Li Tuo slept so deeply that he was woken up by the cold wind when he reached the Jinshui Bridge. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the majestic Forbidden City and screamed in fright, "What's going on?"
Xiao Sixi said nervously from the side, "Master Li Tuo, Long live the Lord has asked you to come to the palace to discuss matters. You must hurry up..."
"Put me down. Who am I to dare to enter the palace like this? Father-in-law, we were very familiar with each other in the past. Please don't trick me..."
Xiaosi ordered Li Tuo to be put down, "Hurry up, His Majesty is waiting impatiently at the Ancestral Temple, so he trotted away..."
He woke up halfway and there was nowhere to get the horses, so the group of people just ran like crazy and headed straight for the Ancestral Temple. By the time Li Tuo rushed into the Ancestral Temple, it was already a little bright in the east.
The ministers who were gathering and talking in the square saw a group of people running back again. The leader of them all was sweating profusely and was an acquaintance.
"Hey... isn't this Zhang Jing, named Li from the Military Aircraft Department... Why is he running ahead?"
"You don't know? This guy's name is Li Tuo. He's doing well in the palace. Master Fu Qing promoted him to his staff... There must be the latest urgent military information to report!"
"It's bad, maybe the rebels are taking advantage of the victory and have already reached the capital..."
Amid the confused whispers of the ministers, Li Tuo ran up the imperial steps and knelt three times and kowtowed nine times outside the gate of the Imperial Ancestral Temple: "Little minister Li Tuo, long live my emperor, long live the emperor..."
The heavy door creaked open a crack again, and Zai Chun's tired voice came from inside, "Come in... don't be a kowtowing bug!"
Li Tuo's heart was raised to his throat. He had never been to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. He felt that the environment here was gloomier than the three main halls. Maybe it was because of the enshrined spiritual tablets. The whole hall was full of gloomy energy.
Fu Qing saw that Li Tuo wanted to kneel down after he came in, so he took his hand and said, "His Majesty asked you not to kowtow. What time has it been? How is the military situation on the front line? Do you have any countermeasures?"
Li Tuo was stunned for a moment, "Sir! I am just a counselor who has entered the scene...this...is such a big military and state matter, it is really not something that a small minister can talk about!"
"Nonsense! The national crisis is looming, and you dare to back down? You are backing down, but are you worthy of the brothers who died on the battlefield?" At this point, Fu Qing suddenly whispered, "By the way... Have you brought back the bodies of our dead brothers?" When I just woke up, I heard that you sent Shimazu Dairo and those Fuso people to negotiate?"
"How is the result……"
Now that the conversation has come to this point, Li Tuo has no choice but to speak. He originally came back to the city from Yongding River at night to report to Fu Qing on the battle situation, and he did not dare to neglect when he heard the questions.
"The Queen Mother, Your Majesty, Your Majesty... My lords, I am not qualified to command Chinese officers and soldiers. The members of the Chinese Foreign Legion's sword-drawing team left voluntarily during this negotiation to collect the corpses!"
"It is indeed the only way now. It is more convenient for a group of Fusang to negotiate with the rebels than for us!"
"On the way Xiaochen retreated north, I received news that the Chinese Shimazu-san had reached an agreement with the Japanese army. Within seven days, the rebels allowed Shimazu-san to hire civilian men to collect the bones..."
"At this moment, two huge crematoriums have been opened along the Zhuozhou City North Railway. I have arranged several trains to deliver wood, coal, urns and other supplies to Shimazu-san and others..."
"Now the first batch of more than a thousand brothers' ashes have been sent back by train...I will temporarily store these ashes in the warehouse in Qinghe Industrial Zone. We will worship and bury them together when there is time after the war..."
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. The soldiers of Xishan Camp and Yulin New Army have stabilized their emotions after hearing that the bones of our brothers can be brought back..."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and Zai Chun said, "This matter is indeed a favor that the imperial court owes the Chinese people..."
Fu Qing shook his head, "It's not that simple. For the time being, we can only owe Luo Huo a favor for this matter, because the support we have received from the beginning to the end has been given by the railway soldiers of King Luo Huo..."
"The Chinese official has not made any official statement, and none of us can figure out the details of the Chinese..."
Fu Qing looked at Li Tuo and nodded, "What's the current status of the army?"
"Your Majesty, the brothers who have retreated are currently repairing on the north bank of the Yongding River. The Yulin Army and the Xishan Battalion guarding the capital have already moved out in batches to replace the brothers who have retreated..."
"I have drafted many military orders. I came into the city late at night just to wait for the commander-in-chief's signature..." As he said this, Li Tuo took out a thick stack of military orders from his arms. They were all drafted by him and were waiting for the signature of the Ministry of War or the commander-in-chief. Treasure.
Li Tuo showed everyone one by one that these military orders were all very detailed procedures, how much cement, sand, wood, I-beams were allocated from Qinghe Industrial Zone...
How many reinforced concrete bunkers need to be built for all the bridges on the Yongding River, and how much timber for pontoon bridges need to be prepared temporarily!
Xishan Arms Depot, Xiangshan Arms Depot, Beidaying, Tongzhou, Guangqumen... a list of material allocation for arms warehouses in various places.
From bullets, artillery shells, bayonets, military uniforms, wound medicine... to leather goods, tableware, nails, kerosene, military rations... hundreds of kinds of supplies, Li Tuo actually wrote them clearly and clearly, even the kidnapping horse The fodder has been carefully considered.
As expected from Zhang Jing of the Military Aircraft Department, he has been dealing with these data all his life. In just one day after retreating, the wounded soldiers have been arranged, the reinforcements have been replaced, and even the blueprints for the defense along the Yongding River have been drawn up. .
"Your Majesty, gentlemen, it is actually feasible to rely on the Yongding River to defend against the rebels... Although the snowstorm last year caused severe famine, the heavy snow also brought abundant water..."
"This year, the water volume of the Yongding River is very large. Many places where people can usually wade across the river on foot are no longer accessible. There are only four shoals where the army can cross. We need to heavily defend here..."
"The largest bridge on the Yongding River is the Marco Polo Bridge, which must be strictly defended. There are four other stone bridges, six wooden bridges, and three wild crossings..."
"The five stone bridges, including the Marco Polo Bridge, were annexed and defended, and permanent reinforced concrete bunkers were built... The remaining wooden bridges and wild ferries were demolished and burned..."
"Strengthen the walls and clear the fields. All the wood on the south bank of the Yongding River must be transported back to the north. I have ordered the woods that can be burned to be set on fire..."
"All the ships were rushed to the north shore and guarded. If necessary, they were burned..."
"In this way, our outnumbered troops will be alleviated... I am really anxious. I beg the commander-in-chief to sign and use the treasure quickly, otherwise I won't be able to mobilize things!"
Li Tuo was very fast-talking. He talked about these complicated defense plans for a full twenty minutes, and he was foaming at the corners of his mouth!
It was only then that Zai Chun's mood gradually improved. He had never looked directly at this young official from the military aircraft department, but he didn't expect that what this young official said today was something that none of these military ministers had!
This is a minister who does serious things, why is he doing things in an orderly manner without empty words and nonsense!
Everything is realized in the data and drawings. How many tons of cement, how many I-beams, how many steel bars are needed, how many bunkers are needed, and where they are built are all clearly told to everyone.
There is no ambiguity, all kinds of material mobilization come and go, and the channels are smooth!
With these defense plans, almost any officer can find the focus of defense and the supplies he needs!
If the chaos of the previous defeat was like a fog that made it impossible to see even one's fingers, then Li Tuo's instructions were like the strong wind that blew away the fog!
"Li Tuo... bring me the military order, and I will give you the treasure!"
