Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

However, Prince Gong and Wenxiang's palms were still sweating. It was too risky. Would the foreigners be reasonable with you? If they were reasonable, would they still come to attack you?

In reality, they didn't even think about it. The imperial court was truly useless. Whether it was good or bad, well-intentioned or ill-intentioned, they rejected all foreigners. They even turned good things into bad things. How could they not come knocking on their door? A sheep provoking a tiger for no reason expects the tiger to politely send you out of its den?

Liu Ye continued, "General Grant, I respect you as a soldier. Minister Elgin, I also respect you as a politician. Whatever we want, we should put it on the table. Whether it's negotiation or war, Liu Ye and I will take it all. As for letting a clown get in between us and make decisions, it does not lower our status."

"That's easy for you to say!"

Grant roared, "Now I just want our stolen goods! Don't give me useless talk! Liu Ye, apart from you, I can't think of anyone else in the entire Qing Dynasty who has the courage to dare to make trouble for Britain and France!"

Liu Ye spread his hands and replied, "General Grant, as far as I know, the bandits have already left their names. On the Taihang Mountains, there are eight hundred brave men from Yan and Zhao. They are horse bandits from the Taihang Mountains. Even if I had wings, I couldn't run to the Taihang Mountains in a few days and invite these people out, right? The Taihang Mountains are hundreds of miles away from the capital! In the battle of Gaobeidian, I was knocked unconscious by a shell and suffered seventeen wounds. Even now, the wounds haven't fully healed. Do you think that with my serious injuries, I can still command thousands of troops and gallop freely? If that's the case, I'm afraid I'll tire you to death, and you will never be able to break through the defense line I set up in Gaobeidian!"

Grant was speechless. Liu Ye's words were true. Just moments before, the Qing army had been able to launch a fierce offensive against the Allied Forces. Even though the Anglo-French forces were not at a disadvantage, they had no advantage at all and were only evenly matched. Suddenly, the situation suddenly changed. In less than half an hour, the entire right wing position collapsed! Immediately afterwards, the central and left wing positions to the north were completely defeated, unable to organize an effective resistance!

It turned out that Liu Ye was injured by a shell and was unconscious! If Liu Ye was safe, the British and French forces would never have been able to pass through the three circular tunnel fortifications so smoothly, not to mention that there were thousands of Mongolian cavalry galloping back and forth in the three positions at that time, providing mobile support.

But Liu Ye was seriously injured, and his soldiers were completely defeated. How could he have organized hundreds of elite troops to carry out looting in the capital area? Could it be that Guo Ye had nothing to do with this? Was there another elite Qing army in the capital area? It really makes one wonder...

Liu Ye said in a deep voice, "Everyone, I advise you to be realistic. If we keep confronting each other like this, it will not benefit anyone. Wouldn't it be better to make concessions to each other and resolve the matter satisfactorily? Also, since it was the horse bandits who robbed your things, and it is in the Taihang Mountains, you can just send troops to the Taihang Mountains. This should not be a difficult task for your British and French allied forces, right? I know that you have at least 1,600 to 1,700 cavalrymen. You can definitely encircle and suppress the horse bandits, and even wipe out their lair in the Taihang Mountains."

Grant groaned, remaining silent. "Rush to the Taihang Mountains to suppress the bandits?" "You're kidding!" The Taihang Mountains, a vast expanse of eight hundred miles, are filled with treacherous terrain and dangerous waters. He's completely unfamiliar with the area, without even a guide. If he rashly rushes in like this, he'll be doomed! "I'm not that stupid! Forget about over a thousand cavalrymen. Even if we send two thousand infantrymen, we'll have absolutely no chance of defeating them. They're bandits, not regular troops!"

Ge Luo said solemnly, "However, General Liu, one thing cannot be denied: our goods were robbed in your country, and your country should bear the responsibility of recovering them. This is a common practice internationally. You are well versed in foreign affairs, so you must be familiar with it, right?

At this time, Gro actually talked about international practices with Liu Ye, which was really speechless and helpless, because the methods they could use in front of Liu Ye were really limited. This guy was very proficient in Western practices, and he was also an extremely outstanding and talented general. If he really got involved, the British and French forces would have no chance of winning if they fought another battle with them!

Gro was very smart and knew how to get the most benefit from the Qing Dynasty. The bandits stole a part of the goods and almost took one-third of all the treasures, especially a large amount of gold and silver. However, it was only one-third. Now he still had nearly two-thirds of the treasure in his hands. This wealth was more valuable. As long as it could be transported back to Europe safely, it would definitely be an astonishing fortune!

If we can get a large amount of compensation from the Qing Dynasty, we will definitely make a profit, a huge profit!

Therefore, Gro does not want to escalate the conflict with Liu Ye anymore, but instead seeks the possibility of further negotiations.

Liu Ye replied, "Mr. Ge Luo, you are right. If it were your country's property, we, the Qing Dynasty, would naturally have the obligation to recover it for you, even if it meant spending a fortune. This is where a country's reputation in the world lies, and where justice lies. But are these stolen treasures yours? Ten days ago, they were all stored in the Old Summer Palace! These are the wealth of our Chinese nation, created by generations of the Chinese people. Are you not ashamed to call them yours?"

Gro's face flushed. Grant, standing beside him, said disdainfully, "General Liu, you must understand that in war, victory or defeat always determines the ownership of wealth. This war, after all, is our victory. Even if you are a genius, what does it matter? Beijing is now under the control of the British and French forces! The victors are kings and the losers are bandits. We are the victors, and all this wealth is ours!"

Liu Ye smiled and said, "Okay, General Grant, what you said makes sense. How about this? Three days, three days. After three days, we will officially restart the negotiations and discuss these issues again. We will definitely be able to come up with a perfect solution. What do you say?"

Gro and Elgin looked at each other. After all, they were the ministers and had the final say.

The two men nodded to each other. Now that Gong Xiaogong, whom they relied on as their right-hand man, was dead, there was no point in continuing to fight here. They could only go back first and discuss countermeasures. There was plenty of time anyway, and the one who should be anxious should be the Qing court, not them!