Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 624 The Roar of the Father's Hammer

"Your Majesty~"

"Woooooo~~~"

"Ouch~~"

Outside the Shende Hall in the Yuanmingyuan Garden, officials wailed and relatives wept.

Each of them was more heartbroken and in pain than if their own parents had died; they pounded their chests, banged their heads on the ground, and cried out in deafening cries.

Civil and military officials are expected to maintain a dignified demeanor on a daily basis.

Even when selecting people, they look at their faces first.

Those with dignified and composed appearances are sure to have a brighter future than those with sharp features and a lively, energetic demeanor.

If someone behaves improperly in ordinary times, they will be impeached and ridiculed.

The only time when one could disregard decorum and freely vent emotions was when the emperor died.

At this moment, you don't need to worry about anything, just keep crying.

The harder you cry, the better.

Only by crying harder can one truly express their respect and love for the Emperor—or rather, the late Emperor.

The entire Yuanmingyuan was filled with the sound of weeping.

The Daoguang Emperor's condition has worsened and has been going on for some time now.

The vast majority of people were already mentally prepared.

Almost everyone who could reach the palace and whose status was high enough gathered at the Yuanmingyuan, just waiting for the emperor to die.

Zaiquan, the head of the Imperial Clan Court, read aloud the secret edict from the sealed box in front of everyone.

The fourth prince, Yizhu, was made crown prince, and the sixth prince, Yixin, was made prince Gong.

People are already used to the secret stockpiling system.

It is rare for the will to include an additional mention of bestowing the title of Prince Gong upon Yixin.

There is no doubt that Emperor Daoguang had struggled internally before issuing this compensation.

With tears streaming down his face but overjoyed, Yi Zhu subconsciously turned to look at Lao Liu.

'Luckily I listened to Master Du back then, otherwise...'

If it weren't for Du Shoutian's help and his ability to see through people's hearts, the throne might have really fallen into the hands of Guizi Liu.

Confucian scholars may not be good at much else, but when it comes to intrigue, scheming, and vying for power, they are all experts.

'We can talk about the sixth prince later; the key is to secure our throne first.'

The official explanation for the late emperor's death was that his overwork in governing the country had taken a toll on his health, and the long-standing ailments ultimately proved incurable.

This statement is probably half true, because chronic illness is indeed the basis for death.

However, the real reason is not something that can be disclosed to the public.

Since the death of the late Empress Dowager, the late Emperor's health deteriorated rapidly.

The imperial physicians did their best to treat him and advised him to rest and recuperate.

But no one expected that military reports from Guangxi would come in like snowflakes.

Every time this happens, it results in the loss of people and land; it threatens Guilin and Guangxi.
Each time the emperor read a military report, his condition worsened, and he would ask where Xiang Rong was.

Yesterday, an urgent message arrived, saying that hundreds of thousands of rebel troops had besieged Guilin City.

Even though he could no longer speak, the late emperor, his fingers trembling, gestured along the edge of the bed, asking, "Where is Xiang Rong?"

It can be said that the late emperor was scared to death by the military reports from Guangxi!
Xiang Rong, whom he cherished deeply during his lifetime, was also firmly remembered by Yizhu and a group of imperial relatives and ministers.

In fact, Xiang Rong was also wronged.

He was far away in Gansu, and after receiving the imperial edict, he still had to hand over his work.

Traveling with family and friends from Gansu to Guangxi, where there are no high-speed trains or airplanes available.

In addition, in those days communication relied entirely on horseback messengers, so Xiang Rong, who was still on the road, had no idea what was happening between Guangxi and the capital.

He didn't know, but everyone, from top to bottom, was thinking about him.

Crown Prince Yizhu immediately ascended the throne and announced that the reign title would be changed to Xianfeng the following year.

After that, the principal wife was made empress, and in order to alleviate the pressure brought by the sixth prince being made a prince, the seventh prince was made a prince of the first rank, and so on.

After finishing these tasks, there was still the late emperor's funeral and many other things to attend to.

then.

"Military report!"

"Urgent military report delivered over 800 li!"

"The rebels have already besieged Guilin City!"

Upon receiving such a gift so soon after ascending the throne, Emperor Xianfeng, Yizhu, rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Let's discuss it.

Since all the important members of the imperial family and high-ranking officials were present, a discussion meeting was immediately held.

The emperor, Zaiquan, the Grand Minister Zaiyuan, Duanhua, Senggelinqin, the Grand Councilors Muzhanga and Saishanga, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department Wenqing, and other nobles looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

After all, it's too early to figure out what the new emperor's intentions are, so it's not appropriate to make any rash statements.

At the very least, we need to know whether the emperor advocates suppression or appeasement.

One must be in sync with the emperor's thoughts, otherwise one would become like Lin Yuanfu.

As soon as I thought of him, someone brought him up on the spot.

"Your Majesty~"

The young and impetuous Guizi Liu broke the silence and took the initiative to propose, "Guangxi is in a state of chaos. We should appoint an important minister to act as an imperial commissioner and quell the banditry with swift and decisive measures."

Looking at his former rival, Emperor Xianfeng was displeased, but he showed no outward reaction.

"Sixth Brother, who do you think is usable?"

"Your Majesty." Gui Zi Liu, who lost the struggle for the throne due to his youthful arrogance, unhesitatingly recommended Lin Yuanfu, the former Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, as the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor. He is capable of taking on this role.

He further explained, "When Lin Yuanfu was in Shaanxi, he quelled the bandits."

"During our time in Yunnan and Guizhou, we quelled the Han and Hui rebellion against officials in Baoshan and the Yi people's uprising in Tengyue."

"This person is most suitable to quell the bandits."

Emperor Xianfeng nodded slightly, indicating his satisfaction.

"In that case, let's draft the decree."

In their view, although Guilin was besieged, there were still tens of thousands of troops inside the city with ample food supplies, and it was not a problem to hold out for several months or even half a year.

By then, all reinforcements will have arrived, and we can defeat the enemy.

However, the tens of thousands of troops inside Guilin City were only on paper.

The Guangxi Green Standard Army had little combat capability, while the Guizhou Green Standard Army that came to their aid was stronger, but still only slightly stronger.

As for constables, yamen runners, and inspectors, they're all experts at bullying ordinary people. But when it comes to the real battlefield, they're all cowards.

The students from the county and prefectural schools who were mobilized were young and energetic, and dared to climb the city wall.

However, his fighting ability is nothing more than a surge of enthusiasm.

Needless to say, Ding Zhuang, despite his large numbers, was forced into battle but not even given a full meal. How could he be in the mood to fight?
The local gentry and gentry's militia were quite capable in fighting.

Only the core of the family has the determination to fight. Among the hooligans and thugs recruited from the periphery, who can truly risk their lives?
After careful consideration, only a few hundred well-fed and supported officers and soldiers in Guilin City possessed real fighting power.

People in the capital thought Guilin could hold out for half a year.

The people in Guilin thought they could hold out for a month.

The defeated soldiers, who had fought against the Taiping Army before, felt that even holding out for ten days would be difficult.

The first thought of the soldiers guarding the city walls when they saw the fatherly hammer appear in their line of sight was...

'With cannons this big, does this mean the city will fall today?!'

A loving father's heavy hammer ~B4.

The cannon barrel is five meters long, with a caliber of 203 millimeters, and weighs over five tons.

If you include the large, new tracked chassis modified for forest roads, it will be even bigger and heavier.

The Guilin city wall is undoubtedly very sturdy.

However, such earthen and brick walls could only meet one fate under the direct fire of heavy artillery.

'boom! ’

'boom! ’

'boom! ’

Guilin's city walls are sturdy, far superior to those of small county towns.

Lin Dao also took it seriously, firing five shots in quick succession.

A scene that is already familiar to me.

Soaring flames and smoke, deafening roars, flying debris, collapsing city walls, a filled moat, and screaming, weeping defenders.

In the era of cold weapons, the defender's greatest psychological advantage was the city wall.

When this reliance is broken, the psychological defenses also collapse.

Lin Dao jumped out of the car, took off his earplugs, shook his neck, and greeted everyone.

"let's go."

The stereo turned on, playing rousing music.

Large numbers of Taiping soldiers charged toward the breach in the city wall as the smoke of battle gradually dissipated.

The soldiers held up shields made of engineering plastics to defend against shots from muskets, carbines, and arrows.

The real threat came from firearms such as slingshots and cannons.

It's not that engineering plastics can't withstand the load, but rather that an arm can't support it.

There was little resistance at the breached city walls.

The garrison here has long since vanished.

The soldiers guarding the nearby city walls were so frightened that they trembled with fear and bled from their mouths and noses.

Those who could run had already run, and those who couldn't escape were screaming and howling in agony; there was no chance for them to fight back.

The Taiping soldiers surged into the city through the breach like a tide, and then split into groups and rushed to various places along the streets.

Meanwhile, the civil and military officials in Guilin City only heard the sound of thunder, but had no idea what had happened.

When the scouts they sent out returned and reported that the rebels had entered the city, everyone was dumbfounded.

"How can it be?!"

Zheng Zushen was furious. "Even if there were a bunch of pigs on the city wall, they wouldn't let the thieves into the city so easily!"

Those who were gathering information dared not contradict them and could only reply that the thieves had indeed entered the city and were everywhere on the streets.

Zheng Zushen slumped into a chair, his eyes vacant as he muttered to himself.

'It's over~'

It was truly the end for him.

Even if they don't die at the hands of the rebels, even if they manage to escape...

However, if the imperial court were held responsible for the loss of troops and territory, he would also face certain death.

When the officials from the provincial capital, the provincial judicial commissioner, and the provincial education commissioner saw him like this, they looked at each other in bewilderment.

They immediately set off and fled.

Whether they can escape or hide, their survival now depends on their own abilities.

Fu Biao's trusted aides stepped forward and helped the dazed Zheng Zushen to his feet.

A group of soldiers rushed up and escorted Zheng Zushen as he ran out.

There was no need to bring his family members; Zheng Zushen had secretly sent them away before the Taiping army completely besieged the city.

Now all you need to do is focus on escaping.

Once carried onto the street, Zheng Zushen finally came to his senses and hurriedly called for the soldiers to run towards the north gate.

He had his trusted servants and horses waiting for him dozens of miles outside the city.

The imperial court can pursue accountability later; if all else fails, they can always hire someone to pull strings.

The most important thing right now is to escape the city!

Zheng Zushen, on horseback, saw that the streets were full of defeated soldiers and groups of Taiping Army troops.

Every time they encountered the Taiping Army, they would first be met with a barrage of musket fire, after which the rebels would stick daggers into the muzzles of their guns and charge forward in a row, shouting as they fought.

The number of people supporting the banner decreased rapidly.

When they reached the North Gate, they were shocked to find that the area had already been captured by the rebel army.

A large number of bandits rushed up and fought, and Fu Biao was almost wiped out.

Zheng Zushen was pulled off his horse, and a young Taiping soldier mounted him and punched him several times.

"I am the governor—the governor of Guangxi!"

Zheng Zushen shouted, "I want to see your leader!"

After a few more punches, he finally calmed down.

'spit!'

The young Taiping soldier dragged him up, tied him up, and shouted to his comrades.

"Brothers, this high-ranking official of the Qing dynasty was captured alive by my son, Zeng Tianyang!"

"Remember this credit!"

(End of this chapter)