Chapter 134 Xianfeng: If you don’t know how to speak, please shut up!
Is it true that Emperor Xianfeng had no interest in the concubines who came to sleep with him?
He doesn't have that ability!
Well, actually not necessarily.
Everyone knows what the concubines in the Qing Dynasty looked like. It is understandable that Emperor Xianfeng had no interest in those ugly bastards.
Well, normal people are generally not interested in them.
Therefore, Cixi, who was not originally beautiful in appearance, became the favorite of Emperor Xianfeng and was favored by him against the backdrop of this group of ugly girls.
It really is all thanks to the support of peers!
The moon was high in the sky, and at night, hurried footsteps were heard outside the bedroom.
"Lord Sushun, why are you here now? The master has gone to bed."
"If there is nothing urgent, report it tomorrow!"
The eunuch An Dehai, who was serving in front of the emperor, came forward and stopped Sushun who was in a hurry.
Xianfeng has been very tired recently and has some insomnia. He finally fell asleep today, and An Dehai didn't want to be disturbed.
Upon hearing this, Sushun's eyebrows raised, and he kicked An Dehai, who was blocking his way, away and started shouting and cursing.
"Get out of here right now, you blind man!"
"If the urgent military report just arrived from the south over 800 miles away is delayed, how can a eunuch like you bear the consequences?"
An Dehai was kicked down, but he did not dare to scream, for fear of disturbing Xianfeng. He could only get up from the ground, holding his chest which was painful from being kicked, and bowed.
"Master Sushun, please wait a moment. I will report to you..."
Before he finished speaking, a response came from the Qianqing Palace.
"No need, I'm awake already, Sushun, just come in."
After Xianfeng finished speaking, Sushun no longer looked at An Dehai and strode into the Qianqing Palace.
It was already winter, but there was no snow in the capital city. It was dry and cold.
When Sushun came to Emperor Xianfeng's bedside, he was still a little cold.
"Your servant greets His Majesty. May Your Majesty be well and healthy!"
Sushun bowed and kowtowed, his head hitting the floor tiles with a dull thud.
Xianfeng coughed lightly a few times, spat a mouthful of thick phlegm into the spittoon held by the palace maid, and asked in a weak voice.
"Now, what's the urgent military situation?"
"But which state capital has been occupied by the Longhairs?"
During this period of time, Xianfeng continued to receive various kinds of bad news. He thought he had made sufficient mental preparations and would not be frightened by sudden bad news.
Su Shun heard this and took a deep breath.
"Your Majesty, this is the latest express delivery from Guangdong, which has traveled eight hundred miles."
"The long-haired thief from Guangxi went out from the east, Guangzhou fell, and Guangzhou General Mutten, Guangdong and Guangxi Governor Ye Mingchen, Guangdong Governor Bai Gui and others all fell into the hands of the thief."
"The situation in Guangdong is out of control!"
When Xianfeng heard this, his expression was stunned at first, and then the corners of his eyes and eyebrows could not help twitching.
Veins bulged on his shiny forehead.
He knew the news was going to be bad, but he didn't expect it to be this bad.
Although this news was not as bad as the fall of Nanjing, it was almost as bad.
The fall of Nanjing symbolized that Jiangnan was no longer owned by the Qing Dynasty.
The fall of Guangzhou meant that Guangdong and Guangxi were free from the control of the Qing Dynasty.
In addition, there were Xiao Chaogui and Shi Dakai, who were fighting in the Hubei and southern Henan areas and had repeatedly conquered provincial capitals with great results.
Guangdong and Guangxi, Jiangnan, Huguang, these most fertile and important areas in the south were almost not owned by the Qing Dynasty.
Xianfeng now really felt a sense of frustration that the country was about to collapse and he was powerless to save the situation.
"The Qing dynasty has been in power for 200 years. Our ancestors have ruled the country for 200 years. Are they really going to perish in my hands?"
"After a hundred years, how can I face my ancestors in the underworld?"
Xianfeng slumped on the bed, muttering to himself.
His face was obviously as pale as death!
Upon hearing this, Sushun spoke to comfort him.
"Your Majesty, it's not that serious yet."
"In the Tang Dynasty, the capital was captured six times and the emperor fled nine times; in the Song Dynasty, there was the Jingkang Incident and Emperor Gaozong moved south; in the Ming Dynasty, there was the Tumu Incident and the capital was besieged..."
"Didn't they all come here?"
"Although the war situation in the south of our Great Qing Dynasty is not going well from time to time, we still have half of the north in our hands, and we still have the support of the people of the world."
"No matter what, the country will not be overthrown!"
Xianfeng: “…”
Now Emperor Xianfeng is so annoyed. Damn Sushun, if you can’t comfort people, just shut up, okay?
Listening to Sushun's consolation, Xianfeng felt that he needed to make preparations for the Qing Dynasty to move back to the outside of the Great Wall in advance...
Seeing that Xianfeng looked unhappy, Sushun hurriedly added.
"Your Majesty, regarding the Battle of Guangzhou, there is one more thing that I think the court should pay attention to."
When Xianfeng heard this, although he was unhappy with Sushun, he still asked patiently.
"Say!"
"What else is going on!"
Sushun said with an expression of disbelief on his face.
"When the Taiping rebels attacked Guangzhou, Muttern, Ye Mingchen and other Guangzhou officials chose to contact the British in Hong Kong, hoping to borrow troops from them to suppress the rebels."
"In the end, the British were also defeated by the Taimao..."
Upon hearing this, Xianfeng could not help but frown, and his heart seemed to be filled with huge waves.
"What? The British were defeated too?"
"Even the British can't beat the Taiping? How can this be tolerated?"
Emperor Xianfeng already remembered the time when the British were wreaking havoc along the coast of the Qing Dynasty.
He still remembered the gloomy atmosphere in the palace during that period, his royal father's ugly face, and the bad news that kept coming from the coast.
The Qing army of hundreds of thousands was unable to defeat a mere 10,000 or 20,000 British barbarians!
It’s incredible!
Although the Qing Dynasty's hundreds of thousands of troops were relatively scattered and unable to gather together to fight the British.
But if you lose, you lose. If you can’t win, you can’t win. There’s nothing wrong with admitting that.
It can be said that Xianfeng was deeply impressed by the fighting effectiveness of the British army.
Now, when he suddenly heard that the British troops were defeated by the enemy troops, Xianfeng could not believe it at all.
Taking a deep breath, Xianfeng asked.
"How much did the British lose? Were they seriously injured?"
Xianfeng wanted to know the specific situation of the Battle of Guangzhou.
He felt that the reason why the Restoration Army was able to win the Battle of Guangzhou against the British was probably because they relied on the bravery and fearlessness of the enemy soldiers and won the victory at the cost of human lives.
Moreover, it is estimated that the British casualties will not be many!
Well, just like the Sanyuanli militia in Guangzhou resisted the British.
Although the British army was surrounded and forced to retreat by superior forces, it failed to cause too many casualties to the British army.
If this was the case, Xianfeng felt that he could barely accept it.
But to his disappointment, Sushun just shook his head and said.
"No, Your Majesty, you don't know that the British were defeated miserably in the Battle of Guangzhou."
"Thousands of land forces were wiped out, the naval fleet stationed in Hong Kong was wiped out, and British Minister to China John C. Johnson, Consul John Bowring and other senior officials were almost wiped out."
"By the way, the long-haired thieves also took over Hong Kong!"
Upon hearing this, Xianfeng couldn't help but gasp, and his expression kept changing.
"How could this happen? How could this happen?"
"Are the long-haired thieves really that good at fighting?"
"That's thousands of British barbarians. The results achieved by the Qing Dynasty during the long war with the British barbarians are probably not even a fraction of what the long-haired bandits achieved, right?"
Upon hearing this, Sushun began to give advice.
"Your Majesty, I think this is a good thing."
Xianfeng frowned.
"What kind of good thing is this?"
Sushun continued, "The British suffered a great loss in Guangzhou this time. Judging from their character, they will not swallow their anger."
"They will definitely send troops to retaliate!"
"At that time, our Qing Dynasty may be able to unite with the British to suppress the bandits and eradicate the Taiping rebels."
"..."
Xianfeng was speechless again. Sushun, your daughter, really can't talk.
Allied with the enemy to suppress the invaders...
These words gave Xianfeng an inexplicable sense of déjà vu, and he suddenly felt a chill on his neck.
Damn it, I’ll just ask people to cut down all the crooked trees on Jingshan Mountain.
However, although he was speechless, Xianfeng had to admit that what Sushun said was right.
Allying with the invaders... bah, allying with the foreigners to suppress the invaders may really be the best option for the Qing Dynasty at this moment.
Xianfeng spoke.
"Since we are talking about joining forces with foreigners to suppress the thieves, then we can contact not only the British, but also foreigners from other countries."
"Don't these foreigners come to our Qing Dynasty just to do business?"
"Tell them that as long as they can help me to suppress the thieves, everything will be fine."
Upon hearing this, Sushun bowed immediately.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Suddenly, Xianfeng remembered something and spoke.
"By the way, if I remember correctly, the court just brought back a Xunzhou prefect from Guangxi, his name is Cai something."
"I read the military report sent back from the front line. The governor of Xunzhou once recaptured Xunzhou City from the bandits."
"I think he should have some military talent!"
"How about this, take the man out and send him to the front line to atone for his crime!"
Upon hearing this, Sushun asked.
"May I ask your Majesty, which front is this?"
"Jiangnan? Guangdong and Guangxi? Or Hubei and southern Henan?"
Xianfeng pondered for a while, then spoke.
"Guangdong and Guangxi!"
"He once served as an official in Guangdong and Guangxi, so he is probably familiar with the situation there. Going there will also allow him to better display his talents."
Sushun heard this and responded again.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
……
At the end of October in the first year of Emperor Xianfeng’s reign in the Qing Dynasty, Guangzhou, Humen!
The sea breeze blew towards us, blowing the large flags into the wind.
The soldiers of the Restoration Army held their heads high and chests puffed out, like javelins standing upright.
Li Yi came riding a horse, and behind him, the generals of the Restoration Army who were still in Guangzhou, as well as representatives of the gentry in Guangzhou, followed him.
Get ready to witness a feat together!
Destroy the smoke!
Li Yi wants to destroy opium in Humen again!
Li Yi rode his horse to a high platform, dismounted, and stepped onto the platform. Behind him, the generals of the Restoration Army and representatives of the gentry and people of Guangzhou followed.
In addition, foreigners in Macau, including the French Minister to Macau Bourboulon, the American Minister to Macau Marsali, and the Governor of Macau, Jadoso, were also "invited" by Li Yi to watch the ceremony.
After climbing onto the platform, Li Yi looked around and said.
"Opium is rampant, poisoning China, stealing our money, harming our people, and damaging our national dignity. It is a heinous crime!"
"This is intolerable, what else can we not tolerate?"
"Twelve years ago, Lin Wenzhong confiscated opium in Guangzhou and destroyed it in Humen, which made people happy."
"Today, I will follow the example of our predecessors and destroy opium in Humen, kill the British as a sacrifice, and announce to the world the determination of our Restoration Army to ban opium."
“I hope the people of Guangzhou can bear witness to this!”
Li Yi waved his hand and gave the order to start.
Immediately, countless soldiers of the Restoration Army and the people of Guangzhou who had come to Humen in advance to watch the excitement shouted in unison.
"Wan Sheng!"
"The Restoration Army will win!"
"Long live the Grand Governor!"
"..."
Amid the shouting, Chen Yucheng stood up and reported.
"Reporting to the Grand Commander, our army has been very effective in the current stage of anti-smoking work."
"As of today, our army has confiscated more than million boxes of opium, more than 31,000 boxes, weighing more than million kilograms, and more than 7,800 opium pipes in various prefectures under Guangzhou's jurisdiction."
"More than 700 cigarette dealers arrested!"
"Please give me instructions, Grand Commander!"
The tobacco dealers that Chen Yucheng referred to here were die-hard elements like Hu Laosi who resisted stubbornly, as well as some foreign businessmen who dared to fight against the Restoration Army.
As for ordinary opium merchants, although Li Yi also disliked them, before the Restoration Army issued an order to ban smoking, they were doing legal business.
Why don't you allow people to do business if it's not prohibited by law?
Li Yi couldn't use this as an excuse to kill someone.
Therefore, he could only pick out a few of the most enthusiastic ones to serve as a warning to others.
As for most people?
You can only lift it high and let it down gently.
Seeing this, Li Yi nodded immediately.
"First kill someone to sacrifice the flag, then start destroying the opium."
Chen Yucheng clasped his fists and accepted the order, then turned around to do it.
Soon, several people were seen being escorted down from the prison van.
Leading the group were a few foreigners, including British Minister to China Henry Wadsworth, Consul in Guangzhou John Bowring and others.
This scene made Bulblom and others frown.
Good man, using the British ambassador as a target, this is really going to offend the British to death...
How dare he!
Bulblom wanted to say something to Li Yi: Ignorance is fearlessness.
But after careful consideration, I feel that there is really nothing to be afraid of on Li Yi's side.
Britain is indeed powerful, but there is half a globe between it and the Restoration Army.
Even if the British risked their lives, they could only transport 20,000 to 30,000 people to the Far East.
The Restoration Army is obviously not afraid of the 20,000 or 30,000 British troops...
Bourboulon couldn't help feeling a little sad now. How come the French were born next to the British?
Since the law is born, why do we need Ying?
If France had stayed away from Britain, how could Napoleon the Great have been defeated at Waterloo?
Maybe Europe would have been unified by now!
After Wenhan and others, there are troublemakers like Hu Laosi.
These people were taken to the Humen Fort.
Accompanied by a loud cannon shot.
The ghost-head knife was swung down, the head fell to the ground, and blood spurted high.
"kill!"
"kill!"
"kill!"
"..."
Seeing this scene, countless people cheered.
Especially the moment when the British heads fell to the ground, which made countless Guangzhou citizens' blood boil.
I wish I could join the army and kill all the British!
The humiliation that China suffered during the Opium War has now finally been washed away by the blood of the British.
Countless people were excited!
As heads fell to the ground one after another, the atmosphere reached its climax and the crowd became more and more excited.
Even the Guangzhou gentry on the high platform unconsciously clenched their fists, with blood boiling in their hearts.
Everyone is looking forward to the official start of the smoke elimination!
……
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The failed author is on his knees in thanks!
(End of this chapter)