Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 646 The Friendship of the British Empire? You're trying to make me laugh to death!
Wuchang is located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, facing Hanyang and Hankou across the river, and together they are known as the three towns of Wuhan.

Chang Dachun, the governor of Hubei, and Shuangfu, the admiral, took advantage of the fact that the main force of the Taiping Army had previously attacked Jiangling to frantically arrest able-bodied men in order to find reinforcements.

When the Taiping army was dismantled in Jingzhou and the city was pacified, the three towns had more than 30,000 Green Standard Army troops by both land and water.

The Qing army, having suffered repeated defeats, also gained valuable experience.

They didn't engage in open field battles at all; instead, they concentrated all their forces inside the city.

To avoid being attacked by the Taiping army's artillery fire, they even kidnapped people from various places and concentrated them in the city to coerce the Taiping army.

When the Taiping army landed at Parrot Island in Hanyang, the Hanyang garrison pushed thousands of civilians onto the city walls.

And they kept shouting, "Didn't you say you wanted to take charge of the peasants? Then come and save them!"

"Moral kidnapping?"

Lin Dao, who was still on the ship, witnessed this scene through his binoculars.

"You've got the wrong person, haven't you?"

"I have no morals, so what right do you have to hold me hostage?"

"Give the order to fire!"

'Rumble~~~'

The Taiping army was extremely skilled in siege tactics; whenever they attacked a city, they would first fire cannons.

Portable mortar platoons, firing in droves!
The 130mm pipes have not been deployed because the forest road has not yet reached the shore.

Like the heavy hammer of the benevolent father, this kind of thing, which is too heavy to carry or transport, is always transported to other times and spaces by Lin Dao in front of people.

He would take it when needed for training or combat, which was convenient and saved him time.

The fact that they attacked the city without having time to deploy 130 large pipes indicates that the forest road was somewhat affected.

"There's no way around it. Once you compromise the first time, there will be countless times in the future."

"Saving the people of Hanyang will lead to a hundredfold or even a thousandfold increase in the death toll in other regions."

"I know this tactic all too well."

"As soon as a weakness is exposed, the enemy will use every means to attack it."

"The only thing I can do is avenge you!"

"Yang Xiuqing!"

"After the city fell, all the defenders were implicated and punished!"

Within half a day, the Taiping army had captured Hanyang City after landing at Parrot Island.

After entering the city, the garrison and their families were all slaughtered.

Although the battle was short, the civilians captured from within and around the city suffered heavy casualties.

About seven or eight out of ten civilians were killed in the battle.

“Your Excellency, Governor-General,” Shuangfu, the Hubei Provincial Commander, frowned slightly as he spoke to Chang Dachun, “Xiang Rong’s plan is useless.”

Xiang Rong, the governor of Guangxi, escaped the Taiping army's siege time and time again.

In Lin Dao's eyes, this was a top-notch general.

However, in the eyes of the Qing court, Xiang Rong was nothing more than a defeated general and a fleeing general.

Xiang Rong, who fled to Wuchang, was soon escorted back to Beijing by the Qing government for trial.

Before leaving, he offered Chang Dachun and Shuangfu this plan.

'Since the Taiping Army values ​​peasants so much, then they'll use them to blackmail us!'

'In that case, things might take a turn for the better.'

Chang Dachun and his group believed it, or rather, when they had no other choice, any method was a method.

It seems now that the Taiping rebels didn't care about the lives of the peasants at all.

"Hanyang has fallen."

Chang Dachun sighed, "I suppose they will attack Hankou tomorrow."

"Given the Taiping Rebellion's siege speed, the day after tomorrow..."

They're supposed to attack Wuchang the day after tomorrow!
“XXX!”

The Hubei Provincial Commander, Tatara Shuangfu, cursed.

"I have served in the army for many years, conquering Kashgar, pacifying Zhong Renjie in Chongyang, and sweeping away countless rebels in various places!"

"After years of fighting on the battlefield, I have never encountered such a formidable army!"

"From Guangxi to Wuchang, no city could hold out for more than a day!"

"Where on earth did these long-haired bastards come from?!"

It's no wonder he lost his composure; the fighting power of the Taiping Army far exceeded expectations.

Even foreigners aren't this fierce in battle.

The so-called fortified city was no more sturdy than a farmhouse fence in the face of the Taiping army.

They're so good at fighting, could they be heavenly soldiers or generals descended to earth?

The situation unfolded exactly as Chang Dachun had predicted.

The next day, Hankou fell in a single battle.

The Taiping army began building pontoon bridges across the Yangtze River.

Such a large-scale project would normally require a huge number of people and a long time.

However, the Taiping Army simply pushed the heavy, large steel object into the Yangtze River.

Then it kept linking and linking, gradually extending to the other side.

The garrison of Wuchang could only watch helplessly as the Taiping Army worked day and night to build a bridge across the Yangtze River, creating a massive steel dragon that stretched across the north and south banks!

As dawn broke, the Taiping army, having finished their breakfast, marched in a grand procession across the iron bridge to the outskirts of Wuchang.

"There's no way out." The desperate Hubei Admiral Shuangfu said in a hoarse voice, "The only thing left is to fight to the death to serve the Emperor."

He also keeps his word.

When the Taiping army's main force breached the city walls and surged in, Shuangfu, with his Goshha, fought a bloody battle with the Taiping army in the streets.

These Goshha men of the Plain White Banner did indeed demonstrate considerable courage.

But it's pretty useless.

Against muskets, thick armor would only be a burden.

Even by risking their lives to block bullets, a small number of people managed to reach the Taiping soldiers.

However, the armor was still ineffective against the long spears equipped with Mitsubishi bayonets.

The weapons that could truly inflict casualties on the Taiping Army were small cannons, matchlock guns, and muskets hidden in various houses, courtyards, and street corners.

Shuangfu died on the way to fight back.

Clad in heavy armor, he collapsed in the street, riddled with bullets. As for Governor Chang Dachun, he locked himself and his family inside the governor's office and set it on fire.

He once secretly sent his trusted confidants to contact the Taiping Army, expressing his willingness to defect.

Unfortunately, the Taiping army did not agree.

To paraphrase the Taiping rebels, it was a question: 'Are you an upright official like Hai Rui and Bao Zheng?'

'If so, then I may live.'

It's obvious that he isn't.

Then death is the only option.

General Chang Lu and his troops, including Wang Jinxiu, who were dispatched to support Wuchang Prefecture, were also wiped out within the city.

Of the more than 10,000 defenders, only a few hundred were fortunate enough to be taken prisoner.

Even with only a few hundred men, the Taiping Army adhered to its principles.

The officers were not spared, and one in ten of the soldiers were executed. The rest were forced to denounce and expose each other to be convicted.

Those who survived were all placed in labor camps and suicide squads.

Do the most dangerous work, suffer the most devastating losses, and only by obtaining the head of a flag soldier can one be pardoned and become an auxiliary soldier.

The plan proposed by Consort Lan is being implemented.

People like Zeng Guofan, the Vice Minister of Rites, had already begun preparing their own actions, raising local militias to fight against the Taiping Army.

This will just take time.

Given the mobility of the mite-clearing product, it would take at least six months to reach a substantial scale.

Lin Dao, on the other hand, accelerated his actions.

After conquering Wuchang Prefecture, Lin Dao left Chen Yagui to be in charge of clearing out the corrupt officials, landlords and gentry in various parts of Hubei.

He then led his army down the river, easily conquering Jiujiang, capturing Anqing, and heading straight for Nanjing.

"Meeting Head~"

“There was a wheeled ship on the river, flying a foreign flag.”

“That’s a paddle steamer.” Lin Dao waved his hand. “They’re probably here to see me. Send a small boat to pick them up.”

Before long, several large boats approached the paddle steamer.

After some negotiation, the group of foreigners climbed down the cable onto the Dafabet boat and sped all the way to the flagship of the forest road.

It took another struggle to climb up.

There were seven people who came: five foreigners in tailcoats, plus two interpreters.

Of the five foreigners, only two were wearing tall, round hats; the hats of the other three had been lost on the way.

There was no way around it; the Dafabet boats were incredibly fast.

Several foreigners looked at each other strangely, constantly scrutinizing the Daifa boat and Lin Dao's flagship.

"God~"

"This ship is actually an iron-hulled ship!"

Iron-hulled ships actually appeared decades ago, and even today, navies around the world are researching and manufacturing ironclad warships.

Therefore, iron-hulled ships are not uncommon.

What's strange is that it actually appeared in the backward East!
After the foreign devils defeated the Qing dynasty, they put aside their previous fear of the East and were left with only contempt and disdain.

Seeing the iron-hulled ship and the incredibly fast Daihatsu boat, one can only imagine the shock one feels.

Sitting on a small stool, Lin Dao quietly watched as the group of people removed their hats and bowed to him.

'Gibberish~'

Lin Dao actually understood it, but there was nothing to brag about.

After all, in this time and space, the world's language will inevitably be Chinese.

Children in the future will no longer need to learn foreign languages.

"Your Excellency, General," the interpreter translated, "we are trade representatives of the East India Company."

"The purpose of this visit is to discuss cooperation with His Excellency the General."

"Oh." Lin Dao replied coldly, "Who do we have here? It's just an opium dealer."

The translator's work clearly displeased the foreigners, who argued loudly that the company was conducting legitimate business.

Lin Dao was too lazy to waste words with them, so he simply asked them why they came.

"We have been ordered to come here to discuss with the general the possibility of cooperating in an attack on the Qing Dynasty."

After the First Opium War, the Qing government, displaying its rogue nature, did everything in its power to obstruct the dumping of British goods.

The English, exhausted by all the various methods they had been subjected to, finally snapped and flipped the table.

If they can't get it at the negotiating table, they'll get it on the battlefield—that's their usual tactic.

Years later, the troublemakers will team up with the French and launch the Second Opium War.

Nowadays, they are paying close attention to the Taiping Rebellion because it has become another opportunity to use it to force the Qing Dynasty to accept their demands.

"If the general is willing to accept the terms of the British Empire~"

"We will fully support the General!"

"You will gain the friendship of the British Empire."

"I have no interest in friendships like that," Lin Dao laughed. "But since you're here, let's talk about the conditions."

The English offered aid in the form of silver dollars, cloth, food, muskets, cannons, gunpowder, and other supplies.

They could also dispatch ships to help transport the Taiping army across the sea to Tianjin.

And worldwide recognition of the legitimacy of the Taiping Rebellion, etc.

Lin Dao remained unmoved and asked again, "What do you want?"

"First, the general needs to acknowledge the treaty text."

"Secondly, the general must cede territory and open all coastal ports."

"Admit it~~~~~~~ etc~"

"Finally, the general must provide a reward; all support must be settled at market prices."

After the interpreter finished speaking, the foreigners pointed to the Dafa boat and the converted second-hand fishing boat at their feet and said something.

"Also, this ship and those speedboats over there should be sold to the British Empire at a suitable price."

"Are you done talking?" Lin Dao took a deep breath to calm himself down.

He stood up and held up one finger, waving it.

"Remember this, I'm not~~~~!"

(End of this chapter)