Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

After leaving the Khorchin Prince's Mansion, Duan Hua complained, "Brother, there's no need to go to such lengths to win over Liu Ye, right? Senggelinqin is really a bit arrogant. I don't believe he can do anything to us!"

Su Shun smiled and said, "Brother, to put it simply, I like this Liu Ye. He is indeed a man of considerable talent and reputation, and will definitely be a famous general in the future. We have Zeng Guofan now, but ten or twenty years from now, we may need to rely on this Liu Ye. Don't be short-sighted. Fighting with Senggelinqin over such a small matter will not only offend Senggelinqin, but will also create a grudge with Liu Ye. It is really unwise!"

Duanhua nodded and was about to speak, but Sushun replied, "Okay, big brother, when you go back, keep Jierge in check. I have to go to Duhan and the others now. We have to finalize this matter tonight. We have to get Liu Ye!"

Morning the next day.

Senggelinqin was the first to speak up. He said, "Your Majesty, I have been ordered to be the Governor-General of the Capital's Military Affairs and stationed in Tianjin. I have just received the Emperor's decree and am returning to the capital with Counselor Liu Ye to see Him!"

Xianfeng had already seen Senggelinqin. When he saw Senggelinqin start to speak, he quickly bowed and replied, "Monk King, you have traveled a long way and endured a lot of hard work over the years. You have truly made great contributions to the country. I heard that Liu Ye has returned to the camp with you. Where is he?"

Senggelinqin quickly replied: "Your Majesty, Liu Ye is now waiting for your order outside the Meridian Gate."

Xianfeng nodded and said, "Well, I won't see him in the court today. In the afternoon, I will host a banquet in the Qianqing Palace to welcome the monk king and Liu Ye."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!"

At this time, Grand Secretary Du Han stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I, Du Han, have a memorial to submit!"

Xianfeng nodded and replied, "Lord Du, what's the matter?"

Du Han replied, "Your Majesty, I have heard that the Monk King has recently requested permission to form a Firearms Battalion. With the foreigners invading the borders and the capital unstable, I believe the Firearms Battalion is quite capable, equipped with modern Western muskets. They would be best left in the capital to protect the King. I request Your Majesty issue a decree to select a location within the capital to establish the Firearms Battalion!"

The emperor and his ministers were all startled when they heard this. Firearms Battalion? There is also a Firearms Battalion in the capital now, but most of them are equipped with rifles and other weapons, and most of them are bannermen. It is just a form with limited combat power. If this newly formed Firearms Battalion is placed in the capital, it would be the best. With such a combat force around, how peaceful will it be to sleep?

Even Xianfeng was very tempted. Which emperor wouldn't want to have an excellent bodyguard by his side to protect his safety?

Senggelinqin's face flushed red immediately. Damn, this Du Han is poaching! Damn it, I'm finally setting up a firearms battalion, and you're stretching your arms so far. How unreasonable!

"Duhan!"

Senggelinqin could no longer tolerate this and shouted, "Precisely because the Firearms Battalion is so powerful and is a national treasure, it should be deployed directly on the front lines of the battlefield. In Tianjin, the foreigners could attack us again at any time. Without the Firearms Battalion, how can I resist the foreigners' attack? Bastard! This is outrageous!"

Du Han was a dignified Grand Secretary. His father was Du Shoutian, the teacher of Emperor Xianfeng, and he was quite prestigious in the court. Now Senggelinqin was so angry that he didn't care about anything else and just called him a bastard. It can be seen that this really touched Senggelinqin's heart.

Jiao Youying, the Minister of the Imperial Household, stepped forward in time and said, "Your Majesty, I believe Lord Du's words are reasonable. Right now, the nation's elite troops are either in Jianghuai to suppress the Taiping Rebellion, or they have been taken to Tianjin by the Monk King to deploy for defense. The capital is left empty. If war breaks out, I'm afraid it will be overthrown. For the sake of the country, the country, and Your Majesty, I propose to establish a Firearms Battalion in the capital and transfer Liu Ye, the Counselor, to serve as the Instructor, responsible for all matters related to the Firearms Battalion!"

Senggelinqin was so angry that his lungs were about to explode. He shouted, "Jiao Youying, shut up! What do you mean by the capital is empty? What do you mean by the danger of overthrow? As long as I defend Tianjin for one day, the foreigners will never be able to enter Zhili! Where is the danger in the capital? Liu Ye, the lieutenant colonel, is a capable general that I rely on. You transferred Liu Ye back to the capital and kept the firearms battalion there? What's the point of defending Tianjin then? Is the capital important, so the defense of Tianjin is not important? How about I stay in the capital to accompany you, and you go to Tianjin to take charge of the defense?"

Jiao Youying chuckled and said, "Monk King, I didn't say that Tianjin's defense is unimportant, but things have their priorities. Is the emperor's safety less important than a mere Tianjin? Can you guarantee that if you are stationed in Tianjin, the capital will be completely safe and the emperor won't have to worry about anything?"

This……

No matter how courageous Senggelinqin was, he would never dare to make such a guarantee. If there were any mistakes, it would be a disaster of having his property confiscated and his entire family destroyed!

Seeing that Senggelinqin was stumped by the question, Jiao Youying couldn't help but feel a little proud. He bowed to Emperor Xianfeng and said, "Your Majesty, I think it is better to leave the Firearms Battalion in the capital..."

Xianfeng saw that Senggelinqin had stopped talking, and he felt a little happy. With the firearms battalion, at least the capital could rest assured.

However, Senggelinqin had worked hard and made great contributions, and he had just returned to the capital, so I was really taking advantage of him. I felt it was a bit unfair, so I asked in a fake tone: "Monk King, what do you think?"

Senggelinqin was inconsolable. It was obvious that the emperor was tempted. Was he going to slap the emperor's face? However, he really needed Liu Ye to follow him. These days, Senggelinqin and Liu Ye had a lot of heart-to-heart talks. He was deeply impressed by Liu Ye's insights, not only in military affairs, but also in foreign affairs, politics and other matters. He had unique insights!

Senggelinqin replied with difficulty: "Your Majesty, I dare not object to the formation of a firearms battalion in the capital, but Liu Ye is my capable general. He needs more support to be stationed in Tianjin. So, should I ask Liu Ye to stay in Tianjin?"

Jiao Youying was somewhat at a loss at this time. He took a step forward and asked, "Monk King, you are too ignorant. It's just Liu Ye. Can't you give him to the emperor? I have heard that your Mongolian Eight Banners are full of talented people..."

Before Jiao Youying could finish his words, Senggelinqin grabbed him by the collar and growled, "Jiao Youying, what the hell do you know? We're fighting a war, not reciting poems! If we make even the slightest mistake, the country will be in turmoil. Can you bear the consequences?"

It seemed that if Jiao Youying dared to talk nonsense again, Senggelinqin would definitely hit him with his iron fist. Jiao Youying was just an unruly scholar who was used to flattering Sushun. How could he withstand such a situation? His legs were so scared that they became weak.

Sushun, standing by, quickly called out, "Monk King, please calm down. It's not okay to be so reckless in front of the Emperor!"

Senggelinqin snorted angrily, glared at Jiao Youying fiercely, and put down his fist.

Jiao Youying was so scared that he broke out in cold sweat!