Tuqing: My first love was Cixi

Chapter 177: Don’t save anyone! The war breaks out!

This round of shelling lasted for a quarter of an hour.

After stopping, a small boat came over. The British envoys boarded the shore and shouted to the Qing army: "You have six days to send envoys to negotiate immediately, otherwise you will bear the consequences."

After shouting, the messenger retreated into the fleet.

Then, an official of the Qing army rushed towards the Yamen of Zhili Governor's Mansion.

"My Lord Governor, the foreigners sent an envoy and said that they must send an envoy to negotiate within six days, otherwise they will bear the consequences."

Tan Tingxiang, the governor of Zhili, asked: "Have their warships in Baihe withdrawn?"

"It's not retreating yet, but it's retreating."

Tan Tingxiang, the governor-general of Zhili, said: "Quick, rush six hundred miles to Beijing to report to the court and come up with a plan as soon as possible."

Historical inertia is indeed strong. After the joint fleet bombardment, the British side proposed a six-day deadline to the Qing court as in history.

This is what Su Yi needs most.

Because to a large extent, he also seeks to maximize interests based on historical trajectory layout.

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Half a day later!

The imperial court received a six-hundred-mile expedited request from the Governor-General's Office of Zhili.

The foreign fleet bombarded Dagukou.

Several warships even entered Baihe and bombarded the suburbs of Tianjin.

The foreigners issued an ultimatum, and within six days, they must send people to negotiate.

After hearing the news, the court was shocked and secretly delighted.

Because the British side's move exposed their intentions.

The Qing court was first-class when it came to considering people's hearts.

At the court meeting, Du Han said: "Your Majesty, the foreigners said that they must send people to negotiate within six days. This proves that they do not want to fight, but only want to negotiate."

Sushun said: "This is exactly the reason. They came all the way and spent a lot of money on the expedition, so they also wanted to negotiate."

Guiliang said: "In this case, I feel that we need to negotiate, but we can't just talk like this."

The emperor said: "How to talk about it?"

At this time, he really kept Su Yi's words in mind. According to the court's bottom line, anyone could talk to him.

Guiliang said: "Even if we want to talk, we must show the national prestige and heroism of our Qing Dynasty and talk while fighting."

Prince Seng Gelinqin of Horqin said: "This is the truth. Only when you can fight can you make peace. Even if you want to talk, you have to fight first."

The emperor was very hesitant because the defeat in Guangzhou was so disastrous, and he was afraid that if he angered the foreigners, he would suffer the same disastrous defeat.

Guiliang said: "Your Majesty, Guangzhou is Guangzhou and Tianjin is Tianjin. They are not the same. The troops organized by Ye Mingchen in Guangzhou are all local regiment training and civilian bravery. The troops in Tianjin have been defending the capital for a long time and are more elite."

Seng Gelinqin said: "Your Majesty, the troops in Tianjin have experienced many wars in recent years. First, they killed Lin Fengxiang with the ministers. Then they followed Lord Guiliang to the south to suppress the enemy. Not to mention that the new army was trained in Tianjin."

"If the foreigners just fired a few shots to scare us, they will do whatever they want in the subsequent negotiations. Why did He Guiqing fail to negotiate in Guangzhou? It is because Ye Mingchen was defeated too quickly in Guangzhou and encountered little resistance. It was defeated, so the foreigners opened their mouths."

"If we are scared out of our wits by a few shots from foreigners, then He Guiqing's failed negotiations will happen again."

"What's more important is that the foreign troops came this time with a fleet, not an army. The warships cannot reach land. Their army is still in Guangzhou and cannot escape."

This last sentence gave the emperor great encouragement.

Battleships cannot reach land.

This time, the voices in the court were unanimous.

In the first two days, half were from the war camp and half were from the peace talks camp.

Now, almost everyone thinks that we should talk and fight at the same time.

Fighting is also for negotiation.

After several hours of court decisions, the tone was finally set.

Talk while fighting, fight first and then talk.

This point still roughly maintains the original historical trajectory.

After the imperial court made the decision as quickly as possible, it immediately sent the imperial envoy to Tianjin!

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Tan Tingxiang, the governor of Zhili, quickly received the decree from the capital.

It is necessary to show authority and momentum, so as to gain relative initiative at the negotiation table.

Tan Tingxiang's scalp suddenly felt numb, but he could only obey.

And the court was right in saying that the warships could not reach land.

So, he summoned the commanders of Tianjin Green Camp, Tianjin Coast Guard, and Tianjin New Army to convey the imperial court's will.

The key point is to highlight one word: fight!

Develop your advantage first, and then build momentum for negotiations.

New Army coach Ronglu returned to the New Army barracks.

At this time, he already had 2,500 new troops in his hands and had been training for nearly a year.

Overall, it was even longer than the previous training of Su Yi's new army.

At this time, there were four people in his study, Yi Kuang, Boyan Nemo Hu, and De Xing'a.

After Dexing'a took over Su Yi's position as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Manchuria under the Xianglan Banner, Seng Gelinqin then took over a practical position for him, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Miyun.

Of course, what is more important is to prepare for the comeback of his son Boyan.

But Seng Gelinqin was still very smart. He first tried to get Dexing'a and Weng Tongshu to come back, and put his own son last.

Moreover, Su Yi is not completely unlucky yet. When the emperor takes action against Su Yi, his son Boyan will officially make his comeback.

But this did not delay him from arranging Boyan to join the Tianjin New Army.

Wherever you fall, you get up.

As the assistant to the New Army, Ronglu was a civilian official after all. He had never fought in a war, so in the end, Seng Gelinqin still let his son Boyan serve as the head coach of the New Army.

Ronglu said: "What should we do now? The imperial court said that we should fight and talk at the same time, fight first and then talk. The message to the Zhili Governor's Mansion is that don't think about talking first, think about fighting first, fight hard, fight hard, and fight." The majesty of the Qing Dynasty.”

"In today's discussion, the Governor of Zhili, Tan Tingxiang, has great hopes for our new army and wants us to be of great use."

"What decision will we make next? Let's discuss it?"

After Ronglu finished speaking, he looked at Boyan.

The meaning is very clear. Although you have not come back yet, your opinions are still very important.

Yikuang and Dexing'a also remained silent.

Especially Dexing'a, who completely relied on Seng Gelinqin to be the deputy capital commander again, and of course fully obeyed Boyan's will.

Boyannamohu fell into silence and thought.

For him, of course he hopes for a gorgeous comeback battle, leading the Tianjin New Army to a gorgeous victory and completely suppressing Su Yi.

But he is different now. In the previous battle in Yangzhou, one of the biggest mistakes he made was speculation and rash advancement.

This was the reason why he, the dignified heir apparent of the Prince's Palace, fell into the situation he is in today.

If Su Yi hadn't been unlucky, his comeback would have been far away.

This time, he must be cautious.

After a long while, Boyannamohu said: "First of all, we need to understand the will of the court. Is fighting the main priority or negotiation?"

Deputy Commander Dexing Adao said: "I'm afraid it's just a matter of discussion."

Talk, of course.

Fight just to talk.

Boyan said: "Since it is for negotiation, then the fight cannot be thorough. And the most important thing is that the huge fleet that the foreigners have come this time, our new army can play a very effective role."

"Therefore, I suggest that Tianjin's new army should not only participate in the war, but also preserve its strength and use it at critical moments in the future, which is more appropriate."

After Boyan finished speaking, he looked at a few people.

Deputy Commander Dexing Adao said: "I agree."

Yi Kuang said: "I agree too."

Ronglu said: "What the prince said is exactly what I want."

As a result, the four people unified their will. This time, the Tianjin New Army did not need to use all its strength to fight the foreign barbarians.

Ronglu was silent for a while and said: "Prince Boyan, Master Dexing'a, now that you have made this decision, it is best for you to leave Tianjin, so that no matter what the responsibility is, it will not fall on you in the end."

Yi Kuang said: "By the way, and to be honest, no matter how hard the foreign barbarians fight, they will never destroy our Qing Dynasty. For us, the most important thing now is to completely overthrow Su Yi. .”

Dexing Adao: "Yes, if Su Yi doesn't collapse completely, Prince Boyan will not be able to make a formal comeback."

After the Tianjin New Army meeting ended, Boyannamohu and Dexinga immediately left Tianjin and returned to the capital!

But what Boyan said was not clear. He had other plans for this battle.

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Beijing!

The newly appointed prefect of Jiujiang, Weng Tongshu, is still recruiting staff. The imperial court will send some, and Du Han will also send a few people.

The rest are all Senggelinqin's people.

Because, for many people, going to Jiujiang this time is to confront Su Yi, to find ways to find his guilt and to bring him down.

Therefore, the people Weng Tongshu brings must be pure, that is, all of them must be Su Yi's political opponents.

The position must be absolutely consistent.

And on this day.

Su Yi's fleet ended its canal voyage and landed in Yangzhou.

As a result, the relevant personnel of the imperial court in Yangzhou immediately pricked up their ears and opened their eyes.

They only focus on one thing.

Will anyone from the new army led by Wang Shiqing go to see Su Yi?

Or, will Su Yi send personnel to contact the New Army, or will he go to visit the New Army secretly?

So, the moment Su Yi just got off the boat and landed in Yangzhou.

There are already eyes staring at Su Yi, and there are also many eyes staring at Wang Shiqing's new army.

The result was absolutely nothing.

There was no communication between the two parties, not even news.

Moreover, Su Yi seemed to avoid suspicion and did not stay in Yangzhou at all.

Many officials in Yangzhou breathed a sigh of relief, including Tominga.

Jiangbei Camp head coach Tuo Ming'a, deep down in his heart, was of course grateful to Su Yi for his life-saving grace.

If you want him to deal with Su Yi, it's impossible. He has to be loyal, and even at critical moments, he is willing to spend money to support Su Yi.

However, he wouldn't dare to get close to Su Yi publicly now if you asked him to.

In that case, he would completely offend the emperor and the court, and his position would not be guaranteed.

This time Su Yi passed through Yangzhou, which made many people uneasy.

Su Yi was kind to Yangzhou. He saved Yangzhou Prefecture and saved the fate of many people in Jiangbei Camp.

Therefore, when he passes through Yangzhou, you Yangzhou officials must come out to entertain him, right?

Both emotions and reasons are needed.

But before Su Yi came, Beijing sent someone to inform him earlier.

Su Yi is going to be in trouble.

All of you must draw a clear line between you and Su Yi.

Anyone who gets close to Su Yi will also suffer bad luck.

The officials in Jiangbei Camp and Yangzhou were different from Zeng Guofan. They had no independence and were completely subordinate to the imperial court.

Therefore, when Su Yi passed through Yangzhou, these officials prayed in their hearts, Master Su Yi, please leave quickly, don't come to us, don't come to us.

As expected, Su Yi didn't come to them or make things difficult for them.

Go directly around the city.

Didn't even enter the city.

After passing Yangzhou City, we directly boarded the boat again and returned to Jiujiang along the Yangtze River.

At this time, Wang Shiqing, Wang Tianyang, Zhaobu and others were standing in a corner of the Yangzhou city wall, watching Su Yi's retreating figure.

Wang Tianyang's eyes were hot and tears were about to burst out.

"Is this how they treat meritorious ministers?" Wang Tianyang said in a trembling voice: "The Marshal saved the entire Yangzhou City and Jiangbei Camp. Now that he has landed in Yangzhou, Jiangbei Camp and Yangzhou Mansion, no one went to the dock. meet."

Zhao preached: "Don't say that the commander-in-chief is benevolent to Yangzhou City and Jiangbei Camp. Even if there is no favor, as a provincial official passing through the border, Jiangbei Camp and Yangzhou Prefecture must provide warm hospitality and spend money. Yes. But what about now? It’s deserted. Not only did no one go to the dock to greet the general, even when the general passed by Yangzhou City, the officials in the city didn’t even go out to say a few words to the general on the way."

Wang Shiqing remained silent.

But there was only one thing in his mind: the court should not treat heroes like this. "So remember this moment, remember this moment forever." Wang Tianyang said angrily: "No one else can be trusted. Only the guns in our hands can be trusted. Only our own people can truly be trusted."

A few hours later!

The Suyi fleet sailed on the Yangtze River waterway.

Suddenly!

A Taiping fleet rushed out in front, angry and murderous.

"Enemy attack, enemy attack!"

The Suyi fleet shouted loudly and rang the bell.

"Dangdangdangdang..."

Then, Su Yi's governor's guard and the Taiping navy began a fierce battle on the Yangtze River.

Su Yi's bodyguard only numbered more than 300 people.

As for the Taiping Navy, there were more than a thousand people.

The battle between the two sides suddenly became extremely fierce.

After a quarter of an hour of fierce fighting.

Then several warships flying the dragon flag of the Qing Dynasty appeared.

This is the warship of the Qing Dynasty's Jiangnan Camp, patrolling here.

During this period, Su Yi, the Hunan Army, the Qing court, and the Taiping Army all had a relatively tacit understanding on the Yangtze River waterway.

At this time, I saw a battle on the river.

The warships from the Jiangnan camp immediately came forward to check, and saw the two sides fighting fiercely. One side must be the rebellious navy, while the other side was flying the dragon flag of the Qing Dynasty and the word "Su".

Is this the fleet of Jiangxi Governor Su Yi?

"Guandai, do you want to step forward to support Su Yi's fleet?" asked the naval officer of Jiangnan Daying.

The naval officer of the Qing court said in charge: "Don't come forward, don't provide support, go back and report immediately."

Next, these Qing warships immediately retreated, and the naval commander immediately went to the Jiangnan camp to report.

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at this time!

In the commander's tent, He Chun, the commander of the Jiangnan camp, He Guiqing, the governor of Liangjiang, and Wang Youling, the chief envoy of Jiangsu, were discussing matters.

Soon, the naval officer rushed in and said: "Sir, on the river ahead, the enemy's navy encountered Su Yi's fleet. They were fighting fiercely. Su Yi had a small number of people and few warships. He seemed to be passive. Do we want to step forward to support? "

It's a coincidence that this one is similar to Chun. His character is the same as Sushun, and they are both called Yuting.

After hearing the words of the navy commander, He Chun instinctively looked at He Guiqing.

Although he is the head coach of Jiangnan Camp, he is still the biggest on this ground, He Guiqing, the Governor of Liangjiang.

Therefore, whether to rescue Su Yi or not, the governor of Liangjiang also needs to speak.

However, He Guiqing, the governor of Liangjiang, still talked about the matter without making any statement.

He Chun said: "Brother Cong Shan, what do you think? Do we want to rescue Su Yi?"

He Guiqing, the governor of Liangjiang, said: "What? Rescue what and who to rescue? Where is the war situation now?"

Then, he looked at the naval officer and asked, "Is there any fierce fighting at this time?"

The navy commander couldn't help but be stunned, then shook his head and said: "No, there is no fighting situation, I will be blinded."

"I will retire at the end!"

Then, he ran out directly.

In He Guiqing's view, Su Yi was already a political enemy, and it would be great if he could die in the hands of rebellion.

Go to the rescue?

Are you kidding me?

He Chun couldn't help but ask: "Su Yi was attacked on the Yangtze River, should we report it to the court?"

He Guiqing, the governor of Liangjiang, said: "Don't be meddlesome and pretend you don't know anything. If you report it, the emperor will still blame you. Even the emperor is probably eager to..."

When the words came to his lips, He Guiqing quickly swallowed them.

Jiangnan Camp coach He Chun nodded and decided to pretend that nothing happened.

then.

In this way, on the Yangtze River waterway, Su Yi's guards and the Taiping navy fought fiercely while retreating towards the west.

As for Jiangnan Camp, they just watched quietly without any reaction.

Su Yi's fleet retreated while fighting fiercely.

The battle raged from day to night.

After more than three hundred miles of fierce fighting, they finally got rid of the Taiping navy.

Returning to Jiujiang with the scarred warship.

This level of realism is unparalleled.

Especially the Jiangnan Camp witnessed all this and did nothing to save them, which was great.

It laid the best foundation for Su Yi's next plan.

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Beijing!

Boyannamohu appeared at Duhan's house.

"The exploratory attack proposed by Minister Du Han is simply incredible." Boyan said: "In this way, once Su Yi resists, it will be a different intention. But if he does not resist, he will be infiltrated by the imperial court and take back his power bit by bit."

Du Han said: "Prince Boyan, there is no need for politeness between us. Let's just say what we have to say."

Senggelinqin and Sushun are not in the same party, so they are not in the same party as Du Han.

But because they have a common enemy, Su Yi, Du Han and Boyan can be regarded as absolute allies.

Boyannamohu said: "But in my opinion, the first and second steps do not need to be carried out in sequence, but should be carried out at the same time."

Duhan fell into silence.

According to his idea, it was like boiling a frog in warm water. He would first test Su Yi with the first step. If Su Yi didn't resist, he would then replace Su Yi's direct descendants in Wang Shiqing's army, and then remove Wang Shiqing's army from Yangzhou. Transferred to Tianjin.

From a politician's perspective, this is a sound approach.

But in Boyan's view, this is completely wrong.

That is, a two-pronged approach should be taken.

Boyan said: "There are two reasons. First, our purpose is different from the emperor's purpose. The emperor just wants to test whether Su Yi has any different intentions. If there is no different intention, Su Yi will still be in the position of governor of Jiangxi. Come on and sit down. But is this the purpose of the two of us? We have only one purpose, and that is to oust Su Yi."

"For the Emperor, this is a probing attack. For us, it is an attack."

"Completely transfer Wang Shiqing's army and pull out Su Yi's claws. Let Weng Tongshu lead people to fight Su Yi to the death. No matter whether he has different intentions or not, let him have different intentions."

"Second, now Yang Yi has issued an ultimatum, saying that the imperial court will send people to negotiate with them within six days, and the imperial court plans to fight and negotiate at the same time, so the fight will last for a while. Since there is going to be a fight, there must be a choice. The strongest army will come to fight, strive for the best negotiating conditions for the Qing Dynasty, and teach the foreigners the biggest lesson."

"And now on the surface of the entire Qing Dynasty, which army has the strongest combat effectiveness? Isn't it Su Yi's new army? And didn't Su Yi keep saying that his new army will be used to defend the capital and the emperor?"

"Now that the moment has come, Wang Shiqing is ordered to immediately send the new army north to Tianjin to resist the foreign barbarians!"

"Therefore, the attack against Su Yi cannot be divided into two steps, but must be combined into one step."

"Now that the foreign barbarians are threatening the capital, a desperate plan is to let Su Yi's new army go north, which means he has absolute righteousness. If Su Yi prevents the new army from going north, his true face will be exposed to the world, and his reputation will even be ruined. And Wang Shiqing , there is no reason to refuse to go north."

"Now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Once the war ends and peace talks between the imperial court and the foreign barbarians, this reason will not be sufficient, and this righteousness will not be enough."

"Therefore, when Weng Tongshu went to Jiujiang to be the prefect, he should also send the imperial envoy to Yangzhou and order Wang Shiqing to lead the new army north to Tianjin to fight against the foreign barbarians."

After hearing this, Du Han took a slight breath.

Speaking of ruthlessness, it is indeed you, Prince Boyan.

Not only do you want Su Yi to be overthrown, but you also want the new army he trained to be completely destroyed on the Tianjin battlefield.

But Boyan is right.

Now is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

And there is a saying that is right, for the emperor it is a temptation, but for him, Du Han, it is more of an attack.

Since it was an attack, it would naturally be fierce and ruthless, trying to find a way to kill Su Yi.

I thought about it for a quarter of an hour.

Du Han said: "I will enter the palace immediately to meet the saint!"

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Inside Sanxi Hall.

After the emperor heard Du Han's words, he was immediately moved.

"Let Wang Shiqing lead the new army north to Tianjin to fight against the foreign barbarians?"

Du Han said: "Your Majesty, now we have to fight with Yangyi first and then negotiate. We must fight well first before we can negotiate the best terms. Otherwise, we will never accept the terms like He Guiqing's."

"And which army in the Qing Dynasty is the strongest now? There is no doubt that it is Su Yi's new army. Only by sending out this strongest army can we achieve the best results."

"In addition, bringing back Wang Shiqing's new army now is the most righteous thing to do. Su Yi has no reason to stop him, otherwise he will have ulterior motives and his reputation will be ruined, allowing everyone in the world to see his face clearly."

"In addition, you can clearly see whether Su Yi has completely lost control of the new army."

For a moment, the emperor also fell into deep thought.

After Du Han said it, this idea grew like a weed.

Du Han said: "To a certain extent, this is also for Su Yi's good. If he completely loses his military power, Su Yi will not develop certain aspects of his thoughts and be more at ease. This can be regarded as protecting him. This new army is now If he is transferred back, he won’t have to think about it anymore.”

The emperor still said nothing.

After a long while, the emperor said: "Okay, let's do it like this."

Then, the emperor asked: "Who do you think should be sent as the imperial envoy to Yangzhou to order Wang Shiqing to lead the new army north to Tianjin?"

Du Han said: "I recommend Dexing'a, the deputy commander of Xianglan Banner, to go south together with Weng Tongshu. One of them will go to Yangzhou to lead Wang Shiqing's army north to Tianjin, and the other will go to Jiujiang to serve as the prefect."

The emperor thought for a while, nodded and said: "Okay, then order Dexing'a to be the imperial envoy to Yangzhou."

"In addition, order the Governor of Water Transport to prepare enough large ships to bring Wang Shiqing's army back in Yangzhou at once and send it to the battlefield in Tianjin as quickly as possible."

"Eating the emperor's salary is a matter of loyalty to the emperor. Raise an army for a thousand days and use it for a while!"

"In addition, I ordered Tan Tingxiang, the governor of Zhili, to fight desperately. No matter what, we must hold on for about a month until Wang Shiqing's new army arrives."

"Tell Tan Tingxiang that the foreign fleet cannot reach land. He has so many troops that it is more than enough to hold on for a month."

"We must show the majesty of the Qing Dynasty so that the foreigners cannot do whatever they want during negotiations and make further progress!"

Du Han immediately bowed down and said: "嗻!"

"There is no greater sage than the Emperor!"

Then, two teams of people came out of the palace.

One is to go to Tianjin to convey the message, asking Tan Tingxiang to fight hard and fight against the foreign barbarians for a month.

The other one is to convey an order to Dexing'a and ask him to go south together with Weng Tongshu as the imperial envoy.

Boyan's calculation of this two-step process was very good, even top-notch.

But unfortunately, his plan came true for Su Yi.

Another assist.

I really have to thank him.

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Dagukou!

After six days, the Qing army was waiting seriously at the Dagukou Fort and Tianjin City in the rear.

Tan Tingxiang, the governor of Zhili, was majestic among the military guards.

The troops in front and behind were densely packed and countless!

Soon, the imperial envoy arrived and conveyed the emperor's oral instructions to Tan Tingxiang, the governor of Zhili.

"The foreigners came thousands of miles away and were far away from Hong Kong for supplies, but our army was waiting for work and took the initiative."

"Furthermore, the foreign army is in Guangzhou, and the warships cannot reach land. You have forts and fortified cities in hand. If you hold on for at least a month, the new army once commanded by Su Yi will go north to join the battlefield, and they will be even more powerful."

"Only by being able to fight can we end the war and negotiate peace. You must display the prestige of the imperial court. As long as you persist for a month, I will give you credit!"

Tan Tingxiang, the governor of Zhili, said: "I obey the decree and must show my authority and not embarrass the emperor!"

Half an hour later!

The six-day deadline given by the British side has expired.

The combined fleet once again sent an envoy to Tan Tingxiang: "The six-day deadline has expired. Where is your negotiating envoy?"

Tan Tingxiang, the governor of Zhili, said: "The emperor has decreed that your fleet should withdraw five hundred miles before sending personnel to negotiate with you."

The messenger shrugged his shoulders and said, "You asked for this."

Then, he returned to the battleship by boat!

Half an hour later!

The war between the two sides has officially broken out!

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Note: This is the first update. I wrote this chapter at 10:30 in the morning. I am speechless!

The recent plot has not been easy to write, but don’t worry, I will follow the historical trajectory and write more happily.

If you have monthly votes, please vote for me. Thank you all. I’m going to bed.

(End of this chapter)