Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Forbidden City.

Emperor Xianfeng was so frightened by the battle reports sent by Senggelinqin and Yiledong'a that his hands and feet turned cold. Dagukou was lost and Tianjin City was in danger!

There couldn't be any more depressing and desperate news than this, a bolt from the blue!

You have to know that it is only 200 kilometers from Tianjin to Beijing. If you march quickly, it will only take four or five days for the foreign army to arrive at the city!

What to do? What to do? Emperor Xianfeng no longer cared about who was right or wrong between Senggelinqin and Yiledong'e! Actually, there was no need to think too much. One was a brave general who had survived hundreds of battles, and the other was an old scholar who was powerless. It was obvious who was deserting the battlefield!

"My dear ministers, please tell me what we should do now?"

Xianfeng asked in a trembling voice.

His Highness's ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. What should they do? Only God knows what to do. The Monk King, the cavalry under his command is second to none in the Qing Empire. Even if Zeng Guofan's Hunan Army were brought in, they might not be a match for the Mongol cavalry. If even the Monk King is no match, what else can they do?

Seeing no one step forward, Prince Gong bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that it is best to negotiate peace as soon as possible. Firstly, this will protect the vitality of the empire and prevent our entire fighting force from being completely destroyed here. Secondly, our priority now is to deal with the Taiping rebels. We must quickly send the foreigners away and deal with Hong Xiuquan first. Everything else can be put off until later!"

Upon hearing this, Sushun said dissatisfiedly, "Prince Gong, this is not appropriate, is it? Negotiate peace, negotiate peace, you only know how to negotiate peace. Every time you negotiate peace, the foreigners will dig deep into the ground to plunder our wealth and oppress us. Why should we, the great Celestial Empire, make concessions to them? In my opinion, order the mobilization of heavy troops from the northern provinces and redeploy defenses in the capital area. Led by Senggelinqin and Shengbao, we will fight a decisive battle with the foreigners! The foreigners have no more than 10,000 troops at most. We only need half a month to concentrate more than 60,000 troops in the capital, Zhili, Rehe, and Shandong areas. With such a huge military advantage, I don't believe we can't defeat a few foreign devils!"

Prince Gong smiled bitterly. He had always been suspected by the Emperor and was at odds with Sushun. It was impossible for them to listen to his opinions. However, today's situation was different from the past. In the past, we were in the right and the foreigners were in the wrong, so we had the factor of a common hatred and fought. Now, it was our people who killed more than 20 members of the foreign diplomatic corps in one go. If they could let it go, that would be a miracle! We are right and we are not willing to give in. We are right first, and with our powerful ships and artillery, the foreigners were unwilling to fight. Now we have to take the initiative to fight. Wouldn't that play into their hands? If we lose, the losses will be even greater.

Unexpectedly, to everyone's surprise, Emperor Xianfeng did not support Sushun today. Instead, he drove Sushun away and said to Prince Gong, "Sixth Brother, tell me, if we negotiate peace, are you sure? As long as you are sure, I will give you full authority to handle this matter!"

Prince Gong's heart skipped a beat. Damn! He didn't dare to respond casually. Although he supported peace talks, it didn't mean he had the ability to negotiate peace. Only someone like Liu Ye, who was well versed in Western affairs, could succeed in such a thing. How could he withstand it?

Prince Gong blushed slightly and replied, "Your Majesty, the peace talks must be conducted by Liu Ye. I am too stupid to take on this important task..."

Liu Ye?

Xianfeng suddenly remembered that his imperial edict had been issued for more than ten days. What was the situation now? Where was Liu Ye?

"Liu Ye! Who can tell me where Liu Ye is now?"

Xianfeng shouted urgently.

Su Shun quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I just received a report from the imperial court yesterday that Liu Ye's army has entered southern Liaoning. According to the distance they have traveled, they have now entered Rehe..."

Rehe! There are still hundreds of kilometers from Rehe to Beijing! Even if you rush all the way, it will still take several days, not to mention a 2,000-mile journey. Even an iron man would be exhausted and unable to hold on.

Xianfeng felt a chill in his heart. What bad luck! He was just sick. Why did he have to send Liu Ye to suppress the Russian bandits? Damn it, they just took a little barren land. Nothing grows there in the cold weather. It's even colder than Ningguta. There's no use for the Qing Dynasty! Now it's too far away to reach them. Liu Ye may be capable, but he doesn't have wings that can fly thousands of miles from the Far North back to Beijing in a single day!

Xianfeng even wanted to slap himself hard on the face!

Xianfeng said angrily, "It's nearly a thousand miles from the north of Rehe to the capital. Even if Liu Ye risked his life, it would still take eight days! Eight days is enough time for the British and French forces to enter Beijing!"

Prince Gong didn't dare to say anything at this time. If he wanted to negotiate peace, he would have to have the ability to do so. It was obvious that this incident had completely irritated the foreigners. Even a cornered dog would bite!

Sushun, standing aside, said solemnly, "Your Majesty, the best solution now is to prepare for both scenarios."

Xianfeng looked at Sushun and shouted, "Speak quickly!"

"First, order the troops from the northern provinces to quickly advance to the capital to defend the king. Execute Yiledong'a immediately to enforce military discipline. Senggelinqin is ordered to redeem himself and lead all troops to fight the British and French forces again. Even if we cannot win, we must keep them out of Beijing! Second, that is..."

Sushun hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, and continued, "Then we should ask the emperor to go out hunting to avoid the foreigners. Otherwise, if the capital is lost, the foundation of the Qing Dynasty will be shaken. We cannot afford this risk..."

Xianfeng was startled and gave Sushun a long look. What Sushun said made sense. If Senggelinqin were to be defeated again and Beijing were to fall, wouldn't he be like the Huizong and Qinzong of the Jingkang Incident? Even if he died, he wouldn't be able to face his ancestors. The most urgent thing was to ensure his own safety. That was the best policy!

Xianfeng gritted his teeth and said, "Zai Dun! Immediately order the firearms battalion stationed in Tongzhou to advance westward to protect the safety of the Forbidden City. Also, since Beijing is unsafe, it would be best to take shelter for a while. Wait until the foreigners are pacified, and then it won't be too late to return! The Imperial Household Department will immediately begin preparations. I will be touring Rehe in three days. Prince Gong will remain in Beijing to take charge of all affairs. Sushun, Duanhua, and Zaiyuan will accompany me!"

The spineless Emperor Xianfeng no longer has the courage and resolve that Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Qianlong had in the past to conquer the rebels in all directions. He is lucky to be able to keep his life now. Nothing else is more important than his life!