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Vézé's troops left Tianjing City together with Wing King Shi Dakai and the others. Wing King Shi Dakai and Prince Yu Hu Yihuang traveled together. The Winter Official in charge of the navy, Prime Minister Luo Dagang, helped Vézé carry the cannons and other heavy equipment, so Vézé and Luo Dagang sailed together.
Nearly two years ago, Luo Dagang and Vézé took a boat down the river from Wuchang to Nanjing City. Now, the two of them took a boat up the river together. Everyone sighed as they recalled the events of the past two years.
When the fleet left the pier, Tianjing City finally disappeared from sight. Luo Dagang looked relaxed. He smiled. "Wayne Brothers, I already knew you were a hero, but I didn't expect Wayne Brothers to be even more powerful than I thought!"
Vézé had always been immune to flattery. He smiled. "I was just lucky. The King Of The East ordered me to guard Anqing, and everyone was turning Tianjing City upside down. Qing Yao didn't have time to deal with me. It allowed me to take advantage of the situation so that I could have such an awe-inspiring appearance today. "
Luo Dagang was much older than Vézé and had heard Vézé's words many times. He smiled. "Wayne Brothers are always so cautious. No wonder the King Of The East likes Wayne Brothers so much."
Vézé smiled. "I think the King Of The East also thinks highly of Brother Luo!"
"It's not the same!" Luo Dagang shook his head. "The King Of The East might think highly of me, but he's very confident in Wayne Brothers."
Seeing that Vézé was considering how to answer, Luo Dagang waved his hand at Vézé. "Wayne Brothers, don't say no. Wayne Brothers, you're a smart man, but I'm not a fool either. The King Of The East doesn't trust Yi Wang, but he always lets Wayne Brothers lead the army alone. This is not something that I, your big brother, can compare to. "
Vézé frowned. "Looks like Brother Luo feels it's unfair to Yi Wang!"
Luo Dagang saw that Vézé's expression wasn't fake. He suddenly laughed. "Only Wayne Brothers dares to say that in our Taiping army. Wayne Brothers, you and Yi Wang go to see the King Of The East together. Yi Wang often kneels when reporting to the King Of The East, but you only kneels when greeting and receiving orders. Other times, when the King Of The East discusses military affairs with you, you discuss military affairs with the King Of The East. Wayne Brothers, in the entire Tianjing City, I'm afraid the King Of The East only treats you this way. As for the others, humph! "
"Brother Luo, I don't understand. The King Of The East discusses military affairs with me, but I don't discuss military affairs with the King Of The East. Then what do I discuss with the King Of The East? "Vézé asked deliberately.
Hearing Vézé's confident words, Luo Dagang couldn't help but say, "Wayne Brothers, I won't hide it from you. Who in the entire Tianjing City is not afraid of the King Of The East? Every time Yi Wang meets the King Of The East, the King Of The East is very satisfied with Yi Wang's plans, but Yi Wang is afraid of the King Of The East. Yi Wang told me before that he is worried that the King Of The East will suddenly descend and order him to be killed. But Wayne Brothers, you are never afraid of the King Of The East. How do you want me to praise you? "
Vézé acted as though he didn't hear the serious truth in Luo Dagang's words. He smiled and said, "Brother Luo, the King Of The East orders me to do things, so I do them. With the intelligence of the King Of The East, he naturally knows why my brother does things this way and what difficulties he will face when doing things. Whether I'm afraid or not, this is how it is. If I'm afraid, I might as well not think about anything and do things first. Besides, the King Of The East isn't an unreasonable person. What's there for me to be afraid of? "
Hearing what Vézé said, Luo Dagang stopped laughing. He stared at Vézé seriously for a while and finally said, "Wayne Brothers, you are so loyal to the King Of The East, but do you know that the King Of The East wants to do something to you?"
Vézé lowered his voice and said in a voice that only Luo Dagang could hear, "There are many people who are worthy of the King Of The East's hands. It won't be my turn. Both Yi Wang and North King are here. Why should I jump out and act like a hero? "
Hearing this, Luo Dagang was shocked. He couldn't help but take a step back. His face was full of shock as he stared at Vézé with wide eyes. "You … You know!"
Vézé took a step closer to Luo Dagang and continued to say in a low voice, "Brother Luo, there are many people the King Of The East doesn't like. How many people do I have before it's my turn? I just need to work honestly. Why would I jump out to cause trouble for no reason? You said that I'm not afraid of the King Of The East. Now that the King Of The East is using me, what do I have to be afraid of? Besides, who am I afraid of? I'll let the King Of The East think that I'm afraid of him. I'll only do this if I have nothing better to do! "
Luo Dagang was completely speechless. He stared at Vézé as if he didn't know Vézé at all. After a while, Luo Dagang suddenly sneered and gave Vézé a thumbs up. "Wayne Brothers, I thought that you were young and just a young boy who could fight. Now I know that even though I've been eating for so long, I'm still not as good as you! Alright, Brother, I'm convinced! "
"Brother Luo, don't say that. I've always admired you, Brother Luo. That's why I'm telling you the truth. Right now, all the princes in Tianjing City are fighting for power. I'm just a young boy, not Brother Jin Tian. Why should I get involved in those things? What good will it do me if I get involved? On the other hand, Brother Luo, you really want to overthrow Qing Yao and conquer the world. I'm really close to you, Brother Luo. That's why I'm telling you the truth. I hope Brother Luo doesn't misunderstand me! "Vézé continued to say in a low voice.
"Hmph!" Luo Dagang saw that Vézé was speaking sincerely. He only snorted and turned to leave Vézé's side. Luo Dagang didn't speak to Vézé again until the next day, when Vézé disembarked with his troops.
Vézé's destination was Wuhu. The artillery unit disembarked there first. The General Staff Headquarters' Cartography Department immediately went to East and West Liang Mountains to do some mapping.
East and West Liang Mountains were also called Tianmen Mountains. They were located on both sides of the Yangtze River between He County and Wuhu City in Anhui Province. The one in Jiangbei was called West Liang Mountain and the one in Jiangnan was called Bowang Mountain. The two mountains faced each other across the river, like a gate made by heaven. This was how Tianmen got its name. It was recorded in the Jiangnan Tongzhi: "The two mountains are shaped like rocks, facing each other from east to west, sandwiched by the river, facing each other like a gate. People call Liang Mountain West Liang Mountain and Bowang Mountain East Liang Mountain. It's called Tianmen Mountain. "
The great Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai wrote a poem called "Gazing at Tianmen Mountain" on his way to Jiangdong in the 13th year of the Kaiyuan Era (725). The poem said, "Tianmen Mountain is broken and the river opens. The clear water flows to the east. The mountains on both sides are facing each other. The sun is setting. "
Vézé learned this poem in elementary school. He thought that Tianmen Mountain should be a towering mountain that pierced through the clouds. But in fact, according to the surveying team, Tianmen Mountain was only 300 feet high, which was about 90 meters. It was too far away from being towering and piercing through the clouds.
However, there was a large stretch of beach at the foot of the two mountains. The Yangtze River between them was less than a kilometer. The artillery could effectively block the Yangtze River. It would also be very easy to make iron locks to block the river here. In the middle of the river upstream of Tianmen Mountain, there were also exposed beaches.
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