Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 232 Qianlong’s obsession can only be satisfied by He Shen

Old Summer Palace, imitation boat building by the lake.

Xiao Zhangjing from the Military Aircraft Department sent the latest military report, and the atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point.

Qianlong's hands trembled slightly,

The first one belonged to Fuyuan General Agui. The whole of Hubei was in ruins, and almost all of it except Wuchang fell into the hands of the enemy. But he has initially completed the blocking and is ready to enter the counterattack stage.

The second one came from the imperial envoy Qian Feng, who once again raised 120 million taels of silver to meet the urgent need for military spending.

The third copy was from Li Shiyao, the governor of Liangjiang, describing in detail the battle situation in Jiangnan, including the fall of all except Jiangning City. The thieves in the south of the Yangtze River had sharp firearms and were especially good at forging cannons. It was hoped that the imperial court could send heavy troops to suppress them.

……

"At this moment, Mingming's army should have arrived in Jiangning."

"Go back to the emperor. If you count the days, we will probably start a war with the bandits."

There are also strong melee soldiers from the Jianrui Battalion who have experienced the Battle of Jinchuan, helping each other.

"Whoo."

He Shen seized the opportunity and took out a fold from his sleeve.

"Master, I am very happy."

……

"Eunuch, how is the emperor feeling?"

Qin Si led the way, and He Shen walked in a hurry with his head lowered.

"If father-in-law refuses, he will be looking down on me and XX."

Qianlong suddenly asked:
"Did Guangdong Customs show weakness and make concessions to the British barbarians, thereby damaging the face of our Qing Dynasty?"

There are a total of 7000 people, and almost everyone has a copy of the Zambalak heavy matchlock gun. There are also 200 artillery pieces, all of which are mature models that have been tested on the battlefield.

Qin Si flattered and said the most arrogant words in the most tactful tone:

Seeing that the emperor's expression gradually improved, Qin Si, the eunuch in charge, whispered:

"so much?"

Qianlong looked expectant, feeling that he had a 7% chance of winning.

He Shen nodded, took out a thin banknote from his sleeve, and put it into Qin Si's sleeve naturally.

Sure enough, Qianlong smiled.

"Hey, Master He, you are trying to kill this slave. You can't do it, you can't do it."

……

"Has the errand in Henan been done?"

Qin Si walked out of the palace happily.
Although it is a hot day, it feels as comfortable as drinking ice-cold honey water. To be laughed at and scolded by the emperor as a dog slave makes the beauty's bones brittle.

"Go back to the emperor, it's absolutely true."

"Go back to the master, the river management funds and the military salary owed by the Green Camp over the years have all been settled."

"How much do you actually pay?"

"Slave Heshen pays homage to his master, long live the long live."

"What happy event?"

He took a sneak peek and saw that the palace was surrounded by man-made waterfalls. The royal gardens are exquisitely crafted without any expense.

When I walked into the temple, I felt cool.

Qianlong suppressed the smile on his face and asked calmly:

"You dog slave is still trying to ambush me, so go ahead."

"In that case, thank you sir."

He Shen was prepared and replied sincerely:
"As of 10 days ago, 220 million taels have been put into the inner treasury. My servant, who is also the Minister of Internal Affairs, has personally inspected it."

"Okay, I can rest assured that you can do this."

"Back to the emperor, the Guangdong customs argued hard and refused to give in. Finally, the British and foreign merchants realized their mistakes and apologized for their previous recklessness. By the way, the East India Company's Grand Bankhali apologized and donated gold silk as a tribute. A big enamel clock.”

Qianlong was sitting on a rosewood chair, his expression as usual.

Because Mingliang took away the entire capital firearms battalion, which was the strongest firearms corps in the Qing Dynasty.

"I only make mistakes because I am afraid that I will not be able to speak well. The Minister of the Ministry of Finance and the Lord are waiting outside. Let him talk to the master, right?"

"God says good things, and the master will naturally be happy."

"My lord, please come in."

"well."

"Master, the British and foreigners have relented. The Guangzhou port has reopened, and the shipment volume is amazing. Guangdong Customs has reopened a major tax source for the court. This year's customs duties are expected to be 600 million taels."

How can such a perfect lineup be invincible?

Qianlong couldn't help but laugh:
"Hehehe, foreigners don't understand etiquette. How could anyone give this as a gift?"

"If a slave is punished by death, I will return to Yang Zhong and severely reprimand Kali."

"No need. After all, they have never been educated by the Qing Dynasty. The barbarians can be forgiven for not knowing etiquette. The people of the Qing Dynasty do not know etiquette and cannot be forgiven."

"Your Majesty is wise."

He Shen had already figured out the old man's temperament, and it could be said that the reaction to today's conversation in front of the emperor was all within his predictions.

The 220 million taels of tariffs are genuine, but the rest are adulterated.

……

There is no other way. It is slightly more difficult to earn money from barbarian merchants while standing still.

This is not enough, now the emperor wants the Yi merchant to kneel down and admit that he is his grandson, and then our Qing Dynasty will be tolerant and generous to forgive him and make money.

There is only one possibility to satisfy such an outrageous request.

Lie~
Looking at the happy Qianlong,

He Shen thought to himself, Your Majesty, this servant really can't do it.

For the sake of the Qing Dynasty and the emperor's good mood, let me be disloyal once.

However, he felt no guilt in his heart.

Although I deceived the emperor, my starting point was good and it was for your own good, the emperor.

The Guangdong Customs Supervisor is a confidant who has eaten noodles at his own expense in Hefu, and he will never dare to mess around.

The Censor Yanguan might have caught a hint of the rumor, but the matter was so serious that he would never dare to lift the lid.

Yi merchants will naturally shut up when they get benefits.

There may be some criticism among the people in Guangdong, but it cannot reach the Forbidden City even though it is thousands of miles away, so it does not affect the overall situation.

Only Qian Feng, a fool, can just edit a letter another day.

Although this person is a bastard, he still has a sense of the overall situation. It concerns the Qing Dynasty, and he will not come out to attack him. He Shen saw through Qian Feng.

……

Qianlong seemed to be immersed in an indescribable sense of accomplishment, and said slowly:
"Passing a message, I will be rewarded with the post of first-class light vehicle captain of the Guangdong Customs Supervision."

"Whoo."

Qin Si immediately passed the oral instructions to the young eunuch who was on standby outside the palace, hurriedly wrote them down and sent them to the military aircraft office.

After 1 hour, the will will be officially issued.

"He Shen, you've done a great job in charge of the household department."

"Master~"

He Shen suddenly choked up, not entirely because of his acting skills, but because he was really moved.

The master Qianlong was quite mean to his queen, concubines, sons, and courtiers. No matter how favored you were before, as soon as you make a mistake, he will immediately turn against you.

Today, Jane is in the emperor's heart, and tomorrow she will be exiled to Ning Guta.

"Many ministers do not understand my difficulties. They do not understand that it is impossible to maintain such a large empire without money."

"The slave understands."

"I know you are a sensible person. You are also the Minister of Military Aircraft Department, and Agui is not in Beijing, so please be more considerate."

"This slave will be ruined."

After He Shen kowtowed solemnly, he exited the Water Curtain Hall.

Within a few days, news came out in the palace that He Shen would be rewarded with flowers in his eyes.

The capital was shocked!

Many people secretly speculated that the situation among the three giants in the Military Aircraft Service was about to change.

Yu Minzhong is probably old and is gradually fading away. Agui is already the new chief minister of the Military Aircraft Department.

And He Shen is probably the next one.

For a time, there were thousands of cars and horses at the entrance of He Mansion.

The servants sent by Shuntian Prefecture to maintain order could fill a basket every day just by picking up horse dung.

……

The Ministry of War has been very busy recently.
In addition to supervising the construction of cannons, it is also necessary to re-clarify the strength of the green battalions in several northern provinces, mainly Shaanxi, Gansu, Henan, and Shandong provinces.

At the same time, the vassal court will also express its sympathy and welcome the princes of the Tuxie Tuhan Tribe of Mobei Mongolia and the Turghut Tribe of Mobei Mongolia who are about to arrive in the capital in the near future.

Monan Mongolia, also known as Inner Mongolia, includes the Horqin Tribe, Chahar Tribe, Tumut Tribe, etc.

Mobei Mongolia, also known as Outer Mongolia or Khalkha Mongolia. Including Tuxie Tuhan, Sanyin Nuoyan, Zhasak Tu, etc.

Desert Mongolia, also known as Erut Mongolia, includes the Junggar tribe, the Heshuote tribe, the Torgut tribe, etc.

The closer they are, the more loyal they are.

If it weren't for Qianlong's troops pressing down on the territory and wiping out the Junggar tribe with ruthless tactics, Mongolia Mongolia wouldn't want to obey at all.

Everyone knows the above.

However, Qianlong specially recruited the princes of the Tuxietu Khan tribe and the Turghut Khan to come to Beijing for a very complicated purpose. The Qing court's checks and balances were probably the most sophisticated among all dynasties.

A closer look at the entire empire reveals checks and balances everywhere.

Manchu, control the Han Dynasty.

The Han officials were clear and the Manchu people were noble.

There are dozens of Mongolian tribes, with a balance of power and mutual control.

This is especially true in the court, where there are always two groups standing side by side. When one falls, a new one is immediately raised.

Needless to say, the imperial family controlled the Manchus, the Manchu Eight Banners controlled the Mongolian Eight Banners, the Mongolian Eight Banners controlled the Han Eight Banners, the Han Eight Banners controlled the Green Camp, and the Green Camp controlled the people. Such a rigorous pyramid system.

There are also a series of dazzling operations such as using the Han Dynasty to control the soil, using the gentry to control the people, using the Eight Banners inside the Pass to control the Eight Banners outside the Pass, and so on.

There is only one winner, the Emperor!

……

If we say, in the summer of 1776.

Who knows the checks and balances of the Qing court best, apart from Qianlong himself, probably no one else is Li Yu.

Qianlong did not even dare to teach such a set of imperial skills to the emperor's fifteenth son, Yongyan, in advance. Instead, he was prepared to wait a few more years until his body and bones couldn't bear it any longer before teaching it to him.

Being an emperor is also difficult.
I am afraid that the prince is too stupid, and I am afraid that the prince is too smart.

Yongyan is a kind and honest person, but what if he hears this essence of checks and balances and in turn checks and balances Emperor Amma?
Being born into an imperial family, trusting others is a dangerous quality, like a moth rushing to a flame.

Others refers to anyone.

Including those who gave birth to me, those who gave birth to me, and those who helped me give birth.

This cannot be attributed to character, but because the crown is too tempting.

To a certain extent, Qianlong and Li Yu had something in common, such as power skills and understanding people's hearts.

Of course,
Li Yu must be more philanthropic, kind, upright, and advanced than him!
Before taking over Jiangning City, the tone had already been set: steal more money and kill fewer people!
……

Li Yu returned to his loyal Suzhou! And it is the familiar combat command room on Xishan Island.

"My lord has arrived. Everyone, stand up."

Bang, the military attachés and civilian officials all stood in awe and clasped their heels together.

"Everyone, please take a seat. It's hot in the summer, so there's no need to be so reserved."

Everyone laughed. Some people untied their moral clasps, while others kept it the same.

Everyone listened quietly to the Lord's speech:

"I didn't capture Jiangning, so I temporarily returned to Suzhou because my plan changed."

"Currently, the Qing government no longer has any mobile troops in Jiangnan that can threaten us. Therefore, I formulated a blood-draining plan - to drain Jiang Ning's blood."

Everyone was shocked, the narrative style sounded very grand.

Li Yu smiled and continued to explain:
"What is the purpose of attacking a city? To obtain the wealth in the city, kill the enemy troops in the city, gain the population in the city, and occupy a favorable hub position."

"Attack without breaking it, and delay the time of breaking the city for more than half a month, I can ensure that the wealth of hundreds of thousands of people in Jiangning will all flow into my pocket."

"Of course, killing people can also achieve the goal. But I not only want to get this wealth, but also want to win the hearts and minds of Jiangning."

"Do you think it's a good deal?"

Everyone nodded, it was such a good deal.

In fact, Li Yu decided this after receiving Liu Qian's secret letter.

Kill three birds with one stone,
The fake hand sucked Jiang Ning's wealth dry, regardless of the rich or the poor.

The people of Jiangning were completely disappointed with the Qing court, and the people supported themselves.

The people of Jiangning have become poor and will actively join their own industrial plans and become industrial workers.

……

The military affairs of Jiangning were temporarily handed over to Lin Huaisheng, and the logistics affairs were handed over to Hu Xueyu. "

Li Yu continued to explain:

"In addition, there are two factors. First, the gunpowder production cannot keep up. Second, there are too few troops."

Everyone was silent, this is the truth.

The militia garrisoned in the city could not move, and half of the mobile militia's strength was consumed in this battle.

The regular army is currently around 6000 (excluding the Navy).

Neither of these could withstand the brutal attrition of war.

"Everyone, there are two key tasks for the next step. First, recruit soldiers! Second, solve the saltpeter! Of course, these are all based on an implicit condition, that is money!"

"Take Jiang Ning slowly and explode the gold coins."

……

After the meeting that day, Li Yu went to the art corridor that he cherished.

After a long time, the winding path became even narrower.

The news reached Yang Yunjiao's ears, and she couldn't help but feel glad that it was wise to decisively cast Su Qinglian as an actress. Otherwise, this woman's superb professional standards will definitely bias the man's mind.

In this regard, men are often self-righteous.

The wise brain, abundant tactics, and calm judgment all told myself: You shouldn't touch her.

But Duanqiang said: No!

In short, Li Yu wasted precious half a day before he officially became a director the next day.

Information from all sources came frequently. On the southern front, the Zhejiang Qing army launched a massive attack in the Tongxiang area of ​​Jiaxing Prefecture, while Miao Youlin's troops retreated to the county seat.

"How many days has it been?"

"We have been under siege for two days."

"Let the Jiaxing Prefecture send troops and warships along the Grand Canal to bombard the Qing troops attacking the city. If the Qing troops do not retreat, they will continue to sail south and carry troops to cut off the grain routes."

"As ordered."

During the half-day in the Art Corridor, Li Yu was not completely idle.

He took the time to learn about Wang Danwang's personal history, personality, acting style, and weaknesses.

Although Su Qinglian was very reluctant to mention this old man, due to some suspicion of a hobby that could not be put on the table, she still went along with it.

This is very professional.

In a sense, she and Xiao Qi from Wuchang Prefecture both belong to the ceiling of the thin horse industry.

It’s just that one is good at literary drama and the other is good at martial arts.

You can't say who is better. It depends on the type of employer and what reasonable needs it has.

Li Yu is nicknamed "Jin Liang", so he naturally has no intellectual needs.

Chen Huizu, who came from a family of officials, was the opposite.

……

Purple Mountain, also known as Zhongshan.

It is located in the northeast of Jiangning City, adjacent to the city wall.

Zhu Yuanzhang was worried that the Purple Mountain would be threatened by enemy control, so he built an outer city and included the Purple Mountain in the city.

However, it is too difficult to defend the outer city.

The circumference is over 100 miles, and it would take 2 days just to walk around it. Therefore, Purple Mountain has still become the commanding heights outside the defense line.

"Commander Lin, this is one of the three peaks of Purple Mountain, Tianbao Peak."

Lin Huaisheng raised his telescope and observed carefully.

I saw that the mountain was steep, especially the top, which looked like it was being cut with a knife.

The Eight Banners built camps and installed cannons on it, and the flags fluttered in the wind.

"As long as you take Tianbao Peak, you can overlook the whole city. If the cannons are transported up, the entire city of Jiangning will be within shooting range."

"Before my lord left, he left behind a siege strategy. The first step is to capture this peak."

The mountain infantry battalion composed of mountain people from the Hengduan Mountains in Yunnan was the main force of this attack.

Only when you know yourself and the enemy can you attack with force. So, they spent two days infiltrating.

15 people went and 13 people came back!

Tianbao Peak has only one mountain path, which can only accommodate two people passing through it at the same time.

The mountain road is steep and winding. Even without fighting, just climbing is not easy. The 244-meter-high Tianbao Peak is already a rare mountain in the south of the Yangtze River.

……

The leader of the mountain infantry battalion is a Yunnan Han citizen, Liu Ning and.

When the battalion head was first established, the lord personally appointed the candidate.

The reason is simple. First, this person is literate. Second, this person is Han, and most of the people in the camp are natives.

"Commander Liu, how do you want to attack?"

"My subordinate wants to climb up through the forest."

Lin Huaisheng glanced at the steep forest in disbelief and asked:

"Hundreds of people are like this? Is it feasible?"

"Yes, but it will take a little longer."

"Okay, if you need anything, just go to the quartermaster."

"As ordered."

The mountain infantry battalion did not attack the next day because the weather was not ideal.

The next day, still not dispatched.

On the night of the third day, it was foggy and visibility was less than 4 feet away.

Liu Ning and Daxi hurriedly left a note and gathered more than 400 people in the entire battalion to quickly set off. They hid in the mountains and forests before the sun came up, avoiding the sight of the Qing troops at the top of the mountain~
(End of this chapter)