Wei Yuan had a strong interest in Yuan Qi, and he was extremely grateful to Yi Zhizu, who advocated the construction of railways, issuance of treasury bonds, and opened a machine silk reel factory. Otherwise, Lin Zexu would not have agreed to be an aide to Yi Zhizu just because of a letter. Moreover, there was a like-minded Bao Shichen in Shanghai. The two worked together in the shogunate of Tao Shu, the governor of Liangjiang for more than ten years, and their friendship was extraordinary.

He was not resistant to going to Shanghai, but Lin Zexu's words made him feel a little uneasy. Lin Zexu took office and said he was leaving. Moreover, his tone was a bit wrong, and he seemed to have a bad premonition. Could it be that he was not optimistic about this game of chess?

The two walked slowly into the pavilion on the side of the road. After sitting down, Wei Yuan said cautiously: "Dongweng seems to be sure that the British must have invaded Jiangning, and they are not sure about this battle?"

"The British barbarians are powerful, and the ships and cannons are strong, so the coastal navy is difficult to compete with." Lin Ze said slowly: "Compared to Tianjin, I am more willing to attack Jiangning. As for the victory or defeat, it is really not optimistic."

Wei Yuan said in confusion: "Since you know this, why don't you make other plans?"

Lin Zexu shook his head slightly and said, "There is a huge difference in strength, and there is no better way."

Although Lin Zexu did not say it clearly, Wei Yuan had already guessed a little and was silent for a while before he spoke: "The Yuanqi Group's training battle to recover Dinghai, which shows that the combat power is good. Since the British are unlikely to attack Guangzhou, why not transfer Yuanqi Group's training to Jiangning?"

Lin Zexu looked at him calmly. Although he believed in Wei Yuan and was interested in revealing some information today, the matter of Yuanqi Group Practitioner secretly coming to Jiangning was too confidential. He did not dare to reveal it. After pondering for a moment, he said: "Yuanqi Group Practitioner is a new army, which is also small in scale and is not good at water battles, so it is difficult to use it."

Before he finished speaking, he heard the sound of horse hooves. He turned around and saw Yi Zhizu galloping forward, and couldn't help but say, "How can this kid ride a horse?"

Yi Zhizu was the riding technique he learned at Basuo. He rarely had the chance to ride a horse on weekdays. When he got the chance, his hands were itchy. He was still more than ten steps away from the pavilion. He loosened the reins, walked around and swayed the stirrups and left the saddle. He jumped out of the pavilion and smiled, "Good skills."

Yi Zhizu immediately looked at the other party a few times. Seeing that he was in his early forties, thin and weak, and looked like an old master, he knew that it must be Wei Yuan. He immediately strode forward and bowed and smiled, "I just know how to ride, but I dare not be acclaimed by Mr. Wei."

Wei Yuan smiled and bowed, "Tao-Guangzhou Railway has been completed and opened to traffic again. The Yida Shopkeeper is now famous. It is so fortunate to meet today."

"Mr. Wei is famous all over the world and has admired her for a long time." Yi Zhizu said as he strode forward. Because he had hired the other party as his master before, he was still waiting to greet him. Lin Zexu smiled in the pavilion: "Shizu is not ordinary eye-catching."

"Mr. Master Ting is reminded that I will change another one in Jiangning next time." Yi Zhizu said as he stepped into the pavilion to greet him.

"This is Baitu Mountain." Lin Zexu said: "Mo Sheng and Zhizu talked about the war." As he said that, he reached out to signal the two of them to sit down.

Hearing that Zheng Chenggong had led 3,000 warships and 100,000 troops to attack Jiangning, and was defeated here, Yi Zhizuo couldn't help but feel surprised. This was the first time he heard that Zheng Chenggong had such a defeat. After a while, he said with emotion: "It's a blessing to lose his horse. If it weren't for the defeat of Baitu Mountain, Zheng Chenggong would not have taken Taiwan back from the Dutch."

"This is not without reason." Lin Zexu said: "However, the words of contentment seem to have the meaning of using the past to describe the present? Don't hide it, just say it."

Yi Zhizuo was not humble, and he pondered for a moment, and then said, "I think that the battle with England, no matter what the outcome is, is a good thing for the Qing Dynasty. This battle at least allowed the Qing Dynasty to see the strong ships and cannons in the West, and realized the gap between the Qing Dynasty and the West. If this battle broke out several decades later, it would be the real tragedy of the Qing Dynasty."

"Oh?" Wei Yuan said in confusion: "Why is it true that it has exploded for decades late? "

"Because Western countries are now in the infancy of rapid development." Yi Zhizu said in a deep voice: "If the Qing Dynasty can recognize its own shortcomings and realize the gap with Western countries at this time, it is not too late. As long as we can catch up, we still have hope to catch up and even surpass Western countries. If it is later, it will be too late.

It doesn’t take too late. In the next ten or twenty years, the gap between the Qing Dynasty and the Western countries is far from the current gap. It can be said that it is a huge difference. When war breaks out, it will not only be England and Geely. I am afraid that the Western countries will take turns to fight, and the invasions are not only the navy, but the army and navy will join forces."

Wei Yuan said in surprise: "Why did Lord Yi say this?"

Yi Zhizu glanced at him, then looked at Lin Zexu, and said, "The news came from Citibank that England and France have now developed ironclad ships that do not need to voyage with the help of wind, and said that England may use ironclad ships in this war to test the power of ironclad ships. I hope that we can seize the ironclad ships by any means and jointly study and imitate them."

"Iron Craft?"

"All warships built of steel have no wood or sails on and off the ship. They are powered by steam engines. I heard that the displacement is 2,000 tons, and can carry more than 1,000 troops, and more than 100 artillery pieces. Ordinary artillery cannot hurt them at all."

Can I still use iron to build a ship? Will it not sink? Lin Zexu and Wei Yuan couldn't help but look at each other, unable to imagine what the iron-clad ship looked like and how it was built. However, there were many incredible things in the West, and the two of them knew that Yi Jingzu could not speak nonsense in front of them.

After a while of silence, Lin Zexu spoke: "If the British really sent iron-clad ships to participate in the war, wouldn't it be very likely that they would attack Guangzhou?"

The ironclad ship is naturally easy to speak nonsense. After hearing Lin Zexu's question, he pondered for a moment and said: "It is possible that the British may use the Humen Fort to test the power of the ironclad ship. However, an ironclad ship should not be enough to threaten the Humen Fort, and Guangzhou is not the main target of the British attack after all."

Lin Zexu nodded and felt relieved. He was really worried that Yi Zhizu would draw the Yuanqi regiment to train troops back to Guangzhou for self-protection. The other party said this, obviously to take into account the overall situation. He stood up and said, "Since we are here, let's go to Baitu Mountain to see this section of the river."

The river surface of Baitu Mountain is wide and the water flows smoothly, which is suitable for the large-scale mooring fleet. It is no wonder that Zheng Chenggong chose to camp in Baitu Mountain to siege Jiangning City. Yi Zhizu naturally understood the purpose of Lin Zexu coming here to conduct on-site surveys. He was careful to investigate and memorize. Others didn't know it, but he was quite clear. The one who guided the British fleet was the Tiandihui. Zheng Chenggong's position in the Tiandihui was very noble. The British fleet led by the Tiandihui might really be able to be parked on this section of the river.

When the sun sets west, Lin Zexu and his party came down from Baitu Mountain. Yi Zhizu broke up with him by the river and called a small boat to the nearby pier.

Sanshan Gate is located southwest of Jiangning City, commonly known as Shuixi Gate. Because Xishui is close to the side, Shuilumen and Land Gate is the main road to the west of Jiangning City. It has always been a place of bustling business and travel. Yizhisheng took a small boat along the river and arrived at the dock outside Shuixi Gate at dusk. Among the densely moored ships on both sides, he easily saw his particularly conspicuous flying scissor ship.

Of course, he knew that the flying scissors were conspicuous. This time, he deliberately came to Jiangning on the flying scissors because the flying scissors were conspicuous and facilitated contact with the officers and soldiers of the Yuanqi regiment. As soon as the boat approached the flying scissors, the captain Hu Haisheng and a few sailor crew rushed to the side of the ship to watch vigilantly. Yi Shizu, who was welcomed, came out of the cabin. Everyone quickly stabilized the boat and picked him up on the ship.

When the boat arrived, Yi Zhizu said: "I am so vigilant, but someone is in trouble?"

"Go back to the young master." Hu Haisheng said indifferently: "A few rascals came to blackmail and were scared away."

There is also such a blind rogue who is so eye-opening? Yi Zhizu frowned. At a glance, the boat knew that it was either rich or noble, but it was not something ordinary rogue dared to provoke. Besides, Lin Zexu took this boat to Jiangning to take office. Could it be a gang? He came for him? He pondered for a moment, and then said: "Be alert, report it immediately if you have any problems, try not to cause trouble. If you come to the door, don't be afraid of trouble. I will take care of everything."

"Yes, I understand." Hu Haisheng quickly said loudly, and he lowered his voice and said, "As soon as the boat landed, someone came to contact me, and he had already gone to the inn with Li Wang."

The people have arrived? It seems that they are still going well. Yi Zhizu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Go to the inn."

"Liu Fu'an" Inn is not far from the pier, but only a quarter of an hour away, Li Wang greeted the private courtyard that Yi Zhizuo entered and said, "Young Master, they have arrived, in the east wing."

Yi Zhizu nodded, turned to the east wing, stepped into the door, and She Goucheng, the battalion commander of the 3rd Regiment 1st Battalion, and two regiments and brave men quickly stood up and stood attentively and saluted, saying, "She Goucheng, the battalion commander of the 3rd Regiment 1st Battalion, has met the principal."

All familiar with Yi Zhizu, a first-class officer of the Yuanqi Regiment Training Camp, nodded slightly before he asked, "Is the journey going smoothly?"

"Go back to the principal, the journey went smoothly." She Goucheng said: "I just couldn't find the boat during the Chinese New Year, so I stayed in Xiangtan for two days."

After sitting down, Yi Zhizu reached out and pressed it quietly, saying, "Sit." Then he asked, "When will most of them arrive?"

"When the principal, most of them should have arrived in Changsha now." She Goucheng said: "Most of them took their baggage and took a boat to Shaoguan and then to Hengshui by land. It took quite a while. It would probably take half a moon to reach Jiangning."

In other words, one and a half months of escorting the baggage is enough to arrive in Jiangning? Yi Zhizu thought to himself that there is no need to go to the sea. After all, once the war begins, the risk of maritime transportation will become infinite, and logistics support requires stability. In addition, from Huizhou Prefecture to enter the sea, he was worried that he could not hide the Tiandihui's eyes and ears. The British army launched a large increase in troops, and the Tiandihui's attitude was difficult to figure out, so he did not need to take risks.

The next morning, Yi Zhizu got up early and entered Jiangning City, and rushed directly to the Governor's Office. Yesterday, he was in a position to discuss military garrison with Lin Zexu. This matter could not be delayed, so he must be finalized early.

The Liangjiang Governor's Office was in the center of the city. It was originally the Han Palace of the former dynasty. It was large in scale. Yi Zhizu handed in the letter and was quickly led in. He paid a little attention all the way and found that the Liangjiang Governor's Office seemed to be higher in the specifications than the Guangdong-Guangdong Governor's Office. He wondered and thought for a while before he realized that this might be the patrol. Kangxi and Qianlong all liked the southern tour. They went to Jiangnan a lot, and they might have stayed in the Governor's Office.

The menzi led him out of a yard before stopping: "Please, Lord Yi."

Yi Zhizu glanced at the door of the yard and saw that it was written on it. As soon as he entered the yard, he saw Lin Zexu standing on the steps outside the door and quickly walked up to meet him. Lin Zexu waved his hand and said, "There is no need to be too polite."

When the two entered the house, Lin Zexu asked directly: "Is there any news?"

Yi Zhizu hurriedly replied: "Master Huimen Hall, most of the Tuan Yong's troops have arrived in Changsha. Because they have supplies, the speed may be slower. I guess I can reach Jiangning within half a month."

Lin Zexu did not say anything, and after a while, he said: "There are no large-scale mobilization of troops in Liangjiang and the surrounding provinces, and the headquarters did not receive any relevant decrees."

What does this mean? Yi Zhizu was stunned and then tentatively said: "Is Master Budo worried that something will change?"

Lin Zexu said in a muffled voice: "The Green Camp's troops gathered and mobilized, but their speed was far less than that of the Yuanqi regiment training."

After pondering for a moment, Yi Zhizu said: "It's still the first month now, and it's still early. Moreover, since you want to lure the British to attack Jiangning, it is not advisable to mobilize troops to come to Jiangning at this time."

Lin Zexu said in a deep voice: "Have you ever thought about it? If Ying Yi did not come to Jiangning, he would go to Tianjin."

"No!" Yi Zhizu said confidently: "If you dare to guarantee, the British will definitely come to Jiangning."

Lin Zexu glanced at him and said, "The emperor is not in the capital during the southern tour. If the British landed from Tianjin and the troops headed directly to the capital, can you imagine the consequences?"

"No." Yi Zhizu said without hesitation: "The north is open and easy to operate with cavalry. The British cannot take risks to attack the capital. Moreover, from Tianjin to the capital, warships cannot be carried out, and the British cannot abandon the long and short."

Although he was sure of all his courage, he was naturally because he knew the direction of history and knew that after the British reinforcements arrived, he directly crossed Guangzhou, attacked Jiangning, and forced the Qing Dynasty to sign the "Jiangning Treaty".
Chapter completed!