Shi Dakai was very depressed during this time.
Because the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's northern attack on the Qing Dynasty was not successful.
Since forming an offensive and defensive alliance with the Ming Dynasty, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has completely no worries.
Coupled with the retreat of the Hunan Army to the north, the Qing government's various armies in the south were gradually transferred back to the north, changing their offensive posture to defensive posture.
This allowed Shi Dakai to mobilize more power to advance north.
But after he marched north to Anhui, he soon realized that the enemy was different.
First of all, the enemy's weapons have changed. Before, everyone used matchlocks or even cold weapons for hedging. Fortunately, the Qing court did not know when all the troops were upgraded to flintlock guns.
They were lucky enough to seize two of them during a war. Shi Dakai personally inspected them and found that the quality was good enough, the rate of fire was fast enough, and the power was powerful enough.
It's nothing like the flintlock guns they have in their hands now.
The cannon has also changed.
The bulky Hongyi cannons were completely eliminated, and various new types of cannons were brought to the front line.
They attacked several times, but were beaten to a pulp by the opponent's artillery and musketry, causing heavy casualties.
It can be said that if the Qing court had such weapons and combat power from the beginning, they would probably be surrounded and suppressed before they could even get out of Guangxi.
To make matters worse, because the Ming Dynasty was at odds with the foreigners, the foreigners were unwilling to sell weapons to the Taiping Army, which made the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom even worse.
Shi Dakai, who has now become the righteous king of the Taiping Army, couldn't help but sigh when he thought of this. He looked at Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng below and said, "Have you contacted the Hongwu Emperor?"
"Contacted!"
"The other party said that if we need weapons, Daming can sell them to us, but they won't be given away for free. We need to buy them with money!"
When Chen Yucheng said this, he hesitated and said: "It is said to be very expensive."
Hearing the word expensive, the expression on Shi Dakai's face suddenly became distorted.
This is his biggest headache right now.
Although they have raised the flag of the Ming Dynasty in name, in fact until now they can only be regarded as a military alliance. Each side controls its own territory and has its own army.
Nominally speaking, he needs to accept Zhu Yuanzhang's orders, but without any restrictions, there is no problem even if he doesn't listen.
The current situation south of the Yangtze River is that the Ming Dynasty controls Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi and a small part of Zhejiang, while the Taiping Rebellion controls most of Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, most of Zhejiang and part of Anhui.
Calculated this way, the Taiping Army should have a larger territory and occupy several large grain provinces, so they should be richer.
But the real situation is exactly the opposite. I heard that the provinces controlled by the Ming Dynasty are rich and have been building large factories to recruit workers. There are many people running there from the areas they control.
Some even abandon the land at home and stop planting.
But their Taiping Army is now so poor that they can't even have enough to eat.
Shi Dakai couldn't understand why it became like this.
The holy treasury, which was very abundant in the early years of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, is now running out of money.
Shi Dakai knew that there must be something fishy involved, that someone in the Taiping Army was corrupt, and that it must involve senior generals, but he couldn't find anyone.
You can't just kill people without any evidence, right?
This will only lead to instability in military morale.
In this regard, Shi Dakai's solution is simple and crude.
Fight against the Qing court.
As long as we can capture the Qing court's city, we will naturally have everything by simply grabbing a wave of rich households.
It's hard to rob the people in the area under your control, but the Qing government can, right?
The reason why the Taiping Army became rich in the first few years was because of looting.
But what he never expected was that the Qing court, which used to be broken at a touch, suddenly became violent, especially the Hunan Army and the newly formed Huai Army. These landlords and armed forces became more difficult to deal with each one.
Their plan to advance northward was now in vain. Not only did they not get any benefits, but they also lost troops and generals, and their morale was greatly damaged.
If the food problem is not solved, the Taiping Army may run out of food.
Then there will be big trouble.
"I'll go to Guangdong myself!" Shi Dakai finally gritted his teeth and said.
"King Yi, you have a distinguished status and cannot be touched lightly!"
"How about I go?" Li Xiucheng said.
"It doesn't matter!"
"I believe that the great Emperor Hongwu will not do anything to me!" Shi Dakai said solemnly.
Shi Dakai was a resolute man. He said he wanted to go to Guangdong and soon embarked on his way south.
Half a month later, he met Zhu Yuanzhang in Guangzhou City.
"I knew you would come to us!"
Zhu Yuanzhang motioned Shi Dakai to sit down and said, "Is there a shortage of food?"
"Yes!" Shi Dakai was a little embarrassed.
In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang had already reminded him about this point, and he also attached great importance to it.
But the food was still completely exhausted without realizing it.
"Actually, Nanjing's food shortage is also due to us!"
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Shi Dakai and said: "Perhaps you haven't noticed that the price of grain in Guangdong, Fujian and other places is 20 to 30% more expensive than over there. Do you think that if you are a big landowner, where will your grain be sold?"
"Of course we didn't target you intentionally!"
"Factories are opening everywhere here, and there is indeed a shortage of food."
"In order to be prepared, we like to reserve a lot of food. If our granary does not have enough food and grass for our army to feed and drink for three years, to be honest, we will not be able to sleep well."
Shi Dakai: "...!"
This is not better than not knowing, it is really shocking when compared.
Their current food reserves are enough for the Taiping Army to consume for twenty days.
"If our Taiping Army wants to buy a batch of grain from Ming Dynasty, but does not have much money, what conditions are required?" When Shi Dakai said this, he couldn't help but blush.
"Haha, let's do this. From now on, we will appoint people to serve as local officials in the areas under your control. We will also send quartermasters to collect and turn over your food and grass. You can just fight with peace of mind. How about that?"
Hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Shi Dakai couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his eyes.
Of course he understood what this meant.
There is a saying that before the soldiers and horses move, food and grass go first.
If grain, grass and taxes are controlled by Zhu Yuanzhang, then the hundreds of thousands of people in the Taiping Army will be controlled by Zhu Yuanzhang, and they will really be at his mercy from now on.
"Let's be honest, whether you or Hong Xiuquan want to bring down this world, there is still a third chance, but if you want to govern the world well, there is no chance at all."
"But the Eastern King Yang Xiuqing still has some abilities!"
"It's a pity that he is not your king after all."
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and continued: "The advice we put forward is the best choice for the Taiping Army. If you continue to waste it, even if you can survive this crisis, the Taiping Army will be gradually corrupted. Let alone fight against the Qing court in a few years, I’m afraid I won’t even know how to hold a gun.”
Hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, the expression on Shi Dakai's face was uncertain.
Zhu Yuanzhang understood this very well.
After all, this is seizing power in disguise. Shi Dakai is already doing well. If it had been anyone else, he might have already met with swords at this moment.
Of course, no matter what Shi Dakai chooses next, Zhu Yuanzhang will not be afraid.
It is best to withdraw the troops peacefully. If there must be a fight, he will accompany him to the end.
Three days later, Shi Da replied to Zhu Yuanzhang and agreed to all his conditions.
"Although I agree, I'm afraid there will still be dissatisfaction among the generals in the Taiping Army. After all, there are not many direct descendants of mine in the Taiping Army. Most of them are under the command of the King of Heaven and King of the East." Shi Dakai said solemnly.
"I know this well!" Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, with a trace of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.
It has been six or seven years since the Taiping Army began as a peasant uprising. During such a long period of time, many of those who sacrificed their lives and blood for the people have lost their faith.
There is no difference between them and the officials of the Qing court.
Zhu Yuanzhang always had only one way to deal with such a guy.
Kill without mercy!
The Taiping Army was completely integrated into the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang did it quietly and did not attract anyone's attention during the whole process.
On the other hand, Chang Yuchun's fleet attacked Japan with great vigor and attracted world attention.
There was no way not to attract world attention. Those Japanese warriors were so brave. Thirty thousand Japanese fought all the way from Nagasaki to Edo and besieged Edo Castle for three months.
Xianfeng seventh year
In the original history of this year, the British and French coalition forces invaded Guangzhou City with only five to six thousand people and occupied Guangzhou for four years.
The Second Opium War thus officially kicked off.
But now, in the entire South China, no foreign ship dares to dock without Ming's permission.
In the entire South China Sea, all ships traveling in and out of the Ming Dynasty must abide by the Ming Dynasty's rules and pay taxes. No one has any bullshit privileges.
Facts have proved that as long as the fists are strong enough, people from the so-called world powers such as Britain, France, and Tsarist Russia are still very talkative and kind.
Chang Yuchun has a deep understanding of this.
After three months of siege of Edo.
Envoys from seven countries, including Britain, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Tsarist Russia, the United States, and Italy, arrived in Nagasaki and requested talks with Chang Yuchun.
After getting Zhu Yuanzhang's approval, Chang Yuchun also agreed to this Eight-Power Talks.
He really wanted to hear what these people wanted to say.
"Dear General of the Ming Dynasty, we all admire the bravery of the Ming Dynasty warriors, but invading other people's countries is an immoral act. This time we are united by the seven countries to mediate this matter."
As the initiator of the Seven-Nation Conference, the Englishman Rouse was the first to speak.
Chang Yuchun felt a little fed up.
This guy also knows that it is immoral to invade other countries?
You really are so thick-skinned that you tell lies with your eyes open!
Chang Yuchun was very unhappy at the moment, so he was not prepared to let these guys in front of him feel happy.
"Pfft!" The moment the British man finished speaking, Chang Yuchun suddenly drew his knife and chopped off his head with one blow.
"My Ming Dynasty has a blood feud with a British guy. I get excited when I see a British guy. Also, this guy looks so unappetizing that we don't like it, so we killed him. Do you have any objections?" Chang Yuchun wiped his hands. There was blood on the knife, and he bared his teeth and smiled.
"This...!" The remaining six envoys looked at each other and then at the sword in Chang Yuchun's hand, and they all shook their heads expressionlessly.
"good!"
"In that case, let's have a meeting!"
Chang Yuchun sat in the front seat with a stinging smile and said, "I know why you are here. Did that bitch Emperor Meiji ask you to mediate?"
"We Ming people will not tell secrets. Let him take 200 million taels of silver, cede Nagasaki to us, completely open various Japanese treaty ports, and allow me, the Ming Dynasty, to come here to do business. How about this matter being settled?" Chang said Yuchun said.
"This...!" The envoys from the six countries looked at each other, but for a moment they were unwilling to take the initiative to speak.
The main reason is that this time they were promised many benefits by the British and came to cheer together. But now that the British are dead, and the Ming general is arrogant, they naturally don't want to get into trouble.
"What do you mean by not speaking?" Looking down on someone like me? "Chang Yuchun's face suddenly turned gloomy.
"of course not!"
"Dear General Meiji, we will forward your conditions to Emperor Meiji of Japan."
"I also hope you can keep your promise and never use troops against Japan again!" The German envoy had the courage to speak because he had never been at odds with the Ming Dynasty and had even had business dealings with him.
"Easy to say!"
"We are a reasonable person. As long as you don't disgust us like the British guy just now, we can still talk!"
Chang Yuchun looked at these people and smiled and said: "Our Majesty has always taught us that we cannot eat alone, so if you want to ask for any benefits from Japan, just ask for it, and I will ask for it for you when the time comes."
Everyone couldn't help laughing when they heard this, and when they looked at Chang Yuchun, they felt that this man was inexplicably much kinder.
A month later, after a series of negotiations, Chang Yuchun returned to Guangzhou with his army and met Zhu Yuanzhang.
"Your Majesty, fortunately you have fulfilled your mission. The 200 million taels of silver and the last general of Nagasaki have been captured!" Chang Yuchun knelt on one knee and said.
"Oh, our Admiral is back!"
"Come here, pour the tea!"
Zhu Yuanzhang pulled Chang Yuchun up with a smile on his face, sat down with him and asked with a smile: "Did the Japanese Emperor kill him?"
"No, this person is too cunning!"
"Lanyu and Muying sneaked into Edo several times, but unfortunately they couldn't find him!" Chang Yuchun said helplessly.
"Forget it if you can't find it!"
"There will be another chance next time!"
"The navy has also been fighting for more than half a year. You should make arrangements and let all the soldiers go back in shifts to rest for a while. You have no specific war arrangements in the next six months."
"It just so happens that the Academy of Sciences has newly developed a batch of equipment that will be equipped on battleships." Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile.
"Your Majesty means that you will take action in half a year?"
"To conquer the Qing Dynasty or to conquer Japan again?" Chang Yuchun asked expectantly.
"Haha, Old Chang, Old Chang, you just finished one fight and now you are thinking about the next one?"
"Don't worry, you'll be the one to beat me from behind!"
"But let me remind you that your daughter, the big fat grandson our daughter-in-law gave us will have her first birthday in a few days. You didn't catch up with him when he was born. If you don't go back for this birthday, be careful of being raped by you. A daughter holds a grudge..."
