Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 234 The Second Legion with Different Compositions

Lao Zheng, a native of Huaixi, once made a living at Xujiang Wharf and later worked in Changxing Coal Mine.

"Greetings, my lord."

Li Yu did not speak immediately, but observed his reaction for a while and exerted a little intimidation from the superior.

Sure enough, I saw this person becoming increasingly uneasy.

"Get up."

"Thank you, Lord."

"What's your name? Where are you from?"

"Little Zheng He'an, Zhengjiawei, Fuyang County, Yingzhou Prefecture, Anhui Province." The man spoke in Central Plains Mandarin and answered respectfully.

(Wei: A village surrounded by dikes, very common in the low-lying plains of northern Anhui.)
Li Yu asked:

"Zheng He'an, do you want to stand out?"

But no one wants to have a mother like this!

noon,

Smiled:
"I'll give you a chance. You go back to your hometown to recruit strong men and bring them back."

……

"You have returned home in fine clothes and are doing well. Tell the fellow villagers that your boss's caravan is recruiting guards. They need to be able to fight and dare to risk their lives. The pay is not low, and they have three meals a day."

"You take 2000 taels of silver back and organize the government first. Don't have too much, otherwise it will arouse suspicion. After all, getting rid of the refugees is also a good thing for the local government and reduces the pressure of civil unrest. The recruited people will be sent away in batches. , board the ship and walk along the Huaihe River into Jiangsu, and meet at the Jiaoxie Salt Field on the bank of the Yellow Sea. Someone will take them to the ship there, and you don’t have to worry about the rest."

He didn't want to wait for a moment and wanted to lead a group of his brothers back to his hometown.

There was a conflict with Vice President Zhao Erhu at the dock and he was almost killed.

The Yellow River, which is thousands of miles long, has the advantage of providing irrigation water to the farmland along its banks, but everything else is trouble.

……

"Please, please give me some advice."

"How many people does the Lord want?"

"How did you leave your hometown in the first place?"

"Be a soldier and eat food!"

Jia Xiaozhen happily went to the appointment and once again reminded him how to do his errands. As an unscrupulous scholar who entered the Li family army a little late, he was able to quickly get into the position of propaganda director because of his personal ability!
Zheng He'an dares to fight, has a spirit of resistance, and is ambitious.

"Confused, do you think Yingzhou officers and soldiers are blind?"

"Don't worry, Lord, we will do it beautifully."

Later, by chance, he met Li Ergou. They had a similar atmosphere and were introduced to Li Yu's family. After playing for more than half a year, I finally got the opportunity.

There have been many emperors, generals and ministers, and the people's customs are strong and fierce. Their heads are only blown to the ground by the wind. Therefore, it might be better to change "yellow flood zone" to "traditional entrepreneurial zone".

"How many people are left at home?"

"I think, we dream about it."

"It's gone. They're all dead. The water was too strong that year. I hugged a tree without sleeping for two days and two nights. I waited until the water receded before going down."

It is also the area with the largest number of uprisings in all dynasties.

Zheng Hean respectfully invited Director Jia to a nearby restaurant for a light meal.

Li Yu nodded,
The Yellow River flows through southwestern Shandong, northern Jiangsu, and northern Anhui and southern Henan, the so-called "Yellow Flood Area". This is a term that is painful, helpless, and not very pleasant.

"What name are you going to use to recruit young people?"

Jia Xiao is indeed a master of propaganda (conspiracy), and he talks about it eloquently.

"Well, you can discuss transportation, money, and routes with Director Jia."

"Thank you, Lord Jia, for the suggestion."

However, the expression of Jia Xiaozhen, director of the Publicity Department, made him feel very uncomfortable.

"About 5000 to 10000. It should be strong and under 20 years old. It is best if one person can eat enough and the whole family is not hungry. Do you understand?"

The Yellow River is said to be the mother river.

"Understood, only heroes, not cowards."

When he went out, he was full of fighting spirit. He struggled to survive since childhood, and escaped alone from the floods, wandering to the south of the Yangtze River with a group of fellow villagers, but he could not get a few copper coins with just his fists.

Li Yu saw through this man at a glance, struck a chord deep in his heart, and offered him a prospect he couldn't refuse.

"Well, if you do it beautifully, the master will be impressed by you. How far you can go depends on your own understanding."

Zheng Hean banged his head twice.

……

"The Yellow River burst its banks and everything within a radius of ten miles was flooded, so we ran out."

However, there is a lack of awareness and a too simplistic view of the world. But fortunately, he was able to realize his own shortcomings and listen to the advice of experts with an open mind.

After a drink, he affectionately called Jia Xiaozhen "big brother" and sent him away respectfully.

After Jia Xiaozhen left,
One of Zheng Hean’s confidants said:

"Brother, why are we teasing this scholar?"

Bang, I got a slap on the head.

Zheng Hean lowered his voice and said:
"We are all rough people, and there are some things we can't figure out. It will be of great benefit to have a good relationship with him. Are all our brothers here?"

"The mine has only approved 15 people to go back to your hometown with you."

"enough."

When I arrived at Yingzhou Mansion six days later, my confidant asked quietly:

"Brother, our brothers now have silver, swords, and a few short fire blunderbuss. If we don't go back, we can still create a world in Fuyang County."

……

This time, Zheng Hean didn't hit him.

Wearing a black silk robe and a sword hanging from his waist, he looked at the land in front of him that was exuding a strange smell not long after the water receded and said:
"Don't say such nonsense again. You will have a brighter future with your master."

"We brothers are blood-blooded allies. We will advance and retreat together and share adversities in the future. Sooner or later, we will be able to behave like the same person. How about that?"

Everyone's blood was boiling and they immediately found the incense table, big rooster, and wine bowl~
A solemn oath was made in front of an uncollapsed earth temple.

Zhengjiawei was lucky enough to escape this year's disaster. The flood was not severe and was blocked by the dike.

The villagers in ragged clothes watched in shock as a group of well-dressed people entered the village.

"Masters, who are you looking for?"

"Third Grandpa, it's me, the second son of the old Zheng family in the east of the village."

"Ah, Xiao Anzi, are you alive? Everyone in the village thinks your whole family~"

The old man sighed, looked at him and the people behind him again and again, and smiled toothlessly:

"Having made a name for yourself in a foreign country? Okay! Wow!"

People in the village gradually gathered around him, some familiar and some completely unfamiliar.

Zheng Hean took off his saber, slapped it on the ground, and stood firmly on the soft ground.

He found out another 50 taels of silver:
"Third Grandpa, thank you for your kindness. I want to treat the whole village to a meal. I will have enough white rice and white flour buns today. I will kill 5 pigs and bring in a few jars of wine."

Suddenly, Zhengjiawei was filled with joy.

Although we escaped the flood this year, our lives are very tight and food is very tight.

Xiao Anzi returned home in fine clothes, a great joy.

As the oldest person in the village, the third grandfather used a cane to direct the villagers to work, move tables, collect dishes, lead pigs, make wine, and worship ancestors.

Zheng He'an found the ruins of his adobe house, knelt down on his knees, cried loudly, burned paper money, and sacrificed a pig's head.

The third grandfather stood aside with a crutch:
"Old Zheng, there is finally smoke coming out of your ancestral grave."

……

At noon, the flowing water banquet was set up.

The dishes are simple, except for the staple food which is a large bowl of pork stew, and all the men have wine bowls placed in front of them.

Third Grandpa started and raised the wine bowl with his thin hands:

"Young and old men from Zhengjiawu, let's do it."

Hundreds of people responded in a noisy manner, drank with grinning teeth, and then hurriedly ate the food. The appearance of eating could no longer be summed up as gobbling.

Zheng He'an didn't find it strange at all. This was his familiar hometown.

After everyone was half full after eating, he started to toast from the table. Every time he goes to a table, someone will ask him, where can I get rich? Can you take me (the kid at home) with you?
Even Third Grandpa also took the initiative to ask:

"There is only so much thin farmland in the village. It really can't support so many people. No one wants the younger generation to work as tenant farmers."

Zheng Hean pretended to hesitate:
"Is it so serious?" "You don't know. This year the Yellow River has reached the north bank of the lower reaches. The people there have fled the famine, and it only takes a couple of workers to work for a day. Hey~"

Third Grandpa drank a bowl of wine and lamented:

"In our Qing Dynasty, people are inferior to grass."

……

The two of them touched a bowl and drank it in silence.

"Xiao Anzi, can you help me a little? We are all descendants of Zheng Jiawei."

All the tables around him fell silent, and everyone stared at him eagerly.

Zheng Hean stood on the table and said loudly:
"I will accept all the young people under the age of 20 who want to follow me. I will ask the proprietor to let you serve as caravan guards, with three meals a day and a monthly salary of 1 tael."

Grandpa San slapped the table excitedly:
"Young men, kneel down for your Uncle An! Kowtow!"

Wow, more than 50 young people rushed out. Without saying anything, they bowed their heads and bowed.

Without him, it would be too painful!

No matter what you are doing by following Zheng Hean, it is better than staying here in Zhengjiawei.

The Yellow River is just 40 miles away.

Every summer, people in the village collectively worship the river god, asking gods and Buddhas in the sky to protect them from breaking the embankment.

I bought a few possessions and livestock, but they were all gone when the flood came. As time goes by, life becomes more and more difficult.

Anyone who praises the Yellow River as the mother river of this land will probably be bitten to death by the people of Zhengjiawei.

……

suddenly,

At the entrance of the village came two government servants in soap clothes. They were the county's fast-shift servants. They were arrogant and arrogant.

"What do you want to do with this crowd?"

"Hey, I'm still drunk. Tell me, are you robbing a big customer?"

Everyone immediately fell silent. They dared not speak out if they dared to be angry.

Zheng Hean stood up, along with a dozen of his cronies. He is tall and powerful, wearing silk robes and cloth clothes, and a sharp knife hanging from his waist. He is instantly intimidating.

"Who are these two?"

"Master Song and Master Wu from Yamen."

Zheng Hean walked over, stretched out his arms, and pinched one on each side.

He said in an unquestionable tone: "Let's drink together!"

Confident, domineering, and obviously not timid about official duties.

The two guards sat down and drank two bowls of wine. They listened to him brag about how good he was doing outside and how awesome the proprietor was.

"Master Zheng, who is your proprietor?"

"Hush, I can't tell you the name. If you hear it, you'll lose your head. He's a top-notch person. Let's put it this way, it's never difficult at the Yamen Gate."

The Song Dynasty officer suddenly realized that he was a luxurious person like the emperor and merchants. Then he saw the handle of the short-handed gun that was inadvertently exposed on his waist.

"Master Song, Master Wu, we will all be a family from now on."

"Yes, let's give Master Zheng a bowl."

Before leaving, Zheng Hean took out two ingots of silver and stuffed them into their hands.

"Master Zheng, why are you so embarrassed?"

"My brother, if you don't accept it, you are looking down on me. Take it."

"Brother Zheng, you are truly a hero."

Soon, through the recommendation of these two officers, I met the county magistrate and gave him a gift. After that, things in this county became extremely smooth.

……

It is an instinct for people to walk to higher places.

Everyone from all over the country knows that Zhengjiawei has a capable person. The key is to respect the family relationship.

Shiploads of excess labor were boarded nearby.

Along the Huaihe River, it drove into Gaoyou Lake in Jiangsu Province, and then continued to set off to reach the Jiaoxie Salt Field (today's junction of Yancheng City and Nantong City).

The area around this salt farm is extremely remote, and few people come here except Zaoding.

The new salt field ambassador was appointed by Li Yu.

Officials who spend a lot of money to run their business are commonly known as "buying officials."

The cooks were timid and fearful. They knew that the ambassador was ruthless and he did not default on their wages, so they never dared to say anything.

After a large number of strong men from northern Anhui arrived here, they took small sampans in batches and arrived at the large ship anchored in the outer sea.

The tidal flats in Jiangsu are formed by the sedimentation of rivers entering the sea. The port berths are poor and large ships cannot dock (except for Haizhou Port).

This ship can carry 800 people, and the cabins and decks are full.

Destination: Chongming Island!
The reason for not sending people directly to the hinterland of Jiangnan was because of concerns.

One worry is that thousands of soldiers are young and strong, and the morale of the army is uncertain. If there is an accident such as mutiny, Qianlong is afraid that he will laugh until he has a stroke.

The second concern is that the people in Jiangnan are too talkative and the Qing court will learn about recruiting troops from other places.

……

Chongming Island is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River and is isolated from the world. There is a place named Xinhe Town on the south side of the island, which is the main naval base of the Li Jiajun.

Li's navy is at its peak and conducts daily patrols to facilitate confidentiality.

To take a step back, even if these thousands of northern Anhui men were unruly, refused to accept the beatings of the officers, and turned around to rebel. It’s also easy to suppress!

Such a large number of new recruits must be guarded against even if they can be used!

The ship docked, and everyone in northern Anhui was stunned. The huge warship, the forts on the shore, the groups of soldiers, and the strange concrete road at the pier~
It’s all a peep show!
Especially the cement road, which is as hard and flat as a bronze mirror. It is a hundred times easier to walk than the official road in the county. Unloading goods at the dock is very convenient!

Regarding how to light up the technology tree of logistics transportation (land routes), there are nothing more than two points: first, roads. Two, vehicles.

Li Yu had already planned for this, but the war was urgent and he could only solve the immediate problems first.

Come one by one in order of priority.

Use the silver on the handle of the knife, ah, no, the back of the knife, ah, that’s not right, it’s on the blade~
……

The third batch of students from the Dongshan Infantry Sergeant School graduated early again. Wearing brand-new military uniforms and carrying command swords, they took up their posts.

A man stood on a high place and shouted:

"Fellows from northern Anhui, you will officially serve as soldiers and eat food starting from today."

"The monthly salary is 1 tael, which will be paid at the end of the month. Three meals a day, and you will be full every time."

"If there are cowards who don't dare to join the army, it's still too late to stand up. Go work and get half the salary."

As Li Yu expected,
Most people did not hesitate and chose careers with better food and higher pay!
Only a handful of people quietly walked aside and were incorporated into the craftsman service camp and the reclamation team.

Liu Wu stood high on the fort and said with a smile:

"My lord is really Jin Liang, and he has left no stone unturned. He has never allowed me to attack Chongming County, and even tacitly allowed the Green Camp of Langshan Town to cross the river to increase troops. It turns out that the purpose is to train troops, using the county seat as a whetstone."

……

Groups of Han men from northern Anhui are mainly from Yingzhou Prefecture, mixed with people from Shouzhou and Luzhou.

Under the supervision of the musketeers, we began to change clothes and take a shower.

It's hot in summer, and the men collectively walk into a small river nearby.

Once ashore, you need to dip your head into a barrel. The potion in the bucket will kill all the lice. Then it’s time to pick up new clothes and shoes.

Those who are willing to cut their braids will be rewarded with 1 tael of silver. If you don't want to, don't force it.

Many people in Li Jiajun criticized this point.

Only Li Yu was calmer. His explanation was:

"Visible braids are easy to cut, but invisible braids are difficult to cut."

It turned out that he was right, even with the huge temptation of a silver reward. Fewer than one in ten were willing to cut their braids. There were more than 1 recruits, and only 7000 taels of silver were given out for the reward for cutting their braids.

So, a fresh and hot order came down immediately.

All 152 people who had their braids cut off were promoted to deputy captains. The original coarse cloth military uniform remains unchanged, and officers are given a large-brimmed hat and a sword.

These 152 people suddenly distanced themselves psychologically from their original fellow villagers.

Very well done~
These more than 7000 soldiers from northern Anhui are officially designated as: Second Army Corps!

[For reasons that everyone knows, any foreign names involved in this book cannot be used directly. Great powers and East Asian countries, please help me think about it? For example, Citigroup and Fuso. Although the struggle for hegemony is still far away, it does not prevent the author from being unimaginative and thinking far ahead. Get out of the hospital! 】

(End of this chapter)