Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Upon hearing this, Xianfeng looked at Senggelinqin. What Liu Ye said was really scary. Even the two empresses beside him were very surprised. Fighting one against five, this little guy was really good at bragging!

Senggelinqin quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I believe that what Liu Ye said is correct. You may not know that just two days ago, I had a duel with Liu Ye, and I lost miserably. It was quite embarrassing..."

Xianfeng was immediately shocked and asked in surprise, "Monk King, even you are no match for Liu Ye?"

Senggelinqin smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, to be honest, some time ago, Shi Rongchun stumbled upon Liu Ye while inspecting Dagukou. He then ordered him to train the soldiers at Dagukou's northern fort. In just a month and a half, the British and French forces invaded, and Liu Ye and his lieutenant He Zhengqing worked together to repel the British and French fleets, making an invaluable contribution. My personal guard lieutenant was somewhat dissatisfied and wanted to challenge Liu Ye to a duel. He pulled out a hundred elite soldiers from my personal guard battalion and pitted them against the fifty trained by Liu Ye. The result was a crushing defeat, and even personal guard lieutenant He Qimou was beaten black and blue by those fifty new recruits and fell to the ground..."

hiss……

Xianfeng gasped. After only a month and a half of training, he could fight two of the monk king's elite troops alone! And even win! This guy, it seems, really underestimated him!

Prince Gong Yizhen, who was standing aside, had a gleam in his eyes. He looked at Senggelinqin meaningfully, then fixed his eyes on Senggelinqin again.

As for Empresses Ci'an and Cixi, who were standing beside Emperor Xianfeng, their eyes sparkled with wonder, and they regarded the young man with new respect. Cixi, standing beside him, said in a delicate voice, "Your Majesty, I would like to congratulate you on having such a formidable general. Since Commander Liu is so capable, why not allow him to command the Firearms Battalion? The most powerful army should naturally be placed in the hands of the most talented general."

Xianfeng couldn't help but nod and said, "Okay, pass the decree. Liu Ye will be a first-class imperial guard. He can walk around the palace and specialize in training the firearms battalion. As for the base..."

Liu Ye quickly said, "I thank you for your grace, Your Majesty, but I have one more thing to say..."

Xianfeng was slightly surprised and replied, "Speak!"

Liu Ye replied, "Your Majesty, I believe that the Firearm Battalion is formidable. It not only shoulders the heavy responsibility of protecting the capital, but also the mission of advancing to Tianjin and protecting Dagukou. The Monk King has been toiling away, frequently clashing with foreigners, and this is precisely when I need your help. Therefore, I suggest that we select an area outside the capital, in the Tong County area, to establish a Firearm Battalion. This would protect the capital, and if anything were to happen in Tianjin, I could request orders to rush to the Monk King's aid, killing two birds with one stone..."

Senggelinqin was overjoyed. Liu Ye was a brilliant man. Even if the Firearms Battalion stayed in the capital, what would happen? The area near Tong County was only a little over 200 miles from Tianjin. With a quick march, it would only take a little over a day to reach the area! With the Firearms Battalion's support, why should he fear the foreigners?

Senggelinqin said quickly, "Your Majesty, I think what Liu Ye said is very reasonable. Choosing the Tongzhou area can not only protect the capital, but also deter Bohai. It is really a brilliant idea!"

Xianfeng nodded and replied, "Tong County? That's fine, but it seems a bit far from the capital. If something happens in the capital, I'm afraid distant water will not be able to quench the nearby fire..."

Prince Gong Yi, standing by, was practically beside himself. "Goddammit, you're the Emperor, don't you have the courage and insight of the Holy Ancestor?" "Stationing in Tong County is a brilliant idea, but if we really stationed troops in the city, what good would that do? If we waited until the foreigners' guns and cannons reached the gates of Beijing, and then used them, what good would that do?"

It’s just that Prince Gong was talented and courageous, but he was quite feared and suspected by Emperor Xianfeng. It was really not appropriate for Prince Gong to interfere in such matters.

Liu Ye continued, "Your Majesty, I believe that the distance from Tong County to the capital is only a hundred miles. Even if we march on foot, we can reach the city of Beijing within half a day. If we equip the Firearms Battalion with war horses, we can reach the capital from Tong County in just over an hour. No matter what happens, the Firearms Battalion will be able to make it in time!"

Well……

Equip the firearms battalion with horses?

The Firearms Battalion has a staff of 800 people. Gathering 800 war horses for them would require a considerable amount of money. Not only that, future salaries would have to be divided into three parts: one for soldiers and two for horses!

However, what Liu Ye said does make sense. With such a powerful combat capability, it is natural to increase its convenience as much as possible.

Xianfeng whispered, "What you said is not without reason, but this warhorse..."

Senggelinqin quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I know the capital is short of good horses. I can secure these 800 war horses from the Eight Banners of the Khorchin Mongols. I can even allocate a number of them from my cavalry to the Firearms Battalion. Your Majesty, garrisoning Tong County is a win-win situation!"

Xianfeng felt a little reluctant when he saw that Senggelinqin had come up with such a plan to get Liu Ye to place the firearms camp in Tongzhou. After all, transferring horses from Khorchin was Senggelinqin's private property!

Cixi, who was standing by, also advised: "Your Majesty, why not just follow the monk king's advice..."

Xianfeng turned around and glared at Cixi fiercely. The harem was not allowed to interfere in politics. This was the rule left by the ancestors. Now, in front of princes and ministers, Cixi repeatedly spoke out, which was really too much.

Cixi stuck out her tongue coquettishly, her face slightly flushed. At this time, the Empress Dowager Cixi was only in her twenties. How could she have the viciousness and calculations she would later have? Cixi thought to herself, what had happened today? A little brat had actually made her lose her composure! It was really...

Xianfeng replied, "Okay, let's follow the Monk King and Liu Ye's wishes. Monk King, first allocate 500 horses from your army, and we will also allocate 300 horses from the capital, and allocate them all to the Firearms Battalion. From now on, Liu Ye will be responsible for selecting men from each battalion to form the Firearms Battalion. Liu Ye, I am placing all this power in your hands, and you must show me how to do it!"

In fact, Xianfeng now felt a little regretful. A firearms battalion had extraordinary combat power and could fight against five Beijing battalions. Such strength could already affect the combat power structure of the capital. It was definitely not comparable to an ordinary battalion. Such an important force was actually handed over to a Han Chinese. It was really hasty. However, since the words had been spoken, it was impossible to change it.

"I obey your command. Your Majesty, please rest assured. Even if I were to sacrifice my life, I would still be unable to repay your great kindness. I will definitely protect the capital for you and prevent any villains from spying!"

Liu Ye quickly knelt down to express his gratitude.