Great Qing Dynasty talker

Chapter 279 Above the East China Sea, Li Yu suddenly turned against him

The Intelligence Agency is extremely wealthy;
This year's funding is as high as 42 taels, which was specially approved by Li Yu and does not need to go through other agencies.

And the tacit agreement does not need to be made public, nor will the accounts be audited. Fully respect the special nature of their profession.

For example, Wang Shenxian was preparing to move to Lanfang, hiring sailors, purchasing maids and slaves to guard hundreds of people.

These hired people signed a life-long bond of slavery.

After Liu Qian learned about it, he conveniently placed the parents and brothers of one of the slaves in a county government office to cook and cook without revealing his identity.

For this homeless family, with no ground below and no tiles above, nothing could be better than the joy that comes from the sky.

If you work as a cook for the county government, no one will dare to bully you.

The other son can also gradually establish himself locally.

The originally dark and lightless life gradually took on color.

The officer immediately pushed it back, as if the post was too hot to handle.

The yamen officer exited the gate and said in a low voice:
"You all can live in peace. If you encounter trouble, you can go to Jiangdu County to find me. The distinguished guests of Jiangshou are the distinguished guests of Yangzhou."

If nothing unexpected happens, this person will cooperate to provide intelligence and monitor Wang Shenxian because of the kindness of taking care of his parents.

"My lord, are you still seasick?"

"Master Jun, take it to Jiang Mansion and ask?"

……

Every move of the general merchants affects the jobs of everyone in the city. If more oil and water leak out from the fingers of the general merchants, countless people will be able to taste the meat and fish.

If you want money, give money, if you want people, give people.

Showing an extremely rare level of trust!
Liu Qian was so moved that he swore his eternal allegiance in person when reporting to Jiangning. It's just that he will never chop off a finger to express his loyalty.

Li Yu's fleet sailed out of the Yangtze River estuary, entered the East China Sea, and sailed along the coastline.

The person who opened the door didn't panic at all and directly stretched out his hand to stop:

Liu Qian stood behind the screen wall and listened to the whole process.

inside the cabin,
Hu Xueyu sorted out a batch of urgent military reports from various places that had just been received, as well as reports from Jiangning's General Staff Headquarters.

"You can make some arrangements, don't be nervous, he is a smart man!"

"Exactly."

……

After a while, Jiang Chun's name card was fetched from the house.

"I will personally go to Jiang Mansion tonight. This old fox always has a clear kick and a bad kick. There must be a limit to the price."

Jiang Mansion's name card plated with gold powder and printed on dark paper with special patterns are too eye-catching.

Before he cultivated a basic base and tied up a powerful class, he felt insecure. The Intelligence Agency needs to check for leaks and fill in the gaps, and do some things that are not visible to the public.

The yamen servant, who was originally looking fierce and ready to scold, immediately changed his attitude. His waist was visibly stooped, and he forced out a smile:
"Are you a distinguished guest of Mr. Jiang Chunjiang, the salt merchant's chief executive?"

If you offend the salt merchant, you will never be able to step foot into Yangzhou City in this life. After death, the ashes have to be spread outside.

"No need to."

"Our Mr. Jiang Chun has quite a lot of face."

How should such intelligence work be evaluated?
I can only say it depends on the budget.

If something unexpected happens, it is equivalent to throwing away an investment in vain.

For ordinary people who have lived in Yangzhou City for generations, salt merchants are the god of this city.

laughed:

Li Yu is not short of money at the moment, so he is willing to allocate funds.

After all, people make decisions and God makes things happen. There is no such thing as a guaranteed win or loss in a business.

……

……

in the afternoon,

If you have money, throw money into the water. Although the probability of hitting a black fish is a little low, it still exists.

……

The government officials said privately:
A salt official with flowing water, a magistrate with flowing water, and an iron-clad salt merchant!
To put it bluntly, if you offend the prefect, you may be able to come back in three to five years.

"Master Jun, we are Mr. Jiang's guests."

Destination - Jinshanwei.

And a few years later, when the prince's power gets involved in Lanfang Country, the Intelligence Agency will be able to influence the servants around the immortal Wang through these people.

Suddenly a government official came to the door and knocked violently.

"Director, just in case~"

Li Yu's face turned pale and he looked very bad.

He took a sip of wine to suppress the turmoil in his stomach, and managed a smile:

"I still underestimate the sea."

"The sailors said that the wind and waves in the past few days have been surprisingly strong. Even the old sailors who are used to going to sea can't hold on."

Hu Xueyu was born as a master, he was well versed in the ways of the world, and his words were just right.

Li Yu changed the topic and asked:

"Agui finally couldn't hold it in any longer?"

"Your Majesty is wise. Agui is currently dividing his troops into three groups, attacking Chizhou, Huizhou, and Jinhua respectively. At present, it seems that Chizhou is the main attack, and the other two groups should be partial divisions."

……

Li Yu opened the window, read the military report amidst the turbulence, and revealed the secret in one sentence:
"Agui is risking human life to test our weakness!"

Hu Xueyu was stunned for a moment. He didn't know much about military affairs.

"Come on, let's go out and talk."

stern,

The sea breeze gusts, making your head sober instantly. Li Yu was very cautious and stood about 1 foot away from the tail rudder.

While feeling the cool sea breeze, he slowly preached:

"The Huangshiji outpost fortress of the 2nd Army has to fight almost every one or two days."

"The green camp soldiers are different every time they attack, but the size is very fixed. Two to three thousand people are almost the entire force controlled by a general soldier."

"Judging from the military reports, the Qing army was not determined to attack and was very provocative."

Hu Xueyu nodded hurriedly.

He read the military reports and found that the methods of siege were constantly changing, as were the attack formations.

Shield carriages, floor carriages, artillery, guns, bows and arrows, ladders, and carriage camps were all used.

"Your Majesty, do you think Agui wants to find out the defense weakness of the bastion?"

"No, he is looking for the weakness of the 2nd Army!"

……

Li Yu's seasickness was slightly relieved because he was focused.

He suddenly turned around and pointed at the seabirds circling in the sky:
"Agui is this bird. He is haunted and works tirelessly for prey. Whenever he finds an opening, he pounces."

The words have not yet fallen.

A seabird descended suddenly and snatched a small piece of dry biscuit from the deck.

The sailor was stunned, cursed and took away the empty bowl.

Hu Xueyu looked at this scene and asked in a low voice:

"Can the 2nd Army take the initiative?"

"Didn't you read Zheng He'an's report? After he took over the Huangshiji defense area, he led his troops out of the fort and fought with the Qing army twice. They both achieved small victories, but could not win a big victory! Why? Because there are always thousands of Turks on the flanks Special cavalry! They were just reining in their horses a few miles away, just watching quietly."

Li Yu suddenly became excited, turned around and said:

"Does Zheng He'an dare to pursue in depth? Does he dare not to maintain his formation? Does he dare to throw away his cannons and charge forward with light infantry?"

"He didn't dare, otherwise those Torgut cavalry wouldn't be watching the battle."

……

"Your Majesty, our light cavalry battalion is stationed in Chizhou Mansion, why not use Mongolia to Mongolia~
"Wusimai's cavalry is less than 2000. They are at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, and their personal quality may also be inferior, but their equipment is superior. If the cavalry is against the cavalry, Agui will not hesitate to exchange his cavalry. The Qing court lacks thousands of foreign vassal cavalry, and it is not It hurts or not. What about us? From now on, we can only win small victories in field battles, but never big ones. Do you know why?"

Hu Xueyu was speechless for a moment and didn't know how to respond.

Li Yu preached on his own:

"Because the Qing army can flank the formation with cavalry in every battle and supervise the fighting of the green battalions. If they lose, they will gather the remaining troops and come back in a few days. The manpower of the 18 provinces of the Han Dynasty is inexhaustible. What can I do to him?"

"This king has never stopped the civil construction of the Jiangnan defense circle. Why do you think it is?"...

Hu Xueyu's face felt a little hot. He really didn't know much about fighting.

For a moment, some associations occurred.

Could it be that the prince is taking this opportunity to beat himself up?

During this period, he had been building momentum by publicizing the deeds of Zhang Changguang, a Shaoxing-born staff officer who died in the war, and was just about to move the memorial tablet into the Xianliang Temple.

Xiang Zhuang's sword dance aims to turn the staff headquarters into the exclusive area of ​​Shaoxing Master.

With Master Shaoxing's cultural level, practical level, and ancestral unity, it is definitely not a delusion to control the General Staff Headquarters.

In fact, he himself does not want to be the Minister of Commerce, but wants to be the Minister of General Staff Headquarters.

With many years of experience in the shogunate, he saw one thing: the minister of the General Staff Headquarters had more power than the minister of commerce.

Power comes from guns.

And if the Shaoxing master can be turned into a Shaoxing staff team and placed in each legion, no one can shake his status as the head of the country.

His future grandson will be the "Crown Prince" with military support.

……

After Hu Xueyu retreated in shame, Li Yu continued to stand on the stern of the ship and blow the wind.

Guard captain Li Xiaowu brought a cup of hot tea, and after drinking it, I felt much better.

My stomach is no longer turbulent and gradually calms down.

The wind and waves on the sea gradually calmed down.

The sea is so capricious, just like the king of the world, it is stormy one second and gentle and drizzle the next.

Always remind me:

There is no room for neglect in sailing, and the boat can capsize in an instant!

In addition to being conscientious and not sloppy, you'd better pray to Poseidon for a good mood from time to time.

……

"Father, is it really impossible to fight a battle without cavalry?"

Li Yu smiled, swallowed the tea, and chewed the tea leaves:

"not necessarily!"

"It just requires a farther layout, more soldiers and horses, and more time to upgrade a battle into a battle."

Seeing that Li Xiaowu was puzzled, he simply dipped his hands in tea and drew on the deck:
"If the infantry is strong enough, they can confront the cavalry in the field and fight in formation. Then send partial divisions to capture and control the surrounding cities, mountain peaks, and water and land hubs."

"Form a large enough encirclement."

"Then the infantry gradually advanced, digging trenches and setting up forts to encroach on the cavalry's movement space. Until a net was placed over the cavalry's heads!"

……

Li Xiaowu thought about it for a while, his eyes brightened:

"I understand what the adoptive father means. The cavalry will be restricted in their activities and food routes. In the end, they will have to fight the infantry. Or, like peeling off flower petals, they will be cut down layer by layer in the blocking battle."

"Understood exactly."

The problem with this style of play is that the investment is huge, and the infantry must be strong enough and in large enough numbers.

There is no other way!
Large battles are still worth it. One battle will determine the outcome.

"Xiaowu, go to Huizhou Mansion and lead an army on your own." Li Yu suddenly said, "You can't get military honors if you are always the captain of the guard. It's not fair to you."

"Father, I just want to be the captain of the guard."

"There is no need to discuss this matter again. After the ship docks at Jinshan Guard, you will go to Huizhou Prefecture to take up the post. The 1st Army Corps has nothing to fight in Jiangning, so one battalion will be assigned to you. In addition, you will take another battalion from the Guards Corps. , I’ll leave the children’s camp to you as well.”

Li Xiaowu saluted solemnly and accepted the appointment.

"Huizhou Prefecture is mountainous and there is not much defensive pressure. You should formulate an offensive plan as soon as possible after establishing a foothold."

"Can I ask my adoptive father to tell me which direction to hit?"

"Follow the ancient Huifu Road and attack Raozhou Prefecture in Jiangxi Province. I want to swallow up all Agui's troops in one go. I will need you to cooperate with me then."

……

After the fleet docked, Li Xiaowu left in a hurry.

The world only knows the strategic positions of Jiujiang, Xiangyang, Xuzhou and Zhangjiakou, but few people know the strategic position of Huizhou Prefecture.

Huizhou Prefecture is located in the mountains.

There are 9 official roads starting from She County in the prefecture leading to neighboring prefectures and neighboring provinces, distributed in a radial pattern.

It’s okay to say that this place is the centerpiece of the Gangnam region in Gwangi.

From here, you can touch wherever you want.

The premise is that you are strong enough, beat people into submission first, and then imitate the great officials from Ximen.

……

Li Yu reviewed the sailors and inspected Jinshan Acropolis and coastal forts.

Regardless of the hard work of seasickness, we rushed to Jiangnan Shipyard after dinner.

Factory elder Kuai, with a group of technical backbones, was responsible for explaining.

Shipbuilding is a complex systematic project with complicated processes, sophisticated materials, many technical points, and requires a lot of experience.

"My lord, please look, this is the material selection area."

“The available wood is sorted out first and then used in different areas of the hull depending on the type and size of the wood.”

"One less piece of good ship material is needed. The current inventory can build up to five more 5-material warships. Then, the shipyard will have no choice but to stop work."

Li Yu nodded and asked:
"Suzhou, Zhejiang and Anhui, is there any usable wood?"

"Almost none." Lao Kuai also made a special analysis, "The tree species in Susong and Changning are mostly metasequoia, poplar, willow, and paulownia. In southern Anhui, there are locust trees, cypress, yew, and maple trees. In southern Zhejiang, there are camphor trees and pine trees. There are also a few beech trees. Only beech trees are considered hardwood and are usable. The rest are worthless.”

Li Yu paused and ordered:

"Find a few businessmen to go to southern Zhejiang to buy beech wood. Give Wang Danwang a share of the profits."

"Yes."

……

After walking a few more steps, Lao Kuai suddenly said:

"Your Majesty, if we can win Fujian Shipbuilding, we won't have to worry about running out of hardwood."

"Ok?"

"There is nanmu in the mountains of Fujian, which makes warships very strong. When the Tatars entered the customs, the materials for the battleships of Zheng's fleet were taken from it. The only disadvantage is that it is expensive."

Li Yu smiled and said:

"It doesn't matter if it's expensive. Once the big ships and cannons come out, the cost of building the ships can be shared among everyone."

"For the record, send people to Fujian to check out the locations first and figure out the distribution of resources. That is the Qingtong District, and there are no acquaintances like Wang Danwang. If you can buy a road, buy a road. If you can't buy a road, then consider using force."

Further forward is the keel resting and shaping area.

"Your Majesty, please see, the keel of this ship has been resting for a long time, so there is no need to worry about the shape changing again. The workers are now putting the hull on it, and after the hull is put on, they will put on the planks."

Li Yu pointed at the curved parts and asked:

"Has it been processed in advance?"

"Correct."

Workers straightened or bent the wood and gradually shaped it by baking it over fire and fixing it with cast iron. Make sure there is no deformation after removing the fixture before proceeding to the next step.

In addition to experience, it also takes time. There is no need to hurry when building a ship, or there will be big trouble after it is launched!
……

"How do you secure the hull?"

"My lord, please see, I use this kind of straight-line iron nails. Use one every half a foot to ensure that the two pieces of wood fit together."

"Okay, all parts that can be made of metal should be replaced with metal as much as possible. Old Kuai, remember my words, wood will become more and more expensive, but metal will become cheaper and cheaper."

"Yes."

Li Yu carefully watched the manufacturing process all the way.

A mortise-and-tenon structure was used between the hull and the keel, and an iron nail nearly 1 foot long was used. The workers held up sledgehammers and hammered hard until they were flush with the wood.

"Can the strength of the ship's hull be improved by using more iron nails?"

"Naturally."

"Then use more. If there are not enough, let Maanshan Iron and Steel rush to make them."

……

(End of this chapter)