Chapter 136: Henan's Dramatic Changes
When Hong Xiuquan heard this, he frowned.
"It is better not to transfer Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang at will. They are now under the command of Commander Meng De'en, the commander of the palace. They are my guards. How can they be transferred out of the capital at will?"
"Let them stay in Tianjing and protect the Heavenly King's Palace!"
Because the Changsha Incident happened suddenly, when Xiao Chaogui fled Changsha, he did not have time to take Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang, who were stationed outside the city of Changsha, with him.
So, the two of them stayed in Changsha.
After the Changsha Incident, Yang Xiuqing intended to kill the two to establish his authority and retaliate against Xiao Chaogui's defection, but Hong Xiuquan stepped forward to save them.
He incorporated them into his own guard and put them in command of Menden.
Therefore, Lin Fengxiang and Li Kaifang were not only Xiao Chaogui's men, but also Hong Xiuquan's men.
Yang Xiuqing wanted to send his own people to die, and Hong Xiuquan certainly did not agree.
Seeing that Hong Xiuquan agreed to the Northern Expedition, Yang Xiuqing did not force him and just nodded.
"All listen to the king!"
Wei Changhui also spoke.
"The Heavenly King is holy and wise!"
Hong Xiuquan nodded slightly and waved his hand to get Yang Xiuqing and Wei Changhui to leave.
At this moment, Yang Xiuqing suddenly spoke.
"Your Majesty, I have something else to say but I don't know whether I should say it or not..."
Hong Xiuquan frowned slightly, but still spoke.
"Go ahead, King Dong. We are brothers, what can't we talk about?"
Yang Xiuqing nodded and then spoke.
"In reply to the Heavenly King, I just learned that Li Yi from Guangxi has already gone east to Guangdong and even captured Guangzhou. He is quite impressive."
"I think that my kingdom of heaven might be able to contact it."
"If we can get Li Yi's support, then when the Heavenly Kingdom launches the Northern Expedition, the pressure faced by the South will be shared by someone."
After hearing this, Hong Xiuquan asked with a somewhat unhappy look on his face.
"The King of the East wants that traitor Li Yi to return to heaven?"
Seeing the displeasure on Hong Xiuquan's face, Yang Xiuqing knew that he was still upset about Li Yi's betrayal, so he tried to comfort him.
"Your Majesty, I don't mean to let Li Yi return to heaven, I just want to use him for a while."
"When our Heavenly Kingdom completes the Northern Expedition, destroys the Qing demons, and rules the world, whether to deal with Li Yi will naturally depend on the Heavenly King's will."
Yang Xiuqing really thought that he could try to salvage the relationship with Li Yi.
Li Yi had no grudge against him, let alone any conflict.
In Yang Xiuqing's view, the biggest barrier between Li Yi and the Heavenly Kingdom was Xiao Chaogui.
But now that Xiao Chaogui has left the Kingdom of Heaven, the biggest obstacle for Li Yi to return to the Kingdom of Heaven is gone.
Therefore, Yang Xiuqing wanted to try to win back Li Yi.
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiuquan couldn't help but start to think deeply.
To be honest, although Hong Xiuquan disliked Li Yi, he could not deny that what Yang Xiuqing said made sense.
After thinking for a while, Hong Xiuquan spoke.
"In that case, let's send someone to make contact."
"Li Yi left the Heavenly Kingdom at the beginning, and the reason he used was that the Western King wanted to murder the Southern King. Now that the Western King has left the Heavenly Kingdom, I want to see if Li Yi has any other excuses."
"It would be best if Li Yi agrees. If not, I want to see how Li Yi can stop the people from talking nonsense."
Regardless of whether the plan succeeded or not, Hong Xiuquan was prepared to disgust Li Yi.
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiuqing couldn't help but twitch his lips, but he still bowed.
"The Heavenly King is holy and wise!"
After discussing launching the Northern Expedition and contacting Li Yi, Yang Xiuqing and Wei Changhui took their leave.
But Menden stayed.
Hong Xiuquan handed a blueprint to Meng De'en and then spoke.
"De'en, take a look. This is the Heavenly King's Palace that I designed myself."
Meng De'en took the drawing and started to look through it, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
Because the scale of the Heavenly King's Palace designed by Hong Xiuquan was too large.
It covers an area of more than ten miles in radius and has two city walls, each of which is twenty feet high.
Tianwang Palace is divided into two parts: outer city and inner city.
The outer city was named "Sun City" and was where the various government offices of the Heavenly Kingdom were located and where Hong Xiuquan handled state affairs.
The inner city was named "Golden Dragon City" and was Hong Xiuquan's own harem and residence.
The main gate of Sun City is Tianchao Gate. In front of the gate there is an imperial ditch, which is two meters wide and deep. There is a bridge over the ditch, and in front of the bridge there is a stone archway engraved with "Tianchao".
The main gate of Jinlong City is Shengtian Gate. There are three-story "chaofang" on the east and west sides of the gate. In front is the Jinlong Hall. Behind the Jinlong Hall are the second hall, the third hall, the harem and the garden.
Hong Xiuquan also stipulated that many buildings must be built with precious materials such as nanmu and white marble.
It would probably cost tens of millions of taels of silver to build the entire Heavenly King's Palace.
This is because the Kingdom of Heaven currently has separate camps for men and women, so the labor force is almost endless, and they don't have to pay wages, only provide food.
Otherwise, if the labor costs were taken into account, the cost of repairing the Tianwang Palace would be unimaginable.
However, after taking a deep breath, Meng De'en still spoke.
"The Heavenly King is holy and wise!"
"I will now go and gather the craftsmen and start the work."
"I wonder where the Heavenly King plans to locate the Heavenly King's Palace?"
Who is he that has received grace?
He was Hong Xiuquan's favorite minister!
Since you are a favorite, you must position yourself well.
To advise the king is something that only loyal and upright ministers would do.
Since you are a favorite, just do your duty as a favorite and don't meddle in other people's affairs.
If a person cannot clearly understand his own position, he will get into trouble sooner or later.
Hong Xiuquan said after thinking for a while.
"Let's use the ruins of the former Ming imperial palace. If that's not enough, we can expand outwards."
The location of the Nanjing Forbidden City of the former Ming Dynasty is right on the central axis of Nanjing City, which is naturally the best location.
Meng De'en nodded to show that he understood, then took his leave.
……
On the second day of November in the first year of Emperor Xianfeng's reign in the Qing Dynasty, Li Yi personally rode his horse to the outskirts of Guangzhou, ready to welcome his mother and wife who were coming east from Guangxi to Guangzhou.
Behind him, the generals of the Restoration Army followed one after another.
In the distance, there was a cloud of dust and the sight of carriages and horses. Several carriages, escorted and surrounded by a team of soldiers from the Restoration Army, slowly moved in front of Li Yi.
When the carriage stopped, Li Yi's mother, Zhao, lifted the curtain and got off the carriage with the help of Luo Caiyu.
Li Yi took a few steps forward, knelt down in front of Zhao, and then said.
"Your son Li Yi greets his mother. May you live long and happily!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao smiled and hurriedly supported Li Yi.
"Yier, get up quickly, get up quickly."
"Show me..."
Li Yi was helped up, and Zhao looked him up and spoke with a slightly sour tone.
"Yier has become thinner and darker. I'm afraid he has suffered a lot during this period..."
Hearing this, Li Yi just shook his head and said.
"For the sake of China and the people of the world, it is my duty as a son to suffer a little."
If you want to wear his crown, you must bear its weight!
As the Grand Commander of the Restoration Army and the leader of the entire Restoration Army system, Li Yi cannot afford to be lazy and slack off since the capture of Guangzhou City. Since then, Li Yi has either been handling military and political affairs or out on inspections.
He basically has no time to rest, which is in stark contrast to Hong Quan who is in Nanjing.
Naturally, people get tanned and look thinner.
After paying respects to his mother, Zhao, Li Yi took Luo Caiyu's hand and spoke in a gentle voice.
"My husband has been leading the army to fight outside during this period. Thank you for taking care of my mother for me."
Although Luo Caiyu's appearance is not extremely beautiful, she can only be considered a pretty girl from a small family, and her skin is even a little dark.
But Li Yi is convinced that she is his legal wife, and this will not change.
On the one hand, it’s because of his father-in-law Luo Dagang.
But more importantly, it is because Luo Caiyu is a good wife and mother, which makes her very likable.
When Li Yi was with her, she could take good care of Li Yi.
When Li Yi is not around, she can also help Li Yi take care of his mother.
Such a virtuous wife is truly hard to come by.
Luo Caiyu lowered her head slightly and then said.
"This is what I should do."
As they were talking, Li Yi led Zhao and others towards Guangzhou city.
He held a banquet at the Grand Commandery to welcome the people coming from Cenxi.
At the banquet, Li Yi raised his glass high, made an impassioned speech, and envisioned the future with the generals.
Conquer Guangdong and Guangxi in one year!
Conquer the entire South in three years!
Destroy the Qing Dynasty and unify the world in five years!
Li Yi unscrupulously painted big rosy pictures for everyone, and he seemed to be shrouded in a dazzling halo with his high spirits.
Luo Caiyu stared at her husband without blinking. Looking at this man who was in high spirits and seemed to have the world under his control, little stars twinkled in her eyes.
He didn't even bother to pay attention to Luo Dagang who wanted to reminisce with his daughter!
This made Luo Dagang feel uneasy, thinking that his precious daughter had some idea about him remarrying...
……
That night, the moonlight was dark.
The clouds have cleared and the rain has stopped!
On the big bed in the bedroom of the Grand Marshal's Mansion, Li Yi leaned against the head of the bed, Luo Caiyu pressed tightly against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
He used a little more force in his arms around the beautiful woman, hugging Luo Caiyu tighter.
"Caiyu, we have to work harder at night from now on."
"The Restoration Army has developed to the point where it is now. It is no longer a makeshift team. The Restoration Army and I both need a successor."
"We need an heir so that we can have a better future..."
Hearing this, Luo Caiyu hummed softly and said with some worry in her voice.
"Li Lang, you and I have been married for such a long time, but my stomach has not moved. Is there something wrong with my body?"
"Why don't you try taking in a few concubines..."
Hearing this, Li Yi patted her butt gently and spoke in a gentle tone.
"Don't think too much. I've been in the army fighting for a while, and you've been alone in Cenxi. We've been together for a long time, so it's normal that your stomach isn't moving."
"This time the army entered Guangzhou, and things have been stabilized for the time being."
"If we both work hard, we will get there sooner or later."
It’s not that Li Yi doesn’t want to take a concubine. He is a man, how could he not be interested in beautiful women?
It's just not the time yet.
The Restoration Army has just gained some momentum, and Li Yi still needs to show off his character of being courteous to the wise, living a simple life, and not interested in women, so as to attract more talents to join him.
Don’t learn from Lao Hong’s excessive debauchery and extravagant enjoyment.
So I'm too lazy to bother!
Luo Caiyu hummed softly again.
Just at this moment, a notification sounded outside Li Yi's bedroom.
"Grand Commander, Director Li Liang is outside seeking to see you."
"He said he had something important to report!"
Li Yi was immediately cheered up when he heard this, and then said.
"Let Li Liang wait in the study first, I will be there soon."
After saying this, Li Yi started to get up, and Luo Caiyu, covering him with a brocade quilt, helped him get dressed.
"It's already this late, and you still don't want to rest. Has Li Lang always been like this?"
Li Yi said with a wry smile and shook his head.
"Military affairs are very busy, and many things need to be dealt with immediately. There can be no delay at all."
"It will be fine once you get used to being busy!"
After putting on his clothes, Li Yi gently kissed Luo Caiyu on the face and then said.
"Sleep well, I'll be back soon."
……
Li Yi strode to the study and pushed the door open.
Li Liang was already waiting inside, with an obvious look of anxiety on his face.
"What's so urgent that you come to see me so late at night?"
Li Yi asked.
Li Liang swallowed and said with a serious expression.
"Grand Commander, Xiao Chaogui is dead!"
When Li Yi heard this, his expression froze and he asked in disbelief.
"Xiao Chaogui is dead? How did he die? What happened?"
Li Liang took a deep breath and continued to report.
"In reply to the Grand Commander, after the Changsha Incident, Xiao Chaogui and Shi Dakai broke away from the main force of the Taiping Army and headed north."
"They broke through the important cities of Jingzhou, Xiangyang, Nanyang and others, and fought their way to the city of Luoyang, and then launched an attack on Luoyang."
"During the siege, Xiao Chaogui was injured by a stray bullet."
"Afterwards, the Qing Dynasty's reinforcements arrived in Luoyang and attacked the Luoyang defenders from both inside and outside. In a hurry, the Taiping Army was defeated and Xiao Chaogui died in the chaos..."
"Now Shi Dakai has led the remnants of the Taiping Army to retreat to the Ruzhou area."
Li Yi's expression became serious when he heard this.
From the perspective of personal grudges, Xiao Chaogui's death is definitely a good thing for Li Yi.
But if you look at the world, it's a different story.
Xiao Chaogui was the backbone of the Taiping Army that marched north to Henan. Once he died in battle, no matter how outstanding Shi Dakai's abilities were, the situation in Henan would probably be very bad.
At that time, the Qing government would be able to calmly transfer troops from the north and press forward to the south of the Yangtze River.
If Li Yi's plan led to the main force of the Taiping Army being defeated in Jiangnan, the Qing army would mobilize the entire country to attack Guangdong and Guangxi.
At that time, Li Yi's plan to hide behind the Taiping Army and develop slowly would fail.
Li Yi took a deep breath and continued to ask.
"Who is leading the Qing army?"
Li Liang recalled and answered.
"To reply to the Grand Commander, it is the Qing demon's new Henan Governor Senggelinqin..."
"This man is a Mongolian from the Khorchin grasslands. He is the current Zasakduoluo County Prince and is highly regarded by Emperor Xianfeng, the chief of the Qing Dynasty."
"This time he led his army into Henan to fight, with tens of thousands of Mongolian cavalry following him!"
"It was precisely because of the charge of these Mongolian cavalry that Xiao Chaogui and Shi Dakai were defeated at the gates of Luoyang..."
(End of this chapter)