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"Lin Da Ge, you're a great commander," Vézé complimented Lin Fengxiang at the city gate of Mound City. Vézé had fought many battles and had accumulated a wealth of experience. Even though Lin Fengxiang's troops had been surrounded for three months, they still had a decent fighting capacity. This was not only due to military discipline, nor was it due to the vigor and vigor of the troops after a battle.
Vézé placed the most importance on military training. No matter how strong a person was, it was impossible for his troops to suddenly reach a level of stamina that was impossible for them to achieve. At least one-third of Vézé's elite troops could fire five shots in a minute. Based on the quality and physical condition of the Qing Army, they could not get close enough to Vézé's troops to deal a substantial blow. However, the troops led by Lin Fengxiang could do it in front of Vézé. Even if they suffered heavy casualties, Lin Fengxiang's troops could still make Vézé's troops pay with their lives.
Even though Vézé knew this, he was not afraid at all. After a series of battles, even with a valiant general like Lin Fengxiang and Lin Fengxiang's troops who had experienced expeditions and hardships, they could not afford to lose. Vézé still believed that he only needed to pay a small price to defeat Lin Fengxiang and his troops.
Of course, Vézé was only thinking about it. Regardless of whether one was on his side or the enemy's side, they could not help but consider whether they could win the battle. This was a man's incorrigible nature. Even though Vézé would never attack a comrade in the trenches, he could not completely eliminate his competitive mentality.
"Wayne Brothers, I came to find you without waiting for you to reach Mound City!" Lin Fengxiang said in a heavy tone.
"What's wrong? Vézé asked hurriedly. "Did you suffer great losses during the breakout?"
Lin Fengxiang noticed that Vézé was quite serious when he asked the question. He said with a wry smile, "No, we have already made preparations to break out of the encirclement. Wayne Brothers, after you captured Mound City, the Qing Yao of Tianjin did not dare to stop us. As soon as we left the camp, the Qing Yao army dispersed. Just like that, we swaggered into Mound City. "
Vézé heaved a sigh of relief. "It's good that there were no casualties. As long as there's life, there's hope. They might not be able to conquer Beijing this time, but they might be able to do it next time. There's no need for Lin Da Ge to be in a hurry. "
After that, Vézé invited Lin Fengxiang into the city. Mound City was once a stronghold where the Qing Army besieged the Taiping army. Sheng Bao, the imperial envoy who was divided by Vézé, had once led a large number of troops to be stationed here. When Vézé went north, the Qing Army in Mound City moved like the wind and went to "defend Beijing". They left behind a large number of tents and other supplies in the city. After a little tidying up, Lin Fengxiang's troops did not have to worry about not having a place to stay.
At the banquet to welcome Lin Fengxiang and the other generals, Li Kaifang asked Vézé seriously, "Wayne Brothers, does the King Of The East not want us to go north anymore?"
It was difficult for Vézé to answer this question directly. King Of The East Yang Xiuqing did not mean it that way. The northern expedition was a strategic setting that King Of The East Yang Xiuqing attached great importance to. Even when Vézé came to the rescue, Yang Xiuqing asked Vézé to do his best to continue the northern expedition after rescuing the vanguard of the northern expedition.
However, Vézé felt that the northern expedition was a rather nonsensical strategy. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the world was in chaos. Zhu Yuanzhang's strategy was still to conquer the south first before carrying out the northern expedition. Throughout the dynasties, there had never been a case of a northern expedition before establishing a firm foothold in the south. Of course, it could not be said that there was no such case. Those who did this were basically finished. Therefore, Vézé firmly did not support the idea of continuing the northern expedition.
Before trying to convince Li Kaifang, Vézé decided to first ascertain Lin Fengxiang's attitude. There was no point in arguing over such a strategic issue. No matter what reason or excuse there was, all parties had already determined their own position and were looking for reasons based on that position.
The last thing Vézé wanted was to waste time. If even Lin Fengxiang supported continuing the northern expedition, then Vézé did not need to make any effort to persuade him. At this time, time was countless times more precious than any gem. The Northern Expedition Army could not just stay in Mound City like idiots.
Looking at Lin Fengxiang, Vézé said seriously, "Lin Da Ge, what are your plans?"
Lin Fengxiang revealed a troubled expression. He knew what Vézé's attitude was, and he also knew that Li Kaifang and Yoshibuwon both wanted to continue the northern expedition. So far, although the Northern Expedition Army had encountered some setbacks, they were all small ones. The Northern Expedition Army had suffered very little losses. In fact, because of the siege, the cohesion and obedience of the troops had increased significantly. From a positive perspective, the Northern Expedition Army had regained the initiative after receiving reinforcements. Vézé was a fierce general, and Lin Fengxiang knew how good Vézé was at fighting. Not to mention his previous achievements, just looking at Vézé's ability to defeat the Qing Army along the way and capture Mound City, one could see Vézé's ability.
However, because he knew Vézé's thoughts and knew Vézé's ability, Lin Fengxiang was in a very awkward position. The most capable troops wanted to retreat, while the least capable troops wanted to continue fighting. However, the commanders of the least capable troops, Li Kaifang and Yoshibuwon, were both Lin Fengxiang's closest brothers. This made it difficult for Lin Fengxiang to decide which side he should stand on.
Seeing that Lin Fengxiang did not jump out to oppose him, Vézé breathed a sigh of relief. He said, "You have all attacked Nanjing. There are not many Qing Army in Nanjing. After I took Yuhuatai, the Qing Army hid in the city. Even so, it took you a lot of effort to attack Nanjing. As for Beijing, there are thirty to forty thousand Qing Army defending the city, and there are thirty to forty thousand Qing Army, including Sengrinchen, outside the city. We can't take Beijing. "
From the way Lin Fengxiang and Yoshibuwon nodded slightly, they seemed to agree with Vézé. However, Li Kaifang was still unconvinced. He argued, "Even so, as long as we take Beijing, or even if we don't, the King Of The East will still send reinforcements!"
"Even if the King Of The East sends a large number of reinforcements and we take Beijing, what do you think will change?" Vézé asked. "What do you think will happen after we take Beijing?"
"This …" Li Kaifang had not thought that far ahead, but after hearing Vézé's question, he also pondered.
"Bring me the map!" Vézé ordered.
It was a map of China. Vézé pointed at Beijing on the map and said, "Everyone, even if we take Beijing, do you think Qing Yao will be defeated? The Qing demons could retreat to Chengde or Xi 'an. In the worst-case scenario, they could escape to the border. I can tell you clearly that we only have a few people, and we are not clear about Qing Yao's arrangements. We can't predict where the Qing Yao Emperor will go. "
"What if we defend the city?" Yoshibuwon couldn't help but side with Li Kaifang again.
Vézé heard this and couldn't help but sneer, "Hehe, you all fought your way out of Yangzhou before the Northern Expedition. You have been in Yangzhou for a few months, so you have at least heard of the transportation, right?"
"I know a little," Yoshibuwon said the truth.
Vézé ordered the staff officer to find a map of the Grand Canal. "Look, most of the goods on this canal are grain. The Manchurian Qing's food supply in Beijing is almost entirely dependent on outside. If we stay in Beijing, not only the Zhili imperial army outside Beijing will be like moths flying into a flame, they will fight us to the death, the Qing army from other provinces will also be mobilized to fight us to the death. Most importantly, the grain in Beijing needs to be transported from other cities, and we don't have much of our own. How long do you think we can hold out? "
Lin Fengxiang seemed to have been convinced by Vézé, but Li Kaifang was still stubborn. He argued, "Qing Yao can't fight …"
"If Qing Yao can't fight, why would you be blocked by Qing Yao outside Tianjin for so long?" Vézé had really run out of patience, and his words were not polite at all.
This was the reality. The Northern Expedition Army had been powerless outside Tianjin even before they had taken Beijing. But it was very sad that Vézé had said it so bluntly. But Vézé showed no signs of maintaining his feelings. His expression became more severe, and his voice grew louder. "Looking at the current situation, we can't take Beijing, and even if we do, we can't destroy Manchu Qing. And even if we do take Beijing, we can't defend it. So which one of you can tell me, why do we continue to attack Beijing? "
Lin Fengxiang and Yoshibuwon did not say anything in the end. Only Li Kaifang muttered, "The King Of The East has given his order!"
"Hmph!" Vézé sneered. "Since the King Of The East has given his order, I am now the Prince Of Qi personally appointed by the King Of The East. I have the highest position in our army. If you have any dissatisfaction, when we return to Tianjing alive, we can talk to the King Of The East. When that time comes, you don't have to hold back. You can tell the King Of The East how I force you to return to your army. But now, as the Prince Of Qi, I am telling you to return to your army immediately! Set off now! "
Li Kaifang finally stopped talking. Although Yoshibuwon was a little unhappy, he obviously did not have the guts to resist Vézé. As for Lin Fengxiang, he looked as if he had been relieved of a heavy burden. Lin Fengxiang's behavior made Vézé rather happy. The three main generals of the Northern Expedition Army were all Prime Minister Xiao Chaogui's subordinates. They were all highly regarded by the King Of The East, Yang Xiuqing. Among the three Prime Ministers, the one who was the most highly regarded by the King Of The East, Yang Xiuqing, was undoubtedly Lin Fengxiang.
Even without Lin Fengxiang's support, Vézé believed that he could handle it. Even if the northern expedition did not succeed, as long as the Northern Expedition Army was still around, they could go on another northern expedition after reorganizing their troops. But if the Northern Expedition Army was no longer around, everything would be in vain. Vézé believed that Yang Xiuqing would be able to tell this clearly.
Of course, with Lin Fengxiang's support, Vézé was even less afraid of Li Kaifang and Yoshibuwon's attacks. Their opinions could not sway Yang Xiuqing's will.
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