Usurping the Qing Dynasty: My first love was Cixi

Chapter 217 The Qing court was defeated! Fallen! Fallen!

In the court room.

Amid the uneasiness of the civil and military officials, the emperor approved the appointment.

The governor of Fujian and Zhejiang was dismissed, the governor of Zhejiang was appointed as the acting governor of Jiangxi, and three others were appointed.

Three officials from Xinjiang went to the palace to receive orders and express their gratitude.

Looking at this appearance, it turned out to be a situation where the group was looking forward to death.

The civil and military officials fell into collective panic and were silent for a while.

Such a big move is to forcefully and completely dismantle the Seven Southern Provinces Alliance.

Moreover, the military power of the South was not completely disintegrated, and it was just as strong as this.

Aren't you afraid of an uncontrollable situation?

Moreover, the emperor's decree was to take office immediately, but he couldn't wait even a few days.

Zhao Dezhe, Luo Zundian, and Qiling used all their methods to delay the attack in the capital for five days. Because we have to recruit various staff, arrange family members, etc.

But after the emperor sent to urge them, several people had to set off immediately.

The emperor directly dispatched more than a thousand soldiers to escort the three feudal officials to their posts.

After discussion, the three feudal officials decided to all go by sea.

Zhao Dezhe, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, directly took a sea ship and entered the Minjiang River to reach Fuzhou City.

Luo Zundian takes the sea route, enters Hangzhou Bay, and can also go to Hangzhou City.

Only the elderly are most at risk. They have to take a sea ship to Shanghai, enter the Yangtze River Estuary, and enter Jiujiang through the Yangtze River Channel. Either land in Hangzhou and take the land route to Jiujiang.

But whether you go by land or water, you have to pass through Su Yi's territory, which is full of dangers.

Several people boarded the ship at Tianjin Pier, escorted by several naval warships, and headed south along the sea route.

……………………

On the sea, there are three fleets of frontier officials.

As the wine entered my heart, I sighed.

"The three of us in this line of work can be considered half life and half death." Zhao Dezhe said: "Brother Zundian, you as the governor of Zhejiang have about 80% chance of survival, and I, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, have about 60% chance of survival. As for the senior brother... …”

Qiling said: "I will go straight into the tiger's den, and I will probably only have 50% chance of survival."

"Ah..." The three of them sighed again.

We are so prosperous and wealthy, who wants to die?

But if the emperor's order is suppressed, what can be done? Who can resist?

The emperor became angry and issued a decree, saying that the three frontier officials would risk their lives.

"Why do you think Su Yi is?" Luo Zundian said: "He is the emperor's first favorite. According to his ability and holy family, he can enter the center at the age of thirty, and become the chief military officer before the age of forty, or Cabinet bachelor, why do you want to destroy your career and go against the emperor?"

"He is a Manchu, he belongs to a clan, he came from the imperial examination, and he has military merit. Even Fu Heng's start back then was not as good as his."

Zhao Dezhe was silent for a while and said: "You are not a fish!"

Luo Zundian said: "It should be said that the sparrow knows the ambition of the swan."

Then, the two looked at each other.

Both of them were elites in the imperial examinations, and they could see many things clearly.

Of course they knew why Su Yi got to where he was today, because of his ideals and because he wanted to do great things. And what he did was destined to be unacceptable to the emperor.

Once you take the first step, there is no turning back and no room for retreat.

"Huh!" Qi Ling said coldly: "What else? These are rebellious officials and traitors. They keep talking about serving the country and the people. No matter what factory they run or what foreign affairs they run, it is important to have their ancestors. Doing these messy things will only corrupt people's hearts. ”

"You two, you are living off the emperor's salary. The emperor has been extremely kind to you. This errand must be done even if it is difficult. Even if you lose your life, you must do it." Qi Ling said coldly: "I know this. The whole group narrowly escaped death, but so what? For the sake of my ancestors, I will break down this alliance of seven southern provinces."

"Two adults, we must advance together and retreat together. After taking office, I will be the first to go up, and you two must follow immediately."

"If you have the guts, Su Yi will kill me! Kill the three of us, and then everyone in the world will be able to see through his face for plotting against his ministers."

Then, the senior citizen raised his cup.

Zhao Dezhe and Luo Zundian had no choice but to raise their glasses.

The emperor's orders are hard to disobey, it doesn't matter what they think, they have to do it even if they die.

Qiling said: "Anyway, I have already written my suicide note. Even if I die in Jiangxi, I will die well."

Zhao Dezhe said: "Who hasn't written a suicide note?"

Luo Zundian said: "Same, same."

Qiling said: "Okay, okay, okay, it is really an honor for me to live and die with these two dear brothers. If the three of us live, we will dismantle the Seven Southern Provinces Alliance. If the three of us die, we will also Expose Su Yi's true face and let everyone in the world abandon him!"

Then, the senior drank heavily and ate meat.

Drunk, he went directly to the deck to dance with his sword.

The moonlight was bright and shining on the deck.

The elder was impassioned, dancing with his sword and shouting: "I was drunk and looked at the sword with a lamp on, and I dreamed of blowing the trumpet company... (a few omitted)... I won the king's affairs in the world, and won my reputation before and after my death. This pity happened in vain!"

Zhao Dezhe and Luo Zundian, who were standing next to them, clapped and applauded, but felt lost at the same time.

Is this senior citizen a hero?

It seemed that he was not even afraid of death. In order to be loyal to the emperor, he went to Jiangxi with the determination to die.

but……

Who can see clearly whether this is right or wrong?

The only way to relieve sorrow is to drink.

Luo Zundian took a big sip of wine and said: "Being loyal to the emperor means being loyal to the country. Right and wrong, this is...yes! Otherwise it is right and wrong, and we are right!"

Zhao Dezhe said: "Yes, I was right!"

In this way, the three of them drank and watched the elder dance the sword.

One tragic poem after another roared out of the senior citizen's mouth.

His sword dance became faster and faster, more and more wild.

Even more and more heroic.

The three people from Fengjiang drank until they were unconscious and were carried to the cabin to sleep by their servants.

………………

The next day!

The three of them were suddenly awakened.

"Dang-dang-dang-dang..." A shrill bell rang on the fleet.

In his dream, the senior citizen shook his fist fiercely and shouted: "Kill the thief, kill the thief..."

Then he sat up suddenly.

After a while, the staff rushed in and said: "Sir, it's not good, it's not good..."

Qi Ling said in a cold voice: "Did Su Yi send people to rob and kill him? Come, come, come..."

"This time I will fight to the bitter end and use my good man to expose his rebellious and ugly face."

The staff member said: "Probably, no..."

After a while.

Qi Ling, Zhao Dezhe, and Luo Zundian came to the deck with hangovers.

Then, I saw an extremely astonishing scene.

The whole sea is full of ships.

It stretches for dozens of miles, covering the sky and the sun, and is boundless.

The flags of Britain, France and the United States were hung.

And how familiar is this scene to seniors?

Only, the scale is much, much larger.

A few months ago, he followed Guiliang as the deputy imperial envoy. He met the foreign fleet on the sea and then entered the Yangtze River estuary.

As a result, at the critical moment, the foreign fleet turned directly against the imperial fleet and opened fire on it.

Guiliang was captured, his seniority was captured, and he became a lifelong shame.

"Su Yi is so generous, he actually let so many foreign fleets come to rob and kill us, hahahaha!" Senior laughed loudly.

Zhao Dezhe and Luo Zundian next to him glanced at him and couldn't help but said: "Probably, it has nothing to do with Su Yi."

"No, no, you haven't experienced it, you don't know..." Qiling said loudly: "This is Su Yi's conspiracy, it must be!"

Then, he rushed back to the cabin, took out a sword, and stood with it.

Zhao Dezhe and Luo Zundian looked at each other again, wondering if the elderly man had not sobered up yet.

A moment later, the imperial fleet was surrounded.

The British soldiers boarded the ship without ceremony and directly wanted to capture the three ministers.

Zhao Dezhe and Luo Zundian did not resist at all.

But Qiling brandished his sword and shouted: "This time, I will never be captured without mercy again. If you dare, kill me, kill me..."

The sword in his hand danced faster and faster, more and more crazily.

A British captain said: "What on earth is he talking about?"

The soldier next to him shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Then, more than a dozen people quietly watched him dance his sword wildly.

The British captain drew his gun directly and pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

Qiling lowered his head and saw that his stomach was stained with blood, and then slowly fell down.

When Zhao Dezhe and Luo Zundian next to them saw this scene, they didn't know whether it was tragic or absurd.

……………………

March 25th!

The coalition divided two fleets and captured Yantai and Dalian Bay.

This time, two thousand soldiers were directly dispatched to guard the two places.

Earl Elgin still adopted the strategy of blocking the Bohai Bay.

But this time, it is necessary to occupy Yantai and Dalian Bay.

Because there are so many armies dispatched this time, two stable offensive bases are needed before landing in Tianjin.

The last battle was a disastrous defeat, firstly because of insufficient troops, and secondly because of underestimating the enemy.

This time, Count Elgin planned to take every step.

After taking Yantai and Dalian Bay, the coalition forces moved towards Tianjin in a mighty manner.

……………………

At court!

The emperor has been waiting for the report from the three feudal officials.

Waiting for a burst of thunder from the south.

Or, the three feudal officials were killed.

Exposing Su Yimou's ugly face as a rebellious thief,

Either the three frontier officials directly forcibly tore apart the alliance of the seven southern provinces.

As a result, there has been no news!

Then, a truly shocking news came.

The foreigners came to kill.

Yantai and Dalian Bay fell again.

The foreign fleet has reached the entrance of Dagu.

This was a real bolt from the blue. It was difficult for the court to understand. They had clearly won the previous battle.

And after winning the battle, the court was not unreasonable. When Guiliang went to negotiate with Shanghai Consul Mai Huatuo many times, his attitude was very soft and he was still willing to make a lot of concessions.

Moreover, Mai Huatuo also had a very good attitude. He was very soft and had no intention of fighting.

Why were tens of thousands of troops suddenly dispatched to attack?

What was even more heartbreaking then was that the three ministers were sent back.

The foreigners didn't even want the prisoner. Qi Ling was seriously injured, but Zhao Dezhe and Luo Zundian were unscathed and were sent back to the capital.

The three-man fleet was captured about six hundred miles out of Tianjin.

The emperor said hoarsely: "I know, I know. The reason why Su Yi did not fight back at all in the last few months and allowed himself to be beaten without fighting back was because he knew that the foreign army was coming."

"You have ulterior motives, you are a traitor!"

"Guiliang, Guiliang..." the emperor roared.

Gui Liang kowtowed and said, "Your servant is here."

The emperor said, "Is the foreign commander still Earl Elgin?"

Gui Liang said, "Yes."

The emperor said, "You go and talk, you go and talk. Aren't they just for profit? Don't they want us to fulfill the Tianjin Treaty?"

"Except for the envoys to come to Beijing and the opening of Tianjin, agree to everything else."

"In addition, you tell him that Jiujiang now has tens of millions of silver in cash and tens of millions of properties. I agree to give them all to him."

"After Jiujiang becomes a trading port city, all of Su Ye's properties in Jiujiang will be given to him."

"The Yangtze River waterway will also be given to him."

"Tell him to destroy Su Ye."

"Aren't he and Su Ye political enemies? The last time the foreign commander was bombarded by Su Ye, they are mortal enemies."

"Tell him to change direction and destroy Su Ye."

Gui Liang and his companions looked extremely solemn. Fortunately, this was in Sanxi Hall. Otherwise, how subversive would the ministers be to hear the emperor's words?

Gui Liang said: "Minister, obey your order!"

…………………………

Next, Gui Liang went to Tianjin without stopping, boarded the foreigner's flagship, and met with Earl Elgin.

He repeated the court's conditions.

However, Earl Elgin knew more about how much silver Jiujiang received this time than Gui Liang.

Earl Elgin said: "Su Ye probably received 12 million taels of silver this time. According to the assessment, the total assets of Jiujiang Economic Experimental Zone should exceed 40 million taels. This is still a very conservative estimate. With the passage of time, this number will get higher and higher."

Gui Liang said: "This is such a huge benefit, so you should turn around and attack Jiujiang."

"As for what you want from the court, in addition to the envoys entering Beijing and opening Tianjin, we can agree to all of them. The entire Yangtze River waterway and several customs can be given to you."

Earl Elgin smiled lightly.

Such a huge wealth, of course we want it.

But you know nothing about the political ecology of the British Empire.

When he left London, he had been strongly warned that he could not attack Jiujiang, let alone Zhoushan.

To be more precise, he could not attack the seven southern provinces. You want me to attack Jiujiang and confiscate tens of millions of taels of assets? What a joke.

Earl Elgin did not speak, but just laughed.

Gui Liang said: "Earl Elgin, you and Su Ye are political enemies, aren't you? Last time he took the opportunity to sneak attack Yantai and Dalian Bay. And at the critical moment, he also bombarded your supreme commander, He Bo."

Suddenly, General He Bo, the commander of the coalition forces, appeared.

A deep scar appeared on his face, almost running through his upper and lower parts.

Gui Liang said: "General He Bo, your injuries were caused by Su Ye's bombardment."

"So, whether it's for hatred or for interests, you should attack Jiujiang."

Earl Elgin said: "Go back, no need to talk."

Gui Liang said: "As a trading port, Tianjin is not out of negotiation. Except for letting the four ministers come to Beijing, the rest can be negotiated."

Earl Elgin said: "No, this is no longer about interests, but a battle of honor."

"Come on, send Lord Gui Liang out."

The arrow is on the string and has to be shot.

Whether for Earl Elgin or for Britain and France, this is a battle to restore dignity.

Not only to get enough benefits, but also to get enough brilliant victory to thoroughly prove the strength of the two countries.

……………………

Gui Liang returns to Beijing!

The foreign coalition fleet still surrounded Dagukou.

The reason why the war has not started yet is to build war bases in Dalian Bay and Yantai Port.

A large number of land forces need to be assembled.

Gui Liang reported the news to the emperor.

Senggelinqin said angrily: "Then fight, we won last time, and we can still win this time!"

"Last time, we dispatched 13,000 people, this time we dispatched 20,000 people!"

"Ronglu's Tianjin New Army has been expanded to 10,000 people!"

"I have discovered that foreigners are good at naval battles, but not good at land battles. Whether it is the capture of Guangzhou or the first capture of Dagukou, they all rely on the navy, and their army is not good."

The emperor once again found Ronglu.

Zhili Admiral, First-class Marquis, General of the Bordered Blue Banner, Minister of the Ministry of War, and Prince's Guard Ronglu came to the emperor.

At this time, his official position has far exceeded Su Ye's peak period.

The emperor asked: "Ronglu, last time I asked you if you can win, you said you can win, and you really won. And it was an unprecedented victory. Then this time I ask you again, can you win?"

The second battle of Dagukou last year was indeed a brilliant victory.

The foreign fleet was sunk and many were injured, with only four intact warships.

The foreign marines suffered more than half of their casualties.

Ronglu gritted his teeth and knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, I think we can win!"

The emperor said, "Guiliang, has Earl Elgin completely refused? Is there no room for negotiation?"

At this time, there were more people, so the emperor was embarrassed to say that he would let Earl Elgin lead his army to attack Jiujiang and give him all the tens of millions of taels of property.

Guiliang said, "Yes, Elgin has completely expressed his will that cannot be negotiated."

The emperor said angrily, "Then fight!"

…………………………

The next day!

The Great Court Meeting is once again the time to unify our caliber and our will.

Because of the excitement of the last big win.

The civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty once again shouted for war against the foreign barbarians.

At this time, the Russian minister and the American minister came to see him, saying that they could mediate the conflict between Britain and the Qing Dynasty and avoid the occurrence of war.

As a result, the emperor was full of fantasy.

On the other hand, we are in the court, continuing the main battle, and continuing to fight hard to the end.

On the other side, the Russian and American ministers were secretly summoned.

The conditions of the Russian minister were simple: the emperor should formally recognize the Treaty of Aihun and exchange it in Beijing, which would take effect immediately.

The condition of the American minister was to ask the Qing court to agree to the "Tianjin Treaty" signed by the two parties before, and to exchange the treaty in Beijing.

As long as the emperor is willing to agree, the United States and Tsarist Russia will do their best to prevent the war from happening.

The two ministers instilled in the emperor the concept that the British Empire was first in the world, Tsarist Russia was second in the world, and the United States was third in the world.

The No. 2 and No. 3 players in the world join forces to stop the No. 1 player in the world.

Historically, the emperor had long agreed to exchange contracts with the ministers of the two countries.

In this world, Su Yi had previously attacked the imperial court and humiliated the country, the core of which was the Treaty of Aihun.

The emperor won the second Battle of Dagukou and launched a political attack on Su Yi. When he upheld his righteousness, he also denied the "Aihun Treaty".

Therefore, the court repeatedly emphasized whether the United States and Russia could stop Britain and whether they could really prevent the war.

The ministers of the United States and Russia vowed and resolutely guaranteed that they would definitely prevent the war.

Therefore, the emperor formally agreed to exchange the contract.

At this point, the "Aihun Treaty" officially came into effect.

The Qing court officially ceded approximately 500,000 square kilometers of land in the outer northeast to Tsarist Russia.

This time, it was not Yishan's personal signature, but the authoritative signature of the imperial court.

The Russian minister and the American minister were satisfied with the fruitful results and left the capital. With the emperor's expectations, they went to the sea of ​​Tianjin to mediate the war between the British Empire and the Qing court.

It ended up on the sea.

The two ministers symbolically mediated twice.

Count Elgin refused directly.

Then, the mediation was declared failed.

The emperor was furious, feeling humiliated once more, but it was no use.

………………………………

"Hahahahaha..."

In the gorgeous cabin, the Russian Minister, the American Minister, the French Minister, and the British Minister toasted to celebrate.

"See? In other places, we can be enemies and fight each other, but in the Qing Dynasty, we must unite in order to gain the greatest benefits."

"The ridiculous Qing Emperor actually imagined that we would really stop the war and mediate the conflicts between the two countries."

"Hahahahaha!"

American Minister Hua Ruohan said: "Count Elgin, I have a proposal."

Earl Elgin said: "Please tell me."

Hua Ruohan said: "According to conventional thinking, if you want to attack Tianjin and the capital, you must capture Dagukou, right?"

Earl Elgin said: "Of course."

Hua Ruohan said: "The Qing court thought so too. This time the Qing court's coach is still Seng Gelinqin. Because of the victory in the last war, he is full of confidence this time. This time, the one guarding Dagukou is It is still Zhili's army and Ronglu's army, with a total of more than 20,000 people and more than 300 artillery pieces. "

It's outrageous that the Qing court's military deployment was actually known to the American minister.

"Furthermore, Senggelinqin has always believed that the strength of the British and French coalition lies in the navy, but the army is very weak." Hua Ruohan said: "So I suggest you not to capture Dagukou before landing, but to send a large number of land forces to land from Beitang. , go around the back of Dagukou, and then attack from the front and back together with the navy, so it will be very easy to capture Dagukou. "

The Russian minister said: "Yes, and at least until now, the Qing court still has no defense in Beitang, and may not be prepared to defend it."

Earl Elgin nodded and said, "I will consider this."

……………………

With the news that the mediation between the United States and Russia failed.

The emperor and the court had no choice but to fight to the end.

However, there are still certain differences about how to deploy the military. Some people indeed suggested that Beitang should be defended.

If the foreign army lands in Beitang, it will be very passive.

So the emperor consulted Seng Gelinqin.

"Your Majesty, foreigners are not good at land warfare and are good at naval warfare, so they basically won't land in Beitang."

"The most important thing is that if we divide our troops to defend Beitang, the strength of the Dagukou defense line will be reduced."

"My slave thinks that all the strength must be twisted into a rope. One big fist is stronger than two small fists."

The emperor didn't know much about military affairs, but after listening to it, he felt it made sense.

Moreover, Seng Gelinqin is the coach. The last time he won the battle of Dagukou so brilliantly, there is already path dependence.

Therefore, he agreed with Seng Gelinqin's idea and took charge of guarding Dagukou.

……………………

The defense line of Dagukou Fort.

There are many more troops here than in history.

Even, it has reached the limit, every place is armed to the teeth.

This place is quite different from history.

Historically, the Qing court's will to fight was very unstable, and it only wanted to negotiate a peace quickly.

And here, the entire Qing court was determined to fight.

Even the morale of the entire Dagukou defense line was high.

Whether it is the new Tianjin army or the army of Zhili Governor Hengfu, they are cheering every day.

The Dagonkou Fort is so impregnable that the foreigners must be beaten to death.

I won last time, and I will definitely win this time!

Senggelinqin once again shouted and once again carried out pre-war mobilization.

"The emperor is watching you, and your parents are watching you."

"The world is watching us."

"The spirits of our ancestors in heaven will definitely embrace us and win victory again."

"As long as you win this battle and get promoted and make a fortune, the emperor and the court will definitely reward you."

……………………

May 19th.

Count Elgin gave an order and the war broke out.

It is more than two months earlier than in history.

The artillery of countless battleships frantically bombarded the Dagukou fort.

The defenders at Dagukou fought bravely and counterattacked fiercely.

Here, the coalition forces did not land from Beitang as resolutely as they did in history, but still wanted to try to directly capture Dagukou.

As a result, after seeing the will of the defenders.

Count Elgin made a prompt decision and dispatched some warships to escort a large number of troop transport ships into the White River.

A few days later!

The British and French forces began to land in Beitang.

The Qing army also immediately discovered the actions of the British and French coalition forces and quickly reported it to Seng Gelinqin.

Senggelinqin was shocked, but... still insisted on the original route, which was the same as the choice in history.

Unmoving as a mountain, continue to hold on to Dagokou.

Moreover, it is already too late to divide the troops now.

Moreover, he felt that the British and French coalition forces would never be able to bypass the Dagu Pass.

A few days later, more than 20,000 British and French troops completed the landing at Beitang.

Immediately afterwards, the coalition forces attacked Tanggu.

The Qing government didn't have many defenders in Tanggu, so of course they couldn't hold it.

Soon, Tanggu fell.

Then, the British and French forces moved south from Tanggu, together with the navy, to attack the northern fort at Dagukou.

Suddenly, the Dagukou Fort was facing an attack from both land and water, which was extremely dangerous.

Hengfu, the governor of Zhili, immediately sent someone to report to the emperor. What should we do?

Should we continue to hold on to Dagukou, or should we retreat.

……………………

Historically, at this time, the Qing government directly chose to give up holding on to Dagukou.

Even Tianjin did not defend much and retreated directly to Tongzhou.

In this world, certain changes have taken place.

Seng Gelinqin and Ronglu firmly believed that Dagukou should continue to be defended. Because the power they hold in their hands is much greater than it has been in history.

The most important thing is that since the establishment of the Tianjin New Army, it has won every battle and has almost no real defeats.

For a time, the emperor could not make a choice.

The Military Aircraft Department was unable to make a decision at once.

At this time, someone suddenly asked whether the coalition forces from the seven southern provinces could once again go north to support them?

Let Su Yi lead the army to support again?

But as soon as this sentence was spoken, it was immediately rejected by everyone.

What a big joke.

The last time Su Yi went north to support him and made great achievements in battle, but not only was he not rewarded, but he was assassinated by De Xing'a's son.

Not only did the court fail to catch the murderer, the emperor even awarded the murderer a title and promotion.

In front of all the court officials, the emperor said that Su Yi was a rebellious minister and a traitor, and he deserved to die.

Su Yi also declared a complete break with the imperial court and would never return as long as the emperor reigned.

Not only Su Yi, but also Tian Yugong, Wang Youling, Xu Youren, and Shen Baozhen were all dismissed by the emperor.

Zhang Guoliang and Feng Zicai were also dismissed.

Now the military power of the entire seven southern provinces is nominally in the hands of Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang.

It's not enough for you to order them to go north to support us.

In Sanxi Hall, several important ministers were arguing endlessly.

"Since Seng Gelinqin and Ronglu feel that they should continue to defend Dagukou, it proves that they have the will and determination."

"But Hengfu, the governor of Zhili, felt that the army should retreat to Tongzhou directly before the encirclement was encircled. After all, Dagukou was just a fort defense line, without a solid city. Tongzhou was different. There was a solid city, and the foreign navy could not Come in, and their naval guns won’t be able to exert their power.”

It sounds like both sides make sense.

"Where is Ruilin? He once defeated Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang together with Seng Gelinqin. He knows military affairs." The emperor asked.

It’s embarrassing, the Ruilin of this world has been deposed by the emperor.

In fact, Ruilin did not openly side with Su Yi in the court, but his son Waitabu followed Su Yi to work in Jiujiang.

Therefore, the last time the emperor publicly said that Su Yi was a rebellious minister and a traitor, he dismissed Ruilin.

Sushun said: "Your Majesty, do you want to summon Ruilin into the palace?"

The emperor said: "No need."

Next, the two parties continued to argue about their opinions, and no decision was made until late at night.

But, it must be quick.

Whether you want to defend or withdraw, you have to make a decision immediately.

……………………

Harem.

The emperor was still deep in thought.

No one actually said anything just now, but many people had the same idea. What if Su Yi came to direct this battle?

Should we defend Dagukou or retreat to Tongzhou?

If Su Yi was the commander, he would choose to continue to hold on to Dagukou.

Because once they retreat, ostensibly to Tongzhou, they will have a strong city in hand, and they can avoid the bombardment of a large number of foreign gunboats.

But in fact, it is fatal for tens of thousands of troops to collapse internally and lose morale.

Simply fight hard at Dagokou.

Of course, whether we stick to Dagokou or retreat to Tongzhou, we will lose this battle.

Because the strength of the two sides is too disparate.

But if you stick to Dagukou, the results should be better.

The emperor suddenly asked Concubine Yi: "Do you think we should retreat or defend the Dagokou area?"

Concubine Yi said: "With the ancestral system, the harem is not allowed to interfere in politics."

The emperor said: "If you are asked to say it, just say it."

Concubine Yi said: "I don't know much about military affairs, so I can't say it well. But both Seng Gelinqin and Ronglu said that we should stick to Dakukou, and General Soldier Leshan also said that we should defend, which proves that they have fighting spirit in their hearts." If we retreat to Tongzhou, we can avoid the foreign warships and artillery, but the fighting spirit in the hearts of the soldiers will be gone. "

The emperor said: "So, do you think we should keep it?"

Concubine Yi was silent for a while and said, "Yes."

……………………

No matter what, the emperor had to make a decision.

Historically, he allowed retreat.

In this world, he is filled with more anger. The anger Su Yi brought to him has not dissipated until now.

And often anger can dispel some of the fear.

"Shou, fight the foreigners at Dagukou until the end!" the emperor said. In the end, he made a decision that was different from history.

Therefore, Chaoting Qin used the fastest speed to send the emperor's decree to the front line of Dagukou.

The four ministers Seng Gelinqin, Ronglu, Hengfu and Leshan all accepted the order!

Then, the third Battle of Dagukou broke out, which had never happened in history.

……………………

After the court's will was firmed, the will of the troops on the front line was also firmed.

Overall, the Qing army fought very bravely.

Nearly 200 artillery pieces from the fixed fort and more than 100 artillery pieces from the Tianjin New Army Artillery Battalion opened fire fiercely.

In a sense, it replicates the scene of the Second Battle of Dagukou.

The British and French allied warships once again suffered a lot of casualties.

Ronglu's Tianjin New Army once again became the main force of the ground army, supporting the northern fort to resist the attack of the British and French coalition forces.

The battle situation was divided into two parts.

The battle between the fort and the allied warships was a good one for the Qing army.

The warships of the British and French coalition caught fire one after another.

General He Bo sent several landing operations, but they were all stopped by Qing artillery.

The landing sampans and boats sent by the foreigners were also sunk one after another, and countless marines were buried in the sea.

The war on land was different from what Senggelinqin imagined. He always felt that the foreign navy was powerful, but land warfare was not good.

As a result...the foreigners' land battles were very brave.

Tianjin's new army is already very powerful, and it is not too backward in terms of weapons, and it also has a good defensive location.

However, the scene of them all arranged neatly and killing each other was really shocking.

Today, the British and French army dispatched about 3,000 troops to attack the North Fort.

However, they were ultimately blocked by the Tianjin New Army.

Although, the casualties were considerable.

However, after the British and French forces attacked for several hours, it became dark, and the other side retreated and stopped attacking.

In fact, today they only launched a tentative attack, and the main force did not fully press forward.

Because of the failure in the last battle of Dagukou, the coalition forces were also more cautious.

Even the elites of their army and the Qing army have not really fought against each other.

After all, the Tianjin New Army, whether it is weapons and equipment or military appearance and uniforms, looks no different from them, except for dragging a whip.

Even the military uniforms were designed by Su Yi, and they were more majestic and beautiful than the military uniforms of the British and French Allied Forces.

After today's exploratory attack, I found that the Tianjin New Army is indeed quite powerful, and I feel that this army cannot be underestimated.

On the side of the Tianjin New Army.

Ronglu, Yikuang and Boyan Namohu looked gloomy.

"You can't beat them, you really can't beat them." Yi Kuan said: "We shouldn't have insisted on guarding Dagukou at that time. We should have retreated to Tongzhou."

Ronglu said: "More than half of our 10,000 new troops are recruits. Of course, if the two coaches, Boyan and I, take the lead and fight bravely to the end, then... there will be a relatively decent result."

Boyan said: "The decent result is that our entire army is destroyed, causing considerable casualties to the foreigners and bringing glory to the country."

Yi Kuang said: "What then?"

"Our future lies with this army. After we have fought hard here, how will we fight next?"

"The imperial court has hundreds of thousands of troops around the capital. Shengbao still has troops in his hands, and the monk king has tens of thousands of cavalry."

"But in Dagokou, everything is counting on us. Does it make sense to finish the fight?"

"We should retreat. We will fight in Tongzhou with tens of thousands of troops!"

Yikuang kept pouring cold water.

Boyanna Mohu said in a cold voice: "What's the point of talking about this now? Several coaches insisted on guarding Dagong Pass, and the court agreed, but they retreated after just one day of fighting? What does the emperor think of us? What does the court think of us? us?"

"Since we are fighting, let's fight to the bitter end!"

Yikuang felt a chill in his heart. You Boyan is the eldest son of Prince Horqin, and your future does not entirely point to the Tianjin New Army.

The new army is gone, but you still have tens of thousands of Horqin cavalry.

And all my future, Yikuang, lies in the Tianjin New Army, and the same goes for you, Ronglu.

Moreover, after Su Yi fell, the Tianjin New Army was led by Ronglu and I. I was responsible for managing the money, and Ronglu was responsible for training the troops. You, Boyan, stepped in halfway.

Therefore, Yikuang looked towards Ronglu.

Ronglu was also very embarrassed. Of course he wanted to maintain the strength of the new army.

However, he insisted on shouting out the words of Dagu.

And no matter what, the brothers from the New Army played really well today.

"I heard that the foreigners can't bear the casualties. As long as we kill and injure more foreigners, we have some explanations to the court."

"So, we will still fight to the end tomorrow!"

"Hold on for a few days and then retreat with relative dignity."

……………………

The next day!

The war breaks out again.

But this time, it's completely different.

The British and French allied armies directly dispatched the main force.

Under the beat of special drums, officers commanded the troops column by column in the most conspicuous place.

Countless British and French troops were escorted over like this.

This scene is still very powerful in terms of visual impact.

"beat!"

"beat!"

Ronglu and Boyan can't be said to be brave. They were also at the front directing the battle.

The Tianjin New Army kept firing.

Dozens of artillery pieces also changed direction, no longer attacking the battleships, but directly targeting the British and French allied armies.

The British and French forces also suffered casualties, and even a single artillery strike directly knocked them down.

After a round of intensive shooting, one piece fell down.

However, these foreign armies didn't even mess up their formations. Their comrades around them died as fast as they could. They turned a blind eye and didn't even mess up the pace of their advance.

Even if the commander dies, he dies, and a deputy will immediately take his place.

The densely packed and neat troops were still overwhelming, sweeping in without fear.

This scene really shocked the Qing army.

The training of the Tianjin New Army is not bad.

The weapons are also very advanced.

Even, the shooting is pretty good.

This is much better than the Qing army in history.

But facing the formation of the British and French coalition forces, this military force was crushed.

Their hearts trembled.

Their hands and feet were shaking.

I started to feel scared inside, and my will began to collapse.

This emotion began to spread, began to brew, and finally turned into a collapse.

The Tianjin New Army, which had always had brilliant records and was even called invincible, suffered a large-scale defeat for the first time.

Ronglu roared: "Don't retreat, don't retreat!"

Boyan also shouted: "Behead those who retreat, kill those who retreat!"

"Supervisory team, fire!"

Following the order, the supervising team began to shoot the retreating Tianjin New Army.

In front of them were the British and French allied forces, and behind them were the supervising troops of several hundred people.

Who knows how to choose.

Tianjin's new army fled crazily.

Then, the supervising team also began to flee, and finally the troops from Zhili Province also began to flee.

The military cannot fool anyone.

You Ronglu and Boyan both have other plans. They don't want to stick to the end. They just want to hold on for a few days, cause certain casualties to the coalition forces, and give an explanation to the court.

Do you still think about soldiers fighting to the bitter end? !

Senggelinqin was shocked and angry. After yesterday's battle, he knew that the power of the British and French coalition forces was different from what he imagined.

However, according to his inference, he could hold on for several days.

If you retreat at that time, you will have an explanation to the court.

Who would have known that the Tianjin New Army, which they have always been proud of, collapsed just a few hours after they started fighting today.

The whole situation evolved into a massive retreat.

The army of more than 10,000 people fled like this crazily, running towards Tianjin City.

At this moment, the Tianjin New Army finally showed its true colors.

After rounds of casualties, the will and the soul of the New Army are also dissipating.

But because the money is sufficient, the weapons and equipment are good, and the training is sufficient.

Therefore, Tianjin's new army was often able to show amazing combat effectiveness, and even looked almost the same as Su Yi's new army.

Now after encountering a truly powerful enemy, the true nature of this army is finally revealed.

If Su Yi's new army were to fight, would they be able to win?

You can't win, you definitely can't win.

However, at least the core of his army will not retreat.

At least he will hold his ground until the end.

Seng Gelinqin felt cold in his heart as he looked at the defeated soldiers.

The confidence brought about by the victory in the last battle of Dagukou seemed to have evaporated.

Tianjin’s New Army, the proud New Army.

It was so shattered.

Seng Gelinqin shouted loudly: "Retreat, retreat, retreat..."

Military flags waved.

Seng Gelinqin's handsome flag also began to retreat.

The banners of the Governor of Zhili, the General Soldier of Tianjin, and the Admiral of Zhili also retreated.

Seeing this scene, the officers of the British and French forces were stunned.

Why is this happening? After a tentative battle yesterday, they also affirmed the combat effectiveness of the Tianjin New Army. Today, they felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy. They felt that they must not underestimate the enemy and be prepared for a hard fight.

As a result... only a few hours into the war, this army that they valued was defeated.

The bizarre Qing Dynasty, the bizarre army.

Should I despise you? Should I still pay attention to you?

Last time, we took it lightly and suffered a huge defeat.

This time you have more troops. We just started to pay attention to it, but the result was an inexplicable victory.

In this way, the British and French forces quickly occupied the Dagukou Fort.

……………………

Seng Gelinqin, Ronglu and others led their troops and entered Tianjin City.

Several people began to discuss whether they should stick to Tianjin?

"Tianjin is right on the Baihe River. Foreign gunboats can directly hit Tianjin City. So the army simply retreated directly to Tongzhou. The area between the Yongding River and the canal has been blocked by siltation, and the foreign warships cannot reach Tongzhou."

The commander-in-chief Leshan said angrily: "What did we tell the court before that we should hold on to Dagokou? What happened? In less than two days, Dagokou was lost. Now we can't even defend Tianjin, and we have retreated directly to Tongzhou? What will the emperor think if he wants to retreat to Tongzhou? If he didn’t retreat then, retreat now?”

Ronglu and Seng Gelinqin both regretted it.

If I had known this, I should have retreated to Tongzhou.

Why is the Tianjin New Army so useless? How did you win the previous battles?

What to do next?

If the imperial court ordered him to retreat to Tongzhou, then Seng Gelinqin could lead his troops to retreat generously. But now, without the imperial court's will, he dared to retreat without fighting. Can the imperial court spare him?

Therefore, even if Tianjin does not defend it, it must defend it!

Historically, the Qing army hardly defended Tianjin, and the foreigners captured Tianjin without too much effort.

In this world, Seng Gelinqin had to defend Tianjin.

The foreigners moved quickly, and the powerful fleet sailed along the Baihe River directly to the vicinity of Tianjin City.

A few days later, more than 20,000 troops from the British and French allied forces also marched to the gates of Tianjin.

After a short rest, the foreign gunboats and army artillery opened fire fiercely.

Suddenly, the whole city of Tianjin was shaken.

The more than 20,000 defenders of the Qing army had earth-colored faces.

Although there is a fortified city here, the foreign naval guns are so powerful that they can't even lift their heads.

There are hundreds of artillery pieces over at Dagukou. How can there be so many artillery pieces in Tianjin City?

So in addition to the city wall, this place seems to be worse than the Dagukou defense line. There is even a long wall fortress over Dagukou.

And it's not like the foreigners are rebellious, using siege ladders or the like.

In this way, the foreigners continued to bombard.

The faces of several Tianjin garrison commanders were ashen-colored, and even the commander-in-chief Leshan, who was determined to take charge of the battle, felt that this battle was unwinnable.

Ronglu said: "King Monk, the foreign naval guns are too powerful. This place is not like Dagokou. We can't even fight back with artillery. We are completely passive and bombed. Our morale is extremely low. We can no longer fight."

Yikuang said: "Yes, King Monk, we can't continue fighting. We only have more than 20,000 people, and the foreigners also have more than 20,000 people."

"God knows that the foreign troops have so many troops? Are they crazy? There were only two or three thousand people who came to attack each time before. Now there are twenty or thirty thousand people. There is no way to fight."

"We should maintain our limited strength, retreat to Tongzhou one after another, and then assemble an army of 50,000, 60,000, or 70,000 or 80,000, and then fight the foreigners."

"When there are more people, morale will be higher and people will not be afraid."

Boyanna Mohu said nothing, but looked at Seng Gelinqin, which meant the same thing.

"Father, let the court negotiate, no fighting." Boyan said something from the bottom of his heart.

Seng Gelinqin gritted his teeth and said: "In this case, even if it has a huge relationship, it will be borne by me!"

"The army retreats, retreats!"

……………………

The British and French forces here also had a slight headache looking at Tianjin Jiancheng.

Siege warfare is painful for the army of any country.

All mean heavy casualties.

But no matter what, Tianjin City must be taken down.

After taking Tianjin, we can march into the Qing capital without any scruples.

As a result, the coalition command began to plan how to siege the city, and even found several Qing prisoners to ask about general siege tactics in the Qing Dynasty.

"The most conventional method is, of course, to directly use the siege ladder and climb up the city wall."

"Fa Ni, that is, the Taiping Army in the south, they like to dig tunnels the most. They dig a dozen tunnels under the city wall at once, and then use tens of thousands of kilograms of gunpowder to blow open the city wall."

"And Su Yi's favorite tactic is to use artillery and dense bullets to cover the area, and send death squads to blow up the city gates."

The British and French commanders felt that digging tunnels took too long, so they decided to use artillery fire cover and sent people to blow up the city gates.

Just use Su Yi's conventional tactics.

As a result, as soon as they deployed siege tactics, soldiers came in to report.

"General, the Qing troops have withdrawn."

"All removed."

ah? ! What?

Suddenly, the officers of the British and French forces were stunned.

We haven't officially attacked the city yet, and you all retreated?

They tried to find a high place and looked through the telescope. They saw the Qing army pouring out of the city gate in the west.

The fleet on the Baihe River did not miss this opportunity and fired desperately at the retreating Qing army.

……………………

that's all!

A few hours later, the more than 20,000 troops retreated cleanly.

In shock and confusion, the British and French forces marched into Tianjin.

At this point, this important city in the north was directly under the jurisdiction of the Governor-General's Palace.

Officially fallen!

………………

Note: Nearly 13,000 are given, I’m going to eat! Dear benefactors, if you have a monthly vote, please remember to vote for me, okay?

Thank you, kowtow.