Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 313 Cai Bingwen's Value

Upon hearing this, Lin Ronglu just shook his head honestly, indicating that he didn't know either.

Seeing this, Yi stopped talking nonsense.

"Hurry, lead the way!"

Lin Ronglu agreed immediately, walked quickly in front, holding a lantern to lead the way for Yi, and led Yi towards the imperial study.

Soon, Yi arrived at the imperial study.

At this time, Shengbao, Wenxiang and other military ministers were already waiting in the imperial study.

After Yi arrived at the imperial study, Shengbao and others bowed and saluted.

"Your servant pays respect to His Majesty!"

"Long live my emperor! Long live! Long live!"

Yi walked to the desk and sat down, then waved his hand and said.

"Everyone, stand up!"

After everyone got up from the ground, Yi immediately asked.

"My Lords, what is the current situation at Dagukou?"

Shengbao heard this and spoke.

"In reply to the emperor, according to the latest news from Dagukou, at the end of the morning hour today, the Tang pirate fleet suddenly appeared outside Dagukou."

"Looking at the size of their fleet, there are at least 200 to 300 large and small warships. They must be the main force of the Tang pirate navy."

"Duolong, the general of the Dagukou coastal defense, saw the Tang invaders coming and feared that Dagukou would fall, so he personally returned to the capital to seek help."

"Now, people are waiting to see you outside the palace!"

Upon hearing this, Yi couldn't help but frown.

"What? Duolong is back in Beijing?"

"The Tang bandits are invading Dagukou. Dagukou is in danger. How could he, the commander-in-chief of the coastal defense, leave the frontline and return to Beijing at this time?"

Yi now had a bad feeling in his heart.

Duolong returned to Beijing without permission this time, or to put it nicely, he returned to Beijing to seek help.

But to put it bluntly, it is actually deserting the battlefield and being afraid of death.

Even Duolong, the coastal defense commander, deserted the battlefield. Yi could hardly imagine what Dagukou would be like now.

Taking a deep breath and suppressing the anger in his heart, Yi spoke.

"Go, bring Duolong in to me!"

"I want to ask him, who gave him the courage to escape from the battlefield?"

Yi's anger was about to burst out, and he had already decided to kill Duolong.

There is an idea to borrow Duolong's head to enforce military law!
Upon hearing this, Lin Ronglu immediately clasped his fists in response and turned around to convey Yi's order.

Soon, Duolong was brought in from outside.

Yi shouted angrily immediately.

"Doron, you are so brave."

"The Tang pirate fleet invaded Dagukou. Who allowed you, the chief of the coastal defense, to leave your post and flee in the face of the enemy?"

"What do you think of the Qing Dynasty's military law? Ass-wiping paper?!"

With a thud, Duolong knelt in front of Yi and kowtowed.

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong!"

"I know I shouldn't have left my post, but I'm not afraid of death and I don't want to run away. I just want to go back to the capital to ask for help."

"I beg Your Majesty to forgive me this time and give me a chance to atone for my sins. I am willing to personally lead the troops to reinforce the battle at Dagukou..."

Yi had a blank expression on his face, his eyes full of murderous intent.

But Shengbao, Wenxiang, Ruilin and others all spoke up to plead for Duolong.

"Since Duolong knows he is wrong, I hope the emperor will be magnanimous and give him a chance to reform."

"Yes, Your Majesty, knowing your mistakes is the best way to improve."

"Your Majesty, although Duolong was confused for a moment, it did not cause any irreversible consequences. Your Majesty should forgive him this time..."

The reason why these people pleaded for Duolong was not because they were kind-hearted.

But it’s because Duolong’s identity is not simple.

His surname is Aisin-Gioro. He is a member of the yellow belt royal family descended from Daishan and one of the heirs to the iron-hat king.

Standing behind him were the princes and nobles who held the eight banners of Manchuria.

It would be easy for Yi to kill him, and no one could stop him, but the cleanup work after the killing would be very troublesome.

This is also the reason why Duolong dared to flee from the battlefield after the Tang army invaded Dagukou.

Listening to everyone's persuasion, Yi's expression began to become hesitant.

For a moment, his murderous intent towards Duolong was not so strong.

But at this moment, a notification sounded again outside.

An Dehai hurriedly walked into the imperial study from outside, knelt down in front of Yi with a plop, and handed Yi a military report in his hand.

"Report! Your Majesty, urgent news from Tianjin!"

"The Tang bandit fleet attacked Dagukou, and the Dagukou fort fell. The deputy general of the Dagu detachment, Long Ruyuan, and the captain Zhou Zhi were all defeated and captured."

"Later, Zhili Admiral Shi Rongchun led his troops to reinforce Dagukou, but was defeated. Tianjin fell, and Shi Rongchun was defeated and captured..."

"Now, Dagukou and Tianjin are both lost!"

After hearing An Dehai's report, Yi felt a black screen before his eyes and almost fainted.

Taking a deep breath, Yi could no longer suppress the anger in his heart and shouted loudly at Duolong who was kneeling in front of him.

"See? This is what you, Doron, did!"

"Come here, drag this coward out and chop him off!"

"Chopped!"

Yi was now angry and afraid.

Originally, he was not very determined to kill Duolong, but after hearing the news of the fall of Dagukou and Tianjin, Yi's emotions were completely ignited.

After seeing this, no one dared to plead for Duolong anymore.

They were all afraid that their plea would fail and they would get themselves implicated.

Upon hearing this, Doron's eyes widened suddenly.

Beg for mercy.

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I know I was wrong. Please give me another chance..."

"Give me another chance, Your Majesty!"

However, Yi was completely unmoved by this.

He just waved his hand casually, signaling the imperial guards to come forward and drag Duolong away for execution.

Duolong struggled, but how could he break free from the control of several royal guards by himself?

No matter how he struggled, he was still dragged out by the imperial guards...

Soon, a scream was heard from outside.

Soon, an imperial guard came back with a head to report to Yi.

Yi waved his hands, his anger still obvious.

But he looked around and forced himself to suppress the anger in his heart, and asked several military ministers.

"The Tang thieves invaded Dagukou and captured Tianjin, and their frontline troops are only one step away from the capital."

"Tell me, all the nobles, how should the Qing Dynasty deal with the invasion of the Tang thieves?"

After Yi finished speaking, Wenxiang on the side spoke up.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the Qing Dynasty must find a way to recapture Tianjin and Dagukou."

"The current national policy of the Qing Dynasty is to withdraw from the border areas and wait for the future."

"But because the land outside the Great Wall is desolate, it is impossible for the Qing Dynasty to complete the process of leaving the Great Wall in a short period of time."

"Before we complete the reclamation of the land outside the Great Wall, the capital must be safe and sound."

"How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?"

"So, my opinion is that the Qing Dynasty must recapture Tianjin and Dagukou at all costs."

Upon hearing this, Shengbao, Ruilin and others spoke up to express their agreement.

Yi's expression was solemn at first, then he asked.

"I wonder who among you is willing to lead the troops to Tianjin to fight against the Tang bandits?" Everyone looked at each other, feeling helpless.

Because, now the high-ranking officials of the Qing court are basically generals who are always defeated.

I have suffered a lot in the Tang Dynasty, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and even at the hands of local rebels...

They simply didn't have the courage to lead troops to fight against the Tang army.

After a moment of silence, Nerjing'e, who had been silent, made a suggestion.

"Your Majesty, I have someone I would recommend who might be of use to you."

Upon hearing this, Yi motioned for Nerjing'e to speak.

"Please go ahead and speak!"

Nerjinge spoke.

"In reply to the emperor, the person I want to recommend is Cai Bingwen, the former governor of Henan and minister of militia."

"Lord Cai has served as the prefect of Xunzhou, the prefect of Changsha, the Minister of the Tuanlian Army of Jiangxi, the Governor of Henan and the Minister of the Tuanlian Army. He has always been fighting on the front line of the imperial court's suppression of bandits."

"We have fought against the Tang bandits, the Taiping rebels, the Nian bandits, and other bandits, and have won many battles. We have even recaptured Xunzhou City from the Tang bandits several times."

"I think Lord Cai might be of some use!"

The reason why Nerjing'e chose to recommend Cai Bingwen was because he had worked with Cai Bingwen when Cai Bingwen served as the Governor of Henan and Minister of Militia.

The two have a good relationship!

And Nerjing'e was also quite confident in Cai Bingwen's abilities.

Well, at present, Lord Cai is the only Qing official who has recovered lost territory from the Tang army.

Given the current strength of the Tang Dynasty, this unique item still has great value.

Upon hearing this, Yi fell into deep thought.

He also had an impression of Cai Bingwen.

He is a close confidant promoted by his own royal brother. He has good abilities and has a good record in suppressing bandits.

But because Cai Bingwen was Xianfeng's confidant, Yi had no good feelings towards him. After the failure of the war in Henan, he used this as an excuse to remove him from office.

But judging from the current situation, it seems that there is no one more suitable candidate for He Yi than Cai Bingwen.

Yi stared at Nerjing'e with burning eyes and asked.

"Where is Cai Bingwen now?"

Upon hearing this, Nerjing'e replied.

"In reply to the emperor, after the defeat in Henan, Lord Cai has been unemployed in Beijing."

"I just had tea with Master Cai yesterday."

Yi took a deep breath and then said.

"it is good!"

"In that case, let's use Cai Bingwen."

"Shi Rongchun was captured by the Tang thieves in Tianjin. Isn't the post of Zhili governor temporarily vacant?"

"How about this, let Cai Bingwen take over the post of Zhili governor for the time being and lead the army to recapture Tianjin and Dagukou."

"As long as he can recapture Tianjin and restore the Qing Dynasty's coastal defense, I will make him the Governor-General of Zhili and promote him to the Military Affairs Council!"

Upon hearing this, Nerjing'e said with some excitement.

"I would like to thank the Emperor for his grace on behalf of Lord Cai."

Yi nodded slightly and sighed in a quiet voice.

"Hey, I hope this Cai Bingwen won't disappoint me..."

……

Shandong, Jining Prefecture!

Li Yi is handling government affairs.

A secretary walked into Li Yi's study and began to report.

"Your Majesty, urgent news from Caozhou."

Hearing this, Li Yi put down the pen in his hand, looked up and asked.

"Emergency news from Caozhou?"

"But what happened to Li Qing?"

Since Caozhou was the border between the Tang Dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the situation there was relatively tense.

To be on the safe side, Li Yi specially sent Li Hongzhang, a capable official, to Caozhou to take charge.

In his opinion, with Li Hongzhang around, there shouldn't be any problems in Caozhou.

Old Li shouldn't be unable to handle such a small matter!
Upon hearing this, the secretary began to report.

"In reply to your Majesty, there is an urgent report from Caozhou that a rebellion has occurred in Gansu and has even spread to Guanzhong. Shi Dakai urgently ordered the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to transfer troops from Henan to support Guanzhong. Now the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has no troops in Henan."

"Huang Yukun, the governor of Henan Province of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, took the initiative to send people to contact our Tang Dynasty to seek negotiations."

"Li Hongzhang, the prefect of Caozhou, could not make up his mind, so he submitted a memorial to ask the king whether he wanted to negotiate with the Heavenly Kingdom!"

After hearing this, Li Yi thought for a while and said.

"Send a message to Li Hongzhang and tell him that it is okay to talk. I authorize him to talk first. Once we have reached a preliminary agreement, let the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's envoy come to see me."

"Our army has no plans to advance into Henan for the time being. In addition, Henan is also currently providing disaster relief, so the situation in Henan must be stabilized."

"Try not to clash with the Taiping Army!"

"Of course, if the Taiping Army refuses to accept our offer, then we will fight them!"

"The Tang Dynasty has never been weak to the outside world!"

Upon hearing this, the secretary immediately agreed, then turned around and left, going to convey Li Yi's order.

Li Yi had just picked up the pen again and was about to review the official documents when Li Liang walked in from outside again.

"Your Majesty, Kong Xiankun, the current head of the Nan Kong clan in Quzhou, has now arrived in Jining."

"I am waiting outside the camp for the king to summon me."

Li Yi looked up and said after hearing this.

"Are you there yet? You're here pretty fast!"

Li Liang replied with a smile.

"After all, I am here to inherit the title of Duke Yansheng. How can I not be happy?"

"If it were him, I would be eager to fly over here if I could get the title of Duke for free."

Li Yi chuckled and then said.

"Go and invite people in!"

Upon hearing this, Li Liang clasped his fists and took his leave.

Then he went to invite the current Nan Kong clan leader Kong Xiankun in from outside.

After entering Li Yi's study, Kong Xiankun knelt down with a plop, performed the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows, and then said.

"Your humble servant Kong Xiankun pays respect to His Majesty!"

"Long live the king! Long live the king! Long, long live the king!"

Although the current Kong Xiankun does not have the title of Yanshenggong like the Northern Kong, Li Yi still gave him a fifth-rank sacrificial official after recovering Quzhou.

Therefore, he is qualified to call himself a humble minister in front of Li Yi.

After Kong Xiankun finished his greetings, Li Yi raised his hand slightly and then spoke.

"No need to be polite, just stand up."

"sit down!"

Kong Xiankun got up from the ground upon hearing this and sat down in front of Li Yi somewhat stiffly.

He didn't dare look directly at Li Yi, but just glanced at the young man in front of him.

Young, heroic, high-spirited, looking down on the world...

This is Kong Xiankun’s first evaluation of Li Yi.

Looking at the high-spirited young man in front of him, Kong Xiankun felt an irrepressible awe in his heart.

At the age of just over 20, he started from scratch, commanded hundreds of thousands of strong soldiers, and conquered most of the world in just a few years.

There is even a tendency for him to enter the Dragon Court and rule the world.

Even with such a young man sitting in front of him, Kong Xiankun still felt it was a little unreal.

Throughout the five thousand years of history, there is probably only one person, Emperor Taizong of Tang, who could compare with the achievements of this young man at this age.

(End of this chapter)