Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 86 Li Yi: Lao Xiao, take the blame!
Li Yi was putting on his clothes while flirting with Luo Caiyu, both of them had happy smiles on their faces.

Newly married couples are in the best time to be affectionate with each other.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door outside.

Li Yi asked loudly.

"What's the matter?"

The maid outside the door responded.

"To answer the general, Director Li from the Military Intelligence Department is outside seeking to see you. He said he has urgent military intelligence to report!"

Li Yi responded, then turned around and said.

"Caiyu, take your time to get dressed and wash up. I'm going to go see Li Liang first."

Luo Caiyu nodded very sensibly.

"My dear husband, please go now. Business is more important. I will go to see my mother later..."

Li Yi nodded and walked out.

Soon, he met Li Liang in the study.

Li Liang came up to Li Yi, clasped his fists and bowed, then spoke.

"General, the Military Intelligence Department has just learned of an urgent military situation, which is the latest movement of the Taiping Army and the Qing Army. I feel that this matter is of great importance, so I have come to report it to you."

Li Yi heard this and nodded slightly.

"speak!"

Li Liang took a deep breath, took out a piece of information from his arms and handed it to Li Yi, then said.

"After the Taiping Army broke out of Yong'an on March 27, they marched northwards towards Guilin, the capital of Guangxi Province."

"The Taiping Army passed through Pingle on the first day of April and passed through Yangshuo on the fifth day of April."

"On the ninth day of April, the vanguard of the Taiping Army reached the city of Guilin and launched an attack on the city."

"However, due to the strong defense of Guilin and the timely return of Guangxi Admiral Xiang Rong with his troops, the Taiping Army entered the city half a day earlier to set up defenses. Therefore, the Taiping Army lost the first battle of the attack on Guilin and failed to achieve success."

"Afterwards, the Taiping Army and the Qing Army started a tug-of-war outside Guilin City, and Guilin's defenses were in danger several times."

"Right now, all the Qing troops in Guangxi are gathering in the direction of Guilin, preparing to reinforce Guilin."

After saying this, Li Liang stared at Li Yi with burning eyes.

"General, our chance is coming!"

Since Li Yi led his troops to Guiyi Town, although the army has been expanding, it has focused its main energy on internal affairs such as the construction of arsenals and fighting against local tyrants and dividing land.

In terms of military affairs, there has never been a large-scale use of foreign troops!

Even in Cenxi County, which was right under his nose, Li Yi only surrounded it but did not attack it. Apart from extorting a ransom for the city from the gentry and wealthy families in Cenxi County from time to time, he did not take any other action.

However, Li Liang understood that this was not because Li Yi was content with mediocrity, but that he had been lying in wait for the opportunity.

Now, the Taiping Army is attacking Guilin, the capital of Guangxi Province. Everyone's attention is there, and the Qing army is also gathering towards Guilin.

Li Liang knew that the opportunity Li Yi had been waiting for was now!
Li Yi's eyes lit up when he heard this.

"it is good!"

"Li Liang, go and pass on my military order immediately and have all the generals come to the palace to discuss matters!"

"Discuss the military expedition!"

Upon hearing this, Li Liang took a deep breath and clasped his fists.

"I humbly obey my orders!"

After saying this, he turned and left.

Li Yi also slowly exhaled a breath, leaned back in his chair, his eyes empty, and thoughts arose in his mind.

The war to the east that he had been planning for a long time should also be put on the agenda!

Retracting his thoughts, Li Yi called Li Kang again and gave him instructions.

"Send someone to Chen Yucheng and tell him that the matter can begin..."

……

Soon, under Li Liang's order, Wang An, Fan Xiyuan, Ye Zhisheng, Chen Yucheng and others arrived at Li Yi's mansion one after another.

Then they were led into the study, where they sat down and prepared to discuss matters.

Seeing the fatigue left by the hangover on everyone's faces, Li Yi first ordered people to serve strong tea to sober them up, and then he spoke.

"The Military Intelligence Department has just received the latest news. After the Taiping Army broke out of Yong'an, they marched northward to Guilin, attempting to capture Guilin City, the capital of Guangxi Province."

"Guilin City was short of troops and was on the verge of collapse under the attack of the Taiping Army. All the Qing troops in Guangxi had received orders and were moving to reinforce the battle in Guilin."

"The opportunity our army has been waiting for for so long is finally here!"

Upon hearing this, everyone started to speak.

"Congratulations, General! Congratulations, General!"

Li Yi nodded slightly, then asked.

"Therefore, this general has decided to take advantage of the fact that Guangxi's local military strength is empty and raise troops to attack the Qing Dynasty and restore China."

"But before we officially mobilize, this general needs to have a general understanding of the specific situation of each unit of our army so that we can formulate a combat strategy."

"First, Chief of Staff Lao Wang will report on the specific progress of our army's conscription work over the past period of time."

When Wang An was called by Li Yi, he immediately picked up the strong tea at hand and drank it all in one gulp, clearing up his head which was a little dizzy after the hangover.

Then he spoke.

"General, our army's recent recruitment work has been very effective. Since our army arrived in Cenxi, we have recruited more than 12,000 new soldiers."

"Combining the existing strength of our army, our total strength has now reached more than 15,000 people."

"Moreover, these 15,000 people have completed their reorganization and have initially acquired combat effectiveness."

Li Yi heard this and nodded slightly.

"very good!"

The reason why Li's army expanded so quickly was mainly because Li Yi fought against the local tyrants and divided the land in Cenxi.

The temptation of land attracted a large number of poor farmers' sons to join the army.

Then, Li's army was able to complete such a large-scale military expansion in just two months.

After saying that, Li Yi motioned for Wang An to sit down, then he turned his gaze to Ye Zhisheng, the head of the Logistics Section under the General Staff Department, and asked.

"Next, I would like to ask Mr. Ye to report on the logistics reserve situation of our army."

Upon hearing this, Ye Zhisheng stood up and spoke.

"In reply to the general, our army's logistics reserves now total 32,000 dan of grain, 3,000 pieces of cotton cloth, 17,000 jin of various medicinal materials, 100,000 jin of gunpowder, 20,000 jin of sugar, and some iron and steel materials..."

"All the supplies combined are enough to support our army in three to five large-scale operations!"

Since arriving in Cenxi, Li Yi has been lying in wait on the surface, but secretly he has been preparing for the coming war.

Logistical reserves are the top priority of the preparation work.

He established a relatively complete warehousing system in Guiyi Town, classifying and organizing various military supplies for future use.

Li Yi continued to nod slightly, and then spoke.

"very good!"

"But the storage of logistical materials cannot be relaxed. Even if the battle is going on in the front, the storage of materials in the rear must also be carried out at the same time."

Upon hearing this, Ye Zhisheng nodded to show that he understood.

"Don't worry, General. I understand!"

Li Yi turned his gaze to Zhao Ke and asked.

"Uncle, please report the current specific production capacity of our military arsenal."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ke also stood up and spoke.

"At present, the construction and development of our military arsenal is also very effective."

"Among them, breech-loading rifles, artillery, gunpowder, fixed-load paper shell bullets and other products have all begun stable production."

"The production capacity of breech-loading rifles has reached 500 per month."

"The production capacity of artillery has reached 30 guns per month, including 20 5-jin guns and 10 10-jin guns."

"The production capacity of gunpowder is 20,000 kilograms per month, and the production capacity of fixed-load paper shell bullets is 70,000 rounds per month." "Once more equipment and skilled craftsmen are added, the production capacity of the arsenal's weapons and ammunition can be further increased."

Li Yi nodded slightly when he heard this.

Although his face was full of smiles, he was somewhat disappointed in his heart.

To be honest, the development speed of Li’s army’s arsenal is not slow.

From being penniless at the beginning to now having hundreds of craftsmen of all kinds and producing 500 rear-loading rifles and 30 muzzle-loading cannons per month, it only took more than two months.

This development speed is indeed rapid!
But even so, the development speed of the arsenal still cannot keep up with the expansion speed of Li's army.

Compared with the total amount of munitions needed by Li's army, the arsenal's production capacity can only be said to be a drop in the bucket.

But, as the saying goes, something is better than nothing!
You have to eat one bite at a time, and you have to go step by step.

Nothing can be accomplished overnight.

take it easy!

This kind of thing can't be rushed!

Perhaps Zhao Ke saw the flash of disappointment in Li Yi's eyes, and added.

"It is worth mentioning that our craftsmen have made initial progress in their research and imitation of the advanced equipment in the arsenal. I believe that there will be actual results soon."

Li Yi's eyes brightened when he heard this, and he praised sincerely.

"Not bad!"

“I look forward to the day when you produce results.”

Actually, the so-called advanced machinery and equipment of this era do not have as high technological content as imagined.

With real objects and drawings as references, as long as the craftsmen are willing to work hard, it is not difficult to make a few machine tools or even a steam engine by hand.

Because at the same time, many of the precision parts in the so-called advanced equipment in Western countries were actually made by hand.

Only parts that are not very important and need to be produced in large quantities will be processed by machine tools.

The reason why machine tools became popular and gradually replaced manual production was not because of their high processing precision.

It is because the use of machine tools has lower processing costs and higher production efficiency.

Therefore, machine tools will gradually develop into industrial mother machines.

As for processing accuracy?
Let’s put it this way, if the processing accuracy of machine tools is to exceed that of manual work, we have to wait until the era of CNC machine tools.

Even in the era of CNC machine tools, many precision parts on high-tech equipment are still processed and produced manually.

Therefore, Li Yi's plan to organize craftsmen to imitate various machine tools and steam engines is actually quite feasible.

Besides, if Li Yi can’t make the precision parts by hand, he can buy them directly from the mall!

Anyway, it is much cheaper to buy parts than to buy finished machines!
Zhao Ke sat down after finishing his report.

Li Yi looked around and then concluded.

"The main forces of the Taiping Army and the Qing Army have gathered at the gates of Guilin and have no time to spare. Moreover, all units of our army have already made preparations for war."

"My fellow brothers, it's time!"

"Are you willing to follow Li and become a hero?"

Upon hearing this, everyone stood up from their seats and spoke in unison.

"We are willing to follow the general until death!"

"Drive out the Tartars, restore China, go through fire and water, and never give up!"

"..."

Li Yi nodded slightly, then nodded for everyone to take their seats.

But at this moment, Chen Yucheng, who had remained silent, stood up and spoke.

"General, I have something important to report!"

Li Yi's expression changed when he heard this, knowing that someone had arrived, he nodded immediately.

"speak!"

Chen Yucheng knelt down in front of Li Yi with a plop, kowtowed, then raised his head and spoke with red eyes.

"General, after the battle of Yong'an, the King of the South was killed, and my uncle Chen Chengrong was also defeated and dispersed by the army."

"A few days ago, my uncle came to join our army. I accepted him and temporarily settled him in the army."

"Yesterday the general got married, and my uncle was so happy that he drank a few more glasses. He said this to me after he got drunk."

"In fact, the death of the Southern King was not an accident."

"King Nan, the old King Nan was murdered by someone!"

"I hope the general will avenge the King of the South!"

When Li Yi heard this, his eyes widened instantly and he said in disbelief.

"This...how is this possible?"

"Tell me quickly, what happened? Who killed the King of the South?"

"The King of the South has been very kind to me. If the King of the South was really killed by a traitor, I will give an explanation to the King of the South's spirit in heaven even if I have to sacrifice everything!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yucheng continued speaking with a choked voice.

"My uncle said that the Southern King was murdered by the traitor Xiao Chaogui, the Western King."

"When the army broke out of Yong'an City and headed north, the Southern King was ordered to lead the rear army to cover the rear of the army. According to the Eastern King's arrangement, after the army withdrew from the battlefield, the Western King Xiao Chaogui would lead his army back to support the Southern King's troops."

"However, after receiving the order from the Eastern King to provide support, Xiao Chaogui deliberately delayed and delayed sending troops to provide support, and watched helplessly as the Southern King was trapped in the siege of the Qing monsters."

"That's why the tragedy of the Southern King dying in Yong'an happened!"

"General, you must avenge King Nan!"

Chen Yucheng spoke with deep emotion.

Upon hearing this, Li Yi angrily slammed the table and shouted.

"Xiao Chaogui, this villain, actually dared to assassinate the Southern King. He is so audacious that he deserves death!"

"This general and this villain will never reconcile!"

"One day in the future, I will definitely take his head and offer sacrifice to the Southern King's spirit in heaven!"

Li Yi didn't know whether Feng Yunshan's death was an accident or not.

But that's not important!
The important thing is that Li Yi now needs Feng Yunshan’s death to be not an accident.

Because only in this way could Li Yi openly announce his independence from the Taiping Army without being criticized.

After all, Li Yi's benefactor was killed by political enemies within the Heavenly Kingdom, and Li Yi left the Taiping Army in anger. Who could say no?

It just so happened that some time ago, Chen Chengrong came to Chen Yucheng for help.

Then, today's scene happened.

The reason why it was Xiao Chaogui was mainly because Li Yi could not blame Hong Xiuquan and Yang Xiuqing for Feng Yunshan's death.

Hong Xiuquan and Feng Yunshan are cousins, and Feng Yunshan is Hong Xiuquan's most trusted supporter in the Heavenly Kingdom.

King Hong had absolutely no motive to assassinate Feng Yunshan!
As for Yang Xiuqing?
He also had no reason to harm Feng Yunshan.

Yang Xiuqing’s biggest political enemy in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom now is Xiao Chaogui, the King of the West, not Feng Yunshan.

Even if Yang Xiuqing wanted to harm Xiao Chaogui, he would harm him instead of his ally Feng Yunshan.

It would be unreasonable for Li Yi to put the blame for Feng Yunshan's death on Hong Xiuquan and Yang Xiuqing because the two had no motive.

But Xiao Chaogui was different. He and Feng Yunshan had always been at odds with each other, and they were political enemies with a very bad relationship.

Precisely because of this, in the matter of assassinating Feng Yunshan, Xiao Chaogui not only had a motive, but also a very sufficient motive.

In addition, Li Yi also has a grudge against Xiao Chaogui.

Therefore, I have no choice but to trouble Xiao Chaogui to take the blame!

Please tell me about the update time.

These past two days I have gotten used to posting one chapter after I finish writing it. Some readers have reported that the update time is irregular.

So I’ll change the update time and just finish coding two chapters in the evening and post them together.

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(End of this chapter)