Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Xianfeng frowned and replied, "What else is there?"

Sushun quickly reported, "Your Majesty, Liu Ye's Firearms Battalion has been fully organized and has begun large-scale training, but its leadership has yet to be determined. Liu Ye is a general under the Monk King, so it would be best if he were the commander. However, the Firearms Battalion is extremely important, a weapon of state, and we must not let others control it. I believe the Firearms Battalion should be incorporated into the Beijing Camp and placed under the command of the Infantry Commander's Office."

The commander-in-chief of the Infantry Commander's Office was in charge of a trusted confidant promoted by Sushun. Placing the Firearms Battalion in the Infantry Commander's Office meant that the Firearms Battalion was completely under Sushun's control. It was a good plan!

Xianfeng nodded and replied, "The Firearms Battalion is a powerful weapon of the nation and should not be placed under the command of the Monk King. With such a strong force, the first priority should be to protect the capital..."

Xianfeng was about to agree, but his subordinate Liu Ye refused to do so. He wanted to take over the Firearms Battalion now? That was impossible. Once the Firearms Battalion was under the jurisdiction of the Infantry Yamen, he would have no chance of doing anything. Those leaders would try every possible means to get people from all walks of life into the Firearms Battalion. It would no longer be an elite force, and it would be difficult to maintain the current combat effectiveness!

Liu Ye quickly said, "Your Majesty, although what Su Zhongtang said makes sense, the Firearms Battalion has not yet been fully trained, and the time is not yet ripe. I think you can give me six months to a year to train the Firearms Battalion into an army before placing it under the command of the Infantry Yamen. Moreover, a major war could break out in Tianjin at any time, and the Monk King may dispatch me to Dagukou to assist at any time. If I enter the Infantry Yamen now, I will need to go through the formalities for future deployments, which may delay the opportunity to fight. Your Majesty, please..."

Prince Gong raised his eyebrows. He knew Sushun's plan very well. Sushun wanted to take control of the Firearms Battalion. How could that be possible? Sushun's party was already powerful enough. If he added a Firearms Battalion, it would be even more powerful. Then where would he put Guizi Liu?

Yi Xin glanced at Wen Xiang, who understood. He stepped out of the court and said, "Your Majesty, I also think that now is not the time to hand over the Firearms Battalion to the Infantry Yamen. After all, the fighting in Tianjin has not yet subsided, and Liu Ye is under the command of the Monk King. We can let the Monk King take over the command temporarily. After all, all the defense of the capital is in the hands of the Monk King, and he is also the Minister of State. There is nothing wrong with keeping it in his hands. We can decide the ownership of the Firearms Battalion after the fighting in Tianjin subsides!"

Wen Xiang's words are full of thorns. It cannot be assigned to the Infantry Yamen now, but after the war in Tianjin subsides, it does not necessarily have to be handed over to your Infantry Yamen. We can discuss it then...

Sushun's face darkened as he glared at Wenxiang. Liu Ye, a newcomer, might not be so shrewd or so familiar with the capital's factions. His comments on the Firearms Battalion's affiliation were simply based on his own convenience, and he probably had no intention of taking sides. But Wenxiang was different. He was Guizi Liu's close friend! His words were like cutting off the enemy's firepower!

How could Sushun tolerate Wenxiang's provocation?

Su Shun said unhappily, "Lord Wen, that's wrong. Does this mean that after the Firearms Battalion is incorporated into the Infantry Department, it will no longer participate in the Tianjin War? If the Tianjin War breaks out again, perhaps the entire Beijing Battalion will be called in! Here and there, they are the most important fighting forces that the Emperor relies on. Shouldn't they be at his side and protect his safety?"

Xianfeng waved his hand and said, "Forget it, forget it. The Firearms Battalion has just been formed, so there's no need to determine its ownership for now. Let Liu Ye focus on training the Firearms Battalion. That's the most important thing. After a year or so, I think it should be assigned to the Infantry Yamen. Sushun, the Monk Prince, was the Minister of State appointed by the late Emperor and a pillar of the court. There's nothing wrong with handing the Firearms Battalion over to him. Let's leave it at that for now."

Xianfeng's words muddied the waters, leaving no one in a position to gain control. Sushun's plan to take control of the Firearms Battalion fell through. However, Xianfeng had also made it clear that the Firearms Battalion would ultimately be under the command of the Infantry Yamen. The Emperor wouldn't trust such a force, even in the hands of the Monk King, and it had to be under the direct control of the Upper Three Banners! Yi? had stopped Sushun, but if he couldn't reverse the situation, the Firearms Battalion would inevitably fall into Sushun's hands!

After the court dispersed and they arrived outside the Meridian Gate, Sushun bowed to Liu Ye and said, "Liu Langzhong, no, I should call you Liu Shaoqing now. Haha, congratulations, Lord Liu has made another step forward today and is in the emperor's good graces. Why don't we have a drink together? This is also my congratulations to Lord Liu!"

Su Shun was now the Minister of Revenue, the Minister of the Imperial Guard, a dignified First Rank official, and a Grand Councilor. His prestige was immense, and there was hardly anyone in the entire court who could rival him. Even the princes had to yield to him. Liu Ye naturally couldn't refuse his respect, so he nodded and said, "Mr. Su is too polite. I truly don't deserve your praise. Since you have invited me, I am honored and will not refuse."

Sushun was secretly delighted. As long as Liu Ye didn't refuse, it meant that he hadn't completely boarded Guizi Liu's broken ship. There was still hope. No matter what, he would pull him under his command. This was a true right-hand man!

Before Sushun could open his mouth, Yi Xin followed him out and called out, "Liu Ye, take care. Today is truly an interesting day. I must have a few drinks with you. Come on, let's go back to the palace for a small gathering."

amount……

Liu Ye was completely speechless. One of the two men was the Grand Minister of the Imperial Guard and the Minister of Revenue, who was extremely popular in front of the emperor; the other was the prestigious First Prince of the Qing Dynasty. In terms of noble status, there was no one else in the Qing Dynasty except the emperor!

Two people, one after the other, had invited me almost simultaneously. They belonged to two different camps and disliked each other. This really stumped me. God, you can't play with people like this, can you? No matter which one I rejected, I would completely offend the other today. There were a bunch of ministers standing around. How would the rejected one save face? How would he back down?

Liu Ye broke out in a cold sweat. He absolutely couldn't offend Yi Xin at this moment. After all, the two of them had a closer relationship. But he couldn't offend Su Shun either. Otherwise, if he turned around and made things difficult for him, he would definitely not be able to resist! Su Shun's influence in the court was too strong!

"The Emperor has issued an order to summon Liu Ye, Junior Secretary of the Court of Internal Affairs, to the palace for an audience!"

When the situation was critical, reinforcements finally appeared. General Lu Xi shouted at the right time!