Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Liu Ye returned to the Baliqiao area, and Senggelinqin was so happy that his eyes were narrowed into slits.

This is the first real victory since the battle of Dagukou. It is enough to make me feel proud and finally vent the anger that has been pent up in my heart!

"Liu Ye, well done! You are indeed my lucky star! Hahaha! Well done!"

However, Liu Ye's face was still somewhat gloomy. He said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, although we can call this a great victory, it is not a complete victory. The British cavalry still maintains a certain level of combat effectiveness. Our horses have been exhausted after running for two thousand miles. The British are all equipped with fine Arabian horses, which are extremely fast. It is a pity that we cannot completely wipe them out..."

Senggelinqin patted Liu Ye's shoulder vigorously and replied, "That's quite good. I've already sent a memorial to Prince Gong in the capital and the Emperor in Rehe to request a reward for you!"

Shengbao, who was standing nearby, also struggled in his seat and said, "Yes, Lord Liu is so powerful! We must make another effort and drive all the foreigners out of China!"

Liu Ye smiled bitterly and shook his head. They knew too little about the Western powers. After just one victory, they began to become complacent. If the Anglo-French forces were really so easy to defeat, they would not be the top powers!

Senggelinqin's heart sank. He asked, "What's wrong, Liu Ye? Don't you have any confidence? We even defeated the dragoons. How can those infantrymen withstand our attack?"

Liu Ye said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, I told you yesterday that if we want to defeat Britain and France, there is only one way, and that is to take advantage of the terrain and annihilate the enemy on the move. We must stretch our front lines and weaken the foreigners' strength to the greatest extent. Otherwise, even if we have 20,000 more troops, it will be of no avail!"

Liu Ye was right. The Anglo-French coalition forces now number nearly 30,000, and reinforcements may arrive from India and Southeast Asia at any time. The powerful artillery is simply not something the current Qing army can withstand. Charging with swords and spears alone is like a moth flying into a flame. The Battle of Baliqiao has proved that facing the enemy's powerful firepower, no matter how many people charge, many will die, and it is impossible to even touch the edge of the enemy's position!

Senggelinqin and Shengbao's faces darkened. If Liu Ye couldn't even win, what would the future of the war hold? How would they deploy their forces?

Liu Ye continued, "Your Highness, no matter how many infantry we have, they will be useless in the face of the British and French artillery fire. Only cavalry can still be of some use. I still say that we must cut off the traffic from Tianjin to Beijing so that the foreigners' supplies, especially ammunition, cannot be smoothly replenished to the front line. In this way, we still have a chance of victory in mobile warfare. If we fight on the spot, no matter how powerful I am, I will be powerless to turn the tide!"

Senggelinqin gritted his teeth and asked, "Then tell me, what should we do? From Baliqiao to the outskirts of Beijing, it's only a few dozen miles. We have limited room to maneuver. You want to eliminate the foreigners in a campaign, but how can you do that in such a small space?"

Liu Ye said in a deep voice, "The terrain is our greatest advantage. The area around the Chaobai River is entirely covered with cornfields, which can effectively conceal our movements. Our cavalry can all retreat into these green tents and strike a heavy blow to the foreigners when they are off guard! Moreover, this area is mostly valleys with uneven terrain. We can also occupy the high ground and set up ambushes, which can also inflict a heavy blow to the foreigners. In short, we will not engage them in a head-on battle, but will exhaust them to death in this area!"

Shengbao complained, "Master Liu, it's easy for you to say that. But what if the foreigners don't fight us and attack Beijing with all their might? What should we do?"

Shengbao's question was not entirely unreasonable. Beijing was just a stone's throw away. Once the foreigners launched an all-out attack, ignoring the Mongolian cavalry and the Green Camp, Beijing's current defenses would likely take it down at any moment. After all, Beijing had been almost hollowed out, and all its combat power had been taken to Rehe by Xianfeng!

Liu Ye replied, "General Ke, that depends on how well we fight. The more exciting our battles are and the heavier the blow we inflict on the enemy, the less likely they will launch a full-scale attack on Beijing. Given the pride of the British and French armies, they will absolutely not let us attack without retaliating and instead attack Beijing. If we stab them, they will stab back with all their might. This is the nature of Western armies: vengeance is unwavering, and their military honor dictates their actions! The harder we strike them, the less likely they are to attack Beijing. Instead, they will devote all their energy to encircling and suppressing us!"

Senggelinqin's brows twitched a few times, and he shouted, "Alright, I've made the decision. Liu Ye, I support you in this. Even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up for you! As long as you can defeat the foreigners and make them roll back to the sea!"

"Liu Ye, how do you want to fight?"

Liu Ye grabbed the map and said, "Your Highness, disperse our forces immediately. Send out eight hundred elite cavalrymen, equip them with one hundred rifles, and have them sneak into the Baihe area. As soon as they see the foreigners' baggage trains, they must be attacked mercilessly. Even if they can't be wiped out, their baggage must be burned. Without ammunition, the foreigners' fighting power will be at least halved!"

Senggelinqin shouted, "Alright, He Qimou, lead the Royal Guard Cavalry Battalion immediately and personally take action! Haven't you learned a lot of skills from Liu Ye? This time it's up to you, damn it, don't embarrass me!"

He Qimou smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I'll leave it to you. I'll make sure the foreigners' supplies don't get past Baliqiao!"

Liu Ye whispered, "Brother, remember, focus on harassment, conserve your strength, and don't engage in head-on confrontation!"

He Qimou was shocked and nodded repeatedly. Liu Ye is now much more cautious than when he fought against Tsarist Russia, which means that the enemy he is facing is definitely much stronger.

Liu Ye continued, "Second, General Ke's Green Camp infantry will move towards Tongzhou and Shanhaiguan, guarding the main traffic routes between Shanhaiguan and Beijing. This will allow them to rush to Beijing's aid at any time, and also block the British army's detours to reinforce! Third, Monk King, our main force will move towards Beijing and be prepared to defend it. Fourth, draw two thousand elite troops from each unit, concentrate all rifles and artillery, and equip them with weapons and ammunition. Even if they can't shoot, they must master it as soon as possible! Together with my one thousand troops, three thousand people will be enough to fight the British and French forces!"

Three thousand soldiers are enough for a battle!

Senggelinqin looked at Liu Ye in shock. Is this kid crazy?