In the sixth year of Xianfeng, spring, the fifth day of the first month. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

Luzon, Manila, just after the New Year, the whole Manila is still immersed in the celebration of the Spring Festival, officials, gentlemen, businessmen, and ordinary people are busy visiting relatives and friends to pay New Year's greetings, and even the local indigenous people who originally believed in Catholicism have gradually become accustomed to the Spring Festival.

Although Luzon promotes the equality of all ethnic groups, respects the language, culture, beliefs, customs and clothing of all ethnic groups, but after all, Luzon has been incorporated into the Qing Dynasty, and most of the officials, gentry, and businessmen are Han Chinese, and with the uninterrupted immigration over the years, the entire Luzon, including Manila, the Han people have occupied the majority, coupled with the popularization of education, Han culture and Han customs have become the mainstream.

In recent years, Buddhism and Taoism began to develop in a big way to the two provinces of Nanyang, Manila already has two temples and a Taoist hall, of course, the City God Temple is also indispensable, during the Spring Festival, the temple fair in Manila is also very lively.

Malacacanan Palace is also full of lights, but it is very quiet, although there are a lot of officials and gentry who come to pay New Year's greetings, but one does not dare to make a loud noise, easy to be content and do not receive gifts, and rarely feast guests, although so, but no one will come to the door empty-handed during the New Year, will bring some festive gifts, when leaving, Malacacanan Palace will give back gifts, only more, no less, and will also send red envelopes.

From the fourth to the eighth day of the first month, these days are the most, easy to be content and the busiest, even the axis of the reception of visitors, some are alone, some are a pull and a pull, from the morning to the afternoon, there is almost no free time, just sent away a Taoist, he looked at the watch, saw that the time was still early, then turned over the name of the post is about to call the next.

Cao Gensheng walked in quickly and said, "Big shopkeeper, Groba is calling." Seeing Yi Zhicontent, he opened the folder and read: "On December 8, the British and French forces launched a fierce attack and captured the fortress of Malakov, and the Russian army destroyed all the fortifications and withdrew from Sevasporol. ”

Sevasporol is the home port of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the siege of Sevasporol by the British, French and Turkish forces lasted for one year and two months, and it was the main battlefield of the Crimean War.

It's finally over! Yi Zhixiang sighed secretly, his wish that the Crimean War would last longer had not been realized, which made him feel a little lost.

Lin Meilian poked her head at the door at this time, and Yi Zhixiang glanced at it, and ordered: "Tell the guests who are still waiting, saying that I am not feeling well, and they will come back another day." ”

After speaking, he took out his jade pipe and lit a cigarette, pondered for a while, and then he ordered: "Send a telegram to Ili, submit a battle plan, and send troops after the beginning of spring." ”

"Generate electricity for Tarbagatai, the content is the same as above."

After a pause, Cao Gensheng, who was waiting, stopped writing, and he continued: "Send electricity to Hongji, Yan Yangtian urged Yang Xiuqing to end the war in Annan as soon as possible." ”

"Send a telegram to Cheli in Yunnan, and Yin Youcai will tell Hong Xiuquan and Shi Dakai that the Crimean War will end in two or three months."

"Send a report to Tang Zaosheng, and you can lead the department back to Gropa."

"Forward the call to Su Shun, inform him that the Crimean War is coming to an end, and urge the imperial court to visit European missions to go south as soon as possible, and strive to start in the summer."

Cao Gensheng, who was waiting, recorded them one by one, he looked at them, and after seeing that the records were correct, he signed them and said, "Let Ma Yiqing come here." ”

Cao Gensheng turned around and left, Ma Yiqing and Zhao Wenlie came in to greet him, and Yi Zhizhi smiled, "It's being asked to invite you, so coincidentally?" ”

"I have something to report to the treasurer." Ma Yiqing said: "The envoys of Siam, Khmer, and Annam arrived in Manila, hoping that the chief treasurer could receive them. ”

The envoys of Siam, Khmer, and Annam arrived at the same time? Apparently not a coincidence, this is an alliance? Yi Zhishu groaned a little and said: "No, the Yamen of the Prime Minister of Nanyang is only responsible for the diplomatic affairs of Western countries, and the vassal countries are under the management of the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Academy, so let them go to the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Academy." ”

Seeing that he was so simple, Zhao Wenlie hesitated before he said, "Do you want to meet the envoys of Siam and appease him a little." ”

Why? Yi Zhizu groaned for a while, and then raised his hand and said, "No need to be formal, sit down." ”

After taking his seat, Zhao Wenlie continued: "The fall of Annam is imminent, the Khmer war is imminent, and the envoys of the two countries are not seen, but the situation in Siam is different, and it is estimated that it will take a few years to delay the use of troops, so you might as well appease ........" ”

"The analysis is good, and the use of troops in Siam will definitely be delayed for a few years." Yi Zhizu said slowly: "However, the Taiping army entrenched in Chiang Mai is enough to deter Siam, besides, appease? How to appease? The Taiping army fought Annam on the left and Burma on the right, how could Siam not understand what was going on? Let them have a fight with the court. ”

After a pause, he continued: "The Crimean War will soon end this year, and it is very likely that Britain and France will provoke a war in Asia, and it is not ruled out that Spain and the Netherlands will follow to recover Luzon and Java ......." ”

Hearing this, Ma Yiqing couldn't help but be stunned, if Britain, France, Spain and the Netherlands came together, Yuan Qi could bear it? Although he was extremely convinced of Yi Zhi's judgment, he still couldn't help but say: "Britain and France have fought in Crimea for three years, and they still have the strength to start a war with the Qing Dynasty?" ”

Zhao Wenlie was also very skeptical of this judgment, "The big shopkeeper, last time the crow. The British did not get a good ..... for the war. ”

Yi Zhizhi said: "Britain and France join forces, or Britain, France, Spain and the Netherlands join forces, it's another matter. ”

"Britain and France are not rivals? A hundred years of feud? Zhao Wenlie said: "In the Crimean War, Britain and France joined forces, that was to resist the expansion of the Russians into Europe and infringe on the interests of Britain and France in Europe. ”

"There is a famous saying in the West - there are no eternal enemies, no eternal friends, only eternal interests. This is especially true between countries. Yi Zhixiang knocked his pipe and re-lit a cigarette, "It is not surprising that Britain and France can join forces to fight Russia for the interests of Europe, and they can also join forces to fight our Qing Dynasty for the interests of Asia."

As for whether Britain and France have the ability to wage wars one after another, there is no doubt about this, the background of Britain and France is far from being comparable to that of the Qing Dynasty, and they do not want to see the strong rise of the Qing Dynasty, so I think there is a great possibility that this war will break out. ”

Zhao Wenlie hesitated for a moment before he said: "That being the case, why doesn't the big shopkeeper postpone sending troops to the northwest?" The Russians suffered heavy losses in the Crimean War, and it is not a year or two to recover. ”

"Temporarily postpone sending troops to the northwest, it's not that I haven't thought about ......" Yi Zhisuff pondered and said: "First, it is uncertain whether Britain and France will provoke a war, and secondly, the opportunity to send troops in the northwest is also fleeting, and when Russia reacts, it will inevitably accumulate heavy troops in the northwest." In addition, if a war breaks out with Britain and France, it is more likely that the battlefield will be in Burma, Annam, and Nanyang provinces. ”

Although after the end of the Crimean War there was a second outbreak of crows. The war, but because of the birth of Yuan Qi, the situation has long been unrecognizable, and it is difficult to judge whether Britain and France will continue to provoke war in the Far East.

However, he felt that the outbreak of war was very likely, because the expansion of the Qing Dynasty in Southeast Asia and the southern foothills of Tibet had seriously endangered the expansion of British power in Asia, and France would inevitably point the spearhead of expansion at the Far East.

Once Britain and France provoke a war, Spain and the Netherlands, which are unwilling to lose their colonies in Asia and are unwilling to be excluded from the trade between the East and the West, will inevitably follow suit, and perhaps, even the United States, which is bent on finding a foothold in the Far East, will be involved!

Hearing these words, Ma Yiqing's heart sank, if the two provinces of Nanyang become the main battlefield, Manila will inevitably bear the brunt! He said worriedly: "If war breaks out, our hard work in the past few years will be ruined." ”

Yi Zhizu chuckled, "Scared? ”

"How can you not be afraid?" Ma Yiqing said unabashedly: "Over the years, Yuan Qi has invested a lot of money in Luzon Java, ...... ”

"It's useless to be afraid, you still have to come." Yi Zhizhi said and handed a cigarette to the two of them, and said slowly: "In today's world, the rise of any powerful country must pass the baptism of war, and the Qing Dynasty is no exception!" It is not yet possible to say whether war will break out, but we must be prepared for it.

Our navy was established late, and the comprehensive strength of the fleet, naval strength, combat experience, etc., cannot be compared with Britain and France, but if a war really breaks out, our chances of winning will be greater.

Western countries have gone on an expedition across the ocean, and the logistical supply lines are too long, and the scale of their troops will not be too large, and it is impossible to reach the scale of hundreds of thousands at every turn, as in the Crimean War, and the scale of 100,000 will break through the sky.

Our navy is a little worse, but the army is not bad, and it is even slightly better in terms of weapons and equipment, and the sea area of the two provinces of Nanyang is complex, the area is vast, and there is a great room for maneuver, and we are fighting at home, as long as there are no major mistakes in strategy and tactics, we will certainly be able to have the last laugh. ”

Hearing him say this, Ma Yiqing breathed a sigh of relief, since the formation of the Yuanqi group training, he doesn't know how many battles he has fought, he has never lost a battle, and he has never questioned Yi Zhi's contentment judgment.

"The two provinces of Nanyang are isolated overseas, and the combat power of the British and French fleets is far superior to that of the Nanyang Navy, once the war starts, the two provinces of Nanyang will not only become the main battlefield, but also an isolated battlefield." Yi Zhizu said slowly: "In order to prevent Britain and France from avoiding reality and making a mistake, it is impossible for Yuan Qi to deploy too many troops in the two provinces of Nanyang.

This requires mobilizing the people of the two provinces of Nanyang, and what I am worried about is the indigenous, the two provinces have not been attached for a long time, and the local aborigines have no sense ......of belonging to the Qing Dynasty. ”

"The big shopkeeper is too worried." Ma Yiqing said confidently: "Although we have not ruled Luzon for a long time, a series of measures have won the hearts of the people, and most of the natives actively support us. ”

"So confident?" Yi Zhixiang was a little surprised, "Judging from the situation reported in the past few years, the natives in Luzon and Java seem to be very serious. ”

Ma Yiqing nodded and said: "It is true that there are many local natives who have strong xenophobic feelings, but they have all been appeased. ”

"Once the opportunity arises, they are afraid that they will be ready to move." Yi Zhizu said coldly: "Recently, a large-scale clean-up and rectification campaign will be launched, and for those who have serious xenophobia, don't be soft and bloody to suppress them!" He also took this opportunity to actively train the militia groups. ”

Hearing this, Ma Yiqing hesitated for a while before saying: "Big shopkeeper, in this way, it will cause antagonism between the Han and the natives...... ”

If there is no war, or give him another ten or twenty years, these natives will definitely be able to completely integrate in, but under the threat of war, he can only take extreme high-pressure measures to eliminate the potential threat! The lesser of two evils can only be chosen!

Without waiting for Yi Zhizhi to speak, Zhao Wenlie said: "The confrontation can be slowly eliminated in the future, the top priority, the first issue is to keep Luzon Java first, if these two provinces are occupied, the opposition is not opposed, what is the point?" ”

Ma Yiqing's expression was a little gloomy, he knew very well that Yuan Qi had invested huge financial, material and human resources in the two provinces of Nanyang, and would never tolerate the loss of the two provinces of Nanyang, and once the war broke out, the local natives would indeed become a factor of instability, and they would definitely not be like the immigrants from the two provinces who were of one heart and one mind with the army, sharing life and death.

Although he was not sure that the war would definitely break out, no one could afford to take this risk, and with a secret sigh, he nodded slowly and said, "Okay, it will start after the beginning of the year." ”

Yi Zhizhi said: "Build up the momentum first, wait for Yan Yangtian to lead the troops back, and then clean it." ”

Ili, General's Palace.

It was early spring, Ili was still icy and snowy, a midwinter scene, Feng Renxuan nested in the study and compared the map to study the Tsarist Russia's Syr Darya defense line in the northwest and the Ili River Chu River defense line, these two defense lines are like a huge chain, forming a huge encirclement of Ili and Tarbagatai, and the northwest sends troops to destroy these two defense lines first.

Since the beginning of cutting off trade with the Russians last year, Feng Renxuan has a premonition that the time to send troops to the northwest is not far off, in his opinion, sending troops to the northwest, it is not necessarily necessary to wait until the end of the Crimean War, the current Tsarist Russia has transferred most of its troops to Crimea, the troops in the northwest have been empty, this spring, it is a great opportunity to send troops!

"Brother Ji Rong—." Chang Kunning and Tang Bingcan came in with a smile, one of them was carrying a few sections of horse intestines in their hands, the other was carrying a jar of wine, and Tang Bingcan was holding a box of deer antler velvet under his armpit.

Feng Renxuan glanced at the two of them and said with a smile: "What's the matter, you want to get drunk again?" ”

"Take advantage of the fact that it hasn't thawed yet, and have a few good drinks." Chang Kunning said with a smile: "The horse intestines of Kazakh herdsmen can be regarded as delicious....... ”

Before the words fell, I heard a loud report outside the door: "My lord, Manila telegraph." ”

As soon as he heard that it was a telegram from Manila, Feng Renxuan hurriedly said, "Read-." ”

"Submit a battle plan and send troops after the beginning of spring. Easy to be content. ”