Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

After returning to Vladivostok, Liu Ye began to organize the Qing army to appease the residents and restore daily order in Vladivostok.

The two most important cities east of the Ussuri River have returned to China's hands. Now the most important task is to quickly recapture other cities occupied by the Russian army. Both Shuangchengzi and Sanshilitun are still under the control of the Russian army. We must never stop here, especially Bakharovsk, which is still under the control of the Russian army. It controls the confluence of the Heilongjiang River and the Ussuri River. It is in a dangerous position and must not fall into the hands of the Russian army!

Unfortunately, the Qing army's strength has now been weakened to the extreme, and even an expedition to Bakharovsk is somewhat insufficient.

Just when Liu Ye wanted to temporarily abandon Vladivostok and head north with all his strength, Heilongjiang General Tepchin led his troops to Vladivostok.

Liu Ye had to temporarily put the troops on hold and welcome Tepchin in.

After entering Vladivostok, Terpchin laughed at Liu Ye and said, "General Liu, you are amazing! You are indeed a minister valued by the Emperor. In just a short time, you have already defeated the main force of the Russian army and captured Aichun and Vladivostok. Your contribution is truly invaluable."

Liu Ye replied, "General, these are the result of the soldiers' concerted efforts and unity. If you hadn't come here at this time, Liu Ye would have already ordered an all-out attack on Khabarovsk."

Tepuqin smiled bitterly and said, "General Liu, I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to go!"

Liu Ye was stunned and asked, "General, what do you mean by that? The Russian army has been badly defeated. I have already annihilated their main force. In the entire area east of the Ussuri River, there are only a few hundred Russian soldiers left, scattered in several cities like Shuangchengzi, Sanshilitun, and Bakharovsk. Wherever our Baoding army passes, we can definitely crush the Russian army and take the entire area east of the Ussuri River into our hands!"

Tepchin replied, "Now is not the time to decide whether to advance. Rather, we have already lost the opportunity. The Emperor has ordered you to lead your troops south as soon as possible and return to the capital to defend the emperor. I will send troops to take over the area east of the Ussuri River. As for the Russian army, it is now at the end of its strength. I believe that the troops of the Heilongjiang General's Office are more than enough to crush it!"

"Return to the capital to support the king?"

Liu Ye's heart was shocked, and he understood that what was coming had finally come, and he could not reverse the trend of history with his own strength!

"Yes! General Liu, the capital has experienced a sudden and drastic change. Prince Yi Zaiyuan has arrested the entire British and French envoys in Tongzhou, beating and killing dozens of them. This has infuriated both Britain and France, and they have declared war on us. The British and French fleets must have already reached Guangzhou from India, and they will soon attack Tianjin again. The court and the public are in shock. The Emperor has issued an edict appointing you as the Governor-General of Zhili. Return to the capital immediately!"

Tepchin replied solemnly.

Liu Ye laughed bitterly. Damn it, damn Zai Yuan, you can go to hell yourself, but don't take everyone else with you. Damn it, relying on the current Qing Dynasty's military strength in the north to fight against tens of thousands of British and French elite troops, that's pure death! Not to mention that he is far away in the Northeast, even if he had been stationed in Tianjin, it would be difficult to reverse the situation. The gap in strength is not so easy to make up!

He Qimou, standing by, was quite happy. It had only been less than two months, and his brother had already gone from being the general of Baoding Town to the de facto governor of Zhili. This was a first-rank official! Even though it was only a first-rank official!

Liu Ye smiled bitterly and said, "General, you know my men have been engaged in fierce battles for the past two weeks since arriving here. They are already exhausted. How can they rush to the capital? Even if they did return to the capital, I'm afraid they would be too exhausted to lift their swords, not to mention the numerous wounded..."

Tepchin replied, "General Liu, the Emperor has issued a clear order. I have already dispatched a thousand war horses from Heilongjiang for your troops' use. Riding fast horses for the two to three thousand li journey, we should be able to return to the interior in less than twenty days. However, I'm afraid we won't be able to take these artillery pieces back with us..."

Liu Ye nodded. Tepchin was right. People could ride horses at full speed and travel a hundred miles a day, but this was not the case with artillery. With artillery as a burden, the best they could do was march forty miles a day!

Liu Ye said in a deep voice, "General, Vladivostok is a strategic location. It's always frozen and is a good natural harbor. The Russians have long coveted it and it must not be ignored. I suggest that we build hidden stakes and iron chains outside the port of Vladivostok. If the Russians come, they can only attack from land, and warships from the sea will be unable to enter. This will solve our worries. General, please be careful!"

Tepchin nodded in agreement.

Liu Ye continued, "Also, Bakharovsk is a strategic location. It's the confluence of the Heilongjiang and Ussuri rivers, and it holds the key to the entire Jiangdong region. It's a battleground for military strategists. The Russian army currently has fewer than a few hundred soldiers. General, you must concentrate your forces to retake Bakharovsk first, then deploy heavy troops. If possible, move half of the artillery I left behind and station them there to guard the key points. At the very least, for a short period of time, we'll prevent the Russians from easily invading Jiangdong!"

Terpchin agreed to come first. Terpchin was an expert in administration, but a complete novice in military affairs. Now, with a renowned general like Liu Ye offering advice, how could he not accept it with an open mind? To ignore it would be foolish!

After Liu Ye finished giving Tepchin his instructions, he turned around and shouted to He Qimou and Zhu Hai, "He Qimou, Chen Zhu, immediately reorganize the troops. All wounded soldiers will remain in Vladivostok and return to their bases after they have recovered. The rest of the troops, pack up and prepare to depart. Return to the interior at full speed to support Beijing!"

The two of them quickly agreed and went down to prepare.

Liu Ye took a deep breath. Britain and France were completely different from Tsarist Russia. Tsarist Russia had only a few thousand troops, and their forces were distributed over hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of land. He had arrived suddenly and defeated them one by one, thus achieving a great victory. Britain and France had 30,000 elite troops, and they would attack Tianjin by sea. The offensive and defensive positions would change, and this battle would definitely be disastrous. He hoped that he could reach the interior of the country before the Anglo-French coalition forces captured Dagukou. Otherwise, even if he was capable, he would be powerless to turn the tide.

Liu Ye spent two days in Vladivostok to reorganize the military preparations, and then led his 800 elite soldiers to the interior.

As for the capital, it was already shrouded in war clouds. Unless Liu Ye really took the sea route, he might still be able to make it in time. But riding a fast horse? Wouldn't the horse still need rest? It would take at least half a month, and even if he reached the interior, the soldiers would be exhausted!

How can the trajectory of history be completely changed because of the appearance of a small person?