Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Gaotang Prefecture, where Senggelinqin now placed the headquarters of the Mongolian cavalry and the Green Camp soldiers, and he sat in Gaotang Prefecture and commanded the entire war.

Senggelinqin had already received Liu Ye's letter, declaring that all Nian bandits would be eliminated from Shandong within a month and a half! Senggelinqin felt his head spin. This guy had to be careful with his boasts. A month and a half! He might not even be able to muster his main forces in a month and a half. With such a large encirclement, the southernmost and northernmost parts were nearly a thousand miles apart. How could he eliminate the main force of the Nian bandits? They were all cavalry!

Senggelinqin looked at Yan Chunyu standing beside him and said, "Boys, what do you think?"

Yan Chunyu curled his lips and replied, "Your Highness, we'll do what our master says. I'll just follow his orders. These three hundred men will all be dispatched to penetrate the heart of the Nian Army and disrupt their deployment. That way, while I'm causing trouble inside, your army will advance layer by layer, and the Nian Army will undoubtedly be defeated!"

Senggelinqin said angrily, "You bastard, your masters are so awesome, you're even more awesome than your own masters! You only have 300 of them, and you want to penetrate the enemy's heartland directly? Once they surround you, you won't have anywhere to escape! This is the precious treasure your masters have painstakingly trained! If it is destroyed in your hands, think carefully, you might even be torn into pieces!"

"Nowhere to escape? Your Highness, you're joking. I'm going there to kill the enemy, who would want to escape? Haha, if the Nian bandits want to kill the three hundred of us, they need to have the ability to do so. Your Highness, don't worry, I will definitely fulfill my mission and successfully lure the Nian bandits out for you! The most important thing for you now is to tie the fence tightly. Then quickly put your hands in your pockets! Although I don't know why our Lord has to kill the Nian bandits within a month and a half, but I believe he has his own reasons. His brain is not as good as his alone!"

Senggelinqin reflected on this and thought so. Since his birth, Liu Ye had almost never fought a battle without confidence. If he said it was okay, he was 90% sure of defeating his opponent. Even the Russians and the British and French were no match for him. Now that the Qing army had the advantage in manpower and Yan Chunyu's elite troops were at their side, the possibility of failure was practically nonexistent. It was obvious that Liu Ye must have encountered some problem; otherwise, he wouldn't be so anxious to eliminate the Nian bandits. The original pocket tactics were his own creation. Now that they were redeploying, something must have gone wrong.

Senggelinqin was right. Liu Ye was indeed in trouble, but it was not a serious matter. Rather, Liu Ye was forced into a desperate situation by his two wives and had no choice but to change his plans.

Senggelinqin said in a deep voice, "Well, I'll do as you say. Do you need any help? Or, how about I have Qimou send you a cavalry unit to support you?"

Yan Chunyu said proudly, "Your Highness, thank you for your kindness. Our master has told me to do it alone, so I must do it alone and complete this mission. Otherwise, even if I complete the mission, I will be punished! A small Nian Army is no problem!"

He Qimou on the side curled his lips and said, "Damn it, look how arrogant you are! If someone didn't know you, they would think you were Liu Ye! Be careful, or if you lose your life, I will have to work hard to avenge you!"

Yan Chunyu chuckled and replied, "Alright, Lao He, even if you die first, I won't die! As agreed, Your Highness, I'll set them on fire in the middle, and you hurry up and tighten the encirclement. We'll try to wipe out the Nian bandits in the Tai'an area! I'm leaving!"

Yan Chunyu bowed to Senggelinqin, then left the military camp with his head held high.

Senggelinqin felt a sigh in his heart. Yan Chunyu was definitely not the most powerful general under Liu Ye. Zhu Hai, Zuo Baogui, and even Wang Huanzhang were all more powerful than the other. However, apart from Qi Mou, there was no one else under his command who could be compared with Yan Chunyu. Look at his courage, his calmness and sensitivity on the battlefield. He was definitely a potential famous general. Liu Ye was indeed a rare genius!

Senggelinqin sighed, "Qimou, are you especially grateful now that I assigned you to Liu Ye?"

He Qimou chuckled and replied, "Of course, Your Majesty. Without your cultivation, I wouldn't have achieved what I have today. But without my studies with Liu Ye, I wouldn't be as capable as I am today. Liu Ye is much stronger than me. This gap is not something you can make up just by wanting to..."

Senggelinqin sighed, "I am gradually getting old. If one day I die on the battlefield or retire to my hometown, you should still follow him. He will become a real dragon soaring in the sky in the future..."

He Qimou was startled and stammered, "A real dragon? Your Majesty, why do you say that?"

Senggelinqin smiled and said, "Well, I don't know if you know this, but I can sense that this kid is definitely not someone who will be under someone else's control for long. In the future, who knows who will rule the world? Maybe it will be the Aisin-Gioro clan, maybe not. It all depends on their individual abilities. However, if China wants to dominate the world again and look down on its rivals, only a genius like Liu Ye can do it. Perhaps, only when he ascends to the throne can people live a good life. This is not necessarily a bad thing. What a pity..."

He Qimou quickly asked: "What a pity..."

Senggelinqin replied, "It's a pity that I'm already old. If I were thirty years younger, I could have followed Liu Ye to conquer the world. But I don't have that opportunity in this lifetime. I can only be loyal to the current Qing royal family. As for what happens next, I'll let whoever wants to do it. If Prince Gong can't keep the country, then we can only blame his incompetence..."

He Qimou was silent for a moment. How could he not know this? When he was with those brothers, their words had already revealed a hint of this meaning, but after all, he was still at a distance. They just understood it tacitly, and they still regarded each other as close friends. He also pretended to be confused while knowing the truth. If that day really came in the future, it would depend on his choice.

He Qimou spoke for a long time before saying, "Your Highness, I'm going to say something treasonous. If Liu Ye really has that intention, the Qing Dynasty won't last more than ten years! With these brave and powerful generals under his command, after several years of experience, who could stop them? Zeng Guofan? Zuo Zongtang? They're all already old. As for Li Hongzhang, he alone doesn't have the ability!"