At the same time, in the early morning of November 13, 695 in the Continental Calendar, nearly 100,000 urban poor and landless farmers came under the personal command of You Daofang, the Taiping Sect master who was stationed here, in Cangzhou Fucheng, the southwest capital of Yanyun County. With the instigation and planning of thousands of Taiping believers, they suddenly swarmed into the streets of Fucheng and besieged the city guard. Huo Jinchang, the guard of Cangzhou Fucheng, fled in panic and ran more than 300 miles overnight to the capital of Yanyun County, Beiping Prefecture. Only then did he wake up. At that time, the security forces stationed in the city defected under the instigation of the Taiping Religion's hidden line. In this defection, three regiment captains who were loyal to the empire were killed, and the rest surrendered and rebelled.
On November 14, Tu Yifei, the director of the internal affairs of Qinghe Prefecture in Beiyuan County, said that he had important matters to discuss and lured the city guard and administrative director of Qinghe Prefecture to his house, killed them, and announced that he would take over the entire Qinghe Prefecture and accept peace. The government's security forces also announced on the same day that they would accept the leadership of the Taiping Religion. Anyone who disobeyed would be killed without mercy. The entire Qinghe Prefecture was immediately plunged into a bloody storm.
On November 16, large-scale Taiping religious uprisings occurred in Anyuan Prefecture, Lulong Prefecture, and Yulin Prefecture, including the capital of Beiyuan County. The uprisings in these three prefectures were even more fierce, especially in Anyuan and Yulin Prefectures. The scale of the uprising was unprecedented. The insurrectionary army marched through the town. The security forces who came to suppress it either collapsed at the first touch or fled in the face of the battle. Their condition was appalling.
On November 18, Anyuan Fucheng fell without the ability to resist. Previously, three regiments of a division's garrison troops had been destroyed in the battle, and the remaining two regiments of soldiers surrendered when the Taiping Religion army approached the city. Nearly a thousand imperial officials from Beiyuan County Governor Tang Degui down surrendered. On the same day, the Imperial Yulin Prefecture City Guard Xiang Qianqiu led his troops to surrender to the rapidly advancing Taiping Army Yu Zhiyong. So far, of the five prefectures in Beiyuan County, only Lulong Prefecture, the most remote in the west, has not yet completely fallen. There, the security forces and the Taiping Army are fighting fiercely, and the battle situation has become a stalemate.
On November 19, You Daofang, the great master of the Taiping Sect who arrived in Anyuan City, announced the formal establishment of the Taiping Holy Kingdom in Anyuan Square, the largest square in Anyuan City. He temporarily established his capital in Anyuan, proclaimed himself the Taiping Holy King, designated the Taiping Religion as the state religion, and officially named the army As a member of the Holy Army, You Daofang also announced that it would be his duty to save all the suffering people in the empire from dire straits, and vowed to let the people of the Holy Kingdom live a happy life. In order to achieve this goal, he must first The decadent and declining rule of the Imperial Situ family must be overthrown.
On that day, the political institutions of the Taiping Holy Kingdom were also established. The Holy King had two ministers, civil and military. The civil and military ministers were in charge of government affairs, and the military ministers were in charge of military affairs. The post of civil and military ministers was held by You Daofang's close friend Miao Mingkun, who was in charge of economics and finance in the Taiping Sect. You Daofang's second disciple Lan Bailin served as deputy minister of literature. The post of military minister was naturally held by Bo Jinchen, and his deputy was held by Xu Wenzhe, the eldest disciple of You Daofang. There were several departments under the minister of literature, responsible for administrative, For finance, internal affairs, economics, diplomacy and other affairs, the Prime Minister has several generals responsible for commanding the Holy Army. Since Bo Jinchen is commanding in Kansai, the main responsibilities of the Prime Minister's Office are borne by Xu Wenzhe, who also serves as the Holy Religious Army. As General Anton of the Holy Army, he controls the most elite army of 100,000 in the Holy Army. At this point, the central political power of the Taiping Holy Kingdom has begun to take shape.
On November 20, the Taiping Rebellion Army of Yunzhong Prefecture, another major prefecture in Yanyun County, which was close to Anyuan Prefecture, joined with the Holy Religion Army reinforced from Anyuan Prefecture, and then cooperated inside and outside to capture Yunzhong Prefecture. All the officials of Yunzhong Prefecture, large and small, surrender.
In the areas under its control, the Taiping Holy Kingdom also followed the empire's example and appointed a large number of local officials, gradually improving the political institutions at all levels. In order to maintain the stability of the region, You Daofang also made an exception and appointed several imperial surrender officials to important positions, especially It was Xiang Qianqiu, the former Imperial Yulin City Shou, who was appointed as the Yulin Palace Master (equivalent to the position of the Imperial City Shou), which caused a lot of controversy within the sect, but was suppressed by You Daofang with his personal prestige. This appointment also caused a sensation in the entire area controlled by the Taiping Religion. Some landowners and gentry were secretly considering whether the existence and development of the Taiping Holy Kingdom would really replace the empire.
Prior to this, the Kingdom of Poole mobilized almost all the elite troops in the country. A total of 360,000 troops from five corps pressed down on the northern border of the empire, forcing the Empire's First and Second Corps and several independent divisions to gather on the northern border with the Kingdom of Poole. Large armies faced each other, small-scale conflicts continued, and the situation was about to break out.
It was not until the Taiping Rebellion in Beiyuan County and Yanyun spread with lightning speed that the commander of the northern military region of the empire realized that the Taiping Religion and the Kingdom of Poole had joined forces to play a trick of attacking in the east and diverting the tiger away from the mountain. Although it is a trick, it also comes at the cost of strength. If the Empire's First and Second Legions and other subordinate troops do not press forward quickly, the army of the Kingdom of Poole can break through the Empire's border defenses and drive straight down. No one can say what will happen then. Unclear. But this gave great convenience to the Taiping Rebellion. There was no regular army division stationed in Beiyuan County, and Yanyun County only had one independent army division stationed in the capital Beiping Mansion, which was unable to cope with this day. Several changing situations.
And when the Taiping Army completely controlled the entire Beiyuan County, especially Yulin and Anyuan Prefectures, the Imperial Second Army was actually facing a dangerous situation from the front and rear attacks by the Crusaders and Poole's army. What is even more worrying is that under Fuyi's control After two battles, the Imperial Second Army lost its logistical supplies. How could the more than 100,000 Imperial Army troops maintain their confrontation with Poole's army? As a last resort, after learning the exact information about the fall of Anyuan and Yulin and the critical situation of Yunzhong Prefecture, the Imperial Second Army quickly moved eastward through Yunzhong Prefecture and garrisoned in Beiping Prefecture, completely abandoning the Beiyuan County defense line. As expected, Poole's army did not take advantage of the situation to move south, but followed it eastward, continuing to maintain huge military pressure on the empire on the border.
In the blink of an eye, thousands of miles of mountains and rivers changed in an instant, and the Taiping Sect's dark clouds suddenly filled the vast areas in the north and west of the empire. As a result, Heshuo County, which was located in the middle, was affected by this. The situation in the territory became more and more severe, and many farmers spontaneously organized Resisting donations, resisting taxes, and resisting labor even developed to the point of driving out local officials, killing local bully landlords, and robbing large local households. All these kinds of things don’t end in one thing. The response methods adopted by various places are also different. Some local officials are worried that it will intensify conflicts and even lead to greater disasters, so they use propaganda and education methods to calm the troubles; some are afraid that appeasement will make the mob more rampant, so they use Strong suppression; or if the first method fails, then switch to the second method. Officials at all levels are worried that things will get bigger and echo the Taiping Sect in the south and north. That is when something really bad happens.
The news of the Taiping Rebellion in the north spread throughout the empire almost within a few days. Whether they were in the court, in the country, in front of or behind the house, whether they were high-ranking officials or ordinary people in the countryside, everyone would talk about the situation in the north when they met. Oops, how brave the rebel army is without fear of death, and how vulnerable the imperial army is to collapse at the first blow. Almost everyone has become a political and military commentator for a while. When talking about state affairs, they are all eloquent, but they are worried and panic in their hearts. It's hard to hide.
The atmosphere in the imperial capital became even more tense. Not only were there fewer passers-by walking in the streets and alleys, but they also walked much faster than before. The clothes wrapped around their bodies were also tighter. They came and went in a hurry, and from time to time there were heavily armed imperial military police and imperial guards. The military patrols passed by, and the shops closed early. The merchants were particularly concerned about the fighting on the front line. After all, this was no joke. The area controlled by the rebels was less than 300 miles away from the imperial capital. It seemed that they could reach the imperial capital in one night. Under the city. There was panic everywhere in the city, and many wealthy families were already considering whether to transfer their assets to Jiangnan or the East China Sea. After all, they were far away from the north and west, and they could immediately get up and flee at the slightest sign of trouble. Many people who have relatives in other places also started to keep in touch in case of emergency.
In the Qinzheng Hall of the Imperial Palace, Situ Mingyue's face, sitting high on the imperial chair, could no longer be described as gloomy. There were many more wrinkles on his blue cheeks, and his eye circles were slightly darkened. It was obviously due to poor sleep. His cold eyes proved that he was still sane. The harsh and sarcastic remarks he made just now, even mixed with one or two swear words, really made it hard for people to believe that they were coming from the mouth of His Majesty the Emperor in front of him, but at this moment All the ministers and princes were already kneeling on the ground, not daring to raise their heads to accept His Majesty the Emperor's scoldings that hit their faces like hailstones and rocks.
There was no sound in the hall. Except for the heavy breathing of His Majesty the Emperor, which could be clearly heard, there was no noise at all. All the ministers were trembling with fear, fearing that they might offend His Majesty the Emperor and be killed. Prior to this, two officials from the General Administrative Office who were responsible for inspecting Beiyuan County officials had been dragged out and beheaded. Duke Du Wen, the Supervisory Minister who was responsible for supervising officials and the Queen's biological brother, was also given fifty or dozens of canes on the spot. When the staff was removed, one could see that there was less air coming in and more air coming out, but His Majesty the Emperor still did not allow the imperial doctor to treat him. Even if he wanted to be treated, he had to go to the prison for treatment. If the empress who came after hearing the news had not collapsed in tears in the palace, I am afraid that Duke Du Wen would He is about to die. Even the empress, who was always known for her virtue, was scolded and scolded mercilessly by His Majesty. All the ministers felt that this storm was going to blow at some point.
Situ Mingyue, who was furious, finally managed to regain his breath after issuing several edicts in succession, but none of the ministers dared to raise their heads and take a look. He patrolled the hall with vicious eyes, as if trying to find the next person to express his hatred to. Today's court ministers came very neatly, and no one was absent. Everyone knew that today's court would be sad, but no one dared to ask for leave, even those who were sick. , and had to go to court even though he was sick.
Seeing that the usually eloquent ministers who he thought were cowering and kneeling on the ground, no one dared to raise their heads, Situ Mingyue felt an indescribable feeling of boredom and anger surging in her heart, as if it was about to burst out, but There was something squeezing in my chest, and I felt unspeakable discomfort. As soon as I stood up, I felt dizzy, my vision went dark, and I collapsed beside the royal chair.
"Father!" "Your Majesty." Seeing that His Majesty the Emperor fainted, all the ministers in the palace were like chickens that had exploded. They were in a mess and at a loss. It was the Minister of the Interior, Lu Wenfu, who reacted first and ordered the guards to call for the imperial doctor immediately. At the same time, He quickly ordered someone to send His Majesty the Emperor to his palace to rest.
He Zhiqiu followed the ministers out of the hall in a daze. His Majesty the Emperor had been sent back to the palace. The imperial doctor also arrived as quickly as possible and immediately entered the palace for diagnosis. After noisy for a while, the ministers received a notice from the palace, adjourned the meeting temporarily and went back to their respective homes.
Is God going to destroy me, Tang He? At this moment, He Zhiqiu was at a loss. Although he was kneeling before His Highness, he had been thinking about how to deal with the extremely critical situation in front of him. However, His Majesty the Emperor actually fell. As a result, there was no backbone in the court. Where could he go? What kind of situation planning can we talk about? What should we do? If time is delayed further, the situation may worsen, and by then, it may really become uncontrollable.
Ji people have their own celestial phenomena. Maybe His Majesty the Emperor will recover tomorrow? He Zhiqiu could only think this way, I hope.
The sudden change of situation caught Wu Feng by surprise. The Taiping Sect's accumulation of more than ten years was completely released in just a few days. In just eight days, except for Lulong Mansion, the other four prefectures in Beiyuan were still resisting. The Mansion and the two Manchus to the west of Yanyun County fell into the hands of the Taiping Cult. It can be said that in a blink of an eye, the empire's rule in most of the west and north areas was wiped out, and the Taiping Holy Kingdom also appeared on the stage to replace it.
At this time, Wu Feng realized that he had still underestimated the strength of the Taiping Religion hidden under the water. The Pool Kingdom's unreasonable cooperation, including the Kaman people's renewed offensive on the Jerok battlefield, made Wu Feng aware of the collusion between these three parties. How deep is it? The Taiping Religion organized hundreds of thousands of troops in just a few days, which made Wu Feng suddenly change his attitude towards the power of religion, and he secretly thought about how to deal with the aggressive situation.
The Lulong Mansion must not fall into the hands of the Taiping Cult. Fortunately, Ling Tianfang and Fielding had already made contact. Although they were still caught off guard by the sudden Taiping Cult uprising, the combat effectiveness of the Lulong Mansion security force was far from Comparable to other prefectures, the battle was extremely fierce. Although the Taiping Religion's army was several times larger than the Lulong Prefecture's garrison, the garrison still persisted in withstanding the enemy's attack, although it was very difficult. However, the huge pressure from the Kaman people in the north made Ling Tianfang and Feil Ding, who had originally intended to send reinforcements, dare not act rashly and had to seek help from Wu Feng far to the south.
Wu Feng, who learned the news, had no time to verify it. Saving the situation was like putting out a fire. If there was a slight delay, the fire might burn Lulong Mansion to ashes. He urgently ordered the independent Third Infantry Division stationed at Yangmakou to rush in. A shortcut passed through the deep hilly area between Bonan Longdong and Lulong Prefecture, and immediately reinforced Lulong's garrison. At the same time, he ordered Long to take charge of the overall defense of Partridge Pass on his behalf, while he and Mulige led the Qin Yise Gao Yue. The Third Division of the Northwest Army, composed of soldiers, went directly north and passed through the Liupan Mountain area from another road. The two armies began to advance side by side, and at the same time they entered Lulong Mansion from the southeast.