Chapter 240 Li Hongzhang: Learn from Mr. Luo Xueyan! (Request for subscription and vote)
“Uncle, should we submit another memorial to the Emperor, asking him to promote Luo Xueyan?”

Upon hearing that Luo Xueyan came to save his life, Shengbao, who had been crying bitterly just now, immediately turned off the “faucet” in his eyes, and even enthusiastically proposed to promote Luo Xueyan again.

“Another promotion? He’s already a fourth-rank Taotai, how can he get promoted again?”

Shengbao’s brother Yuanbao felt a little jealous after hearing this. He hadn’t been promoted for a long time. Isn’t Luo Xueyan’s career too good?
“How about adding the title of Provincial Surveillance Commissioner?” Sushun wiped his tears and said, “Yueting, I think this position should be promoted. Now in Jiangnan, in addition to Lord Yi’s Fu Biao, the Susong Town Navy on Chongming Island, and some miscellaneous militias, there are Luo Xueyan’s 6,000 new troops!
The Changmao side has at least hundreds of thousands of troops. The troops of Luo Niyaoguo who captured Dantu County two days ago alone number no less than 20,000!

If we want to hold on to Suzhou, we have to hope that they can bring their troops to resist us, so that we can have more time to prepare our troops and purchase more guns and artillery.”

However, when Bai Siwen heard the name “Luo Yaoguo”, he was frightened – this man was most likely the “Bull Demon King”, and he had blown up the Bull Demon King with the Holy Bomb!
I wonder if Luo Yaoguo will sacrifice the Bull Demon God again?
Bai Siwen said worriedly, “I’m afraid Luo Xueyan can’t defeat Luo Niyaoguo. Luo Ni’s soldiers are elite soldiers. They conquered Changsha City and also defeated Sai Zhongtang’s army. It is said that this thief is a demon sent from heaven!”

Yiliang became nervous again: “Demons falling from the sky? Is this true?”

“Your Excellency, this demon falling from the sky might be real!” Suzhou prefect Qiao Songnian said with a worried look on his face, bending over.

“How do you know?” Yiliang asked.

“Reporting to the governor,” Qiao Songnian replied, “Didn’t I send a lawyer to Shanghai to purchase foreign guns and cannons these days? My lawyer heard from the foreigners in Shanghai that a book called “The Great Prophecy Book” appeared in Shanghai recently. It seems to have come from Hunan. The content of the book is said to be the demon’s prediction of major events that will happen in Britain, France, the United States and other Western countries this year. It seems to be quite effective.”

“Is this true?” Yiliang asked in surprise, “Kezhai, Yuting, have you heard of this demon in Hunan publishing a book called ‘The Great Book of Prophecy’?”

Shengbao shook his head, frowning: “I haven’t heard of it.”

Sushun spread his hands and said, “I haven’t even heard of Kezhai, let alone me.”

As he said this, he glanced at Yuan Bao and Bai Siwen with a bit of dissatisfaction – You don’t even know such an important thing, how are you going to do this?

Yuan Bao and Bai Siwen looked aggrieved. They had been trying really hard to collect information about demons, but they had never heard of the “Great Book of Prophecy”!

Seeing that his brother was about to be cheated again, Shengbao hurriedly said to Yiliang, “Uncle, if there really is a copy of the Great Prophecy Book from Hunan in Shanghai, Luo Xueyan must know about it. Why don’t we send someone to the Kunshan Army to ask Luo Xueyan about it?”

Yiliang nodded slightly upon hearing this and whispered, “We have to send someone to contact Luo Xueyan. Heqie, you are from Suzhou Prefecture and Kunshan is your jurisdiction, so you can go there.”

“I obey your orders,” Suzhou prefect Qiao Songnian hurriedly bowed, and then asked, “Sir, do you have any military orders for me to pass on to Luo Daotai? Do you want Luo Daotai to go north to fight Luo Yaoguo?”

Yiliang thought for a while and shook his head: “Don’t talk about military orders. Talk to him carefully and don’t force it. The 6,000 new troops in his hands are just a start-up army. They may look good, but they are likely to panic when they go to the battlefield and cannot defeat Luo Yaomo’s veteran soldiers who have fought hundreds of battles. Tell him that if he can fight, then fight. If he can’t fight, divide the troops to guard Kunshan and Taicang Prefecture’s Zhenyang. Suzhou Prefecture, Kunshan County, and Taicang Prefecture are all built along the Liuhe River, and the Liuhe River runs from Taihu Lake to the Yangtze River. Although the river channel is not deep and the mouth of the river is silted up, it can be defended after all. As long as the Liuhe River can be defended, the Shanghai Port will be safe. As long as the Shanghai Port is still there, our retreat is still there!”

Shengbao frowned and said, “I’m afraid he won’t accept the orders from Taicang Prefecture and Kunshan. He might be trying to rescue Jiangning City this time. Jiangning is his place of duty.”

Yiliang thought it made sense and whispered, “I really didn’t think it through at the time. Why did I recommend him to be the prefect of Jiangning?”

Su Shun said, “This is easy to do. We can just find another place for him.” “Another place?” Yi Liang looked at Su Shun and asked, “Change to the Changzhen passage?”

Sushun shook his head: “Zhenjiang Prefecture has been lost, Changzhou Prefecture is probably hard to defend, isn’t it empty for him? Besides, it’s not convenient to make money without the Salt Administration. And what I mean is to change his city of responsibility, cut Taicang Prefecture out of Susongtai Prefecture, and recommend him to be the Jiangnan Salt Administration and Taicang Prefecture Governor, and give him the title of Jiangsu Provincial Surveillance Commissioner. In this way, Taicang will be his responsibility, and when he becomes the governor, he can legitimately mobilize the militia of Taicang Prefecture to help in the war!”

Yiliang nodded: “A third-rank provincial prosecutor, as well as the Salt Administration and Taicang Prefecture. That should be enough! Heqie, tell him that as long as he agrees to guard Zhenyang and Kunshan, I will report to the emperor with Lord Sheng and Lord Su to ensure that he is appointed as the Jiangnan Salt Administration and concurrently the Governor of Taicang Prefecture, and given the title of Jiangsu Provincial Surveillance Commissioner!” He may have felt that the loyal minister Luo Xueyan was still “unfair to him”, so he added another code, saying: “Also… bring twenty blank Juren licenses to Luo Xueyan. Tell him that the emperor has granted Jiangsu Province permission to donate Juren certificates to raise funds, and these can all be sold for money.

In addition, I will give him 20 more places for military merit recommendation. As long as he can defend Zhenyang and Kunshan, he can recommend 20 seventh-rank officials!”

According to the Qing Dynasty system, there was not much difference between those who donated money and those who passed the imperial examinations. They could both participate in the imperial examinations and get an official position through the “Da Tiao”. However, whether the candidate recommended by military merit could get an actual position depended on the strength of the person who recommended him.

However, the donated positions for the Juren and the military merit recommendations were still worth some money at the moment, and there were many wealthy people in Taicang and Songjiang. Twenty Juren and twenty recommendations could earn at least tens of thousands of taels of silver.

Add to that the wealthy Taicang Prefecture. It’s not in vain that Yiliang is using people like that.

“I understand. I will leave immediately!” Suzhou prefect Qiao Songnian certainly wanted Luo Xueyan to take over Taicang Prefecture very much, so that there would be someone who could shoulder the heavy burden of the Taiping Army with him, so he immediately accepted Yiliang’s order.

Just as he turned to leave, the tall Li Hongzhang suddenly stood up, bowed to Sushun and Yiliang and said, “Sir Su, Sir Yi, I also want to go to Kunshan to meet this talented person in foreign affairs and military affairs who is famous in the southeast.”

Su Shun had been getting along well with Li Hongzhang along the way, and was quite optimistic about this young man, so he said to Li Hongzhang: “Shaoquan, why don’t you go to Kunshan with Governor Qiao? In addition to inquiring about the situation of the “Great Prophecy Book”, you can also see how his new army is doing.”

“Yes, I will observe carefully.”

Yiliang said: “Ask him how to deal with foreigners?”

Li Hongzhang said: “I will definitely learn from Lord Luo.”

Yiliang nodded: “Well, I have to learn from him.”

Northwest of Kunshan County, Yufeng Mountain.

This low hill, placed on the table-like flat southern Jiangsu plain, can be considered a commanding height. It is also the only mountain in Kunshan County. If a 12-pound cannon is placed on Yufeng Mountain, not only will Kunshan County be under the muzzle, but also several busy rivers around it can be blocked.

In addition, Yufeng Mountain is also a scenic spot in Kunshan. There are several unique gardens scattered at the foot of the mountain, which are just right for stationing troops.

Therefore, after Luo Xueyan led his troops to Kunshan, he did not enter the county town, but chose Yufeng Mountain as the location of his camp. He immediately ordered Chief Military Advisor Pierre and Ji Dapao to lead the artillery company and the engineering company to the mountain. He himself, Xiang Xun, Wang Kuiyi, Chen Chengrong and others led the headquarters to a garden at the foot of Yufeng Mountain.

Just as he and his men were discussing how to continue to cheat in Suzhou and Taicang, he heard someone come to report: “General Xue, Master Qiao of Suzhou Prefecture, Master Li, the counselor of the overseas imperial envoys, wants to see you.”

(End of this chapter)