Li Zhen and Huang Shihai both arrived. Li Zhen looked at the situation outside the city from the tower and found that the fire was bright a few hundred meters outside the east gate, and two places were clearly visible. Among them, on the left outside the east gate were Adams and Russell.
The British and French allied forces he led, allied soldiers were waiting in formation and resting in the open air. On the right were the Taiping soldiers who had just arrived and had already set up camp.
The British and French allied forces were well equipped, and the Taiping Army was not weak either.
This time, the Taiping Army abandoned weapons such as swords and spears and replaced all weapons with guns.
The two armies faced off, but no one took action.
After Li Zhen made a clear visual inspection, he took a few steps back, leaned against the inside of the city wall, and asked: "Zhenhai, the British and French allied forces and the bandits are coming to kill, and Yang Banhou and his soldiers are still outside the city. Is there anything news?"
Qi Zhenhai nodded and said: "Deputy Commander Yang has sent back the news. He and Lu Shaochuan led the troops to stay outside the city and hide, and will not enter the city for the time being. Moreover, Qi Zhenhai has cleared all the mines on the road to avoid leaving
Disaster."
Li Zhen frowned and said, "Does he want to fish in troubled waters without entering the city?"
Qi Zhenhai said: "Commander, if I were outside the city with more than two thousand soldiers, I would choose not to return to the city. The purpose of the foreigners is to attack Shanghai, and the purpose of the bandits is to attack Shanghai. Although the purpose is the same, they are not of the same mind.
Even if there is no war between the two sides, Yang Banhou can still mediate, either inciting foreigners or inciting bandits."
Li Zhen thought for a while and said: "You mean that Yang Banhou is ready to unite with one party and then attack the other party together."
Qi Zhenhai said: "Deputy Leader Yang must have considered it this way."
After a pause, Qi Zhenhai said again: "Commander, I guess Deputy Yang's purpose is more than that. He may want to unite one side and then take down both sides. As long as he unites one side, defeats the other side, and then suddenly attacks,
Get rid of the original allies and capture the foreigners and bandits in an instant, killing two birds with one stone."
Li Zhen smiled and said: "Having said that, it still depends on Yang Banhou himself."
Huang Shihai suddenly asked: "Commander, what you and Brother Qi said was that we should unite. Can't the foreigners and the bandits not unite? What if the bandits and the foreigners reached an agreement to attack Shanghai together after consultation and coordination?
.When the time comes, we will face double pressure, and it won’t be easy!”
Li Zhen explained: "It is indeed possible for foreigners and bandits to reach a unified opinion, but we are not puppets. We immediately let people publicize the fact that foreigners bombarded people and massacred innocent people."
"As long as the British and French allied forces are pitted against the people, things will be easier to handle."
"The foundation of bandits is the common people. From the army generals to the ordinary soldiers, they are all transformed from the common people. When the bandits know about the foreigners shelling the docks and massacring the people, they will unconsciously resist the foreigners. Even if there are individual
People want to cooperate with foreigners, but given the general trend, no one dares to go against the will of the military and public opinion."
Li Zhen looked calm and said confidently: "It doesn't matter if the bandits can't conquer Shanghai, but losing the people's support and foundation will be the biggest loss to the bandits."
Huang Shihai asked again: "Commander, aren't we going to fight?"
"Go to war?"
Li Zhen shook his head and smiled, and said: "The confrontation between foreigners and bandits maintains a delicate balance. Whoever attacks Shanghai first will suffer the most violent counterattack and suffer the most casualties. The one who preserves the most strength will be more likely to gain.
.Both foreigners and bandits are stupid. They all have concerns and want to take advantage. If we fight out of the city, we will immediately break the balance and may be attacked by the most violent attacks. It is better to stay still than to move. We must stay calm for the time being.
It’s better to move.”
Huang Shihai nodded and immediately carried out Li Zhen's order.
Qi Zhenhai said: "Commander, in fact, with our strength, we are not afraid of foreigners and bandits."
Li Zhenxiao said: "You are usually very smart, but why do you act stupid at critical times? There are simpler ways to solve the problem, so why waste your own strength? Besides, even if they defeat the foreigners now, they still have warships at sea, so they can
Calmly retreating to the sea and killing some foreigners will be in vain. We have enough time, so don't rush for the time being."
Qi Zhenhai nodded and said, "You go and rest first. I'll pay attention to the movements outside the city."
…
Outside the city, where the British and French troops were stationed.
Next to the fire, Russell and Adams sat together, with soldiers standing in circles to protect the two from being attacked. Adams said seriously: "There is no gunfire in the city.
There are also Li Zhen's soldiers, and the coalition soldiers must have failed. Mr. Russell, we are going to attack Shanghai, and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom will also attack, what do you think?"
Russell said: "The best way is to unite with the Taiping Army and attack Shanghai together. Although the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is not very friendly to us, he remains neutral and does not dare to attack the coalition soldiers. He will wait until Shanghai is captured before rushing
Just join the Taiping Army."
Adams said: "The question is, are they willing to do it easily? Your country's Minister Burlon and our country's Governor in Hong Kong Wen Han also went to Nanjing to visit the Taiping Heavenly King, but they were kicked out and gained nothing.
"
Russell said: "No matter what, it's always good to give it a try."
Adams rolled his eyes and said: "If the Taiping Army does not cooperate, we will order the Taiping Army to withdraw. If they do not withdraw, we will threaten the warships to approach Nanjing and attack the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom."
Rachel nodded and said, "Rest first and think about this matter tomorrow."
…
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, military camps were stationed.
Unlike the British and French forces, the Taiping Army set up camp and even built fortifications.
In the big tent, there was a middle-aged general sitting directly above him.
This man has a tall build, a pair of thick eyebrows, a flat nose, slightly thick lips, and long and powerful arms, giving him a strong and powerful look. The middle-aged general wears a brocade robe, and his loose hair is tied with a rope.
The one with the big sword and horse was sitting at the upper hand, and his momentum was overwhelming. This man's name was Li Xiucheng, and he was a rising star general in the Taiping Army.
Li Xiucheng was a new soldier who joined the army in the first year of Xianfeng (1851). In the third year of Xianfeng, he was promoted by Yang Xiuqing to the post of fourth supervisor of the army, and he already had great authority.
This time to attack Shanghai, Li Xiucheng was sent to attack Li Zhen.
Originally, Yang Xiuqing was relieved to know that Li Zhen had gone to Shanghai. Shanghai was a mixed bag of dragons and snakes, and various forces were intertwined. There were members of the Tiandihui, officials from the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, and foreigners from various countries, and even more delicious food.
A wealthy businessman who never spits out his bones. If Li Zhen is caught in the whirlpool, there will be no threat, and he may even die in Shanghai.
However, what surprised Yang Xiuqing was that Li Zhen became prosperous in Shanghai. He not only put down the Xiaodao Society rebellion, but also defeated foreigners in a row. He also ransacked the home of the big businessman Yang Fang and took control of Shanghai.
Li Zhen's strength increased, and Shanghai's power suddenly increased, threatening the security of Tianjing (Nanjing).
Not only Yang Xiuqing alone, but also Hong Xiuquan, Wei Changhui and other kings felt uneasy. Therefore, Hong Xiuquan, Yang Xiuqing and other kings reached an agreement, and only then did Li Xiucheng lead his troops to kill.
ps: The third update is completed; please give me flowers.