My Realistic Simulation Game

Chapter 291 The whole province was shaken, the whole country was shaken, and the world was shaken.
1858, April 11.

The Guangfu Xinbao newspaper published a front-page headline article titled "A Letter to Fujian Compatriots, A Letter to Chinese Compatriots."

One piece of bad news after another spread at top speed through the remaining post roads, secret messengers, and even traveling merchants.

The news spread rapidly from the mountains of Fujian, shaking the entire Qing Empire's ruling center and all those concerned about the war in the southeast.

Fujian province is in shock! The borders of Zhejiang and Jiangxi are under emergency! Martial law has been declared along the coasts of Guangdong and Jiangsu!
The content of the report was shocking and outrageous.

Fujian Governor Qingrui lost Fuzhou and was captured after his defeat.

The nearly 100,000-strong army under the command of Zhou Tianshou, the Fujian Land Commander, was surrounded in Fuzhou. After more than a month of bloody fighting, the entire army was wiped out!
The valiant general Zhou Tianpei was defeated and committed suicide; General Li Dingtai was captured after exhausting his strength and surrendered; the Ming Antai and other Eight Banners troops sank at sea; and the entire Xiapu front fell...

This means that since the Taiping Rebellion, this is the first time that such a large-scale, organized field army of the Qing Dynasty has been completely annihilated in a single battle!
This means that the Qing government's military forces in Fujian have been completely eradicated, and the fall of Fujian Province is a foregone conclusion.

Beijing, the Forbidden City, the East Warm Pavilion of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Emperor Xianfeng's face was deathly pale. He held a memorial delivered by the Grand Council with urgent dispatch, which was vague yet full of alarming words. His hands trembled violently.

The memorial was written by Zhou Tianshou, the Zhejiang Provincial Commander, in Wenzhou. Its contents are fragmented and filled with phrases such as "caught off guard," "the enemy's power is overwhelming," "soldiers fought bloody battles," and "exhausted efforts to rescue the orphan," but its core meaning is clear.

The situation in Fujian is hopeless, and the 100,000-strong army is in grave danger. We earnestly request the imperial court to send reinforcements immediately to defend eastern Zhejiang and northeastern Jiangxi.

"An army of 100,000... 100,000 troops!"

Emperor Xianfeng slammed the memorial to the ground and roared in fury.

He then began to cough violently and uncontrollably, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"Qingduan is incompetent, Zhou Tian has misled the country, and that Shen Baozhen... cough cough... traitors and villains, they all deserve to be killed, and their entire families should be exterminated!"

Inside the hall, the Grand Councilors, led by Su Shun and Duan Hua, prostrated themselves on the ground, silent as cicadas in winter, their court robes soaked with cold sweat.

Prince Gong Yixin's face was ashen. He knew better than anyone that this was not just a simple loss of 100,000 troops.

This signifies that after the Taiping Army wreaked havoc on the Yangtze River basin, Fujian, one of the most prosperous provinces on the southeast coast, is about to fall entirely into the hands of Shi Dakai, the "bandit leader of the Taiping Rebellion"!

The Qing government lost another vital source of revenue, and its strategic situation deteriorated drastically.

More importantly, the fighting power, organizational ability, and that... indescribable "evil aura" displayed by Shi Dakai's troops were far beyond what ordinary bandits could achieve.

"Your Majesty...please take care of your health!" Su Shun urged, forcing a smile. "The most urgent task is to strictly order Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, and their troops to intensify the sweeping of the Taiping rebels in Jiangxi and Anhui. At the same time, we must guard the gateways to southern Zhejiang and eastern Jiangxi, and absolutely not allow Shi's rebel forces to spread out of Fujian!"

"In addition, officials should be selected immediately to replace the vacant positions of Fujian governor and others, in order to stabilize... stabilize the hearts and minds of people in the surrounding provinces."

"Hold on? How can we hold on?" Emperor Xianfeng gave a bitter laugh, his voice filled with exhaustion and despair. "Zeng Guofan is struggling to hold on in Jiangxi, and Zuo Zongtang is still reorganizing his army in Hunan. Where are we going to send troops? Where are we going to raise funds? Fujian... is finished..."

Meanwhile, within Fujian province, in places such as Zhangzhou Prefecture, Quanzhou Prefecture, and Xiamen Prefecture.

The news spread like wildfire, triggering a wave of panic.

The morale of the Green Standard Army soldiers who remained in various locations completely collapsed, and desertion became rampant.

The Xiamen naval fleet began to frequently set sail, not for war preparations, but to hastily transport the families of the Eight Banners garrison, the households of local officials, and their valuables to the relatively safer Taiwan Prefecture or Chaozhou in Guangdong. Meanwhile, gentry and wealthy families from Yongchun, Longyan, and Xinghua flocked to coastal cities such as Xiamen and Quanzhou, which were still under Qing control, or prepared boats to cross the sea for refuge at any time.

A doomsday atmosphere, reminiscent of "when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter," permeated southern Fujian.

Everyone understood that with the momentum of their great victory, it was only a matter of time before the Restoration Army swept away these almost undefended coastal prefectures and counties.

In Shanghai, however, the atmosphere inside the British Consulate was quite different.

The British Consul in Shanghai, Mr. Midler, the representative of the French Minister to China, Mr. Bourboulon, and several important managers of foreign firms gathered together.

On the table lay several sheets of paper, roughly translated but containing shocking content.

Those were translations of some articles from the "Restoration Daily" obtained through various channels.

“Gentlemen,” Midil said, taking off his monocle and tapping his finger on the newspaper excerpt of the article on “The Age of Sea Power,” “we must reassess this… General Shi Dakai, and his ‘Restoration Army.’ He is by no means an ordinary, xenophobic Chinese rebel leader.”

A representative from Jardine Matheson frowned: "Consul, aren't you being overly optimistic? They are, after all, a group of rebels opposing the current emperor, and their attitude towards Western civilization..."

“Attitude?” Midil interrupted him, picking up another piece of paper. “Look at this! In his newspaper, he openly discussed the importance of sea power, mentioned the glory of Zheng He’s voyages, and even explicitly pointed out Taiwan’s strategic position!”

"He criticized the Qing government's policy of isolationism and called for learning Western science and technology! Good heavens, this is completely different from the way of thinking of any Qing official we have ever met, including Prince Gong, who was known for his enlightenment!"

"Most importantly, this commander Shi Dakai publicly declared in the article that he would 'learn from the West and respect international law,' which is completely different from what some of our Chinese translators have described as blind xenophobia!"

The French representative pondered, “Indeed… if these articles were indeed written by him, then this Commander Shi Dakai possesses a rare, global strategic vision.”

"He seemed to understand that the power of a modern nation stems from industry, trade, and the navy."

"This has a certain... peculiar point of convergence with the image of the 'partner' we hope to find in the East who can uphold treaty rights and open markets."

“More importantly, their fighting strength!” another merchant interjected. “One hundred thousand well-equipped Qing troops were completely wiped out in a few months, which proves that they have extremely high organizational efficiency and military capabilities.”

"Fujian has a long coastline and excellent ports, such as Fuzhou and Xiamen. If this regime can stabilize and remain open to trade..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the business gleam in his eyes said it all.

Midil stood up and said in a deep voice, "We have seen enough of the Qing government's corruption and incompetence. This newly established 'Restoration Army' regime may be a variable... worth paying attention to and even engaging with."

"I suggest that we try to establish some kind of unofficial contact with the Fujian side through our merchant ships and agents along the coast, at least to find out their true intentions, especially their attitudes toward foreign trade, treaty compliance, and treatment of foreign nationals."

The proposal was tacitly approved by the majority of those present.

For the Western powers that pursued profits and strategic interests, a strong and unified Qing Empire was not the only option.

A local government that is potentially more "enlightened" and more willing to abide by the "rules" is also worth investing in and exploring.

Shi Dakai and his Restoration Army thus entered the international political arena in an unexpected way.

(End of this chapter)