Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

When Prince Gong received the report from his servant, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. Others said that the monk prince was a mere military man who didn't understand the ways of the world. In fact, only a few people like him knew that this was just a disguise of the monk prince. If a prince with great military achievements showed his extraordinary cunning, would the emperor be able to sleep?

During the day, it was just a glance, but at night, Senggelinqin brought Liu Ye to visit.

Prince Gong called out, "Bring the monk prince and Commander Liu into the living room, prepare some fragrant tea and snacks, and serve them well."

Prince Gong slowly stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked towards the living room.

When they arrived at the living room, Senggelinqin was already sitting on the leather sofa imported from Turkey. As for Liu Ye, he was not qualified to sit down and could only stand beside Senggelinqin.

Prince Gong Yi laughed heartily and said, "Hahahaha, Monk King, I have been looking forward to seeing you for a long time. I am sorry for not welcoming you. Please forgive me, please forgive me!"

Senggelinqin smiled and replied, "Your Highness is too polite. I feel so ashamed to bother you so late at night."

Liu Ye, who was standing by, quickly bowed and said, "I, Liu Ye, pay my respects to His Majesty!"

Prince Gong Yixuan smiled and said, "Alright, stand up, Liu Ye, and sit down to talk. You are a hero of our Qing Dynasty. Heroes have always emerged from youth. The future of the Qing Dynasty depends on young talents like you."

Liu Ye declined repeatedly and said he was not worthy of it.

After taking his seat, Senggelinqin asked, "Your Majesty, you were giving me a cold look the other day. Is there something wrong?"

Yi Yu smiled and said, "Your Highness, we are old acquaintances. We should not lie to the real person. I want to have a deep conversation with you today, one because of Liu Ye, and the other because of the court situation."

"Oh?"

Senggelinqin was a little surprised. Prince Gong never asked about court affairs, but this time it was a little special. Why did he take the initiative to ask about court affairs?

Yi Xin smiled bitterly and said, "Monk Prince, please don't look at me like that. Although I am only an idle prince now, the court is facing internal and external troubles, especially the constant pressure from Britain and France. I cannot help but pay attention. After all, this is the foundation of our ancestors. The previous emperor was defeated in the last war, which was a disgrace to our ancestors. Do we have to lose face again? Tell me the truth, can we hold on to Dagukou?"

Senggelinqin's face straightened, and he said proudly, "Your Highness, rest assured. As long as I, Senggelinqin, am still in Tianjin, I will definitely be able to defend Dagukou and never let those foreign devils land!"

Yi Xin's face was solemn as he asked, "What if, what if, we lose the war? After all, Britain and France have powerful ships and cannons, and sophisticated weaponry. It's not easy to hold Dagukou. The British have lost this time, but they will definitely not give up!"

Senggelinqin sneered, "Your Highness, don't try to boost others' morale and undermine your own prestige. Although they have powerful ships and artillery, they can still be defeated. Moreover, the British and French fleets suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Dagukou. I'm afraid they may not have the courage to fight again."

Liu Ye shook his head and smiled bitterly. After several victories, this monk king began to feel a little proud. Victory in battle? Liu Ye was really not optimistic about the current Qing army. Senggelinqin's cavalry was indeed powerful, but it was not the current cavalry that was powerful, but the Mongol cavalry he brought from Mongolia and Outer Mongolia was powerful. In the battle with the Northern Expedition Army, although Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang's Taiping Army was completely wiped out, the Mongol cavalry also suffered heavy casualties. In the subsequent battle with the Nian bandits, they suffered even more casualties. Now the main force of the cavalry was no longer the original Mongol cavalry, but the Mongol cavalry supplemented by Chahar, Chifeng and other places. These Mongols were seriously assimilated into the Han culture and simply did not have the same strong fighting power as before!

And can Dagukou be defended? The British and French forces will never give up. The next time they come, it will not be just more than 20 warships and 2,000 or 3,000 people, but a full 25,000 people. This time it may be even more!

With so many modern armies, armed with advanced naval guns, Dagukou is definitely not able to withstand them! In the next two years, the British and French forces will definitely extend their magic hands into China and march straight to Beijing!

Seeing Liu Ye slightly shaking his head, Yi Xin smiled and said, "Liu Ye, I am on good terms with the Monk King. Since you are his junior, you are also my junior. If you have anything to say, just speak up and we can discuss it together."

Liu Ye smiled bitterly and said, "My two princes, to be honest, I am very pessimistic about this war. If the Anglo-French coalition forces return, it will definitely not be just the strength of last time. It may be ten or eight times the original number of thousands of people! Now England and France are both world-class powers with strong national strength. They will definitely not swallow this loss. Just like during the prosperous reign of Emperor Kangxi, would we tolerate the small countries around us invading us? They would definitely be slapped in the face. The current Britain and France are just like our Kangxi during his heyday, showing off their strength and being greedy. A defeat will definitely lead to greater revenge from them!"

"Liu Ye!"

Chief Senggelinqin was slightly annoyed. This brat was getting more and more outrageous. Could it be that the entire world was truly a place where the British and French could run rampant, unstoppable? Could it be that the impregnable Dagukou Pass couldn't be defended? Since we were able to hold it the first time, we can definitely defeat them the second time!

Senggelinqin said, "How can you be so sure that we are no match for them?"

Liu Ye smiled bitterly and said, "Your Highness, if there were no war in the south now, and the elite soldiers from the Jianghu gathered in the capital, we would still have the strength to fight, or even win. But now, no, we absolutely do not have such strength! In the north, apart from your cavalry, which has a certain combat effectiveness, the rest of the Eight Banners and Green Camp soldiers are completely unable to go to the battlefield. We really have no chance of winning! Even if we can defend Dagukou, won't the British and French forces land from other places? They are on the sea and can be quickly mobilized at any time. How can our army run so fast?"

Senggelinqin fell silent. Sure, they might be able to hold Dagukou, but what about other places? Qingdao? Yantai? No matter how fast their cavalry ran, they couldn't outrun the ships! They might be able to keep up for a hundred miles, but once the distance got any longer, the horses' disadvantages became apparent. Even if they worked themselves to death, they definitely wouldn't be able to catch up. Besides, the enemy fleet wasn't sure if they were going to attack them.

"Liu Ye, how do you think we should deal with this crisis? Is there no hope for us?"

Prince Gong continued to ask slowly.