From Feng Zicai's occupation of Zhennanguan to the complete annihilation of a brigade of French colonial vassals in Daqingshan, it took only two hours. Lu Yiwei left five battalions of troops on the mountain, and the main force went out of the pass. Along the right side of Shanxi City, it detoured back to Xuanguang City, and surrounded all the 40,000 French troops outside Shanxi and Beining City.

Liu Mingchuan's troops stationed in Bac Ninh also swarmed out and launched a counterattack against the French army from the front.

When the 100,000-strong army pounced on the exhausted French army, which had been unable to attack for a long time, the French army immediately collapsed, and with little resistance, gave up a large area of land north of the Red River.

The good news reached the capital, and Guan Xuqing let out a long breath after seeing it. Looking at the map of Vietnam, a full fifth of the army of the Qing Dynasty is now concentrated in Vietnam, and the rest of the country is empty of troops at this time. The remnants of the French army should be dealt with as soon as possible to end this protracted war.

Otherwise, Xinjiang, North Korea, and Mongolia are all areas that Japan, Russia, and other countries have harassed and encroached upon one after another.

However, the Red River had the newly formed Far Eastern Fleet of the French army, and there was only a very narrow strip of land between the south and north of the Red River. The army crossing the Red River to the south will undoubtedly be slaughtered by the French fleet!

It seemed that another decisive battle between the Great Shimizu Division and the French fleet was inevitable. But how can the current Daishimizu Division defeat the newly formed French Far East Fleet?

Guan Xuqing's mind was buzzing, and his whole head seemed to be about to crack!

There were too many accidents in the last victory in the East China Sea and the light enemy of the French army, and now the French, who have suffered losses, will not let the Oshimizu Division take any advantage again, and can the current strength of the Oshimizu Division fight with the French army?

Wang Shang, who was standing next to him, watched Guan Xuqing grow up, and he was also very painful when he saw the emperor with such a sad face, didn't he say a big victory? A large amount of Vietnamese land has been recovered at the front, why is the emperor still so sad?

Guan Xuqing stumbled, probably because he had stood in front of the map for a long time and looked up. Almost didn't stand firm, Wang Shang and the others hurriedly ran over to support Guan Xuqing.

"Your Majesty, you can rest. The slave felt uncomfortable when he saw your hard work day and night. Wang Shang said that tears were left in the emotional part.

Guan Xuqing pressed his temples with his thumb and forefinger, and said laboriously: "Is Zuo Zongtang back?" ”

"Back to the emperor, Lord Zuo entered the capital in the morning. This will be in the military department, didn't the emperor summon him tomorrow. Wang Shang said.

"Go, call Zuo Zongtang to me. I have something to discuss with him. Guan Xuqing waved his hand.

"Wow."

After a while, Zuo Zongtang came to the Heart Cultivation Palace. It has been half a year since the war between China and France began!

"Minister, knock to see the emperor!" Zuo Zongtang knelt on the ground.

"Let's be flat." Guan Xuqing still had that calm face.

"Your Majesty." Zuo Zongtang stood in front of him.

Guan Xuqing raised his head and looked at Zuo Zongtang, who was getting older and older, and couldn't help but feel some emotion in his heart.

"Zong Tang, do you know why you were recruited back?"

Zuo Zongtang's heart was shocked, he knelt on the ground, and said in a trembling voice: "Minister, minister...... For capital crimes, the ministers destroyed the Fujian Navy Division and the Mawei Military Port. I also lost Keelung! ”

Guan Xuqing saw a veteran who had been a horse for the Qing Dynasty kneeling in front of him at this time, and his heart was full of emotion. Frankly speaking, Zuo Zongtang sacrificed everything for the Qing Dynasty in his life, recovering Xinjiang and creating the Fujian Navy, but at this time he blamed him for the defeat in World War I, which seems to be unfair.

"Zong Tang said seriously, victory and defeat are a common thing in soldiers. I don't have an excellent admiral in the Qing Dynasty, and I can't blame you for the French army's undeclared war in Mawei. It is also right to abandon Keelung for the sake of Taiwan's overall situation. I don't blame you, this Sino-French war is resuming, and I am not very familiar with the Vietnamese side. This Qing Dynasty can't do without you, I transferred you back to assist me in fighting the next battle. Guan Xuqing helped Zuo Zongtang up.

At this time, Zuo Zongtang was in tears, thinking that the emperor would not reuse himself if he didn't kill him. After all, the damage he brought to the imperial court was immeasurable. Unexpectedly, this little emperor not only did not blame himself. He still regarded himself as an important minister and discussed the war in Vietnam. Can you not move this old general? As the saying goes, a woman is the one who pleases herself, and a man dies for the confidant. The emperor is so disregarding his past suspicions, and he should be even more loyal to the emperor.

"Your Majesty...... How can a slave be so gracious to be so gracious to the emperor? Woo......"

When Guan Xuqing saw an old man in his seventies, he actually cried when he talked about emotion, and he was amused by this scene.

"Okay, okay, the commander of the Qing army, the general, is actually crying here, like a girl. This is going to get out, where is the power of my Qing army? Guan Xuqing pointed out the window and continued: "Look, when has this capital been so hot? ”

Zuo Zongtang looked out of the window, and the white sun pierced his eyes. This year's summer is indeed much hotter than usual, and it is already September, which is still like July and August. It's hot!

"The anomalies of the weather are like the fickleness of people's hearts, which is unpredictable. But complaining about others will not solve the problem, it will only only increase the troubles. Guan Xuqing said meaningfully.

Zuo Zongtang didn't know what to do, and asked cautiously: "......What does the emperor mean?"

Guan Xuqing continued: "The legal entity mobilized more than 20 warships from the Indian Ocean, including three large ironclad ships, to the military port in Vietnam, and joined the previous "Grace" to form the new Far East Fleet. Our Vietnamese army could not cross the Red River and was across the river from the French army on the other side. Our Qing Dynasty could not afford to drag on a protracted war, and Russia in the north and Japan in the east took advantage of the war between China and France. And the battle with the French army has drained the treasury, you say, how can we solve it quickly? ”

Zuo Zongtang thought for a while and said: "The harm of Japan and Russia stems from the war of France. The damage of the Sino-French war began with the weakness of the navy. The minister thought that if he wanted to fight a quick battle, he had to start with the navy. Defeat the French fleet, then the Sino-French battle will end in a short time. As soon as the Sino-French war is over, Japan and Russia will retreat one after another. ”

Guan Xuqing nodded with satisfaction and continued to ask, "So, do you think that my Great Shimizu Division has the ability to defeat the French fleet?" If all the warships go south, what should the Jingshi and Jiangnan Shipbuilding Bureaus do if they encounter a sneak attack by the Japanese fleet? Let's not talk about these for the time being, even if we all go south, what do you think we have a chance of winning? ”

Zuo Zongtang thought for a while and replied: "Back to the emperor, the minister thinks that the Japanese still dare not start a war with my Qing Dynasty. Moreover, the Tianjin Dagu Fort has introduced a full set of German forts, so there should be no problem in defense. In addition, the Jiangnan Shipbuilding Bureau left a few British-built shore defense gunboats. Our Qing Dynasty now has 6 ironclad ships, which is more than the number of French ironclad ships, and the victory and defeat are evenly matched after going south. ”

Guan Xuqing looked at Zuo Zongtang, and after a long time, asked, "Are you willing to lead all the sailors to fight?" Open the roads on the north and south banks of the Red River for the Vietnamese Army! ”

Zuo Zongtang was stunned for a moment, and immediately knelt on the ground: "The minister is willing to make a military order not to destroy the French fleet, and the minister will die to thank the emperor." ”

Guan Xuqing smiled with satisfaction, this old general still has some potential to explode!