Chapter 135 Hong Xiuquan: We must lead our foreign brothers onto the right path!
Next to the coast is a row of opium-burning ponds.
The bottom of the pool was paved with stone slabs. To prevent opium from leaking, boards were nailed around the pool and a ditch was dug to divert seawater into the pool.
Under the command of Chen Yucheng, sea water was introduced into the opium-burning pool, and then the soldiers of the Restoration Army stepped forward to split the opium paste into four pieces and threw them into the pool.
Soaked in the salty seawater, the opium paste gradually melted.
After the opium paste in the pool was completely melted, the soldiers of the Restoration Army began to pour quicklime into the opium-burning pool.
Lime heats up when it comes into contact with water, instantly emitting steam and boiling the opium water.
During this time, the soldiers of the Restoration Army stirred the opium with wooden sticks to ensure that the lime could completely burn the opium.
Finally, the wastewater is discharged into the sea...
In this way, the work of destroying the tobacco is completed.
That’s right, the method used by Li Yi to destroy opium was exactly the seawater immersion method used by Lin Zexu back then.
As far as Li Yi knows, this method of destroying opium is indeed the most appropriate and lowest cost one at the moment.
After all, Li Yi couldn't just follow the example of the Americans and pile up the opium and burn it, right?
So are you going to sell the opium, or are you going to invite the whole city to party together?
Being able to do such a brainless thing, I can only say that they are worthy of being a beacon of civilization!
As the opium in the opium-burning pool was gradually destroyed and the poisonous water was discharged into the sea, cheers rang out again all around.
"Long live!"
"Long live!"
"Long live the Restoration Army, long live the Grand Commander!"
"..."
Since the Opium War, the people of Guangzhou have been deeply poisoned by opium.
Now that the Restoration Army has stood up to ban smoking, they can't help but have a certain degree of identification with the Restoration Army.
Li Yi turned to the ministers and businessmen from various countries and spoke.
"This Governor would like to make a covenant with you all."
"From now on, merchants from all countries, except the United Kingdom, can freely come to our Restoration Army to conduct legal trade and exchanges. Our Restoration Army will provide sufficient security guarantees to merchants from all countries to ensure that trade can proceed smoothly."
"But there is one thing. After today, if I find any merchant ship carrying opium to China, even if the amount is only one ounce or one cent, I will kill every one of them."
Two hundred grams of death penalty?
No, it doesn't exist.
It doesn’t have to be 200 grams, no matter how much, if you find out, you will be beheaded!
Those with large numbers will be exterminated immediately!
Use heavy codes in troubled times.
Li Yi just didn't believe that he couldn't stop the opium that harmed people.
When everyone heard this, they looked at each other in bewilderment at first, but in the end they could only agree.
The head of the British ambassador was still placed next to the opium burning pool, and they dared not challenge Li Yi's determination to ban opium.
……
After completing the opium destruction task, Li Yi led his troops back to Guangzhou.
Li Liang came to report as soon as possible.
"Grand Commander, our army's western expedition troops have successfully captured Zhaoqing Prefecture, Luoding Prefecture, Gaozhou and other places."
"Guangdong and Guangxi have been completely connected!"
To say that it was an attack is actually not accurate.
Because during the Western Expedition, the Restoration Army hardly mobilized any troops and basically just marched there on an armed parade.
Along the way, all the prefectures and counties of the Qing Dynasty surrendered at the sight of the enemy. The occasional resistance was mostly militia organized by landlords and gentry.
However, facing the Restoration Army, which had just finished the Battle of Guangzhou and had sufficient soldiers and food and high morale, those militia groups could not do anything at all.
It is not enough to hinder the Restoration Army's westward expedition!
Li Yi heard this and nodded slightly.
"very good!"
"In this case, our Restoration Army's strategy of uniting Guangdong and Guangxi will be initially realized."
After thinking for a while, Li Yi continued.
"Let the Grand Military Governor's Office in Cenxi prepare to set off eastward."
"Cenxi is still too remote!"
Compared with small places like Cenxi, Guangzhou is the real core of Guangdong and Guangxi.
If the Restoration Army wants to develop, it is definitely not possible to hide in Cenxi. Guangzhou is currently the most suitable place.
The Restoration Army had just captured Guangzhou and had not yet settled down, so Li Yi did not allow the Restoration Army's offices and families to move easily.
But now that Guangzhou is stable, there is no need to worry so much.
Upon hearing this, Li Liang nodded in agreement.
There was obvious joy on his face.
Now his family is also in Cenxi.
Now that Li Yi has ordered Cenxi to move eastward, it won't be long before he can see his family again.
……
After the Taiping Army conquered Nanjing, they renamed it Tianjing and regarded it as the capital of the Heavenly Kingdom.
Hong Xiuquan changed the Jiangning General's Mansion into the Heavenly King's Palace and took control of it.
Men De'en was walking in the Heavenly King's Palace, holding a report in his hand, preparing to ask for an audience with the Heavenly King.
Wherever he passed, female officials bowed to Meng De'en with an extremely respectful attitude.
In their eyes, Mende'en, the confidant of the Heavenly King, is absolutely a powerful being who can decide their life or death with a single word.
In fact, many of them were noticed by the Prime Minister and then promoted from the women's camp to the Heavenly King's Palace.
Soon, Meng De'en arrived at the king's study.
From a distance, he heard the sound of reciting poetry coming from the study.
"When awake, you are the same as when asleep. You are always hypocritical."
"A fake heart will be rewarded with fake blessings, how can a bitch get eternal glory?"
"..."
Obviously, this poem is not a famous poem, but a real doggerel written by Hong Xiuquan himself.
Qianlong and Hong Xiuquan can be described as the two great figures of ancient Chinese poetry!
Meng De'en first criticized the king's poetic talent in his heart, and then silently pondered the king's intention in writing this poem.
Soon, Meng De'en had a guess.
It is estimated that something strange has happened over there with the East King again. The King of Heaven wrote this poem, which is clearly targeting the East King.
The reason why Meng De'en was able to get to his current position, apart from his qualifications and loyalty, was more because he could understand Hong Xiuquan's pulse and guess what he was thinking.
He is probably somewhat confident about this!
Meng De'en walked to the outside of the king's study and knocked on the door.
"Your Majesty, the commander-in-chief of the palace has been granted an audience."
It didn't take long for a response from inside the hall after he finished speaking.
"Come in!"
When Meng De'en pushed the door open, he saw Hong Xiuquan standing behind the desk, writing something on a piece of fine rice paper.
Beside him, one lady was grinding ink, another was serving tea, and another was watching over the brazier, adding charcoal from time to time...
These princesses were not actually Hong Xiuquan’s concubines.
There are hundreds of queens in the Heavenly King's Palace alone, and Old Hong only has one weapon, so he definitely can't sleep with them all.
The so-called queens mostly do the work of maids.
Hong Xiuquan put down his pen, looked up and asked.
"De En, why are you here today?"
Meng De'en took a deep breath and then began to report.
"In reply to the Heavenly King, I came here today to report three important matters to the Heavenly King." "First, there is the latest news from Guangzhou. Li Yi went east from Guangxi, captured Guangzhou, and began to ban smoking in Guangzhou City."
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiuquan frowned subconsciously.
Obviously, he was very unhappy with Li Yi, this traitor.
"Oh, my Heavenly Kingdom attracted the main force of the Qing demons in Jiangnan, but I didn't expect that the little thief Li Yi got lucky and gained power in Guangdong and Guangxi."
Hong Xiuquan snorted coldly.
"What about the second thing?"
Meng De'en bowed slightly and then spoke.
"The second thing is that in Shanghai, some foreigners took the initiative to contact our Heavenly Kingdom and expressed their desire to trade with our Heavenly Kingdom."
Because the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom claimed to worship God, many foreigners thought that every Taiping Heavenly Kingdom member was a Christian.
Therefore, I naturally have a certain favorable impression on the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
After the Heavenly Kingdom established its capital in Tianjing, foreigners from Shanghai began to send people to contact it.
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiuquan smiled and said.
"can!"
"Brother Yang and I share the same belief in God. We are both God's children. Although we are not related by blood, we are as close as a family. Since Brother Yang wants to trade with us, how can we refuse?"
Meng De'en continued after hearing this.
"In addition, the foreigners are also planning to send missionaries to Tianjing to exchange doctrines with you, the Heavenly King."
When Hong Xiuquan heard this, his face became even happier.
"Okay, okay, that's even better."
"Although my foreign brothers believe in the Heavenly Father and God just like me, I have read the Good Words to Admonish the World and the Bible before and found that their teachings have many errors and omissions. If we continue to do so for a long time, I am afraid that they will lead us astray."
"It is good that they can send people to communicate with me. I can also teach them the correct doctrine and lead the foreign brothers onto the right path..."
The corners of Meng De'en's mouth twitched, but he still spoke.
"The Heavenly King is holy and wise!"
Hong Xiuquan nodded slightly and asked.
"What about the third thing?"
Munden continued.
"To reply to the Heavenly King, this is the latest news from southern Henan."
"The Western King and the Wing King led their troops to capture Nanyang, Ruzhou and other important cities, and advanced to the city of Luoyang..."
When Hong Xiuquan heard this, the expression on his face became somewhat complicated.
"Haha, Xiao Chaogui and Shi Dakai are lucky!"
"If we can capture Luoyang, we will be a force to be reckoned with."
To be honest, Hong Xiuquan didn't actually hate Xiao Chaogui and Shi Dakai at this time.
Because in his opinion, the two people's "defection" was more due to the conflict with Yang Xiuqing, and had little to do with him, Hong Xiuquan.
Even after the two of them defected, they still expressed their respect for Hong Xiuquan as the Heavenly King.
This greatly satisfied Hong Xiuquan's vanity.
Look, only I, Old Hong, am the real core of the Kingdom of Heaven!
At this moment, another person came in from outside to report.
"Report, Heavenly King, the East King and the North King are outside seeking an audience!"
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiuquan frowned at first, then spoke.
"Invite people in!"
Upon hearing this, the attendant immediately clasped his fists in response, then turned around and invited Yang Xiuqing and Wei Changhui who were waiting outside.
Soon, the two were brought before Hong Xiuquan.
"Your subjects pay their respects to the Heavenly King. May the Heavenly King be blessed!"
The two stood in the study and bowed together.
Hong Xiuquan sat on a chair, asked Yang Xiuqing and Wei Changhui to take their seats, and then asked.
"What are you two brothers here for today?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiuqing spoke immediately.
"In reply to the Heavenly King, I came here today with the Northern King to discuss with you the next move of my Heavenly Kingdom."
Wei Changhui nodded, indicating that what Yang Xiuqing said was correct.
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiuquan opened his mouth and asked.
"We have already conquered Tianjing and established the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth according to the instructions of Heavenly Father. What else can we do?"
There was a hint of a desire to give up in his words.
Hong Xiuquan actually had quite a few problems. To put it nicely, he was good at delegating power to the right people, but to put it bluntly, he simply lacked strategic vision.
Historically, the expansion of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was almost entirely completed under the leadership of Yang Xiuqing.
After the Tianjing Incident, Yang Xiuqing died, Hong Xiuquan took power, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom began to decline...
Although this is related to the fact that the Heavenly Kingdom lost a large number of its backbone forces during the Tianjing Incident, it is also a fact that Hong Xiuquan's personal ability is not as good as Yang Xiuqing's.
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiuqing spoke in a firm and unquestionable tone.
"Northern Expedition!"
"Now, the two traitors Xiao Chaogui and Shi Dakai have already reached Luoyang. If nothing unexpected happens, after they capture Luoyang, they will advance to the capital of the Qing Dynasty."
"The main force of our Heavenly Kingdom must launch a northern expedition before Xiao Chaogui, and directly attack the capital to capture and kill the evil chieftain. Otherwise, the great achievement of destroying the Qing Dynasty will be taken away by Xiao Chaogui."
"By then, I'm afraid Xiao Chaogui will threaten the orthodox status of the Heavenly King by bringing his great achievements in destroying the Qing demons."
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiuquan couldn't help but frown.
"can you?"
Hong Xiuquan felt that Yang Xiuqing was talking nonsense. Speaking of threats, it is obviously you, the Eastern King who is right under my nose, who are a greater threat to me...
Yang Xiuqing nodded with certainty.
"Most definitely!"
Hong Xiuquan couldn't help but hesitate, but finally asked.
"Then which general does the Eastern King think our Heavenly Kingdom should send to lead the troops to the Northern Expedition?"
Yang Xiuqing said with a grin.
"In my opinion, it is most appropriate for the Northern King to lead the Northern Expedition. The Heavenly Kingdom can also dispatch Generals Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang to the Northern King and let him lead the Northern Expedition."
Historically, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom launched the Northern Expedition, and it was led by Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang.
The reason why Yang Xiuqing let Wei Changhui lead the troops instead of letting Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang lead the troops alone was because Lin and Li were Xiao Chaogui's men.
Historically, Yang Xiuqing dared to let the two men lead the troops alone because Xiao Chaogui had already died in battle in Changsha at that time.
Yang Xiuqing naturally dared to use them!
But now?
Not only was Xiao Chaogui alive, but he was also fighting vigorously in the Central Plains.
If Yang Xiuqing let the two of them lead the troops individually, there was an 80% probability that they would lead their troops to join Xiao Chaogui, and a 20% probability that they would go their own way.
Under such circumstances, if Yang Xiuqing wanted to use two people to march north, he could only send one with enough strength to hold the two back.
With the Southern King dead in battle, the Western King and the Wing King defecting, Yang Xiuqing cannot be moved lightly, and Hong Tianwang enjoying himself and playing badly, the Northern King Wei Changhui is indeed the best choice.
Wei Changhui had no objection to this.
One reason was that he could feel the slightly tense atmosphere between Hong and Yang in Tianjing City and did not want to get involved.
The second reason was that he also wanted to follow the example of his two predecessors, Li Yi and Xiao Chaogui, and break away from the Heavenly Kingdom and establish his own independence.
This northern expedition was a very good opportunity for him.
Well, Wei Changhui thought, there was no reason why Xiao Chaogui and Li Yi could do something that he, Wei Changhui, couldn’t!
……
PS: The next chapter will be later, but it will definitely be there.
I’d like to recommend a book written by a friend, “Anti-Qing 1850”. It will be on the shelves soon. Friends who are interested can go and have a look.
(End of this chapter)