Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 251 How to launch the next round of offensive against the Qing court? Have a meeting first
"The prince has arrived."

Bang, everyone in the conference room stood at attention, not squinting.

It wasn't until Li Yu sat down that everyone sat back in their chairs one after another.

"Don't be cautious, it's been a long time since we've had such a complete event. Everyone is here."

Everyone chuckled and looked at each other.

The people present are all skeletons, sitting on both sides of the long table according to civil and military distinctions. And it looks like this long table may be even longer.

"Who says it first?"

Du Ren spoke first:

"Your Majesty, the biggest problem right now is the raw material of saltpeter. Leather and wood are also in relatively short supply."

Li Yu turned around and asked Lai Er:

"It's skilled workers and miners."

However, Li Yu is very calm, and it is almost enough to increase the output by 10 times.

Chen, the elder of Maanshan Iron and Steel Mine, briefly reported on the progress:
"Following the prince's instructions, Maanshan Iron and Steel did not wait and put into production while building. It built 52 small blast furnaces and has achieved a daily output of 3 kilograms of raw iron."

Everyone laughed, it was indeed a huge and hidden wealth.

Li Yu signaled him to finish and added:
"So you must have a clear understanding. What you fight is silver, and what you fight is steel."

"As the saying goes, steel can be made in a hundred steps. From raw iron to steel, we have two processes. Simple lathes are used in many steps. Considering confidentiality, we will not go into details."

"Spend money to poach people from other provinces. Use money to hit people."

Seeing everyone's excitement, Li Yu pointed at Lao Zhang:

There is an old saying in the Qing Dynasty: You have come, don’t leave.

Zhang Manku smiled and continued to explain:

"Let's put it this way, for the same thing, the materials required by the court in the north are at least 5% higher than ours, and the labor required is doubled."

Lao Zhang was secretly happy:

"According to the minimum standards of our Li Jiajun, these wrought irons can be used to make flintlock guns and swords. But if they are to withstand large chamber pressures, they will have to be forged again, which will consume about another kilogram."

There are many people in southern Zhejiang and southern Anhui who have worked as miners and paid to hire them. There are many blacksmiths in Foshan, Guangdong, and there will definitely be people willing to pay three times the wages.

"Tell me about the consumption of raw iron (pig iron) to weapons."

……

"it is good."

"Since Maanshan Iron and Steel is a new plant, the furnace temperature of the blast furnace is not the same, and the temperature of the technicians is not the same, so about 10 kilograms of rough iron produces 5 kilograms of wrought iron. Old Chen, am I right?"

Hiss, everyone took a breath of cold air.

“What is the biggest difficulty right now?”

Lao Chen nodded, thinking that this old boy knew everything.

If you have money, you will speak loudly and you will not be afraid of any difficulties. There is no problem in the world that money cannot solve.

Zhang Manku stood up and said seriously:
"Our Xishan Iron Works has now switched to ore from Ma'anshan. After the molten iron comes out and is stirred twice, 2 kilograms of raw iron can produce 10 kilograms of wrought iron."

"You answer."

"Your Majesty is mighty." Everyone cheered.

Fan Jing then spoke:

Everyone took a breath of cold air. One month was 10 kilograms of iron. They didn't dare to think about it.

There is an old saying in the Qing Dynasty: Those who work in the west are heroes!

He asked:

The Sichuan and Sichuan areas have natural saltpeter mines and rich timber resources, so this move is reasonable.

……

Li Ergou became impatient and asked:

From this perspective, the daily production of 3000 kilograms of raw iron is nothing. That's enough for 150 muskets or 23 sets of armor.

Li Yu nodded and only added:
"Don't be afraid of spending money. I have plenty of money."

"Just tell me directly, how much iron can produce a flintlock gun, a sword, and a pair of armor?"

"Yes. My subordinates did not hesitate to spend a lot of money to purchase a total of 2 kilograms of saltpeter from various smugglers at high prices. We are currently considering sending people to Sichuan and Sichuan to open up channels to the local government."

"Twenty pounds of iron will produce a flintlock gun. Six pounds of iron will produce a sword. 20 pounds of iron will produce a pair of armor."

……

"Mashan Iron and Steel's goal is to produce 3 kilograms per day. I will use steel to smash the backs of the Eight Banners soldiers!"

You can fool yourself into getting on the ship first, and then you can only join the Jiangnan rebel family.

"The Jiangnan three-dimensional defense circle has been under construction. According to the prince's instructions, part of the project has been outsourced to businessmen. The efficiency has been greatly improved, and it is expected to be completed by this time next year."

Li Yu is also planning to outsource the task of digging miners and blacksmiths to businessmen at double or even triple wages.

No matter what method he uses, he will always give him money according to his head when he disembarks. For every person he pulls in, he will be paid 15 taels.

As Party A, you can refuse to take risks.

Absolutely no advance payment, only payment on arrival.

Secondly, once it is discovered that the person and profession do not match up, the merchant's money will be fined ten times immediately.

The characteristic of businessmen is high liquidity.

Li Yu has a solution for this.

Important outsourcing orders are only given to businessmen whose family members are under the rule, especially those who have lived locally for several generations. If you dare to cheat me, I will raid your home and destroy your clan.

The evidence is conclusive and made public. Other businessmen will never feel sad about the death of a rabbit or a fox.

The property he left behind was sold at a discount and everyone gnawed at it.

……

According to Li Yu's idea, wait for a period of cooperation to develop a tacit understanding.

He will also select a group of businessmen with whom he cooperates deeply, charge high deposits, and then ask them to go overseas or outside the country to work for him. The profits are so lucrative that they cannot refuse.

In a word, believe in the charm of money!
99% of the difficulties in this world are due to lack of money.

It is natural for businessmen to pursue profits, and it is common for them to be bold, but that is okay.

Li Yu's left hand is the reins of money and his right hand is the whip of law. He can completely control them and make the businessmen become the scouts of the future imperial army.

……

Xishan Gun Factory has mature technology, fixed processes, and fixed output, so there is nothing to talk about.

The number of flintlocks and artillery stockpiled is enough to expand the army by 10 people.

Currently, Lao Zhang is focusing on heavy siege artillery and ship-borne carronade guns.

As soon as these two killer weapons were released, their offense and defense really changed.

Kuai, the elder of Jiangnan Shipyard, was not good at words, but said honestly:
"More good wood is needed. The wood is strong and the warship is strong. The shipbuilding cycle is long. After the keel is formed, it needs to rest for a period of time and the stress can be relieved before the next process can continue. So this year we have to consider next year."

This is a very troublesome problem.

There is no decent wood in the Jiangsu and Anhui areas. They are all soft wood and balsa wood. It is okay to make tables, chairs and benches, but it is a joke to use it on warships.

There are high-quality hardwoods in Huguang, Sichuan, but they are blocked and cannot be purchased.

According to the intelligence, Agui has issued an order to the governors of the provinces along the river to strictly prohibit the cutting and selling of wood with a diameter of more than 2 feet.

The Qing troops in Anqing and Jiujiang could not just watch the timber flowing down the river.

Li Yu sighed:

"In a few days, I will go to Jinshanwei to inspect the Jiangnan Shipyard. I will talk to you then."

Seeing Lao Kuai's sad expression, I knew he was worried.

So he comforted:
"It doesn't matter. The worst we can do is arrange a Yangtze River operation. Send out all the warships to attack along the river and fight all the way to the upper reaches. Cut enough wood and release it along the river to bring it back to the south of the Yangtze River."

……

Navy Commander Liu Wu smiled.

He felt that the probability was quite high, and it was in line with the prince's personality.

But he never imagined that Li Yu had been thinking about the Bohai Bay operation.

At the critical moment, a fleet was dispatched to make a surprise attack on the Dagukou fort. After landing, they rushed straight to the capital. They might not be able to break the city, but they could scare Qianlong to the point of incontinence.

Then the heavy troops will be transferred back to defend the capital.

It won't be like now, with Jiangnan surrounded on all sides.

He has received information that in addition to the Jiangbei camp, the Qing army is also planning multiple camps, and the number of troops will be considerable by then. Maybe it will set a record for the Qianlong Dynasty's highest military use. Liu Wu also began to report on his work:
"The Chongming Naval Base has been completed. The Qing army in Jiangbei has completely lost control of the river and there is currently no threat."

"The main force is still stationed in Chongming, and a squadron is stationed outside Jinshanwei and Jiangxinzhou (west of Jiangning City), supplemented by forts. If necessary, the Qing navy can be held back until the main force arrives."

"Currently, the sources of sailors come from Caobang and fishermen along the coast of Zhejiang. Most of the gunners are trained by themselves."

"There are three types of main battleships of the navy. One is the 2200-material improved red single-ship ship, which carries 36 guns and is used for operations in open seas. The second is the 1200-material improved red single-ship ship which carries 24 guns and is used for fresh water operations. The third is a Jikang-class improved 800-charge flat-bottomed gunboat, carrying 16 guns, used for shallow water operations in inland rivers."

"There are two types of transport ships, both of which are flat-bottomed sand ships and unarmed. One type transports people, and the other type transports artillery and baggage."

……

Liu Qian, director of the Intelligence Agency, also reported:
"Green camp soldiers from the northern provinces are gathering on a large scale. The Jiangbei camp is more than 10 miles away and has at least tens of thousands of troops."

"But based on careful speculation, the Qing army will not launch a large-scale attack before the hot weather ends. In addition, the 800 Sauron cavalry retreated north to Huai'an Prefecture to escape the summer heat. At the same time, they may have plans to send troops to northern Anhui."

"Ok?"

"Your Majesty, the Wanbei Shun Dao Sect, one of the branches of White Lotus, has also revolted. They killed the county magistrate and occupied the county seat. It was quite a scene. It even affected our recruitment of troops in northern Anhui."

"Who initiated it?"

"Three leaders are leading the charge, one of them is Shi Yikai."

Li Yu suddenly realized that he was an old acquaintance.

"Continue to recruit soldiers, and move more widely. If you encounter trouble, just send someone to see Shi Yikai directly. He will cooperate."

He had a vague hunch in his heart that the recruitment of troops in northern Anhui might not last long.

If there is chaos, everything will come to light.

Once the Qing court finds out, it will definitely block this road.

Qianlong and other important officials of the Qing court would even find out some of the factors behind their unreasonable actions of "recruiting troops from other places".

……

Liu Qian nodded and continued:

“But what’s worth being vigilant about is that a large amount of sawdust has been found on the rivers in Tongling and Wuhu, flowing down the rivers.”

Li Yu didn't react for a moment and asked instead:

"what for?"

Liu Qian explained:
"As Lao Kuai knows, shipbuilding will produce a large amount of wood chips, which will flow down the water. It should be the Qing government's large-scale shipbuilding upstream."

Everyone was thoughtful.

Although I don’t know the specific location, I can generally guess that it is either Jiujiang or Anqing.

None of the so-called battlegrounds for military strategists is fabricated. Before the advent of aircraft, location was everything.

Li Yu turned around and asked Liu Wu:

"Where's Wei Zilong?"

"Still stationed at Jinshan Guard! Responsible for daily offshore drills to increase the tacit understanding between man and ship."

"Assign him to serve as commander of the Jiangxinzhou Squadron. Patrolling the Anhui section of the Yangtze River, he has two tasks. One is to escort the coal transportation route from Tongling to Ma'anshan. The other is to attack the Qing army's water fortresses and possible shipbuilding bases along the river, and try to destroy as many ships as possible. Creating trouble."

……

The scope of the work of Director of the Publicity Department Jia Xiaozhen is very trivial. It may seem illusory, but in fact it is of great significance, as you can see from the amount of funding.

He came up with an idea:
"Is it possible to build a specialized school to cultivate propaganda talents?"

"I will grant you 100 acres of land in Dongshan, plus 3000 taels of silver, and name it Dongshan Literary College."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, but I have a small suggestion."

"speak!"

"Now that the prince has many kinds of projects under his command, can we set up a special engineering camp? In this way, we can specialize in the industry and save money."

Li Yu's eyes lit up, this idea was indeed a good one.

Then he looked at Fan Jing:

"Come here and take the lead. We will set up an engineering camp first and it will be under your control for the time being."

Fan Jing responded immediately:

"No problem, no difficulty."

It is nothing more than gathering a group of skilled masons, stonemasons, carpenters, and painters, and then letting these people earn fixed wages to build houses professionally.

……

Lin Huaisheng of the First Corps reported:
"All casualty gaps have been filled. The current total strength of the legion is 6200, including 7 musketry battalions, 4 artillery battalions, and 1 transport battalion."

Li Yu suddenly remembered and ordered:
"The battlefield rescue team must be organized as soon as possible. Each battalion is equipped with 4 people."

The battlefield rescue in the Battle of Banqiao has proven to be effective. The total mortality rate of the lightly and seriously injured was only 6%, which is very surprising.

As long as disinfection and hygiene regulations are strictly followed and debridement is thorough, non-severely injured patients have a great chance of survival.

Even soldiers who have recovered from their injuries are valuable.

You can serve as a full-time instructor in the boot camp, as well as in the village office of each village. At present, these two projects can accommodate at least 5000 people.

The wounded soldiers will definitely feel grateful and loyal to themselves.

Graduates of Dongshan Infantry Officer School can be freed from recruit training and directly enter the army as captains and deputy captains.

Today's students are divided into two categories.

One type is meritorious soldiers, and the other type is Jiangnan's well-to-do households with no military foundation.

The so-called well-to-do households are equivalent to the well-off middle class.

People from Jiangnan don't serve as soldiers because they don't like the pay. However, people from Jiangnan want to be officials, especially civil servants.

Li Yu deliberately used a cover-up trick to publicize that he could enter the military and serve as a civilian.

After all, there are many non-frontline personnel in the military.

In short, we successfully recruited some Jiangnan people whose family finances were in deteriorating condition, the imperial examination was obviously impossible, and they were about to fall down the class.

There were not many, just dozens of people.

But this is a good signal, and appropriate preferential treatment must be given to those who eat crabs first.

……

The commander-in-chief of the Second Army is himself.

Miao Youlin reported on his progress to the west in Yuhang County, and Zheng He'an reported on his military progress in Xiaoshan County towards Ningbo Prefecture of Shaoxing Prefecture.

It was obvious that both of them were very motivated.

Especially Zheng He'an, with only one battalion of troops, he dared to rampage across the two prefectures, killing hundreds of green battalion soldiers.

At present, Hangzhou Prefecture, Shaoxing Prefecture, including many counties and cities below them, have all been captured by the Second Army, and only Ningbo Prefecture is still in the hands of the Qing army.

Wang Danwang, the governor of Zhejiang who had limited cooperation, gathered a group of remnant soldiers. He originally wanted to eat the remnants of Su Shiba's bandits given to him by Li Yu, but the ambush turned into a pursuit.

Su Shiba chased Wang Danwang for dozens of miles in one breath.

Enemies are extremely jealous when they meet.

Wang Danwang lost more than 5000 soldiers. Thanks to the strength of his horses, he escaped into Kuaiji Mountain under the desperate protection of his confidants.

After hearing this, Li Yu could only curse in secret: "Trash".

This formed a perfect food chain. Li Yu was sure to eat Su Shiba, and Su Shiba was sure to eat Wang Danwang.

All the blame falls on Su Qinglian!
You should take the time to implement it and severely punish those responsible! No mercy.

……

Your Majesty, your subordinates killed three families of gentry who maliciously resisted in Shaoxing Prefecture, and all the 3 taels of silver they obtained from confiscating their homes were sent to Suzhou Prefecture by water. "Zheng He'an was busy expressing his loyalty.

You see, not only can I fight in wars, but I can also help with military pay, so you have less worries.

"Your Majesty, I helped implement commercial tax in the counties under Hangzhou Prefecture and set up 12 tax offices. I also recruited 23 descendants of gentry families into the army." Miao Youlin obviously saw something far ahead.

When Miao and Zheng came together, the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder, changing the relaxed and harmonious atmosphere before.

Li Yu’s impartial statement:
"You two have done a good job in the Hangzhou-Jiahu Plain. From today on, you are both promoted to deputy commander-in-chief, and each controls half of the troops. Considering that the artillery of the Second Army Camp is weak, there are 40 artillery pieces in each batch. The gunners of the Guards Corps will help You will train for two months. Before November, everyone north of Kuaiji Mountain and Siming Mountain must plant the flag of our Li Family Army."

"As ordered."

The two sat down happily.

Half a catty versus eight ounces, both wins.

The Second Corps has undergone expansion and its current total strength is 8200.

There are two battlefields, one in the east and one in the west, controlled by two people respectively. Maybe in the future, it can be expanded again into two independent legions.

……

(End of this chapter)