Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Su Shun bowed to Xianfeng and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the military affairs in Tianjin are too heavy. It is indeed a bit unreasonable to ask the Abbot to directly retain Liu Ye in Beijing and simultaneously organize a firearms battalion on the spot. I think that the Abbot can select officials in Beijing to assist the Abbot in military affairs. This can be regarded as killing two birds with one stone."

Xianfeng smiled upon hearing this and said, "My dear minister, your words make sense. Monk King, since I have retained your beloved general, I naturally must compensate you. Of all the military and political officials in the capital, please feel free to name any one. As long as you think they can help you, I will grant them all!"

Senggelinqin was helpless and replied, "Your Majesty, the situation in Tianjin has not completely improved. Britain, France, and Japan could still launch another attack on Dagukou at any time. Although I dare not underestimate myself, I am somewhat isolated. Since Your Majesty has said so, I request that the Minister of Rites, Sheng Bao, be transferred to assist me. Sheng Kezhai is well versed in military affairs and has expertise in military strategy. With his help, I will increase my chances of victory."

Xianfeng nodded and replied, "Issue this order: Shengbao, the Minister of Rites, will concurrently serve as the Commander-in-Chief of the Han Army of the Zhenghong Banner, and will work with the Monk King to manage military affairs in the capital. Also, the Ministry of Revenue is ordered to allocate 400,000 taels of silver for military pay. The Monk King has previously reported that the Qing troops in the capital have only received half their pay for several months, which is truly difficult. The outstanding pay must be paid immediately!"

One Shengbao and 400,000 silver coins in salary were enough to get rid of Senggelinqin. Now the bigwigs in the court all wanted to keep Liu Ye. Even if Senggelinqin was reluctant, he had no choice.

After the morning court session ended, Senggelinqin arrived at the Meridian Gate. He was in high spirits when he left, but he looked listless when he returned. Liu Ye saw this at a glance, and his heart sank. He whispered, "Your Highness, what's wrong? What's on your mind?"

Senggelinqin sighed and said, "Liu Ye, there have been changes in the Firearms Battalion. Sigh..."

Liu Ye was shocked. Something had changed? Were the bigwigs in the court all bastards who wouldn't even allow the formation of a firearms battalion?

Senggelinqin continued, "During the morning court session, the ministers suggested that you stay in Beijing to train the firearms battalion. After the army is formed, it should be stationed in the capital. Alas, it seems that the fate between us two has come to an end!"

Liu Ye felt a little relieved. As long as the firearms battalion was formed, everything else could be put aside. Whether it was in the capital or Tianjin, it didn't make much difference. From the capital to Tianjin, it was only a few hundred miles. If one traveled day and night, three days would be enough to arrive!

Liu Ye sighed slightly, "Your Highness, the Anglo-French coalition forces haven't completely retreated yet and could launch another attack at any time. It doesn't seem appropriate for us to leave the future main force, the Firearms Battalion, in the capital..."

Senggelinqin said helplessly, "There's nothing I can do. I've tried my best, but the ministers have suggested forming a firearms battalion in the capital, and the emperor is quite interested. I can only ask the emperor for 400,000 taels of silver for each Shengbao as a consolation."

Liu Ye was silent for a moment, then replied, "Your Highness, this is nothing. When the war breaks out in Tianjin and the military situation becomes urgent, you can transfer me back to Tianjin. Even if you can't transfer the Firearms Battalion back to Tianjin, I will go to Tianjin alone to fight the foreigners!"

Senggelinqin laughed heartily and said, "Good boy, I am attracted by your aura. I will take on the responsibility without hesitation! This is the style of a great general. Hesitating to move forward is something only women can do!"

As they were chatting and laughing, the eunuch chief, Lu Xi, came over and said, "Your Highness, I wonder you're here. We're almost done in the palace. The Emperor has summoned you and Assistant Minister Liu to an audience!"

Senggelinqin called out, "Liu Ye, come over and meet the steward Lu Xi. He is a favorite of the emperor, and you will definitely need his help in the future."

Liu Ye felt helpless. "A damn eunuch, he wants me to bow to him? Damn it, are we even going to let him live?"

Liu Ye bowed and said, "I'm honored to meet you, General Manager Lu. I hope you will take good care of me in the future..."

Lu Xi looked at the young man in front of him. This guy was a person that the emperor valued. For this guy, the emperor even allocated more than 400,000 taels of silver to the monk prince in one go! The future prospects are very promising.

Lu Xi laughed and said, "This must be the famous Lieutenant Liu, right? Haha, please come in quickly, the emperor is getting anxious waiting!"

The two followed Lu Xi into the Qianqing Palace. The banquet had not yet begun at this time.

Senggelinqin took a few steps forward and said to Emperor Xianfeng, "Your Majesty, the Vice Admiral Liu Ye has been brought in. Look..."

Xianfeng's eyes lit up, and he shouted, "Well, let him come up. I want to take a look at this talented horse that you and Yintang have discovered!"

Senggelinqin quickly called Liu Ye forward.

Liu Ye knelt before Emperor Xianfeng and said, "I, Liu Ye, the Commander-in-Chief of the Firearms Battalion, pay my respects to the Emperor!"

Since this was not the imperial court, Xianfeng had already changed into casual clothes, and there was no need for the emperor and his subjects to perform the grand ceremony of three kowtows and nine bows. Xianfeng replied calmly, "Well, this is not the imperial court, my dear minister, there is no need to be so formal. Stand up and answer..."

Liu Ye stood up and Xianfeng looked at him with a smile. The young man looked very energetic!

Xianfeng asked, "Lord Liu, I heard from the Monk King that the formation of the Firearms Battalion was your suggestion?"

Liu Ye quickly replied, "Yes, it's all because of the Battle of Dagukou. Under the command of the Monk Prince, I assisted Master Yintang in defeating the British and French armies and seized a large amount of military supplies, including thousands of Western-style muskets. They are extremely powerful, have a long range, and are highly accurate. There are also a lot of bullets. These are more than enough for us to form a firearms battalion. Now that the court is plagued by the Taiping and Nian bandits, and the foreigners are aggressive outside, it is time for us to form a new army to resist foreign aggression and maintain domestic stability..."

Xianfeng nodded and asked, "Then, Liu Aiqing, how long will it take to form a firearms battalion and become combat-ready? Once it is formed, how will its combat effectiveness be?"

Liu Ye replied, "Your Majesty, the capital is an important place with many armies. We can select the best from among them. I plan to spend a month selecting them. Half of them will be transferred from various departments, and the other half will be recruited directly from the public. Then, within three months, even if the initial training is completed, within half a year to a year, the Firearms Battalion will reach its peak combat power. I can guarantee that under my command, any three battalions in the capital will not be a match for the Firearms Battalion!"

One against three!

Xianfeng raised his eyebrows. Liu Ye was so arrogant!

"Are you sure?"

Liu Ye replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, this estimate is based on the ammunition we have. We have limited ammunition, and some will be consumed during training. If we have enough, I can confidently say that I can easily defeat five enemies at once!"