"Hahaha, let's take a look, brothers...Ci'an is really a sensible person. He knows who has the strongest and most reliable soldiers in the Gyeonggi region now...then he started to appoint officials and make wishes."
"Knowing that I was now the prime minister of Ryukyu, he didn't give me any real job. He first gave me the title of first-class light chariot captain, and after the rebellion was over, I was guaranteed to be at least a marquis... Hahaha, look at it, I killed him Their soldiers have to knight me in the end. Isn’t this the biggest joke in the world..."
The captain's room was full of joy. Ci'an's decree suddenly changed the New Army's actions from rebellion to quelling chaos. When everyone saw that there was hope in Beijing, everyone's eyes lit up.
"What a great opportunity, Your Excellency. Prime Minister, we must attack. As long as we can set foot on the city walls of Beijing, our new army will be officially formed. Only then will we be considered number one among the great powers..."
"It's done, it's done... Deciding the capital of a country is a gift from God for free. Sir, you must make up your mind early."
Xiao Letian looked at the excited expressions on his men's faces and felt extremely excited. Looking back on the past of these people and comparing them with the present, there was a world of difference.
Xiao Hexin, Sima Yun, and Wang Huaiyuan were all veterans of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. After the defeat of the Northern Expedition, they hid in the Taihang Mountains and became bandits. Time wore away their will little by little. When bad news from Nanfeng came one by one, One can imagine how depressed they felt.
At that time, let alone conquering Beijing, they were thinking more about how to survive under the heavy pressure of the Qing Dynasty.
Look at Luo Huo, Chu Zhao, Lu Ying and others who did not attend the meeting, and of course Pang Chaoyun and Ye Qiu. These are all outstanding people who came out of the common people. Some of them are the descendants of businessmen, and some are businessmen. Formerly a team guard.
At that time, their backbones were crooked and they did not dare to resist when faced with the exploitation of corrupt officials. But now they are actually staring at the capital of the Qing Dynasty with murderous looks on their faces. How can this be justified?
There are Japanese people like Noheita and Hyoutarou, as well as the natives of Ryukyu. For thousands of years, they have looked at the Central Plains on the other side of the river and worshiped the Central Plains, claiming to be a vassal state. But this time they actually have the opportunity to enter as soldiers. The capital of the Qing Dynasty.
From their excited eyes, you can already read their hearts.
There are also those foreign consultants, gold medal intelligence officer Pierre, war correspondent Leo, and chief engineer Mike. They all attended this meeting today. They are all a group of adventurers at heart. They are able to go to Beijing to see the city. wish.
"Haha, no matter what, you are interested in going to Beijing, so I have to ask you, what are our chances of winning, and how much resistance we have."
"The more you calculate, the more you win, the less you calculate, the less you win..." Xiao Letian said with a smile.
Wang Huaiyuan was the first to stand up. He was the person in charge of the torture hall and Xiao Letian's intelligence chief. This was a good opportunity for him to show off.
"Sir, there is no need to worry. Our victory rate in entering Beijing this time is definitely over 90%... We have been observing the garrison in Beijing for two years. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are an army on paper..."
"The garrison only trains six times a month, and all of them are flashy battle formation trainings. From a distance, the plum blossom formations and Bagua formations seem to be quite powerful, but in fact they are all just showy..."
"More than half of the officers and soldiers smoked heavy cigarettes. Many of them struggled to even stand guard normally and had to temporarily spend money to hire porters to stand guard... To fight a war, you must have money to encourage them. Even if they don't have money, it doesn't matter if the Forbidden City catches fire. In short, this is an army An army that is loose and selfish to the extreme..."
"If it was in the past, it would be better. The imperial court also knew what these garrisons were like, so they were constantly rotating the army, selecting athletes from local areas, or selecting from the Manchu tribes in Baishan and Heishui that had not been corrupted by the colorful world. Elite soldiers, and Mongolian athletes are also a supplement..."
"At that time, the defenders in charge of the Gyeonggi area were still somewhat elite, but unfortunately, six years ago, Seng Gelinqin's bloody battle almost destroyed 90% of the elite of the army, and the Eight Banners' vitality in the Gyeonggi area was seriously damaged... "
"Now, stupid Mailer has searched again. Those bravest warriors were buried outside Tanggu City by us. Although there are many soldiers around the capital, there are no bones for a long time, and only a pile of stinky meat is left. , How can we not win?"
Wang Huaiyuan's words ignited the enthusiasm in the hearts of everyone present. There seemed to be a fire in Luo Huo's heart that could not be extinguished. He threw his hat on the table and untied his collar, "Damn, we are in Europe with the French and The Austrians have done it, are you still afraid of these smoke-smoking losers? No more, give me a thousand soldiers, and I will help the Prime Minister capture the Forbidden City."
"Why bother with a thousand? As long as there are four Gatlings and 800 men, I can sweep across Gyeonggi..."
"There is no need for Gatling. The torture halls are all over the Four-Nine City. By then, all the city gates will be opened for internal and external attacks. We have 600 elites who will pierce Jingshan like a sharp knife... Anyway, we are not occupying this place permanently. The city, as long as we capture Jingshan and rescue the Empress Dowager Dong, it will be over. Give me 600 elites..."
Good guy, this group of militants is about to start a fight, and no one is flinching. A series of victories has made their current mood extremely enthusiastic.
At this moment, Xiao Letian suddenly snorted coldly, "Don't get too excited. You must know that Li Hongzhang's three thousand Huai army is waiting for us somewhere. They are not the trash-smoking soldiers of the Qing Dynasty. They are But they are all veterans who have just come off the Pingni battlefield..."
"Prime Minister, why bother boosting the morale of others and destroying your own prestige? No matter how powerful the Huai army is, it can still be stronger than the French and Austrian armies. Three thousand soldiers are not many, and they have accepted Ci Xi's secret order. They are simply not We cannot bring artillery. As long as the enemy does not have artillery support, do you think we should still be afraid of them?"
"Fight...fight...fight..." A group of crazy officers began to knock on the table.
At this time, Xiao Hexin also spoke: "To deal with the Huai army, I think we still have to rely on the brothers in the execution hall. If Li Hongzhang really wants to deal with us, then there are only two places where he can start. One is to fight in the field under the city of Beijing and rely on the city wall for defense. And another key point is here..."
Xiao He casually clicked on Langfang on the map, "Or setting up an ambush here is also a good choice..."
When Wang Huaiyuan heard this, he stood up immediately, "Prime Minister, I'm going to take my leave now. I'm going to arrange the detailed work and the carrier pigeon station to serve as a front line for the army..." After that, he turned around and left.
Xiao Letian couldn't laugh or cry at this time, "What do you mean, you are going to kidnap me. I haven't given the order yet, and you are about to take action..."
"Prime Minister." Everyone stood up. "Prime Minister, don't you want to fight? Even if we can't change the world this time, we still have to establish our authority and let the entire Qing Dynasty know how powerful we are. Who will your economic layout be in the future?" It will still cause trouble."
"For people like the Manqing, who are fierce in appearance but soft in heart, you have to give them some color..."
The atmosphere was so tense that even Pierre couldn't sit still. He beat the gong and said, "Your Majesty Prime Minister, the morale of the military is already like this. We can't chill the hearts of the people."
Xiao Letian glared at him, "I didn't say we won't fight. What I said was that the more you calculate, the more you win... As for the Hunan Army, have you considered Zeng Guofan's thoughts? If he takes action, how will you stop him... Fifty Wan Xiangjun’s fraction is enough for us to drink a pot..."
When the Hunan Army was mentioned, the fanatical atmosphere at the scene suddenly cooled down. Xiao Letian sneered and said, "It's all making trouble, it's all making trouble. Zeng Guofan is in Henan now, and the army is pacifying the Nian Army. If he wants to take action, he can break it up at any time." Send out 200,000 heavy troops to deal with us..."
"Look at your fanatical energy. Do you think war is a child's play? Remember, I am the only one who can decide the new army. None of you can..."
Xiao Letian got angry. He was not afraid of any of the brothers present. He had taught them all by himself. When the master was angry, the disciples would naturally bow their heads.
Looking at the dejected faces, Xiao Letian knew that this was the right time to pour cold water on him, and only then did he formally give the order.
"After passing the order, Liuqiu quickly mobilized a thousand green soldiers to cooperate with the uprising and stationed in Tanggu. They quickly built a defense line on the dividing line I drew. I, Xiao Letian, have occupied this land..."
"Tietutuo is responsible for the material supply of the new army. In addition to recruiting civilians, you are allowed to command a thousand insurgent green soldiers... Wang Huaiyuan of the Xingtang is responsible for all intelligence work. Chun Shisanniang immediately led people to infiltrate back to the capital in advance. Be prepared to respond..."
"As for the remaining people, prepare to leave immediately. I, Xiao Letian, will take you to Beijing."
Orders were issued one after another, and at the end the captain's room burst into cheers: "Long live, fight to Beijing."
In the night, homing pigeons soared into the sky and flew in all directions against the strong wind. The river embankments were full of galloping horses, and the screams of messengers resounded throughout the countryside.
The soldiers who had come to support from Tanggu were now sleeping soundly, but under the emergency wake-up call, everyone crawled out of their hot beds to dismantle tents, pack supplies, and inspect weapons. The assembled teams of officers at all levels were very busy.
After gathering a team, they immediately set off to the southwest. In the darkness, the light of the torches continued like a long dragon. Domestic dogs in countless villages in the wilderness were alarmed and barked at the long dragon.
The timid and fearful people of the Qing Dynasty were so frightened that they peed their pants when they opened the windows and saw this posture. A fire dragon composed of thousands of people was moving forward in the darkness. They could not withstand such a spectacular scene, and they all shrank back in fear. house.
The Wavebreaker moved forward slowly on the Haihe River. Xiao Letian on the deck looked at the fire dragon on the ground with bright eyes, while Molière behind him asked in confusion.
"Until now you have not explained how you plan to deal with Zeng Guofan. Are you really not afraid of his Hunan Army?"
"Afraid, of course I am afraid, but I will not fight an unprepared battle. Zeng Guofan is not a rotten scholar. If there is only one person in the Qing Dynasty who can understand me, then I believe it is him."
Xiao Letian did not mention that there was a secret letter from Zeng Guofan stuffed in his arms. It was brought by carrier pigeons from the far south. There was only one sentence in it: "Don't rebel. The time has not come yet, and the one who will suffer in the end will be the one who suffers." Han people,'
Zeng Guofan didn't say a word more, and he had no plans to use troops, because he knew that Xiao Letian was the same kind of person as him at heart, and only the real Yinlong could understand Tanggu's talk about hidden dragons.
