In the second year of the Sun Zi era of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, April 5th, by the Xiangjiang River, northwestern of Suoyi Ferry, Shuitang Bay.
Feng Yunshan, pale-faced and wearing a blood-stained yellow robe with a red wind hat that had gone missing from his head, was aboard a stranded wooden ship. A fresh wound on his right forehead, which had healed not long before but now bled again, trickled down his broad forehead into his wide-open eyes.
At this moment, looking out from the eyes of Feng Yunshan, the former vice military advisor and rear army commander, known as the South King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, who was now thirty-seven years old, the battlefield around Shuitang Bay had turned a sea of blood!
On his ship, the flags of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, including the vice military advisor's flag, the rear army commander's flag, and the king flag of the South King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, still fluttered proudly. However, looking westward to the sandbar on the west bank of the Xiangjiang River, he found that his thousands of heavenly soldiers under his command had fallen into a hopeless situation due to his temporary negligence.
Across the narrow battlefield stretching along the west bank of the Xiangjiang River, clouds of smoke and scattered mud and stone were left by cannon fire from the Qing demons. The Qing demons, in green head wraps and uniforms, wielding knives and spears, surged wave after wave against the divided Taiping army front lines.
At every sandbar, male and female Taiping soldiers, some wrapped in red headcloths and some as young boys, stood shoulder to shoulder to form a butternut-shaped front line. They leaned on the banks of the Xiangjiang River, facing the incoming waves of Qing demons who were flooding like tides. With their weapons - broadswords, spears, bamboo spears - they fought fiercely, never giving in.
The Qing demons that appeared on the battlefield of Shuitang Bay today were also unprecedented in their ferocity!
Completely different from the Qing demons that the Taiping army encountered in Guangxi, who liked to recklessly fire their guns from a distance and dared not charge with swords and spears, the Qing demons encountered by the Taiping army at Shuitang Bay today had no fear of charging with swords and spears. They even dared to charge fiercely into the sparse gunfire fired by the Taiping army!
What was even more surprising to Feng Yunshan was that these Qing demons were all solid and strong, with abundant vitality, and possessed with unyielding tenacity. Clearly, they were not the "double-gun demons" who could barely charge for a while after being saturated with opium.
Moreover, they could fight in close combat and form arrays just like the Taiping heavenly soldiers, which meant that they must have undergone rigorous training!
It's incredible to think that there are still Qing demons in these times who don't smoke opium, aren't afraid of death, and aren't afraid of hard training! Too unimaginable, where did all these unconventional Qing demons come from?
Feng Yunshan sighed in his heart: It seems that before, I underestimated the Qing demons, which led to a big mistake. I apologize to Heavenly Parents, Heavenly Siblings!
The current battle situation was very unfavorable to the Taiping army. The main force of the Taiping army was now on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River, blocked by the river, unable to support the detachment on the west bank, which was being attacked by Qing demons.
And the two or three hundred large wooden ships that were traveling through the Xiangjiang River were blocked by countless large wooden stakes at the bottom of the river. The narrow and shallow river surface at Suoyi Ferry and Shuitang Bay was crowded together, unable to move forward or backward... It looked like they were about to become targets for the Qing demons' cannons!
These large wooden ships were carrying silver coins, treasures, and foodstuffs from the heavenly treasury of the Taiping army. These were the resources that the heavenly soldiers had fought and died to obtain, the capital for the Taiping army to recruit and arm in Hunan Province!
Moreover, there were many elderly and weak passengers and sisters in the female barracks on board these wooden ships. They were all relatives and friends of the heavenly soldiers who had traveled by the east bank of the Xiangjiang River!
If these two or three hundred large wooden ships were sunk by the Qing demons, wouldn't Feng Yunshan, as the rear army commander, the South King of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and the Third Son of God, become a sinner of the Heavenly Kingdom?
Suddenly, the wooden plank under Feng Yunshan's feet shook violently, accompanied by two loud "click-click" sounds.
This was his ship being hit by the Qing demons' cannons!
Several older Taiping soldiers and female soldiers who were not trained in martial arts surged forward to protect their South King, covering him with their bodies and shouting out in unison.
"Your Highness, the Qing demons' cannons are aimed at us!"
"Your Highness, it's dangerous here. Hurry and board the small ship!"
As they shouted, they tried to drag Feng Yunshan away, but he would not budge. He pushed back a female soldier who was protecting him with her body, then clenched his fists and raised his arms, shouting, "Heavenly Father God protect us! Fight the Qing demons! Go to heaven..."
While shouting, Feng Yunshan stood tall and proud, his bloodshot eyes gazing at the rolling black clouds in the sky!
......
"Kill the hairies! Kill the hairies..."
On the sandbar on the Xiangjiang River, the sudden silence of gunfire was followed by shouts in the local accent of Hunan Province.
Near the Suoyi Ferry, the sandbars along the riverbank were already strewn with bodies, as both sides had been fighting ferociously here since early this morning. Back and forth assaults of white-knife charges and countercharges had long dyed the brownish sandy beach black-red with blood. Countless soldiers from both sides had fallen. Bending down, one might easily spot a face that still shows no signs of closure!
The comely face of the tall Taiping female general Su Sanlang was splattered with enemy blood. Her yellow battle robe had long been burned to a dark red, and her Taiping dual swords were already bent. The red wind hat on her head had long since been thrown somewhere unknown. A gust of mountain wind before the rain swept through, blowing her long hair into a whirlwind.
hundreds of sturdy female soldiers and thin, short-statured child soldiers stood around this fearless female general who was equal to any man. They held weapons such as knives, spears, and bamboo spears, staring at the surging Hunan militiamen with no fear.
A bare-chested Qing demon, revealing his muscular physique, charged at Su Sanlang with a shout. His long lance was broken, leaving only half of it. He swung it single-handedly toward Sanlang, who was short on long weapons.
Su Sanlang sidestepped the blow, pressing her left hand's Taiping sword down on the broken lance. Then, she took a step forward and thrust her right hand's Taiping sword forward, piercing straight into the chest of the Hunan militiaman. The militiaman dropped the broken lance, clutching Su Sanlang's Taiping sword with both hands and fell back with a gasp, bringing Su Sanlang to half-kneel as well.
She had led hundreds of female Taiping soldiers ashore with the waters at dawn this morning and had fought fiercely for several hours, with her physical strength dwindling. Now, it was becoming difficult to withdraw her Taiping sword from the enemy's chest. At the same time, she saw more Qing demons charging towards her!
These Qing demons spoke with a Hunan accent, shouting things like "Kill the hairies! General Jiang will reward you handsomely!" Each one of them seemed to be driven by a bloodlust.
"Duolai Laomu, now we are really going to die..."
Before her thoughts were fully processed, a young voice sounded out from her side: "Kill the Qing demons! Go to heaven!"
Then she saw a boy of about fourteen or fifteen, holding a bamboo spear, charging towards the Hunan militiamen. Behind him were another ten or so younger child soldiers.
Seeing these Taiping child soldiers still full of spirit, Su Sanlang was also filled with strength and stood up to strike towards the enemy.
The two sides soon collided, tangled together. The sounds of "plip-plip" from blades and spears piercing into flesh continued unceasingly. In between, a series of hoarse screams were heard from those caught in their throats.
Although the Hunan Qing demons were plain-spoken, brave in battle, physically strong, and skilled in martial arts, far superior to other Qing demons, they were still no match for the highly trained and fearless female soldiers and child soldiers of the Taiping army who believed in Heavenly Father God.
In the end, this wave of attack was repelled by these women and children who were not afraid of death.
But as the drumbeats grew louder, more Qing demons entered the battlefield, and Feng Yunshan, who was raising his arm in cheer at the moment of repelling the Qing demons' fierce attack, Su Sanlang, who had just repelled a wave of Qing demons, and countless brave Taiping soldiers on the battlefield, all saw a despairing scene.
An endless horde of Qing demons, wearing red plumette hats, were surging over several hills not far away, coming in droves across the mountains and plains!
The Qing demons have reinforcements!
......
"Victory! Victory! Now we can report a great victory to the Emperor! Hoo hoo..."
Xiexiang Xiao, a vanguard from the "Forty-Nine Cities," who belonged to the Manchu Bai Banner Gualejiay. Yuanbao, was bursting into tears of joy at that moment.
He had gone south with General He Chun to fight against the "long-haired rebels" and win glory. When he left Beijing, he was a Bingtang A without rank. Now, he had been promoted to a vanguard officer. However, this vanguard officer's rank was not earned through fighting against the rebels; it was gained through deceiving the emperor and defying his superiors!
Yuanbao is still young, only in his late teens. However, he still has a sense of honor as a member of the eight banners. The more rebels there are, the more corrupt officials are promoted and rich they become through falsely claiming victory. Even Bashuurus have been created, which makes him feel guilty towards Empress Dowager Cixi!
But this time, he finally has the chance to do a little less fraud, and act as a good slave of the Qing Dynasty who does not overstate his victories by multiplying them by ten!
"Yuan Minister, look over there, it seems like there's a big officer of the hairies!"
An escort of green camp guns under Yuan Baozhu's command suddenly pointed to a grounded ship on the river surface and shouted.
"Big officer of the hairies?" Yuanbao looked in the direction indicated by the man, spotting at once, "Oh, a bunch of people surrounding a tall hairie who was waving his fists...... That must be a big hairie! Send the order from this official: All guns should aim at that big hairie waving his fists and fire away! Give me a good kill!"
"Aye!"
"Yes!" The escort officer replied. Just as he was thinking about conveying Yuan Bao's command, a thunderous boom suddenly resounded from somewhere behind him!
"Rumble rumble..."
The earth-shaking boom was nothing short of seismic. It shook the waters of the Wudinguan battlefield and startled everyone around it. Gualejiay. Yuanbao was so shocked that he fell to his knees in the mud, thinking it was one of his own cannons that had exploded. He quickly turned around to check.
From several hundred steps behind him, a thick purple lightning bolt suddenly descended from the sky over a small hill. After it landed, it did not disappear immediately but instead transformed into a massive purple light sphere, hovering about ten or fifteen feet above the ground and slowly descending. Within the purple light sphere, there was an indistinct silhouette of a person riding "a horse," resembling an angelic figure!
Suddenly, the purple lightning flashed a few times before dissipating in the air, as if it had never existed. Only an alien, with ears like twin wings, wearing yellow clothes and riding a two-wheeled "flying vehicle," descended from the sky and landed heavily on the small hill. Then it rushed down the slope towards Yuan Bao's Qing army gun position!
What is going on?
Yuan Bao was completely dumbfounded. How did this person just appear out of nowhere? Where did he come from? Who sent him? And he's riding a "flying vehicle"...... Is this a man or a demon?
Before he could even think it through, the green camp soldiers around him were in chaos. All they could hear were these veteran soldiers shouting loudly, "Damn, the longhairs have been helped by the heavens! The Lord God of Heaven has sent people to help them fight!"
What? Long-haired rebels' heavenly father has sent someone down?
This... this... they really do have a heavenly father and god!
Yuan Bao was completely confused. He had always thought that "Heavenly Father and God" was a title created by the leaders of the longhairs to deceive ignorant people, but it seems it's true... there really is such a thing... and they actually sent heavenly troops to help!
How can the longhairs be quelled now? What should we do about this heavenly general? Can we blow him up with cannons?
"Run quickly! Heavenly Father and God has sent people down!"
"Run quickly! Heavenly soldiers and generals are coming!"
Yuan Bao was still thinking about how to fight the heavenly soldiers and generals, but the gun crews of his green camp soldiers were already retreating... fighting against heavenly soldiers and generals? What a joke? The emperor gave them how much salary? They didn't desert and join the longhairs already, they owe it to Emperor Xianfeng, that demonic head!
However, Yuan Bao still had a bit of superstition. Seeing his green camp soldiers about to run away again, he leaped up like a leaping carp, making a clinking sound as he drew his waist sword and shouted, "No running! Whoever runs, I'll cut off his head! All of you bastards get back here... It's just a general... what's the big deal?"
"Fire the cannons at him, even the gods can't escape!"
......
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I doing?
The one who asked those philosophical questions in their heart is the "yellow-robed figure" who descended from the sky.
Just by looking at his dress and the "flying vehicle" he rode, it's clear that this "yellow-robed figure" is from a different era.
In the year of Emperor Xianfeng, nobody wore such yellow clothing with a kangaroo design and the words "Meituan Food Delivery" on the zipper, nor would anyone wear a yellow helmet with a kangaroo design and two "rabbit ears" installed, or ride an electric bicycle down from a small hill towards a group of panicking green camp soldiers.
In fact, the "yellow-robed figure" is named Luo Yao Guo. A moment ago, he was in September 2024, and he was a graduating student from the History Department of a university in Guangdong. He hadn't passed the postgraduate entrance examination or the civil service exam, so he was "stripping off his long robe" and working as a food delivery man to make ends meet.
But as fate would have it, "deliveries were interrupted by thunderstorms," and he was hit by a thick purple bolt of lightning without warning. The next thing he knew, he was inexplicably teleported to the Wudinguan battlefield on June 7, 1852!
He is currently experiencing a "time-travel allergy reaction," during which he is not only unaware that he has time-traveled but also momentarily forgets who he is. His mind is a complete mess, with only one thought in his head: Don't run into anyone!
So he just wanted to stop quickly, but the broken car's brakes seemed to be malfunctioning, and he couldn't stop. He had no choice but to go down the slope, speeding towards a group of Qing people with big knives, spears, and bird guns in their hands.
Although he didn't know where these Qing people came from, Luo Yao Guo knew he couldn't run them over with his electric bicycle... He couldn't afford to pay compensation!
In a panic, Luo Yao Guo had to yell out loud, "Move aside, everyone, move aside... Don't block the way, my brakes are out!"
However, the surrounding battlefield of Suo Wei Crossing was in complete chaos. On one side, there were the crazy screams of the Taiping Army, on the other side, the screams of the green camp soldiers and local volunteer units, with gunshots and cannon fire occasionally breaking out among them. All sorts of sounds were mixed together in a complete mess. Under such circumstances, who could hear what he was yelling in the first place? Furthermore, he wasn't just a lost food delivery boy from 2024 anymore; he was an heavenly general sent by Heavenly Father and God!
So the words he shouted in standard Cantonese Mandarin sounded completely different to the green camp soldiers who were lined up on the small hill.
Not "Don't block the way, my brakes are out," but "Whoever blocks the way, I'll kill them!"
This heavenly general sent by Heavenly Father is truly ruthless. He is unbeatable!
These green camp soldiers were already terrified by the divine figure who appeared out of thin air, and now they saw this figure shout and charge at them on a two-wheeled "flying vehicle." Who would dare to go up and commit suicide? They all took off running in all directions. However, many were still too terrified to move, their legs buckling with fear as they failed to avoid being knocked over by Luo Yao Guo's electric bicycle, resulting in some serious face-planting.
Some green camp soldiers managed to avoid being hit by the "flying vehicle," but in their panic, they ended up choosing the wrong path. Some collided with each other and fell together, while others slipped on the ground, falling in a disheveled manner.
From a distance, Yuan Bao saw the "general" as incredibly brave. With one person and one vehicle, he had already overrun hundreds of green camp soldiers and was charging towards his gunpowder magazine. It looked like he was about to break through!
He wanted to aim the cannons at the "heavenly general," but all the cannons were aimed at the river, and the "heavenly general" was charging from behind the cannon barrels. It's not easy to turn these cannons mounted on mounds around.
The "heavenly general" was almost upon him, but the cannon barrels hadn't moved much yet!
Yuan Bao also charged up to block Luo Yao Guo's path with his waist-sword, shouting, "You big-headed yellow clothes, take me Guarjia Yuan Bao's knife...!"
Luo Yao Guo saw a man in Qing official robes wearing a big knife blocking his way, and he was also terrified. His electric bicycle had broken down! It couldn't stop, and he couldn't even turn around. It seemed like something had jammed... What should he do?
Bang...
Smashed into!
Luo Yao Guo lost his balance, crashing to the ground with his electric bicycle. His head hit something hard, and although his "time-travel allergy" was improving, it flared up again, leaving him dizzied and disoriented. He felt himself slipping towards unconsciousness.
Just as he was about to faint, he heard a resounding cheer like a wave of the sea: "Kill the Qing demons, go to heaven..."
