"That Theodore Roosevelt can also be considered a formidable figure. He, too, aspires to rule the world. However, if Abraham Lincoln seizes the empire, he will have no chance to enter the Pass again. Once Abraham Lincoln stabilizes the situation within the Pass, he will even have to face the latter's threat. At a time like this, our existence benefits him. Us continuing to fight Abraham Lincoln is to his advantage, so helping us is his best choice. But helping us is not for His Majesty to return to the palace, but rather to play the game of Bian Zhuang stabbing the tiger—after we've worn down Abraham Lincoln's strength, he will then launch a massive invasion to seize the empire. The prerequisite for him to do so is to first control Shanhai Pass; only if this route is open can it work. If we let him stay outside the Pass, it's equivalent to handing Shanhai Pass over to him. Therefore, we must retake Ningyuan, let him know that this route is our bottom line, and only then will he truly follow our plan."

He continued immediately.

"But even so, the result is still fighting on two fronts."

Peter Reed said.

"Yes, we have no other choice. If we want them to listen to us, then we can only fight on two fronts."

Robert Bailey said.

Everyone fell silent.

"Alas, things have come to this. I can only endure this humiliation for now. Arthur Bailey, do you have any way to contact Theodore Roosevelt? I will speak with him personally. But first, select ten thousand elite troops and hand over the defense of Shanhai Pass to The Western Marquis. I will personally lead the army to retake Ningyuan. Once you contact Theodore Roosevelt, tell him I will meet him beneath the walls of Ningyuan. I'll see if I can move him with reason and emotion!"

Henry Clark said dejectedly.

"Your Majesty, how can Your Supreme Majesty suffer such humiliation from those Jian slaves? We ministers deserve to die a thousand times over!"

Old Harris cried out, lying there.

"Things are already like this, what's the use of saying that now? For all of you, for the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians at Shanhai Pass, if I must endure some humiliation, then so be it! Now I only hope that Theodore Roosevelt still has a shred of humanity left."

Henry Clark said sorrowfully.

As he spoke, his eyes reddened, and he couldn't help but lower his head to wipe away his tears.

"Your Majesty, you must not!"

Old Harris cried out again.

Then the other ministers all lay down and cried out as well. As for whether they were truly moved by His Majesty's greatness, that was anyone's guess. But this time, the emperor was indeed very great. After all, for an emperor to personally put on a smiling face and beg the enemy for help was an enormous humiliation, not to mention that this emperor was known for his stubborn temperament. At this moment, they probably all saw the radiance of a wise and holy ruler shining behind him.

However, what they didn't know was that as His Majesty lowered his head to wipe his tears, a trace of wicked, sinister smile appeared on his face.

Chapter 008: Miracle

"What happened to this Robert Bailey afterwards?"

Taking advantage of a break, Henry Clark hurried to consult Little Grace.

"He surrendered to Abraham Lincoln before the Battle of Shanhai Pass, and then was sent by Abraham Lincoln to attack Sichuan together with Mark Evans. As for what happened after that, there are no further records."

Little Grace said.

Alright, Henry Clark understood.

This Liaodong governor, who had given him a fresh impression, was actually more scheming than the others. His loud advocacy for defending Ningyuan to the death was nothing more than a ploy to lure him into splitting his forces and weakening the defense of Shanhai Pass, making it easier for Abraham Lincoln to break through. If the others, in their willingness to surrender to the Qing, still had some lingering loyalty to His Majesty, then this Liaodong governor already regarded His Majesty as a dead man.

"Damn it, why is it so hard to find a loyal minister these days!"

Henry Clark said bitterly.

But this was exactly what he wanted. He didn't care what Robert Bailey's motives were; he only wanted to head north, retake Ningyuan, and hold it. If Abraham Lincoln could take Shanhai Pass, so be it, but he couldn't let the Qing army control Shanhai Pass, nor could he let the most elite Guanning Army in William Scott's hands end up as the Qing's lackeys. He was determined to find ways to hoodwink these fence-sitters into following him and fighting to the end for Ming. Even if they couldn't fight to the last man, if they had to surrender, it could only be to Abraham Lincoln. As for everything else, it would be left to fate. If in the end he held Ningyuan and William Scott held Shanhai Pass, then they could farm and develop here. The two-hundred-li coastal plain would be enough, with mountains on one side and sea on the other, and with Ningyuan and Shanhai Pass blocking both ends, the middle would basically be safe—especially since they could even go fishing and such.

If they couldn't hold out...

Well, so be it. Anyway, as long as he let Shanhai Pass fall into Abraham Lincoln's hands, that was enough.

As for himself, if things really didn't work out, couldn't he just run? If he could fight his way out of Beijing, why couldn't he escape in the chaos here? Escaping from Beijing required desperate flight, but here, as long as he turned and slipped into the mountains of Rehe, the world would be wide open. As for what came after, that would be a problem for later. At worst, he could take off the dragon robe, change his identity, and head south. With his current skills, raising a small force shouldn't be much of a problem.

"Damn, I'm really too great—this is sacrificing myself for righteousness."

He said, somewhat speechless.

"You should say foolish."

Little Grace said, showing no mercy.

"Shut up. Isn't this all your doing? I was forced by you. Besides, you still have work to do. Even though reality is like this, we still have to strive for the best possible outcome."

Henry Clark said.