Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

It was exactly as Liu Ye expected, even beyond Liu Ye's expectations!

How could the British and French allied forces give them such sufficient training time? In just one and a half months, the British and French fleets had already arrived in the Yellow Sea, heading straight for Dagukou!

For a month and a half, Liu Ye really worked very hard. He first selected fifty elite soldiers from the army for special training, including Xiao Hai, who received his devilish training. The rest of the people began to be trained in military discipline and courage according to the training steps!

Faced with the extremely painful training, the new recruits were still okay. Although it was extremely hard, they did not dare to make trouble. But the old soldiers were not going to stand it. Some of them, relying on some backers, even started to make trouble like captains and captains, pretending to obey but actually disobeying the orders!

But Liu Ye had already seen enough storms to worry about this. With a wave of his hand, he sent one of the captains who had plotted against Liu Ye to the guillotine. The rest of the troublemakers were beaten with clubs, their skin torn and flesh exposed, and then thrown back to the barracks to continue training!

Seeing that Liu Ye was serious about this, and with He Zhengqing's support, everyone calmed down and no longer dared to attack, just willingly accepting the hardship! Although a month and a half didn't bring about a qualitative change in combat effectiveness, the military discipline of the First Battalion was completely renewed, and orders were strictly followed, with no one daring to disobey orders anymore.

However, time waits for no one. The opponent will not stop attacking Dagukou just because of Liu Ye's appearance. The British and French fleet arrived at Dagukou last night and may launch an attack at Dagukou at any time!

At this time, Shi Rongchun and his deputy general Long Ruyuan came to the Dagukou Fort again and took charge personally. Senggelinqin was also in Tianjin and had no time to take care of Dagukou, so this place became Shi Rongchun's residence.

As soon as Shi Rongchun saw Guo Ye and He Zhengqing, he asked, "Zhengqing, Liu Ye, how is the camp training going now? How are the soldiers' fighting strength?"

He Zhengqing was filled with bitterness. He had never imagined that the British and French would arrive so soon. One and a half months, what could they accomplish in one and a half months? Nothing at all. Up to this point, the entire camp had only conducted five live-fire exercises, consuming hundreds of shells. This only allowed the men to become familiar with the artillery techniques, but as for mastery, it was still a long way off!

Liu Ye smiled bitterly and said, "Admiral, have you ever seen anyone who could turn an army upside down in just a month and a half of training? I can only say that I tried my best. In the upcoming battle, please wait and see!"

Shi Rongchun nodded. Indeed, he could not expect Liu Ye to do well. After all, it was impossible to transform all the hundreds of people in the North Fort from insects into dragons in just one and a half months.

Shi Rongchun said slowly, "Now, opposite Dagukou, the British and French coalition forces have assembled twelve warships. At the same time, in the southeast, there are four American warships, eyeing us covetously. Our Dagukou fort is relatively weak in terms of manpower. Let me ask you, can we hold on?"

Liu Ye fell silent. In his impression, in the Battle of Dagukou, Shi Rongchun and Long Ruyuan not only defended the Dagukou Fort, but also severely damaged the commander of the Anglo-French Allied Forces, Heb, and achieved the first victory in the Second Opium War. Unfortunately, a fierce battle caused Shi Rongchun and Long Ruyuan to die heroically and die for their country.

Liu Ye said in a deep voice: "Admiral, the Anglo-French coalition is powerful, and the American warships are eyeing us covetously. Our situation is not good. We need to be cautious and not be careless!"

Shi Rongchun asked, "Do you have any good ideas?"

Liu Ye pondered for a moment before replying, "Admiral, the British, Americans, and French are coming together with a powerful force. Their warships are particularly fast and well-protected. Their most formidable weapon is their large-caliber guns, which are far superior to ours in terms of range and accuracy. We won't gain the slightest advantage in a head-on confrontation. Failing a blitz, we can only outmaneuver them. The foreigners are arrogant and overbearing, yet they don't fully understand the terrain and troop deployments at Dagukou. Their forces, however, are clearly visible from the sea. We can feign weakness, covering our cannons with straw mats and concealing our men. Once their warships enter the inland sea and engage us, we can seize the opportunity to launch a thundering attack, concentrating all the firepower from the northern and southern forts. We'll catch them off guard and inflict heavy damage before they can react. Even if they want to retaliate, I'm afraid they won't be able to do so."

Shi Rongchun nodded and replied, "That's right, Liu Ye, your idea is good. Zhengqing, immediately notify the South Fort and act according to Liu Ye's plan. We must act quickly. The foreign fleet arrived yesterday, and I'm afraid they will launch an attack today or tomorrow. Time is of the essence, we must act quickly!"

He Zhengqing quickly nodded in agreement and went down to prepare.

Dagukou is close to the sea and is adjacent to a tributary of the Haihe River. It has a well-developed water system and dense reeds. As for straw mats, they are almost everywhere and can be collected without any effort.

Liu Ye continued, "Sir, just in case, we should ask the old prince to prepare three cavalry units behind the Dagukou Fort. The number of troops does not need to be too large. Once the Dagukou Fort is lost, we will release the defense of Dagukou and let them in. While they are still unstable, we will first use artillery to intimidate them. Then, the cavalry will launch an attack from behind and wipe out the foreigners' vanguard at Dagukou in one fell swoop, leaving them with no way back!"

Shi Rongchun was shocked. What a cruel scheme! This kid, though still young, was so meticulous and ruthless. If his plan could be successfully implemented, I'm afraid the foreigners would definitely not get any benefits this time!

At this moment, a Qing soldier ran in and said, "Admiral, the foreigners have sent envoys across the sea and request an audience with you!"

Shi Rongchun frowned and quickly replied, "Go up to the tent immediately, deploy the weapons on both sides, and let them come to see me!"

Shi Rongchun said with a smile, "Liu Ye, come with me to meet this foreign envoy!"

Liu Ye smiled and said, "Since the Admiral has given the order, how dare I disobey? Sir, please go first!"

Shi Rongchun entered the tent first, with two teams of personal guards standing on either side, looking very solemn. It wasn't long before Captain Comerel of the British fleet proudly entered the tent and called out in English, "Are you the highest-ranking official here?"

The translator on the side called out, "Our foreign lord, let me ask you, are you the highest official here?"

Shi Rongchun frowned and shouted, "Yes, I am the highest official here, Zhili Governor Shi Rongchun. You, a foreigner, didn't show respect to me when you saw me, but instead acted bossy. How dare you!"