Chapter 1660: The Tiger is Old but the Heroic Spirit Remains

The great terror of the Great Qing masters is still fermenting. Even the adoptive father of the masters, the foreign adults, can only watch without any effective means to obstruct.

Wang Yan's two north and south battle lines are slowly advancing, not fast or slow. The one in the south is slowly pushing towards Guangzhou, and the one in the north is naturally pushing towards the capital.

This pressure is too great. Magistrate Jiang, Magistrate Di, Sengge Rinchen, etc., are all famous for being able to fight and are the pillars against the Heavenly Kingdom. However, the result seen by the world is that in the face of Wang Yan's offensive, they can only struggle to resist and retreat constantly.

Indeed, their guns are no different from Wang Yan's. But don't forget, Wang Yan also has cannons. Howitzers and mortars are not given for nothing.

Even if they have the same cannons, they will not be Wang Yan's opponent. Wang Yan also has some insights into the war philosophy of hot weapons.

And now, with the advantage of artillery and sufficient firepower cover, fighting is very simple. The war starts with artillery bombing, and then the infantry slowly advances, until the enemy is beaten until they cannot withstand the losses and flee for their lives. This main battle is over.

Followed by the second-line troops, within a radius of many miles, clear the remaining enemies, restore order. And then migrate people over, distribute houses and land, build factories, and form a police team composed of retired people to maintain order, continue to clear the remaining enemies, and ensure production.

Such a set of combos goes down, and this place is completely occupied. By the time the order is stable, the main force continues to move forward, and the cannons continue to bomb.

Any conspiracy and tricks, any beauty's painted skin, cannot stop the powerful shells fired from the thick and long cannon barrels.

The cost of artillery is naturally not low, and the shells are the same. But because of Wang Yan's years of hard work, finding mines, refining steel, and researching machine tools, he has already built a military industry chain.

How much it costs is not a problem for him. After all, in the final analysis, under the plan, these links can be priceless, or they can be priced, they can be expensive, or they can be cheap.

The labor force of each link is determined by him, and the cost of various materials is also determined by him. He only needs to let the workers have food to eat. For those who have higher requirements, let those workers with technology live better, that's it.

This 'good', the object of comparison is naturally other people around, not those masters. What exactly is good is also defined by him.

He gives money to these military industry links, they can go out to consume, and they can drive the prosperity of all industries.

At the same time, fighting and occupying territory, there are external resources supplemented, and there is territory to continue to engage in construction, expand the production capacity of various industries, revitalize internal economic development, and enhance strength.

So is that expensive shell fired? It is simply the hope of the common people under Wang Yan to live a good life. The more shells fired, the better everyone's life will be.

And today's artillery is to the Manchu Qing, which is equivalent to the firearms and warships of foreigners to the Manchu Qing in those years. This huge leading advantage makes all conspiracies and tricks a joke.

"Big brother, I have already taken Shijiazhuang. The next step is to fight the capital. Do you have any instructions?" Jiang Wuyang ate fruit and teased the child in his arms.

This was born by Liao Xuan, Wang Yan's eldest son.

Liao Xuan sat on the side watching, and beside Liao Xuan was Su Zixuan, who was pregnant for several months.

Before Wang Yan could speak, Su Zixuan interrupted on the side: "Definitely can't catch the Manchu Qing royal family. Except for them, where do you need any instructions?"

Jiang Wuyang said oh: "Does sister-in-law have any news?"

In Liao Xuan's curling lips, Su Zixuan smiled and said: "Recently, more people have gone to the outside of the pass from the capital. There are also many flag people leaving the capital. There are countless large and small cars. First, they settled in Shengjing, but they didn't stop, and finally retreated to Jilin in one breath. This is to return to their hometown. You fight slowly, and by the time you get there, everything is gone, and the good things have been transported away."

"Big brother, the Manchu Qing royal family must have many treasures. Why don't we send troops to raid and block Shanhai Pass first?" Jiang Wuyang made a suggestion, his eyes flashing with greed.

Wang Yan shook his head amusingly: "Blocking Shanhai Pass is enough? Isn't there Yanshan? Isn't there the grassland? Even if we can really block them all, aren't there foreign warships? Retreating to the outside of the pass is not bad. People go overseas with foreigners, and they can't be found."

"It doesn't matter, aren't we already building warships? Although it's not good now, we will definitely be able to build it in the future. Even if those Manchu Qing royal families run overseas, sooner or later we will be able to fight over. No! Wrong!"

Jiang Wuyang stopped suddenly, then widened his eyes, "Big brother, you said it, go out from the border and keep walking west to reach the hometown of those foreign devils. After we unify the world, we can send an expeditionary army. Mother's, we don't have ships at sea to cross, don't we have legs on the ground?"

"More than 20,000 miles, too far, the supply line is too long, the difficulty is too great. And we are powerful in fighting now, relying on the advantage of artillery. After we unify the Shenzhou, and settle down for two years to save family wealth, it is estimated that foreigners will also build artillery not much worse than ours. It will be difficult to fight foreigners like now."

"Then we will build more powerful cannons."

Jiang Wuyang's words can be called true knowledge.

"Talk about what to say at what time, let's talk about this later." Wang Yan said, "Be careful later, dogs jump over the wall in a hurry. Not to mention that people are going to die, they are definitely unwilling.

Recently, people who assassinated me have been unable to line up. Just yesterday, two groups of people came to kill me and bumped into each other. They didn't distinguish between the enemy and me and started fighting first. You say how crazy these people are."

Two groups of people assassinated together and started fighting, which shows that the two sides lack communication and both treat the opposite side as Wang Yan's subordinates. This kind of assassination without careful arrangement fully shows the desperation of the enemy, belonging to taking assassinating Wang Yan as a daily routine.

Of course, it is also Wang Yan's fault. If he stayed honestly in his mansion, teasing children and handling military and political affairs every day, it would be difficult for others to assassinate him. Because after experiencing many times and patterns of assassinations, the people around him can be said to be carefully selected and reliable.

But he just doesn't stay honestly, often going out to stroll, looking at the degree of recovery of the cities under his rule, understanding the production of factories, the training of soldiers, whether the living standards of the common people have improved, whether the grassroots administration is clear, etc.

This gave others a chance to ambush him, and his city was not under martial law. Although fighting with the Manchu Qing, and guarding against the Heavenly Kingdom, various material circulation continued. At the same time, there were refugees who received news to go home, which was also easy to carry those with ulterior motives.

So almost every time Wang Yan went out to stroll, someone would come to kill him regardless of their lives. Even if everyone knew the end was not very good, Wang Yan even specially set up an assassination labor team to do heavy work, just as a viewing project for those later assassins outside Wuchang City.

Even Wang Yan didn't mind these assassins doing heavy work communicating information with others, almost writing 'come and kill me' on his forehead, very arrogant...

Jiang Wuyang said, "Big Brother, if you ask me, you're just too kind-hearted. They assassinate us, so we should assassinate them too."

"That's right, Master. You can't just stand by and watch them run off beyond the pass, continuing to enjoy their wealth and glory, not to mention using silver to cause you trouble." Su Zixuan nodded repeatedly.

"If we kill one of them, will the others stop enjoying their wealth? It's all the same." Wang Yan glanced at her sideways. "Besides, I am different from them. They have been operating for over two hundred years; they have heirs and plenty of ministers below them. Killing a few people is nothing; naturally, others will fill their places. It's not of much use."

We are different. I only have this one son who hasn't even been weaned yet; he's too young to be of any use. As for the ministers under me, Second Brother and Third Brother look like they can manage people, but they are still far from it. If I'm not here to hold things down, you two won't be able to suppress those people below. There's no need to mention Minister Chen; he's an old bureaucrat with very crafty methods. As for Shi Dakai, he is the Wing King, the Five-Thousand-Year-Old; he isn't someone who can be suppressed either.

We have been operating for a short time, and there are few people who can be put to use; the people below all have their own agendas. As soon as I die, our side will instantly fall apart, and at that time, we will be vulnerable. So, assassinating me is an effective method; it's just that they have never succeeded."

Liao Xuan said from the side, "Then don't always provoke them. Haven't you heard? Even the best can make a mistake, and a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. You should still be careful where you need to be. If you really... tell me, how are we orphans and widows supposed to live?"

"Facts prove that I am the winner who survived. And haven't you noticed? By now, the assassinations have no new ideas; the methods and ways are starting to repeat. Our normal defense and inspection procedures can already block a considerable portion of the assassinations and catch the assassins."

Wang Yan couldn't help but shake his head repeatedly as he spoke. Innovation! Innovation!

He continued, "Third Brother, don't be careless. Everything must be done with caution."

"Don't worry, Big Brother. They also know I'm a good-for-nothing; they only use troops according to your arrangements. Killing me is useless."

Jiang Wuyang spoke with a clear head, but his good Big Brother smiled and shook his head: "Third Brother, I mean you need to be calm and composed. You cannot become impetuous just because you are about to take the capital and crush the Manchu Qing, thereby making decisions that wouldn't appear in the past. Affecting the war situation is a small matter, but causing the brothers who fight to the death to lose their lives in vain—that would be too unworthy."

Uh...

Jiang Wuyang felt a bit aggrieved, but he didn't say anything. He realized that he was indeed a bit carried away now, which is why he was criticized by his good Big Brother.

Wang Yan turned his head to look at Su Zixuan: "Also, you must remind the Heavenly King again to be careful of rebellion among his subordinates. Once the capital is taken, the Manchu Qing will basically have no way out; this is their last chance. At this time, if they can get the Heavenly Kingdom to send troops, plus the foreigners, and have the three parties join forces, then the Manchu Qing can indeed take a big breath, and who knows, they might even be able to drag it out for a few more years."

Su Zixuan nodded: "I'll write a letter in a while, telling him to be extra careful. I hope he can survive this ordeal and really be a carefree prince."

The Heavenly King put down the letter, and thinking of the concern within it, as well as some faint suspicions hidden inside, he couldn't help but laugh.

He was over forty years old and had been fighting for many years. Although he began to live in luxury and debauchery after establishing the capital in Tianjing, the Tianjing Incident dealt him a heavy blow. Coupled with the rapid changes in the environment, he was now half-gray and full of vicissitudes.

But the suspicions conveyed in Su Zixuan's letter—as if he had completely lost control of his subordinates and was already a mascot waiting to die—still made this man who had half-resigned himself to fate feel very unconvinced.

Think of him, a generation of Heavenly King, who went against the grain, created the God Worshipping Society, developed believers, and then simply raised the banner of rebellion. He had been through a hundred battles, survived several near-death experiences, and occupied nearly half of the Shenzhou at his peak. He was truly a heroic figure.

It was just that his luck was bad and his path was full of obstacles; his great cause was hard to achieve. He believed this was Heaven's will, that his God Father was not looking after him, not that he was incompetent...

But a tiger's majesty remains even in old age; he was not truly a good-for-nothing. Now, he was actually being faintly mocked by a little girl—no, Su Zixuan was conveying Wang Yan's will. He was being looked down upon by Wang Yan!

"Have those who have been in contact with the foreigners and the Qing demons during this period been kept under control?"

"Reporting to the Heavenly King, they can't stir up any waves. As long as you give the order, these unfaithful traitors can be wiped out completely."

"Then what are we waiting for? Do it. Let them know that I am not so easy to kill, that the Heavenly Kingdom is not so easy to betray. Let them pay with blood to wash away their sins."

"Yes, Heavenly King." The person beside him replied.

Tianjing, as the capital of the Heavenly Kingdom and its political and economic center, was also very prosperous when there was no war. People could be considered to be living and working in peace, leading relatively stable lives.

It was just the beginning of spring, and a fine rain hung in the sky, moistening the earth, but people felt cold, stuffy, and unbearable.

Just this evening, not long after the city gates were closed, they were opened again. Troops marched into the city in formation, and the soldiers walked swaggeringly with guns on their shoulders. Under the shouting of the officers, they dispersed and went to various places in the city.

Not long after, gunfire erupted throughout the city; some people were cursing, some were crying, some were screaming, and for a time, it was chaotic. The people in the city were all trembling with fear, closing their doors and windows tightly, guessing what exactly had happened to cause such a big commotion.

The gunfire continued until late at night, when it gradually subsided, with only an occasional sound...

"Heavenly King, the rebel traitors have all been captured. There are only a few who slipped through the net, but it is of no importance and does not affect the overall situation."

"Well done. You have also been busy for a long time. Go, get a good sleep, and interrogate them properly tomorrow, especially those foreigners. After the interrogation is clear, behead all those foreigners to vent our anger."

"Heavenly King, this matter of beheading foreigners... is it..."

"What is it? Just beheading some foreigners, what kind of big deal is that? Are we afraid of those foreigners?"

The Heavenly King's expression was displeased, and he immediately dismissed his subordinate.

He sat alone at the door with a coat draped over his shoulders, watching the light rain gradually turn into heavy rain, and didn't sleep until dawn...

Daily thanks to the great brothers who tip, cast monthly votes, recommendation votes, and silently read the book for their strong support!