Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 176 One Man Resists a Country

Li Yi now felt a little relieved in his heart. Fortunately, he was a cautious person and never touched women whose backgrounds were unclear.

Otherwise, such a thing would be too tragic for a man...

Also, if Li Yi remembers correctly, the current Xianfeng seems to have not come yet?
As a result, there will inevitably be a fierce struggle within the Qing Dynasty for the succession of the throne.

If this were the case, the political situation of the Qing Dynasty would definitely be in turmoil.

This can definitely be considered a good thing for the Tang Dynasty and the righteous armies across the world.

Li Yi now only wanted to give Hong Xiujiao a thumbs up, and he killed a large number of Qing court high-ranking officials including Tongzhi, Cixi, Zeng Guofan, etc.

Well, since Xianfeng had no descendants, Tongzhi naturally could not be born. Without Tongzhi, Cixi could not become the empress dowager.

Zeng Guofan was even chopped to pieces by Emperor Xianfeng out of anger!

Judging from the actual results, the number of high-ranking officials of the Qing Dynasty killed by Hong Xuanjiao, a woman, is probably much greater than the actual results achieved by the entire Heavenly Kingdom...

One person is equal to one country!
This is really awesome!

Upon seeing this, Li Liang continued to report.

"Your Majesty, I have one more thing to report!"

Li Yi nodded slightly.

"Tell me about it!"

Li Liang took a deep breath and then said.

"To reply to your Majesty, here is the latest news from Sichuan."

"After entering Sichuan, Shi Dakai, the Wing King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, led his troops to capture Kuizhou, and then marched along the Yangtze River to Zhongzhou, and successfully captured Chongqing."

Hearing this, Li Yi stroked his chin and began to think.

It seems that Shi Dakai's troops are fighting smoothly now.

By capturing Chongqing, they had gained a firm foothold in Sichuan.

After thinking for a while, Li Yi gave another order.

"We are going to send someone to Chongqing to contact Shi Dakai's troops and try to form an alliance and support each other..."

Shi Dakai was in Sichuan and occupied Hunan by himself. He waited until the next year when the Tang Dynasty and the Taiping Army would attack Jiangxi together.

In this way, the Yangtze River Basin was basically cut off by various rebel forces.

The Qing court might still be able to send messages to the south, convey orders, or arrange for small troops to cross the river.

But it is definitely impossible to send a large number of troops across the river to reinforce the war situation in the south.

Thinking about this, Li Yi's mood became happier.

The Qing Dynasty has lost half of its territory!

……

Capital City, Yangxin Hall.

Xianfeng summoned several military ministers of the Qing court to the Yangxin Palace to discuss matters.

"Hunan was lost, the Jiangnan and Jiangbei camps were broken, the situation in Jiangsu was critical, and even Chongqing was captured by a small group of long-haired bandits. Sichuan was in chaos."

"The situation in the south of our Qing Dynasty has now reached a critical point!"

"Please tell me, my lords, how should the Qing Dynasty deal with the current changes?"

Xianfeng sat on the chair and started the article directly.

Xianfeng looked a little listless, and his whole spirit and energy were in completely different states compared to before.

The reason for this was not only because Xianfeng became a eunuch, but more because he became addicted to opium in order to relieve his depressed mood during this period.

He is now almost craving for cigarettes, so he looks a little listless.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of several military ministers were different.

After a moment, Sushun spoke first.

"Your Majesty, I think the most important thing the court should do now is to put an end to the defeat of the Jiangnan and Jiangbei camps."

"Xiang Rong, Jierhang'a, Qishan and others should all be punished accordingly."

"To serve as a warning to others and to show that the court is clear about rewards and punishments!"

Upon hearing this, Xianfeng nodded slightly.

"Tell me, Sushun, how do you think we should deal with Xiang Rong, Qi Shan, Jierhang'a and others?"

Su Shun heard this and thought for a while before speaking.

"Xiang Rong was the commander of the Jiangnan Camp. Although he lost the Jiangnan Camp, he at least fought a bloody battle with the Taiping rebels. Even if he didn't have any merit, he still worked hard."

"The court should not be too harsh on him and should dismiss him from his post and send him home."

Upon hearing this, Xianfeng nodded slightly, expressing his satisfaction with Sushun's suggestion.

Xiang Rong is now one of the two red sticks in Emperor Xianfeng's hand, and the most capable general besides Senggelinqin.

Although Xiang Rong had an indelible responsibility for the destruction of the Jiangnan camp.

But he was old after all, already over sixty this year, and Xianfeng could not be too harsh on him, so he dismissed him from his post and sent him home as a punishment.

Sushun continued.

"As for Jierhanga, although he lost the Jiuhuashan camp, he at least led his troops to retreat to Changzhou and supported the defeated soldiers in the Jiangnan camp."

"We preserved some of the blood of the Jiangnan Camp and prevented the long-haired bandits from completely devouring the Jiangnan Camp."

"Perhaps he could be given a slight punishment, demoted three ranks, and temporarily appointed as the governor of Jiangsu, and allowed to make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence, to see how he performs."

Xianfeng nodded again.

In the battle in which the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom broke through the Jiangnan and Jiangbei camps, Jirhang'a's performance was quite remarkable.

Therefore, Xianfeng can give him another chance to make amends for his crime!

Sushun continued.

"Besides that, I think the imperial envoy Qishan of the Jiangbei Camp must be severely punished by the court." "If Qishan had not watched the fake Northern King of the Taiping rebels cross the river and return to Jiangnan, the Taiping rebels would not have launched an offensive against the Jiangbei Camp in Jiangnan."

"If Qishan had not ignored Xiang Rong's request for help, or even simply withdrawn his camp to the north, the Jiangnan camp would not have been isolated and helpless, and thus would not have been conquered by the Taiping rebels!"

"Qishan's crime in this battle in Jiangning is unforgivable."

"The court should punish them severely. Otherwise, I am afraid that some military commanders will follow their example and try to preserve their power by holding on to their own troops."

"If this happens, the consequences will be disastrous!"

In Sushun's view, Qishan was undoubtedly the one who bore the greatest responsibility for the Qing Dynasty's defeat in the Battle of Jiangning.

If it weren't for Qishan's bold moves, how could the Jiangnan and Jiangbei camps have been completely destroyed by the Taiping rebels?
Xianfeng frowned when he heard this.

"Sushun, how do you think the Qing Dynasty should deal with Qishan?"

Su Shun heard this and immediately said.

"In reply to the emperor, I think we should follow Zeng Guofan's example and execute him immediately and confiscate his property and exile him!"

Upon hearing this, Xianfeng couldn't help but frown.

"Is it too much to execute him immediately and confiscate his property and exile him? Qishan is a member of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner after all, and is considered my slave."

Su Shun heard this and immediately said.

"It is precisely because Qishan is the emperor's slave that he needs to be severely punished. If the emperor severely punishes even his own slaves, who in the world would dare to keep an army and preserve strength?"

Sushun’s intention was very clear, he wanted to make Qishan a target.

In fact, he also had the intention of pleading for Zeng Guofan, who was still imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's Tianlao, awaiting execution.

If Xianfeng could easily spare Qishan, then what about Zeng Guofan?
Both of them abandoned the city and fled without fighting. The only difference was that one lost Hunan Province, and the other wiped out the Jiangnan and Jiangbei camps.

If Qishan could live, there is no reason why Zeng Guofan must die!

Of course, Sushun also knew that the possibility of this happening was not high.

Xianfeng wanted to kill Zeng Guofan, but it was never because of the defeat in Changsha.

It was precisely because of this that Sushun did not dare to speak up and plead for Zeng Guofan, and could only hint at it.

Upon hearing this, Xianfeng nodded immediately.

"Then kill!"

"Those who deserve to be beheaded shall be beheaded, and those who deserve to be exiled shall be exiled."

"From now on, I want everyone to remember that no matter what their status, if anyone in the court flees without fighting on the battlefield or tries to preserve their strength by holding on to their own troops, I will never tolerate it."

It is obvious that Xianfeng's attitude was very firm.

Not only Zeng Guofan, but even Qishan is dead now.

Upon hearing this, Sushun could only praise the emperor for his wisdom.

Xianfeng continued to ask.

"Before the fall of Jiangnan Camp, Xiang Rong wrote to the imperial court, requesting that the court purchase foreign guns and cannons from foreigners to equip the army, and even lend them troops to help suppress the rebellion."

"And requesting Senggelinqin to lead his troops to Jiangnan to reinforce the war. What do you think of this?"

Xianfeng still took Xiang Rong's memorial to heart.

Therefore, I brought this up specifically this time and prepared to seek the opinions of everyone in the Grand Council.

As soon as Xianfeng finished speaking, Qi Junzao spoke.

"Your Majesty, I think the court can start to arrange the purchase of military equipment from foreigners and borrow troops to help suppress the rebellion."

"But it is not feasible to transfer the monk king to Jiangnan."

Upon hearing this, Xianfeng touched his chin and said.

"What's the reason? Why couldn't Senggelinqin go to Jiangnan?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Junzao began to express his thoughts.

"To answer your Majesty, first of all, the monk king's troops are mostly cavalry, and Jiangnan is a water town with a crisscross network of waterways, which is not suitable for cavalry combat."

"If the monk king leads his troops to Jiangnan to fight against the Taiping rebels, he will be using his own weaknesses to attack their strengths, which is absolutely unacceptable."

"Secondly, in my humble opinion, the area that needs the most reinforcements from the imperial court is Hubei, not Jiangnan."

"The Tang bandits who have occupied Guangdong and Guangxi and conquered Hunan have already shown some signs of changing the world. Their threat is much greater than that of the long-haired bandits."

"The most urgent matter for the court right now is to dispatch troops to curb the development of the Tang bandits. Now the Tang bandits have almost taken over three provinces. If they are allowed to grow stronger, they will be impossible to control."

After hearing this, Xianfeng thought for a while, and finally said with a wry smile.

"Master Qi is right. Hubei really needs Senggelinqin to lead his troops to reinforce it."

"Previously, the imperial court had focused almost all its attention on the long-haired bandits, but unexpectedly, the Tang bandits in the south had quietly become powerful."

"The land of three provinces, that's the land of three provinces!"

However, as soon as Xianfeng finished speaking, Prince Gong Yi on the side spoke.

"Your Majesty, I have a different opinion."

Xianfeng frowned, but still spoke.

"Prince Gong, please speak!"

Yi said immediately.

"In reply to the emperor, I think that the court should not transfer troops to Hubei now, but should continue to send more troops to Jiangnan."

"Concentrate our main forces to wipe out the Taiping rebels entrenched in Jiangnan first!"

Upon hearing this, Xianfeng opened his mouth and asked.

"What's the reason?"

Yi said immediately.

"The situation facing the Qing Dynasty today is quite similar to that of the late Ming Dynasty..."

(End of this chapter)