Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Senggelinqin, who was seriously stimulated by Liu Ye, immediately ordered the infantry battalions of each unit to withdraw a large number of rifles and transfer them all to the cavalry battalion. Damn it, if the cavalry can't even beat the infantry, what's the use?

But what’s the use of having a gun without someone to guide and train it?

Senggelinqin shouted to Liu Ye: "Boy, you must leave some people for me today, otherwise I will not let you leave Tianjin!"

Now Senggelinqin has also learned to play rogue. He knows that you are proficient in Western affairs and familiar with firearms. Well, give me some profits and send someone who knows about firearms over here. Otherwise, I will never let you go!

Liu Ye said helplessly: "My dear prince, I am going to fight the Russian devils outside the Great Wall now. I have very few people to begin with, and the officials in the court are so stingy that they refuse to give me more troops. You still want to give me a share of the profits..."

Senggelinqin curled his lips and said dissatisfiedly, "Boy, you are the most stingy one. You still want to be stingy in front of me? Dream on!"

Liu Ye felt a headache and quickly replied, "Okay, I'll pull out a group of people from the cavalry battalion and let He Xiao help you. That should be fine, right?"

Senggelinqin nodded with satisfaction. A group of ten people should be enough just to train the cavalry battalion's shooting.

Liu Ye continued, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I have carefully selected these people. They are good riders and marksmen. You can't accuse me of being stingy anymore, can you?"

Senggelinqin smiled and said, "That's more like it. I don't want you for nothing. So, I will assign you another battalion of cavalry from my cavalry to support you. It can be regarded as a small token of my appreciation. If the Russian devils dare to come, although I can't go into battle myself, this battalion of cavalry will take my place!"

Liu Ye felt a little touched. The old man was really good to him.

But Liu Ye didn't have time to dwell on these things, so he handed it over to Luo Bicheng to deal with. He had more important things to do!

whats the matter?

Of course, rent a boat.

Liu Ye rode his horse all the way to the U.S. Consulate in Tianjin and asked to see the U.S. Consul in Tianjin.

As the chief secretary of the Zongli Yamen, this title is still very prominent.

Not long after, two people came out of the American consulate. One of them laughed and shouted, "Dear General Liu, we meet again!"

The person who spoke was the former American Minister John Warren. Liu Ye was also very surprised that he could meet an old acquaintance here. It seems that today's trip was worthwhile!

"Mr. Hua Ruohan, I didn't expect to meet you here!"

Liu Ye stretched out his arm and Hua Ruohan shook it tightly.

Hua Ruohan smiled and said, "General Liu, you may not know this, but this time I've been officially appointed by the United States government as the Minister to the Qing Empire. I just arrived in Tianjin. Mr. Huggins, the Consul, is a good friend of mine, so I came here to pay him a visit. I didn't expect to meet you."

Hua Ruohan said to Huggins, "Huggins, this is General Liu Ye, whom I have mentioned to you many times. He is an amazing hero!"

Hudgens quickly greeted Liu Ye.

The three men walked into the consulate, and Huggins asked, "General Liu, I wonder what brings you to the American consulate this time?"

Liu Ye smiled and said, "I came here this time to ask for your help!"

Hua Ruohan raised his eyebrows and asked, "What's the matter? General Guo is in trouble?"

Liu Ye replied, "It's not a big deal. My soldiers need to go to Korea. The land route is too far, and it would take at least two months to get there. So I'd like to go by sea, but the Qing Dynasty lacks large ships. That's why I thought of your country. Your merchant fleets traverse the world, and your ships are state-of-the-art. So, I'd like to rent three large merchant ships from you. What do you think?"

Hua Ruohan and Huggins looked at each other, their hearts a little trembling. The United States had plenty of merchant ships, and it would be easy to find a few in Tianjin. However, North Korea was a sensitive place, and Russia had already declared war. If Liu Ye was anxious to go to North Korea, it would definitely mean going to war with Tsarist Russia. If the US government got involved in this matter, it would seem inappropriate.

Hua Ruohan pondered and said, "General Liu, I know that your Qing Dynasty and Russia have already started a war east of the Ussuri River. If my guess is correct, your leading troops to Korea must be related to this matter, right?"

Liu Ye nodded, this matter would definitely not be hidden from other countries.

Hua Ruohan smiled bitterly and said, "Do you think there's any benefit for the United States of America to get involved in such a matter? Once the news leaks out, we will be caught up in a diplomatic dispute..."

Liu Ye smiled faintly and replied, "How difficult is that? You just need to take down your country's flag. This is a merchant ship, so hiding your tracks is not very difficult. After arriving in Korea, immediately withdraw to Tianjin, without anyone noticing. How would the Russians know? Moreover, even if they knew, what would happen? This is a private commercial transaction, not a state action. Even if the Russians are dissatisfied, there is nothing they can do. I am willing to pay 10,000 silver coins for each ship, and it must be cash. This is a lucrative job..."

The two people were excited. Yes, it was a civilian act. This was not an American warship, but a merchant ship. It was completely feasible. It was free money. In just one or two days, they could earn 30,000 taels of silver. Even if converted into US dollars, it was nearly 20,000 US dollars!

Liu Ye continued, "To thank you two, I'm willing to take out another 5,000 taels of silver from my own pocket as a reward!"

A bribe of five thousand taels of silver! You have to know that the monthly salary of two people now is only two hundred US dollars, less than four hundred taels of silver. Five thousand taels of silver, even if divided equally between the two, is half a year's salary!

Hua Ruohan gritted his teeth and replied, "Okay! General Liu, we'll do it. However, first of all, we must not involve the US government in this matter. Otherwise, it will be very difficult for us to do it later!"

Liu Ye nodded and replied, "Of course I am. I'm no novice when it comes to diplomacy! My requirement is that your merchant ships arrive within two days. On the fifth day, all preparations must be complete and we'll sail to North Korea. Including the travel time, we'll arrive in Chongjin, North Korea on the eighth day. You don't have to worry about the rest. Before we depart, I'll pay you half of the deposit. After the fleet returns, you can ask Prince Senggelinqin for the remaining payment!"

The three of them settled the matter. Liu Ye looked at Hua Ruohan and asked, "Mr. Hua Ruohan, I have something else I've been wanting to ask you for help with. This is a personal matter, and it might be beneficial to both you and me..."