The two lakes naval division lost nearly a quarter of the boats and boats in the battle, and this is not counting the loss of the requisitioned fishing boats, and the number of dead soldiers was more than double that of the other party.

Therefore, on the one hand, Fukangan continued to recruit fishing boats and collect soldiers and horses from all walks of life to gather in Jiangning Mansion, and on the other hand, arranged artillery fire in Wuyuzhou and Sanjiangshan to strengthen the defenses in case the British invaded again, and in addition, he quickly asked Qianlong for help.

After listening to this letter that is ostensibly a show of merit, but in fact it is an urgent report asking for help, Qianlong is both happy and worried, happy that he finally heard the good news, and worried that the other party's strength is still there, but the other side does not have the strength to drive the British out of the Yangtze River.

After hearing that Fukangan had gathered the enemy in Wuyuzhou and temporarily blocked Yingyi's footsteps to Jiangning Mansion, they couldn't help but feel a layer of cold sweat rising on their backs.

Jiangning Province is not only a political and military center in the Jiangnan region ruled by the Qing government, but also an economic hub and cultural center. Jiangning's gains and losses are not only related to the safety of the southeastern half of the Qing Dynasty, but it can even be said that it will directly affect the survival of the Manchu regime.

Although there was good news, but it was discussed until noon, but still could not find a solution, at this time, a eunuch quietly said something to a guard, and the guard stepped forward to say something to Qianlong's henchman, and then, the eunuch carefully attached himself to Qianlong's ear and muttered a little.

Qianlong just glanced at the eunuch and waved him to retreat, and after waiting for about a quarter of an hour, he finally announced the dissolution of the dynasty, and all the ministers in the upper study let Qianlong send the eunuchs to stop him and transfer them to the Xinuan Pavilion for discussion.

Everyone came to Xinuan Pavilion with a head of fog, and after seeing Qianlong, Qianlong cleared his throat, pointed to the things on the desk, and said to Ah Gui: "Look, this is just delivered, please and tribute from England." ”

"Please and Gongwen?" Ah Gui felt that he was too old, his head was a little unable to turn, and the urgent official document sent by Fukangan just now was still full of joy, begging for soldiers, why in a blink of an eye, England actually submitted a request and tribute?

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"That's right, this is not long after Fukangan first sent the military report, he received an invitation and an official letter from the envoy of Yingyi, and he didn't dare to be specialized, so he sent it eight hundred miles faster." To be honest, when he heard the news on the Palace of Heart Cultivation just now, he Qianlong couldn't react, and besides, he didn't know what the other party meant, so after the court meeting was dispersed, he read this invitation and tribute, and then asked the eunuch to stop these confidants and important ministers.

Ah Gui glanced at the people who came to Xinuan Pavilion with him, and saw that these people were all bowing their heads, knowing that none of these guys was willing to come forward, he sighed secretly in his heart, stepped forward, and took the invitation from Qianlong's hand and looked at it.

"This ...... These English are really unreasonable! "Fang read a few, Ah Gui gave the above clause to give the beard to the hair, the upper clause is exactly the same as the last time, however, those few British crimes are only suitable for British law, British crimes in the Qing Kingdom, must also be handed over to the British to judge and so on, let Ah Gui, the dignified Qing State head assistant Qi Qi smoke." This covenant is not only unliterate, but the content of it is even more bullshit, the English committed crimes in the territory of our Great Qing Dynasty, and the officials of the court should be governed according to the law, how can these people be so nonsense. ”

Ah Gui secretly glanced at Qianlong, he didn't completely say it to death, after all, no one knew what Qianlong with a gloomy face thought. Ah Gui Huan Hai has been up and down for so many years, and he has become a refined one. Therefore, just attack it, anyway, Qianlong will definitely not agree to this article, as for the others, there are so many ministers here, is he not a dumb first assistant?

"Your Majesty, although the means of these English people are despicable, but since they ask for peace, then for my Qing Dynasty, this is just an opportunity, although the Fujian and Guangzhou sailors have been frustrated, but the main force is still there, we can use the negotiation as an excuse to delay time, gather the elite of the provincial sailors, and fight to the death with the English in the Yangtze River."

"Don't be like this, the slave thinks that in the southern part of my Qing Dynasty, in addition to Yingyi, there are many Xiyi people, if they can win all, it will be fine, if they don't win, those who see profit and forget righteousness, will definitely make a move, when the time comes, my Qing Dynasty sailors are all lost, what to fight?"

Headache, Qianlong didn't expect that although he received the other party's invitation and tribute, the situation did not improve at all, because of the treaty above, he had no way to accept it, you know, he has a good face for the old man and is getting old all his life, and he actually encountered such a big humiliating thing, which really made him angry and wanted to vomit blood.

But the question is, what is the use of being angry? Now that the other party has forced to come to the door, threatening to cut off the luck, if you have the heart to agree, then the court will really lose all face, and even a small English can't clean it up, so it's strange that the world's suspicious people are not ready to move.

And He Shen, who had been silent, drooping his eyelids and not knowing what he was thinking, fell into the eyes of that Qianlong. Qianlong frowned displeasedly: "He Shen." ”

"The minions are here." Hearing the displeasure in Qianlong's tone, He Shen hurriedly stepped forward and replied respectfully.

"You haven't expressed your opinion on this matter, haven't you thought about it? Still didn't think of it? I'd like to hear from you. Qianlong didn't want to talk nonsense today, and if he spent more time, his face would be more slashed by the British.

"The minion has an idea, but the minion doesn't know if he can solve the current dilemma." He Shen's head fell lower, and he scolded his mother in his heart, he had shrunk very far aside, he didn't expect Qianlong's eyes to be so good, and he actually pulled himself out.

He is not a military general, how do you know how to fight this battle, if you really want to know the art of military war, why should you go to command blindly, and you also annoyed Ah Gui, an old guy with a bad temper, and almost gave himself a military law.

"Oh, you can talk about it, let Zhu Qing also follow the staff officers." Qianlong stroked his snow-white beard, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Then the slave can just say, if there is anything wrong, please ask the emperor for forgiveness. In fact, the slave had received a letter from Liang Pengfei, the chief soldier of the Naval Division of Humen Town, Guangdong, who had talked about the people of the West, thinking that they were people who put profit first and disregarded their faith and righteousness. He once said that if the barbarians of the West attack and disturb our Qing Dynasty, if our Qing Dynasty does not severely punish these foreign barbarians, in the future, the sea frontiers will always be disturbed by the barbarians, so ......"

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He Shen didn't want to take responsibility, so he directly poked Liang Pengfei out, after all, he was able to become a favored minister above 10,000 people under one person, and he had real learning, but he relied more on the favor of the old emperor, and this idea was indeed occasionally mentioned by Liang Pengfei when he was in correspondence with him.

Therefore, it is not inappropriate for him to take it now, and if the old emperor thinks it is feasible, he and someone still have the merit of recommending people, if the old emperor thinks it is not feasible, then he and Shen will not lose anything, anyway, it is not himself who makes the idea.

"This is a solution, but the whip is beyond the reach of it......" Ah Gui could only sigh, during this time, he also knew that the British had colonies in the East, but at least there were thousands of miles away, even if they rushed there, it would not help in the current war situation, so Ah Gui had this sigh.

"......" Everyone was silent, and the vast majority of people didn't think about this method, if nothing else, just said that the sailors of the Great Qing Kingdom couldn't even clean up the opponent's attack at the doorstep, and they still wanted to go to other people's hometowns to play with big knives, this is not a joke.

And He Shen also smiled: "Yes, so the minion wants to see if there is a better way to solve the current problem than this, but the minion is blunt, it is really ......"

Qianlong shook his head disapprovingly: "Forget it, all of you Aiqing have also gone back to think about it, I'm tired, you can kneel down." ”

The important ministers glanced at each other, and they could only kneel down honestly, and then go home to think about how to think of a way, as for whether they can think of it, then they know that God knows.

Looking at these courtiers who had withdrawn from the Xinuan Pavilion one after another, Qianlong looked at the letter of invitation and tribute, he really couldn't afford to lose this old face, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of powerlessness in his heart, a sense of powerlessness that he couldn't say anything to the British.

"If I had known this, I should have built a few more sailors, so that people would have been knocked on the door now, but there would be no soldiers to send." Qianlong hatefully smashed his fist on the invitation and tribute, but he forgot that he built a garden every year, enjoyed, and occasionally went down to the south of the Yangtze River to enjoy the beauties, and the annual consumption of silver taels was millions of taels, but he was reluctant to vigorously rectify and replace the naval warships, and most of the naval warships in various places came from the interception of the provinces themselves, and even let the gentry from all over the country fund the construction.

Treating the country's sailors as one thing, taking care of their own pleasures, just like that, can we expect the sailors to do better? This kind of thing can only be a joke...... At the moment when the court was making a fuss about the British Yankees, Liang Pengfei leisurely stayed in the backyard of the Yamen, the chief soldier of Humen Town, basking in the warm winter sun, listening to the news that his subordinates had just reported from Macao.

(To be continued)