Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 266 Qianlong: I also pretended hard! Understand Xie An and become Xie An

The 10500 troops of the Second Army set out from Hangzhou Prefecture and entered the Yangtze River section by boat via the Grand Canal.

The 15 main warships of the Navy, which have been on standby here for a long time, are escorting along the way.

The fleet is huge, with a total number of more than 300 ships.

The Qing troops in Jiangbei were frightened when the sentry was called, and they quickly lit the beacon tower.

Three plumes of black smoke shot straight into the sky. Tens of thousands of soldiers from the Jiangbei camp lined up in formation along the river to prepare for war. Yangzhou was shocked three times a day and the whole city was under martial law.

Beacon Tower is the handiwork of Hai Lancha.

He was worried that the Wu army in the south of the Yangtze River would suddenly cross the river and land at any place, catching him off guard.

Therefore, on the more than 300 miles of river beach from Yizheng County to Haimen Hall, a beacon tower was set up every 5 miles, with two handymen.

When you see an enemy, set up a beacon fire.
If there are less than 1 people, light a smoke column. If there are more than 2 people but less than 3 people, light smoke pillars. If it is boundless, all three roots will be burned.

A grand return home is his greatest wish.

The two of them enjoyed the watermelon with its juicy and sweet flesh.

"It's better to take Wanbei directly. There are tens of millions of people in my hometown who are not afraid of death. It also saves a lot of distance."

"Okay, let me try."

Zheng He'an's thoughts were much simpler. He was alone and just wanted to stand out in the war and lead an army to fight back to Yingzhou Prefecture.

"Lao Miao, I heard that Madam is pregnant?"

Seeing Zheng Hean's expectant face, Miao Youlin resisted the urge to curse and patted his face:
"Do you think I look like a civil servant?"

"If we come here a few more times, won't we frighten the officers and soldiers out of their wits?"

The relationship between the two was not good, and everyone in the legion knew it.

"Have you heard? Your Majesty has opened an Imperial College to recruit talented people."

……

"You two, get up. It's hot. Let's get some watermelon."

"Lao Miao, you don't want to be a civil servant, do you?"

Miao Youlin felt that there was no point in continuing this topic, so he avoided talking about it and started a new topic:

"Old Zheng, I heard that you have a good relationship with the prince's adopted son?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Zhuo Jing is pregnant, so she is not allowed to join the army this time and is resting in Tongxiang County."

"What? Look down on Guizhou?"

……

Miao Youlin stood at the bow of the boat, looking at the Qing troops running wildly on the north bank, laughing until tears came out.

Li Yu also picked up a piece, finished it slowly, and then asked:

It's just that he doesn't believe it!
The threshold of literacy and dozens of taels of tuition is enough to become a civil servant after graduation? Dream on.

……

The prince did not spend his money on building palaces and pavilions. He had great imperial ambitions.

In this way, Jiangbei Camp can respond quickly.

"It doesn't look like that! He looks like a bad guy."

In fact, it's not like Miao Youlin didn't know the admissions standards of Dongshan Youth Civil Service School.

Miao Youlin observed the road carefully and found that the palace was very simple.

At the same time, the two of them landed in the city to meet Li Yu.

"Meet the prince."

"What can we do if we kill them? Is there any money? Is there any food?"

There is no way, there is no room for two tigers in one mountain!
"As someone from Miao, I would say, just go up the river, don't hit Jiangxi, just go all the way up."

"Go back to your hometown?" Zheng He'an felt a little weird.

The fleet traveled smoothly until it anchored at Xiaguan Pier outside Jiangning City to replenish food and fresh water.

"Damn, that's interesting."

"Brother Ergou? Yes, he is our Bole. He was the one who recommended me to serve under the prince."

Miao Youlin was not angry, but laughed and said:
"Come and take a photo on the side of the boat. Which one of us is more like Qiu Ba?"

After all, I have been in the officialdom (as of Guizhou Lvying Qianzong), so I know how difficult it is to obtain an official title! Every step forward is filled with bones and silver paving the way!
Some time ago, he sent people to move dozens of people from his hometown to move in. In addition, the old brothers were marrying wives and building houses one after another, so there was a lot of concern.

Zheng Hean chuckled and did not continue to refute.

"Then ask him next time you see him. I have a few nephews from my hometown who want to enter the Dongshan Imperial College. I don't know what the criteria are."

"Guizhou has good soldiers."

Zheng He'an rarely refuted, but nodded in agreement.

"It's a happy occasion and I'll reward you with something."

The guard immediately took out a small box, and Miao Youlin accepted it after thanking him.

"The melee combat battalion of the 2nd Legion is commanded by your wife. How is it arranged now?"

"The official has chosen someone to take charge temporarily."

Li Yu nodded:
"Huang Si, come in."

A heavily armored man walked in and paid homage to the commander of the military battalion.

……

"I am worried that firearms will be useless if we encounter continuous rainy season. You can't, just call a truce when it rains, right?"

Everyone nodded, this is indeed a problem.

Li Yu continued:

"Our army has never fought in rainy weather. This is a big hidden danger. Therefore, I will reinforce 3 battalions of soldiers for you."

Miao Youlin secretly screamed something bad, he realized something.

Sure enough, Li Yu continued to say calmly:

"Your wife's battalion of soldiers is temporarily under the command of Huang Si. Do you have any objection?"

He immediately raised his head and said loudly:

"Wherever the prince points, the subordinate will hit. There will be no hesitation."

"it is good."

Li Yu looked at the two of them with satisfaction and began to describe the battle situation:

"Fuyuan General Agui is temporarily stationed in Jiujiang. The green battalions of the southern provinces are also being assembled one after another. At the same time, each province is still recruiting troops. Of course, the war is about food and grass, and he cannot launch an attack for a while."

"According to intelligence, there are roughly two attack routes for the Qing army. One is to attack Chizhou Prefecture from west to east along the south bank of the Yangtze River. The other is to attack She County of Huizhou Prefecture from Jiangxi."

"The hot summer is over, and the cool autumn is coming soon. It's a good season for fighting."

"In this battle, you may face ten times more Green Camp soldiers. Make full use of the advantages of long-range firearms!"

"As ordered."

……

Li Yu suddenly said:

"This battle can also be regarded as a test of your commanding abilities. Whoever fights better will be allowed to take charge of the army alone."

Both Zheng and Miao looked happy and knelt down on one knee to express their gratitude.

After leaving, he was stopped by a royal official.

"The prince has an order to temporarily allocate a batch of supplies to the 2nd Army. You quickly send 500 unarmed soldiers to carry them."

Large guns, artillery, shovels, bayonets, and a round iron lump, the size of a pumpkin.

"What is this?"

"Zhentian Lei, light the fuse and push it down, it can kill the enemies attacking the city. New weapons, let you test the power."

Miao Youlin squatted and observed for a while, with lingering fear:

"This thing can only be used condescendingly, and there must be no one around. Otherwise, you may accidentally blow yourself up."

"But this shell is quite interesting, with grooves all over it horizontally and vertically, like a turtle shell."

As a former Green Camp military attache, he had seen too many strange weapons.

To sum up, the more bizarre the weapon, the less reliable it is, and the simpler the weapon, the more reliable it is. For example, a big blade is always the most reliable weapon, bar none.

Therefore, when the 2nd Army was in northern Zhejiang, they customized a batch of knives in the blacksmith shop as backup weapons.

On the battlefield, Miao Youlin believed in himself even more!
On this point, he was not prepared to compromise with anyone, not even the prince. …

Li Yu also summoned Liu Wu.

and told him:
"The Qing government was building ships in Anqing and Jiujiang at the same time. Wei Zilong's Jiangxinzhou Squadron conducted reconnaissance and tentative attacks several times. The two defenses were so tight that the navy alone could not attack them. Even if they were lucky enough to break into and burn down the shipyard, they would probably suffer heavy casualties."

"What does the prince mean?"

"Block it for the time being and wait for the opportunity. The Intelligence Agency is infiltrating Anqing Mansion. When the situation becomes clear, they will move forward by land and water to capture Anqing."

"As ordered."

Before Liu Wu left, he handed over a very detailed deployment plan of the naval forces.

主力驻地在崇明岛新河镇，有2200料红单船改进型战舰3艘，1200料缩小版红单船15艘，800料嵇康级轻型炮舰18艘。

A squadron is stationed at Jinshanwei, with two 2200-material warships and four 2-material warships.

A squadron is stationed in Jiangxinzhou on the west side of Jiangning, with 1200 4-ton warships and 6 Jikang-class light gunboats.

In addition, there are 4 Ji Kang-class ships and 10 miscellaneous ships stationed in Jiangyin (where the Grand Canal enters the river).

There are 3 Ji Kang-class ships and 45 miscellaneous ships stationed on Xishan Island in Taihu Lake.

There are 3 Ji Kang-class ships and 12 miscellaneous ships stationed in the canal beside Hangzhou.

The wood used in warships is mainly beech, with a small amount of nanmu and elm used. Mainly the hoarding before the army was launched, as well as the search for official warehouses and timber merchants in the areas under their control.

[Note: The number of guns carried by the three types of warships are 36, 24, and 16 respectively. Or it may fluctuate slightly due to the size of the caliber. 】

[Material: There are different opinions. Some say it is the drainage volume, some say the quantity of wood used, and some say the volume. The fog of history makes it difficult to see clearly. The author guesses that 1 material = 0.4 tons of displacement. As a general rule, do not spray. 】

……

The total strength of the Navy is more than 8000, mainly fishermen and Cao Gang personnel. There are also some who come from the infantry and are gradually trained after boarding the ship.

At the request of Prince Wu's Mansion, some businessmen recruited people along the coasts of Fujian, Zhejiang and Guangdong, and each recruited coastal fishermen were given 15 taels in Chongming.

Li Yu spends money wildly, but fortunately, he is not short of money for the time being.

The autumn harvest is just around the corner, and the grain harvest is expected to be good.

……

Forbidden City.

A stagecoach rider held the flag high and shouted along the way: "Great victory!"

Seeing that it was the messenger reporting victory, the guards did not dare to stop him, so they immediately opened the door and followed him shouting victory.

Qianlong heard the faint voice and asked:
"What's the sound outside?"

Before the little eunuch could go out to check, the palace door was pushed open.

He Shen was very ungraceful. He stumbled in and burst into tears before he opened his mouth:

"Master, a great victory! The army annihilated the remnants of the White Lotus Sect bandits in the Dabie Mountains of Anhui Province, and killed Hong Dachang, the leader of the rebel bandits."

Qianlong took a deep breath, hid his excited hands in his wide sleeves, and said with a smile:
"The slaves have broken the thief."

He Shen ignored his image and wiped his tears with his sleeves, crying and laughing at the same time. This scene fell in Qianlong's eyes, and he was a little moved.

"This little thing makes you so excited? Are tears so worthless?"

"Your Majesty, this servant is brave. The curfew is temporarily lifted and everyone is celebrating."

"I'm sure."

……

Guards in yellow mandarins rushed out of the Forbidden City on horseback.

Shouting along the street:

"Great victory in the south, the leader of the White Lotus bandits was killed. Your Majesty's grace, the curfew is lifted for three days."

There are many idle people, wealthy people and scholars in the capital. He is very enthusiastic about this kind of fun and wanders on the street all night long.

Every teahouse and restaurant is packed.

Countless folk commentators are busy analyzing, making up nonsense, or making up 70% falsehood and 30% true.

The third master of Zhenghongqi works as an errand in the Lifan Academy, and has a very busy and idle job.

So he became the central figure in the chat circle.

At this moment, he was in high spirits:

"You may not know how tragic the last battle between the officers and soldiers and Bai Lian was. The leader of Bai Lian knew magic and could make violent storms with one move. But we also have experts in the Qing Dynasty. General Agui held a peach wood sword and killed 9 people on the spot. A black dog, 9 black cows, and 9 black horses. As soon as the blood was splashed, wow, the one named Hong was defeated. After a closer look, oh, it turned out to be an adult python that escaped from the Shennongjia Mountains."

"Well, what kind of animal did the false king of Wu turn into? Could it be a Taihu carp?"

A group of people laughed and the atmosphere was very cheerful.

……

"No, no, Li Yu is the fire-burning boy under the Tathagata. Now, the emperor is negotiating with the Heavenly Court, and the Heavenly Court has accepted the case."

"Then, why don't you implement it as soon as possible?"

"Implement it? You have to do it step by step. The affairs in heaven are just like the government offices in Sijiu City. You have to burn the incense one by one."

This metaphor was very down-to-earth, and everyone nodded.

"There's really no rush."

The people were not happy when they ate the melon, and they had a meal of tea:
"This has become a big deal, how can we not be anxious? If the rice from Jiangnan is not available, what will we eat?"

The third master leaned on the back of his chair and said slowly:

"It's time for you to slap your words! In the eyes of heaven, what is our little trouble? We must first do the big things in the fairy world, and then we will consider the little things like us mortals."

Seeing that the melon-eater was dissatisfied, the third master patiently explained:

"You have to learn to put yourself in someone else's shoes. Let's put it this way, if you are a heavenly immortal, every day when you open your eyes, you will see a spell that teleports 3000 miles, a peach banquet that increases your life span by 300 years, and the next group of guards to guard the Jade Emperor's palace. Do you think that such a big thing as the list of immortals can be compared to the dispute over thirty or fifty kilograms of rice in the mortal world?"

The listener nodded thoughtfully, as if this made sense.

But someone laughed and said:
"Well, why does it sound like Journey to the West to me?"

Hahahaha, the onlookers laughed.

……

The third master calmly turned the ring on his hand and actually admitted it to himself:
"Exactly."

"Well, I'm not talking about you. Journey to the West is meant for children to read. Isn't it a bit too young for our age~"

"Are you trying to say childish?"

"Yes."

"Hey, you are naive. Do you think you will be mature after reading the Four Books and Five Classics, a subset of classics and history? Let me tell you, Journey to the West is the great wisdom. If you understand it, you can't say that you will be rich and powerful in these four-nine cities. At least you will have no troubles. No disaster.”

The third master spoke enthusiastically, so he simply lowered his voice and said:

"Do you know when Jiangnan will be leveled?"

"when?"

"Then we have to wait for the day when the Tathagata of the West is free. Yeah, where is my boy? Look, he is down to earth and having fun in the mud in the small pond of Taihu Lake. After announcing an immortal decree, Li Yu will immediately go to heaven obediently."

Some onlookers said angrily:

"He has no hair loss, and he is still cultivating immortality after returning to heaven. Our tens of thousands of bannermen who died in the battle have no explanation?"

"Yes. If the Tathagata goes to the peach banquet and meets the Jade Emperor, he will definitely punish himself with three cups of wine."

There are tea guests who are listening attentively and thinking for a moment.

He came over and said:
"Been taught a lesson."

The third master quickly returned the gift:
"You understand!"

……

The capital was filled with joy, but the atmosphere in the Forbidden City's Palace of Preservation and Harmony was a bit subtle.

A censor suggested that Fuyuan General Agui's power was too heavy and was not beneficial to the country. It should be reduced and more senior officials should be sent to divide his military power.

This proposal was severely reprimanded by Qianlong.

However, a problem has surfaced.

Zhang Jia and Agui's contribution was too great, and they controlled too many troops under their command.

He Shen seized the opportunity and made a suggestion:
"My slave suggests that since Bai Lian has been executed, General Fuyuan's authority should be adjusted to remove control over Shaanxi and Sichuan Green Camps."

Qianlong nodded:
"According to the decree, Agui is still the general of Fuyuan and has set up a camp in Jiujiang. He will control the green camps in the five provinces of Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Hunan and Hubei, and at the same time urge each province to recruit green camp recruits. When the Khalkha cavalry arrives, he will also be under his control. The Ministry of War will dispatch personnel to station. Jiujiang, supervise the manufacture of firearms."

"After the war in northern Anhui is over, Yongyan, the fifteenth son of the emperor, can move to Huai'an. However, the Jiangbei camp is still under the control of Hailancha. They are not allowed to attack without permission and can only attack later."

"The Ministry of Household Affairs must make every effort to ensure the supply of military pay for the Jiujiang camp. This year's autumn grain collection is the top priority. We inform all provinces that if the deficit exceeds 2%, local officials will be transferred to Yili. If the deficit exceeds 4%, they will be killed!"

(End of this chapter)