Master Yuan, start!

Liaodong is not like the Central Plains. It is vast and sparsely populated. Defending this place is like defending a few isolated islands in the ocean.

We only need to march quickly and attack Liaoyang directly, and Shengjing will definitely not be able to react in time." Yuan Xiangcheng expressed his plan.

"But if we force a forced march, the entire army will have to travel light. Not only will the army's baggage not be able to keep up, wouldn't supplies be even more scarce?"

"No problem, I'll handle this for you." Yuan Xiangcheng continued, "Just talking about attacking the city, if you reach the gates of Liaoyang, will you be able to take it quickly?"

"Absolutely no problem. As long as I have no worries at home and only 5000 troops, I can take not only Liaoyang but also Niuzhuang!" Feng Guozhang patted his chest.

"Okay, then let's implement the leapfrog tactics against Liaoyang City!" Yuan Xiangcheng put down the pencil in his hand.

"What is frog jumping?" Feng Guozhang was puzzled.

Yuan Xiangcheng patiently explained: "It is a military law proposed by a strategic master of the United States. Look at the defense of Shengjing area, it is like a series of isolated islands in the snow.

Why not learn from the summer frog and jump from one lotus leaf to another?"

Feng Guozhang nodded, recalling the incident during the Northern Song Dynasty when the Jin soldiers marched south and attacked Kaifeng City.

It seems that the Jurchens used the leapfrog tactic at that time?

With a great leap, he jumped from Hebei to Kaifeng.

...

On the second day, Feng Guozhang packed up his luggage and set off westward with several thousand vanguards.

Yuan Xiangcheng also settled his troops and prepared to slowly advance towards Shengjing in the north with several thousand national defense troops.

However, just as they reached Benxi in later generations and had just set up camp, Ming Ye suddenly had something to report.

"Chief Instructor, there is a deputy governor of the Eight Banners who wants to see you. His name is Yiktang'a."

Yiktang'a? Why did he come to Shengjing instead of just being the deputy governor of Hunchun? Yuan Xiangcheng was puzzled.

After a while, a man in his forties with snow-white hair walked into the central military tent with his brows furrowed.

"I am Yiktang'a, your humble servant, and I am here to pay my respects to Lord Yuan." Yiktang'a was very polite. He clasped his fists towards Yuan Xiangcheng and then knelt down.

Yuan Xiangcheng helped the man up and asked, "What is this, sir?"

He was indeed very confused. At the beginning of the rebellion, he wrote a letter to Yiktang, saying that this time he was only trying to eliminate the evil for the country and must not give outsiders any opportunity to take advantage of it. He asked him to guard Hunchun with peace of mind and be wary of the Russians.

But he didn't expect that Yiktang'a would come anyway.

Yiktang A Chong clasped his fists and said to Yuan Xiangcheng, "Don't worry, Master Yuan. I came here alone without any soldiers."

“This time I came here for the Great Qing Empire.

"Sir Yuan, I am worried that if the war drags on and the capital becomes ablaze with smoke, the Russians might become ambitious again."

"With a patriotic and loyal minister like Lord Yi around, what do the Russians have to fear?"

Yiktang'a said helplessly, "The Russians have been buying up furs and livestock in Hunchun in large quantities in recent days. I heard that the Russians have also made large purchases in other places. I'm afraid the Russians will harm the border."

Yuan Xiangcheng pondered for a moment and said, "If the Russians really forcefully invade, it will give Britain, France and other countries an excuse. They should not be so reckless. Besides, Korea also has a large army stationed there."

"It's not the outside that I'm afraid of, it's the inside!"

Seeing Yuan Xiangcheng's insistence, Yiktang'a revealed a piece of news: "Shortly after receiving Master Yuan's letter, I received a secret order from the Empress Dowager from the Heilongjiang General, asking me to try to contact the Russians to see if there could be an easing of tensions."

Yuan Xiangcheng exclaimed: "What?"

"Has she lost her dignity? How dare she bring in the Russians? Doesn't she think the land she's ceded isn't enough?"

"It is precisely because of this that I came to see Master Yuan, to see if we can quell the war and prevent the Russians from taking advantage of this opportunity!"

Yuan Xiangcheng thought that Cixi was crazy. How could she dare to do such a thing in order to monopolize power? However, he was also a little confused as to why Yiktang'a told him such a thing.

The last time we advised him to defect to Guangxu, he used the excuse of defending against the Russians and the urgency of the situation, so he refused. Why is he coming to inform on us again now?

Yuan Xiangcheng felt that Yiktang'a's actions were somewhat divisive, but he still expressed his anger: "Sir, this strategy of allying with the enemy to suppress the bandits was used once in the late Ming Dynasty. You know the result without me telling you."

When Yiktang'a heard Yuan Xiangcheng say the words "ally with the enemy to suppress the bandits" in front of him, his expression became a little tense.

But he soon realized that these four words were the best explanation of Cixi's collusion with the Russians.

Cixi believed that Yuan Shikai was a thief and a bandit, so naturally she had to use the "Eastern Tartars" to wipe him out.

"Master Yuan, you keep saying you're fighting for China, but do you really have to fight to the point of mutual destruction?"

Hearing this, Yuan Xiangcheng laughed angrily, and the last trace of historical filter he had for Yiktang'a finally dissipated: "Master Yi, was it the Queen Mother who ordered this land to be ceded, and was it the Queen Mother who ordered the compensation?"

"Yes."

"Has the Emperor ever been circumcised?"

"No."

"When the Queen Mother ceded territory and paid compensation, were you resentful or angry?"

"Hate, anger."

"If someone could refuse to cede land or pay compensation, would you be happy?"

"Happy."

Yuan Xiangcheng shouted at Yiktang'a, "Why don't you go and persuade the Queen Mother to abdicate? Instead, you come and persuade me not to raise an army?"

“The Empress Dowager and the Emperor are both involved in internal strife within the royal family. Why does Lord Yuan have to force himself to get involved?

Besides, everyone knows that Mr. Yuan is patriotic, and he should understand the danger of having Russians around. Yiktang'a didn't know how to respond, so he could only express his true thoughts.

"What? What kind of bullshit is this? Just because I'm patriotic, I should make peace with the Queen Mother?"

Ling Yiktang'a explained: "It's not about asking Master Yuan to stop fighting and negotiate peace, it's about asking Master Yuan to focus on the foreigners instead of the disputes in the court."

Yuan Shikai's feat of defeating the Japanese army and driving back Russia had a great impact on Yiktang'a who was stationed in Hunchun.

He once regarded Yuan Shikai as the hope for the revival of the Qing Dynasty. So after the emperor and the empress started fighting, he wrote to Yuan Shikai asking him not to get involved in the internal strife of the royal family and just to guard the border quietly.

J also said that as long as he could make military achievements, no matter who came to power, Yuan Shikai would be reused.

Yuan Xiangcheng naturally refused.

He was so shocked by the fact that the Russians were involved that he had no choice but to come to see Yuan Shikai in person and see if he could give him some advice in person.

But after hearing Yuan Xiangcheng's answer, Yiktang'a knew that he could no longer persuade him.

"If that's the case, then I can only go back to Hunchun and defend it with all my strength!" Yiktang'a looked lonely.

Seeing Yiktangan's expression, Yuan Xiangcheng said, "Lord Yi, since ancient times, the struggle for the throne has either resulted in death or injury. Now that the Demon Queen has taken action, she must be prepared for backlash.

However, I still want to thank Master Yi for informing me of this news."

Yiktang'a's words today made Yuan Xiangcheng determined to win a quick victory, and he gave up his original idea of ​​surrounding Shengjing City and attacking it slowly.

Call Beijing, the sooner the better!

"My lord, the evil queen is not hesitant to sacrifice national interests to seek help from foreigners. With such despicable means, can she still be the leader of China?" Yuan Xiangcheng had other thoughts.

"Even if I can't, I can't persuade the Queen Mother. I can only watch the rebellion gradually escalate. If it continues for a long time, it will inevitably attract the Russians to spy on me."

"If you want to prevent the Russians from taking advantage of the situation, you have to strengthen your defense.

Xiangcheng also has a plan, I wonder if Your Excellency would be willing to listen to it?"

Yiktang'a, who was about to walk out of the tent, heard this and turned to look inside the tent, only to see Yuan Xiangcheng's mouth corner slightly raised.

"Shengjing is the largest city in Northeast China. Its gates are strong and there are cannons on the walls to defend the city."

...

Seven days later.

The four gates of Shengjing City were closed tightly in the heavy snow.

Two days ago, some farmers from the mountains came into the city and said that Yuan Shikai's army had captured Fenghuang City.

When Shengjing General Yu Lu learned about this, he treated it as a major enemy and blocked the north, east and south gates of Shengjing City, leaving only the west gate open for a few hours each day for the flow of goods.

They also sent a telegram to the capital for help, but the message could not be sent out. According to the people at the telegraph office, it seemed that musk deer coming down from the mountains had bitten the telegraph wires outside the city.

Yu Lu knew nothing about telegraphs, so he could only order people to repair the equipment quickly.

At the same time, he ordered more than 5,000 Eight Banners officers and soldiers to defend the city gates, even in heavy snow.

One day, the city guard commander Mu'adai was leading his men to change guard when he heard the sound of hurried horse hooves coming from below the city.

Mu Adai thought that Yuan Shikai's army had arrived, and he hurriedly lay down on the parapet to check.

"Who is coming!"

"Huanchun Deputy Governor Yiktang'a has been ordered by General Jilin to come and support Shengjing City!"

Yiktanga?

Muadai had heard of this person. Like Yiktang'a, he was from the Bordered Yellow Banner, so naturally he had heard of the name "Fashshan Abaturu".

Looking down, more than a thousand people wearing Eight Banners uniforms and riding horses gathered at the foot of the city, and there seemed to be several cannons behind them.

It seemed a little strange, and Muada was a little worried.

"Is there a transfer order?"

"There's a telegram from the capital as proof!"

Muada lowered a basket with a man on it from the city wall and retrieved the telegram.

"Please wait a moment, my Lord. I will report to General Shengjing and then make a decision!"

Mu'a came down from the city wall and rode his horse towards the Shengjing General's Mansion. Fortunately, it was not far from the South City Tower and he arrived there in less than a quarter of an hour.

After receiving the telegram, Shengjing General Yu Lu did not dare to delay and hurried to the top of the city wall.

"Yiktang'a, why did you come all this way with cannons? Jilin doesn't seem to have many cannons, right?"

The telegram clearly stated that only Yiktang'a was sent to provide assistance, and did not mention any cannons or anything like that.

"This cannon was purchased from the Russians by the Empress Dowager, who was concerned about the situation in Shengjing. She sent me to help defend Shengjing with this cannon."

It was snowing heavily, and Yu Lu's vision was obstructed, so he couldn't see clearly in the distance.

He looked at the more than a thousand Eight Banners soldiers freezing outside the city, and finally decided to let go of the remaining vigilance in his heart.

"Open the city gate and let people in!" Yu Lu gave orders while standing on the city wall.

"!" Muada hurried down to open the door.