Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 304 Northern Expedition! Northern Expedition!
Upon hearing this, Li Hongzhang immediately responded and then took his leave, ready to carry out Li Yi's order.

Then, Li Yi turned his gaze to Chen Zhaoan and others.

Without waiting for Li Yi to speak, they all stood up and said goodbye to Li Yi very tactfully.

They all knew that they had just surrendered and could not gain the trust of the Tang Dynasty for the time being.

They are not allowed to participate in such high-level discussions.

After Chen Zhaoan and others left, Li Yi began to think about how the Tang Dynasty should deal with the Yellow River breach.

How should we deal with it in order to maximize the benefits from this matter...

Li Yi pondered for a long time, just sighing continuously, and his expression was visibly solemn and struggling, as if he was struggling with something.

Just at this moment, Zhang Tai walked in from outside and came to him to report.

"Your Majesty, all the officials from the General Staff and the Ministry of the Interior have arrived and are waiting for you in the conference room."

Li Yi came back to his senses and left the reception room for the meeting room.

Soon, he arrived outside the meeting.

When the guards at the gate saw Li Yi coming, they all saluted.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty!"

Li Yi nodded slightly as a response, then walked into the meeting room.

Seeing Li Yi striding into the conference room, all the senior officials of the Tang Dynasty stood up from their seats, and their chairs rubbed against the ground, making a loud noise.

"Your humble servant/general, I pay my respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well and safe!"

Li Yi strode into the conference room, sat down in front of the main seat, then raised his hand and said.

"Please don't be polite, everyone. Please take a seat!"

After everyone sat down, Li Yi spoke.

"It's urgent, so I won't beat around the bush with you today."

"The latest news just came from the north. The Manchu Emperor Yi personally led the main force of the Qing army to fight a decisive battle with the main force of the Taiping army led by Shi Dakai in Julu."

"The Qing army was defeated and retreated to Baoding. Shi Dakai led his troops to pursue and expand the victory."

"In order to stop Shi Dakai's troops from pursuing them, the Qing army was so crazy that they blew up the Yellow River dike!"

As soon as Li Yi said this, there was a sound of people gasping in shock throughout the conference room.

Obviously, everyone is in shock right now.

I was shocked. What on earth was the Qing Dynasty thinking? How dare they blow up the Yellow River dike?!
Don’t you want human hearts anymore?

Don't you want the world anymore?!
Amid everyone's shocked and disbelieving eyes, Li Yi continued.

"The Qing government buried explosives in the Tongwaxiang section of the Yellow River's northern dike, blasting a hole in the dike."

"Now, the Yellow River has burst its banks to the north, and the surging river water flows along the old course of the Yellow River, through the three provinces of Henan, Zhili, and Shandong, and into the Bohai Sea..."

"The Yellow River's old course was almost completely turned into a swamp, and hundreds of millions of northerners lost their homes and became homeless."

"If my guess is correct, the Yellow River will change its course this time."

"This will also cause natural disasters in the lower reaches of the Yellow River's original course..."

The change of the Yellow River's course has always been a huge disaster from ancient times to the present.

It's not just the areas along the diverted route that will experience floods.

Even the areas where the river originally flows will be affected.

Shipping, irrigation, etc. all rely on water resources.

The Yellow River, which is so huge, was suddenly changed in course, and so much water resources were lost. The consequences are self-evident.

Not to mention anything else, just how to irrigate farmland is a big problem.

Having said this, Li Yi slowly exhaled a breath and then said.

"Everyone, please tell me how the Tang Dynasty should deal with the current situation."

The expression on Li Yi's face was very solemn.

Minister of the Interior Fan Xiyuan stepped forward and said.

"Your Majesty, I believe that after the Qing dynasty did something as cruel as blowing up the Yellow River levee, the people's hearts must have been greatly lost."

"Perhaps the Tang Dynasty can take advantage of this opportunity when the Qing court has lost the support of the people and send envoys to pacify the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, and take the opportunity to launch a northern expedition to swallow up the provinces along the river such as Hubei and Jiangsu."

Fan Xiyuan suggested very obscurely that the Tang Dynasty could launch a northern expedition, but the best targets would be only wealthy areas such as Hubei and Jiangsu.

Instead of heading towards the Central Plains!

At this time, the Central Plains was a complete burden because the Qing Dynasty had blown up the Yellow River dike.

The gain is not worth the loss!
Of course, the Tang Dynasty is not the Qing Dynasty after all, and the Tang Dynasty still has to save face.

This kind of thing cannot be said directly, so Fan Xiyuan can only remind Li Yi implicitly.

Also, in Fan Xiyuan's view, the Qing Dynasty's bombing of the Yellow River dike was indeed a tragedy.

But for the Tang Dynasty, it is not necessarily a bad thing.

This is because the areas affected by the Yellow River's breach and change of course are not within the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

The people affected by the disaster were indeed pitiful, but from the perspective of the rulers, these people were only a burden to the Qing Dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, not to the Tang Dynasty.

On the contrary, the Qing Dynasty lost popular support because of the bombing of the Yellow River dike, and it is very likely that the Tang Dynasty could regain it.

From this perspective, the Qing Dynasty's bombing of the Yellow River dike not only had no adverse effects on the Tang Dynasty, but also brought many benefits.

Li Yi nodded slightly, his expression still solemn.

"That's true."

"The Department of Foreign Affairs is immediately preparing to send people to Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hubei, Shandong, Henan and other places to persuade local officials to surrender and recruit them."

"Take these provinces as lightly as possible."

Upon hearing this, Guo Songtao stood up and spoke.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I understand."

Li Yi glanced at Fan Xiyuan and continued to give instructions.

"In addition, order the Jiangnan War Zone and the Huguang War Zone to gather troops in Yangzhou, Jiangbei, to collect food and supplies, and prepare for the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains."

"This time the Qing government blew up the Yellow River levee, causing the Yellow River to burst. Not only would this cause the Taiping Army to withdraw, it would also reduce the Qing government's control over the area south of the Yellow River to the lowest level."

"This is the perfect time for my army to march north!"

Fan Xiyuan noticed Li Yi's gaze and knew that Li Yi understood his hint.

But even so, Li Yi still expressed his intention to march north to the Central Plains, which is actually very telling.

He went there just to provide disaster relief and save lives!

Li Yi's eyes made Fan Xiyuan feel inexplicably ashamed.

After speaking, Li Yi turned his gaze to Zuo Zongtang and gave instructions.

"Zuo Qing, you will lead the staff to formulate a detailed Northern Expedition battle plan."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Zongtang immediately agreed.

Zuo Zongtang's mind was very complicated at this time.

With his intelligence, he naturally understood Fan Xiyuan's hint.

But the more this happened, the more he admired Li Yi. Although he knew that the Northern Expedition to the Central Plains would mean taking on a huge burden of hundreds of millions of people, Li Yi still made the decision to go to the Central Plains.

Such a Li Yi made Zuo Zongtang realize that he had not followed the wrong person.

This is the true Emperor of the Han Dynasty. This is what a true wise ruler should look like and have the breadth of mind and courage he should have!

Compared with Li Yi, the Qing emperor who ordered the bombing of the Yellow River dike was turned into ashes in seconds.

Li Yi thought about it for a moment, then continued.

"In addition, I have issued an imperial edict to the entire nation, ordering all prefectures and cities to immediately start collecting food, clothing, medicine and other materials needed for disaster relief, and prepare to ship them to the north for disaster relief."

"And call on the people, gentry, and merchants all over the world to donate money and materials."

"The difficulty of our army's northern expedition this time is not in the military action, but in disaster relief..."

Li Yi knew that it was not a wise choice for him to order a northern expedition to the Central Plains at this moment.

This Northern Expedition was not only a military adventure.

They even took the initiative to take over the disaster relief work that should have belonged to the Qing Dynasty and the Taiping Army after the Yellow River burst.

It would also be easy for the Tang Dynasty to become unstable due to swallowing up too many provinces in one go.

You know, the Tang Dynasty just took over the entire territories of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian and other three provinces this year, and has not had time to reorganize the local areas.

If we launch the Northern Expedition at this time, it would undoubtedly be reckless.

If you look at it from an absolutely rational perspective.

The most important thing for the Tang Dynasty to do now is to take advantage of the fact that the Qing Dynasty and the Taiping Army are both defeated and the Qing Dynasty has lost the support of the people, and send troops everywhere to seize territory, seize the fertile land that has not been affected by the disaster such as Sichuan, Hubei, Jiangsu, and then continue to consolidate its foundation.

Or he could directly mobilize the navy, launch an expedition across the sea, land at Dagukou, drive straight to the capital, destroy the Qing Dynasty, and reap the greatest fruits of this anti-Qing war.

Instead of ordering a Northern Expedition, he headed directly to the disaster-stricken areas after the Yellow River burst.

He would wait until all the people affected by the Yellow River burst were killed, and then launch a Northern Expedition to reap the benefits, which would be the option that maximizes his interests.

But Li Yi is not the Qing Dynasty!
Although he tried hard to make himself a qualified ruler, he was actually a cold-blooded and ruthless political tool.

But at this moment, his conscience is still there and his blood is still warm.

He knew that his current decision was not rational enough, but he also knew that he could not bear to watch hundreds of millions of disaster victims die!

This is his bottom line as a human being.

He is going to provide disaster relief!
This is his decision.

Although the Tang Dynasty's high-ranking officials were still skeptical after hearing this, seeing that Li Yi had made up his mind, they had no choice but to agree.

Li Yi continued.

"Besides that, please ask the attendants' office and the secretariat to make some preparations. I will personally lead the Northern Expedition!"

This Northern Expedition was a military adventure.

But if it succeeds, it will be an unprecedented achievement.

Li Yi was not confident in entrusting such a big task to his subordinates, so he prepared to lead the army himself.

He personally commanded this Northern Expedition.

Firstly, there is no need to worry about the subordinates’ contributions being too great and there being no room for reward.

Well, with his immediate superior present, the greatest credit must go to him.

In this way, there is no need to worry about the subordinates becoming too successful and endangering the boss.

Secondly, if Li Yi were to go to the front line in person, the combat effectiveness of the Tang army would at least increase by several percent.

This is the boost to the army's morale from a founding monarch's personal presence on the battlefield.

With him around, the Tang army's northern expedition will undoubtedly be more stable.

As soon as Li Yi finished speaking, everyone responded in unison again.

Li Yi nodded and waved his hand to signal everyone to leave, asking them to prepare to do what Li Yi had instructed them to do.

……

The third year of Zhaowu in the Tang Dynasty, the beginning of August in the Western calendar of 1854.

On the sea off the coast of Guangzhou, a large fleet left the port and sailed north.

It was in mid-July that Li Yi received the news that the Qing government had blew up the Yellow River dike, causing the river to burst and change course.

Afterwards, he immediately called everyone together to discuss the matter and agree on a solution.

After sending telegrams from Guangzhou to various provincial governments to convey orders, Li Yi began to prepare to lead the army in person, and to raise supplies needed for disaster relief and military operations.

It only took half a month for the Tang Dynasty to make the corresponding preparations, loading huge amounts of supplies onto ships, and led by Li Yi himself, heading north by sea.

He planned to first take the sea route to the mouth of the Yangtze River, then switch to inland waterway transportation, enter the canal from the Yangtze River, and carry out the Northern Expedition along the canal.

The reason for choosing the sea route is that sea transportation has low costs and fast speeds, and can send troops to the front line as quickly as possible, as well as deliver supplies needed for disaster relief.

Moreover, the Tang Dynasty had just recently taken over Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. While Li Yi was preparing to head north, he stopped at the coast of the two provinces for inspection to stabilize people's hearts.

As for safety issues?
In fact, it’s not a big problem.

Li Yi's Northern Expedition this time was along the coast. Even if there were winds and waves, they would not be too strong. In addition, the accompanying fleet was large enough, so safety was guaranteed.

If it was really dangerous, Li Yi would not choose the sea route.

He is very afraid of death.

The reason why the Northern Expedition had to take the canal was that the area along the canal at that time was one of the richest and most prosperous urban clusters in China and even in the entire East Asia, thanks to the convenience of transporting goods from north to south.

Its importance may be second only to Jiangnan.

Where else could the Northern Expedition go if not along the canal?

Of course, Li Yi will not ignore the convenience of sea transportation, and the transportation of disaster relief supplies will still be mainly by sea.

The food and supplies needed for disaster relief were transported directly to the coast of Zhili Shandong by sea.

It’s just that the army’s northern expedition has to take the route along the canal!

In early August, Li Yi's fleet set out from Guangzhou.

By mid-August, the fleet arrived in Shanghai. Along the way, Li Yi landed twice in Fuzhou and Hangzhou for inspection.

He summoned officials, appeased the local people, and ordered them to raise food, medicine, clothing and other relief supplies and prepare for shipment.

After arriving in Shanghai, Li Yi did not rest. He immediately led the fleet into the Yangtze River and went upstream to Yangzhou.

In this Northern Expedition, Li Yi mainly mobilized troops from the Hubei War Zone and the Jiangnan War Zone.

He selected two infantry divisions from each of the two war zones and gathered them in Yangzhou to prepare for the Northern Expedition.

In addition, there was the Imperial Guard Division that came with Li Yi from Guangzhou, a cavalry division transferred from Anhui, and two artillery regiments drawn from the Huguang and Jiangnan war zones.

In other words, for this Northern Expedition, Li Yi mobilized a total of five infantry divisions, one cavalry division, and two artillery regiments, with a total of about 105,000 troops.

If the accompanying naval offshore fleet and inland fleet are included, the total force would probably reach 120,000 to 130,000 people.

Mobilizing so many troops at once can definitely be considered an all-out effort for the current Tang Dynasty.

Before Li Yi arrived in Yangzhou, the Tang army's northern expedition troops had already assembled in Yangzhou.

After arriving in Yangzhou, Li Yi took almost no rest and immediately ordered his army to march north along the canal.

The reason why it is so urgent is not that Li Yi does not want to rest, but the disaster situation ahead is urgent and cannot be delayed.

For every day he delays, tens of thousands of people in the disaster area may starve to death.

This is something Li Yi absolutely doesn't want to see!
(End of this chapter)