"This, this is the direction of Shanghai County..."
"What's going on? How did Luo Yaoguo's army fly through Suzhou, Taicang, and Changzhou and arrive in Shanghai all at once?"
Facing the questions from Aliguo and Weitoma, Matheson just shook his head: "Mr. Consul, Mr. Vice-Consul, I don't know what happened? I only know that more than two thousand Chinese gang members gathered in Shanghai early this morning.
On the Shiliupu Pier outside the county town.
Then another fifty to one hundred Taiping troops equipped with brown basses arrived by water, then unfurled the flags of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Holy Angel Wu King, and led the Chinese gang members on the dock to attack the small east gate of the county town.
The Shanghai New Army garrisoned at Xiaodongmen did not seem to resist. Instead, they opened the city gate and let the Taiping Army and gang members outside the city, as well as the Holy Angel King Wu, into Shanghai County..."
"What? Is the news reliable?" Aliguo still found it unbelievable.
"Very reliable!" Matheson said with a pale face. "The spies I sent lurked among the Chinese gang members and witnessed the entire process of Luo Yaoguo's landing and the Taiping Army and gang members' invasion of Xiaodongmen!"
"Those gang members are all disciples of the Tiandihui!" China Tongwei Toma said, "It is a secret gang with the purpose of overthrowing the Tatar dynasty and rebuilding the Han Empire... They have launched it countless times in the past two hundred years.
Uprising? Moreover, they have already penetrated the middle and lower classes of all towns in South China, and it would be easy for the Taiping Rebellion to incite them!"
"Damn it!" Aliguo cursed, and then asked Weitoma, "Thomas, do you have any suggestions?"
"Mr. Consul, I suggest sending troops to protect the Jianghaiguan Pass outside the Xiaodong Gate and the Jianghaiguan Beiguan Pass outside the North Gate!" Witoma immediately made a suggestion that he had been brewing for a long time.
"Send troops to protect us?" Aliguo looked at Weitoma and couldn't make up his mind for a moment, "Will this violate our principle of neutrality?"
Witoma said firmly: "Not only will this not destroy neutrality, but it will help maintain our neutrality and free trade principles! Mr. Consul, do you think that allowing a group of bandits and rebels to loot and occupy Jianghai Customs will be beneficial to the British?"
Is it a friendship between the Empire and the Qing Empire? Our control of Jianghaiguan is in any case more beneficial to the Qing Dynasty than the Taiping Rebellion's control of Jianghaiguan?
As for the Taiping Rebellion, can it be considered an act of hostility if we occupy and control the customs office belonging to their enemy? You don't think that any of the leaders of the Taiping Rebellion are familiar with "International Law" and clearly understand the concept of national sovereignty?"
"That Luo Xueyan should know about it!" Aliguo said, "Looking at his English accent, I suspect that he studied in the UK."
Witoma smiled coldly: "So what if he knows? I think that if he can really fight back to Shanghai, our goal of co-managing Jianghai Customs will probably be achieved!"
"Co-management? Will he agree?" Aliguo asked.
"Why don't you agree?" Witoma said, "If we are responsible for the operation of Jianghai Customs, he will only get more military spending! Everyone knows that Mr. Wu is a corrupt criminal. He spent 500,000 taels of silver to buy
I got to this position just for the sake of corruption and profit.
..And Mr. Wu is by no means the only person who makes money from Jianghaiguan! The money that flows into the pockets of these corrupt officials every year is several times more than the money given to the Qing Dynasty! Even if the Qing Dynasty appoints additional officials to manage Jianghaiguan
, and Mr. Wu will not get less.
If we control the customs, I believe Master Luo's army can get double or even triple the military pay than it does now! As long as this account is settled clearly, he has no reason to object."
"What if the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom wins?" Aliguo looked worried, "Will they agree to co-manage Jianghaiguan?"
"So what if we don't agree?" Wade shrugged, "They won't go to war with us just because we control the Qing Customs, right? And the Jiang Customs under our control is always a bargaining chip for both parties to negotiate.
!」
Aliguo thought for a while and felt that Wade's analysis was good: "That's true...but before we send troops to protect Jianghaiguan, we still need to negotiate with the French consul and the American consul to maintain the principle of unity among the great powers."
Thomas, help me contact Consul Aitang and Major Ma Hui. Tell them that in order to maintain neutrality and free trade, our British Empire will send troops to "protect" Chinese customs. I hope that the French and American consulates in Shanghai can be consistent with us.
"
"Yes, sir!"
He glanced at the chief executive of Jardine Matheson Company again: "In addition, I need to understand the situation in Shanghai County!"
"I understand!" Matheson said, "I will send people to the city immediately to investigate the situation."
"Someone is coming! Someone is coming quickly! Go and ask Ah Chuan and Ah Xian to bring troops to protect me...
Old Mother Diurei, the rebels have entered the city! Where are you two?"
In Shanghai County, Su Songtai Dao Yamen, in the lobby, Daotai master Wu Jianzhang was already in a state of chaos, and he could only shout and scream.
This morning, he was humming a tune and having morning tea with his concubines, when the Taiping Army suddenly arrived. Without even saying hello, there was a burst of gunfire in the direction of the small east gate, and then he heard someone yelling, "The Taiping Army is entering."
City!
Then came the slogans of "Kill the Qing Yao and go to heaven"! Kill the Qing Yao... He seems to be the Qing Yao! Master Wu, knowing that something bad was going on, rushed to the lobby angrily, and then
A series of orders for the deployment of troops and generals were passed down.
He still has Liu Lichuan, Li Yunxian, and Zhou Lichun on hand, with a total of more than 2,000 people training. Although Liu Lichuan and Zhou Lichun were recently sent out according to Luo Xueyan's deployment to guard Jiading County and Qingpu County, there are still more people in Shanghai County.
Li Yunxian has seven to eight hundred men, as well as Wu Jianzhang's more than a hundred soldiers. How come they are all still capable of fighting, right?
By the way, Luo Xueyan also left a company of foreign rifle teams at Jianghaiguan Pass and Jianghaiguan Beiguan outside the city. There were also more than a thousand recruits and a battalion of "veterans" staying at Luodian Camp.
Wu Jianzhang counted them on his fingers and found that he still had some soldiers on hand. As long as they were mobilized, there was no reason why he could not defeat them.
But the problem is that his throat is almost bursting from shouting, and the soldiers guarding outside the lobby just ignore him? All of them stand upright outside, like wooden men...
Wu Jianzhang, who was a little anxious, did not care about the dignity of a fourth-rank official of the Qing Dynasty. He lifted his robe and rushed out of the lobby. The soldiers who had not responded at first rushed up and stopped Wu Jianzhang.
Before Wu Jianzhang could figure out what was going on, he was still jumping around and shouting: "What are you doing to stop me? Changmao has already been attacked. Go and fight Changmao... Go quickly! I have a lot of money." ..Go quickly, I will reward you greatly!" At this time, a fellow from Wu Jianzhang finally stopped pretending to be mute and said loudly: "Sir, please stop shouting. It's useless to break your throat. No one will come. Save you!"
"What?" Wu Jianzhang stared at this little fellow, "What did you say?"
"Sir, what happened today was done by Boss Liu, Boss Li, and Boss Zhou under the orders of His Highness the Holy Angel of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, King Wu! Boss Liu also asked us to arrest you..."
"Catch me?" When Wu Jianzhang heard this, his eyesight went dark, "Mother Diurei, you are all my little ones, but you want to help outsiders catch me? Do you have any conscience?"
Master Wu's fellow countryman also lowered his tone: "Mr. Wu, the world has changed! The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is going to conquer the world... We want to be the founding heroes, we want to be officials! Just be honest and work well in the yamen. Just stay there, even if you’re caught! Otherwise, don’t blame us for turning against us!”
Concession, British Barracks.
A company of red-shirted soldiers has been assembled, and more than eighty British soldiers have stood in three rows in response to the command, with foreign guns on their shoulders, Union Jack flags flying, and the glory of the British Empire in their hearts.
The consul of Ali and the deputy consul of Wetoma stood side by side in front of the infantry company, with firm eyes and no doubt about the upcoming success.
A British captain in his forties, slender and elegant, walked up to the two of them and saluted: "Mr. Consul, Mr. Vice-Consul, the entire company has been assembled, please give the order!"
Consul Ali nodded with satisfaction, and ordered to the British captain in front of him: "Captain Smith, I order you to lead the entire team to the Jianghaiguan Beiguan Official Office outside the north gate of Shanghai County, and be sure to completely control it! Remember, at all costs You may not want to use force. The Chinese tax officers stationed at Jianghai Customs have no fighting capacity. You should be able to persuade them to leave peacefully."
Chapter completed!