Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Sushun said quickly, "Your Majesty, I believe that the Monk King's successive victories have frightened the foreigners. It would be a good idea to transfer Liu Ye to Chengde to protect you. We can also show him divine grace to win his heart!"

Xianfeng nodded and asked, "However, the war is still going on in the front. If we recruit Liu Ye now, I am afraid that the ministers below will have objections, and it will also be embarrassing for the monk king..."

Su Shun quickly replied, "Your Majesty, Liu Ye still holds the title of Imperial Guard. Protecting Your Majesty's safety is his duty. Recruiting him for protection is also reasonable. We only need to consult Prince Zheng and others on this matter. After all, we are on a hunting tour now. As long as they agree, what else can the other ministers say?"

Currently, Prince Zheng Duanhua and the others were all in the military council, holding great power and authority. Sushun thought that no one in the court could challenge these eight people! That was asking for trouble.

Xianfeng smiled and said, "Well, Sushun, you can communicate with Prince Zheng and others. If there is no problem, then I will issue an order to summon Liu Ye to lead the Baoding Town to Rehe to protect the emperor!"

With just a few simple words, Xianfeng and Sushun made a very foolish decision. With a powerful enemy in front of them, they didn't think about how to fight the enemy, but even wanted to hold Senggelinqin back. It was really laughable.

Soon, Salmondu, the commander-in-chief of the Eight Banners of Han, rode a fast horse and rushed towards Tongzhou, carrying the imperial edict of Emperor Xianfeng.

In Tongzhou, both the British and French forces and the Qing army were now unable to launch an offensive against each other and could only wait for the opportunity.

Although the Qing army had a strong military force, its weapons and manpower were inferior to those of the foreigners. Should they take the initiative to attack the foreigners? The Qing army did not have enough strength to engage in a positional offensive against the British and French forces. If they acted rashly, they would be in danger of death.

As for the Anglo-French Allied Forces, they had suffered a series of heavy blows, with heavy casualties and low morale. Facing the mysterious General Guo Ye, they were unclear about his strength and were not sure of completely defeating the Qing army. Saxton could only wait in Zhangjiawan for reinforcements from Tianjin and Nanyang. Only when the reinforcements arrived and they were equipped with enough heavy weapons again, would Saxton have enough confidence.

So the two sides were like two wild beasts, quietly licking their wounds, confronting each other in the area from Yangzha to Zhangjiawan, waiting for a new opportunity to come.

Yangzha, all the main forces of the Qing army were concentrated here, but these two or three thousand people were of mixed quality. Senggelinqin's cavalry had better combat effectiveness, and Shengbao's Beijing camp also had certain combat effectiveness. However, apart from these two, the Beijing camp brought by Ruilin was much worse; as for the reinforcements coming from Zhili, Shanxi, Shandong and other places, they were even weaker. Some of the troops were not even equipped with firearms, and even their guns and machetes were rusted. They were all pale and muscular, and their spirits were low. Could such an army fight?

Liu Ye looked at these beggar-like troops and felt a bit amused. This was the Chinese army. Damn, let alone fighting the British and French forces, even if they were to deal with bandits, it would be difficult to say they would win! These people were simply filling in the numbers!

Liu Ye whispered to Senggelinqin, "Your Highness, the situation is becoming increasingly embarrassing..."

Senggelinqin was enjoying a series of victories and the arrival of reinforcements. He was in high spirits when he suddenly heard Liu Ye say this. He was puzzled and asked in astonishment, "Liu Ye, what do you mean by that?"

Liu Ye smiled bitterly and said, "Your Highness, isn't it obvious? Look at these local Green Camp soldiers. Can they still fight? They are so listless. Let alone killing people, I guess they can't even kill a sheep. Once the battle gets intense, I'm afraid these people will be so scared that they will wet their pants! As the saying goes, quality is more important than quantity. In front of 500 elite soldiers, even 2,000 Green Camp soldiers like this are useless. They can't hold up at all. If they collapse, it will affect the morale of our elite soldiers, which is disadvantageous to me."

Senggelinqin was shocked and was so happy that he didn't notice this matter. Indeed, the troops coming from all over the place were too miserable. Their military appearance was not in order, their weapons were not in good condition, and their military discipline was even worse!

"Then what do you think we should do?"

Senggelinqin asked.

Liu Ye replied, "There's no other way. It's survival of the fittest. The strong ones stay, and the old, weak, sick, and disabled are all dismissed. This way we can maintain our combat effectiveness to the greatest extent possible, while also having enough troops to deploy defenses..."

Senggelinqin shook his head and replied, "Liu Ye, we are at war now. They are all here to defend the king. If we disband them now and reorganize them, I'm afraid the officers and soldiers below will have objections. It might even cause trouble..."

Liu Ye was helpless. Even at this time, Senggelinqin was still worried about something happening. You are the regent, the iron-hat prince, and the governor of the capital's military affairs. Who dares to disobey your orders? Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be killed. This is a military camp, a battlefield, and the most crucial battlefield! If you don't make a decision, you will suffer the consequences.

However, Senggelinqin was a little hesitant now, and Liu Ye had no choice. After all, he was not the commander-in-chief of an army, nor even the deputy commander-in-chief. How could he have the power?

Liu Ye said helplessly: "Your Highness, there is another way. That is to gather all the old, weak, sick and disabled people here and order them to retreat into the capital to protect the safety of the capital. No matter what, we must not leave such people here. Don't forget how we failed at Dagukou!"

Senggelinqin's heart trembled. Yes, the Battle of Dagukou was caused by the desertion of that damn Yiledong'a, which led to the demoralization of the army. If the Green Camp soldiers had not been defeated in a short period of time, his cavalry would definitely not have been so vulnerable!

Senggelinqin nodded and replied, "Yes, your concerns are absolutely justified. Selecting the Green Camp troops from all over the country, retaining the elite, and sending the rest back to Beijing is a good idea. Since these people are afraid of death, I'm sure they will be very happy if they are stationed in the capital! I will gather all the generals and deploy them."

The reorganization of the troops was officially launched in the Qing army. Senggelinqin barely picked out 3,600 people from the Green Camps in various places, who were capable of use. The remaining thousands of people were really too unbearable to look at. They were all sent to die on the battlefield. Leaving them behind would only be a waste of food. If they went to Beijing, they could gather more fighting power.

While Senggelinqin, Ruilin, Shengbao and Liu Ye were working hard to reorganize the Qing army and deploy defenses, Salmon arrived at Yangzha with a team of guards!

As soon as Salmondu arrived at the center of the army, he shouted from his horse, "Listen up, those in front! Send a letter to Senggelinqin immediately. The imperial edict has arrived. Tell Senggelinqin to lead his subordinates to receive it!"