Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 413: The Draft and the Incident Outside the Pass

Alexander was still thinking about launching a counterattack to save the situation after the weapons and armaments purchased by Tsarist Russia from the Tang Dynasty arrived!
Upon hearing this, Nicholas I shook his head.

"No, there is no hope."

"The latest news has come from London and Paris. The UK and France have finalized a breech-loading firearm and have even started mass production."

"London successfully mastered the production technology of breech-loading artillery, while Paris successfully completed the imitation of the rotary machine gun."

"It won't be long before new weapons produced by Britain and France will appear on the battlefield."

"But our Russian Empire does not have the ability to develop and produce breech-loading firearms. Relying solely on foreign purchases will never last long. How can it be a rival to Britain and France, which have the ability to produce their own firearms?"

"If the war drags on for a long time, we will definitely lose."

"So, while the battle lines haven't collapsed yet, the best option is to negotiate and end the war as soon as possible."

Nicholas I was very pessimistic about the prospects of the Crimean War.

But there is nothing that can be done about it. The industrial capacity of Tsarist Russia is not as good as that of Britain and France. This is an objective fact.

This meant that Britain and France had the ability to copy and mass-produce breech-loading firearms, while Tsarist Russia could only rely on foreign purchases.

In the short term, they may be evenly matched.

But in the long run, Tsarist Russia's war potential is bound to be inferior to that of Britain and France.

Alexander opened his mouth and was speechless when he heard this.

Nicholas I entered his dying stage, and the weakness in his voice became increasingly obvious.

"Alexander, after I die, you should try to negotiate peace with Britain and France through diplomatic means."

"Since I started this war, I will end it..."

Tsarist Russia was an expansionist country by nature, and their national character determined that they were often very resilient in wars.

It is very difficult to defeat them completely.

And this is indeed the case. Napoleon captured Moscow and the Russians reached Stalingrad. In the eyes of outsiders, the Russians' demise was almost inevitable in such a huge adverse situation.

But the result?

Weren't Napoleon and Moustache both pushed back in the end?

But it is precisely because of their resilience that the Russians are unwilling to give up easily in the war.

Especially a war as large as Crimea!
If the higher-ups call off the war hastily, it could easily lead to a mutiny and backfire.

Unless someone can give them an explanation!
And Nicholas I was this explanation.

When Alexander heard this, his eyes flashed with deep sadness.

"Father..."

However, Nicholas I did not respond to Alexander.

His head tilted, his body went completely limp, and he lost his breath.

"Father!!!"

Alexander uttered a cry of grief.

On this day, the whole of St. Petersburg was plunged into grief.

The news of Tsar Nicholas I's sudden death spread rapidly across Europe and the entire world as if it had wings.

……

Capital, Old Summer Palace!

The beauty of Fanghu!

Like Jiuzhou Qingyan, Fanghu Shengjing is also one of the forty scenic spots in the Old Summer Palace.

Li Yi sat upright in the main seat in the hall, supporting his chin with one hand, staring at the five women in the hall with interest.

After ascending the throne, Li Yi not only worked hard on government affairs, but also ordered the selection of concubines across the country to enrich his harem.

When he was fighting for the world, Li Yi needed to maintain his image as a frugal and honest person, not fond of beauty, eager to seek talented people, and benevolent and generous, so as to attract people with lofty ideals from all over the world to join him and follow him to conquer the world.

But now, the whole world has been conquered.

Can’t Li Yi enjoy himself?
The five women in front of us are the results of this talent show.

Some are pure, some are charming, some are tall and plump, some are petite and delicate, and there are even exotic ones.

They are all different in shape and size.

Li Yi was a little dazzled by the choices!
It is worth mentioning that there is one person among them whose face and eyebrows resemble Liu Yifei.

Well, not only do they look alike, but their temperaments are also similar.

Li Yi's gaze lingered on her face and body several times, and he seemed unable to take his eyes away.

Seeing the way Li Yi looked at the women in front of him, Luo Caiyu said with some jealousy.

"Your Majesty, you should blink. If you don't blink, your eyes will become dry."

Li Yi was not annoyed when he heard this. He looked away and said with a smile.

"Why, is the Queen jealous?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Caiyu gave Li Yi a displeased look and then said.

"Your Majesty, you are joking. Am I the kind of jealous person?"

Li Yi still smiled and said nothing.

He knew that Luo Caiyu was obviously jealous, but she just refused to admit it.

In that case, Li Yi wouldn't have to point it out.

After talking to Luo Caiyu, Li Yi turned and spoke to the women in the hall.

"That's right, everyone stay!"

"Wang Zhong, you will be responsible for arranging people to teach them palace etiquette and arranging accommodation for them."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zhong, who was serving Li Yi, immediately bowed and responded.

Wang Zhong was a eunuch of Korean descent. He had attended elementary school before being castrated, and was able to read and write, with fairly good abilities.

It was only because he had offended someone and had no way out in Korea that he gritted his teeth and cleaned himself up, preparing to come to the Tang Dynasty to fight for a future.

Well, the main reason was that the person he offended was a big shot from the Andong Jin clan. Wang Zhong had no choice at the time. He could either become a eunuch in the Tang Dynasty and earn a fortune, or be thrown into the Yalu River to feed the fish.

As it turned out, Wang Zhong's choice was correct.

He had just arrived in the Tang Dynasty not long ago when he was appointed as the chief eunuch by Li Yi, which was considered a breakthrough for him.

After Li Yi gave Wang Zhong his instructions, he took Luo Caiyu and left Fanghu Scenic Spot, preparing to go to Luo Caiyu's residence to see Li Zai.

By the way, check on Lee Jae's studies.

Li Zai is already four years old this year, which would be old enough to go to kindergarten in later generations.

Li Yi has already begun preparing for Li Zai's education.

Li Zai certainly cannot understand complicated things now, but he should have no problem learning some simple pinyin, literacy, and arithmetic.

As for where the pinyin literacy method came from?

Of course it was Li Yi who invented it!

However, when Li Yi was halfway there, he saw Li Liang jogging towards him.

Li Yi subconsciously stopped and realized that Li Liang might have something important to report.

Otherwise, Li Liang wouldn't have jogged all the way.

Soon, Li Liang came to Li Yi, and Li Yi asked.

"What happened?"

"Why so anxious?"

Li Liang took a deep breath and then said.

"To reply to your majesty, something happened outside the customs."

"On the second day of May in the first year of Kaitai, Gui Liang led the Dongqing army and marched westward, successively conquering Chaoyang, Jianchang and other counties."

"Western Qing received news of the invasion from Eastern Qing and sent troops to fight back. The two sides fought fiercely in Pingquan Prefecture, east of Chengde."

"Xiqing was badly defeated, and the remaining troops retreated to Chengde to defend!"

"Now, Dongqing has surrounded Chengde City. I'm afraid Xiqing won't be able to hold out for much longer. They have sent envoys to ask for help from the Tang Dynasty."

When Li Yi heard this, his face stiffened at first, then his brows relaxed.

"Good thing!"

"Eastern Qing has taken the initiative to attack Western Qing and has deployed all its main forces. This will inevitably leave Liaodong empty."

"For the Tang Dynasty, this is the best opportunity to send troops to the north to attack Liaodong."

Upon hearing this, Li Liang asked.

"Your Majesty, what about Xiqing?"

Li Yi hesitated for a moment, then asked.

"Didn't Xiqing form an alliance with the Khorchin tribe? What is the Khorchin tribe doing now?"

Li Liang replied.

"To answer your Majesty, it is the Chechen Khanate."

"Before the Eastern Qing Dynasty launched its Western Expedition, it contacted the Chechen Khanate and promised the Khorchin tribe's pasture to the Chechen Khanate."

"At the same time that the Eastern Qing sent troops to Chengde, the Chechen Khanate also attacked the Khorchin tribe."

"The Khorchin tribe is now in a difficult situation and is completely unable to provide reinforcements to Xiqing."

Logically speaking, the Khorchin tribe, living in the Khorchin grassland with abundant grass and water, should be stronger than the Chechen tribe living in the northern desert.

Because Mobei is a poor place!
Compared with the southern part of the desert, the northern part of the desert is a truly bitter and cold place, with deserts everywhere and not many pastures suitable for cattle and sheep to survive.

This may not be intuitive enough.

For example, in later generations, the total economic output of Outer Mongolia was not as much as that of the Mengniu Group. You can imagine how poor the Mobei area was.

The Chechen Khan took root in a poor place like Mobei, where cattle, sheep, horses, and even sabers and bows and arrows were scarce. There was definitely a gap in strength between him and the Khorchin tribe, which occupied the Khorchin grassland, a land of abundant water and grass.

But the problem is that the Khorchin tribe is not having a good time now.

Senggelinqin was born in the Khorchin tribe. When the battlefield inside the Great Wall was in full swing, the Khorchin tribe dispatched troops several times to enter the Great Wall to support the Qing Dynasty in suppressing the rebellion.

Then there is no more!

The Khorchin cavalry that entered the pass were almost all defeated by the Tang Dynasty and the Heavenly Kingdom.

The strength of the Khorchin tribe was severely damaged, with more than half of the young and strong men in the tribe lost.

In addition, the Chechen Khan's surprise attack came too suddenly, so the Khorchin tribe was caught off guard.

lost heavily.

The current situation is also quite passive.

Hearing this, Li Yi fell into deep thought, and spoke after a moment.

"Let's not worry about Xiqing and the Khorchin tribe for now."

"Let my army prepare for the Northern Expedition. This time, we must fight to recapture Liaodong."

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

Li Yi also apologized to Luo Caiyu. As the matter was urgent, he had to deal with military affairs first and had no time to see his son.

Li Yi hurried back to Jiuzhou Qingyan, and then ordered everyone in the Military Affairs Office to discuss the matter.

Soon, everyone arrived.

Li Yi spoke directly.

"The latest news came from outside the Great Wall. The Eastern Qing invaded Chengde and was defeated. They had no choice but to defend the city and ask for help from the Tang Dynasty."

"In addition, the Chechen Khanate moved south from the northern desert and clashed with the Khorchin tribe. The fighting was quite fierce..."

"If you have anything to say, please feel free to speak up!"

Li Yi briefly explained the current situation to everyone and waited for their responses.

(End of this chapter)