Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 370 Fishing requires bait

At the same time, in Hanoi.

Inside the government office.

Chen Yucheng hosted a banquet to entertain Tokugawa Yasuhira and others who came from afar.

At the banquet, both sides raised their glasses frequently, clinked glasses and the atmosphere was very lively.

The slim dancers, wearing light clothes, danced in the banquet hall, showing off their flexible figures.

Although these Vietnamese women have darker skin, many of them are very beautiful.

Dancing now has a different kind of feeling.

Tokugawa Yasuhei was very useless. He stared at the dancing girl in front of him without blinking, and his saliva was almost dripping.

Chen Yucheng spoke with a faint smile on his face.

"Tokugawa-kun's arrival today is just in time."

"I have a mission for Tokugawa-kun to complete."

Upon hearing this, Tokugawa Kangping withdrew his attention from the dancers and asked.

"May I ask what Commander Chen's mission is?"

Chen Yucheng spoke.

"A rebellion broke out in Lai Chau Prefecture in northern Vietnam."

"Some local Yue nobles colluded with refugees and bandits to rise up in arms, kill officials and rebel, and resist the rule of our Tang Dynasty."

"I really don't have the manpower to quell the rebellion, so I can only leave it to Tokugawa-kun."

Upon hearing this, Tokugawa Yasuhei tried to refuse with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"Commander Chen, our soldiers have just arrived in Vietnam and are not yet accustomed to the climate there. In addition, after a long journey, the entire army is in urgent need of rest."

"If we go straight into the battlefield without resting, we may not be able to acclimate to the local climate and will not be able to unleash our full combat power."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yucheng laughed and said.

"It's not that Chen intended to embarrass Tokugawa, but the current situation in northern Vietnam is really tense, local rebellions are emerging one after another, and many places need military deployment."

"If Chen knew that you were to go into battle now, there would probably be many casualties."

"But I can make a promise here. When you help the Tang Dynasty to pacify the situation in Vietnam, I will immediately start to train new troops for you."

"What do you think, Tokugawa-kun?"

Chen Yucheng knew that the reason why the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan sent troops to assist the Tang Dynasty in conquering Vietnam was because they had something to ask for.

Since the Tokugawa shogunate has something to ask for, he naturally has a way to control the other party.

After hearing what Chen Yucheng said, Tokugawa Yasuhei's expression eased slightly, and then he said.

"Since the current situation in North Vietnam is tense, it is time for my shogunate to provide reinforcements."

"But it is also true that we need to rest."

"Commander Chen, how about this? My shogunate reinforcements can be divided into two parts."

"Some will stay in Hanoi to rest and receive reorganization and training from the Tang Dynasty, while others will be sent out to assist the Tang Dynasty in pacifying the situation in Vietnam."

"Once the reorganization and training is completed, the two armies will rotate again."

"What do you think, Commander Chen?"

Tokugawa Kohei's meaning was very clear.

It's fine if you, the Tang Dynasty, want to use my shogunate's people as cannon fodder, but you can't fish without making a nest, right?
You have to give me some sweetness first!

After hearing this, Chen Yucheng thought for a while and then nodded.

"can!"

"Aren't there 5,000 shogunate soldiers coming to support us this time?"

"First, select one thousand of them to receive training in Hanoi, and the rest will be sent to the battlefield immediately. What do you think, Tokugawa?"

Chen Yucheng's eating style is a bit ugly.

But there is nothing we can do about it.

The situation that the Tang Dynasty is currently facing in Vietnam is indeed not good.

Although the Red River Delta region was largely pacified, rebellions continued in the mountainous areas of northern Vietnam.

If these rebellions cannot be suppressed, it will be very difficult for the Tang Dynasty to peacefully control northern Vietnam.

When Tokugawa Yasuhei heard this, his face looked a little ugly.

His original idea was half and half, half receiving reorganization training and half fighting on the battlefield.

Unexpectedly, Chen Yucheng cut his profit to one-fifth with just one sentence.

But in the end, Tokugawa Kohei took a deep breath and spoke.

"Okay, let's do as Commander Chen says."

"I hope that in the flames of war in Vietnam, I can really train a new army that is elite enough for my shogunate."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yucheng spoke to comfort her.

"Don't worry, Tokugawa-kun."

"The Tokugawa Shogunate is an ally of the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty will never let its allies suffer losses."

Upon hearing this, Tokugawa Yasuhei gave a forced smile.

"I hope so!"

……

Forbidden City, Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Li Yi is busy handling government affairs.

Although he was thinking about living in the Old Summer Palace and enjoying the luxurious life of a feudal emperor.

But the Tang army had just captured the capital recently, and Li Yi was too busy with government affairs.

Although the Old Summer Palace is not far from the Forbidden City, it is still quite tiring to run 40 kilometers back and forth.

Besides, Li Yi is alone now, so there is really no need for him to go to the Old Summer Palace.

So he temporarily lived in the Forbidden City.

I thought it wouldn't be too late to move after Luo Caiyu and other female relatives arrived.

Li Yi was busy handling government affairs when at this moment there was a knock on the door outside the Yangxin Palace.

Soon, a servant came to report.

"Your Majesty, Director of the Secretariat Zhang Zhidong requests to see you."

Li Yi didn't even raise his head, but just nodded slightly.

"Well, let someone in!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Zhidong walked in from outside with a document in his hand.

Li Yi then looked up and asked.

"Xiaoda, why do you want to see you today?" Zhang Zhidong said after hearing this.

"Your Majesty, there are four things in total."

"First, the reinforcements sent by the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan have arrived in Vietnam and have been deployed to the battlefield."

"According to the report from the front line, the combat effectiveness of the reinforcements sent by the shogunate is quite good."

Li Yi heard this and nodded slightly.

"So good."

"The reinforcements sent by the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan have arrived in Vietnam, and the situation of our Tang Dynasty in Vietnam will be easier."

Zhang Zhidong continued.

"The second thing is the news from the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom."

"Wing King Shi Dakai has sent his trusted adviser Zhang Suimou as a special envoy for peace talks, and he is preparing to come to the capital to discuss the matter of surrender with the Tang Dynasty."

"According to the reports from the people that the Tang Dynasty had planted inside the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, Shi Dakai did not show much resistance to joining the Tang Dynasty. Instead, he showed some positive response."

It is obvious that the Tang Dynasty not only had people planted inside the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

And the status is not low!

Otherwise, it would not be easy to obtain such important information.

When Li Yi attacked Xunzhou for the third time, he rescued a large number of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom families from the city.

Naturally, among them were the families of Shi Dakai’s generals.

With their families as hostage, it is easy to understand what these generals under Shi Dakai's command would do when the Tang Dynasty sent people to contact them.

This is also one of the reasons why Li Yi is confident that he can persuade Shi Dakai to surrender!

Hearing this, Li Yi nodded again.

“This is also good news.”

"If Shi Dakai is willing to surrender to the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty can take over the three provinces without any soldiers or fighting."

"This is really a good thing for the world."

"Well, we in the Tang Dynasty must do a good job of receiving the special envoy sent by Shi Dakai."

Zhang Zhidong nodded to show that he understood.

Then he continued.

"Your Majesty, the third thing is the news sent back from Guangzhou."

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs used the excuse of Western barbarians interfering in the war in Vietnam as an excuse to put pressure on Britain, France, the Netherlands and Spain. Britain and France have decided to give in and will not interfere when the Tang Dynasty puts pressure on the Netherlands and Spain."

"The Netherlands and Spain are still struggling."

"In addition, Britain and France want to urgently purchase a batch of second-hand arms from our Tang Dynasty. The sooner the shipment, the better."

"Guangzhou is undecided, so they sent a telegram asking Your Majesty to make a decision."

Britain and France wanted expedited shipment.

However, the orders for the Tang Dynasty's arsenals had already been filled, and various units of the Tang army were also urging for weapons and equipment.

It’s not easy for them to cut in line and pick up the goods first!
Then, at the suggestion of Guo Songtao, they decided to take a batch of second-hand goods back for emergency use.

Hearing this, Li Yi stroked his chin and began to think.

After a moment he spoke.

"We can agree to the requests from Britain and France."

"It just so happens that the first batch of weapons our army was equipped with is about to be replaced. It would be best if we could sell the old equipment at a high price to raise funds."

After giving the instructions, Li Yi continued.

"Then, send a telegram to Guo Songtao, ordering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to continue to put pressure on the Netherlands and Spain to make them give in."

Zhang Zhidong nodded again.

Li Yi asked.

"What about the fourth thing?"

Zhang Zhidong bowed slightly and then spoke.

"Your Majesty, the Russian Empire's envoy Nikolai Ignatiev is seeking an audience outside the capital."

Li Yi couldn't help but curl his lips when he heard this.

He didn't need to meet him to know why the Russian envoy wanted to see him.

It’s nothing more than a matter of arms and weapons!

After a moment of hesitation, Li Yi spoke.

"I have been busy lately, so Xiaoda, please go and meet the Russian envoy on my behalf."

"Find out about him first, then report back to me, and I'll decide whether to meet him or not."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhidong immediately clasped his fists and said.

"Wei Chen understands!"

Li Yi nodded slightly, then raised his hand to signal Zhang Zhidong that he could leave.

Afterwards, Li Yi continued to handle government affairs.

However, not long after he started, Li Liang came to see him outside the hall again.

Li Yi ordered someone to call him in.

"Li Liang, what do you want to see me about?"

Li Yi rubbed his sore brows and asked.

Upon hearing this, Li Liang handed over a secret report and spoke.

"Your Majesty, this is news from outside the Great Wall."

"The remnants of the Qing Dynasty are fighting among themselves!"

Li Yi couldn't help but be surprised when he heard this, and then asked.

"Really?"

"What exactly happened?"

Upon hearing this, Li Liang began to report.

"To answer your Majesty, this is what happened."

"The remnants of the Qing Dynasty left the country ahead of time when the Tang Dynasty launched the Northern Expedition. After leaving the country, they did not immediately head to Liaodong."

"Instead, they stopped in Chengde for the time being, waiting for news from inside the Great Wall."

"After that, after the Manchus received the news that the Qing army was defeated and Yi was captured by our army, they split into two factions and began to quarrel."

"One faction wanted to welcome Yi back, and the other wanted to establish a new king. Then, a conflict broke out between the two factions in Chengde City..."

(End of this chapter)