Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 257 Li Yi: I want to call you daddy!

Soon, Huang Yukun and Zhang Suimou, two of Shi Dakai's important advisers, came to Shi Dakai's study one after another.

After ordering someone to serve tea, Shi Dakai spoke.

"The latest news from the capital is that the king of heaven was murdered and ascended to heaven."

"And the evil chief Xianfeng was assassinated, and Prince Gong Yi ascended the throne and changed the reign title to Qixiang..."

"Gentlemen, please tell me what we should do next?"

Shi Dakai briefly explained the recent situation and then began to ask questions.

Huang Yukun stood up and said.

"Your Majesty, I believe that we are the old members of the Heavenly Kingdom after all. Now that the Heavenly King has ascended to heaven, we should express our gratitude."

"Please also ask King Yi to issue an order that from today on, the entire army will wear white clothes and mourn for the King of Heaven."

"We will send troops from Guanzhong to Henan to attack the evil spirits in Henan and avenge the Heavenly King!"

After listening to Huang Yukun's suggestion, Shi Dakai fell into deep thought.

He understood the profound meaning of Huang Yukun's words.

Wearing mourning for the emperor is a political statement. Although it is optional to do it, it is best to do it if it is beneficial and not harmful.

The attack on Henan from Guanzhong was naturally not for the purpose of revenge for Hong Xiuquan.

In other words, revenge for Hong Xiuquan was just an excuse.

It can be considered as the name of a teacher with a legitimate reason!
The real reason was that there had been a dramatic change in the Qing court's top leadership, and the main force of the Qing army had been wiped out by the Tang army in the south of the Yangtze River, leaving Henan empty.

If Shi Dakai led his troops out of the pass and attacked Henan at this time, it would be a typical case of taking advantage of an opportunity. There is a high probability that he could achieve considerable results and even swallow up the entire Henan in one bite.

Zhang Suimou on the side also spoke up.

"Lord Yi, I think what Lord Huang said is correct."

"The Qing court is now short of troops in Henan, while our Heavenly Kingdom occupies Guanzhong with strong troops and horses. It is a great opportunity for us to march eastward from Henan and fight for hegemony in the Central Plains."

“Don’t miss it!”

Upon hearing this, Shi Dakai nodded slightly.

"That's true."

"Go east to Henan..."

"anything else?"

Shi Dakai agreed with the plan to take advantage of the opportunity to move east, but he also wanted to hear other opinions.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Suimou spoke with a slightly doubtful tone.

"Lord Yi, I have something else to say but I don't know whether I should say it or not..."

Shi Dakai nodded slightly when he heard this.

"If you have anything to say, just tell me. Mr. Zhang, don't worry."

"This king will never sin against others because of words!"

Zhang Suimou nodded when he heard this, and then said.

"Lord Yi, since the Heavenly King has been killed and ascended to heaven, the Heavenly Kingdom is completely destroyed."

"I suggest that our army should set up a new banner in the future, remove the elements of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in the army as much as possible, and transform the army from a religious to a secular one."

"And to open the imperial examinations to admit scholars as officials, to ease the relationship between us and the gentry and landlords."

"If we cannot gain the support of the gentry and landlords, even if we occupy Guanzhong, it will be difficult for us to control the provincial capital and truly establish a foothold."

Zhang Suimou came from a traditional literary family, and he knew only too well how much power the literati and scholars possessed in China.

Upon hearing this, Shi Dakai did not agree immediately, but continued to frown and hesitate.

"Set up a new banner? If I do this, will the soldiers in the army agree?"

"If we act rashly, I'm afraid it will affect the morale of the army!"

Zhang Suimou said with great certainty after hearing this.

"King Yi is overthinking."

"What the soldiers in the army care about now is not the Heavenly Kingdom, but the Heavenly Kingdom's land system."

"As long as King Yi is willing to continue to implement the Tianchao Land System, everything else will be fine."

What is military morale?

Land is the heart of the army!

As long as the land and military pay are in place, God? God is shit!
This is human nature.

Huang Yukun, who was standing by, gave a different opinion upon hearing this.

"Lord Yi, I have a different opinion."

"Most of the old brothers in our army still believe in God. If we rashly abandon the name of the Kingdom of Heaven, the morale of the army will inevitably be shaken."

“Why not King Yi take advantage of the opportunity of the Heavenly King ascending to heaven and go one step further and be called the Heavenly King!”

"Then use the name of the Heavenly King to command the world and take charge of the overall anti-Qing situation!"

Shi Dakai did not express his opinion, but continued to ponder.

Because whether it is Zhang Suimou or Huang Yukun, what they said makes sense.

Without waiting for Shi Dakai to speak, Zhang Suimou opened his mouth to refute.

"Mr. Huang is wrong. Ever since the Tianjing Incident, when the Eastern King was killed in the civil strife in the Heavenly Kingdom, the so-called God Worshipping Religion has become a joke."

"There are hardly any soldiers in the army who still believe in God."

"Moreover, the policies previously pursued by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, such as 'burning books and destroying temples' and 'demolishing ancestral halls and smashing schools', also made the Heavenly Kingdom have a very bad reputation among the people."

"If King Yi now claims to be the Heavenly King and inherits the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?"

Because Lao Hong failed in the imperial examinations many times and was broken down by them, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom acted quite crazy in the early stage. Not only did they burn books and destroy temples, targeting Confucianism, they even demolished the ancestral halls in ordinary people's homes.

Well, because the teachings of the God Worshipping Society are consistent with Christianity, it only allows worshiping God, not ancestor worship.

Therefore, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had a very bad reputation among the people.

With the instigation of those literati and gentry, the image of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom among the people was almost the same as that of demons and monsters.

If Shi Dakai continued to use the banner of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and wanted to reconcile with the gentry class, the difficulty would be raised to a higher level.

This is not a good thing!
Huang Yukun heard this and also refuted.

"Mr. Zhang, the world was conquered by war, not by negotiation."

"And to conquer the world, you rely on the army."

"Most of the old brothers in the army are from the God Worshipping Society and they also recognize the Kingdom of Heaven."

"How can we go against the will of the army?"

Listening to the two people arguing, Shi Dakai felt more and more headache.

After a moment, he slammed the table and said.

"OK OK."

"Let's put this matter aside for now and discuss it later."

"Shall we first discuss the matter of the army marching eastwards out of Henan?"

Shi Dakai planned to march eastward to conquer Henan first, and then discuss whether he should go further and call himself the Heavenly King, or simply set up another banner.

If he can win the battle of Henan, he will be more confident no matter what choice he makes.

Upon hearing this, Huang Yukun and Zhang Suimou could only clasp their fists in agreement and not raise the issue again.

Seeing this, Shi Dakai continued.

"There are three people in charge of the Qing Dynasty's affairs in Henan. One is Henan Governor-General Ner Jing'e, one is Henan Governor and Minister of Militia Cai Bingwen, and one is Henan Provincial Government Envoy Jia Zhen."

"Among them, Ner Jing'e led his troops to station in Shanzhou as the first line of defense, Cai Bingwen lived in Luoyang to organize and prepare militia training as the second line of defense, and Jia Zhen lived in Kaifeng, responsible for providing logistics for the front line."

"The three rely on each other and provide layers of defense."

"If our army wants to go east from Tongguan to Henan, the first obstacle we will face is these three people..."

Seeing this, Shi Xiangzhen came forward and asked.

"What does King Yi mean?" Shi Dakai pondered for a moment, ordered someone to bring a map, pointed at the map, and explained.

"The army has not yet moved, but the food and fodder must go first. If our army wants to march east, the first thing we need to consider is the transportation of food and fodder."

"So, my idea is that our army can go east along the Luo River."

"First, we can use the Luo River to transport food and supplies."

"Secondly, we can bypass the heavy Qing troops in Shanzhou and go through Luonan, Lushi, and Yongning, heading straight to Luoyang and cutting off their retreat."

Shi Dakai's army was connected from Chang'an to Weinan via the Wei River, and then from Weinan to the Luo River via a section of land, and then he could directly reach Luoyang via the Luo River.

The reason for taking this route is not that the line from the Wei River directly to the Yellow River cannot be taken.

But if you take this route, you will need to pass through Sanmenxia.

However, Sanmenxia's geographical location is too dangerous and the water flow is too turbulent.

The cost of transporting grain along this route is too high. If the ship sinks, both people and money will be lost.

Therefore, Shi Dakai planned to take the Luo River to bypass Sanmenxia.

Well, after bypassing Sanmenxia, ​​the flow of the Yellow River becomes gentle.

Then, Shi Dakai could use the convenient water transportation of the Yellow River to transport grain and directly kill his way through Henan, and even rush to Jiangsu in one breath.

Well, nowadays the Yellow River still flows into the sea through the Huai River, instead of following the old Yellow River course and entering the sea through the Yellow River estuary.

Therefore, they could not reach Shandong by crossing the Yellow River, but could only reach Jiangsu.

It was not until 1855 that the Yellow River broke through the Tongwaxiang River in the north, ending its 700-year history of flowing into the sea from the Huai River in its lower reaches. It returned to the Bohai Bay and formed the current lower reaches of the Yellow River.

Upon hearing this, Shi Xiangzhen said immediately.

"King Yi is wise!"

"However, if our army bypasses Shanzhou, what if Ner Jing'e, who is stationed in Shanzhou, returns to Luoyang, or goes south to Luoshui to cut off our army's food supply? Wouldn't our army be in danger?"

Why during a war when you encounter a fortified city you can't just go around it, but have to fight to the death to take it down?

This is the reason!

It's easy for you to go around it, but when your main force leaves, it's also easy for the defenders in the city to cut off your food supply.

Upon hearing this, Shi Dakai spoke.

"Therefore, our army needs to attack Luoyang via the Luo River while sending troops eastward from Tongguan to contain Nerjing'e in the direction of Shanzhou."

Upon hearing this, Shi Xiangzhen immediately clasped his fists.

"King Yi, I challenge you to fight!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Dakai nodded slightly and then spoke.

"But, since you, Xiangzhen, have volunteered to fight, you will lead the army eastward from Tongguan to contain Nerjing'e stationed in Shanzhou..."

……

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month in the second year of Zhaowu, the New Year was approaching.

The Tang Palace in Guangzhou was decorated with lights and colorful lanterns everywhere, creating a festive atmosphere.

Li Yi had a rare chance to relax, so he returned to the backyard of the palace to spend time with his family.

He lay on the bed, chatting with Luo Caiyu, who was sewing clothes for the child.

Luo Caiyu is the queen, so she shouldn't have to do this kind of thing personally.

There was no shortage of skilled embroiderers in the Tang Dynasty.

However, Li Zai was her first child, and she devoted almost all her efforts to him.

Even if the clothes were made by the most skilled embroiderer, Luo Caiyu would not feel comfortable letting her son wear them.

Well, before Li Zai was born, Luo Caiyu began to sew various small close-fitting clothes and hats for him by herself.

Li Zai, wearing a tiger-head hat, treated Li Yi as an obstacle and climbed up and down on Li Yi. He was extremely lively, with a pair of black gemstone-like eyes wide open.

Suddenly, he stretched out his loving little hand, grabbed a strand of Li Yi's hair, and then pulled it hard.

"hiss!"

Li Yi couldn't help but gasp. The child looked fair and tender and seemed very fragile, but when pulling the beard and hair, his little hands were really strong.

Li Yi sat up and wanted to snatch his own strand of hair back from his little brat.

However, he found that the kid was really strong. Li Yi was afraid of hurting him, so he was reluctant to use his strength and could not get back a strand of his hair.

Seeing this scene, Luo Caiyu, who was watching from the side, was a little shocked and hurried forward to help.

"oops!"

"Xiao Ping'an, let go quickly, you are hurting your father..."

However, Li Zaike not only refused to speak in front of Li Yi as his father, but Luo Caiyu’s words were also useless in front of him.

Even though Luo Caiyu used his favorite toy to tempt him, he still pulled Li Yi's hair and giggled.

The maids serving on the side couldn't help laughing when they saw this scene.

Li Yi was a little helpless, grimacing as he was being dragged. He took out a seal that he carried with him from his arms and waved it in front of Li Zai.

Li Zai's eyes lit up, he showed an interested expression and reached out to grab it.

Li Yi then took the opportunity to rescue his hair.

Li Zai took the seal from Li Yi and stuffed it into his mouth. Luo Caiyu, who was watching, hurried forward to stop him.

"Don't eat it, don't eat it!"

"Xiao Ping'an, you can't eat this!"

Luo Caiyu was a little nervous, fearing that Li Zai would eat the remaining ink on the seal.

Although the ink used by Li Yi is the top-quality Longquan ink, no matter how good the quality is, you cannot eat it.

When Li Zai saw Luo Caiyu coming closer, he stopped putting the seal into his mouth and instead stamped the seal on Luo Caiyu's face.

Leaving an obvious mark on Luo Caiyu's face.

Seeing this, Li Yi couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Hahaha!"

Li Zai also clapped his hands excitedly.

Luo Caiyu gave Li Yi, who was gloating over his misfortune, a displeased look.

Then he stepped forward, held Li Zai in his arms, and snatched Li Yi's seal from his hand.

Prepare to return it to Li Yi!
Li Yi waved his hand and said with a smile.

"Since Xiao Ping'an likes it, let him play with it."

"I'll turn around and order someone to carve another one!"

It’s just a seal, and a personal seal, not an official seal, so Li Yi doesn’t care much about it.

As long as it doesn’t leak out!

As he spoke, he picked up the seal and teased Li Zai.

"Do you want it? Does Xiao Ping'an want it?"

"Call me daddy if you want!"

"Call Dad..."

Although children over one year old cannot speak complete sentences, it is normal for them to simply say "Mom and Dad" or single words.

Li Zai chuckled and then opened his mouth.

"Dad...Dad...Dad, play!"

"I... play!"

Hearing Li Zai calling him dad, Li Yi's heart seemed to melt and a smile appeared on his face involuntarily.

After handing the seal in his hand to Li Zai to play with, Li Yi gently kissed his little face which was full of milk fragrance.

Luo Caiyu, who was standing by, couldn't help but smile as she watched the heartwarming interaction between father and son.

She could see that Li Yi really liked her eldest son Li Zai.

(End of this chapter)