Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 345 Honor and material are equally important!
Amidst hearty and heroic laughter, the Tang army soldiers arm in arm and boarded several boats docked beside the Yellow River embankment.

The raindrops floating in the sky grew bigger without anyone noticing and were pouring down.

Liu Jinyang stood on the deck of the ship, wiped the rain off his face, and then spoke loudly.

"Brothers, we are about to carry out the mission."

"Cheer up, let's sing a song together!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a few voices of agreement were heard around him.

Liu Jinyang didn't care and shouted to everyone.

"Clouds come from the dragon, wind comes from the tiger, ready, sing!"

The next moment, all the soldiers sang in unison.

"The clouds follow the dragon, the wind follows the tiger, fame and fortune follow the dust and dirt!"

"Looking at China, the people are suffering, and the fertile land for thousands of miles is barren!"

"Look at the world, there are no barbarians, and only one man can make up for what is missing in the way of heaven!"

"A good man should leave his parents behind and serve the people instead of himself!"

"..."

Amid the powerful military songs, the boats filled with mud and sand slowly sailed away from the dam and headed towards the gap in the Yellow River under the gaze of countless civilians.

A feeling of heroic admiration is rippling in everyone's heart!

Driven by the water flow, the boat quickly arrived at the designated location.

It’s only a few hundred meters away from the gap!
Liu Jinyang shouted.

"Quick, detonate the explosives in the bottom cabin and prepare to sink..."

Even if the boat is filled with sand and gravel, it will still take quite some time for it to take on water and sink.

Therefore, if you want to block the gap in the Yellow River embankment, you cannot wait until you reach the gap and then sink it.

It is necessary to calculate the advance time and start sinking before the ship reaches the gap. This way, it can sink accurately at the gap and block it.

boom! Boom boom!

Several dull explosions sounded in succession.

Several ships loaded with sand began to slow down and gradually sank.

Seeing the turbid yellow water gradually submerging the hull, Liu Jinyang and others began to jump off the boat.

Pfft!Pfft!
One after another, people jumped into the Yellow River, splashing water.

However, as a wave hit, the Tang soldiers in the water lost their balance and were knocked over.

Then it was swept by the current and went downstream.

In the blink of an eye, only half of the thirty people who jumped off the boat were still struggling.

Seeing this scene, the laborers on both sides of the levee couldn't help but feel distressed.

Liu Jinyang used both hands and feet to paddle hard in an attempt to stabilize his body.

However, the water was too turbulent, with waves and undercurrents constantly hitting him, causing his body to sway left and right, making it extremely difficult for him to maintain his balance.

In a short while, he drank several mouthfuls of muddy river water.

The body is also gradually sinking!

Suddenly, another wave came, and Liu Jinyang's eyes went dark and he completely lost consciousness.

However, before he lost consciousness, he felt himself being grabbed by a hand and lifted up.

Chen Yan was lying on the side of a sampan, and with quick hands and eyes he reached out and pulled the unconscious Liu Jinyang up.

Afterwards, they rowed their boats and began to rescue other Tang soldiers who were still floating and struggling on the river.

"Quick, move faster!"

"Damn, the water is so fucking huge."

"Fuck, the waves are coming again!"

"..."

After the Tang army soldiers took the initiative to replace them and drive the boats to block the gap in the Yellow River, these civilians did not just watch them die.

Instead, they chose to take the risk of driving boats to the river to rescue people.

Although it was a very dangerous thing for them to drive a boat to rescue people, these civilians were willing to take a chance...

Just as the civilians were sailing the boat to rescue people, suddenly cheers came from the Yellow River embankment.

When someone looked up, they saw that the sunken ships had reached the place where the Yellow River burst, and they sank there, blocking the gap in the embankment.

For a moment, the originally turbulent flow of the Yellow River began to become gentle.

Zhou Cheng, who was in charge of directing disaster relief on the levee, saw this scene and shouted loudly.

"quick!"

"The breach is blocked. Quickly throw sandbags and rocks to prevent the boats from being washed away."

"I can't let the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty sacrifice their lives in vain!"

At Zhou Cheng's command, the laborers on the dike began to take turns throwing sandbags and stones in their hands towards the gap.

Pfft!Pfft!
Sandbags and stones fell into the water like raindrops, hitting the sinking ship one after another.

As time goes by, the gap in the Yellow River embankment is being blocked little by little.

The water flow gradually began to turn back to the river channel...

The moon sets and the sun rises.

After another day and night of hard work, the breached Yellow River was finally blocked.

On the Yellow River embankment, cheers rang out one after another.

"Long live the Tang Dynasty!"

"It's blocked! It's finally blocked!"

"Hahahaha, this damn Yellow River has finally been blocked!"

"..."

……

"Your Majesty, good news!"

"Jinan reported that the breached Yellow River embankment has been repaired."

Li Liang came to Li Yi with a happy face to report.

Upon hearing this, Li Yi couldn't help but smile.

"Is it blocked?"

"Haha, we finally got through. God bless our Tang Dynasty."

Li Liang stepped forward and handed the report sent by Jinan Prefecture to Li Yi, asking Li Yi to review it.

Li Yi took the report and began to read it.

[Report on the Disaster Relief of the Yellow River in Jinan in the Fourth Year of Zhaowu: At the end of March in the fourth year of Zhaowu, there was a major flood, and the Yellow River water backflowed over the dike, and then broke through at Qihe River...]

After reading the minutes, Li Yi's expression became a little complicated.

Finally, he took a deep breath and said.

"Our soldiers did a good job in this disaster relief process."

"Especially Liu Jinyang and others should be given special praise."

"I want to publish their deeds in the newspaper, publicize their efforts and sacrifices to the whole world, and commend their bravery and fearlessness."

"Also, the subsequent pensions from the court must be arranged as soon as possible, and the pensions must be given according to the highest standards."

"I can't let heroes bleed and cry!"

Li Yi knew that honor was important, but if there was only honor without material support, then the so-called honor was just hooliganism.

Since Liu Jinyang and others took the initiative to step forward and act as heroes, Li Yi would never treat them unfairly even if it was just for publicity work.

No matter whether a person is dead or alive, honor and material compensation must be arranged in place!

He, Li Yi, never skimps on these things.

Upon hearing this, Li Liang bowed to show that he understood.

Then he continued.

"I have one more thing to report to the king."

Li Yi nodded slightly and motioned Li Liang to speak.

Li Liang spoke up.

"In reply to your Majesty, the spies that our Military Intelligence Department has planted in the capital reported that there have been unusual movements on the part of the Qing Dynasty."

"Maybe they are going to move troops south."

Li Yi couldn't help but frowning when he heard this.

"what is going on?"

"Didn't our troops deployed in the direction of Tianjin move westward? Why would the Qing Dynasty move south at this time?"

Li Liang reported.

"In reply to your Majesty, our troops stationed in Tianjin have already attacked Wuqing to the west, and are currently continuing to move towards Tongzhou, and the progress is very smooth." "As for why the Qing army wants to go south at this time, according to the information obtained by the Military Intelligence Department, the Qing court should want to take advantage of the fact that the Tang Dynasty is engaged in disaster relief and has no troops, and take the initiative to go south to fight a decisive battle with the Tang Dynasty to resolve the current predicament of the Manchu Qing Dynasty."

The spies of the Military Intelligence Department of the Tang Dynasty are extremely powerful.

Although the Qing Dynasty had not yet mobilized its troops, the Tang Dynasty had already received the confirmed news that the Qing Dynasty wanted to move south.

He even got a rough idea of ​​the content of the high-level meetings of the Qing court.

Although it's just a rough estimate, it's terrifying enough.

This means that the Tang Dynasty has a considerable degree of control over the movements of the Qing Dynasty's top leaders.

A war has not yet started, but the high-level movements of one side have already been controlled by the other side, and the result is obvious.

This is the horror of intelligence warfare!
Hearing this, Li Yi frowned at first, then relaxed his brows and spoke.

"It's quite interesting."

"The Tang Dynasty has not yet launched the Northern Expedition, but the Tartars have taken the initiative to come south to die."

Li Liang asked.

"Your Majesty, what should our army do next?"

Li Yi did not answer, but walked to the map hanging high in his room and began to think.

After a moment, Li Yi spoke again.

"Send the order to the generals, summon the directors of the various departments of the General Staff to come to discuss the matter."

Although Li Yi did not bring officials from the Ministry of the Interior with him on this Northern Expedition, most of the officials from the General Staff Department followed the army.

In this case, when the Qing army invaded southward, Li Yi naturally had to summon them to discuss the matter.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tai clasped his fists and went downstairs to convey Li Yi's order.

Soon, the directors of various departments of the General Staff came to Li Yi's headquarters to participate in the meeting.

Li Yi motioned Li Liang to stand up and repeat to everyone what he had just reported, and then he started to ask.

"Tell me, all the nobles, how should the Tang Dynasty respond when the Tartars march south?"

Upon hearing this, Zuo Zongtang, Director of the Operations Department, spoke.

"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, the Qing demon must have come south this time to target Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty is a man of ten thousand gold. You must not take any risks. I suggest that Your Majesty first withdraw the army to Jiangsu, and then order the various units of our army to come to your aid."

"Wait until all my troops gather together, and then we can counterattack!"

What Zuo Zongtang said were words of maturity and prudence.

Li Yi is too important to the current Tang Dynasty, and he cannot be allowed to take risks no matter what.

As soon as Zuo Zongtang said this, Luo Dagang, Wang An and others also agreed.

They all hoped that Li Yi would put his own safety first and retreat.

Well, it is normal for the meeting to have such a result, because nowadays in the Tang Dynasty, no one dares to suggest Li Yi to take risks.

Otherwise, if something goes wrong, they cannot afford the consequences.

Upon hearing this, Li Yi waved his hand and refused.

"What you say makes sense."

"But I will not retreat. I will stay in Jining!"

"This time the Qing army is heading south, they must be heading for Jining and me."

"In that case, let them go south."

"When the Qing army heading south crosses the Yellow River, our Tang Dynasty will make a big dumpling south of the Yellow River and swallow them all in one gulp."

"I will accomplish my goal in one battle! I will destroy all the living forces of the Qing monsters in one battle!"

Unlike many people who want to be on the safe side.

Li Yi's current plan is to lure the enemy deep into the territory and swallow up the Qing army invading from the south in one swoop.

If we could wipe out the main force of the Qing army invading from the south in one fell swoop.

The Tang Dynasty could then take advantage of this opportunity to launch a Northern Expedition, recover Zhili and the capital in one go at the lowest cost, and drive the Qing Dynasty out of the Great Wall.

Just as fishing requires bait, luring the enemy naturally requires bait.

And this bait can only be made by Li Yi.

If Li Yi had not stayed in Jining, the Qing army would probably not have rashly crossed the river.

Of course, it’s not that no one else had thought of this, but they didn’t dare to suggest letting Li Yi take the risk of being the bait.

You let the boss take risks as bait, do you want to usurp the throne?

Therefore, this proposal can only be made by Li Yi himself.

Only after Li Yi made the final decision on the matter did everyone dare to offer advice and formulate a combat plan.

Upon hearing this, everyone started to advise again.

"Your Majesty, think twice!"

"Your Majesty, please take back your order."

"Yes, Your Majesty. A son of a rich man should not sit in the hall, let alone Your Majesty, who is worth tens of thousands of gold. How can you take risks?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Li Yi waved his hand and said.

"Okay, you guys don't need to persuade me anymore, I have made up my mind."

"I believe that the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty will protect my safety."

"Next, let's discuss the specific details of this battle."

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but look at each other.

But in the end, they could only respond in unison.

Li Yi nodded with satisfaction, and then signaled to everyone to offer suggestions.

In the headquarters' meeting room, everyone began to discuss military affairs.

Li Yi nodded with satisfaction.

……

In the middle of April in the fourth year of the Zhaowu reign of the Tang Dynasty, Guangzhou.

Hu Longshan stood on the deck of a Western sailing ship, looking out at the bustling Guangzhou wharf in the distance, where ships were coming in and out, people were jostling each other, and merchants were coming and going.

The look in his eyes was extremely complicated.

Because he came to the Tang Dynasty to seek peace.

This made him feel extremely humiliated.

The ship slowly approached the port, and several pilots came up in a small boat to guide the ship into the port and moor.

Soon, the ship that Hu Longshan was on arrived at the port.

He stepped onto the dock, where two officials from the Tang Dynasty's Department of Diplomacy were already waiting with a team of Tang army soldiers.

Seeing this, Hu Longshan took a deep breath, took a few steps forward and spoke.

"I am Hu Longshan, the Vietnamese ambassador to the Tang Dynasty."

"I wonder who you two are?"

Upon hearing this, the two Tang officials simply bowed politely and spoke.

"Ren Haiping and Zhong Jing, clerks of the Tang Dynasty's Department of Diplomacy, meet Ambassador Hu."

"We have been ordered to come to Guangzhou Wharf to welcome the ambassador to the post house for settlement."

Although the two people in front of him spoke politely, Hu Longshan could see arrogance in their eyes, and could see disdain and contempt for him.

Their movements and expressions were obviously very polite, but for some reason, Hu Longshan could feel their pride and contempt for himself.

Hu Longshan felt a little uncomfortable, but still spoke patiently.

"I want to meet Director Guo right away. I'd like to trouble you two to lead the way."

The two of them were completely unmoved when they heard this.

Ren Haiping shook his head and said.

"I'm sorry Ambassador Hu, our mission is only to escort you to the posthouse."

Hu Longshan opened his mouth and spoke in a somewhat cold tone.

"I will meet with Director Guo immediately and present the letter from the King of Vietnam to the King of Tang. This is a matter of great importance."

"If this delays the diplomatic relations between the two countries, can you afford to be punished?"

Ren Haiping just shook his head and repeated what he had just said.

"Ambassador Hu, please don't make things difficult for us."

"The mission we received is just to take you to the posthouse."

As for the important matter mentioned by Hu Longshan, he didn't care.

Zhong Jing's words were even more direct.

"Our director has important matters to attend to right now and has no time to meet with you. Please understand."

(End of this chapter)