery fire outside the Qing army camp.

Boom! Boom!
The deafening sound of artillery fire echoed across the battlefield.

The Taiping Army's artillery positions were filled with smoke. Shells flew out of the barrels, making a humming sound and shooting towards the Qing army camp.

The shells hit the wall of the village, wood chips flew everywhere, and the Qing soldiers behind the wall began to flee and hide.

The flying shell hit the ground, splashing a cloud of sand, and then continued to bounce forward.

After hitting a Qing soldier, it tore his body into two halves.

Blood mixed with broken bones and flesh splattered everywhere.

The Taiping Army actually had artillery, some of which were captured from the Qing army, but more of them were artillery made by the Taiping Army themselves.

As early as in Jintian, the Taiping Army began to make their own artillery.

Historically, when the Qing army conquered Jintian, they seized the artillery made by the Taiping Army, which shows that the Taiping Army had already had the ability to make their own artillery.

After he captured Jiangning, he gathered a group of skilled craftsmen to specialize in making cannons, and the results were quite good.

Most of the artillery used by the Taiping Army today are made by themselves.

I can’t say more, but at least in terms of reliability, Taiping’s self-made artillery is definitely much stronger than the Qing army’s artillery.

The reason is simple. After all, the Taiping Army is still in its early stages of development and everyone is still enterprising.

No one would be greedy for money to make cannons.

But the situation is not certain for the Qing army!

If the officials of our Qing Dynasty become corrupt, they won’t care about what’s happening on the front line!
The country belongs to the emperor and the money is theirs. The officials can still make clear about such small matters.

Xiang Rong's expression became more solemn. He took a deep breath and then spoke.

"Pass the order down, have all our artillery groups hold their fire. No one is allowed to fire without my order."

"Wait until the long-haired bandits launch an attack on our main camp, then fire a volley."

"Those who disobey orders will be beheaded!"

Upon hearing this, Xiang Jixiong immediately clasped his fists and left to deliver the message.

The reason why Xiang Rong issued such an order was very simple. It was not to let the Taiping Army get closer and then give them a severe blow with a volley of artillery fire.

This is because the quality of the Qing Army's artillery is not as good as that of the Taiping Army. Even if they open fire now, they cannot reach the Taiping Army's artillery positions.

It's a complete waste of gunpowder and shells.

It’s better to hit him closer!

Now, if the Qing army’s artillery wanted to inflict damage and casualties on the Taiping Army, the only way was to get closer and then fire.

Boom boom! Boom boom boom!

On the battlefield, the sound of artillery fire continued.

The Taiping Army aimed their artillery at the Qing army's camp and delivered fire unscrupulously.

At the same time, accompanied by a burst of advancing horns resounding throughout the battlefield, the Taiping Army, led by Hu Yihuang, launched an offensive from Chaoyang Gate towards the Qing Army's Jiangnan Camp in Xiaolingwei.

"Kill! Kill the Qing monsters and go to heaven!"

"Long live the Kingdom of Heaven! Long live the King of Heaven!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)