Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 248 If the troop supply continues like this, I am afraid it will leave huge hidden dangers.

Li Yu breathed a sigh of relief, and the atmosphere was in place.

The cheers, which undulated like ocean waves, lasted for a while before slowly dying down.

"From now on, the people of Jiangning no longer need to perform corvee service. Abolition of corvee service forever!"

The scene effect exploded,

If you look at it with a telescope, you will find that many people spontaneously kneel by the roadside, crying and shouting long live the festival with sincere emotions and from the heart.

These are not actors!
It is difficult for modern people to understand how benevolent and righteous it is to abolish corvee service.

Looking at the crazy crowd below, Li Yu suddenly felt a great sense of irony:
This has probably been the case since ancient times when we conquered the world, right?
If a wise man scrapes it, he will feel a little guilty afterwards, be considerate, rest and recuperate, and return the money with interest in disguise.

The tyrant also scratches, and then continues to scratch!

He looked around at the people around him, all looking at him respectfully, their eyes full of hope. They all want to follow the dragon and be granted the title of wife and shadow.

Li Yu thought for a while and asked Zhang Youhou to be summoned and appointed as the deputy mine director of Ma'anshan Iron Mine.

However, it didn’t blow up, and it was still invested in the construction in full swing.

"Lord, don't worry."

"My lord, this cement is really good, and the roads paved are amazing."

"Five days ago, an advance team was sent out and brought 5 shipments of cement bricks to build houses first."

The salary is 1 tael of silver per month and is paid at the end of the month. The treatment is not bad, after all, food and accommodation are included.

"Oh?"

A bag of rice will be given to you upon registration.

In the battle against Jiangning, the Intelligence Agency's contribution was no less than that of the First Army Corps!

"Yes."

……

“On a hot summer day, tens of thousands of people gather, so it’s very difficult to organize, so be careful.”

Chen, the former boss of Xishan Iron Works, was changed to the mine director.

"In an open-pit iron mine, you can dig two or three feet to get the ore, which saves a lot of manpower. The iron content is also high, which is much better than the Lijiaxiang iron mine in Changxing."

……

"Where's Ma'anshan?"

"I will open an industrial park in the suburbs of Jiangning and select people from the people of Jiangning first. The quota will be given first, those who are literate will be given priority, and those who are young and strong and can endure hardship will be given priority."

Before time travel, Li Yu had heard of these two names even if he was not a person in the coal and iron industry.

A few days later, when Li Yu inspected the Maanshan Iron Mine, Lao Chen said with emotion:
"Lord, this mine is great."

Old Chen came over and said:

As soon as the army arrived, the pickers immediately dispersed like birds and beasts.

It and Huainan Bagongshan Coal Mine are known as Anhui's double walls.

Especially Liu Qian, the director of the Intelligence Agency, who was standing in the corner. Although he was unassuming, his expression was very proud.

In Li Yu’s words:

"Well, so the initial planning must be done well and pay attention to economy and efficiency."

Everyone took a breath when they saw the remote Nanshan Mine.

Walking down the city wall, Li Yu asked:
"Is everything ready?"

On the one hand, every family went bankrupt during the siege, and on the other hand, Li Yu's benevolent government was rare in a century. Compare the two and sign up enthusiastically.

The distance from Jiangning to Ma'anshan is only 100 miles.

“If you hate a broken mining area, work hard to build it up.”

The specific location does not require exploration;
The ancestors discovered it hundreds of years ago, maybe thousands of years ago. However, due to the blockade of the imperial court, they only dared to secretly mine a little bit.

Tens of thousands of people from Jiangning came, and they were full of enthusiasm.

"Don't worry, my lord, 66 rice shops in the city will start selling rice on credit at the same time. There are government officials to maintain order, and there are fish scale books to check, so there will be no problem."

Although they are not in the same prefecture, or even in the same province, they can still be regarded as fellow villagers.

Cut down trees to build houses, lay cement roads, and fire brick kilns to prepare blast furnaces.

"One month of hard work will make Ma'anshan the most beautiful outer city in Jiangning."

"In addition to mining, you also have to worry about logistics. It is not easy to provide food, clothing, housing and transportation for tens of thousands of people."

Even 300 years later, Ma'anshan's Nanshan Iron Mine is still the best and largest open-pit iron mine in East China.

Li Yu struck while the iron was hot and asked people to build a shed on the riverside to recruit workers.

……

Directly occupying the ready-made mineral vein point.

A hundred miles away, Jiangning Mansion leads Ma'anshan in the distance.

If this had happened before the time travel, millions of people in Ma'anshan would probably slap the table with excitement: Is there such a good thing? Incorporate immediately, immediately.

……

Thanks to the construction experience of Xujiang Park, the project went smoothly here.

Drainage ditch, toilet, kitchen, accommodation area, fence ~
The main road is directly paved with cement to ensure that it is safe once and for all.

There is also a small pier in the park. From here, ships can sail directly into the Yangtze River.

The development of heavy industry must rely on water transportation.

Not to mention this era, even in an era when cars and trains were extending in all directions, heavy industry relied heavily on water transportation. No other, cheap and large quantity!
If it is transported by land: cars will break down, tires will burst, roads will be damaged, rail tracks will need maintenance and repairs, and fuel will be expensive.

And what about shipping?

Small sampans and giant ships of 10,000 tons can carry the same load on the river, requiring no maintenance, and marine fuel is extremely cheap.

Now it relies on sails, which costs almost nothing.

All thanks to the magic of buoyancy!
……

Ma'anshan also has a huge reserve of mineral resources: pyrite!

Because its appearance and color resemble gold ore, it is often used by scammers to deceive people.

For Li Jiajun, the greatest significance of pyrite is that it can replace flint. From now on, there will no longer be worries about the shortage of flint.

The misfire rate of a flintlock gun has a close relationship with flint.

Before every battle, officers would remind soldiers:

"Change it with a good piece of flint, and don't let it go to the battlefield and become a misfire."

Each musketeer carries 2 to 3 flints with him for easy replacement at any time.

In short, Ma'anshan's position in Li's industrial territory is unparalleled. Manpower and material resources are constantly coming.

Dangtu County, Wuhu County, and Fanchang County in the south have all been captured by the Li Army.

Forming a perfect barrier!

At this time, in the southern Anhui region, the Qing army no longer had much sense of presence.

Due to its geographical location, Anhui is in the heart of the empire and has a low military status. As a result, there were no Eight Banners garrisoned, and there were only more than 1 green battalion troops in the entire province.

There are a total of 4 battalions in the Wannan area.

Most of the troops of these four battalions were mobilized by Mingliang, and they were completely wiped out in the Battle of Banqiao.

At this time, in addition to Chizhou Fucheng, there were more than a thousand green soldiers defending it.

The entire southern Anhui is in a state of extreme emptiness, and only one or two battalions can be destroyed.

……

After listening to the scout's report, Li Yu was both happy and worried.

Fortunately, the territory has expanded again. Worryingly, the military strength was spread thin.

"Father, are you recruiting troops?" Li Xiaowu said.

"I'm thinking about it."

Seeing his adoptive father deep in thought, Li Xiaowu guessed a bit and asked:

"Father, are you worried about the source of troops?"

"Yes. The people in the south of the Yangtze River regard the army as a scourge, and they are unwilling to join the army even as tenant farmers. The Huaixi men are willing, but now the proportion of Anhui people in the Li family's army has exceeded 6%. If there is any increase, there will be hidden dangers. Now I can win them over with pay and military regulations, but once they grow into the backbone of our army, they will have their own ideas. By then, apart from the Northern Expedition and the Conglong Gong, I can't think of anything that can steadily control them. .”

Li Xiaowu was silent and suddenly said:

"Staff Headquarters."

……

When Lin Huaisheng came, he also had the same concerns.

Report:
"The First Army Corps has replenished 2 battalions of troops from Huaixi and performed very well on the battlefield."

"Although they are new recruits, most of them are brave and good at fighting, and are not afraid of death. When they entered Jiangning, one of the battalions attacked at an extremely fast speed. They killed the entire city from Dinghuai Gate in one go. The casualty rate was also the highest in the entire army."

"Oh, by the way, this is the merit list."

Li Yu took it and took a look. Half of them were Huaixi soldiers. According to the rewards and punishments established in advance: he will be promoted to 9 deputy captains, 4 captains, and 2 battalion commanders in one go.

"My lord?"

"Follow your orders, and I will honor what I said. Zhengzhi who changes orders day and night will not go far."

"As ordered."

"Have the silver reward and pension been paid out?"

"According to the Lord's instructions, it was distributed to the soldiers under the witness of the clerk of each battalion."

"How was the response?"

"Ecstatic, hailing the lord long live."

……

Li Yu smiled and warned again:

"The First Army Corps is expected to be stationed in Jiangning for a long time. The military camp must be separated from the residential area, as clear as possible, and no contact is allowed. If the army wants to maintain its combat effectiveness, it must be pure!"

"Don't worry, my lord, my subordinates understand."

Li Xiaowu reminded:

"Then they have to spend the reward money. They can't~"

This sentence reminded Li Yu, and he immediately took out a piece of paper and wrote a brief measure of more than a hundred words - "Some Ideas on Improving the Economy of the Li Family Military Camp Area."

He invested his own money to open shops in the camp, covering dining, drinking, drinking tea and listening to storytelling, bathhouses, daily groceries, etc. The prices were slightly lower than the market price.

Hire workers from local people, and be sure to keep your wealth clean. They only get a fixed salary, not tied to performance. Storytellers sent by the Publicity Department, please pay attention to your guidance.

In this way, kill two birds with one stone.

It not only withdraws part of the military's salary, but also blocks excessive contact between the military and local areas, corroding combat effectiveness.

"Someone is coming."

"Give this letter to Mr. Hu and ask him to take the lead in handling it. A special fund of 1500 taels will be allocated to pilot it in Jiangning City."

……

"Huaisheng, take advantage of the recent period to recruit 1000 soldiers in Jiangning. I think after experiencing the devastation caused by profiteers and the Qing court during the siege, there may be some people in Jiangning who are willing to join the army."

"As ordered."

Lin Huaisheng is gone, and the burden on his shoulders is heavy.

The First Army Corps went through the Battle of Changzhou, the Battle of Jiangning, and the Battle of Banqiao, and finally got a chance to make up for the casualty gap and strengthen its troops.

Artillery and guns were repaired and maintained, and soldiers recharged their batteries.

In the hot summer, even the locals felt tired, let alone the Qing troops from the north.

In Yizheng, Yangzhou Prefecture, the camp in Jiangbei stretches for 10 miles.

Under the scorching sun, the military flag remained motionless and lifeless.

The soldiers either hid in tents or under the shade of trees. Their happiest time was before and after the sun went down.

We collectively went down the Yangtze River to enjoy the cool air and wash away the smelly sweat.

Then I have the appetite to eat something.

……

The late summer of the forty-first year of Qianlong's reign was extremely hot.

The soldiers of the Shaanxi-Gansu Green Battalion couldn't even keep up their spirits even after eating fried noodles, which shows that their combat effectiveness has really declined seriously.

After Hailancha inspected the camp, he silently gave Qianlong a secret.

He is illiterate and only speaks orally. He has his own military Chinese book ghostwritten:
"My slave Hai Lancha risked his life to report that the heat in Yangzhou is unbearable, and it is not suitable to use troops before half August. The cavalry of Torgut and Tuxie Tuhan are powerful forces in the north, so they may arrive late to prevent the men and horses from contracting diseases that are difficult to cure."

"The slaves are bold and want to seize the south of the Yangtze River and control the Yangtze River first. The pirate ships are sharp and steal Chongming. They often disturb the north bank~"

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the tent.

Yi Gesheha opened the curtain and said angrily:

"Capital, the pirate ship is here again."

Hai Lancha rushed to the bank of the Yangtze River on horseback and saw hundreds of people crawling onto the bank in embarrassment.

The river was blood red and corpses were floating.

A small warship, with white smoke billowing from the muzzle, sailed into the green gauze tent, hiding its merits and fame.

……

"Send an order to prohibit soldiers from going down the Yangtze River again. Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed."

"Whoo."

From now on, the soldiers in the Jiangbei Camp could only cool down in the creek.

Hailancha had no warships, only more than a hundred civilian ships and canoes, and was unable to counterattack.

And the Li Jiajun navy's tactics are really insidious.

Starting from Chongming or Taicang Port, they used small warships to harass and bombard the Qing troops swimming in the water, which was extremely arrogant.

If it weren't for the fear of the Qing army, they would have built four forts at the intersection of the Grand Canal and the Yangtze River. Liu Wu had already sent warships into the Grand Canal and bombarded Yangzhou City.

However, he never gave up on this plan.

The bombardment of Huaiyang has always been the navy's innermost strategy, but it only requires the approval of the lord and the dispatch of infantry to cooperate. It can be called a "youth version" of amphibious landing operations.

Otherwise, after entering the canal, the Qing army only needs to cut off the escape route on the water surface, and the warship will become a trapped beast in a cage.

Li Yu will not start it for the time being.

The investment is too great, the risk is too great, and the returns are unclear.

Unless you want to build a Jiangbei bridgehead or completely wipe out the Jiangbei camp, there is no point.

At this moment, it is more cost-effective to concentrate on eating the Hangjiahu Plain and Wannan. Wealth resources are at your fingertips.

……

Jiangning City West Campus.

The soldiers of the First Legion were densely packed in the open space.

Li Yu walked up to the general stage in military uniform and drew his sword:

"The First Legion is mighty!"

Everyone shouted in unison, and the air seemed to heat up a few degrees.

Then comes the stage of distributing silver rewards that everyone loves to see. Boxes of silver ingots are moved here directly from the Tiancheng Yuan bank account.

"The 12th Battalion, second-class collective merit, 2 taels per person."

Eight soldiers from the 12th Battalion came out and carried away two boxes with smiles on their faces. They would divide them after returning to the camp.

"9th Battalion~"

The collective reward money was distributed in one breath.

Li Yu personally distributed the reward money to the individual soldiers who had made meritorious service. Although it took half an hour, it was well worth it.

We must never stand high and be divorced from the officers and soldiers at the grassroots level.

Military power is different from other powers.

It cannot be obtained automatically from a piece of paper, a title, or a big seal, nor can it be inherited through blood relations.

It requires long-term establishment of prestige and subtle implantation.

A general who has no sense of existence, is unable to lead the soldiers to defeat the enemy, and has no charisma. His grasp of the army is extremely low and only exists on the surface.

Therefore, Li Yu must show up from time to time to firmly control the army.

Let all soldiers know that he is their only commander.

……

After the reward award process is over, there is a one-on-one conversation.

Li Yu spent 2 hours meeting more than 50 people. With his insight into human nature and precise understanding of people's hearts, he was able to generally select the candidates he needed.

From among the outstanding meritorious personnel, a suitable group will be selected and sent to the Dongshan Infantry Officer School for further training.

The course lasts for 3 months and is the official fifth batch of students.

Officers at the grassroots level are the soul and skeleton of an army. By winning over these people, you can win over the entire First Legion.

Everyone was flattered, packed their luggage and boarded the ship to Suzhou.

When you graduate, you will also receive a command sword engraved with the graduating school and branded with the principal.

From now on, promotion will be much smoother.

Of course, that's assuming you're not killed in battle.

The death rate among the first graduating class has reached 3%, mainly in the position of captain.

Once you become the battalion commander, the casualty rate drops significantly, which is also true!

……

(End of this chapter)